Participants: Carlton P. Byrd
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000164
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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 ♪ [music] 00:21 Pastor Byrd: If you have your Bibles, let us 00:24 turn to the book of John. 00:27 John, chapter 10. 00:31 I'm going to verse number 10, just one verse today. John 10, 00:35 verse number 10. 00:44 John chapter 10, verse number 10. 00:49 The Word of God says to us today, "The thief cometh 00:56 not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." 01:05 But Jesus says, "I am come 01:11 that they might have life, and that they might have it 01:16 more abundantly." 01:20 "I am come that they might have life, and that they 01:24 might have it more abundantly." 01:26 Father in heaven, now for the next couple of minutes, 01:33 come now in a mighty way in this sanctuary. 01:37 Give us a word today that, Lord, speaks to our hearts. 01:42 Hide me behind the cross of Christ Jesus, and Lord, 01:45 forgive me of my sins because at the end of this 01:48 message today, we want individuals to give and turn 01:51 their lives over to You. 01:54 So, I pray that Thy people not see me; Lord, that they 01:59 would see Thee and they would hear Thee, and then 02:01 in the end obey Thee. 02:04 In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen. 02:09 "I have come that they might have life, and that they may 02:13 have it more abundantly." 02:19 Ebola: Our news headlines for the past few weeks have 02:29 centered on an epidemic now known to us as Ebola. 02:36 Now, one month ago the majority of us had never 02:38 even heard of Ebola. 02:41 But now we all know about Ebola. 02:47 So, every day we hear about Ebola. 02:49 Not AIDS, not cancer, not tuberculosis, not high blood 02:56 pressure, but Ebola. 02:58 So far, 2,127 cases of this dreaded disease, and 1,145 03:07 deaths have been reported in four western African 03:11 nations: Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. 03:19 But according to the World Health Organization, the Ebola 03:23 epidemic is probably much worse than this world realizes, 03:27 with health centers on the front lines warning 03:29 that the actual numbers of deaths and illnesses 03:32 are significantly higher than the official 03:34 estimates. 03:35 In fact, I was reading this week that one health worker 03:40 for Doctors Without Borders has said that the Ebola 03:43 outbreak has turned parts of western Africa into a medical 03:47 war zone with response teams not even able to 03:51 document all the cases erupting. 03:55 Beds in western Africa, beds in Ebola treatment centers, 04:01 are filling up faster than they can be provided. 04:04 And then on top of that, I was reading that many 04:06 of the sick are not even going to the hospital, but they 04:10 are being hidden at home by their relatives because 04:14 they're too afraid of going to an Ebola treatment 04:16 center. 04:19 So, I began to ask myself, in this eschatological day: 04:23 Is this a modern-day plague? 04:28 Is this an example of God's wrath being poured out 04:35 in earth's final days? 04:38 Is this the beginning of the end? 04:44 After all, you will remember it was Jesus who said 04:47 in Matthew 24 "In The last days, such 04:50 calamities would occur" in Matthew 24 that "Nation 04:53 shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: 04:56 and there shall be famines, and pestilences, 04:57 and earthquakes, in divers places. 04:59 All these are the beginning of sorrows." 05:02 So then I went to Ellen White, 'cause I still believe 05:04 in Sister White. 05:05 Do I have a witness in this place? 05:07 [Aud. reaction] PB: She said in volume 9 05:09 of the Testimonies that "The days in which we 05:12 live are solemn and important; that the Spirit 05:15 of God is gradually but surely being withdrawn 05:19 from this earth. 05:20 That plagues and judgments are already falling upon 05:23 the despisers of the grace of God. 05:26 That the calamities by land and sea, the unsettled state 05:29 of society, the alarms of war are portentous." 05:34 She says, "They forecast approaching events of the 05:36 greatest magnitude; the agencies of evil are combining 05:39 their forces and consolidating." 05:41 She says, "They are strengthening for the last 05:43 great crisis." 05:44 Great changes are soon to take place in our world, 05:49 and I can hear my great-grandmother quoting 05:51 her and saying, "And the final movements will be rapid ones." 05:56 [Aud. reaction] PB: Ebola. 05:59 Destroying men, women and children on a daily basis. 06:02 Ebola. 06:05 More cases than we have medical teams to care for. 06:08 Ebola. 06:10 Causing fear upon the inhabitants of western 06:12 Africa and the world. 06:14 Ebola. 06:15 Forcing residents in cities, towns and villages 06:18 to be quarantined. 06:20 Ebola. 06:22 One of earth's last great calamities. 06:25 Ebola. 06:26 Church, if I was still pastoring in Houston, Texas, 06:31 I would say, "Houston, we've got a problem." 06:34 What's the problem? 06:39 Ebola. 06:41 There's no cure, no solution, no licensed treatment. 06:47 The disease has a high mortality rate, killing 06:50 between 50 percent and 90 percent of those infected 06:53 with the virus. 06:54 So, if you're infected, it's almost like your death 06:57 sentence. 06:58 We've got a problem, church. 07:00 Now, the question is, well, how do you get Ebola? 07:05 Stay with me, I'm going somewhere. 07:07 Ebola may be contracted upon contact with blood or bodily 07:11 fluids of an infected animal; whereas, humans, 07:14 a human transmission, occurs when there's direct contact 07:18 with blood or bodily fluids from an infected person. 07:21 Ebola spreads through the blood. 07:25 It can result in massive blood loss. 07:28 Sometimes there is both internal and external bleeding. 07:33 Once human infection occurs, the disease is highly 07:36 contagious and spreads between people. 07:39 Church, we've got a problem. 07:43 You see, you can't detect Ebola through your eyes. 07:47 In other words, you can't detect Ebola by mere sight. 07:54 You can't detect Ebola just by looking at somebody. 08:02 So, you could be infected by somebody with Ebola 08:07 and not even know it. 08:09 That's why the medical workers there for Ebola 08:14 patients have to be careful that they don't get Ebola, 08:16 because Ebola also spreads from the sick person 08:20 to the caretaker of the sick. 08:21 Which mean, you can be caring for somebody, but if you're 08:28 not careful, you can be infected as well. 08:33 That's why the workers wear protective clothing 08:37 including masks, gloves, gowns, goggles, when they deal 08:41 with Ebola patients. 08:42 Medical workers who do not wear appropriate protective 08:44 clothing may get the disease by contact with contaminated 08:48 needles and syringes. 08:50 But friends, that's not all. 08:51 I was reading up on this. 08:53 Human to human transmission can also occur because 08:55 of direct contact with blood or bodily fluids from 08:59 an infected dead person. 09:01 From a dead person to a living person, through 09:07 the embalming of the infected dead person. 09:12 So, because dead bodies are still infectious, doctors 09:17 have to dispose of dead, infected bodies in a safe 09:21 manner, leaving no chance for a traditional funeral 09:25 because they don't want to be infected. 09:27 Folks, we've got a problem. 09:30 Well then, Pastor Byrd, if that's the problem, 09:35 what's the prognosis? 09:39 Well, it's being reported that Ebola causes high fever, 09:42 bleeding, vomiting. 09:47 Symptoms start two days to three weeks after 09:49 contracting the virus, with a fever, sore throat, 09:53 muscle pain and headaches. 09:54 The nausea and the vomiting then follow, along with 09:57 decreased functioning of the liver and the kidneys. 09:59 Around this time, affected people, they begin to bleed 10:03 internally, within the body; and bleed externally, 10:07 outside the body. 10:10 We know the problem. 10:11 We know the prognosis. 10:16 Is there a prescription? 10:18 What is the remedy? 10:22 What is the cure? 10:26 What is the antidote? 10:30 Surely, with all of our knowledge and our power 10:32 and our money and intelligence, we should have a solution. 10:36 But medical sciences say efforts are ongoing to develop 10:39 a vaccine and money is being poured in to create 10:42 a vaccine; research is being conducted to generate 10:46 a vaccine. 10:47 But to date, there is no vaccine. 10:49 No remedy. 10:51 No cure. 10:54 No solution. 10:56 So, Ebola patients have to be quarantined. 11:02 Persons suspected even of Ebola, people being around 11:07 Ebola patients, have to be quarantined. 11:11 That's enforced isolation. 11:14 No contact with others. 11:18 No touching, no talking, no fellowship, no fun. 11:25 Just all alone, inaccessible, unreachable, 11:31 unapproachable, remote, lonely, cut off. 11:34 But today, I stand before 11:42 you to tell you that there's something even more 11:47 treacherous than physical Ebola. 11:51 We've got something that is wiping us out. 11:53 We've got something that is taking us out, and today 11:58 I call it spiritual Ebola. 12:02 [Aud. reaction] PB: Because just like 12:06 physical Ebola, spiritual Ebola creates 12:10 some problems. 12:11 Because if you're infected with spiritual Ebola, it can 12:17 be your death sentence. 12:20 Because if you're infected with spiritual Ebola, you 12:24 will be a part of those who even die at the brightness 12:27 of Jesus' second coming. 12:28 Or those who have died before His second coming, 12:31 will not rise at His second coming. 12:34 Get out quickly. 12:36 Spiritual Ebola, like physical Ebola, is spread through 12:44 human contact. 12:47 Which means, you get spiritual Ebola from somebody else. 12:52 You all don't hear what I'm saying. 12:54 [Aud. reaction] PB: You don't give Ebola 12:58 to yourself. 12:59 Somebody else gives Ebola to you. 13:03 Well, Pastor, then how do you know if someone has it? 13:06 You don't. 13:08 Because remember, you can't detect Ebola by just looking 13:13 at somebody. 13:14 So, if you could, you could be infected by somebody 13:19 and not even know it. 13:21 You can look at somebody and not know they're a carrier. 13:25 You look at somebody, in spiritual Ebola, 13:31 and you don't know that they're a gossip. 13:34 You look at somebody, but you don't know 13:40 they're a liar. 13:42 You don't know they're a cheat. 13:44 You look at somebody, and you don't know they're 13:48 a problem carrying a spiritual Ebola virus, so be careful 13:53 at what you look at because all that you see 13:55 is not what it is. 13:57 [Aud. reaction] PB: All that glitters 14:01 is not gold. 14:03 You see, we see a 10-bedroom, 5-baths house 14:06 with a swimming pool on seven acres of land, 14:09 we think happiness. 14:10 But that may not be true--look at Robin Williams. 14:13 [Aud. reaction] PB: We see Mercedes Benz, 14:17 and we think the person has money. 14:19 But that may not be true. 14:20 Look at me. 14:21 Do I have a witness in this place? 14:23 [Aud. reaction] PB: All that you see 14:29 is not what is. 14:33 Freshman males, that young lady may be seen as pretty, 14:39 but that doesn't make her pure. 14:43 Young ladies, that young man can be seen as handsome, 14:47 but that does not make him holy. 14:49 Church members can be seen as consecrated, but that doesn't 14:56 make them Christ-like. 14:58 You see a person, but you don't really know 15:02 if they have Ebola. 15:05 They look nice, they look sweet, they look holy, 15:10 they look consecrated. 15:13 They say the right things, they wear the right clothes, 15:18 they pat you on the back, but they've been sent on 15:23 a Satanic mission to take you out. 15:26 They have spiritual Ebola. 15:32 But just by looking at them, they don't seem sick. 15:38 They don't seem infected. 15:42 So, my advice: Be careful who you hook up with. 15:46 Be careful who you link up with. 15:50 Be careful who you hang out with, and that's not just 15:53 for the young folk--that's for the old folk, too. 15:55 You see, if they're always gossiping, if they're always 16:01 negative, if they're always scheming, if they're always 16:06 talking about somebody, you'd better believe 16:08 they will talk about you. 16:09 They could have Ebola, and you not even know it. 16:13 Be careful of what you look at; be careful of what you see. 16:19 You see, friends, we are all victims 16:21 of optical illusions. 16:24 We think we can see actually and totally, where we can 16:26 only see partially, imperfectly and inadequately. 16:30 You see what you expect to see. 16:33 You only see that. 16:35 You only see what you expect to see, prepare to see, 16:37 believe to see and are disposed to see. 16:40 For example the color of a thing may be blue. 16:42 It may be what, everybody? 16:43 Aud.: Blue. 16:44 PB: But you will not see the color as it is; you will 16:46 only see the color as it is filtered through the shape 16:48 of your eyes, the state of your brain and the history 16:50 of your past experience. 16:52 The color you see is not a perfect representation 16:55 of the color that is there. 16:56 What we may see as green may be blue; what we may see 17:00 as an ocean may be a mirage caused by the play of the sun 17:03 upon the dry desert sand. 17:05 Spiritually, what we may see as a burden may be a blessing. 17:10 What we may see as deprivation may be a mighty deliverance. 17:14 What we may see as a minus sign may be a plus sign 17:17 that is made by God's intervention on our behalf, 17:19 because God's math is not like our math. 17:22 Sometimes God has to have blessed subtractions 17:28 in order that there might be multiple additions. 17:30 [Aud. reaction] PB: What we see as important 17:33 today may not prove to be important. 17:35 It may be trivial, and cheap tomorrow. 17:38 What we may see as fundamental or indispensable today 17:40 may turn out to be incidental and unnecessary tomorrow. 17:42 Be careful with being dependent on what you see. 17:47 You can't tell Ebola virus just by looking at it. 17:51 What you see may not always be what you get. 17:55 You see the body, but you don't see the person. 17:57 You see the building, but you don't see the builder. 18:00 You see the facts, but you don't see the faith. 18:02 You see the actual, but you don't see the impossible. 18:04 You see the transient, but you don't see the permanent. 18:07 You see the temporal, but you don't see the eternal. 18:10 You see what God has already done, but you can't see what 18:14 God is trying to do. 18:15 [Aud. reaction] PB: Friends of mine, not only 18:20 do you not know if a person is infected 18:22 by just looking at them with physical Ebola, where you 18:27 bleed, it says internally and externally. 18:32 Which means then, carriers of spiritual Ebola 18:38 could be internal as well as external. 18:45 Carriers of spiritual Ebola can be outside the church, 18:51 as well as inside the church. 18:56 Everybody talking about heaven ain't going to heaven. 19:02 Everybody talking about loving Jesus ain't serving Jesus. 19:05 Everybody saying "happy Sabbath" does not joy in your happiness. 19:10 Everything that looks like holiness, talks like holiness, 19:19 dresses like holiness, shouts like holiness 19:26 is not holiness. 19:29 'Cause holiness is not about how high you jump when you 19:35 shout, but how straight you walk when you come 19:39 back down. 19:40 Jesus said, "Beware of false prophets which come to you 19:45 in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are raving 19:48 wolves." 19:49 Just become they come with a Bible text doesn't mean 19:51 they're not infected. 19:54 Just because they can quote the Spirit of Prophecy 19:56 doesn't mean they're not infected. 19:58 Just because they go to church doesn't mean 20:00 they're not infected. 20:01 The devil goes to church, too. 20:02 Don't believe the hype. 20:05 I'm a television preacher. 20:06 Breath of Life, whatver you what to call it. 20:08 Praise God for it, hallelujah. 20:09 But every preacher that preaches on TV is not 20:11 preaching the truth. 20:12 Aud.: Amen. 20:13 PB: You'd better be careful what you watch. 20:15 Everything you read on the Internet is not truth. 20:18 Every quote somebody brings you may not be altogether 20:21 true, particularly if they're taking the quote out 20:24 of its spiritual context. 20:26 Ebola patients can twist the Bible to make the Bible 20:31 say whatever they want it to say. 20:34 Put the Bible in the hands of a conservative, 20:36 it becomes a dissertation to conservative principles. 20:39 Put the Bible in the hands of a liberal, it becomes 20:41 a liberal exposition. 20:42 The devil knows how to use Scripture. 20:44 Take Scripture this way and turn it that way and make it 20:47 say this and make it say that. 20:49 Make it say some ugly stuff. 20:50 The devil will turn, and say "Turn here." Take a phrase 20:52 her, take a word there, take a paragraph here, 20:54 a sentence there. 20:55 Turn to Genesis, skip over to Revelation, go back 20:57 to Exodus, skip over to the book of Acts, go to Leviticus, 21:00 spice them with Song of Solomon, pepper it with Proverbs, 21:03 salt it with Psalms, and then use it to serve up 21:05 some dangerous, poisonous, biblical soup. 21:10 [Aud. reaction] PB: That's why you've got 21:13 to know the Word of God for yourself. 21:16 Not what Mama says, not what Daddy says; sister 21:21 or brother may say. 21:23 But you've got to know the Word of God for yourself. 21:26 "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin 21:30 against thee." 21:31 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path." 21:35 "To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not 21:39 according to this word, it is because 21:41 there is no light in them." 21:43 Ebola infections are internal and external. 21:48 But not only that, remember persons caring for Ebola 21:54 patients have to be careful because they don't want 21:59 to catch Ebola. 22:01 Ebola can spread from the infected person 22:05 to the caregiver. 22:07 You can be caring for somebody with Ebola, 22:10 and if you're not careful, you will get infected as well. 22:12 You can have good intentions, good intentions 22:20 to heal, but then you come out sick. 22:25 Good intentions to date him or her, but then you come 22:29 out with child support. 22:33 Good intentions to go to Olive Garden, 22:37 Macaroni Grill, PF Chang's, but you come out 22:40 with AIDS or an STD. 22:43 You go in with good intentions to help somebody with 22:46 their social and their mental issues, but then you come out 22:49 confused, conflicted and crazy. 22:53 You go in with good intentions, you bring them 22:55 to church, and you come out missing church every Sabbath. 23:00 You go in with good intentions to help them financially, 23:07 and then you come out broke, bewildered and bankrupt, 23:13 and in 42 years I've learned that the people you help 23:16 the most appreciate it the least. 23:19 [Aud. reaction] PB: You go in with good 23:24 intentions to help solve their problems, but you 23:27 come out distraught, decadent and distressed. 23:30 Yes, help somebody, but please don't get infected 23:33 in the process. 23:36 One more problem. 23:38 Not only does it spread through living people, 23:43 but remember, Ebola can be spread through dead people. 23:50 Which means, you can be spiritually on fire 23:55 for the Lord, sharing your faith, giving Bible studies, 24:02 coming to church, singing in church, saying amen 24:07 in church, smiling in church, serving inside and outside 24:11 the church. 24:12 On fire for the Lord, but then you get infected 24:15 with a dead Ebola patient. 24:16 And so, because they're spiritually dead, they 24:24 infect you, and you become spiritually dead. 24:28 No zeal. 24:29 No fire. 24:32 No energy. 24:34 No enthusiasm. 24:36 No excitement for the Lord, just dead. 24:39 The frozen chosen. 24:40 But when you look back over your life, when you look 24:48 at all the things God has done for you. 24:51 When you look at all the things that God has brought you 24:55 out of, all the times God healed your body, all the times 25:00 God dried your weeping eyes, all the times God made 25:05 a way out of no way. 25:06 When you look at how God picked you up, turned you 25:10 around, placed your feet on solid ground. 25:13 When you look and think about what you could have 25:16 been and what you should have been. 25:18 When you think of the goodness of Jesus and all He's done 25:24 for me, my soul cries out, hallelujah! 25:29 Thank God for saving me! 25:35 I should be dead in my grave, but thank God 25:38 for saving me! 25:39 I should be strung out somewhere, but thank God 25:41 for saving me! 25:48 I'm not even supposed to be here today, but thank God 25:55 for saving me! 25:56 >: We'd all like to live healthier lives, but doing 25:59 so and maintaining it aren't always so easy. 26:02 It's hard when the foods we love are also the foods that 26:04 can hurt us the most. 26:05 And when it's easier to watch TV 26:07 than it is to exercise. 26:09 What we need are straight answers and some encouragement. 26:12 The Breath of Life gift offer this week is Dr. Timothy 26:15 Arnott's "24 Realistic Ways to Improve 26:18 Your Health." 26:19 It includes information that can change your life 26:21 with just a little effort. 26:23 So, say goodbye to crazy diets and impossible 26:26 exercise regimens. 26:27 Dr. Arnott serves up a healthy dish of guidance to help 26:30 get you to the physical and mental state God intended. 26:33 Find out how to exercise the right way, how water 26:36 can help your heart, why eating nuts and seeds daily 26:40 is so important. 26:41 Discover how to lower your blood pressure and reduce 26:43 your risk of cancer. 26:45 "24 Realistic Ways to Improve Your Health" 26:48 is indeed just that--realistic. 26:49 Dr. Arnott is a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-really-is doctor 26:54 who talks to you as if you're hearing from a good friend. 26:57 Just call our toll-free number, 1-877-BOL-OFFER. 27:02 That's 1-877-265-6333, and ask for your copy of 27:07 "24 Realistic Ways to Improve Your Health." 27:10 This book is yours for a gift of $5 or more. 27:12 Or, you may write to us at Breath of Life, Box 340, 27:16 Newbury Park, CA 91319. 27:18 Don't just wait for your health to get better; 27:21 take charge of it and get "24 Realistic Ways to Improve 27:25 Your Health" now. 27:26 PB: Thank you very much for tuning in and watching 27:29 Breath of Life today. 27:30 We do hope that you were blessed by our ministry 27:34 and that we gave a healing word in a hurting world. 27:38 In order for Breath of Life to continue in ministry, 27:41 we need you. 27:42 We need your prayers, we need your support. 27:45 We want you to know that any and all donations, small 27:48 or great, they are sincerely welcomed and appreciated. 27:52 To contact us or to make your donations, please feel 27:55 free to give us a call at 877-BOL-OFFER. 27:59 That's 877-BOL-OFFER. 28:06 Or, you may write to us at Breath of Life, P.O. 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Revised 2015-02-05