(Breath of Life Theme Music)
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Sermon #B674 -
Faith On The Frontline
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Dr. Byrd: We are going to go
ahead and get in the word of God
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today. I would invite you to
take your bibles and go with me
to the Book of Luke.
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We are going to go to Luke
chapter ten. Luke chapter ten
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today and we are going to
go to verse number thirty. Luke
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chapter ten and we are going
to go to verse number thirty.
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Familiar passage. Luke chapter
ten, verse number thirty. Turn
there with me in your bibles.
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I am going to read from the King
James Version in your hearing.
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I would ask that you
follow along with me.
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Luke chapter ten, verse number
thirty we are going to read
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today. Jesus is telling a story.
We know this story, the Parable
of the Good Samaritan.
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Luke chapter ten, verse thirty,
the word of God says, "And Jesus
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answering said, A certain man
went down from Jerusalem to
Jericho, and fell among thieves,
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which stripped him of his
raiment, and wounded him, and
departed, leaving him half dead.
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By chance there came down
a certain priest that way:
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when he," the priest, "saw this
man, he passed by on the other
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side. Likewise a Levite, when
he was at the place, came and
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looked on him, and he too passed
by on the other side. But a
Samaritan, as he journeyed,
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came where he was: and when he
saw him," the bible says, "he
had compassion on him,
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and he went to him, and bound up
his wounds, pouring in oil and
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wine, and set him on his own
beast," his own donkey, "brought
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him to an inn, and took care of
him. And on the morrow when he
departed, he took out two pence,
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and gave them to the host," the
hotel manager, "and said unto
him, Take care of him;
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whatsoever thou spendest more,
when I come again, I will repay
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thee. Which now of these three,"
the priest, the Levite, the
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Samaritan, "which now of
these three, thinkest thou,
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was neighbor unto him
that fell among the thieves?
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And he said," the lawyer did,
"He that showed mercy on him.
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Then said Jesus unto him,
Go, and do thou likewise.""
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Today, I want to challenge
you on the subject, faith on the
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front line. Faith on the
front line. God, bless us now.
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What a wonderful worship
experience we have already had
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in praising you. The music, the
praise team, the hymn. O God,
the baptism, children's
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ministry, the wonderful
selection by Patrick, but now,
God, we need a word from you.
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Speak, Lord, for
your servant heareth.
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Do like you always do every
Sabbath during this period of
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virtual worship. Go through the
computer screen. Go through the
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television screen. God, have
your way today. Forgive me of my
sins, hide me behind your cross,
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and when the appeal time
comes, I am praying, O Lord,
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and I am asking you to move
along your people in a mighty
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way. Let some drops fall on
me today, I pray, drops of your
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Holy Spirit. In the name
of Jesus we pray, Amen. Amen.
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Faith on the front line.
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While we may have thought that
the racial tensions of the 1960s
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were behind us, and that we
entered a post-racial era with
the election of President Barack
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Obama as the first black
president of the United States,
and that Jim Crow was over,
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and that the segregated South
was done, think again. Racism is
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alive and well, and still runs
rampant in America's workforce,
schools, communities,
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and society at large.
Segregation still continues in
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our schools. Urban schools are
underfunded and understaffed.
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Blacks are often underemployed
and underpaid. The penal system,
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judicial system, education
system, economic system, police
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system, and a whole
bunch of other systems overtly
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and covertly contribute to the
racial injustices in our world
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today. In the past couple of
months, we have witnessed
examples of this with the
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unmerited, unwarranted, unfair,
and unjustified deaths of Ahmaud
Arbery, Breonna Taylor,
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George Floyd, and Rayshard
Brooks. As a result of these
deaths, demonstrations,
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and marches, and protests have
emerged across cities here in
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the United States and abroad,
chants of "Black lives matter",
"No justice, no peace", "Hands
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up, do not shoot", and "I cannot
breathe" have been heard daily.
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As you know, as I shared
with you a couple of weeks ago,
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I have been actively a
part of these demonstrations.
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As a result of my being a part
of these demonstrations, I have
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endured criticism, complaint,
and received scores of hate mail
because of my willingness to
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take a stand and speak out
against the racial injustices of
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the day. Anonymous messages
telling me to watch my back.
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Nameless emails
reaching my inbox saying,
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"I will make sure you
never ascend any further in your
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career." Social media posts that
say my behavior is not becoming
of an Adventist minister
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have reached my ears
and crossed my sight,
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but in the name of Jesus, I
shall not be moved. I shall not
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be deterred. I am going to keep
on peacefully protesting. I am
going to keep on marching.
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I am going to keep on speaking
up and speaking out until change
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comes. Why? I have got God on my
side. If God be for us, who can
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be against us? No weapon formed
against us is going to prosper.
I wish I had a witness in this
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place. As I said a
couple of weeks ago,
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a church is in danger of death
when it is silent on the
reckless racism that exists
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in our world, in our country,
and in our church where a man
can be killed while jogging,
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a woman can be shot
eight times while sleeping,
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a man's life can be put in
danger because he is simply
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bird-watching, or a man can lose
his life because of a knee to
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his neck. Some within our faith
community, they feel that if it
does not directly affect them,
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they can be silent,
but we cannot be silent.
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I learned as a little boy that
if someone does something to
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somebody else, it is just a
matter of time before they do it
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to you. Remember, it was Jesus
who said, "Inasmuch as ye have
done it unto least of these my
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brethren, ye
have done it unto me."
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Martin King said, "Injustice
anywhere is a threat to justice
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everywhere." Most importantly,
as a faith community,
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we have a responsibility to
speak up and speak out against
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racial Injustice. Remember, it
was Dr. King who said, "In the
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end, we will not remember the
words of our enemies, but the
silence of our friends."
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We further have a biblical
mandated. Micah chapter six,
verse number eight,
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"To do justly, love mercy,
and walk humbly before our God."
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Let me be clear. If you do not
hear anything else, hear this.
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Racism is wrong. Racism is a
sin. When a church, when we, as
a church, do not speak out
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against racism, when we as
a faith community are silent
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and absent from the front lines
of real-life issues, it
compromises our witness.
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Because why would people
want to join a church group?
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Why would people want to join a
faith group if the faith through
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does not care or appear to
care about basic human needs?
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Yes, the twenty-three
hundred day prophecy is good,
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but somebody is saying, "I
am homeless." Yes, the health
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message is good, but somebody is
saying, "I have nothing to eat."
The Sabbath message is good,
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but someone is
saying, "I do not have a job."
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People do not care how much you
know until they know how much
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you care. I was grateful for
the statement that was published
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and put out by the leadership of
our North American Division in
response to the recent
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death and racial inequalities in
our country in the aftermath of
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the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery,
and Breonna Taylor, and George
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Floyd. The statement said, "As
Christians, we condemn such
actions of hate and violence
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and call for justice to be
served for the victims and their
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families." The statement
continues, "We urge all of our
church members to prayerfully
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consider how they can
interact with everyone in their
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communities. We ask that you
speak out against injustice and
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hatred, just as Jesus did when
Jesus was on this earth." Praise
God for the statement.
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Hallelujah for the statement.
Thank you, Jesus, for the
statement, but let me say this.
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While many within our faith
community agreed that we have a
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racism problem, we disagree on
the solution. Yes, we need to
pray. Yes, we need to have
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changed hearts, but I also think
the answer is to change laws.
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In order to change laws, you got
to change the people who make
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the laws. In order to change the
people, you got to speak up, get
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out, and vote. Are you hearing
what I am saying? The answer is
not private responsibility
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but the answer is
public accountability.
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We have got to be on the
front line requiring public
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accountability. How can you call
yourself a Christian and not be
on the front line of human hurt,
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human suffering, and human
distress. If we are followers of
Christ as we say we are,
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Jesus spoke up
for the marginalized.
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He spoke for those who
could not speak for themselves.
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He helped those who
could not help themselves.
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His beliefs and actions were
Illustrated in the narrative of
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our text. You all know the text.
You know the Good Samaritan
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story. A lawyer asks Jesus a
question. He says, "Jesus, Lord,
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what shall I do to
inherit eternal life?"
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Now, you need to understand that
this lawyer does not ask this
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question for the purpose of
being instructed but he asks for
the purpose of trying to tempt
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Jesus, but Jesus has a little
something-something for this
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lawyer. Jesus answers the lawyer
by telling him a story about a
man on a journey who was mugged,
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beat up, and left for
dead on the side of the road.
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The first person to travel on
the same road and see this
beat-up man was a priest.
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Now, you would think that out
of all the people in the world,
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the priest would help this
beat-up injured man. When the
priest saw the man,
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the bible says that the priest
passed on the other side of the
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road. Now, maybe the priest
was afraid to defile himself.
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He saw the man and he was maybe
unsure if the man was dead or
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alive. According to Jewish law,
if he were dead, if the man had
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been dead, the priest would have
defiled himself if he touched
the man so the priest goes to
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the other side.
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Isn't it Interesting that back
in Jesus' day, like it is today,
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people are more concerned about
policy than there are people I
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wish I had time. The bible then
says that another man came, but
just like this priest, this
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other man, a Levite, a deacon,
if you will, sees the injured
man but he also passes,
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the Levite does, on the
other side of the road. Now, the
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priest and the Levite should
have been the first persons,
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first people, the most expected
people to help the injured man.
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After all, they are of the same
race and the same religion as
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the man, their
half-dead brother in the ditch.
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They are both Christian and
so is the brother in the ditch.
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They are both Adventists and
so is the brother in the ditch.
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They are of the same ethnicity
and so is the brother in the
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ditch. They are
both religious people.
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They both have read the law
of love as it has been written
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hundreds of times, but they
passed the man right on by. They
know the law but they do not
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know love. They know the
commandments but they do not
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know Christ. They know that they
are religious but they do not
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know relationship. They are
public saints but private
sinners having a form of
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godliness but
denying the power thereof.
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The story says, "This Samaritan
guy comes along. He is not
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Adventist. He is
not of the same color.
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He is of a different race and
religion than the man who is in
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the ditch. Neither race of
people like each other." They do
not have potluck together.
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In fact, they are
taught to hate each other.
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You are not supposed
to talk to one another.
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They are taught to think
of the other as less than.
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The Samaritan, the bible says,
gets off his donkey, bandages up
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the man's wounds, and then he
puts oil and wine on the man. He
does not stop there.
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He then takes the man, and
he puts the man on his donkey,
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and he takes the man to a hotel
where the man can be taken care
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of. He spent his own money
for the guy to stay at a hotel
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and even promises to pay the
hotel manager back for any extra
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expenses even though he probably
was not particularly wealthy
himself, but he helps the man.
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The central message
of this parable, friends,
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is this, that if we are to be
good neighbors, we have to be
more like the Good Samaritan.
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Jesus then concludes this
story with the admonition.
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He says, "Go and do likewise."
That is a message for somebody
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today. Get off your donkey
and get on the front line.
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Pastor Byrd, how do we do this?
Well, there are three ways we do
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this. Number one,
we need to have vision.
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We need to have eyes to
see those who are hurting.
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Too many people have sight but
no vision. Where there is no
vision, the people perish.
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Are you hearing what I am
saying? Number two, we need to
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have compassion. We need the
love of Jesus in our hearts.
Number three, we need to go to
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the people. We must go to where
the people are and do whatever
it takes to reach them with
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God's love. We have got
to go to the front line.
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We have got to get beyond
the four walls of the church.
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Faith on the front line is more
than just calling people to pray
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because faith
without works is dead.
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Faith on the front line is not
just sitting up in an office,
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waiting to get to
the next position.
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Faith on the front line is
not simply writing statements.
00:16:06.36\00:16:10.57
Faith on the front line is not
just posting to social media,
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quoting the latest sound bites
or posting the best cliches like
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your woke. Faith on the front
line is not going through
another cycle of church days,
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programs, where you are
insulated, and isolated, and
ministering to nobody but
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yourselves. Faith on the front
line is marching. Faith on the
front line is peacefully
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protesting. Faith on the
front line is getting involved.
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Faith on the front line
is helping human suffering.
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Faith on the front line
is speaking up to employers,
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systems and structures about
racism and telling them that
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they are wrong. Faith on the
front line is feeding people who
cannot feed themselves,
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clothing people who cannot
clothe themselves, teaching
young people how to read
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and write, counseling and
mentoring troubled,
disadvantaged, at-risk youth,
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loving unwed teen mothers,
rehabilitating drug addicts and
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substance abusers, starting and
opening up credit unions so you
can help your people realize
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their dreams. That is faith on
the front lines. That is church
00:17:12.29\00:17:17.10
on the front line. Too many
of our churches, too many of our
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ministries, too many of
our faith groups are not on the
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front line and that is why the
church is not growing. Our faith
is limited to the building.
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Our faith is not
shown on the front line.
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What has happened, we
have conformed to a system.
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The Seventh-day Adventist Church
was never supposed to be a
00:17:33.48\00:17:35.88
system. It was supposed to be a
movement. Are you hearing what I
00:17:35.92\00:17:38.25
am saying? We have conformed to
a system. A system that
perpetuates itself.
00:17:38.29\00:17:44.09
Systems are built for you to go
along to get along. Systems are
not built for change.
00:17:44.13\00:17:49.96
Systems are not built
from radical movements.
00:17:50.00\00:17:52.17
Systems are put in place to keep
the status quo, to keep things
00:17:52.20\00:17:57.57
as they are. For example,
in any organizational system,
00:17:57.61\00:18:01.54
the ones in charge of the system
are reluctant to change the
00:18:01.58\00:18:06.98
system because that would mean
it would compromise their place
00:18:07.02\00:18:10.82
in the system. No one wants
to vote themselves out of a job.
00:18:10.85\00:18:14.86
In our church system, we
are hearing cries to reform.
00:18:14.89\00:18:17.93
We are hearing cries
to restructure the system.
00:18:17.96\00:18:20.73
To change the structure, to
change the system would mean you
have to change the people,
00:18:20.76\00:18:25.77
which would mean the very people
who make the decision to change
00:18:25.80\00:18:30.34
the system would have to vote
themselves out of their position
and they are not going to do
00:18:30.37\00:18:35.08
that. To keep the people
on the front lines at bay,
00:18:35.11\00:18:37.91
to keep the people on
the front lines quiet,
00:18:37.95\00:18:39.71
system leadership will pit front
line people up against each
00:18:39.75\00:18:44.49
other. They do this with a
divide-and-conquer philosophy or
00:18:44.52\00:18:49.36
better yet, they say, "Do as I
say and I will look out for you
with the position up the road."
00:18:49.39\00:18:54.83
"If you are a field
slave, just be quiet.
00:18:54.83\00:18:58.13
Sooner than later, I will
make you a house slave." Preach,
00:18:58.17\00:19:03.10
Pastor Byrd. Let me tell you
something. Can I tell you
something? Be real today.
00:19:03.14\00:19:06.11
Nobody hires you to make you
rich. They hire you to make them
00:19:06.14\00:19:11.58
rich. They do not pay you
so you can have retirement.
00:19:11.61\00:19:14.45
They pay you enough so you are
going to work on Monday morning
00:19:14.48\00:19:17.39
and give you enough benefits
so you will not quit your job.
00:19:17.42\00:19:19.95
You all do not hear what I am
saying. You all ain't ready for
00:19:19.99\00:19:22.26
this today. If you got vision
that is bigger than the system,
00:19:22.29\00:19:26.33
you have to open up some
other stuff in your life.
00:19:26.36\00:19:29.16
You have got to do and
have more things going on.
00:19:29.20\00:19:32.27
You have got to do something
else. You have got to write a
00:19:32.30\00:19:35.67
book. You have got to get some
professional development, take a
00:19:35.70\00:19:39.41
computer class, start a new
degree or finish that degree you
00:19:39.44\00:19:42.58
started. You cannot waste your
time fixing to or getting ready
00:19:42.61\00:19:46.21
to, but you better understand,
that this is the day the Lord
00:19:46.25\00:19:50.32
has made. I will rejoice and be
glad in it. Do I have a witness
00:19:50.35\00:19:53.52
in this place? Thank God. Thank
you, God, for waking me up this
00:19:53.56\00:19:56.59
morning. Thank you, God,
for starting me on my way.
00:19:56.62\00:19:58.83
Thank you, God, for allowing
me to view church this morning.
00:19:58.86\00:20:01.53
Thank you for giving me your
mind to think with and hands to
00:20:01.56\00:20:04.90
work with because you are about
to open up the windows of heaven
00:20:04.93\00:20:07.34
and pour us out a blessing that
there shall not be room enough
00:20:07.37\00:20:10.47
to receive it. Somebody is
listening right now and you are
about to get your license.
00:20:10.51\00:20:15.54
License to break
out. License to get loose.
00:20:15.58\00:20:19.01
License to go where no man or no
woman has ever gone before and
00:20:19.05\00:20:23.39
do what no man or no woman has
ever done before. You have been
in jail long enough.
00:20:23.42\00:20:26.92
You have been held hostage,
hallelujah, long enough.
00:20:26.96\00:20:30.06
You have been status quo long
enough. You have been a slave
00:20:30.09\00:20:34.40
long enough. It is time to let
God arise and let his enemies be
00:20:34.46\00:20:39.10
scattered. I can't spend,Carlton
Byrd can- -not spend thirty or
forty years stuck in a system
00:20:39.13\00:20:46.81
waiting for somebody to tell
me what to do. I have got to do
00:20:46.84\00:20:51.18
something now. Waiting for a
board to tell me what to do. I
have got to do something now.
00:20:51.21\00:20:55.35
Waiting for a conference
committee to tell me what to do.
00:20:55.38\00:20:58.52
I have got to do something now.
Do not get it twisted. Do not
00:20:58.55\00:21:03.56
misquote me. I fully support
and respect our conference
00:21:03.59\00:21:06.33
leadership. I fully support and
respect our North American
Division leadership,
00:21:06.36\00:21:08.90
but I do not wait on
them to give me an idea.
00:21:08.93\00:21:12.20
I pursue the idea and then I
want them to say, "Pastor, just
slow down a little bit."
00:21:12.23\00:21:17.74
Mission and ministry
start on the front line.
00:21:17.77\00:21:21.28
I am not waiting for
this group or that group,
00:21:21.31\00:21:23.85
and this gospel of the kingdom
shall be preached in all the
00:21:23.88\00:21:27.15
world for a witness unto all
nations; and then shall the end
come. Go thee therefore.
00:21:27.18\00:21:31.32
Teach all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the father,
00:21:31.35\00:21:34.69
the son, and the Holy Ghost.
Fear thou not; for I am with
thee: be not dismayed;
00:21:34.72\00:21:37.59
for I am thy God: I will
strengthen thee; I will help
00:21:37.63\00:21:40.40
thee; I will uphold thee
with the right hand of my
00:21:40.43\00:21:42.63
righteousness. Today, I want
to talk to some radical people.
00:21:42.66\00:21:44.60
I want to preach to some folk
who are ready to break outside
00:21:44.63\00:21:48.97
the status quo, folk who are
ready to do big things for God
00:21:49.00\00:21:51.57
because you cannot be big
as long as little has you.
00:21:51.61\00:21:54.04
Quit letting blind
people proofread your vision.
00:21:54.08\00:21:56.51
Get out on the front lines
of God and do something big for
00:21:56.54\00:21:59.48
God. In any organization,
whether spiritual or second, the
front line is where it is at.
00:21:59.51\00:22:07.22
Any organization that is
growing, that is developing,
that is prospering,
00:22:07.26\00:22:11.86
that is solving, any
organization like that, if you
study organization,
00:22:11.89\00:22:15.60
it has its
emphasis on the front line.
00:22:15.63\00:22:19.50
The church can have an
awesome infrastructure,
00:22:19.53\00:22:23.61
wonderful buildings, first-class
hospitals, large, parochial
00:22:23.64\00:22:30.85
education systems, great
preaching, inspiring music, but
if it is not on the front line
00:22:30.88\00:22:39.82
meeting human need, souls will
not be baptized and the church
00:22:39.85\00:22:45.13
will not grow. Faith has
got to be on the front line.
00:22:45.16\00:22:48.73
Ellen White said it best
in Ministry of Healing that
00:22:48.76\00:22:53.03
Christ's method alone will give
true success in reaching the
00:22:53.07\00:22:56.97
people. The Savior mingled with
men as one who desired their
00:22:57.01\00:23:00.58
good. He showed his sympathy for
them, ministered to their needs,
won their confidence,
00:23:00.61\00:23:05.31
and then he bade them, "Follow
me." Friends, that is faith on
00:23:05.35\00:23:12.25
the front line. We cannot call
ourselves Christians and simply
00:23:12.29\00:23:16.32
sit silently by and allow
people whom we claim to love
00:23:16.36\00:23:18.69
and desire to see saved suffer
unjustly at the hands of others.
00:23:18.73\00:23:22.26
Let me make another point. Go
back with me now, and let us get
one more Samaritan story.
00:23:22.30\00:23:29.50
In John chapter four, when you
read it later, after I finish
00:23:29.54\00:23:33.91
preaching, go back and read John
chapter four. When you read John
00:23:33.94\00:23:36.68
chapter four, when Jesus went
from Judea to Galilee, but he
decided to go through Sychar,
00:23:36.71\00:23:40.82
which means city of drunkards,
it was located also in Samaria,
00:23:40.85\00:23:44.32
you need to know that this route
was rarely taken by Jews. Jews
00:23:44.35\00:23:52.09
avoided Sameria, but yet Jesus,
a Jew, invested much time in
John chapter four in talking to
00:23:52.13\00:23:59.30
the Samaritan woman. Not only
that, she was a Samaritan woman
of not good reputation.
00:23:59.33\00:24:05.81
In other words. She was not
known by her name but she was
known by what she did.
00:24:05.84\00:24:10.75
You all do not hear what I
am saying? By talking to this
00:24:10.78\00:24:15.42
woman, Jesus was clearly
saying Samaritan lives matter.
00:24:15.45\00:24:21.99
Just like in the
Parable of the Good Samaritan,
00:24:22.02\00:24:24.49
Jesus was cutting to the chase
of the racism of his time and
clearly affirming that
00:24:24.53\00:24:28.40
Samaritan lives matter. This did
not mean that Jewish lives did
00:24:28.43\00:24:35.87
not matter. This did not
mean that Levite lives did not
00:24:35.90\00:24:39.01
matter. It just meant that
Samaritans were the ones being
00:24:39.04\00:24:43.04
marginalized and Samaritan lives
matter. You all do not hear what
00:24:43.08\00:24:46.58
I am saying. In April of
2013, after the Boston Marathon
00:24:46.61\00:24:51.32
Bombing and the City of Boston
had been hurt by this bombing
00:24:51.35\00:24:55.46
and the deaths, the popular
slogan everybody was quoting
everywhere in the United States
00:24:55.49\00:24:59.26
was, "Boston strong,
Boston strong, Boston strong".
00:24:59.29\00:25:03.80
Now, this did not mean
that New York was not strong.
00:25:03.83\00:25:07.04
This did not mean Chicago was
not strong. This did not mean LA
or DC were not strong.
00:25:07.07\00:25:12.27
It just meant that Boston was
the focus because Boston had
been targeted and afflicted.
00:25:12.31\00:25:19.08
It was a given that the
other cities were strong.
00:25:19.11\00:25:21.62
After the Las Vegas
shootings on October the 1st,
00:25:21.65\00:25:24.79
2017 where fifty-nine people
including the shooter were
00:25:24.82\00:25:28.22
killed and another eight hundred
and sixty-nine were injured,
00:25:28.26\00:25:30.83
we heard, "Vegas strong,
Vegas strong, Vegas strong".
00:25:30.86\00:25:35.56
That did not mean that Atlanta,
Huntsville, Nashville, and Miami
00:25:35.60\00:25:43.07
were not strong. That was a
given, but the slogan "Vegas
strong" was adopted
00:25:43.10\00:25:48.91
because it was Vegas, Las
Vegas, that had been targeted.
00:25:48.94\00:25:52.51
It was Las Vegas that had been
affected. When you hear "Black
00:25:52.55\00:25:58.35
lives matter", that is not to
say other people do not matter.
Other people do matter
00:25:58.39\00:26:02.56
but that is a given. When people
say, "Black lives matter,"
00:26:02.59\00:26:06.36
that is to the say that it is
black people who are presently
00:26:06.39\00:26:09.46
the ones being wrongfully
targeted, marginalized, and
00:26:09.50\00:26:13.87
affected. I was reading
something this week written by
Erna Kim Hackett, and I am
00:26:13.90\00:26:20.28
paraphrasing, she said, "No one
sees himself or herself as the
priest or the Levite that walks
00:26:20.31\00:26:26.45
by the Jewish man. Everybody
sees himself as the Good
Samaritan but that is
00:26:26.48\00:26:33.15
because everybody looks through
their own lens, their own
00:26:33.19\00:26:38.39
personal lens. No one sees
themselves as Pharaoh. They
always see themselves as Moses.
00:26:38.43\00:26:43.53
No one sees themselves as Haman.
They always see themselves as
00:26:43.57\00:26:48.47
Esther. No one sees themselves
as Judas. They always see
themselves as Peter.
00:26:48.50\00:26:54.34
People in power, people of
privilege have no lens for
rightly appropriating
00:26:54.38\00:27:01.52
themselves in scripture and
society. It has made them blind
00:27:01.55\00:27:08.62
to what they see and what they
do when engaging in issues of
privilege, power, and injustice.
00:27:08.66\00:27:14.83
In other words, you will never
see yourself as a racist,
bigoted, xenophobic,
00:27:14.83\00:27:20.14
prejudiced or discriminatory
person because you live your
00:27:20.17\00:27:24.17
life and look through the
lens of privilege, power, and
00:27:24.21\00:27:28.94
injustice. That is why faith
has to go to the front line.
00:27:28.98\00:27:35.22
Gospel that Jesus preached was
not limited to sermons in the
00:27:35.25\00:27:40.22
pulpit and neither should ours.
What we are experiencing today
is not black versus white.
00:27:40.26\00:27:48.73
This is not a revolution
of black versus white or white
00:27:48.76\00:27:53.57
versus black. This is a
revolution of right versus
00:27:53.60\00:27:59.71
wrong. Thank you very much for
tuning in to this week's Breath
00:27:59.74\00:28:04.18
of Life broadcast. We hope and
pray that you've been blessed by
Dr. Byrd's inspirational
00:28:04.21\00:28:08.95
message. If you would
like to hear this sermon in its
00:28:08.98\00:28:11.45
entirety, please feel free to
visit us at www.breathoflife.tv.
00:28:11.49\00:28:17.19
Or, call us at (256) 929-6460.
00:28:17.23\00:28:30.24
When I was eight years old,
I was diagnosed with Crohn's
00:28:30.27\00:28:36.11
disease. When I was fifthteen, I
had my first surgery. When I
think about the time that I lost
00:28:36.14\00:28:47.12
during my adolescent years, I
just can't seem to put it
togther. Even now I'm doing
00:28:47.16\00:28:57.70
treatment for my disease.
Everyone experiences loss. It's
not of matter of if but when.
00:28:57.73\00:29:09.31
www.breathoflife.tv
00:29:09.34\00:29:17.82
[END]
00:29:17.85\00:29:32.83