Dr. Carlton P. Byrd, Why Church?

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Matthew 16:18 one verse Jesus himself speaking Matthew 16:18 the word says and I say unto thee that thou art Peter everybody st. Peter and upon this rock I will build my life and the gates are one should not prevail against it alright so last week was why god this week is why church father blesses speak to your people young and young at heart speak to them today we be careful either the praise and the glory thank you God for this opportunity may they become activity by the power of your Holy Spirit so the name of Jesus we pray begging that Lord at appeal time you will do your work in Jesus name Amen alright quickly remember we're living in a post-christian everybody say post-christian come on say like you mean it's a post-christian we're living in a post-christian society remember that now which means we're living in a world where the influence of Christianity is declining by the minutes post Christian means we're living in a world where people say there are no moral absolutes no ethical Gibbins no outright truth remember post Christian means your truth is your truth my truth is my truth but even with that last week we established that there is a God's creation proves its nature proves it and the life of Jesus proves it the text we use was in the one beginning into what everybody God created they have and a lot now that's what Genesis 1:1 says but remember Genesis 1:26 says and God said let us make man in our own image after our likeness then we go to the New Testament and John 1:1 says in the beginning was the word the Word was with whom and the Word was who then verse 14 says that the word became flesh so we've studied that yes there is a God for those that want to refute that my response is only God create who could create food out of thin air with two fish and five loaves of bread only God could walk on water only God could turn water it's a wedding punch only God could command a raging storm to stop only God to command demons to be hurled into the sea there is a God because there's nothing that makes sense in the universe without him there is a God because he has revealed himself in the person of Jesus Christ there is a God because Jesus lived Jesus died and Jesus rose again Buddha didn't do that Confucius didn't do that Muhammad didn't do that scientists can't explain that atheists can't explain that agnostics can't explain that there is a God how do you explain something out of nothing how do you explain a worldwide flood how do you explain that a donkey could talk that an axe hair could flow that the Sun could stand still how do you explain how a Red Sea can become a dry Highway how do three men stand in a fiery furnace and not get burnt how does a man lay down his light and then take it up again there is adalat so we know there is a God but the question now asks why church why go to church I hear people say all the time I believe in God but why do I have to go to church after all church is not a safe place anymore kids have been messed up for the rest of their lives because the priests somebody they trusted somebody they thought was safe molested them why church all they want is your money we thought we were through with restoration for part 1 now we got restoration 40 42 Watchers it's too long they sing they sing and they still sing why church all they do is preach damnation in hell and judge' why Church it's filled with hypocrites why church they only care about numbers why church the people are faith why search today I don't know if you have your head under a rock or if you're never Neverland but we had a critical juncture in our world on the importance of going to church and while most statistics say that 40 percent of Americans attend church regularly the pollsters at Huffington bus posts say that that's not true in fact Huffington Post says that less than 20% of Americans regularly attend church in fact the only the American average American only comes to church three times in his life number one when he is born he comes to be dedicated at church number two when he is married he walks down the aisle of the church number three when he dies he role is rolled in a casket in front of the church so then people come to church three times there when they are hatched matched and dispatched but why church if this question is particularly being asked a lot by our young people by Millennials they say I can find my own way to God I don't need the church my church I can watch it on the Internet I can watch it on my phone I can watch it on television after all pastor bird is breath of light that's TV so I can watch it on TV why church I don't feel like dressing up why church I don't feel like being holler that's why Church I'm sleepy I'm tired it's raining I can stay in the dorm in my apartment in my house why Church it's not relevant why Church Church we're living in a different world today people are different now people are tired of centralized structures people are tired of a revelation without relevance people are tired of religion without relationship people are tired of plastic faith fully lifeless flat comatosed ministry people are tired of coming to church and getting beat up in the pulpits to get beat up up up about what you have on to get beat up about what you're not doing people are tired of fighting people won't fight you anymore nobody wants to be in the church at war they fight all week on the job then I come to church for war so they vote with their feet people are tired of seeing emphasis placed on policy over the needs of people people are tired of being able to come to church where they can share their burns and problems but they can't do it somebody because they're afraid of what other folk might say about them after they come clean people are getting tired a judgmental legalistic finger-pointing fault-finding holier-than-thou attitudes people are tired of folk put it on an outside show for an unfriendly world it's like the familiar story of the woman who was pulled over by the police a man was being tailgated by a stressed-out woman on a busy street suddenly they're travelling on the street and the light turns yellow in front of him he does the right thing he stops at the light even though he could have probably beaten the light if he had placed his pedal to the metal and accelerating through the intersection somebody knows what I'm talking about come on say man but the tailgating woman who's behind him is furious because he stopped so she honks her horn she screams in frustration because she missed her chance to get through the intersection and all the while she drops her cellphone and her makeup at the same time so while the lady is in mid rent calling it everything but a child of God she hears a tap on the window she looks up in our window in the face of a very serious police officer the officer orders her to exit the car with her hands hop he takes her to the police station where she is searched fingerprinted photographed and placed in a holding cell the woman gets more furious she now shouts some four-letter words words you all don't know come on say mad she gives the officer a few choice words after a couple of hours another policeman approaches the woman and he opens her cell door she's escorted back to the booking desk when the original arresting officer was waiting for with her personal items he says ma'am I'm sorry for that mistake but you see I pulled up behind him and I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn flipping off the guy in front of you cussing like a sailor and as I looked at your car I looked at your back bumper and your bumper had a sticker that said what would Jesus do I've been sold the follow me to church bumper sticker I saw the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the truck so naturally I just assumed you had stolen the car people are tired of folk who say one thing but do another people want a real authentic genuine experience in Jesus with real authentic genuine followers of Jesus do I have a witness in this place and so the cry of why church is getting louder and louder why church is becoming more popular and popular but in the name of Jesus the Lord told me to tell somebody that the church is still the apple of God's eye the other white I still believe in her says that it is still God's appointed agency for the salvation of men women boys and girls and so in these perilous days in which we live where a theism agnosticism post-modernism and even racism are increasing by the minute I must stand in this pulpit I must preach today and give you five reasons for why Church it may not be popular but you can't be popular and prophetic at the same time and so this is for the young and the old watch hurts pastor burn number one God started the church Matthew 16:18 understand we just read it jesus said I say unto thee thou art Peter and upon this rock I'll build my church and the gates of what everybody hell shall not prevail against it now don't miss this because a lot of people read this text and they take this text out of its context now understand Catholics will use this text as the foundation for their church I am NOT hating on Catholics because I don't have to minimize somebody else to maximize myself I'm speaking to the institution of the Roman Catholic Church it sees itself as the extension of the New Testament church so you have New Testament church then you have Roman Catholic Church why because they believe Peter was their first pope they believe Peter was their first pope based on this text Matthew 16:18 and I said to these now art Peter and upon this rock I'll build my church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it so they believe Peter is the first pope pet rocks Peter Rock but they got it wrong Jesus is not saying in the text that Peter Petros is the rock on which the church was founded but Jesus is saying that the church is built on him the rock crises that's why we sing that hymn on Christ the solid rock I say all other ground is sinking sand and so what Jesus is saying in the text is I'd established the church on myself the living rock the church was not built upon human wisdom not on sinful human beings the church was not built on mortal flesh but the church was built on the rock Jesus and because the church has been built on the rock Christ Jesus the church has stood the test of time God's hurts let me tell somebody was here before you were born and God's church unless Jesus comes in your lifetime it's gonna be here when you die in other words the church was here before you got here and the church is gonna be here after you leave here you got some folk that say they can't make it without me the church won't make it without me it will die without me don't be a legend in your own mind the cemetery is full of folk who thought the church wouldn't make it without them this is God's church God started his church and God's true still moves on the church is ekklesia God's called out God's not gonna let what he started what he's called out to fail number two why church because God said so and if God said it that's Adam and Eve God why can't we eat of the fruit of all the trees that are in the garden because I said so why do we have to bring a lamb a sheep a go without blemish to be an offering why can't we bring truths not Springs and vegetables because I said so Noah why must we build an ark because I said so why must Moses says I stretched my rod across the Red Sea because I said so why Gideon says do I have to reduce my army to 300 men because I said so why can't Sam Sann I cut my hair cuz I said so why do I have to keep the Sabbath cuz I said so why do I have to return tithe and offering cuz I said so why do I have to go to Oakwood because I said so but let me bow down somebody else's land why do I have to work at Oakwood because I said so why do I have to go to church because I said so hebrews 10:25 is clear let us not forsake the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day of Jesus coming fast approaching in other words God is saying you got to go to church and you got to go to church even that much more as getting ready to cry now God is sovereign God can do what he wants whatever he wants where he wants how he wants and he doesn't have to ask you or me for permission as you as he wants he's God if God told you to do something you got to do it quit asking all the questions why just do it God told you to obey him do it God told you to go to church do it and God is not a God who says do as I say and not as I do God told us to go to church because God went to church himself if you look at Luke chapter 4 verse 16 the Bible says that it was Jesus custom on the sabbath day to go into the church to go into the synagogue and read the scriptures are you hearing what I'm saying now unless you think that this is just a ploy to get be become Church let me be clear because I don't want anyone to misunderstand me today you don't have to go to church to be a Christian because a whole lot of folk that come to church for daying Christians I wish I had time but you do have to go to church to be obedient to God are you hearing what I'm saying in Ronnie one day in seven God has has set God's standard for his chief people to assemble so going to church is not just a good suggestion it's God's will for his people God didn't call us to gather and worship to burden us but he called us to worship Him to bless us we should counted a joy to be blessed by God in God's church look at it now begin a semester here buddy in church wait until we get down to October and November and what troubles me is think about all of the underground churches in other countries who only wish they could go to church and worship like we do there's a story about a man who was explaining how his church in his church the people had is singing hymns he was in China no louder than a whisper because they were scared they'd be discovered because if they were discovered it would mean physical abuse their children and possessions would be seized and they would be in prison but even in the face of all this fear they still gather together how much more should we who had the pleasure the privilege of worshiping and meeting openly in a place of church Christian Jews nice toss Mahal rest rules air conditioned the Aeolian video screens microphones pipe organ hammond organ grand panel keyboards that preach another word how much more should we come to church why shirts because God said so number three I'm almost done why church worshipping God together it's powerful now look at verse 25 again if you stop at 10 it says not only should we worship together but we should exhort one another that we ought to encourage one another there is something powerful something powerful about gathering together with other believers to worship jesus said wherever there are two or three gathered in my name I will be in the mist and let the record show I may got to 3,000 now but my ministry started y'all know my story with two members but wherever there are two or three gathered God was in the midst hallelujah as humans we were created to be relational beings God never meant for a man to be alone in the garden God when he created Adam he said it is not good that man should be alone so he created Eve we're relational that's why we talk we're relational that's why we smile we're relational that's why we hug that's why we cry we're relational beings all of us longed for community and connection with others the internet is but the internet doesn't take the place of coming in God's house television is nice please watch me but it doesn't take the place of coming together and feeling the power of the Holy Ghost that's in the room podcasts are wonderful additions to our spiritual eyes but they don't take the place of coming together in consistent Christian community through the church we grow more together than we do alone I listen to people as people tell me all kind of stuff okay pastor bird we have two services one service for the young people and one service for the adults and I always say no I say no and he said why I said no I say it forgives hurt when we go to two services we go have two identical services why because there is something that the young people glean from the older people when we're all together and there is something that the older people glean from the younger people when we're all together we grow more together than we do alone the church does not mean a single individual Lone Ranger Christian just coming for Christian duties and never gathering together to worship with other believers the church is community it's worshiping with others praying for others hurting with others serving others being involved in the lives of others and this is biblical and historical because the first followers of Jesus did this they would get together to worship God together those letters were sent to all those new testament communities that gather in cities so they can read the letters in worship together church means getting together with other believers worshiping God together reading scriptures together encouraging one another somebody stood out getting this let me try it this way proverbs 17:17 says iron sharpens what I saw a man sharpening the countenance of his friend somebody knows that when an island rubs against iron not only does it become sharper but when iron rubs against fire there are also it causes sparks y'all don't hear what I'm saying when iron is rubbed together something ignites something flickers when iron is rubbed with iron a fire is started oh I wish I had a witness in his place when I hear the Aeolian sing it ignites something within me when I hear a testimony it causes sparks to fly in my soul when I hear sister Margo or sister Dorothy my church ladies when I get him South Lee in church I get fired up when I hear John Stoddard playing that organ and we sing marching to Zion something is triggered in my spirits iron sharpens iron finally number five why church church is preparation place for paradise church is preparation for what we gon do when we get to heaven y'all don't hear what I'm saying in Isaiah 66 the Bible says it so come from pass from one new moon to another moon from one Sabbath to another sadly said all flesh come to worship before me saith the Lord we get to heaven we're gonna worship and we're gonna praise God I'm gonna praise God like I've lost my mind when I get to heaven I'm not gonna be worried about who else is there some people to get to heaven they thought they would be there won't be there and those who thought would be there won't and wouldn't will but I'm here to let you know when I get to heaven I'm just gonna be happy that I'm there do I have a witness in this place let me tell you I'm about to sit down but I love to preach I love church I love him I love anthems I love gospel I love it all I love the scene y'all see me they put the camera on me just as demonstrative in praise and works about just as demonstrative on a him when we were seeing the day marching to Zion my soul got happy I love church I love to say Amen I love to shout but I've learned we got to learn how to shout at the right time it's good to have your prayers answers and have the things that make your life pleasing and comfortable that's good but shot in time is when we talk about eternity do I have a witness in this place shoes on your feet crazy socks on your legs a roof over your head money in your pocket that's good we need them in their grace but these are just common things in life so don't let these things get you too excited but when you hear about eternity back through Jesus Christ you're gonna live with him for him that we're gonna have search Oh day long o night no that's time to shout no more sickness no more pain that's out in time no more cancer no more hot blood pressure that's out in time no more death number time no more disease that's certain time no more house no no more card note that Shelton time mansion which our name on it that's out in time say that the Welcome tape that's something time beast on milk and honey that's out in time scene that never get tired that's out in time when all my long white robe that's out in time egrets with Jesus time eat rice and peas Jesus [Music] 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 inspirational message if you would like to hear this sermon in its entirety please feel free to visit us at WWF of life TV or call us at two five six nine two nine six four six zero

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Keywords: Seventh-day Adventist, SDA, Adventist, Byrd, Breath, Breath of Life, Religious, TV, preaching, sermon

Id: VOV24I5CaLw

Length: 28min 13sec (1693 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 28 2019