? (Theme Song) ? ? Jesus is worthy . . . ? 00:00:00.90\00:00:15.43 ? oh yes, he's worthy. . . ? ? worthy of all... ? 00:00:15.43\00:00:17.93 (Music ) CB: Want to get into the Word, 00:00:17.93\00:00:23.60 now? You ready for the Word? 00:00:23.60\00:00:24.50 Let me hear you say Amen. 00:00:24.50\00:00:26.40 I say, you ready for the Word? 00:00:26.40\00:00:27.23 Let me hear you say hallelujah. 00:00:27.23\00:00:29.23 Praise be to God. 00:00:29.23\00:00:30.03 I'm Dr. Carlton Byrd and I want to welcome you to the Berean 00:00:30.03\00:00:32.26 Seventh Day Adventist Church, here in Atlanta, 00:00:32.26\00:00:34.40 Georgia, home of the Breath of Life 00:00:34.40\00:00:35.73 Television Ministries, and we're ready to get 00:00:35.73\00:00:37.60 into the Word today. 00:00:37.60\00:00:38.50 We're going to ask if everyone would now take their Bibles 00:00:38.50\00:00:42.33 and go with me to the Book of Matthew. 00:00:42.33\00:00:46.13 Matthew 1:18, the Gospel according to Matthew. 00:00:46.13\00:01:01.13 If you have it, let me hear you say Amen. 00:01:01.13\00:01:03.26 The Word of God says, "Now the birth of Jesus Christ 00:01:03.26\00:01:06.30 was on this wise. 00:01:06.30\00:01:07.83 When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph before they 00:01:07.83\00:01:10.40 came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 00:01:10.40\00:01:15.13 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man 00:01:15.13\00:01:16.93 and not willing to make her a public example, 00:01:16.93\00:01:22.03 was minded to put her away privily," or privately. 00:01:22.03\00:01:26.30 "But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of 00:01:26.30\00:01:28.80 the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou 00:01:28.80\00:01:32.26 son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for 00:01:32.26\00:01:41.63 that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 00:01:41.63\00:01:45.60 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his 00:01:45.60\00:01:49.06 name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 00:01:49.06\00:01:52.50 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was 00:01:52.50\00:01:55.96 spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a 00:01:55.96\00:02:00.56 virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, 00:02:00.56\00:02:02.20 and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being 00:02:02.20\00:02:04.96 interpreted is, God with us. 00:02:04.96\00:02:06.46 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the 00:02:06.46\00:02:10.63 Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew 00:02:10.63\00:02:12.56 her not"--and knew her not--"till she had brought 00:02:12.56\00:02:24.20 forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus. 00:02:24.20\00:02:29.90 Repeat after me, turn to your neighbor and say, neighbor, 00:02:29.90\00:02:32.00 are you ready for the journey? 00:02:32.00\00:02:36.36 Father God, right now bless us now. 00:02:36.36\00:02:38.76 We want to be ready for the journey, so Lord, we pray 00:02:38.76\00:02:41.43 that you would speak to us and through us this day. 00:02:41.43\00:02:44.40 God, we give you all the praise, 00:02:44.40\00:02:46.40 the honor and the glory. 00:02:46.40\00:02:47.00 Hide me behind Your cross. 00:02:47.00\00:02:48.10 Oh, Lord God, today I'm praying for a double portion 00:02:48.10\00:02:51.86 of Your Holy Ghost. 00:02:51.86\00:02:53.03 I'm praying that, Lord, You will zap us with Your Spirit. 00:02:53.03\00:02:59.10 Zap us with your spirit in this sanctuary, zap us with 00:02:59.10\00:03:01.90 Your Spirit over the airways. 00:03:01.90\00:03:03.00 God, may your anointing fall and make the difference today. 00:03:03.00\00:03:05.86 When the appeal is made, may individuals come running, 00:03:05.86\00:03:08.00 saying, what must I do to be saved? 00:03:08.00\00:03:09.86 Forgive me of my sins. 00:03:09.86\00:03:10.86 In the name of Jesus we pray, let everyone say Amen. 00:03:10.86\00:03:13.60 And Amen. 00:03:13.60\00:03:16.33 Are you ready for the journey? 00:03:16.33\00:03:20.90 Life is full of journeys: long journeys, short journeys, easy 00:03:20.90\00:03:26.86 journeys, tough journeys. 00:03:26.86\00:03:29.70 Life is full of journeys. 00:03:29.70\00:03:30.60 Talk about long journeys, what if everywhere you went 00:03:30.60\00:03:33.43 you had to walk? 00:03:33.43\00:03:34.83 No car, no airplane, no train, no bus, just your feet. 00:03:34.83\00:03:44.93 Can you imagine how much longer it would take you to get 00:03:44.93\00:03:48.60 to Macon if you had to walk? 00:03:48.60\00:03:52.26 Imagine, imagine how many stops you'd have to make 00:03:52.26\00:03:56.83 along the way. 00:03:56.83\00:03:58.53 It might be a trip you'd make only once in your lifetime. 00:03:58.53\00:04:02.03 Do I have a witness in this place? 00:04:02.03\00:04:03.96 What if you and your family got ready to go to Macon, 00:04:03.96\00:04:08.60 and you didn't walk, but you traveled by donkey. 00:04:08.60\00:04:12.66 Think about how long it would take you to get there on 00:04:12.66\00:04:15.60 a donkey. 00:04:15.60\00:04:16.66 I mean, my family and I, my wife, Danielle, and our 00:04:16.66\00:04:19.33 daughters, Kristen and Kali, we can get in a car 00:04:19.33\00:04:22.76 on a journey. 00:04:22.76\00:04:24.20 And after one hour, I can hear my daughters in the back, 00:04:24.20\00:04:28.60 Daddy are we there yet? 00:04:28.60\00:04:31.53 Five minutes later, Daddy, are we there yet? 00:04:31.53\00:04:34.50 And that's in a car, but what about on a donkey? 00:04:34.50\00:04:38.60 And don't mention all the luggage the poor donkey 00:04:38.60\00:04:42.30 would have to haul around. 00:04:42.30\00:04:44.80 When I think about that, and I think about the birth of Jesus 00:04:44.80\00:04:48.76 and the journey that Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus in the womb 00:04:48.76\00:04:53.26 had to take, I conclude that it's not just how far you have 00:04:53.26\00:04:58.46 to go in your destination, but it's also the circumstances 00:04:58.46\00:05:03.36 you have to travel with. 00:05:03.36\00:05:06.10 Sometimes you will think that you're very close to your 00:05:06.10\00:05:10.33 destination, closer than you would think, closer than you 00:05:10.33\00:05:15.60 imagined, closer than you would have believed possible, 00:05:15.60\00:05:20.46 and the enemy, though he can't change the distance of your 00:05:20.46\00:05:24.86 trip, he can change the circumstances of your trip. 00:05:24.86\00:05:30.20 But when you're close, I'm so happy to say today, the devil 00:05:30.20\00:05:33.46 can't stop you from being close. 00:05:33.46\00:05:35.86 The Holy Spirit will let you know when you are close. 00:05:35.86\00:05:40.00 The Holy Ghost will let you know that you are nearer to 00:05:40.00\00:05:43.00 your salvation than when you first believed. 00:05:43.00\00:05:45.53 You are closer now than you've ever been before in your life. 00:05:45.53\00:05:49.86 So don't give up, don't give in, don't give out, 00:05:49.86\00:05:54.73 just hang on in there, the blessing is close. 00:05:54.73\00:05:59.73 You're nearer to it, you're on the verge of it, you're 00:05:59.73\00:06:06.13 about to step into it. 00:06:06.13\00:06:07.80 It's not the distance because the enemy can't change the 00:06:07.80\00:06:10.33 distance. 00:06:10.33\00:06:11.40 The devil can move it back, but it does feel like the 00:06:11.40\00:06:14.46 devil moves back your destination sometimes. 00:06:14.46\00:06:17.30 It feels as though every time you're on the verge of finally 00:06:17.30\00:06:19.86 getting your head around the things you've been believing 00:06:19.86\00:06:23.33 in God for, believe in God for to do in your life, the devil 00:06:23.33\00:06:26.66 says, I'm moving it back. 00:06:26.66\00:06:28.73 But you know what? 00:06:28.73\00:06:30.26 The devil can't move it back. 00:06:30.26\00:06:32.90 But isn't it amazing how something that should have 00:06:32.90\00:06:37.96 happened quick in your life can take a long time. 00:06:37.96\00:06:39.73 Think about the children of Israel, think about 00:06:39.73\00:06:41.56 the children of Israel. 00:06:41.56\00:06:42.60 It wasn't really far to go from Egypt 00:06:42.60\00:06:45.40 to the Promised Land. 00:06:45.40\00:06:46.40 It was not a great distance; look it up. 00:06:46.40\00:06:48.23 It should have taken a few days for them to get there, 00:06:48.23\00:06:50.23 but the Bible teaches that it ended up 00:06:50.23\00:06:54.66 taking them forty years. 00:06:54.66\00:06:55.66 Now, it's not like the devil kept moving the Promised Land. 00:06:55.66\00:06:58.93 The Promised Land was situated in one place. 00:06:58.93\00:07:01.56 It was always where it was supposed to be. 00:07:01.56\00:07:03.70 The enemy cannot change the destination, but he will mess 00:07:03.70\00:07:06.53 with the circumstances. 00:07:06.53\00:07:09.86 Sometime the mode of transportation that you take 00:07:09.86\00:07:12.63 has a lot to do with how long it takes to get there. 00:07:12.63\00:07:15.76 The circumstances whereby we travel and what causes our 00:07:15.76\00:07:19.23 faith to be significant, it's not always the distance. 00:07:19.23\00:07:23.73 You're close to your blessings, but when you think 00:07:23.73\00:07:27.00 about the things that happened along the way, 00:07:27.00\00:07:31.43 I'm learning that it's not even about the destination. 00:07:31.43\00:07:34.76 The destination's not even important. 00:07:34.76\00:07:36.46 God has already set the end from the beginning. 00:07:36.46\00:07:40.63 God is already the first and the last, Alpha and Omega. 00:07:40.63\00:07:45.40 It's not about the destination. 00:07:45.40\00:07:48.36 The destination is set. 00:07:48.36\00:07:51.56 It's about the thing that happen along the way. 00:07:51.56\00:07:56.23 And sometimes today, I must admit as I'm getting older, 00:07:56.23\00:07:59.40 I'm frustrated because people look at where we are now 00:07:59.40\00:08:03.96 without any appreciation of where we came from. 00:08:03.96\00:08:08.96 Let me be clear to everybody today. 00:08:08.96\00:08:11.43 We didn't always have nice cars. 00:08:11.43\00:08:14.43 Somebody in this place used to walk. 00:08:14.43\00:08:16.80 Do I have a witness in this place? 00:08:16.80\00:08:18.50 Somebody used to ride the bus, somebody used 00:08:18.50\00:08:21.23 to take the train. 00:08:21.23\00:08:22.16 Somebody back in the day used to ride a donkey. 00:08:22.16\00:08:25.36 We haven't always had nice homes. 00:08:25.36\00:08:27.60 Somebody used to live in a shack. 00:08:27.60\00:08:29.70 Somebody used to live in a tent. 00:08:29.70\00:08:32.13 We didn't always have air-conditioning or heat. 00:08:32.13\00:08:34.63 Somebody remembers, you used to have 00:08:34.63\00:08:38.30 to wave a fan in church. 00:08:38.30\00:08:39.10 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 00:08:39.10\00:08:40.90 I've learned in life you better tell somebody, if you have 00:08:40.90\00:08:44.80 seen where I started, you maybe would 00:08:44.80\00:08:49.86 appreciate where I am. 00:08:49.86\00:08:50.93 I might not be as far as you would like for me to be, but 00:08:50.93\00:08:54.66 if you look at where I came from, you would know that it 00:08:54.66\00:08:58.70 was God who brought me through everything I went through to 00:08:58.70\00:09:02.23 get where I am today. 00:09:02.23\00:09:04.60 So I may not be all that I should be, but praise God, I'm 00:09:04.60\00:09:08.76 not where I used to be. 00:09:08.76\00:09:11.73 The problem with many of us, when we read the Bible, we're 00:09:11.73\00:09:16.30 reading from the other side of the story. 00:09:16.30\00:09:21.13 We read about the journey after the journey is over. 00:09:21.13\00:09:26.90 In our text today we read it, and we're reading about Jesus, 00:09:26.90\00:09:30.00 Mary and Joseph. 00:09:30.00\00:09:32.46 But you know what? 00:09:32.46\00:09:33.83 We're reading about it 2,000 years later. 00:09:33.83\00:09:37.03 We know how the story ends, we know the ultimate destination, 00:09:37.03\00:09:42.60 we know everything works out, because we're reading the 00:09:42.60\00:09:47.63 story after the fact. 00:09:47.63\00:09:49.40 We also know what Jesus is to us, but what happened 00:09:49.40\00:09:54.60 on the journey? 00:09:54.60\00:09:56.83 Today, what if you were Joseph? 00:09:56.83\00:09:59.36 What if along your journey you found a beautiful young lady, 00:09:59.36\00:10:05.06 that you have been seeing for some time, you have now 00:10:05.06\00:10:07.76 announced to all of your friends that she is going to 00:10:07.76\00:10:11.03 be your bride. 00:10:11.03\00:10:12.70 You have already begun to set things in place to marry her. 00:10:12.70\00:10:17.66 But before you could get to the wedding, your lady starts 00:10:17.66\00:10:23.03 picking up some weight. 00:10:23.03\00:10:27.30 A lot, a lot. 00:10:27.30\00:10:29.73 I mean, a lot of weight. 00:10:29.73\00:10:33.26 All in the middle, are you hearing what I'm saying? 00:10:33.26\00:10:36.90 And because you're a gentleman, you don't want to 00:10:36.90\00:10:40.50 say anything about it, because you notice things but you 00:10:40.50\00:10:44.86 don't say anything at first, but after a while it 00:10:44.86\00:10:50.93 forces a conversation. 00:10:50.93\00:10:55.10 Joseph is a little timid. Baby! 00:10:55.10\00:11:00.43 You've gotten a little thick. 00:11:00.43\00:11:04.33 I mean, really thick. 00:11:04.33\00:11:09.13 You can get thick after the wedding but not before 00:11:09.13\00:11:12.60 the wedding. 00:11:12.60\00:11:15.23 Well, Joseph, I've been meaning to tell you that I've 00:11:15.23\00:11:19.00 got these circumstances that have come up. 00:11:19.00\00:11:25.30 Circumstances? 00:11:25.30\00:11:27.70 What do you mean, circumstances? 00:11:27.70\00:11:29.23 Well, you're not going to believe this, I've been 00:11:29.23\00:11:34.66 waiting on the right time to tell you, because you're not 00:11:34.66\00:11:39.03 going to believe this, but I'm expecting. 00:11:39.03\00:11:45.66 Expecting? 00:11:45.66\00:11:48.20 Expecting what? 00:11:48.20\00:11:51.70 A present? 00:11:51.70\00:11:53.70 A gift? 00:11:53.70\00:11:55.10 No, I'm expecting. 00:11:55.10\00:12:02.10 A baby? 00:12:02.10\00:12:04.23 Yeah, but Joseph, don't get this wrong. 00:12:04.23\00:12:07.66 This is unusual. 00:12:07.66\00:12:08.86 We've never seen anything like this before. 00:12:08.86\00:12:14.60 But this is the Lord's doing. 00:12:14.60\00:12:18.86 Yeah, right. 00:12:18.86\00:12:21.86 Now, remember, Joseph doesn't know the end of the story. 00:12:21.86\00:12:25.53 Joseph doesn't know the end of the journey. 00:12:25.53\00:12:27.26 Imagine what's going on in Joseph's mind. 00:12:27.26\00:12:30.73 Remember, the Bible says Mary's a virgin. 00:12:30.73\00:12:34.53 Which means, if you don't know what a virgin is, she's never 00:12:34.53\00:12:37.23 been with anybody before. 00:12:37.23\00:12:41.03 They aren't married. 00:12:41.03\00:12:43.10 Joseph's trying to do things God's way. 00:12:43.10\00:12:46.90 Joseph's never been with her. 00:12:46.90\00:12:49.40 But then she tells Joseph she's pregnant. 00:12:49.40\00:12:54.53 He's thinking somebody's been there before he has. 00:12:54.53\00:12:59.53 Joseph walked away from her, Joseph says, Hmm, hmm, hmm. 00:12:59.53\00:13:03.76 Now I have to live with this. 00:13:03.76\00:13:05.10 And not only do I have to live with this, everybody knows 00:13:05.10\00:13:07.63 about it. 00:13:07.63\00:13:08.93 Let me ask you a question. 00:13:08.93\00:13:11.10 Have you ever loved and been angry at somebody at the same 00:13:11.10\00:13:14.20 time? 00:13:14.20\00:13:17.80 Isn't that a feeling? 00:13:17.80\00:13:19.03 I mean it's a feeling where you want to slap somebody down 00:13:19.03\00:13:21.43 the stairs. 00:13:21.43\00:13:22.70 But then you love them so much that you have to run down 00:13:22.70\00:13:26.50 there and catch them and say, "Did you hurt yourself?" 00:13:26.50\00:13:34.06 [laughter] Children will do that to you. 00:13:34.06\00:13:37.63 Do I have a witness in this place? 00:13:37.63\00:13:39.86 But Joseph was not the kind of man to make snap judgments or 00:13:39.86\00:13:42.03 hasty decisions. 00:13:42.03\00:13:43.10 He considered his options, but he did not act on his initial 00:13:43.10\00:13:46.20 impulse to divorce Mary. 00:13:46.20\00:13:47.83 To have done so would have been to go against the grain 00:13:47.83\00:13:50.66 of holy destiny. 00:13:50.66\00:13:52.86 He thought before he spoke or acted. 00:13:52.86\00:13:57.20 Lesson for us today. 00:13:57.20\00:13:58.70 Not thinking before acting can be dangerous. 00:13:58.70\00:14:04.33 Have you ever acted before you thought? 00:14:04.33\00:14:07.43 Have you ever said or done anything in hate, causing 00:14:07.43\00:14:09.76 irreparable damage? 00:14:09.76\00:14:11.13 Do you wish you could go back and take back a word or deed, 00:14:11.13\00:14:13.86 knowing that if you did so, your life would be different 00:14:13.86\00:14:16.86 today? 00:14:16.86\00:14:19.20 Let me give you some advice. 00:14:19.20\00:14:20.93 Don't put your mouth in motion before putting your 00:14:20.93\00:14:23.06 mind in gear. 00:14:23.06\00:14:25.86 Joseph says, all right, Mary, I'm going to put 00:14:25.86\00:14:29.60 you away privately. 00:14:29.60\00:14:31.56 In the Bible, now, you need to understand. 00:14:31.56\00:14:34.03 Back in the day, an engagement was like a marriage. 00:14:34.03\00:14:37.06 It required a bill of divorcement to get out of it. 00:14:37.06\00:14:39.23 So Joseph says, we're going to secretly and discretely go 00:14:39.23\00:14:43.00 down to the lawyer, sign the papers, and we're going 00:14:43.00\00:14:47.20 to get out of this. 00:14:47.20\00:14:47.83 Then when he gets ready to sign the papers to put her 00:14:47.83\00:14:49.90 away, she's distraught because she's told him the truth and 00:14:49.90\00:14:52.83 he doesn't believe her. 00:14:52.83\00:14:55.10 And you know how it is, brothers, when a woman tells 00:14:55.10\00:14:57.73 you the truth, and you don't believe her. 00:14:57.73\00:15:03.33 I told you the truth and you don't believe me. 00:15:03.33\00:15:07.96 And so the angel of the Lord comes to Joseph and 00:15:07.96\00:15:10.36 says to him, fear not. 00:15:10.36\00:15:14.86 That that's inside of Mary is conceived by the Holy Ghost. 00:15:14.86\00:15:21.70 All right, the angel comes to him, and he says this to him. 00:15:21.70\00:15:25.43 Now, Joseph's really confused. 00:15:25.43\00:15:27.13 He's trying to believe something that common sense 00:15:27.13\00:15:30.10 says couldn't be possible. 00:15:30.10\00:15:31.73 His faith and his reasoning are now in conflict. 00:15:31.73\00:15:35.36 He has told Mary that he's going to give her a divorce. 00:15:35.36\00:15:37.50 Now God has said she's telling the truth. 00:15:37.50\00:15:43.10 Joseph gets it now. 00:15:43.10\00:15:45.43 In order to save the world, on his journey he has to raise 00:15:45.43\00:15:52.83 another man's baby. 00:15:52.83\00:15:55.43 Now, you've got to go back and tell somebody that you told 00:15:55.43\00:16:03.23 off, somebody that you told, I didn't believe you, 00:16:03.23\00:16:11.13 that they were right. 00:16:11.13\00:16:13.06 Your friends are saying, man, your girlfriend, I just don't 00:16:13.06\00:16:16.70 know about her. 00:16:16.70\00:16:18.43 You know how we can do. 00:16:18.43\00:16:20.60 Man, if I were you, I would just get out of it. 00:16:20.60\00:16:22.46 Be careful who your counselors are, because some of them, by 00:16:22.46\00:16:26.50 their own example, can't counsel you on anything. 00:16:26.50\00:16:30.66 Do I have a witness in this place? 00:16:30.66\00:16:32.80 Man, get out of it, man, you don't have to do it. 00:16:32.80\00:16:34.56 Can you imagine what Joseph's friends must have 00:16:34.56\00:16:36.36 been telling him? 00:16:36.36\00:16:37.76 I mean, I would have told my friend, if I were a best man 00:16:37.76\00:16:41.36 at somebody's wedding and she had gotten pregnant from 00:16:41.36\00:16:43.30 somebody else, I would tell him, man, you 00:16:43.30\00:16:44.53 don't have to do this. 00:16:44.53\00:16:45.16 It may look bad now, you may be embarrassed for a while 00:16:45.16\00:16:46.93 now, but you don't have to do this. 00:16:46.93\00:16:50.93 And then can you imagine being Mary, trying to tell somebody 00:16:50.93\00:16:53.16 the truth, and they're not believing you. 00:16:53.16\00:16:55.63 And now they're trying to go along with it, but they've 00:16:55.63\00:16:57.86 already told everybody that they were going 00:16:57.86\00:16:59.93 to get rid of you. 00:16:59.93\00:17:01.23 How comfortable is your marriage? 00:17:01.23\00:17:03.50 Are you with a guy who's told you he's going 00:17:03.50\00:17:06.00 to get rid of you? 00:17:06.00\00:17:07.50 And here they are, going down the road, going on a journey, 00:17:07.50\00:17:13.16 trying to deal with this issue, and then on top of 00:17:13.16\00:17:17.70 that, a new tax comes out. 00:17:17.70\00:17:21.73 And in order to deal with the taxation, you have to go back 00:17:21.73\00:17:24.93 to the city where the groom is from to pay the tax. 00:17:24.93\00:17:30.36 So you've got to ride together. 00:17:30.36\00:17:33.10 You're on a journey, and now you have a debt 00:17:33.10\00:17:36.50 you weren't expecting. 00:17:36.50\00:17:37.76 You've got a baby you weren't looking for, you've got a 00:17:37.76\00:17:40.66 crisis that makes you look like a fool, and you've 00:17:40.66\00:17:44.36 got to walk to Bethlehem. 00:17:44.36\00:17:48.90 Brothers, I bet that was a long walk. 00:17:48.90\00:17:56.06 Where are all the married men in the house? 00:17:56.06\00:17:58.03 Don't be scared, come on, where are all the married men 00:17:58.03\00:18:00.30 in the house? 00:18:00.30\00:18:01.06 Brothers, there's no time like the time you spend with a 00:18:01.06\00:18:06.30 woman whose feelings are hurt about something you've said. 00:18:06.30\00:18:14.23 That makes for a long night. 00:18:14.23\00:18:15.30 Do I have a witness in this place? 00:18:15.30\00:18:18.73 Oh, I'm the only one. 00:18:18.73\00:18:20.03 [laughter] Too many of y'all have been in my office, I know 00:18:20.03\00:18:28.33 I ain't the only one. 00:18:28.33\00:18:29.56 Come on, say Amen. 00:18:29.56\00:18:32.13 [applause] She says, I just can't get over it, 00:18:32.13\00:18:45.33 I can't get over it. 00:18:45.33\00:18:46.30 Put the canteen on the back of a donkey, let's go, 00:18:46.30\00:18:48.66 but I can't get over it. 00:18:48.66\00:18:49.80 They're walking down there by foot with a pregnant woman in 00:18:49.80\00:18:58.26 the heat in the Middle East. 00:18:58.26\00:19:03.43 No air-conditioner, no fan, no music, no padded seats. 00:19:03.43\00:19:11.26 She's pregnant on a donkey in the heat, traveling on hot 00:19:11.26\00:19:15.86 sand, inconvenienced, with somebody you're mad with. 00:19:15.86\00:19:21.56 And in the back of her mind she just keeps hearing God 00:19:21.56\00:19:25.06 say, Mary, you've been favored among all women. 00:19:25.06\00:19:31.50 Hold up, God, I've got a man who doesn't believe me. 00:19:31.50\00:19:34.46 I've got a donkey who's knocking me 00:19:34.46\00:19:36.80 all over the place. 00:19:36.80\00:19:38.13 My feet are swollen, I've got a mask over my face, I've got 00:19:38.13\00:19:43.70 to stop and throw up after so many miles, I'm still miles 00:19:43.70\00:19:47.20 away from getting to the destination, my back hurts, 00:19:47.20\00:19:50.30 my feet hurt, I feel like I'm about to go in labor, I feel 00:19:50.30\00:19:53.56 like I don't have any confidence in this guy, 00:19:53.56\00:19:56.66 because he was getting ready to get rid of me. 00:19:56.66\00:19:58.70 And God, you're telling me I'm highly favored? 00:19:58.70\00:20:00.96 Have you ever come to church, and the preacher, Pastor Byrd, 00:20:00.96\00:20:07.33 preaches something that was totally contradictory to your 00:20:07.33\00:20:10.06 circumstance? 00:20:10.06\00:20:13.46 Here you are, we sing give glory to God. 00:20:13.46\00:20:17.50 Give glory to God, and you're about to get happy. 00:20:17.50\00:20:20.23 You're about to shout, you're about to say Amen, you're 00:20:20.23\00:20:23.06 about to wave your hand because they're talking about 00:20:23.06\00:20:25.56 walking in divine favor. 00:20:25.56\00:20:26.73 You're saying, yes, Lord. 00:20:26.73\00:20:28.63 And then you say, but wait a minute, unh-unh. 00:20:28.63\00:20:31.93 I forgot about that eviction notice. 00:20:31.93\00:20:36.03 I forgot about my wayward child. 00:20:36.03\00:20:39.03 I forgot that my marriage is on the rocks. 00:20:39.03\00:20:42.43 I forgot about that sickness in my body. 00:20:42.43\00:20:45.63 Sometimes the circumstances totally contradict the words 00:20:45.63\00:20:49.93 you're being taught. 00:20:49.93\00:20:52.36 It's a long night when you're taught one thing on Sabbath 00:20:52.36\00:20:56.06 morning and then you're going through it as soon as 00:20:56.06\00:20:58.83 the sun sets. 00:20:58.83\00:21:01.96 So because of the argument that Joseph and Mary had, 00:21:01.96\00:21:05.56 the house is now tight. 00:21:05.56\00:21:09.10 What do I mean? 00:21:09.10\00:21:10.93 You know how even after the argument stops, the 00:21:10.93\00:21:13.23 disagreement stops between a husband and wife, but 00:21:13.23\00:21:15.40 the tightness continues? 00:21:15.40\00:21:17.16 Oh, I'm the only one. 00:21:17.16\00:21:24.63 It's not that anybody is saying anything. 00:21:24.63\00:21:28.06 It's just tight. 00:21:28.06\00:21:30.83 The whole house is tight. 00:21:30.83\00:21:35.03 The TV is scared to talk. 00:21:35.03\00:21:39.70 [laughter] The house is tight. 00:21:39.70\00:21:42.63 The dog leaves out of the house. 00:21:42.63\00:21:47.10 The goldfish goes down the drain. 00:21:47.10\00:21:49.26 The house is tight. 00:21:49.26\00:21:51.93 The kids know when to go in their rooms. 00:21:51.93\00:21:56.66 The house is tight. 00:21:56.66\00:22:01.50 Good morning. 00:22:01.50\00:22:05.03 Good morning. 00:22:05.03\00:22:08.30 How'd you sleep? 00:22:08.30\00:22:09.03 Fine! 00:22:09.03\00:22:11.43 Have a good day. 00:22:11.43\00:22:12.20 You too! 00:22:12.20\00:22:12.90 Is there anybody who's ever been in a tight situation? 00:22:12.90\00:22:16.43 Don't raise your hand, come on, say Amen. 00:22:16.43\00:22:27.63 Here you are, going down the road on a donkey with a 00:22:27.63\00:22:32.50 pregnant woman. 00:22:32.50\00:22:35.96 And one of the worst things you can do in life, I've 00:22:35.96\00:22:38.10 learned it several times over, is make a pregnant woman mad. 00:22:38.10\00:22:43.53 Do I have a witness in this place? 00:22:43.53\00:22:44.86 You can say Amen on that. 00:22:44.86\00:22:48.80 Mary's already pregnant. 00:22:48.80\00:22:51.56 She's already hot. 00:22:51.56\00:22:54.13 She's about to go into labor. 00:22:54.13\00:22:56.56 The relationship is not going well. 00:22:56.56\00:22:58.73 She's pregnant by the Lord, and you're trying to deal with 00:22:58.73\00:23:02.46 this, Joseph is, and to be respectable at the same time. 00:23:02.46\00:23:05.93 You're trying to believe that God is somehow in the midst of 00:23:05.93\00:23:09.13 this situation. 00:23:09.13\00:23:12.60 Have you ever been in a situation that you were trying 00:23:12.60\00:23:14.56 to believe that God was somehow in it? 00:23:14.56\00:23:18.96 God must be in this somewhere. 00:23:18.96\00:23:21.93 I don't know where, I don't know how, but God's got 00:23:21.93\00:23:25.43 to be in here. 00:23:25.43\00:23:26.90 God, where are you? 00:23:26.90\00:23:28.90 Job said in the Word of God, I looked for him on the right 00:23:28.90\00:23:32.73 hand and he's not there. 00:23:32.73\00:23:35.13 I looked for him on the left, and he was not there. 00:23:35.13\00:23:38.00 Have you ever looked for your God in your situation and you 00:23:38.00\00:23:40.73 said, God, where are you? 00:23:40.73\00:23:44.93 This is the worst time in the world for me to be dealing 00:23:44.93\00:23:48.03 with some mess. 00:23:48.03\00:23:49.53 God, where are the promises? 00:23:49.53\00:23:51.10 God, where are you? 00:23:51.10\00:23:52.53 God, I need you right now. 00:23:52.53\00:23:56.43 But David warned us about this. 00:23:56.43\00:23:59.76 David told us specifically that weeping may endure 00:23:59.76\00:24:07.43 for a night, but joy comes in the morning time. 00:24:07.43\00:24:15.10 But I must confess, I wish that David had told me how 00:24:15.10\00:24:19.53 long the night would be. 00:24:19.53\00:24:23.60 I thought he was talking about six or seven hours or 00:24:23.60\00:24:25.30 something like that. 00:24:25.30\00:24:26.53 But that's not the night he's talking about. 00:24:26.53\00:24:28.66 This is a long night. 00:24:28.66\00:24:31.50 This could be months and months and months of night. 00:24:31.50\00:24:36.00 This could be years of nights. 00:24:36.00\00:24:38.43 You could be in the hospital for months and months 00:24:38.43\00:24:42.26 and months. 00:24:42.26\00:24:42.90 Night. 00:24:42.90\00:24:43.60 The night could be so long that you lose your car, you 00:24:43.60\00:24:45.40 lose your house, you lose your credit rating. 00:24:45.40\00:24:47.03 It can be a long night. 00:24:47.03\00:24:48.40 I can picture Joseph and Mary, a couple of goats and donkeys 00:24:48.40\00:24:52.83 traveling down the road on this journey with him, and 00:24:52.83\00:24:55.00 she's half talking, he's half talking. 00:24:55.00\00:24:56.90 And they finally got to a place and the innkeeper comes 00:24:56.90\00:24:59.16 out and says, hello, I would really like to help you, 00:24:59.16\00:25:02.30 but there's no room. 00:25:02.30\00:25:05.50 Just go down, maybe a mile or two down the road. 00:25:05.50\00:25:08.26 That means walk further. 00:25:08.26\00:25:10.10 And there's an inn now there, and I know the manager, 00:25:10.10\00:25:12.60 and he'll be happy to take care of you. 00:25:12.60\00:25:14.70 Joseph walks down there, and they tell Joseph after he gets 00:25:14.70\00:25:17.86 there, well, if you had just gotten here sooner. 00:25:17.86\00:25:22.76 PB: Thank you very much for tuning in and watching 00:25:22.76\00:25:24.90 Breath of Life today. 00:25:24.90\00:25:25.96 We do hope that you were blessed by our ministry and 00:25:25.96\00:25:29.13 that we gave a healing word in a hurting world. 00:25:29.13\00:25:33.46 In order for Breath of Life to continue ministering, 00:25:33.46\00:25:36.20 we need you. 00:25:36.20\00:25:37.26 We need your prayers, we need your support. 00:25:37.26\00:25:40.73 We want you to know that any and all donations, small or 00:25:40.73\00:25:42.76 great, they are sincerely welcomed and appreciated. 00:25:42.76\00:25:47.20 To contact us, or to make your donation, please feel free to 00:25:47.20\00:25:50.33 give us a call at 877-BOL-OFFER. 00:25:50.33\00:25:55.33 Or you may write to us at Breath of Life, P O Box 340, 00:25:55.33\00:25:58.96 Newbury Park, CA 91319. 00:25:58.96\00:26:13.00 Feel free to log onto our website at 00:26:13.00\00:26:15.90 www.breathoflife.tv. 00:26:15.90\00:26:22.36 >: The Bible, it's the most powerful book on the planet. 00:26:22.36\00:26:26.40 It's also the one book many people find the hardest 00:26:26.40\00:26:30.16 to understand. 00:26:30.16\00:26:31.30 If you've ever struggled with the meaning of the Bible then 00:26:31.30\00:26:33.60 our offer this week is just for you. 00:26:33.60\00:26:35.70 "How Can I Understand the Bible" by John Drain unlocks 00:26:35.70\00:26:38.23 the doors to the meanings behind the messages found 00:26:38.23\00:26:41.23 in God's word. 00:26:41.23\00:26:42.80 Learn about the law, the prophets and the gospel. 00:26:42.80\00:26:45.70 Discover the single message that runs throughout the Bible 00:26:45.70\00:26:47.90 and then rejoice when you understand that Jesus Christ 00:26:47.90\00:26:50.96 is at the center of it all. 00:26:50.96\00:26:52.33 Just call our toll free number and request "How Can I 00:26:52.33\00:26:55.73 Understand the Bible." The number is 877-BOL-OFFER. 00:26:55.73\00:26:59.73 That's 877-265-6333. 00:26:59.73\00:27:03.13 The book is yours for a gift of just $5 or more. 00:27:03.13\00:27:06.23 You may also write to us at Breath of Life, Box 340, 00:27:06.23\00:27:09.70 Newbury Park, California 91319. 00:27:09.70\00:27:13.00 Remember to include your gift of $5 or more. 00:27:13.00\00:27:15.73 Get to the heart of what the Bible means. 00:27:15.73\00:27:17.73 Get your copy of "How Can I Understand the Bible" today. 00:27:17.73\00:27:22.80 PB: Hello, I'm Dr. Carlton Byrd, speaker-director for 00:27:22.80\00:27:25.86 Breath of Life Television Ministries. 00:27:25.86\00:27:27.86 For the past year, it has been my joy to preach the gospel of 00:27:27.86\00:27:32.66 Jesus Christ across the globe, but principally from the 00:27:32.66\00:27:36.23 sanctuary of the Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:27:36.23\00:27:39.26 in Atlanta, Georgia. 00:27:39.26\00:27:41.10 Beginning in January 2012, I will continue to preach 00:27:41.10\00:27:45.13 the gospel of Jesus Christ, and Breath of Life 00:27:45.13\00:27:47.86 will still be here. 00:27:47.86\00:27:48.80 But it will come from the sanctuary of the Oakwood 00:27:48.80\00:27:51.26 University Church, in Huntsville, Alabama, 00:27:51.26\00:27:53.33 on the campus of Oakwood University. 00:27:53.33\00:27:56.23 It will be the same Breath of Life, 00:27:56.23\00:27:58.20 the same preacher, the same gospel 00:27:58.20\00:28:00.30 of Jesus Christ, the same channel, 00:28:00.30\00:28:03.26 the same station, at the same time. 00:28:03.26\00:28:05.16 Just a different location. 00:28:05.16\00:28:07.00 We solicit your continued prayers and support as we take 00:28:07.00\00:28:11.80 this wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ to a dying world. 00:28:11.80\00:28:17.20 May God bless you. 00:28:17.20\00:28:23.46 PB: Have you ever been in a situation that you were trying 00:28:23.46\00:28:25.90 to believe that God was 00:28:25.90\00:28:26.90