Participants: Carlton P. Byrd
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000165
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00:01 (Theme Song) Jesus is worthy
00:12 oh yes, he's worthy worthy of all... 00:18 all the praise. 00:20 [music] Pastor Byrd: Persons 00:21 caring for Ebola patients have to be careful 00:25 because they don't want to catch Ebola. 00:28 Ebola can spread from the infected person 00:32 to the caregiver. 00:35 You can be caring for somebody with Ebola, 00:37 and if you're not careful, you will get infected as well. 00:39 You can have good intentions, good intentions 00:47 to heal, but then you come out sick. 00:52 Good intentions to date him or her, but then you come 00:56 out with child support. 01:01 Good intentions to go to Olive Garden, Macaroni Grill, 01:05 PF Chang's, but you come out with AIDS or an STD. 01:10 You go in with good intentions to help somebody 01:13 with their social and their mental issues, but then you 01:15 come out confused, conflicted and crazy. 01:20 You go in with good intentions, you bring them 01:23 to church, and you come out missing church every 01:26 Sabbath. 01:27 You go in with good intentions to help them 01:32 financially, and then you come out broke, bewildered 01:39 and bankrupt, and in 42 years I've learned that the people 01:43 you help the most appreciate it the least. 01:46 [Aud. reaction] PB: You go in with good 01:51 intentions to help solve their problems, but you come 01:54 out distraught, decadent and distressed. 01:57 Yes, help somebody, but please don't get infected 02:00 in the process. 02:03 One more problem. 02:05 Not only does it spread through living people, 02:10 but remember, Ebola can be spread through dead people. 02:17 Which means, you can be spiritually on fire 02:22 for the Lord, sharing your faith, giving Bible studies, 02:29 coming to church, singing in church, saying amen 02:34 in church, smiling in church, serving inside and outside 02:38 the church. 02:39 On fire for the Lord, but then you get infected 02:42 with a dead Ebola patient. 02:47 And so, because they're spiritually dead, they infect 02:52 you, and you become spiritually dead. 02:55 No zeal. 02:57 No fire. 02:59 No energy. 03:01 No enthusiasm. 03:03 No excitement for the Lord, just dead. 03:06 The frozen chosen. 03:07 But when you look back over your life, when you look 03:15 at all the things God has done for you. 03:19 When you look at all the things that God has brought 03:22 you out of, all the times God healed your body, 03:26 all the times God dried your weeping eyes, all the times 03:31 God made a way out of no way. 03:33 When you look at how God picked you up, turned you 03:37 around, placed your feet on solid ground. 03:40 When you look and think about what you could have 03:43 been and what you should have been. 03:45 When you think of the goodness of Jesus and all He's done 03:51 for me, my soul cries out, hallelujah! 03:56 Thank God for saving me! 04:02 I should be dead in my grave, but thank God for saving me! 04:08 I should be strung out somewhere, but thank God 04:14 for saving me! 04:15 I'm not even supposed to be here today, but thank God 04:22 for saving me! 04:24 I'm not even supposed to be in college, let alone 04:27 Oakwood College. 04:29 but thank God for Saving me! 04:36 And I just believe, as I get ready to take my seat that there 04:40 are some folk up in Oakwood today that are going to praise 04:45 God regardless of what people think of them. 04:51 There are some people that are going to praise God 04:55 regardless of what happens in their life, because you 04:59 don't care what people say about yuou, but you're going 05:03 to praise Him. 05:04 You don't care what folk are going to think about you, 05:07 but you're just going to praise Him. 05:10 You refuse to be victimized by spiritual Ebola, you're 05:13 going to praise God. 05:15 And so you've now said, I will bless the Lord at all 05:17 times and His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 05:23 O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name 05:27 together. 05:28 The Lord is my light and my salvation. 05:32 Whom shall I fear? 05:34 Praise God in His sanctuary. 05:36 Praise Him in the firmament of His power. 05:41 But then, we've got the symptoms of Ebola. 05:45 The symptoms start two days to three weeks after contracting 05:50 the virus. 05:51 I've got to throw this in before I take my seat: Then, 05:54 after the virus you get a fever, sore throat, muscle 05:58 pain and headache. 06:00 Then the doctor says that after all that takes place, 06:02 the next symptom is you begin to vomit. 06:07 Now remember, when you're vomiting, that means you 06:12 can't keep anything on your stomach down. 06:16 You can't eat anything solid. 06:19 You're throwing up because you can't keep or eat 06:22 anything heavy. 06:25 So when your stomach gets messed up, you eat light. 06:27 Toast, crackers, maybe some soup or applesauce. 06:35 If you can't hold anything down, you can't hold solid 06:38 food down. 06:41 When yoyu have spiritual Ebola, you can't keep solid 06:46 food down. 06:47 You can't keep heavy food down. 06:52 You want something easy. 06:55 You want feel-good. 06:58 You want cotton candy preaching. 07:02 Sweet and big on the outside, but hollow and empty 07:07 on the inside. 07:09 You don't want meat, you don't want substance, 07:11 you don't want solid--you just want the preacher to tell 07:15 you what you want to hear. 07:17 [Aud. reaction] PB: Don't tell me how to live. 07:22 Don't tell me what to eat. 07:24 Don't tell me who I can date. 07:26 Don't tell me how to dress. 07:29 Don't tell me what's appropriate or inappropriate. 07:32 Don't tell me what's right or wrong. 07:34 Don't tell me to keep the Sabbath. 07:37 Don't tell me about the spirit of prophecy. 07:39 Don't tell me about the commandments. 07:41 Donít tell me to love people, to be nice, be patient, 07:44 be positive, to stop bieng judgmental. 07:46 Don't tell me how to live, because I don't want heavy. 07:52 I don't want solids. 07:54 I don't want substance. 07:57 I don't want truth. 08:00 I want what's popular. 08:02 I want entertainment. 08:03 I want easy, because if don't have easy, I will vomit 08:13 everything up. 08:15 So now, the church universal has turned into a weekend 08:22 pep rally, where the preacher gets eerybody fired up 08:27 and emotional on Sabbath morning and then we go live 08:31 any kind of way we want during the week. 08:33 But how can we sow wild oats during the week and then pray 08:36 for a crop failure on the Sabbath? 08:38 The Lord is coming back for a chosen generation, 08:41 a royal priesthood, a holy nation that He has called out 08:46 of darkness into His marvelous light. 08:49 Spiritual Ebola is a problem. 08:52 It has a prognosis, but unlike physical Ebola, 09:01 spiritual Ebola does have a prescription. 09:05 It does--oh, I feel my health coming now--it does 09:11 have a remedy. 09:13 It does have an antidote. 09:16 It does have a cure. 09:19 The cure is Jesus! 09:22 He said in John 10:10, "I did not come that you might 09:27 have Ebola, but I came that you might have life 09:31 and have it more abundantly." 09:34 [Aud. reaction] PB: Now to be true to the text, 09:38 because I know someone's saying Pastor, you just got 09:40 to the text. 09:41 We're at Oakwood, so you gotta be true to the text. 09:44 Life here, in the Greek, in the text, is the word zoe. 09:50 Everybody say "zoe." 09:51 Aud.: Zoe. 09:53 So there's life used here in its theological sense, 09:56 it's equivalent to eternal life. 09:59 When Adam and Eve were created, they possessed zoe. 10:04 But they lost zoe when they sinned. 10:08 Yes, their physical life was extended, but they were no 10:11 longer conditionally immortal. 10:14 But when Jesus came to this earth, when Jesus died 10:18 for my sins, when He died for your sins, when He died 10:23 for Adam and Eve's sins, He restored the zoe that Adam 10:27 and Eve had forfeited. 10:30 You see, life includes the physical, the intellectual 10:35 and the spiritual. 10:36 Physical life is regarded as abundant in the body that 10:39 is full of vigor and perfect and in health. 10:41 Jesus' miracles of physical healing gave abundant zoe 10:45 and life to those who life forces were failing. 10:48 But physical restoration was by no means the complete 10:51 fulfillment of Jesus' mission. 10:52 Man must also, and also has intellectual and spiritual 10:57 life, which must also be made alive and abundant. 11:00 For man does not live by bread alone but by every 11:03 word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 11:06 So then, as important as the physical-intellectual 11:10 aspects of a well-rounded life are, no life is fully 11:13 complete unless the spiritual life is nurtured. 11:16 [Aud. reaction] PB: No life is complete 11:22 unless Jesus touches that life. 11:28 Ebola is a problem. 11:33 Ebola has a prognosis. 11:36 Ebola has a prescription. 11:42 That prescription is Jesus. 11:46 I am come that you might have life and you might have 11:51 it more abundantly. 11:54 Jesus is the cure. 11:58 Jesus is the remedy. 12:03 Jesus is the antidote. 12:05 Jesus is the healer. 12:10 Whatever your sickness. 12:13 I said, whatever your sickness. 12:16 Jesus can heal it. 12:21 Financial, He can heal it. 12:25 Physical, He can heal it. 12:26 Mental, He can heal it. 12:27 Moral, He can heal it. 12:28 Social, He can heal it. 12:38 Spiritual, He can heal it. 12:39 You name it, Jesus can heal it. 12:42 Oh, y'all don't hear what I'm saying. 12:44 [Aud. reaction] PB: One minute 12:46 He's a podiatrist. 12:47 The lame are walking again. 12:49 The next minute He's an ear, nose and throat specialist. 12:53 The dumb are talking again. 12:55 One minute He's an audiologist. 12:58 The deaf are made to hear. 13:00 The next minute He's a hematologist. 13:04 The woman with the issue of blood. 13:06 One minute, He's an ophthalmologist. 13:09 He's given sight to the blind. 13:11 The next minute, He's a cardiologist. 13:14 He's fixing broken hearts. 13:15 One minute, He's a dermatologist. 13:18 Lepers are being healed. 13:20 The next minute He's a gynecologist, 13:23 He's giving new life. 13:25 One minute, He's a psychiatrist. 13:27 He's fixing deranged minds. 13:30 The next minute, He's an anesthesiologist. 13:37 He's healing the pains of life. 13:41 You name it, He can heal it. 13:44 [Aud. reaction] PB: I said, you name it, 13:48 He can heal it. 13:50 [Aud. reaction] PB: I wish I had a witness 13:51 in this place that knew, if you name it, He can heal it. 13:57 Cancer, no problem. 14:00 Ebola, no problem. 14:02 Arthritis, no problem, high blood pressure, no problem. 14:07 Gossip, no problem. 14:09 Bankruptcy, no problem. 14:11 Bad habits, no problem. 14:14 Ungodly soul times. 14:21 No problem. 14:23 Deviant lifestyles, no problem. 14:28 You name it, no problem. 14:32 Because He said, I have come that you might have life, 14:36 and that you might have it more abundantly. 14:41 Somebody knows, if you just say the name. 14:45 Anybody been in the midnight hour, and you just said 14:49 the name. 14:50 Jesus! 14:51 Sweetest name I know. 14:55 Jesus, I'll tell it everywhere I go. 14:58 Jesus! 14:59 Demons tremble, Satan fickles. 15:02 Jesus, just a touch of Jesus. 15:05 That's what the woman with the issue of blood said. 15:07 She said, "If I could just touch the hem of his garment." 15:10 She said, "I'll be made whole." 15:11 That's why she can sing what we sing: O, it is Jesus. 15:14 Yes, it is Jesus. 15:15 This Jesus in my soul I touch the hem of His garment. 15:18 His blood had made me whole. 15:20 But that's why in this 21st century church we don't sing 15:23 what she sings, but we now sing "He touched me. 15:27 O, He touched me. 15:29 Oh, the joy that floods my soul. 15:31 Something happened, now I know He touched me 15:33 and made me whole." 15:34 And just like the people of old, they had spiritual 15:39 Ebola, we've got to go tell it. 15:43 Go tell them there's a prescription. 15:49 Go tell it on the mountain. 15:51 Tell it everywhere, go tell them we have a cure. 15:55 We have a remedy. 15:57 We have an antidote. 15:59 We have a prescription. 16:00 Tell them that He was born; that He was reared 16:05 in a carpenter shop. 16:06 That His a child that made the great preachers 16:09 and theologians of the day. 16:10 Tell them He was baptized in the muddy Jordan. 16:12 Tel them that 2 fish fed 5,000 men, women, boys 16:16 and girls, wives, everybody. 16:18 Tell them what he's done. 16:21 But don't stop there. 16:23 Don't just tell them what Jesus has done for somebody else. 16:28 Go tell somebody what Jesus has done for you. 16:30 Go tell somebody how he has cured you 16:32 of spiritual Ebola. 16:33 Tell them that when you're sick, He heals you. 16:36 When you're hungry, He feeds you. 16:38 When you're naked, He clothes you. 16:41 When you're down, He picks you up. 16:44 When you're out, He pulls you back in. 16:46 Go tell them what Jesus has done. 16:49 Tell them that he can heal you. 16:52 From spiritual Ebola. 16:53 Now let's be clear óóóó. 16:55 We're beginning 17:01 an academic year. 17:02 We've got some problems. 17:12 There's a prognosis. 17:13 The good news today is we do have a prescription. 17:19 We've got a mother today 17:27 in Missouri who last Sabbath, this time, didn't know she would 17:33 have to be preparing her son's funeral. 17:38 We've got a problem. 17:42 We've got air strikes hitting Iraq right now. 17:56 So if at first you thought that what was taking place 17:58 in the Middle East would stop, you're not reading 18:01 your Bible enough. 18:05 The fighting in the Middle East will never stop. 18:09 There's been 4,000 years of bloodshed because 18:13 of Abraham's lapse of faith. 18:15 He lay with his handmaid, Hagar, and was not faithful 18:23 to the wife God gave him, Sarah. 18:26 And so we have a son of disobedience, Ishmael, 18:29 and a son of the promise, Isaac. 18:34 And for 4,000 years they've been fighting between their offspring 18:41 and their descendants. 18:42 So if you think it's going to end, think again. 18:47 We've got spiritual Ebola. 18:52 We're more worried about who does this in church 18:55 and that in church than we worry about our own salvations. 18:58 Seriously, we've got spiritual Ebola. 19:02 We've got young people that on the seventh-day Sabbath 19:10 are more interested in catching some Zs than honoring 19:14 what Hebrews 10:25 says, "to not forsake the assembling 19:17 of ourselves together." 19:19 But then, that should make sense, because we're living 19:21 in the last days where's it's laodecia. 19:23 We're neither hot nor cold, we're lukewarm. 19:27 So, come in with the people of God and study the Word 19:30 of God--uh, I can do that. 19:32 I told you Wednesday night, I'm going to tell you again 19:34 today: Online service watching is for people 19:38 who are sick. 19:39 [Aud. reaction] PB: Get up out of that bed, 19:47 get down here at 9:15, and study the Sabbath school 19:52 lesson. 19:54 Get here at 11:00, get some Word. 19:56 Is Pastor Byrd going to be here today? 19:58 Don't worry about who's going to be here, God's got somebody 20:00 that's going to be here. 20:01 He's going to be here, and you just be here. 20:03 He's not coming back for who's popular. 20:12 He's coming back for who's principled. 20:14 So, you know I haven't preached here since July 12. 20:24 We had a good sermon on tithe and offering, people 20:26 were standing up and clapping. 20:28 Shouting. 20:30 'Cause today I need you to think. 20:37 Worship is a blending of cognition and emotion. 20:39 The efficacy of balance. 20:43 It's my baptized brain that makes me want to shout. 20:47 It's my sanctified psyche that makes me want to say 20:49 amen. 20:50 If you're going to shout, say something worth shouting 20:53 about. 20:55 Preachers, especially theology majors: preaching is not 20:58 decibel level. 21:01 It's not decibel level, how loud you can shout. 21:03 If you're going to shout, say something 21:06 worth shouting about. 21:07 We've got a problem. 21:14 We've got a prognosis. 21:19 Today, we have a prescription. 21:23 Your heads are bowed, your eyes are closed. 21:29 Lord God, it's time to end worship. 21:35 We don't want spiritual Ebola. 21:39 We don't want to be a carrier, 21:43 internally or externally. 21:46 We don't even want to get infected from a dead person. 21:52 God, we want solid food, 21:56 we don't want the symptoms of spiritual vomit. 21:59 We want a diet of solids. 22:04 And so Lord, in this, as we begin the academic year, 22:10 as we begin this academic year for our freshman 22:14 and transfer students, I'm praying that oh, God, 22:21 right now as all week they have been challenged 22:24 to get connected with You that, God, we begin right. 22:26 And in our beginning right that we fully keep our eyes 22:34 on the prescription: Jesus Christ. 22:40 For some, Lord, today this is the first time life they 22:44 will be away from family. 22:48 Keep their eyes on the prescription. 22:54 Don't let them get infected. 22:55 So, Lord, if You have to spiritually quarantine them, 23:00 do it, God. 23:03 Forgive me of my sins and Lord, I'm going to pause 23:07 in this prayer because I dare not close without allowing 23:13 individuals to respond to Your voice. 23:16 Your heads are bowed, your eyes are closed. 23:19 We're pausing in this prayer and we're praying for the Spirit 23:24 of God to move. 23:25 You are a freshman. 23:26 You don't want to be infected. 23:32 You don't want spiritual Ebola. 23:37 And so you want to be quarantined today 23:39 by the power of the Holy Ghost. 23:42 On this, your first Sabbath as an Oakwood student, 23:45 you want to be spiritually quarantined so you will not 23:50 be affected and infected by spiritual Ebola. 23:52 Today, if that's you, I want you as a freshman to stand 24:00 where you are, and you're saying, "God, spiritually 24:07 quarantine me. 24:08 Spiritually protect me." 24:09 Jesus, be a fix. 24:12 So if you're standing on your feet saying, "God today 24:17 through the power of Your Son, Jesus Christ, because 24:20 He is the prescription in me and my life, I give You 24:27 permission, Dr. Jesus, to spiritually quarantine me." 24:33 That's appeal number one. 24:37 Appeal number two: you're a man, you're a woman, you're 24:42 a boy, you're a girl, you've been infected. 24:46 I don't know what by; I don't need to know what by. 24:53 Spiritual Ebola, whatever. 24:55 But today you need a prescription. 24:57 And you need the prescription of Jesus. 25:01 And so today, you're saying, "Dr. Jesus, 25:03 I want to be baptized. 25:04 Dr. Jesus, I want to be re-baptized. 25:06 Dr. Jesus, I want to join this church through baptism, 25:09 through re-baptism, through transfer of my church 25:11 membership, through profession of my faith. 25:13 But Jesus, I must be among the people who are spiritually 25:17 quarantined by You." 25:21 Today, if you're here, balcony or main floor, 25:23 I want you to get up out of your seat and I want you 25:27 to come down this aisle. 25:28 And you're going to give me your hands, you're going 25:31 to give Jesus your heart. 25:32 And you're saying, "Lord Jesus, I want to start 25:35 anew. I want to begin a new chapter." 25:37 You're not worried about anybody else, you're not worried 25:40 about what they're going think, you're not worried 25:42 about what they're going to say. 25:44 Because the reality is, they don't have a prescription 25:46 for you. 25:47 But God is calling you. 25:49 >: We'd all like to live healthier lives, but doing 25:51 so and maintaining it aren't always so easy. 25:54 It's hard when the foods we love are also the foods 25:56 that can hurt us the most. 25:58 And when it's easier to watch TV than 26:00 it is to exercise. 26:01 What we need are straight answers and some 26:03 encouragement. 26:05 The Breath of Life gift offer this week is Dr. Timothy 26:08 Arnott's "24 Realistic Ways to Improve Your Health." 26:11 It includes information that can change your life 26:13 with just a little effort. 26:15 So, say good-bye to crazy diets and impossible 26:18 exercise regimens. 26:20 Dr. Arnott serves up a healthy dish of guidance to help 26:23 get you to the physical and mental state God intended. 26:26 Find out how to exercise the right way, how water can 26:29 help your heart, why eating nuts and seeds daily 26:32 is so important. 26:33 Discover how to lower your blood pressure and reduce 26:36 your risk of cancer. 26:38 "24 Realistic Ways to Improve Your Health" 26:40 is indeed just that--realistic. 26:41 Dr. Arnott is a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-really-is doctor 26:47 who talks to you as if you're hearing from a good friend. 26:50 Just call our toll-free number, 1-877-BOL-OFFER. 26:54 That's 1-877-265-6333, and ask for your copy 26:59 of "24 Realistic Ways to Improve Your Health." 27:02 This book is yours for a gift of $5 or more. 27:04 Or, you may write to us at Breath of Life, Box 340, 27:08 Newbury Park, CA 91319. 27:10 Don't just wait for your health to get better; take charge 27:14 of it and get "24 Realistic Ways to Improve Your Health" 27:18 now. 27:19 PB: Thank you very much for tuning in and watching 27:21 Breath of Life today. 27:22 We do hope that you were blessed by our ministry and that we 27:26 gave a healing word in a hurting world. 27:31 In order for Breath of Life to continue in ministry, 27:33 we need you. 27:34 We need your prayers, we need your support. 27:37 We want you to know that any and all donations, small 27:40 or great, they are sincerely welcomed and appreciated. 27:44 To contact us or to make your donations, please feel free 27:47 to give us a call at 877-BOL-OFFER. 27:52 That's 877-BOL-OFFER. 27:59 Or, you may write to us at Breath of Life, P.O. Box 340, 28:04 Newbury Park, CA 91319. 28:08 P.O. Box 340, Newbury Park, CA 91319. 28:13 Or log onto our website at www.BreathofLife.tv. 28:20 PB: The cure is Jesus! 28:24 I didn't come that you might have Ebola, but I came 28:27 that you might have life |
Revised 2015-02-05