Participants: Carlton P. Byrd
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000012
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00:01 ♪ (Theme Song) ♪ ♪ Jesus is worthy ♪
00:10 ♪ oh yes he's worthy ♪ ♪ worthy of all ♪ 00:17 ♪ (Music) ♪ PB: I would like to welcome 00:24 those viewers watching the Breath of Life telecast 00:27 those watching our Internet ministry here at the Berean 00:29 Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Atlanta Georgia 00:31 home of Breath of Life. 00:32 I'm Dr. Carlton P. Byrd speaker and director of the 00:34 Breath of Life ministry. 00:34 We are grateful that you have tuned in today with us. 00:39 I want to invite you to take your Bibles and go with me to 00:42 the Book of Joel. 00:44 Joel Chapter 2 and you're going to need to 00:46 keep your Bibles open to Joel Chapter 2 and 00:51 we're going to verse 28. 00:52 Joel 2:28. 00:56 I will read in your hearing verses 28 29 30 31 and 32. 01:03 Joel prophet in the Old Testament Chapter 2 01:12 verses 28-32. 01:13 If you have it let me hear you say Amen. 01:15 Praise be to God. 01:16 The Word of God says: "And it shall come to pass 01:18 afterward that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; 01:24 and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy 01:27 your old men shall dream dreams your young men 01:31 shall see visions." 01:32 Verse 29: "And also upon the servants and upon 01:35 the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. 01:40 And I will show wonders in the heavens 01:42 and in the earth blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 01:44 The sun shall be turned into darkness 01:47 and the moon into blood before the great and the 01:49 terrible day of the Lord come." 01:50 Verse 32: "And it shall come to pass that 01:53 whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be 01:58 delivered." Hallelujah somebody. 02:01 "Shall be delivered: for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem 02:04 shall be deliverance as the Lord hath said 02:08 and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call." Today I 02:16 would like to take some time to speak with you all on the 02:20 subject "The Forecast Calls for Rain." God be with us. 02:27 Breath in us and through us. 02:32 May your anointing be seen be felt and be heard 02:35 as we preach your word from your Bible today. 02:40 We pray that God hearts would be receptive 02:44 to your spirit. 02:45 Forgive us for our sins and Lord when the appeal is made 02:47 I pray that individuals respond giving their lives to you 02:50 in the name of Jesus we pray asking you 02:54 to forgive us of our sins. 02:55 Let everyone say Amen. 02:57 And Amen. 02:59 The forecast calls for rain. 03:02 When I was growing up my parents loved 03:07 watching the news. 03:10 And I must confess today I hated the news. 03:13 I would only want to watch the news to see the sports. 03:18 So I would have to wait until the headlines were over wait 03:23 until the weather was over and then I would 03:26 see the sports. 03:28 The funny thing now is as I've gotten a little older 03:31 you can't keep me from watching the news. 03:33 ABC I watch it. Live. Local. 03:39 Late breaking. 03:42 This is Channel 5 Action News. NBC 03:47 I watch it. 03:48 Eleven Alive news. 03:50 CBS I watch it. 03:52 CNN I watch it. 03:54 MS-NBC and sometimes sometimes 04:00 even Fox News I watch that too. 04:05 And the older that I get I pay more attention 04:09 to the weather. 04:11 Will it be sunny today? 04:14 Will it be cloudy today? 04:17 Will it be raining today? 04:19 Is snow in the forecast? 04:23 I even go to the Internet now to see the 10-day forecast. 04:27 And now they've got this thing where you can read the 04:30 forecast and know what is happening every hour 04:33 on the hour. 04:36 I was even looking at the forecast for today and the 04:40 forecast called for rain. 04:43 Someone said to me when I was there in the back 04:47 since it's raining outside Pastor preach as long 04:50 at you want. 04:51 They're not going anywhere because folks don't like to 04:53 go out in the rain. 04:56 There are car accidents in the rain. 04:59 People drive slower in the rain. 05:03 Your hair gets wet in the rain. 05:08 Your feet get wet in the rain. 05:11 Your car gets dirty from the rain. 05:15 You may even get sick from the rain. 05:19 Most people don't like being out in the rain. 05:25 But having rain is not all that bad. 05:29 Because we need water to survive. 05:32 We need water to drink. 05:34 Do I have a witness in this place? 05:36 We need water to cook. 05:37 Do I have a witness in this place? 05:40 And God knows we need water to wash. 05:42 Do I have a witness in this place? 05:45 We need water to clean water is essential for life. 05:51 What would we do without water? 05:52 Your body is made up of more than 60% water. 05:54 Seventy percent of our planet is composed of water. 05:58 Lack of water leads to dehydration 06:02 excessive thirst fatigue headaches dry mouth 06:06 muscle weakness dizziness and 06:10 lightheadedness. 06:12 Water is essential for life and the more water we get 06:18 we get it from rain. 06:21 Think about it. 06:23 If it didn't rain our land wouldn't cultivate 06:31 our seeds wouldn't sprout our gardens wouldn't grow 06:37 our plates would be empty because there would be 06:42 no food to grow. 06:44 So praise God that the forecast calls for rain. 06:51 The Bible is full of rain stories. 06:56 The great flood that Noah preached about. 07:00 He said it's going to rain. 07:02 It's going to rain. 07:05 You better get ready. 07:07 And bear this in mind God showed Noah 07:12 the rainbow sign. 07:13 He said it won't be water but fire next time. 07:18 It was on Mount Carmel that God showed up and showed out. 07:25 Elijah was hated by Ahab. 07:28 Elijah was hated by Jezebel. 07:31 Elijah was hated by the people and when you're following 07:37 God you are going to be hated. 07:40 But quit being a people pleaser and be a God pleaser. 07:46 God always has your back. 07:48 Elijah said you can call on your gods but I'll call 07:53 on my God and we'll see who's the real God. 07:58 God rained down fire. 08:01 The prophets of Baal were no match for the Almighty God. 08:06 Ahab was no match for the Almighty God. 08:09 Jezebel was no match for the Almighty God. 08:13 God sent down fire he sent it down to Elijah. 08:18 He set the altar on fire didn't it rain. 08:22 But then my mind goes to the New Testament. 08:26 When Jesus was on the Sea of Galilee 08:28 the waves were tossing the wind was blowing 08:33 the rain was falling the disciples were scared. 08:38 The disciples were looking for Jesus. 08:40 Jesus was in the bottom of the ship. 08:44 The disciples cried out Master careth thou not that we parish. 08:48 How can thy lie asleep? 08:51 Jesus got up from his sleep. 08:54 Jesus simply said peace be still. 08:59 The waves stopped. 09:01 The winds hushed. 09:02 The rain ceased. 09:05 Let that be a lesson also to you. 09:07 You can be in a storm in your life 09:11 but all the master of the sea has to do is speak peace 09:17 in your life peace on your job 09:20 peace in your home peace in your mind. 09:24 Somebody knows that whenever the Lord says peace 09:29 there will be peace. 09:31 Jesus even draws upon rain in the parable of the wise man 09:34 and the foolish man. 09:35 He said the wise man built his house upon the rocks 09:38 the foolish man built his house upon the sand. 09:42 The rains came down. 09:44 The floods came up. 09:46 The wise man's house stood tall. 09:49 The foolish man's house fell down to pieces. 09:52 Let that be another lesson to you 09:56 that if you want your house to stand 09:59 you've got to build your house on the solid rock 10:02 you've got to build your house on Christ Jesus 10:07 on Christ the solid rock I stand. All the other ground is 10:12 sinking sand. 10:14 Do I have a witness in this place? 10:16 We need rain. 10:18 Water is essential for life. 10:21 And just like we need rain in the physical world 10:25 somebody knows we need rain in the spiritual world. 10:29 We need the raining down of God's Holy Spirit. 10:33 We need a down pouring. 10:35 We need an out pouring. 10:37 We need a tropical storm. 10:40 We need a tropical depression. 10:42 We need a hurricane. 10:45 We need some rain. 10:48 We've got war in Iraq war in Afghanistan 10:53 fighting in the Middle East imminent fighting between 10:56 north and south Korea. 10:57 Crime is on the rise. 11:00 Recession is on the rise. 11:02 Social Security is being threatened. 11:05 We need some rain. 11:07 And I'm so glad that the forecast calls for rain. 11:12 God says my spirit will not always strive 11:16 with man. 11:17 As it was in the days of Noah so shall it also be in the 11:20 coming of the Son of Man. 11:21 For as in the days that were before the flood 11:24 they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in 11:27 marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ark and 11:30 knew not until the flood came took them all away and so 11:35 shall also the coming of the Son of Man be 11:37 and just like the forecast called for rain then 11:41 the forecast is calling for rain now. 11:47 Let's look at the text. 11:49 Go back to Joel 2. 11:52 Don't start at verse 28. 11:53 I want us to start at verse 21. 11:57 "Fear not O land; be glad and rejoice: 12:05 for the Lord will do great things. " 12:08 I can preach that text all day long 12:11 that God will do great things. 12:13 Verse 22: "Be not afraid ye beasts of the field: for the 12:19 pastures of the wilderness do spring 12:22 for the tree beareth her fruit the fig tree 12:25 and the vine do yield their strength. 12:27 Be glad then ye children of Zion 12:30 and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the 12:37 former rain moderately and he will cause to come 12:43 down for you the rain the former rain 12:48 and the latter rain in the first month. 12:49 And the floors shall be full of wheat 12:51 and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. 12:52 And I will restore to you the years that 12:57 the locust hath eaten the cankerworm 13:01 and the caterpillar and the palmerworm 13:04 my great army which I sent among you. 13:06 And ye shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise 13:12 the name of the Lord your God that hath 13:16 dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall 13:19 never be ashamed. 13:22 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel 13:28 and that I am the Lord your God 13:30 and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed. 13:39 "I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons 13:45 and your daughters shall prophesy 13:47 your old men shall dream dreams 13:49 your young men shall see visions. 13:51 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those 13:53 days will I pour out my spirit. 13:55 And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth 13:56 blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 13:59 The sun shall be turned into darkness 14:02 and the moon into blood before the great and the 14:06 terrible day of the Lord come. 14:08 And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on 14:12 the name of the Lord shall be delivered." The forecast 14:19 calls for rain. 14:22 Anybody ever been in a dry place? 14:25 Ever been in a dry place? 14:28 When you're in a dry place spiritually 14:30 you begin to question God. 14:32 What is a dry place? 14:35 A dry place is no job. 14:38 A dry place you're lonely. 14:42 A dry place no money. 14:46 Dry place you can't pass the test. 14:49 Dry place your marriage 14:52 is on the rocks. 14:54 When you're in a dry place and you're in the desert 14:59 it's dry. 15:01 Some places I have found in my travels 15:04 are dead and dry. 15:08 Dead and dry spiritually. 15:11 And as things get worse and the time of Jesus' second 15:14 coming gets closer it's going to become 15:16 more dry. 15:19 But I'm glad that the forecast calls for rain. 15:25 How do I know this? 15:26 Well we've already experienced as we read in Joel 2 15:28 but we've already experienced the dark days. 15:31 Those who prophecy on it. 15:33 We've already experienced the dark day when across the 15:35 entire United States the sun didn't shine on a specific 15:39 day and at night the moon turned to blood. Look it up. 15:43 May 19 1780. 15:44 These events have already happened. 15:46 They're the sixth seal. 15:47 According to Revelations Chapter 6 and Matthew 24 15:50 which means we're already living in the time 15:52 of the seventh seal. 15:54 It's under the seventh seal that Jesus comes. 15:58 God is about to pour out his spirit upon all flesh. 16:03 Now the primary application of the text of the former rain 16:07 and the latter rain is the restoration of 16:10 adequate rainfall. 16:11 The former rain fell in the fall 16:14 promoted germination; the latter rain fell in the spring 16:19 and helps to bring the grain crops to maturity. 16:22 In its application to us God's church 16:25 the former rain and the latter rain both represent the 16:29 work of the Holy Ghost. 16:32 The former rain or the early rain represents the outpouring 16:36 of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost as 16:38 recorded in Acts Chapter 2. 16:40 Whereas the latter rain represents the final 16:43 outpouring of the Holy Ghost which produces a ripening of 16:48 the harvest in the last days. 16:49 The time of the latter rain is the time of the loud cry. 16:54 It's a message of Christ's righteousness 16:57 it's a sound from one end of the earth to the other to 17:00 prepare the work of the Lord. 17:02 This is not merely a little downpour 17:06 but this is a heavy rain a heavy downpour because 17:09 as one of my favorite writers in great controversy writes 17:12 the great work of the Gospel cannot close with less power 17:16 than marked its opening. 17:19 The latter rain gives power to the loud voice of the third 17:25 angel of Revelations 14. 17:28 It prepares God's church for the coming of Jesus Christ on 17:33 the day of Pentecost with the Apostles the disciples 17:37 according to Acts Chapter 2 were filled with 17:41 the Holy Ghost. 17:41 Peter asserts that this is that which was spoken by the 17:46 prophet Joel in Joel Chapter 2. 17:48 This was the former rain the manifestation of the 17:52 spirit was to prophet to everybody. Well the events 17:57 of Pentecost were but a partial fulfillment of 18:04 Joel's prediction. 18:06 In other words excuse my English 18:08 but you ain't seen nothing yet. 18:12 The prophecy great controversy says 18:16 is to reach its full accomplishment in the 18:20 latter rain in the last days. 18:25 Then that means it will reach its full manifestation in us. 18:32 That's why now the forecast calls for rain. 18:38 God wants the Holy Ghost to rain in us now. 18:43 I'm in church because I need some rain in my life. 18:49 I've been in a drought. 18:52 I need some rain. 18:54 And the forecast calls for rain. Now let me 18:58 be clear. 19:00 I'm a preacher. 19:01 I'm not a weather man. 19:03 I'm not a meteorologist. 19:05 But I can tell you something about rain. 19:08 Number one let me tell you this 19:11 if the atmosphere is cold before clouds are heavy 19:16 enough to precipitate water molecules bond with 19:21 particles in the air. 19:23 So if the atmosphere is cold you get snow. Now if 19:28 the atmosphere is cool the same water molecules will 19:33 bond with cool particles in the air and you will get sleet. 19:38 But if the atmosphere is warm and water molecules bond with 19:44 warm particles in the air you get rain. 19:48 I'm going somewhere. 19:49 So you have cold with snow. 19:52 You have cool with sleet. 19:55 And with warm you have rain. 19:57 Now when it snows things shut down. 20:02 Things are cloudy when it snows. 20:06 Visibility is limited when it snows. 20:09 When it snows I know you get snowed in. 20:14 You get locked in. 20:15 You can't go anywhere in a blizzard. 20:18 You can't go anywhere in a snowstorm. 20:21 When you get sleet the roads get icy and 20:25 seemingly normal situations because of sleet 20:32 become very difficult. 20:34 It's hard to drive in sleet. 20:34 It's hard to walk in sleet. 20:36 You slip you slide 20:37 you fall in sleet. 20:39 But when it rains rain has a way of washing 20:46 things away. 20:48 Rain refreshes things. 20:51 Rain makes things clearer cleaner 20:55 brighter. 20:55 Wh you ask God to come into your life 21:00 if your heart is cold your life will shut down. 21:08 Your life will be snowed in. 21:11 You won't go anywhere. 21:13 If the atmosphere in your heart is cold 21:17 your heart bonds with cold particles and your life shuts 21:21 down. 21:22 If the atmosphere in your life is cool 21:25 when it seems like you're ready to move forward 21:27 that which would seem like normal steps 21:29 you will find yourself in sleeting situations. 21:34 Slipping sliding 21:37 falling. 21:39 But when your heart is warm. 21:42 When it's just right to receive the Holy Ghost 21:48 the Holy Ghost will begin to rain down in your life. 21:54 And I'm here to tell you I've seen it rain so hard 21:59 that entire houses have been washed away 22:02 entire communities and cities have been washed away. 22:06 They've been cleaned up and cleaned out. 22:08 And that's what the Holy Ghost would do in your life 22:12 when you let him rain in your life. 22:14 Holy Ghost will clean you up. 22:16 Holy Ghost will clean you out. 22:19 You will be a new man a new woman. 22:22 If any man be in Christ he's a new creature. 22:26 Old things are passed away. 22:27 All things become new. 22:29 When it rains God changes you. 22:31 God changes the old man. 22:35 God washed the old man away. 22:38 God cleans you up. 22:40 God cleans you out. 22:42 Let me tell you when it rains 22:44 let me help you understand saints are 22:47 made out of sinners deacons are made 22:50 out of drunkards delivered preachers are 22:53 made out of dope pushers prayer warriors are 22:57 made out of prostitutes. 22:58 When it rains choir members are made 23:01 out of club goers character builders out of 23:06 character assassins evangelists out of infidels 23:10 believers out of doubters strong men out of weak 23:15 men brave men out of scared men good men out of mean 23:17 men humble men out of high-minded men 23:22 best men out of the worst men 23:24 church builders out of church fighters 23:26 church lovers out of church haters 23:32 conquerors out of cowards gospel writers 23:37 out of tax collectors fishers of men 23:41 out of fishermen. 23:43 If any man be in Christ he is a new creature. 23:49 The forecast calls for rain because when it rains 23:52 ravens feed prophets prophets condemn princes 23:57 lions lay down like house dogs 24:02 Red Sea becomes dry highway air conditioning cools down 24:05 fiery furnaces. 24:07 When it rains donkeys talk. 24:09 When it rains the sun stands still. 24:13 When it rains dry dust becomes fleas and 24:17 lice in defense of the children of God. 24:19 When it rains stars shoot across the sky. 24:22 When it rains rains fall in torrents and in 24:25 gentle showers. 24:26 The forecast calls for rain. 24:28 Let me tell you all something. 24:31 God is about to bring somebody out. 24:34 Let me tell you that again. 24:35 You all don't believe me. 24:36 I said God is about to bring somebody in this place out. 24:40 God is going to bring you out of your dry season. 24:44 Some people some places 24:45 some things are dead and dry and God is about to bring you 24:49 out. 24:49 But you've got to hear God say it before you even see it. 24:53 Let me tell you something about rain. 24:57 Number two again I'm not a meteorologist 25:00 I'm not a weather man but I can tell you 25:03 something about rain. 25:04 Number two you hear rain before you see rain. 25:08 Somebody missed that. 25:09 Let me say that again. 25:10 You hear it before you see it. 25:16 You hear thunder and lightening before you see it. 25:21 You've got to learn to hear God say it's going to rain 25:25 before you see it's going to rain. 25:27 God told Noah Noah it's going to rain. 25:32 He told him that before Noah even saw rain. 25:35 You've got to hear God say you're going to be healed 25:39 before you even see your healing. 25:42 You've got to hear God say you're going to get a new 25:46 job before you even see the new job. 25:48 You've got to hear God say you're going to get married 25:51 before you even see that man or that woman. 25:58 You've got to hear God say that your 26:01 son your daughter your grandchild is coming 26:02 back to the Lord before you even see them 26:03 coming back to the Lord. 26:04 The forecast calls for rain and you hear rain 26:05 before you see rain. 26:07 So you better tell somebody I don't see it 26:11 but I can hear it. 26:12 PB: Be sure to join us again next week as we continue to 26:15 explore the word of God. 26:17 Remember, God's got a word just for you 26:20 from his holy Bible. 26:22 Also I'd like to invite you to become a 26:24 Breath of Life television ministry partner. 26:26 How can you become a partner? 26:28 Just give us a call at 877-BOL-OFFER. 26:35 Again give us a call at 877-BOL-OFFER. 26:42 If you would like to write us you may do that as well. 26:46 The address is shown on your screen and we'd love to hear 26:49 from you. 26:51 Finally 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Revised 2015-02-06