Participants: Carlton P. Byrd
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000140
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00:01 (Theme Song) Jesus is worthy
00:11 oh yes, he's worthy worthy of all... 00:18 all the praise.. 00:20 (Music) Pastor Byrd: If you will 00:24 take your Bibles and turn to Joshua, chapter 1. 00:26 Got to move expeditiously. 00:28 Joshua , chapter 1, verse 1. 00:34 Joshua, chapter 1, verse 1. 00:40 The Word of God says in Joshua 1:1, 00:42 "Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord 00:47 it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son 00:51 of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; 00:59 now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, 01:01 thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give 01:05 to them, even to the children of Israel. 01:07 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, 01:12 that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. 01:15 From the wilderness and this Lebanon 01:17 even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, 01:20 all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward 01:23 the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. 01:27 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all 01:32 the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, 01:34 so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, 01:36 nor forsake thee. 01:37 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people 01:42 shalt thou divide for an inheritance 01:44 the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give 01:50 them." In harmony with our theme, we preach Descendants 01:56 of the Movement. 01:58 God bless us now for the next couple of moments. 02:01 May the Holy Ghost tabernacle in this place. 02:03 We give ye the praise, the honor, the glory. 02:05 God, we've celebrated what individuals, Lord, you have 02:08 blessed them to bless us to do, but, God, right now 02:11 we celebrate you. 02:13 We celebrate your Word. 02:14 Now, disappoint us not. 02:16 Forgive me of my sins. 02:17 And when the appeal is made, may individuals come running 02:19 saying, what must I do to be saved in Jesus name, Amen. 02:27 The children of Israel have a leader by the name of Moses. 02:32 You remember Moses, son of Jocabade. 02:37 Brother of Aaron and Miriam. 02:40 Found in the Nile River. 02:43 Grandson of Pharaoh and he has a speech impediment. 02:48 He's a murderer. 02:50 But the Bible says that God calls his on the back side 02:53 of the desert. 02:55 Tells him to take his shoes off, because he's standing 02:57 on holy ground. 02:59 God tells him that, I am that I am is with you. 03:05 Go tell mean old Pharaoh to let my people go. 03:12 Moses in the Hebrew means to draw out, to bring out. 03:16 So by the very nature of his name, Moses brings the children 03:20 of Israel out of Egypt by the hand of the Lord. 03:24 Moses guides them through the wilderness, manna falls 03:29 from heaven, water comes out of a rock. 03:34 But God tells Moses, you'll bring them out of Egypt, 03:37 but you won't go in the promised land with them. 03:41 Moses has an understudy by the name of Joshua. 03:46 Joshua was mentored by Moses and one of the greatest 03:52 decisions that any of us can ever make in our lives is who 03:56 we allow to mentor us. 03:59 Because whatever you stand under is ultimately what you 04:03 understand. 04:05 Whatever you're exposed to is what you'll seek 04:09 to experiment with. 04:11 If you allow nothing to mentor you, then you will chase 04:15 nothing. 04:16 If you allow ignorance to mentor you, then you will chase 04:19 ignorance. 04:20 If you allow foolishness to mentor you, 04:22 you will chase foolishness. 04:24 But if you allow spiritual focus to mentor you, then you 04:28 will chase spiritual focus. 04:31 Joshua was privileged to work alongside Moses. 04:35 He had seen the hand of God on Moses' life. 04:37 He had seen God use Moses to speak to the people of God. 04:41 He had seen God work through Moses his miracles by Moses' 04:45 hand, but as life would go, Moses dies. 04:52 What's now going to happen to Israel? 04:56 Who's going to lead God's people? 04:59 Who will hear from God and deliver God's message 05:02 to God's people? 05:03 The Bible says that the people mourned Moses' death 05:05 for 30 days. 05:08 But never fear. 05:10 My God always has a plan. 05:15 God always has a ram in the thickets. 05:20 There are some of you right now who are mourning 05:22 and crying over some things in your life that are gone. 05:25 But let me tell you something. 05:27 There comes a time in your life where you have to go on 05:30 and have your own funeral over that thing and move on. 05:33 Some of you have to look at some past relationships 05:37 and say, you know what? 05:38 It's over. 05:39 Some old habits. 05:40 It's over. 05:41 Some old drama. 05:42 It's over. 05:43 You have to say, for as much as God in his infinite love 05:49 has allowed that thing to go to sleep, earth to earth, 05:54 ashes to ashes, dust to dust, have the funeral, go home, eat 06:00 dinner, and move on. 06:02 You see, I've learned in life, you've got to have some 06:04 perspective on seasons. 06:06 People come into your life for a reason season 06:08 and some for a lifetime. 06:09 You've got to know that everybody that comes 06:11 in your life, it has nothing to do with them, but everything 06:14 to do with what God is about to do in your life. 06:17 You see, friends of mine, I've learned in life, 06:19 there are some people that I was a student of, 06:21 there are some people that I pastor, there are some 06:23 people that I was classmates of, but I've learned that life 06:26 is like a space shuttle. 06:28 The laws of gravity say that what goes up must come 06:32 down. So, based on the laws of gravity, space shuttles 06:36 shouldn't be able to go up into orbit. 06:39 Gravity is a force that pulls you down. 06:43 And in order for a rocket to escape the pull of gravity, 06:45 it has to attain an escape speed of 6.96 miles per second. 06:51 The space shuttle takes off. 06:53 It has two rocket boosters on the side of it. 06:57 These rocket boosters, my friends, are designed to help 07:01 that space shuttle get to a certain altitude and achieve 07:05 that escape speed. 07:07 It's a sight to see when that space shuttle 07:11 is launching up into orbit and there in Florida 07:15 at Cape Canaveral it's on its way over the Atlantic 07:19 ocean and then when it reaches a certain altitude the rocket 07:24 boosters fall off. 07:26 Now, when the rocket boosters fall off, the reason why they 07:29 fall off is because the engineers, they determine 07:32 that the rocket boosters are designed to get the shuttle 07:35 to a certain altitude, but they're not built to fly 07:38 in the shuttle's orbit. 07:41 There are some folk in your life. 07:48 Thank God for the season that they came in your life, 07:54 that they're able to help you get to a certain level, but what 07:59 God is about to do in your life, there are some folk that are 08:05 just going to fall off because they weren't designed 08:09 to fly in your orbit. 08:12 And some folk won't even fly in your orbit, they won't even 08:16 make it off the earth, because they represent the gravity 08:20 that's trying to hold you down. 08:22 I wish I had a witness in this place. 08:24 Look at what God says in verse 2. 08:28 "Moses my servant is dead." 08:32 Now, everybody say now. 08:35 Aud: Now. 08:37 We've got to learn to live in the present and get ready 08:41 for the future. 08:42 Now, we have to be a people in the now. 08:49 We have to be a church in the now. 08:52 We can talk about how great things were in the past 08:55 and thank God for it, but today the question is, what are you 09:00 going to do now? 09:01 God is looking for some people now who can say I recognize 09:04 that I have an assignment now. 09:05 And to us, the descendants of the movement, to us, 09:07 this Joshua generation, we've got to do it now. 09:13 Take these people over the Jordan now. 09:17 Take these people to the land that I promised their 09:20 forefathers now. 09:22 Not next week, not next month, not next year, but do it now. 09:28 Everybody say now. 09:29 Aud: Now. 09:30 So, God had been preparing Joshua. 09:33 God had given Joshua an appointment. 09:36 And let me tell you this. 09:37 When God gives you an appointment, God also gives 09:40 you an anointment. 09:42 Moses was anointed. 09:43 Listen to me good. 09:44 To get the children of Israel out of Egypt, but Joshua 09:48 is anointed to take them in the promised land. 09:51 When God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, God 09:56 brought them out to take them in. 09:58 God never brings you out of a bad place unless he's about 10:02 to take you to a better place. 10:04 Do I have a witness in this place? 10:07 God didn't allow Joshua to glean from Moses to be 10:10 that close to good leadership and not learn from it, because 10:13 every good leader is somebody who was first a great follower. 10:16 You see, young people, when I was a student here, 10:19 yeah, I was USM president, vice-president, all doing that. 10:22 But I used to vacuum these floors. 10:27 Papa E.C. 10:28 would come and say, Brother Buddy, the lines 10:31 are not straight in the floors. 10:35 Before you can be a great leader, you've got to be 10:40 a great follower. 10:43 Moses' life was significant in the life of Israel. 10:45 Moses made a great contribution. 10:47 But you must understand, that what God was doing 10:49 in the life of his people was bigger than one man. 10:52 Listen to me good. 10:54 Whenever God gives you a vision, you hear me say it 10:58 all the time, that vision must outlive you. 11:02 If the vision that God gives you dies with you, 11:06 then it wasn't of God in the first place. 11:10 Vision must go beyond you. 11:13 Vision must go to the next generation. 11:16 For those of you who think that the world can't make 11:19 it without you, I guarantee you that if you die today 11:25 something or somebody will replace you and move on. 11:31 I'm not a fool. 11:32 If I die today you all will say, he was a good man. 11:40 You better say it. 11:43 Come on, say Amen. 11:44 He worked hard. 11:45 He loved the Lord. 11:47 And you all better cry at my funeral. 11:53 Come on, say Amen. 11:57 I want you all stretched out in here. 12:04 (laughter and applause) But you'll have my funeral, 12:09 the Aolians will sing, we got to have a little gospel, 12:13 so DP and BLT will sing, too. 12:19 GAAA will sing. 12:20 TA will sing. 12:21 Come on, say Amen. 12:22 My wife and my children will cry. 12:24 But the next week you'll have another pastor in this church. 12:29 I will not be a legend in my own mind. 12:33 The world is full of graveyards of people who 12:36 thought the world couldn't go on without them. 12:39 That's why if a vision is of God, it will outlive you. 12:43 Without vision, the Bible says, people what? 12:46 Perish. 12:47 Seeing implies vision and the reason why some folks 12:51 don't do anything is because they've never seen anything. 12:55 Vision, first of all, is hindsight. 12:57 Everybody say hindsight. 12:58 Vision has to know where you've come from. 13:00 You see, some folk, you've forgotten where you come from. 13:03 Oh, let me say it again. 13:05 You forgot--I may preach a little while right now-- 13:07 you've forgotten where you're come from. 13:10 Now, because you've got a nice little car, a nice house, 13:14 got a little money, you've forgotten where the Lord 13:16 has brought you from. 13:18 But vision has to remember how far the Lord brought you, 13:21 through many dangers, toils, and snares. 13:26 Vision has to remember where God has brought us 13:29 as a people. 13:30 You haven't always been able to shop with everybody. 13:35 You haven't always been able to live in any neighborhood. 13:38 You haven't always been able to own property. 13:41 And then, when you were able to own land, all you had 13:44 was forty acres and a mule. 13:48 You haven't always been able to apply for any job you 13:50 wanted, go to any school. 13:52 You haven't always been able to vote, haven't always been 13:55 able to own a nice car. 13:56 You haven't always had the clothes that you 13:58 could pick up and pick out and be able to say, 14:01 I'm wearing blue today and black tomorrow. 14:03 Somebody remembers the day when you knew what you were 14:05 going to wear, black today, black tomorrow, black the next 14:10 day, and black on Sabbath. 14:12 Do I have a witness in this place? 14:14 You knew what you were going to eat, rice and peas today, 14:19 peas and rice tomorrow. 14:20 Ackee & salt fish the next day and then you can going 14:24 in a cycle. 14:25 But vision says, I know from whence I've come. 14:29 God's been good to somebody. 14:32 Has God been good to somebody up in here? 14:35 (applause) But not only is vision hindsight, but vision 14:40 is also insight. 14:41 Everybody say insight. 14:43 Aud: Amen. 14:44 Because has to know what God is doing right now. 14:47 There are some folk just sitting in this place right 14:50 now, some of you watching the television right now, 14:52 and you don't realize what God is doing 14:54 in our midst right now. 14:55 Prophecy is coming to pass. 14:56 In these last days. 14:58 The Bible says that God's going to pour out his spirits 15:02 upon all flesh. 15:03 There's a mighty move of God taking place. 15:06 There's a mighty move of God taking place 15:09 in the Oakwood Church. 15:11 So you have hindsight, you have insight, but then, number 15:13 three, you've got to have foresight, because you've got 15:16 to know where God is getting ready to take you. 15:18 Hallelujah, somebody. 15:19 Is there anybody in this place that knows that God is about 15:22 to take them somewhere? 15:23 But I don't know about you. 15:25 You can sit there like a lump on a log all you want, but God 15:27 is about to do something for me. 15:29 I'm believing God to do something in my life. 15:31 I'm believing God to do something in my family's life. 15:35 I'm believing God to do something in this church's 15:37 life. 15:38 Something in the life of Breath of Life. 15:40 I'm not worried about my naysayers. 15:43 Oh, you don't like that. 15:45 Let me give you your vernacular. 15:47 I'm not worried by my haters in my life, because my Bible 15:51 says that God will make my enemies my footstool. 15:55 So, my haters are just pouring the concrete that I'm going 15:59 to walk on, because my haters are my 16:01 elevators, and God is about to do something in my life. 16:08 (applause) I've learned dogs never bark at parked cars. 16:21 Dogs bark at moving vehicles. 16:26 God shows Joshua and he's showing us 16:29 in verses 2 through 6, vision. 16:31 He says in verse 3 that whatever the sole of your feet touch, 16:37 I'm a give it to you. 16:38 And that's not a prosperity gospel either. 16:40 That's just when I walk in the will of God, 16:43 when I put my will in harmony with God's will, 16:46 when I put my weight in harmony with God's weight, God has never 16:50 failed me yet. 16:51 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. 16:54 Just like I was with Moses, so shall I be with you. 16:59 You're, Carlton Byrd, you're, Oakwood University Church, 17:02 you're Oakwood University, a descendant of the movement. 17:07 An heir of the promise. 17:10 Moses is dead, but the vision God says that I have 17:16 for my people is still alive. 17:20 Frederick Douglas is dead, but the vision that I have 17:24 for my people is still alive. 17:27 Harriet Tubman is dead, but the vision that I have 17:32 for my people is still alive. 17:35 Jackie Robinson is dead, but the vision that I have 17:39 for my people is still alive. 17:42 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. 17:44 is dead, but the vision that I have for my people 17:49 is still alive. 17:50 Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Medgar Evers, 17:54 Nelson Mandela are dead, but the vision that I have 18:01 for my people is still alive. 18:03 Rosa Parks is dead, Mary McLeod Methune is dead, 18:10 but the vision that I have for my people, God says, 18:14 is still alive. 18:15 I've traveled up this campus. 18:17 Some of you all don't know the history of this campus. 18:20 Eva B. Dykes, the lay building for which 18:22 the library is named was the first black woman 18:25 to receive the Ph.D. degree. 18:28 She is dead. 18:30 But God says the vision he has for his people is still alive. 18:36 C. E. Mosley is dead. 18:39 But the vision God has for his people is still alive. 18:41 Elder E. C. Ward is dead. 18:45 But the vision God has for his people is still alive. 18:47 Elder Cleveland is dead. 18:50 But the vision God has for his people is still alive. 18:53 And whenever God gives a vision, when you keep 18:57 that vision under supervision, God always makes provision. 19:00 You hear me say it all the time. 19:04 I've never had a vision for ministry 19:07 that I could afford. 19:09 How are we getting those rooms out there. 19:11 I don't know. 19:12 Somebody just sent a check just in the nick of time. 19:15 That's just like God. 19:17 Just when I need him, Jesus is near. 19:21 I've never had a vision for ministry I could afford. 19:24 I will never have a vision for ministry that I can afford, 19:26 because if God shows you something that you can afford, 19:29 then what do you need of God? 19:34 It's not of God. 19:35 But I believe if it's God's will, it's God's bill. 19:40 If it's God's choice, it's God's invoice. 19:44 Do I have a witness in this place? 19:45 All I'm saying to you today is you need to learn how to take 19:49 a walk, because every place the sole of your feet touch, 19:54 you've got the devil nervous, because every time you start 19:56 walking, the devil knows God's up to something. 19:59 Every time you start going places, the devil knows God 20:02 is about to do something in your life. 20:04 You see, friends of mine, I say it all the time, if you 20:06 saw what I saw, you'd be acting like I'm acting, 20:08 because I praise him not on what you see, but I praise God 20:11 on what God has shown me. 20:12 But, not only that, verse 5, God says, "There shall not any 20:18 man," "there shall not any man be able to stand before ye all 20:23 the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, 20:26 so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, 20:28 nor forsake thee." Which means God's got your back. 20:32 No weapon formed against you is going prosper. 20:34 If God be for us, who can be against us? 20:38 God's got your back. 20:40 We have nothing to fear, Ellen White says, 20:42 for the future, lest we forget how God has led 20:44 us in the past, God's got your back. 20:47 The movement is not over. 20:49 But in Jesus' name we press on. 20:53 God is saying to the descendants of the movement, 20:56 God is saying to the Joshua generation, Joshua, 20:59 you need to know that because you have a covenant 21:02 with me, I have a covering for you, for there can be no 21:05 covering without covenant. 21:07 That's why shacking and cohabitation don't work, 21:09 because you want a covering, but you don't have a covenant. 21:15 God says, Joshua, don't fear. 21:20 Don't fret. 21:22 The same way I took care of Moses is the same way 21:26 I'm going to take care of you. 21:27 And some of you know, that if you just testify 21:31 for a little minute, when you look back 21:35 over your life, you know that it wasn't you 21:41 that kept you. 21:44 But somebody knows that it was nobody but Jesus. 21:51 Jesus, bill payer. 21:55 Jesus, financial aid provider. 22:01 Jesus, financial clearance clearer. 22:05 Jesus, marriage savior. 22:08 Child finder. 22:10 Cancer killer. 22:11 Depression destroyer. 22:14 Slander slaughterer. 22:16 Envy executioner. 22:17 Faith fortifier. 22:19 Addiction assassin. 22:21 Sin forgiver. 22:22 Truth liberator. 22:24 Righteous redeemer. 22:25 Soul savior. 22:26 Coming conqueror. 22:28 Jesus. 22:29 (Applause) Somebody here has lost 22:32 their mind by now. 22:34 Concerning all you've been through, you should be 22:36 institutionalized right now. 22:37 But how did you make it? 22:38 Jesus. 22:39 Is there anybody in here that knows that there are some 22:43 things that should have happened to you, could have 22:45 happened to you, but didn't happen to you because God 22:47 kept you. 22:48 Jesus. 22:49 Verse 6 says, "Be strong." 22:52 "Good courage: for unto this people shalt 22:56 thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware 22:59 unto their fathers to give them." I like the way 23:03 the Clear Word puts it. 23:05 Be strong. 23:06 Full of courage. 23:08 Because I'm right here beside you. 23:11 Now is the time to lead the children of Israel into 23:13 the land that I promised to give thee. 23:15 So, God is calling the descendants of the movement. 23:21 God is calling the Joshua generation. 23:25 God is calling us to be strong in these last days. 23:30 It's time for the people of God to stand up against 23:36 the enemies of God. 23:37 But more than that, let me get specific today. 23:40 It's time for the men of God to stand up against 23:47 the enemies of God. 23:49 The enemies of God are destroying the man. 23:54 Specifically the black man. 23:57 Oh, let me preach to this. 23:58 You don't want it? 23:59 I'm going to give it anyhow. 24:01 Fifty percent of us black men are high school dropouts 24:05 compared to less than 25% of our white counterparts. 24:07 Black male students in grades K to 12 are nearly two 24:10 and a half times as likely to be suspended from school 24:13 in comparison to white students. 24:15 One in every 15 black men is incarcerated in comparison 24:19 to 1 in every 106 white men, which means that blacks 24:23 are incarcerated at nearly six times the rate of whites. 24:27 While we're only 13% of the United States population 24:29 we make up 44% of the prison population. 24:32 There are more black men between the ages of 18 to 24 24:35 who are incarcerated than in schools 24:38 of higher education. 24:39 If current trends continue, one in three black males born 24:42 today can expect to go to prison in their lifetime. 24:46 That's black men. 24:48 What about the black women? 24:50 As the number of black women has increased by 800,000 over 24:55 the last--800% over the last three decades, women of color 25:00 have become disproportionately represented. 25:02 While the number of women incarcerated is relatively 25:04 low, the racial and ethnic disparities are startling. 25:06 For example, black women are three times more likely than 25:10 white women to be incarcerated while Hispanic women are 69% 25:14 more likely than white women to be incarcerated. 25:16 Black teen girls between the ages of 15 to 19 accounted 25:21 for 44% of the pregnancies per 1,000 adolescent females, 25:25 while white teen girls only accounted for 21% 25:28 of the pregnancies per 1,000 adolescent females. 25:31 In total, men and women, 27% of all blacks live in poverty 25:37 compared to 10% of whites. 25:39 Thirteen percent of all blacks are unemployed compared to 6.5% 25:42 for whites. 25:44 And while blacks represent 13% of the U.S. 25:47 population, blacks accounted for an estimated 44% of new 25:51 HIV infections in 2010. 25:56 Unless the course of the academic changes, 25:59 at some point in their lifetime, an estimated 1 in 16 black men 26:04 and 1 in an estimated 32 black women will be diagnosed 26:07 with HIV infection. 26:10 That's why we've got to bring our kids here. 26:13 That's why we've got to put these individuals in front 26:15 of our young people. 26:16 It's time for the people of God to stand up against 26:20 the enemies of God. 26:22 Moses is dead. 26:25 But the movement must live on. 26:28 >: It's an age old question, what happens after we die? 26:31 The Breath of Life gift offer this week is "What the Bible 26:34 Says about Death." This little book peels back the theories 26:38 the world has on the afterlife and carefully explains what's 26:41 accurate based on a source we can really rely on, God's 26:45 Word. 26:46 Discover what the Bible says about the soul, human nature, 26:49 talking to the dead, the coming millennium, 26:52 the resurrection, and hell. 26:54 "What the Bible Says about Death" is yours for a gift 26:57 of $5 or more. 26:58 Just call our toll-free number, 877-BOL-OFFER. 27:04 That's 877-265-6333. 27:06 Please have your credit card ready when you call. 27:09 Or you may write us to request your copy. 27:11 Just send your check to Breath of Life, P.O. Box 340, 27:15 Newbury Park, California 91319. 27:19 Find comfort in what's to come after we pass from this world 27:22 to the next. 27:24 Get your copy of "What the Bible Says 27:26 about Death" today. 27:27 PB: In order for Breath of Life to continue 27:30 its ministry we need you. 27:32 We need your prayers, we need your support. 27:35 We want you to know that any and all donations, small 27:38 or great, they are sincerely welcome and appreciated. 27:42 To contact us or to make your donation, please feel free 27:45 to give us a call at 877-BOL-OFFER. 27:50 That's 877-BOL-OFFER. 27:56 Or you may write to us at Breath of Life, P.O. Box 340, 28:02 Newbury Park, California 91319. 28:05 P.O. Box 340, Newbury Park, California 91319. 28:11 Or log onto our web site at www.breathoflife.tv. 28:14 PB: We can talk about how great things were in the past 28:21 and thank God for it, but today the question is 28:23 what are you going to do now? 28:26 God is looking for some people now who can say, I recognize |
Revised 2015-02-06