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Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000658S
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00:01 (Breath of Life Theme Music)
00:06 Sermon #B658 - Drafted for a Dream Job 00:22 Dr. Byrd: Mark 15:15 quickly. "And so Pilate, willing to content the people, 00:34 released Barabas unto them and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged them to be crucified. 00:42 And the soldiers led him away unto the hall called Praetorium, 00:48 and they called together the whole band. And they clothed him with purple, 00:53 and platted a crown of thorns and put it about his head 00:56 and began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews. 01:01 And they smote him on the head with a reed and did spit upon him and bowing their knees, 01:07 worshiped him, and when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, 01:14 and put his own clothes on him and led him out to crucify him." 01:20 Verse 21, "And they compel one Simon, a Cyrenian who passed by, 01:29 coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, 01:35 to bear his cross drafted for a dream job." Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us. 01:49 Make us, mold us, speak through me today to speak to your people. 01:55 Forgive me of my sins and when the appeal comes, Lord, move in this place. 01:59 In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. [Congregation: Amen.] 02:03 Drafted for a dream job, quickly now. It's Passover season in the text. 02:10 Jews have come from all over the then known world to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. 02:17 Passover, as you will remember, commemorated the deliverance of the children of Israel 02:22 from the hand of mean old Pharaoh in Egypt. 02:27 After the plague of blood and after the plague of frogs and lice and livestock and flies, 02:35 hail, locusts and darkness, there would be a specific night in Egypt 02:41 where the death angel would make a midnight ride through Egypt 02:46 and the firstborn son of every home would be killed 02:50 if lambs' blood were not sprinkled on the doorpost. 02:55 But if blood were on your doorpost, the death angel would pass over your house. 03:03 Do I have a witness in the place? 03:05 And so Jews came from all over the world to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. 03:13 Now, the world teaches that one such visitor 03:17 who went to Jerusalem for Passover was a black man. 03:22 A man from North Africa, present-day Libya. The bible says his name was Simon of Cyrene. 03:34 Now, you should also know that back in Simon's day, 03:38 every God-fearing Jew desire to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem 03:43 at least once in his or her lifetime. 03:46 And so it was highly probable that Simon had been saving all his money, 03:51 all his life to go to Jerusalem for Passover to fulfill his dream. 03:56 Now you also need to understand that at this time in earth's history, 04:01 Palestine was an occupied territory which meant that Palestine 04:07 was a territory under the authority and control of a belligerent armed Roman force, 04:14 which meant that at any time a man could've been drafted into Roman service for any task. 04:23 There were no questions to be asked. There was no dialog to follow. 04:30 A Roman centurion could compel or draft 04:34 whomever he chose into service to perform a specific task. 04:39 The sign of this drafting was a tap on the shoulder with the flat of a Roman spear. 04:48 "Hey you. Come here. I need you to do this. 04:53 And you dare not object or give an excuse." 04:57 It was kinda like growing up as a child in your parents' house, 40 or so years ago. 05:03 I know things have become modern but back in the day, young people, 05:06 you did what you were told. There was, back in my day when I was growing up, no discussion. 05:13 My daddy is here today and he'll tell you, he used to tell us, 05:15 "I'm the daddy and you're going to do what I say", "Well, why?", 05:18 "Because I'm the daddy." Are you hearing what I'm saying? 05:21 There was no debate, there were no questions, there were no options like there are today. 05:29 You did what you were told and you did it without complaining 05:35 because if you did complain or you didn't do it, 05:38 you had wished you had done it because there always seemed to be a belt, a switch 05:46 - somebody knows what I'm talking about. [Congregation: Amen] 05:49 Or a swift hand that back slap coming your way 05:54 because the belief when I was growing up was a hard head made a soft bottom, 05:58 do I have a witness in this place? [Congregation: Applause] 06:01 So here is Simon of Cyrene, a black man from North Africa, who's minding his own business, 06:12 who had come all the way from North Africa to attend the Passover feast in Jerusalem 06:18 when all of a sudden, he feels a tap on his shoulder and he's now drafted into service. 06:28 Now being drafted into service, you need to understand, was not just a Roman thing. 06:33 Because some of you know that back in the day right here in the United States, 06:38 if you were 18 years old and you were drafted into the military, you had to go. 06:45 Things have changed a bit but I remember 30 years ago when I turned 18, 06:51 that I had to register into what we call the selective service. 06:56 Anybody know what I'm talking about? 06:59 It didn't mean that you were going to the military 07:02 but you had to be registered for the military 07:05 because if and when the government needed you and you were drafted, you had to go. 07:09 And if you didn't go, it was punishable by jail time. 07:13 Does anybody know what I'm talking about? [Congregation: Yes] 07:15 In fact, even today, all young men within 30 days of their 18th birthday, 07:20 you're still supposed to register with the selective service. 07:24 But let's move it from the military to sports now. 07:29 When you're drafted by an NBA team and you're drafted by an NFL team, 07:35 or drafted by a major league baseball team, 07:38 you have to go to that team even if you don't want to go to that team. 07:42 You have to go unless you're traded to another team because when you're drafted, 07:48 somebody else has rights to you. 07:51 Simon is at Passover but while there, he is unexpectedly drafted into service. 08:00 He's assigned to help King Jesus. 08:04 Jesus has just been indicted in Pilate's judgment hall at the request of the crowd 08:10 and he must now suffer from crucifixion. 08:14 Interestingly enough, the same people who shouted Hosanna at the beginning of the week 08:19 are now the same people who shout crucify him at the end of the week. 08:25 That's why you better not put your trust in people, are you hearing what I'm saying? 08:29 The bible says that Jesus has been scourged. 08:32 Everybody say scourged. [Congregation: Scourged] 08:35 Which meant, he had been stripped of his clothes, tied to a wooden pole. 08:40 He's beaten with a device the Romans called a flagrum 08:44 which was an instrument of torture that had a wooden handle 08:48 with several strips of leather extending from it. 08:52 Jesus is beaten, he's covered with blood from head to toe. 08:57 In this moment of great agnity, 09:00 Jesus is forced to carry his own cross to his crucifixion. 09:05 Now, the longest route to the crucifixion site was always selected. Why? 09:12 The government wanted onlookers to be able to see the indicted criminal 09:16 and be struck with fear so they would think twice before committing a crime themselves. 09:23 Jesus was weak from the beatings he has received, 09:28 stumbles and falls between the weight of his cross that weighs nearly 150 pounds. 09:37 It's at this point that Simon receives a tap on his shoulder. 09:44 This tap is from a flat Roman spear. 09:49 He's drafted into helping Jesus carry Jesus' cross. 09:54 Now, out of all the people who were watching Jesus carry the cross, 10:01 why did the Roman soldier touch Simon's shoulder? Why was Simon singled out? 10:14 Why was Simon drafted for the job? Was it because he was black? 10:21 Was it because he was a victim of racial profiling? 10:25 Because in those days, Simon's brown skin color was a badge of inferiority 10:33 and servitude in the minds of Roman soldiers. 10:37 The bible says that there's nothing new under the sun, 10:41 because even sadly today, one's skin color is a badge to somebody else. 10:48 A badge of hate, a badge of subordination, a badge of subservience. 10:53 You don't believe me? 10:56 Why are some of our black men followed at the grocery store in the mall 11:02 when they're just simply trying to buy food or buy some clothes? 11:06 Why are some black men profiled just because they wear a nice suit, 11:12 they have some nice shoes, they are driving a nice car in a nice neighborhood? 11:20 It's because of the labels that have been put on us by others. 11:25 Labels that suggest we're no good, labels that suggest we're not smart, 11:31 labels that suggest that all we can do is sing, preach, and play basketball. 11:37 But you better tell somebody, don't buy into those labels 11:42 because I would have you to know 11:45 that we can also perform open-heart surgery, see Dr. David Hale Williams. 11:53 We also invented a blood bank, see Dr. Charles Drew. 11:58 We also can pilot and command a space shuttle mission, see Frederick Gregory. 12:05 We also can put a black woman in space, check with Mae Jemison. 12:11 We can be president of an Ivy League educational institution, see Dr. Ruth Simmons, 12:17 president of Brown University at one time. 12:20 We can play basketball but we can also play tennis, see Serena Williams 12:27 and notice she's retiring now or getting off the scene 12:30 but another one is being raised in Coco Gauff. 12:35 We can serve as the joint chief of staff and the secretary of state, see Colin Powell. 12:44 But we can also present articles of impeachment, 12:48 see Congressman Hakeem Jeffries. [Congregation: Applause] 12:53 But not only that, we can win a United States presidential election 13:01 and run the most powerful nation of the free world, 13:05 can somebody see President Barack Obama? [Congregation: Applause] 13:11 Don't let people label you. I'm not a badge of hate. 13:17 I'm not a badge of inferiority. I'm not a badge of ignorance. 13:22 I'm a badge of strength. I'm a badge of courage. 13:27 I'm a badge of power. Let me just tell it like I feel it. 13:32 I get concerned when I hear people say, "If you're white, if you're all right. 13:36 If you're yellow, you're mellow. If you're brown, stick around. 13:39 But if you're black, get back." I don't have to get back for anybody. I am somebody. 13:44 God made me in God's image after His own likeness, don't you let people label you. 13:48 Do I have a witness in this place? [Congregation: Applause] 13:50 The text says Simon was compelled, forced, drafted to carry the cross of Christ. 14:00 Not drafted by a sports team but drafted by the Romans to carry the cross of Christ. 14:05 There are few things that I've learned from this drafting. 14:08 Number one, there are some things in life we have no control over. 14:13 We are just compelled to do them. 14:15 As a child, we are compelled to learn how to walk regardless of how many times we fall. 14:21 We're compelled to honor our parents regardless of their imperfections. 14:25 We are compelled to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, 14:28 regardless of the injustices and inequities of life. 14:31 We're compelled to study and learn in order to realize our potential and develop our gifts, 14:36 regardless of the limitations of our educational institutions. 14:39 We're compelled to recognize that while God is good, life is not always fair. 14:44 We're compelled to realize that in this life, we are going to have tests and trials, 14:49 we are going to have troubles and tribulations, 14:51 we are going to have temptations regardless of how much we pray. 14:56 We're compelled to realize that Rome isn't built in a day 15:02 and that patience is a virtue to be learned regardless of how bad we want something. 15:09 Simon didn't come to Jerusalem to carry the cross of Christ. 15:15 Simon may not have even wanted to carry the cross but Simon was drafted 15:22 and he was compelled to carry the cross of Christ and he had no other options. 15:28 He had no other alternatives but sometimes, a man has got to do what a man has got to do. 15:38 And that's a word for somebody today. 15:41 We must teach our children that there are very few options, 15:47 very few alternatives and you got to do what you've got to do. 15:52 Entitlement and privilege had become the norms of the day. 15:58 When I was a kid, expectations and mandates were clearly defined. 16:03 You see, when I was a child, we were compelled to see education 16:06 as a necessary vehicle for getting ahead. 16:09 We were compelled to honor and respect our adults. 16:12 We were compelled you better never talk back to an adult 16:16 because if you talk back to an adult, 16:17 my parents told us that they had the freedom to whoop me and then when I got home, 16:20 I got another whooping, are you hearing what I'm saying? [Congregation: Applause] 16:23 We were compelled to open doors and pull out chairs for young ladies. 16:28 We were compelled to go to church, do chores and bring home good grades. 16:35 Words such as options and alternatives were foreign in my vocabulary 16:40 when it came to the rules and regulations of my youth. 16:44 If I didn't do what was expected, there were problems. 16:48 Are you hearing what I'm saying? [Congregation: Amen] 16:51 In life, sometimes, your options are limited. 16:55 Sometimes, there are no alternatives but you got to press on. 16:59 Sometimes, you might feel like giving up but you got to press on. 17:03 Sometimes, you might feel like throwing in the towel but you've got to press on. 17:07 You may not have everything everybody else haves but you got to use what you do have. 17:13 Now, don't misunderstand me and misquote Pastor Byrd. 17:16 I'm not saying let people treat any kind of way. People treat you how let them. 17:24 I'm not saying live the label that has been placed on you. 17:29 I'm not saying roll over and play dead. No. You better not do that. 17:38 But what I am saying is in life, don't give up. Don't throw in the towel. 17:46 There are certain things you have no control over 17:49 but you still have to press on and do what you have to do. 17:54 You still have to work for the better to get better so others can have better. 17:59 Martin King knew he was hated but he still had to do what he had to do. 18:06 John Lewis knew that Boe Connor and George Wallace were after him 18:11 but he still had to go the Edmund Pettus Bridge and do what he had to do. 18:18 Everyday, Congressman Jeffries has no control over the outcome of congressional decisions 18:24 but that doesn't stop him. He still has to do what he has to do. 18:31 Speaking of doing what you have to do, 18:33 I'm reminded of a great story told about the great preacher Dr. Gardner Taylor. 18:39 Dr. Taylor, some of you knew him at the end of his life 18:42 as the great pastor of the Concord Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York. 18:46 But Dr. Taylor didn't start out as the dean of black preachers. 18:53 He was considered by many to be the greatest black preacher. 18:57 I would dare to say some have considered him to be the greatest preacher of all time. 19:02 But he didn't start out that way. 19:04 Dr. Taylor told a story when he was preaching early in his ministry 19:08 about preaching in a small church in Louisiana during the great depression. 19:13 He said electricity was coming into that part, 19:16 just then at that part of that country and he was out in a rural black church 19:20 with that just one little light bulb hanging from the ceiling to light up the entire church. 19:27 He said one night, he was preaching hard, doing revival 19:32 and all of a sudden in the middle of his service, the electricity went out. 19:38 The building was pitch black and Dr. Taylor was a young man then, 19:44 he didn't know what to say. 19:46 He stumbled around in his sermon until one of the elderly deacons 19:50 sitting in the back of the church hollered out, "Preach on, preacher. 19:55 We can still see Jesus in the dark and sometimes, that's the only time we can see him. 20:05 It's in the dark but the good news of the gospel is that 20:10 whether we can see him or not in the dark, Jesus can always see us." 20:16 I wish I had a witness in this place. And sometimes, we have no other options. 20:22 No other alternatives but we got to just keep on keeping on. 20:27 We have to stay the course, we have to do what we have to do, 20:30 and so everyday when I come to church and I get in my office, I pray the serenity prayer. 20:35 God, grant me the serenity to change the things I can't, 20:42 accept the things I cannot change and give me the wisdom to know the difference. 20:50 I'm getting older now and I'm learning that every hill is not calvary. 20:55 Some things, you have to fight for and some things, you have to pray for. 21:00 I must fight for equality but I must pray for the racists 21:05 whose views inequality and move on. [Congregation: Applause] 21:10 In the time and the culture to which Simon lived, 21:14 Simon knew that he could not rebel against the Roman guard. 21:19 The Roman guard had authority and artillery. 21:23 So at the time, Simon had no control over his situation, 21:27 but Simon had to do what Simon had to do. 21:34 He had to grit his teeth, show some restraint which was, my friends, 21:43 in actuality showing some strength and do what he was compelled to do 21:49 so that he could live and see his children who are mentioned in the text 21:56 and tell them of the job that he was drafted to do, 22:01 which means strength might mean being quiet when you really want to tell somebody off. 22:09 Strength might mean walking away from an argument before continuing it. 22:14 Strength might also means speaking up when others are around you hold their peace. 22:22 I'm learning; getting older. When I came here I didn't have gray hair 22:27 but I've got some gray hair now. 22:30 But I'm learning that sometimes you've got to laugh when you're not tickled. 22:35 You've got to scratch when you're not itching, 22:38 but you've got to stay focus on what you've got to do. 22:41 You have to stay focus on what you've been called to do. 22:44 Simon realized that he were going to see his sons, 22:49 he would have to carry the cross of Jesus. 22:53 Simon was drafted for a job but not just any old job. 22:59 He was drafted to carry the cross of Christ. 23:04 It may not have seemed like much then but Simon was drafted for a dream job. 23:12 A job that allowed him to see Jesus up close and personal and because of that, 23:21 when he finished carrying the cross, 23:23 he went back to Cyrene a different man than how he came. 23:28 Simon went back home convinced that Jesus was the Christ. 23:34 He had heard Jesus say, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." 23:39 He had heard Jesus say, "It is finished." 23:43 He had heard Jesus say, "Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit." 23:49 Simon, when he got back to Cyrene, he told his sons about Jesus. 23:57 Now, quickly, I'm almost done. 23:59 But remember Rufus and Alexander, his sons are mentioned in the text. 24:08 Why is that significant? Why are they even mentioned? Why is that significant? 24:14 History teach us that Rufus and Alexander went on--if you're study the early church 24:20 --they went on to become prominent figures in the early church 24:23 which means Simon was drafted to carry Christ's cross to carry the cross on the Messiah 24:29 and as a result of this experience, 24:30 he went back and told Alexander and Rufus what he had done and who Jesus was. 24:35 Alexander and Rufus then became convinced of who Jesus was. 24:42 They realized He was the Messiah. They realized He was God's anointed one. 24:49 They realized that He died on calvary lay resting on the grave on the Sabbath, 24:54 which means even in death He was obedient to His Lord. 24:57 But they realized that on the third appointed day, 25:01 He got up with all power in His hands through Simon's witness of Jesus, 25:06 he bore witness to his sons who bore witness to others. 25:12 Today, I've been drafted and I've got a dream job. 25:22 I told the bible work this week, I've got the best job in the world. 25:26 I get paid to tell other people about Jesus. 25:31 You all now hear what I am saying? [Congregation: Applause] 25:36 I've been drafted in the Lord's army. Oh, folks, I used to saying, "I'm a soldier." 25:45 In the army of the Lord, if I die, let me die. 25:53 In the army of the Lord, I've got my war clothes on. 25:59 In the army of the Lord, today I've been drafted. 26:06 Today you've been drafted. We all have been drafted. 26:12 In the army of the Lord and I just came by to ask somebody, 26:20 if you are here today, who don't mind being drafted, 26:26 I want to know if there are some individuals who don't mind enlisting in the Lord's army. 26:35 The Lord's my rock. In Him we have a shelter in the time of storm. 26:45 So I'll say, "Yes, Lord, yes, to Your will and to Your way, I'll say, yes Lord, yes. 26:55 I will trust You and obey. When Your spirit speaks to me, in my whole Lord, 27:03 I'll agree and my answer will be, yes Lord, yes. 27:09 I've been drafted, I've got to do what I've got to do 27:14 and I understand there's a blessing and being in the presence of the most high God. 27:19 Today, I'm saying, "Yes". Anybody else say yes. 27:24 [Congregation: Singing] 27:25 [I'll say yes Lord to Your will and to Your Way. 27:34 I'll say yes Lord, yes, I will trust You and obey. 27:42 When Your spirit speaks to me in my whole heart I will be, 27:51 and my answer will be yes, Lord, yes. 28:00 I'll say yes, Lord, yes to Your will and to Your way. 28:08 Thank you very much for tuning in to this week's Breath of Life broadcast. 28:13 We hope and pray that you've been blessed by Dr. Byrd's inspirational message. 28:17 If you would like to hear this sermon in its entirety, 28:20 please feel free to visit us at www.breathoflife.tv. 28:26 Or, call us at (256) 929-6460. 28:35 [END] |
Revised 2020-02-27