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Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000659S
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00:01 (Breath of Life Theme Music)
00:06 Sermon #B659 - Get Some Roots 00:20 Dr. Byrd: Matthew 13:1, if you have it, let me hear you say, "Amen." [Congregation: Amen] 00:25 The word says, "The same day, Jesus went out of the house and sat by the seaside. 00:31 And great multitudes were gathered together unto Him, so that He went into a ship and sat, 00:36 and the whole multitude stood on the shore. 00:38 And He spoke many things unto them in parable saying, "Behold, a sower went forth to sow. 00:44 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the fowls, birds came 00:48 and devoured them up. Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth; 00:52 and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth. 00:57 And when the sun was up, they were scorched, and because they had no root, 01:02 they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up and choked them. 01:08 But others fell into good ground and brought forth fruit, some in hundredfold, 01:12 some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."" Verse 18. 01:19 "Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. 01:22 When anyone heareth the Word of the Kingdom and understandeth it not, 01:25 then cometh the wicked one and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. 01:29 This is he which received seed by his wayside. 01:33 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the Word, 01:38 and anon with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while. 01:46 For when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the Word, by and by he is offended. 01:53 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the Word; 01:56 and the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the Word, 02:01 and he becometh unfruitful. 02:03 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the Word 02:08 and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit and bringeth forth, some in hundredfold, 02:13 some sixty, and some thirty." 02:18 Today, I just want to briefly challenge you on the subject: get some roots. 02:21 [ Congregation: All right] 02:23 Get some roots. In each of the synoptic Gospels, that's Matthew, that's Mark, that's Luke, 02:29 Matthew 13, Mark 4, Luke 8, we find the Parable of the Sower. Everybody say, "Sower." 02:34 [ Congregation: Sower] 02:36 Any time the same story is repeated three times in a row, 02:39 you know it has to be important because repetition deepens the impression. 02:42 Do I have a witness in this place? [ Congregation: Agreeing] 02:44 Now, remember, a parable is nothing more than a simple story whose primary purpose is to 02:50 teach truth. When Jesus teaches by a parable, understand, 02:55 we must remember it's not necessarily truth in itself 02:58 but a mirror by which truth can be seen. In this Parable of the Sower, 03:04 Jesus teaches truth by dealing with the perception of God's Word by four different 03:10 types of hearers. Now what's interesting about this parable is that it's one of the 03:16 few parables that Jesus doesn't let us try to figure out its meaning. 03:22 Jesus shares the Parable of the Sower, 03:26 but then he tells us what it means so there's no question in our minds as to what 03:32 he's talking about. In this parable, Jesus says that there is a sower, everybody say, 03:40 “Sower,” again [ Congregation: Sower] 03:42 who goes out to sow or plants seed. As he plants seed, he throws seed on the ground. 03:50 The seed falls on four different types of soil. In soil type number one, 03:57 the farmer throws seed on the soil but the birds just come by and pick up 04:03 and eat up the seed. In soil type number two, the farmer throws seed over rocks, 04:09 the seeds spring up but soon, the sun cuts the seed down. 04:16 In soil type number three, the farmer throws seed on soil among thorns 04:23 but the thorns spring up and choked the seeds out. But then there's soil type number four, 04:32 the farmer throws seed on good soil. When the seed falls, it grows. It develops. 04:40 It produces a great harvest. In this parable, 04:45 what Jesus is asking is what kind of soil are you? Now, today, 04:51 I want to deal just with one soil type and I want to deal with soil type number two, 04:57 rocky soil. I want to deal with this today 05:00 because it's applicable to us as we deal with this chaotic coronavirus pandemic. 05:07 What am I talking about? In soil type number two, the farmer throw seed over rocks. 05:16 The seed springs up but the sun shortly thereafter cuts the seed down. 05:26 In this soil type, it represents a person who has no deep roots. [ Congregation: Agreeing] 05:34 They hear the Word of God. [ Congregation: Agreeing] 05:37 When they hear it, they're full of happiness. They're full of energy. 05:42 They're full of excitement. They say "Amen." They shout "Hallelujah." They say, 05:50 "Thank you, Jesus." They clap their hands. They stomp their feet. They shout. 05:57 They're excited. They hear the Word of God and they respond with joy. 06:04 But because they have no roots as soon as trouble comes, as soon as trials come 06:14 they're looking for a way out. Do you hear what I'm saying today? 06:17 The seed of a Gospel falls into the hearts of rocky soil hearers 06:23 and there's enough soil to germinate, but the soil is so shallow [ Congregation: Agreeing] 06:29 and the effect of the Gospel is so superficial that the seed withers away. 06:36 The Gospel appeals to their emotions. They're quick to respond. 06:42 But when the hype wears off, when the excitement wears off, so does the Gospel. 06:50 They accept what seems to be good at the moment 06:54 but they fail to count the cost of discipleship 06:58 and the fact that discipleship costs you something. 07:03 You see, friends of mine, I've learned in my life, next month, 07:05 I'll be 48, can you believe it? I've learned. 07:10 I've learned that when you decide to follow Jesus it's going to cost you something. 07:19 Discipleship means taking up your cross and following Jesus Christ. 07:25 Jesus teaches throughout the New Testament, in Matthew 5, Mark 9, Luke 14, 07:30 that being a disciple is likened unto salt. [ Congregation: Agreeing] 07:35 Remember, it was Jesus who said, "You are the salt of the earth." [ Congregation: Agreeing] 07:42 If you are a follower of Jesus, if you are a disciple, you're a salt. 07:49 As salt, you have purpose in culture. As Christians, we're not here to adopt 07:55 and adapt to culture, but we're supposed to be the change agents in culture. 08:01 We're in this world but not of this world. [ Congregation: Agreeing] 08:06 People ought to get nervous when we congregate on Sabbath mornings. 08:10 People ought to know that while we're here, something is going on. 08:15 That we're being empowered to change the corrupting culture that surround us. 08:20 The only reason that the world has not collapsed is because you're in it and I'm in it 08:25 because salt we are. We're decays, if you will, retards the decaying process. 08:33 Now, you heard me give this illustration to some of you before. 08:37 Back in the day, when a piece of meat was bought, when somebody bought meat 08:44 before we were vegetarians, salt was placed on that meat to penetrate that meat, 08:54 to purify that meat, so that it might preserve that meat. [ Congregation: Agreeing] 09:00 It would be salt that would keep the meat fresh and healthy for a later time. 09:06 Are you hearing what I'm saying? [ Congregation: Agreeing] 09:08 That's why our veggie meat has the tendency to be salty 09:14 because salt slows the decaying process. Are you hearing what I'm saying? 09:17 [ Congregation: Agreeing] 09:19 You all know it. Veggie meat can sit in a can for weeks, even months 09:26 because it contains salt, and salt retards the decaying process. 09:33 When people didn't have refrigerators, when people didn't have ice boxes, 09:39 they would place their meat in salt, put it in a holding place, 09:45 and the meat didn't destroy, it didn't decay because the salt was penetrating it, 09:51 the salt was purifying it, and the salt was preserving it. 09:56 The only reason why our culture does not totally decay is because we're in it. 10:03 Take the church out of culture, and the culture is going to fall apart. 10:08 The world is not destroyed because we're here. 10:12 Jesus said you are the salt of the earth. 10:17 Some of you all are sitting there and looking at me like I lost my mind. 10:20 But if you can't get excited about that, it might be because you aren't real salts. 10:25 Because you do know they have a thing called salt substitutes. 10:28 Looks like salt, tastes like salt, smells like salt, but it's not salt 10:35 because we've got folks that look like disciples, they smell like disciples, 10:41 they walk like disciples, they pray like disciples, they preach like disciples, 10:47 they can even praise like disciples, but they're not disciples 10:51 because the true test of a disciple is if you're salty, then folks around you get thirsty. 10:58 Thirst after God's righteousness, thirsting after His love, His truth. 11:04 We need some salt and when you're a disciple for Jesus, when you're salty for Jesus, 11:11 it costs you something. [ Congregation: Agreeing] 11:13 It's not always going to be peachy and cream. It's not going to always be a bed of roses. 11:21 While I'm a witness however that serving the Lord will pay off after a while, 11:28 Jesus is telling us in soil type number two that there are people who 11:33 enthusiastically hear the word of God say, "Amen," shout, "Hallelujah, Praise the Lord, 11:41 The Lord is good, blessed be the name of the Lord [foreign language] 11:48 A lot of people hear the Word of God, are excited about the Word of God, 11:52 but they have no root. 11:56 Don't make the mistake of substituting emotional reaction for spiritual depth 12:01 because some people have big emotional reaction but no spiritual depth. 12:05 They do all their shouting and Amen, but as soon as the doctor says, 12:07 "You have a tumor in your stomach," they're ready to give up. When the doctor says, 12:12 "You have a foot to be amputated," they're ready to throw in the towel. 12:15 When they break up with somebody, they're ready to die, 12:18 or when they hear about the coronavirus, they're ready to scream. But the devil is a lie. 12:27 No weapon formed against you is going to prosper. If God be for us, who can be against us? 12:37 The Bible says that through much affliction, we shall inherit the Kingdom of God, 12:42 which means you've got to go through some fire to come out as pure gold. 12:47 Let me be clear because I don't want anyone thinking I'm crushing amens. 12:50 I like good amens. I'm not against shouting. I don't care if people shout, "Hallelujah." 12:56 I was preaching in Africa. I will say it in English. They will say it in Swahili. 12:59 Someone will start shouting, "Hallelujah." I'm not against shouting. 13:03 I'm not against saying, "Amen," particularly when the Word gets good. 13:07 I love call and response. I love when people talk to the man of God. 13:10 I love a full balanced, lively worship service. I don't want a boring church. 13:17 I don't want a dead church. God's not dead. God's alive. [ Congregation: Agreeing] 13:22 But at the end of the day, you better have some roots, because if you don't have any root, 13:27 you're not going to be able to bear any fruit. You got to have some substance. 13:32 You got to have some meat. [ Congregation: Agreeing] 13:34 You got to get deep. [ Congregation: Agreeing] 13:36 Because at the end of the day, you're going to be tested by trials, tested by tribulations, 13:41 tested by troubles. The only way you're going to make it is if you've got some roots. 13:47 Let me preach it like I feel it right about now. [ Congregation: Agreeing] 13:50 Don't stop worshiping him when things get rough. [ Congregation: Agreeing] 13:53 Get some roots. Get deep in the Word of God. Not a surface word but a deep word. 14:03 Let me tell you all something. Young people, Reggie said this is last Sabbath year, 14:07 you'll leave, and finish school, graduate, and go pastor somebody. 14:10 Let me tell you this. The days of pleasure preaching are over. [ Congregation: Agreeing] 14:17 The days of preaching to make folks feel good are over.[ Congregation: Agreeing] 14:21 All this cotton candy preaching. [ Congregation: Agreeing] 14:25 Big and sweet on the outside, hollow and empty on the inside. [ Congregation: Agreeing] 14:31 We need a word with some roots. [ Congregation: Agreeing] 14:34 I was talking to Pastor Williams last week. I said, "Pastor, we got the revival next week 14:37 before we had to postponed I said, “What should I preach?” He said, 14:39 "You baptized 15,000 people in Africa. Preach the same thing you preached there, 14:43 whatever it was." [ Congregation: Clapping, Agreeing] 14:49 Let me tell you all something. I like Daniel in the Lion's Den. I like David and Goliath. 14:58 I like the three Hebrew boys in a fiery furnace. 15:02 I like the New Testament stories about Jesus. But I also need Daniel Chapter 7. 15:09 Now, I need you all to understand, God works everything out in his time. 15:13 How will it be that the Sabbath school lessons right now this quarter on prophecies of 15:19 Daniel, and we're dealing with the coronavirus. That's not by coincidence, my friends. 15:26 I need to know the prophecies of Daniel 7 and Daniel 8. 15:31 I need to know that Jesus is in the heavenly sanctuary right now, 15:35 seated at the right hand of the Father 15:37 and that is moved from the holy place into the most holy place, 15:41 and he is engaged right now in the investigative or pre-advent judgments. 15:47 I need to know about the lions, the leopards, and the bearers of Revelation 13. 15:54 I need to know the time prophecies of 1,260 days, 42 months, and a time, time, 16:02 and the dividing of time in Revelation 13. I need to know about the beasts of Revelation 13. 16:08 I need to know that the first beast of Revelation 13 is the number of a man. 666. 16:15 I need to know that the second beast of Revelation 13 arises out of the earth around the 16:21 same time that the first beast is losing its power. 16:24 I need to know that the second beast will force the first-- 16:28 the earth to worship the first beast of Revelation 13. 16:33 I need to know that a beast represents a kingdom or power [ Congregation: Agreeing] 16:39 And that the second beast is a lamb-like beast who in the form of a nation 16:46 Preaches peace but speaks like a dragon. I need to know that the day is coming 16:55 where we will not be able to buy or sell. That we're moving to a cashless society. 17:03 If nobody else preaches it, Carlton P. Dr. Byrd: 17:08 is going to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I need some roots. I need a deeper word. 17:19 Do you realize that North Korea is increasing its number of missile tests? 17:25 Any time you have a test, whether it's academic or military, 17:29 it's a preparation for the real thing. 17:31 Do you realize that universal healthcare in the United States is still unresolved? 17:36 Do you realize that a tornado ripped through Nashville just two weeks ago? 17:41 Do you realize that the coronavirus has literally shut the world down 17:45 and send it into panic? Do you realize there are more people 17:50 who have the coronavirus than is being reported? 17:55 But all the cases had not been confirmed 17:58 because there aren't enough test kits to test the number of people who want 18:01 or need to be tested. Do you realize what's happening before our eyes? 18:08 We've got closed schools, closed churches, closed cruises, closed flights 18:20 closed sports leagues, closed sporting events. 18:25 Do you all realize how much money they're losing? 18:28 Closed amusement parks. Disney World is closed. Mickey has corona. 18:38 [Congregation: Laughing, Clapping] Closed cities. In one case, a closed country. 18:46 It's all happened within a month's time. 18:52 That's why I believe in Ellen White, 18:54 because there's no way a lady with a third-grade education could have as much knowledge 19:00 as she had and write like she did. 19:03 Ellen White told us that in the last days the final movements would be rapid ones. 19:12 We've gone from no coronavirus cases on January 14th to 142,320 coronavirus cases on 19:21 March 14th. We've gone from no reported deaths on January 14th to 5,388 deaths on March 14th. 19:36 Wake up.Get some roots. Don't be seed that sprouts up 19:45 but then is cut down when trouble comes. 19:49 Rocky soil type people. Let the Gospel appeal to their emotions. They're quick to respond. 19:59 But when the hype wears off, when the excitement wears off, so does the Gospel. 20:07 I'm about to sit down, but I got one final point to make. 20:11 I'm seeing people get all hyped because we're facing coronavirus. 20:19 Now, they're ready to come to Jesus. 20:24 And live right because they're scared. Now, if it's this pandemic that leads you to greater 20:35 Spiritual-thinking, spiritual insights, spiritual awareness, 20:41 And spiritual behavior, praise the Lord. 20:44 If it's this pandemic that leads you to Jesus Christ 20:50 Hallelujah. Sometimes, God can use something like this to get us where we need to be. 21:03 Sometimes God can use something like this to wake us all up those in the church 21:13 because we always want to sit here talk about tell them, no. Those in the church 21:18 and those out of the church. Do I have a witness in this place? 21:22 But please don't let it be that just as soon as the coronavirus hype wears off 21:32 that your spirituality wears off and you go back doing the same things you were doing 21:40 and being the same person who you were before. You see, some of you are not old enough, 21:47 some of the students, but some of us, we're a little older. 21:49 We remember 19 years ago, when we were faced with the 9/11 crisis. 21:57 People started praying like never before. 22:00 People started praying. They started studying the Bible. They started going to church. 22:04 But as soon as the hype, as soon as the hysteria and energy wore off, 22:09 you didn't see people praying anymore. You didn't see people studying their Bible anymore. 22:13 You didn't see people going to church anymore. It was back to business as usual. 22:19 Their seed sprouted up but it was soon cut off. Get some roots. 22:30 Jesus didn't bleed on Calvary because he felt like it.Jesus went to Calvary 22:35 because he loves you. Jesus bled on Calvary because he loves you. 22:42 Jesus went to Calvary to save me. I love the Lord.[piano playing] 22:52 I won't take that back because he's been so good to me. 22:59 I've seen Jesus.[Congregation: Agreeing, Clapping] 23:04 I've seen the Holy Ghost.[ Congregation: Agreeing, Clapping] 23:07 Now, old folks will say, "Oh, the Holy Ghost," but I've seen the Holy Ghost. 23:15 Get some root in the Word of God. Trouble is here. 23:23 Trial is here. Tribulation is here. Coronavirus, it's here. 23:31 Get out of denial. It's here. I read Isaiah 41 and God said, "Fear thou not; 23:40 for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: 23:45 I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; 23:47 I will uphold thee with the right hand of righteousness." 23:50 ‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus. Don't let your root sprout up and then let it get cut off. 24:08 Don't be excited in Jesus, and just as soon as trouble comes, your seed is cut off. 24:18 On the flip side, don't let trouble, don't let a pandemic get you excited in Jesus. 24:27 Then, when the pandemic wears off, your seed is cut off. Get some roots. 24:39 Thank you very much for tuning in to this week's Breath of Life broadcast. 24:44 We hope and pray that you've been blessed by Dr. Byrd's inspirational message. 24:48 If you would like to hear this sermon in its entirety, 24:50 please feel free to visit us at www.breathoflife.tv. 24:57 Or, call us at (256) 929-6460. 25:02 [END] 25:06 [END] 25:09 [MUSIC] 25:11 [Congregation: Clapping] 25:23 Dr:Byrd: While in Philadelphia, we had the blessed privilege to meet Ashner Sanders. 25:28 Ashner heard God's truth about our bodies being God's temple 25:33 and was convicted to live a healthy lifestyle. 25:36 He told us a little bit about his journey 25:38 and what it was like hearing God's word on the subject for the first time. 25:43 Asher:As a kind in high school and stuff like that-- 25:45 The Muslim guys who come and tell you, " Don't eat that pig man, that pig is diseased." 25:50 That pig is dirty and all that and -- 25:51 But I never thought about it. Cause my mom-- when I was a kid-- 25:53 my mom said any thing that you eat and bless before God, you can consume it. 25:58 So I was like, until God tells me something like that I'm gonna go ahead and eat it. 26:04 Now I'm a diabetic. I got all these problems, Heart disease, all the stuff like that. 26:08 But you know? God is good all the time and because of that sermon that Dr. Byrd preached. 26:13 I went home that night and I got rid of all that pork. 26:16 I was just gonna through it out. I took it out of my freezer, I was gonna throw it out-- 26:20 Get rid of it-- I had just went shopping. 26:22 but that didn't mean nothing because I want to live, the way the bible says for us to live. 26:28 I don't know how many pastors I heard preached but nobody has ever affected live Dr. Byrd. 26:34 Completely changed my life. I'm ready to join this church. 26:38 Dr:Byrd: It is one of my greatest joys as a pastor and evangelist 26:42 to see the spiritual light bulb of discovery turn on 26:46 as people become convicted to live a life according to biblical principles. 26:50 There are so many people just like Ashner 26:54 who are amazed to hear that God cares about their physical health 26:57 as well as their spiritual health. 26:59 To help us to continue our mission of spreading this wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ, 27:05 please share a gift with us today. 27:08 Make your tax deductible gift payable to Breath of Life by mail, 27:12 at Breath of Life PO BOX 5960, Huntsville, AL 35814. 27:18 Give us all call the number is 256.929.6460 27:23 or you can visit us online at www.breathoflife.tv 27:35 Social justice is embedded in Breath of Life's commitment 27:41 to carry this wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ. 27:45 I believe in social justice. I believe in equality of all people. 27:53 And I also believe that Jesus died and His blood was spilt for all of us. 28:01 www.breathoflife.tv |
Revised 2020-03-23