Dr. Carlton P. Byrd, Agitate

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] allow me if you will to invite you to turn to your Bibles to the book of Matthew what book everybody come on talk to me like you mean it Matthew what book did I say and let's go to a chapter 25 then we're gonna go to familiar scripture that has been quoted in some form or fashion throughout this service Matthew chapter 25 we're going to verse number 31 Matthew chapter 25 verse 31 the Word of God says if you have it let me you say Amen the Word of God says in Matthew chapter 25 verse 31 when the Son of man shall come in his glory and all the holy angels with him then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory and before him shall be gathered all nations and he should separate them one from another as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats and he set the sheep on the right hand but the goats on the left then shall the King say unto them on his right hand come ye blessed of my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world for I wasn't hungered and he gave me meat I was thirsty and you gave me drink I was a stranger and you took me and naked and you clothed me I was sick and he visited me I was in prison and you came upon unto me then shall the righteous answer him saying Lord when saw we thee and hungered and fed thee or thirsty and gave thee drink in other words when did we see you we saw Wendy a stranger and took thee in or naked and clothed thee or when saw we thee sick or in prison and came unto thee the King transfrom saying to them verily I say unto you and so much as he have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren ye have done it unto me then shall you say also unto them on the left hand the goats depart from me to eat cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels for I was in a hungered and he gave me no meat I was thirsty and he gave me all drink I was a stranger and it took me not in naked and ye clothed me not sick and in prison and you visited me not then shall they also answer him saying Lord when saw we thee an hungred or athirst or a stranger or naked or sick or and President did not minister unto thee then shall he answer them saying verily I say unto you in as much as he did it not to one of the leads to these he did it not to me and these shall go away into everlasting punishment but the righteous into life eternal in harmony with the theme dr. Llewellyn we speak on the subject agitate father bless us now speak servants here then when the appeal time comes moved by your power sprinkle out your grace and do what you do we give you praise in advance Lord forgive us of our sins in the name of Jesus and let everyone say Amen everyone repeat after me say agitate come on say it like you mean it say a jeté all right quickly this message stands as a warning message and this text a warning message from God a warning message that Jesus is coming back but in today's world it's hard to hear and see warnings whether they're good or bad because there's so much distraction in our world we can't hear or see thing a police siren is sounded but we don't hear a thing an ambulance siren is sounded but we don't hear a thing a tornado siren is sounded but we don't hear a thing death destruction and bombs are all around us but we don't see a thing but in this sense in this chapter Jesus gives us a warning and he provides a backdrop for his second coming he lets us know that he's coming back real soon but he's not coming back for the fickle he's not coming back for the wishy-washy he's not coming back for the vacillating or the wavering he's not coming back for those who are straddling the fence but he's coming back for those people who are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ for the power of God unto salvation so in this his last recorded parable Jesus Priven presents this final message and he presents it in simplistic terms showing a comparison between sheep and goats and he says that he's gonna separate sheep from goats do I have a witness of his late now throughout scripture contracted views of comparison are commonplace the we must grow with the tears Saints are compared with sinners right is juxtaposed against Roll Heaven is contrasted with hell Jesus is pitted against Satan Jesus also used comparisons and opposites when he spoke of following him remember it was Jesus who said he that is not with me is against me in Matthew 7 he speaks of two gates one is broad and one is narrow he speaks of two rows life and death two kinds of fruit good and bad two kinds of people wise and foolish two foundations one is on the rock and one is on saying two houses one white will stand and one that will fall so it shouldn't be strange to us that Jesus would speak of two types of animals and compare sheep with goats because there are distinct differences between the two physically sheep tails hang down goats tails go up sheep's sheep are grazers goats are browsers sheep eat tender grass and clover goats eat leaves twigs vines and shrubs most sheep grow wool and need to be sheared annually but most goats have hair coats that do not require shearing or combing when sheep face challenges they stick together and look to the shepherd when goats face challenges they run away she becomes stressed out when they are separated from their flock members but goats like leading sheep astray in fact meat packers have an interesting name for goats they were trained and old go they will name him Judas because the purpose of this goat is to lead the Sheep to the slaughterhouse but I don't know about you but I don't need anybody leading me to the slaughterhouse I don't want to be in church all my life and be a goat I don't want to hang out with goats I don't want to be a scapegoats I don't want to be a billy goats but I want to be a sheep that God asks for me to be because when I'm a sheep I believe I've got a shepherd and the word promised me that the Lord is my shepherd I shall not one are you hearing what I'm saying everybody now quickly in verse number 33 the Bible says that Jesus will set the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left hair but why does he set sheep on the right and goats on the left is there something today specific about the left and the right it was Jesus who let us know that you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven which means then the right side biblically typifies honor and blessing the Bible in says Jesus he was received up into heaven and now he sits at the right hand of God so then there is honor and blessing on the right side but the left side simplifies disfavor and less favored in the text in verse 41 we read it then he shall say to them on the left side depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels at the second coming there's gonna be a reward for his sheep his followers and they will be in position and he's gonna tell them to enter into his kingdom why is he gonna tell them what is the reason that he is gonna say enter in my kingdom it's simple he says because when I was hungry you fed me when I was thirsty you gave me something to drink when I was homeless you took me in when I was naked you gave me some clothes when I was sick you visited me when I was in prison you came to me and then the Shiba gonna say well Lord what are you talking about when did we ever feed you when did we ever give you something to drink when were you ever sick in prison when did we come to you and Jesus is going to say in as much as you have done it unto the least of these he have done it unto me in other words where at whenever you did one of these things to someone who was overlooked or ignored that was me you did it for me but then he's gonna turn to his left and he's gonna turn to those goats and say depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil because when I was hungry you didn't give me any food when I was thirsty you didn't give me anything to drink when I was homeless you did not take me in when I was naked you gave me no clothes when I was sick when I was in prison you did not come and visit me and then the goats are gonna say Master what are you talking about we never saw you hungry we never saw you thirsty we never saw you're homeless we never saw you naked we never saw you sick we never saw you in jail we never saw you but you say in as much as you didn't do it to one of the least of these you did it to me the goats were going to everlasting punishment and the Sheep the text says we're going to everlasting life now here's my punchline today your eternal reward it's not based on what you do for you your eternal reward it's based on what you do for those who cannot do for themselves and that's what social justice ministry is focusing on the least the last the unlucky and the left out and those that don't focus on the least of these they are going to be lost in the text Jesus says sheep will be saved and goats are going to be lost but it's not just Matthew 25 it's all throughout scripture where Jesus challenges the religious authorities review them for their self-serving self promoting ways he upsets the elite by spending time with the poor and the marginalized he heals those considered unclean and returns them to wholeness he eats with the underprivileged and treats them with class and dignity he listens to those who have been disregarded and those who have been deprived he questions current laws and challenges the status quo and as a result he becomes the target of those in authority and ultimately those authorities kill him but despite knowing he would die because Jesus was born to die he would be killed by the very people he was trying to help which goes on and show the people who help the most appreciated the least Jesus shows us that there are times when we gotta stand up there are times when we got to speak truth to power and we have to do it in constructive meaningful and unyielding ways despite the possible consequences and just as God it's righteously anger over oppression and injustice so should we but have we lost our way have we become more concerned with big lights big crowds big donors rather than mercy justice in love have we been law come more interested in knowing who's who of our world rather than helping the least of these are we more focused on being politically correct as opposed to been evidently expedient Matthew 25 infers that social justice is to look after the least of these Micah 6:8 says do justice love mercy and walk humbly before God but I love proverbs 31 89 it says open up your mouth open up your mouth for the newts if the cause of all open your mouth judge righteously and plead the cause of the poor ever needy according to the New Oxford American Dictionary social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth opportunities and privileges within society Aristotle in his work and fair justice ensured that individuals both fulfilled their societal roles and receive what was their due from society what is one's do it's nothing hard it's nothing difficult but it's the fact that everybody has the right to education the right to health care the right to Social Security the right to public services the right to the fair distribution of wealth and the right to equal opportunity but as long as the chief concern is for the rich to stay rich and not share the bounty with the least of these we will continue to live in a society of turmoil and strength I'm here today to remind and let somebody know that because those with power are obsessed with staying in power rather than sharing their power and influence with and for the good of other people our society is headed for destruction as long as the informed are purposeful in keeping many of the marginalized uninformed and misinformed our world is headed for an implosion too many of our social ills in our world have gone unattended for too long and it's only a matter of time before the have-nots confront the haves in a manner that will produce casualties of a serious kind resulting in the logical outcome of a system predicated upon the notion that the least of these don't matter be not deceived justice is not the same as equality because equality presumes that all persons have equal standing on which to receive aid but justice requires us to humble ourselves to provide others with the same opportunities and benefits that we have Jesus is calling us to be she not goes good fruits not bad fruit to stand for the rights not the wrong to help the least of these to speak up speak out and speak truth to power to engage in social justice ministry Jesus is calling us to agitate to agitate a system that is slavish sinister and sorry to agitate is to make somebody nervous to agitate is to arouse public concern about an issue in the hope of prompting action to agitate is to stir or disturb something this agitation it's not just for our country it's not just for our community but it's also for our church we as members of God's church have an obligation a mandate to work for social justice just as Jesus did we must be angry at instances of injustice speaking and law to our friends neighbors legislators our nation and our world when we see what wrong done to others particularly those who don't have the strength or the means to defend themselves then we as the people of faith we need to express the anger of love the anger that gives us holy boldness to defend what is right now I know I'm meddling but I'm gonna go here far too many people in the house of God who profess to love the Lord are only concerned with me myself and I but we cannot send checks for disaster relief and avoid examining the lifestyles that contribute at least in part to some of these natural disasters we can't do hunger walks but refuse to change our consumerist lifestyles we can't sit in church and say Amen but turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the cries of erroneous exploitation prejudicial profiling and malicious maltreatment we through a church system which simply says give me and not yet not speak out against the same system that fosters misogyny and discrimination irrelevance and inertia we cannot only observe racial quotas on committees in place of seeking racial justice in the work of these same committees how you gonna be like Jesus and not agitate how you gonna be a Christian for 50 years and not do anything for the marginal lives how you gonna be a seven day Adventists all your life and not help the oppressed the greatest sermon ever preached is the one that is live jesus is not impressed with how well we know the world but he's most pleased with how we live the word Jesus it's not concerned so much with our standing in the community as much as he is about whether we're making a difference in the community Jesus is not so much concerned about our memberships and clubs fraternities sororities as much as he is about us doing something to help the least appease through these same clubs organizations fraternities and sororities we can't subscribe to this foolishness that one must pull oneself up by their own bootstraps some people don't have Bulls traps to be poor bootstraps to be pulled up from what are we doing what are we doing what are we saying what are we advocating do something if you can run walk if you can't walk shake a leg if you can't shake a leg we're gonna tow but do something and yet sometimes we people of faith are inclined to do nothing we wait we watch we look to see if somebody else would do something and then if they take the heat on social media we say oh look at them pour them the kingdom of God suffering violence but the violence take it by force be a voice not an echo take a stand a man who stands for nothing before free anything stand up for what is right even if you have to stand alone Marni being said that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere if God be for us who can be against us no weapon formed against you shall prosper it won't work but they that wait upon the Lord God shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as Eagles run and not get where you're in the right place you're in the right position you've got to do something and I'm so glad that 2,000 years ago Jesus did something I'm so glad that Jesus agitated the status quo that Jesus didn't go along to get along I'm so glad that Jesus wasn't afraid to call pharisees and sadducees fight purrs I'm so glad the Jesus turned over those money tables in the temple I'm so glad that Jesus called Zacchaeus out and called him out for unlawful practices I'm so glad today that Jesus told us the importance of helping others through the parable of the prodigal son I'm so glad that Jesus has challenged us to help the least of these I'm so glad that we have people like Michael Eric Dyson that we have organizations like Adventist for social justice who remind us to help the least of these and I'm so glad that Jesus told us ghosts won't inherit the kingdom but she will but I'm so glad troubles don't last always that we being may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning time I'm so glad that after the rain the Sun is going to shine again I'm so glad today that know that behind every dark cloud there's a silver lining I'm glad to know that Jesus is coming back that the wicked will cease from troubling the weary will be at rest I'm so glad that one day justice is gonna be served and serving the Lord it's gonna pay off after all the sheep will be separated from the goats the seat will have everlasting life the goats will have everlasting damnation he's coming back again glory hallelujah bless His name lift him up he's covered back again the god I serve has called us to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted the God that I serve has called us any entity what pastor bird I can't speak like you I can't speak like dr. bass I can't advocate like a penis for social justice but you can do something because Lord of you can use anything thank you very much for tuning in to this week's breath of life broadcast we hope and pray that you've been blessed by dr. Byrd's inspirational message if you would like to hear this sermon in its entirety please feel free to visit us at WWF of live TV or call us at two five six nine two nine six four six zero [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] we still have to come down from the mountaintop as we recently concluded our fall revival in our nation's capital Washington DC each night the Word of God was preached and at the close of our time in Washington DC we were blessed to witness 53 people surrender their lives to the Lord through baptism I'll obey the father right nothing makes me happy waking up seeing my daughter and I just know I had I had to bring my family dr. Byrd he baptized me and her together I was in that man that meant a lot to me and I'm glad we young and we were we really really want this for our children and for ourselves man dr. Byrd has been an inspiration to me because you know he knows the Bible inside out his words his continuous flows he gives me you know inspiration in the things that I do to know that you know I'm on the right path you're just not there yet but I but I know I'll give that up I just been getting fed more and more and more and more just learning more and more about the Bible learn how to live learn how to eat right you know anything oh no it's just it's just it's just so awesome we are excited to see God continue to transform lives through the gospel of Jesus Christ we are mindful however that we cannot do this work without your help each and every contribution helps to keep sharing God's Word please make your tax deductible gift payable to breath of life by mail at breath of life p.o box five nine six zero Huntsville Alabama three five eight one four or give us a call the numbers two five six nine two nine six four six zero or visit us online at W eww breath of life dot TV social justice is embedded in breath of life's commitment to carry this wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ I believe in social justice I believe in the Equality of all people and I also believe that Jesus died and his blood was spilled for all of us with that in mind I've had the privilege most recently of authoring a sharing book entitled free I will encourage you to secure your copy of this sharing book free which shares how Jesus is the ultimate freedom fighter and that we his people should all be free [Music] you

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Keywords: Adventist, Byrd, Breath of Life, Preaching, Dr. Byrd, Love, Seventh-day Adventist, Adventism, Jesus Christ, Sermon, SDA, TV, God, Religious, Worship

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Length: 28min 36sec (1716 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 09 2020