Participants: Carlton P. Byrd
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000016
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00:00 (Theme Song) ♪ Jesus is worthy ♪
00:10 ♪ oh yes, he's worthy ♪ ♪ worthy of all... ♪ 00:18 (Music) PB: Praise be to God today. 00:24 If you're happy in Jesus, let me hear you say Amen. 00:27 Now, I know time is spent but we've got to preach 00:29 the Word from the Lord, so we're going to get right into 00:31 the Word. Is that all right, everybody? We want to welcome 00:33 those who are watching the Breath of Life telecast. 00:36 I'm Dr. Carlton T. Byrd here at the Berean Seventh-Day 00:40 Adventist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. We invite you to 00:42 worship with us in the spoken word as you take your Bibles 00:45 and turn with us to the book of Exodus. What book did I 00:47 say, everybody? And we're going to the book of Exodus 00:49 Chapter 14. Exodus 14 and we're going to read verse 19 00:55 and we're going to keep on reading for a while. 00:57 Exodus 14:19. 01:00 Exodus, Chapter 14 and we're going to read verse 19. 01:07 If you have it, let me hear you say Amen. The Word of God 01:10 says to us today: "And the angel of God, which went 01:16 before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; 01:19 and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, 01:25 and stood behind them." Verse 20: "And it came between the 01:29 camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a 01:31 cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light 01:35 by night to these: so that the one came 01:40 not near the other all the night. And Moses stretched out 01:44 his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back 01:47 by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry 01:51 land, and the waters were divided. And the children of 01:54 Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: 01:57 and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, 02:01 and on their left." Verse 23: "And the Egyptians pursued, 02:06 and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all 02:08 Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 02:11 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord 02:14 looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar 02:16 of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the 02:19 Egyptians, and took off their chariot wheels, that they 02:22 drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us 02:25 flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them 02:30 against the Egyptians. 02:30 "And the Lord said unto Moses, 02:33 Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may 02:35 come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon 02:38 their horsemen. And Moses stretched forth his hand over 02:41 the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the 02:43 morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and 02:48 the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the 02:51 sea. Verse 28: "And the waters returned, and covered the 02:57 chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh 02:59 that came into the sea after them; there remained not so 03:02 much as one of them. But the children of Israel walked," 03:07 Hallelujah, "upon dry land" Walked upon dry land "in the 03:10 midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them 03:13 on their right hand, and on their left. Thus the Lord 03:17 saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and 03:21 Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. And Israel 03:26 saw" verse 31, "that great work which the LORD did upon 03:30 the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed 03:35 the Lord, and his servant Moses." Want to take a couple 03:42 of minutes with you on this subject. Free at last. Free at 03:48 last. Father God, bless us now as we go into your word today. 03:51 We pray that, Lord, you breath down in this place. Breath in 03:56 the aisles of this church, breath along the airways of 03:58 television, the Internet, and, God, may your anointing be 04:01 seen, be felt and be heard. 04:03 Hiding behind the cross, dear Lord, when the appeal is made, 04:05 we pray that individuals will give their life to thee. 04:08 Forgive us of our sins, in the name of Jesus. Let everyone 04:12 say Amen. And Amen. Free at, what, everybody? Come on. Free 04:20 at what, everybody? Free at last. The Book of Exodus is 04:22 scenes about deliverance, it is about escape. Everybody say 04:25 escape. It is about God's mission to call the children 04:28 of Israel to escape. It is about freedom. It is about 04:32 liberty. Now, you must understand that freedom is a 04:36 wonderful thing to enjoy. You understand this is quite 04:40 important for us. As human beings, we are so 04:42 interconnected that if you get bound, not only does it affect 04:48 you, but it also affects everything around you. When 04:52 you are in bondage, husband affects a wife, a bound wife 04:58 affects a husband, bound children affect their parents. 05:04 When anything is bound it affects everything. When 05:08 something is wrong with the dog, it affects the house. Are 05:13 you hearing what I'm saying? 05:14 It throws off the elements until everything around you is 05:19 affected by something that is in bondage. That's why God 05:25 begins to focus. When God begins to focus on your 05:28 freedom it's not just you that needs freedom. It is 05:33 everything that is affected by bondage that surrounds you. 05:38 The apostle Paul teaches in the Book of Romans that all of 05:42 creation is affected when anything is out of balance. It 05:48 affects everything around it so you must have freedom. 05:53 Everybody say freedom. Freedom is an important thing. More 05:56 battles have been fought over freedom than anything 06:00 imaginable. Revolutionary wars, civil wars, World War I, 06:06 World War II, freedom is important. People die every 06:12 day on battlefields to protect freedom, because freedom, 06:16 again, is important. You are here today in this church, 06:20 comfortably listening to me speak today, and you're 06:24 comfortable not only because of air conditioning, you're 06:28 comfortable not only because of padded pews, not only 06:32 because of the plush environment around you, but 06:35 you're comfortable because in the back of your mind you know 06:39 you can leave whenever you get ready to leave because you 06:42 have freedom. But I can leave you in the same environment, 06:48 I can leave you in the same environment we're in right now 06:52 and I can padlock all the doors, padlock all the windows 06:57 and tell you you're locked up and all of a sudden all 07:00 comfort would disappear because there's something 07:04 about being free that is so important that you cannot be 07:07 comfortable being bound. 07:09 Freedom is so important that I'd rather have 07:14 freedom than comfort. 07:16 Let me say that one more time. I'd rather have 07:19 freedom than comfort. I'd give up the comfort of padded pews 07:26 and air conditioning and plush environment just to know that 07:29 I can leave whenever I want to leave. No one likes to be 07:34 bound. No one likes to be incarcerated. No one likes to 07:38 be chained up. If you don't believe me, ask a prisoner. 07:42 You can say whatever you want to say, but to be free is 07:45 vitally important. Our ancestors understood it. 07:48 Regardless of your ancestry, regardless of your background, 07:52 if you go back far enough all of us have been threatened at 07:56 some time or another in reference to freedom. You have 08:00 to realize that freedom is so important, my friends, that 08:03 sometimes you have to compromise comfort for 08:05 freedom. That's why, if we call the role, the Israelites 08:11 were willing to follow a pillar of cloud by day and a 08:14 pillar of cloud by night to cross the Red Sea. That's why 08:19 when Moses became of age he refused to be called the son 08:23 of Pharaoh's daughter. He would rather suffer the 08:27 affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the 08:29 pleasures of sin for a season. 08:31 That's why there were freedom rides in the fifties. That's 08:35 why there were sit-ins and demonstrations in the sixties. 08:38 That's why Martin King preached, "I have a dream." 08:42 That's why Malcolm X talked by any means necessary. That's 08:47 why Nelson Mandela was willing to spend 27 years in a South 08:52 African prison on trumped-up charges to get rid of a 08:55 sinister social system that erroneously prejudiced people 08:59 just because of the color of their skin. Sometimes you have 09:05 to compromise comfort for freedom. That's why some 09:10 people in Berean would rather be single and free and never 09:17 get married, than to be married to somebody that's 09:22 abusive and mean and overwhelming and obnoxious. Do 09:26 I have a witness in this place? Somebody knows I'm 09:29 talking about people, why you don't get married? There's a 09:32 reason I don't get married, are you hearing what I'm 09:34 saying? I say it all the time, it's better to be happily 09:36 unmarried than to be unhappily married. Are you hearing what 09:40 I'm saying? Somebody are you tired of being slapped up onto 09:43 a refrigerator, kicked in the head, told when you can do 09:46 this and when you can do that, and beat down. You've come to 09:49 the point in your life where you say, I'm going to lose 70% 09:52 of my income, but I'd rather live on 30% of my income to be 09:56 free than to be in a hellish situation where I'm controlled 10:00 and bound. Freedom is an important thing. Everybody say 10:06 freedom. I'd rather be free and live in a raggedy house 10:12 with a leaky roof and shut the door and know that it's mine 10:18 than to stay in your big house, your big mansion and be 10:23 treated like a slave. Somebody say freedom. Freedom is 10:28 important, to know that you're liberated, to know that you're 10:32 free. And every now and then while other folk are praising 10:36 God for their nice houses, their nice cars and their nice 10:38 clothes, and maybe you don't have all that they have, but 10:41 you ought to just take a moment and praise God for your 10:46 freedom. Do I have a witness in this place? Yes, the shoes 10:51 came from Walmart. Yes, the coat came from Target. Or when 10:56 I get fancy I say Tar-jay. 10:59 Yes, the pants came from Dollar General, but you know 11:03 what? They're mine. 11:07 Freedom is a great thing. 11:07 Everybody say freedom. 11:09 For he who the Son has set free is free indeed. 11:14 Every now and then you ought to thank God for freedom, even 11:17 if it's not comfortable. 11:20 The car doesn't have air conditioning. You know, I grew 11:23 up when a car in my days, we have air, we have 240 air, two 11:28 windows down and 40 miles per hour. Do I have a witness in 11:30 this place? The car doesn't have air conditioning but it's 11:35 paid for. The house is old but it's paid for. I'm free from 11:43 the mortgage company. It's mine. Freedom. Freedom is a 11:49 powerful thing and before I'd be a slave, I'll be buried in 11:54 my grave and go home to my Lord and be free. It is the 12:00 text that we are seeing the fulfillment of an answer to a 12:03 prayer and a covenant between God and Abraham. Follow the 12:06 parallel. God told Abraham, I'm going to call your 12:09 descendants to sojourn in Egypt. For 400 years they're 12:14 going to be enslaved. But after 400 years, I'm going to 12:21 bring them out with great substance. And so Abraham 12:24 closed his eyes and Abraham died knowing that his children 12:30 would go through something, but he knew that they one day 12:33 would come out and be free. 12:34 They would be incarcerated, but one day they would be 12:38 liberated. You see, you don't understand sometimes, people 12:42 in this room who have been incarcerated by difficult, 12:46 different situations and circumstances. I think about 12:49 Dr. J today telling us his story. None of us would have 12:53 thought that this high-flying athlete would go through all 12:57 that he's gone through just to make it to this day. Some of 13:01 us have been bound by death, some of us have been bound and 13:05 incarcerated by debt, some of us have been incarcerated by 13:09 abuse, some of us have been incarcerated by relationships. 13:13 Some of us have literally been incarcerated. You can't tell 13:17 it now because they're all dressed up, smelling good, 13:22 nice suits, nice shoes, hair done, nails done, but there 13:29 was a day when they used to be in cell block B, 777519, and 13:37 every now and then you'll see a person like that praising 13:42 God in a way you don't understand and you'll think 13:46 that they're being too emotional. You'll think that 13:50 it doesn't take all of that, but every now and then you 13:56 need a flashback and remember how one day you were bound. 14:01 How one day you were tied up. 14:03 How one day you were chained up. How one day God liberated 14:07 you. Is there anybody in this place today that now you are 14:12 free in your spirit and free in your soul. Is there anybody 14:17 who's free in Jesus? Do I have a witness in this place? Other 14:22 folk around you talking about, how am I going to pay for this 14:25 and pay for that, what am I going to do about that, but 14:27 you're not worried about anything, you're just glad to 14:29 be free. People in this church today think they ain't got it 14:34 all going on, but somebody's glad to be free from crack, 14:37 free from drugs, free from problems, free from prison, 14:44 free from people, free from what people think. Free from 14:54 abuse. Free from Johnny, free from Jimmy, free from Willie. 14:59 Free from Agnes. Free from Bertha. Free from Tatiana. 15:06 Free from Sequana. Free from Liliana. Just free. And today, 15:14 I don't know what your testimony is, but I do know 15:19 that when God sets you free, you shall be free indeed. I 15:26 can leave when I want to leave. I can come when I want 15:31 to come. I'll clean when I want to clean up. It may be 15:34 raggedy but it's my house. 15:37 Those are my dirty dishes in the sink, and hush up, I'll 15:40 wash them when I get ready. 15:42 Anybody enjoying the blessing of being free? Come on, say 15:44 Amen. And so, after 400 years God says to Israel, I'm going 15:53 to bring you out of captivity. 15:56 Now, Moses, understand, had the assignment of going down 16:01 to Egypt and announcing to Pharaoh that the time for the 16:04 liberation of God's people was at hand. He also has the task 16:07 of liberating people who have been not bound only physically 16:12 but also mentally. And the hardest thing, I'm a witness, 16:17 the hardest thing to do and the hardest people to lead in 16:20 the world are oppressed people. Oppressed people are 16:25 sensitive. Oppressed people are insecure. Oppressed people 16:31 fall out and get mad over any little thing. Pastor Byrd, 16:36 they didn't call my name. They didn't call today, they didn't 16:39 reserve me a seat. Why did they give them a seat? 16:42 Oppressed people are sensitive about everything. Because 16:45 they've been abused before, they see everything as abuse. 16:51 Can't even look at people. 16:52 What you looking at me funny for? Oppressed people, because 17:00 hurt people hurt people. Moses is leading people who are 17:06 coming out physically faster than they are coming out 17:09 mentally. Could it be possible that you are better physically 17:13 than you are mentally? That's what can make marriage 17:17 dangerous. I've got to intertwine Black History and 17:20 Valentine's Day. That's what can make marriage dangerous. 17:26 You've got to marry the right person, because whomever you 17:28 marry will likely impact where you spend eternity. Every day 17:32 I thank God for my wife. Not only is she beautiful, not 17:34 only is she fine, not only does she not get in a mess, 17:36 she's getting me ready for the Kingdom. Do I have a witness 17:39 in this place? Marriage can be dangerous, because it's 17:45 possible to meet and see somebody, date somebody who 17:50 looks better physically but mentally can be a mess. 17:58 Sometimes your life can be progressing better externally 18:03 than your mentality is developing internally and you 18:06 find yourself in a precarious predicament because outwardly 18:09 you look like you're better off than what you really are 18:12 and nobody knows that inside of you, you're wrestling with 18:15 some stuff from a long time ago. That's why I thank God 18:22 for patience. Because God will work with you and work with 18:28 you until you are renewed in the spirit of your mind. 18:31 Everybody doesn't have to get delivered from sex, alcohol or 18:38 drugs. Sometimes you come in here to have your mind 18:43 renewed. If I can just get a new mind, if God would just 18:48 give me a new mind, a new way of looking at things, I can be 18:52 free at last. Free at last, thank God Almighty, I'll be 18:55 free at last. The children of Israel are finding themselves 19:00 in this predicament where God is bringing them out. And he 19:03 has brought them down to the Red Sea. We know the story. 19:07 They are uncomfortable because freedom is sometimes 19:10 difficult, because it requires that you give up normal. 19:13 Israel has adapted to being enslaved. And even though they 19:21 have prayed for liberation, sometimes we pray for things 19:25 ideologically but we are not prepared to accept them 19:29 experientially. And so now they pray for liberation, but 19:32 now they resent the liberator. 19:35 Because freedom requires that you give up what you have 19:38 adapted to, to set into the unfamiliar area of the unknown. 19:43 So, they're coming out murmuring. They're coming 19:48 out complaining. They're coming out fussing because God 19:53 has ordered change. Change is not easy for anybody. 19:59 Sometimes it takes a lifetime to change. Sometimes it takes 20:05 a lifetime to grow up. 20:07 Sometimes it takes years to change a small thing in your 20:11 life. Change doesn't come easy. And so they're coming 20:16 into it with their murmuring. 20:17 They're coming into it with their complaining. They're 20:19 coming into it. They're frustrated and Moses himself 20:21 is leading a people and still feeling the pressure of the 20:24 people he's leading. And so now he's come down to the Red 20:28 Sea. And if it were not enough for them doubting his 20:32 leadership and speaking all manner of evil against him, he 20:36 also has the problem of leading God's people through 20:38 trouble. And I said it Wednesday night, I'll say it 20:41 again today, trouble doesn't always have an expiration 20:44 date. Moses is leading his people and then he hears the 20:50 footsteps of Pharaoh and Pharaoh's 600 chosen chariots. 20:59 Not just any old chariots. The Bible says 600 chosen chariots 21:06 pursuing them. Now, if you've always been free, you're not 21:09 going to get this, but if you've ever been bound by 21:12 anything and you're trying to get delivered and all of a 21:15 sudden your habit or your bondage, slowly it has started 21:17 to get you back, but you can hear it. It hasn't gotten you 21:20 back totally, but you hear it coming. You can't tell anybody 21:22 you hear it coming because you're already starting free, 21:26 but just as soon as you start bragging about how free you 21:28 are, all of a sudden you hear your trouble starting to come 21:32 back again. I know today you're not going to hold up 21:36 your hand because your reputation is at stake, but 21:40 somebody in here knows what it's like to hear that thing 21:42 coming after you again. 21:44 Whenever you're bound by something, you know the 21:49 warning signs. The children of Israel can hear it coming 21:56 again. God is standing there, Moses is standing there and 22:02 the children are standing there and the enemy is moving. 22:06 Have you ever had a moment in your life where you were 22:10 standing still, but something was after you? Now, you have 22:16 to be spiritual to discern this. Sometimes you can't even 22:19 see it. Sometimes you can't even name it, but there is an 22:24 apprehensive feeling of danger. The footsteps of 22:29 Pharaoh are coming after you. 22:31 Haven't done anything to you yet. Haven't attacked you, 22:35 haven't beaten you, haven't enslaved you, haven't done 22:37 anything to you yet, but the very sound of it strikes 22:41 terror in your heart. You know how many people die over the 22:45 sound of trouble? Not death, but the shadow. Yeah, though I 22:50 walk through the valley of the shadow of death. It's not 22:53 death, but the shadow of death. I haven't lost it, but 22:58 any day now I can lose it. 23:00 Sometimes you feel that something is chasing you and 23:03 you don't even know what it is. The children of Israel, 23:05 they come down to the Red Sea, they're not in a good mood 23:09 because it's hard to be polite when you're being pursued. 23:12 They're murmuring, complaining. Moses is on edge. 23:17 He stands there looking at God. God says to Moses, Moses, 23:23 stretch forth thine hand. As Moses stretches forth his 23:29 hand, the Bible says that God sends a wind. Not a bridge. 23:36 Not a boat. Not an airplane. 23:41 Not an angel. Not a soldier at the Red Sea. Not a guard. But 23:46 the Bible says that God sends a wind. That's why I get happy 23:54 when I think of the goodness of Jesus. That's why I don't 23:58 take the anointing of God lightly. Because when I come 24:06 into the house of God and I feel the glory of God moving, 24:10 I say, look out, devil, God is about to send a wind and 24:17 whenever God sends a wind, great things begin to happen. 24:23 Something is about to happen. 24:26 Something in this ministry is about to happen. Something in 24:32 your life is about to happen. 24:34 I haven't seen it happen yet, but I hear the wind. I haven't 24:38 seen it move yet, but I hear the wind. I haven't gotten 24:45 healing yet, but I hear the wind. Your check has not come 24:47 yet, but I hear the wind. Your son isn't saved yet, your 24:51 daughter isn't saved yet, your marriage isn't healed yet, but 24:55 I hear some wind. Something's about to happen. I've got 25:00 light in my spirit. I've got up-beat in my soul. My soul is 25:06 happy. Something is about to happen. God blew back the Red 25:13 Sea. Blew back the water. Then he blew it so long that it 25:19 became a hair dryer and dried the ground so the children of 25:23 Israel could walk across on dry land without getting mud 25:26 on their shoes. What a mighty God we serve. What a mighty 25:32 God we serve. Your God is so mighty, my God is so good that 25:38 sometimes God will give you things you didn't think 25:40 to ask him for. 25:44 PB: Be sure to join us again next week as we 25:47 continue to explore God's Word. Remember, God has a Word 25:52 just for you from the holy Bible. Also, I'd like to 25:57 invite you to become a partner of the Breath of Life 25:59 ministry. If you would like to join us as we seek to share 26:02 the gospel of Jesus Christ with others, feel free to give 26:06 us a call at 877-BOL-OFF. 26:13 Again, that's 877-BOL-OFFER. 26:20 Or feel free to write us at the address shown on your 26:24 screen. Finally, you can reach us by logging onto our web 26:28 site, at www.breathoflifel.tv. 26:36 Thank you for tuning in. Thank you for joining us and may God 26:41 continue to bless you. 26:44 >: Life if full of questions. 26:46 Sometimes we don't know which way to go or where to turn. We 26:49 have doubts and fears and we wonder what it all means. But 26:53 there are answers and there is hope waiting for you in God's 26:57 word, the Bible. And there's no better way to start 27:00 exploring the plans he has for you than in the "Discover 27:03 Bible Guides." It's the Breath of Life gift offer this week 27:08 and your ticket to the heart and soul of God's word. These 27:11 easy to read and illustrated Bible studies help you 27:13 understand God's plan for you quickly and clearly. You'll be 27:16 enlightened by studies such as "Is God Fair," "When Jesus 27:21 Comes for You," "The Secret of Answered Prayer," and "Bridge 27:24 to a Satisfying Life." If you've ever wanted to 27:28 understand the Bible but didn't know where to start or 27:31 if you've read the Bible from cover to cover but simply 27:33 yearn for more, then the "Discover Bible Guides" are 27:36 especially for you. The guides are also good for family 27:40 members or friends who might be seeking spiritual guidance 27:42 and have questions of their own. Just call our toll free 27:47 number at 1-877-BOL-OFFER. 27:51 That's 1-877-265-6333 and ask for your copy of the "Discover 27:57 Bible Guides." Or you may write to us at Breath of Life, 28:01 Box 340, Newbury Park, CA 91319. The "Discover Bible 28:09 Guides," discover for yourself. 28:14 (music) PB:...Just keep on walking... 28:19 ...God's going to give you double for your trouble... 28:24 ...As bad as it is, it could be worse... |
Revised 2015-02-06