Participants: Carlton P. Byrd
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000169
|
00:02 ♪ (Theme Song) ♪ ♪ Jesus is worthy ♪
00:12 ♪ oh yes, he's worthy ♪ ♪ worthy of all... ♪ 00:19 ♪ all the praise ♪ ♪ [music] ♪ 00:21 our Scripture lesson today taken from the book 00:25 of Psalms. 00:28 And we're going to Psalm 127, verse number 1. 00:33 A very familiar passage, Psalm 127, verse number 1. 00:40 Psalm 127, verse number 1. 00:46 If you have it, let me hear you say amen. 00:48 Aud.: Amen. 00:49 PB: A very familiar passage today, "Except the LORD 00:54 build the house." 00:57 "Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain 01:01 that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman 01:08 waketh but in" what, everybody? 01:11 Aud.: Vain. 01:12 PB: But in what, everybody? 01:13 Aud.: Vain. 01:14 PB: "Except the Lord build the house, they labour 01:16 in vain that build it: except the keep the city, the watchman 01:21 waketh but in vain." 01:29 9-1-1. 01:31 We're under attack. 01:33 Father God, bless us now, as we open Your Word. 01:38 I pray that, Lord, we would gain and gather and glean 01:42 from Your Word today. 01:44 Hide me behind Your cross, Lord, and before we even 01:47 begin, we give You the praise for what You're going to do. 01:50 But more than just praise, God, we worship You right 01:53 now. 01:54 And so we worship You through the study of Your Word. 01:56 In the name of Jesus we pray. 01:58 Amen. 02:02 9-1-1, we're under attack. 02:04 "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain 02:06 that build it; except the Lord keep the city, the watchman 02:09 waketh but in vain." 02:13 Anywhere you go in the United States, when you dial 02:16 the numbers 9-1-1, it's an emergency. 02:19 Whether it's a car accident, whether it's a home 02:26 invasion, a burglary; whether somebody is hurt, 02:30 somebody is sick, somebody is dying, someone's 02:33 in danger. 02:34 Whether it is an attack on your home, attack on 02:37 your health, or an attack on your humanity, 02:40 when you dial 9-1-1, it's an emergency 02:45 and somebody or something is being attacked. 02:50 Now, from the early days in a child's life, when they're 02:53 first able to talk--I know for our children--you teach 02:56 them that if something is wrong, if something 03:01 or someone is being attacked, when safety is being 03:05 compromised or your life may be in jeopardy, you 03:09 are to dial 9-1-1. 03:14 If a child doesn't even know Mommy's number of Daddy's 03:16 number or Grandpa or Grandma's number, they're taught 03:20 to dial 9-1-1. 03:25 Well, today I've come to tell this church. 03:27 I've come to tell this community and those even watching 03:31 on Breath of Life. 03:32 I've come to tell you today, it's time to dial 9-1-1. 03:38 This is not a terrorist attack. 03:42 This is not a heart attack. 03:46 This is not a panic attack or a home invasion attack, 03:51 but today this is a family attack. 03:55 And this family attack has become a spiritual attack. 04:00 Friends, today it's an emergency. 04:04 The family, the basic social unit that God has set up, 04:09 is under attack. 04:12 And friends, this attack didn't just start. 04:15 This attack has been going on for 6,000 years. 04:19 It has been a calculated, a premeditated, a deliberate 04:22 plan, designed, intentional attack, because after God 04:25 created this earth in six literal days, it was in 04:29 the Garden of Eden in the beginning that God 04:32 instituted two things. 04:35 He instituted the Sabbath and He instituted the family. 04:39 And of these two God-ordained institutions, 04:43 the devil hates both. 04:46 The devil is out to destroy both. 04:50 Aud.: Amen. 04:51 PB: But I believe, for some reason in these last 04:54 and evil days the devil has made an all-out attack against 04:59 the family. 05:01 The devil is not holding back. 05:03 He's made the family his primary target because I believe 05:06 the devil thinks that he can get two for the price 05:09 of one. 05:10 Because, as goes the home, so goes the church. 05:15 And as goes the church, so goes the world. 05:20 If the family can be destroyed, the church can 05:25 be destroyed. 05:26 If the church can be destroyed, the gospel message 05:30 of Jesus being shared, including the message 05:32 of the Sabbath, will be destroyed. 05:34 So he's trying to get two for the price of one. 05:37 [Aud. reaction] PB: What is a family? 05:40 One might say a husband, wife, and children. 05:45 What is a family? 05:49 A family could be a single person with children. 05:53 What is a family? 05:56 A family could just be a single man or single woman 06:00 living by themselves. 06:02 But today, whether it be a husband and wife, 06:04 whether it be a husband, wife and children, 06:06 whether it be somebody living by themselves, 06:08 the family is being attacked. 06:11 Now, the attack on the family is nothing new. 06:13 Satan began attacking the home and the family in the Garden 06:16 of Eden. 06:17 He deceived the first parents, Adam and Eve, 06:19 and he used the same tactics on the first children, Cain 06:21 and Abel. 06:22 Satan has not changed his strategy. 06:24 He's a liar from the beginning, and he's a liar today. 06:26 Doesn't anybody know that Satan is a liar? 06:28 His goal has always been to divide and conquer. 06:31 Satan managed to inject poison between spouses, 06:35 poison between siblings, and poison in all human 06:38 relationships because Satan is the ultimate 06:41 home-wrecker. 06:43 Satan knows and has known from the very beginning 06:48 what many of us are slow to grasp: that the family 06:53 is the key in God's program. 06:56 Destroy the family, and you will destroy the whole 07:01 of society. 07:03 Destroy the family, and teen delinquency rates will rise. 07:08 Destroy the family, and crime will exponentially 07:12 rise. 07:13 Destroy the family, and you destroy the church. 07:18 The enemy is constantly working to bring frustration 07:21 and fear in the home. 07:24 You see, if we're real today, when home life 07:26 is miserable parents are unhappy, children grow up 07:30 rebellious, and a Christian family that is constantly 07:34 feuding can't minister to anybody else or actively 07:37 serve God's church. 07:38 So if the devil can succeed in destroying a family, he can 07:43 count on weakening God's church as well. 07:46 [Aud. reaction] PB: In Ellen White 07:48 I was reading "The Seventh-Day Adventist Home," 07:50 page 32. 07:51 She says, "One well-ordered family, one well-disciplined 07:56 family tells more in behalf of Christianity than all 08:00 the sermons that can be preached." 08:03 Which I then interpret as, our church is only as strong 08:08 as the families that attend. 08:11 If we build Oakwood, strong families, then we will build 08:18 a strong church. 08:21 Satan knows this, and because he also knows 08:24 he cannot single-handedly carry out his campaign of attack 08:27 and destruction of the family, Satan has enlisted the help 08:30 of our contemporary postmodern society. 08:34 But after all, the Bible says, if you read carefully 08:37 in 1 John 5:19, that the whole world lies in the power 08:41 of the evil one. 08:43 Look at our world. 08:44 Look at it. 08:46 Divorce has been made easy. 08:49 And I'm not here to point the finger at anybody, 08:51 but listen to the statistics. 08:52 Divorce has been made easy. 08:55 Two hundred fifty dollars will get you a divorce. 08:58 No questions asked, just sign on the dotted line. 09:01 In fact, you can now pull up divorce papers 09:03 on the Internet, print them, sign them, 09:06 get a notary to authenticate them, and then send them 09:08 to your city municipality. 09:10 The divorce rate rose 700 percent in the 20th century. 09:15 In fact, tax laws penalize marriage. 09:20 Greater than 50 percent of all marriages end in divorce. 09:24 And friends, that's not just in the world only; that's 09:27 even in the church. 09:28 Sad to say, even among the ministerial ranks, even 09:34 among the ministerial ranks in the church, divorce 09:37 is rising in unprecedented fashion. 09:40 Somebody needs to dial 9-1-1. 09:44 Because the family is under attack. 09:48 Government rewards childbirth, welfare rewards 09:53 childbirth outside of marriage. 09:55 Six out of 10 children live in a single-parent 09:59 household. 10:00 Dial 9-1-1, the family is under attack. 10:02 God's standard of one man and one woman for one lifetime 10:11 is being redefined. 10:14 Same-sex marriage is becoming just as accepted 10:18 as heterosexual marriage. 10:19 It's no longer Adam and Eve, but now Adam and Steve. 10:24 And if you speak about it, if you preach about it, 10:29 you're a part of the problem and not the solution. 10:32 Somebody dial 9-1-1. 10:34 The family is under attack. 10:39 Cohabitation has gotten out of control. 10:42 It has jumped 1,000 percent between 1970 and 2010. 10:48 One-third of all adults have cohabitated 10:51 and they've also experienced a higher divorce rate 10:53 than those who haven't. 10:55 And so it was, even in the church, even in 10:58 the church cohabitation. 11:00 I asked somebody one day, being real: Why must you 11:03 cohabitate before you get married? 11:07 They said, I need to know what Iím getting into before 11:09 I get in it. 11:10 I said, Well, what about faith? 11:13 Trust? 11:14 And love in God, and the person you're thinking about marrying? 11:21 He said, Preacher, I told you that I need to know what 11:24 I'm getting into before I get in it. 11:27 So I then said, So what you're telling me is, you 11:31 look for a wife like you look for a car. 11:36 They said, What are you talking about, Pastor? 11:38 I said, You know, when you shop for a car, the first 11:43 thing you do, you go to as many car lots as possible. 11:47 Then number two, you want to know how that body looks. 11:52 Then number three, you want to test drive before you 11:56 purchase. 11:57 Then number four, you're curious as to how much 12:00 mileage it has, and how many previous owners it has had. 12:03 And then number five, you want the most out of it, 12:07 with the least possible cost. 12:09 Help me, Holy Ghost! 12:11 [Aud. reaction] PB: So ladies, repeat 12:15 after me. 12:16 Say: You can't drive this! 12:18 [Aud. reaction] PB: Preach, Pastor Byrd. 12:24 I'm doing the best I can! 12:27 [Aud. reaction] PB: Somebody dial 9-1-1! 12:32 The family is under attack. 12:35 Contemporary people don't want to preach this stuff, 12:37 this is old-time gospel today. 12:40 Drug use, deviant lifestyles, sexual 12:44 promiscuity are portrayed in positive, fun ways. 12:48 The proliferation of the Internet 12:50 and television-watching are bursting at the seams, 12:53 promoting pornography. 12:57 Which is a multi-billion-dollar industry that is systematically 13:00 destroying our families and our homes. 13:04 All but 2 percent of American homes have at least one 13:07 television, and most homes have at least two televisions. 13:09 Fifty percent of our children between the ages of 6 to 17 13:12 have a TV in their rooms. 13:17 Television's influence is subtle and reinforced 13:21 by the repetition of images and stereotypes. 13:23 It is a known fact that the more you hear 13:26 something, the more you begin to believe that something. 13:29 Repetition--you hear me say it all the time--deepens 13:31 the impression. 13:33 The values that television teaches are repeated at such 13:38 a rate that a local church could never counter them no 13:42 matter how numerous or effective our programs 13:45 and ministries. 13:46 Somebody dial 9-1-1; the family is under attack! 13:51 Some secular commentators have now begun to claim 13:57 that the traditional nuclear family is no longer even 14:00 realistic. 14:02 In fact, an article published online by Salon 14:06 Magazine said that the ideal American family, a father 14:11 and a mother bound to each other by legal marriage, 14:14 raising children bound to them by biology, 14:17 is a stubborn relic. 14:19 A stubborn relic. 14:20 A national symbol that is yet to be returned 14:24 as threadbare and someone is now unrealistic. 14:30 Dial 9-1-1. 14:31 The family is under attack. 14:35 [Aud. reaction] PB: The sanctity of life 14:40 is being traded for sensual gratification. 14:43 The sanctity of marriage is being traded 14:46 for a redefinition of marriage. 14:48 The celibacy of singleness is being traded 14:51 for the multiplicity and assortment of a partner. 14:55 We are seeing the Christian values of selflessness being 14:58 traded for the consumer value of selfishness. 15:01 We're seeing Christian parents, including some 15:04 Seventh-Day Adventist parents, quietly allowing 15:08 their children's sports teams to pull the entire 15:11 family away from worship, fellowship and ministry 15:14 at church in pursuit of little league dreams. 15:20 We've traded Sabbath school for soccer. 15:23 We've traded vacation Bible school for volleyball. 15:29 We've changed and traded Pathfinders for play dates. 15:34 We've traded Adventurers for Angry Birds. 15:37 We've traded church school for charter school, public 15:43 school, and other private schools that may be good, 15:49 but they do not teach our Adventist core values. 15:54 A Kansas pastor was criticized back in '96 because 15:57 he prayed before the Kansas house of representatives. 15:59 He said, we've lost out spiritual equilibrium 16:02 and reversed our values. 16:04 He said, we've ridiculed the absolute truth of God's Word 16:07 and called it pluralism. 16:08 We've worshiped other gods and called it multiculturalism. 16:12 We've endorsed perversion and called it an alternative 16:14 lifestyle. 16:15 We've exploited the poor and called it the lottery. 16:18 We've rewarded laziness and we call it welfare. 16:21 We've killed our unborn and we call it a choice. 16:25 We've shot abortionists and called it justifiable. 16:28 We've neglected to discipline our children and we 16:31 call it building self-esteem. 16:33 We have abused power and we've called it politics. 16:36 We've coveted our neighbor's possessions 16:39 and we call it ambition. 16:40 We have polluted the air with pornography and profanity 16:44 and we've called it freedom of expression. 16:46 [Aud. reaction] PB: He said, we've ridiculed 16:49 the time-honored values of our forefathers and we 16:51 call it enlightenment. 16:53 Somebody at Oakwood, dial 9-1-1; our families 16:59 are under attack. 17:03 But even though we're under attack, my mind goes back 17:06 to the verse that says "Greater is he that is in me than 17:11 he that is in the world." 17:12 Which means, God is still on the throne. 17:15 God still sits high but looks down low. 17:19 It's time to reclaim our families for Jesus. 17:23 [Aud. reaction] PB: It's time to regain 17:25 our marriages that have been lost or are being lost 17:28 to divorce court. 17:30 It's time to understand single folks that, 17:33 if you're single, it's okay. 17:36 You're not an outcast because you're single. 17:39 You're not being punished because you're single. 17:42 You are not cursed because you're single. 17:46 You just need to wait until your change comes, 17:50 and understand that you must wait till your change comes 17:53 because it's better to be happily unmarried 17:56 than to be unhappily married. 18:02 Do I have a witness in this place? 18:04 It's time to rescue our children 18:07 that are in trouble. 18:08 It's time to recover everything the devil 18:10 has stolen from us. 18:12 It's time to get our families back. 18:15 If there is a problem under the almighty hand of God, 18:19 let the people of God fix it. 18:21 But somebody says, how do we fix it? 18:24 How do we fix such a huge cultural problem? 18:28 How do we fix such a growing church problem? 18:31 How do we stop a tsunami of godless values from 18:35 destroying our world, our nation, our church, 18:37 our community and our homes? 18:39 The answer lies in the words of the psalmist in Psalm 127:1. 18:43 "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain 18:53 that builds it. 18:56 Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman 19:01 waketh but in vain." 19:02 I like the way the Good News Bible puts it. 19:04 It says, "If the Lord does not build the house, 19:08 the work of the builders is useless. 19:11 If the Lord does not protect the city, it is useless 19:15 for the sentries to stand guard." 19:18 Now, this text is often used at our church openings, 19:22 church dedications, renovations. 19:24 It's applicable, however, here because if you study 19:27 the context of the verse, David writes this psalm 19:30 to Solomon, giving him some godly advice on starting 19:33 a family. 19:35 David mentions two things. 19:38 In verse 1, that God can do for any family. 19:40 David says, God can build your family. 19:45 Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain 19:49 that build it. 19:50 Now, David in the text, is not talking about 19:53 consecrating or constructing a house or a building per 19:57 se; David's talking about building a family 20:00 and if anybody ought to know about building a family, David 20:04 ought to know what to do and what not to do. 20:06 Do I have a witness in this place? 20:08 [Aud. reaction] PB: In the text, David 20:10 is acknowledging God as the master home builder. 20:13 And if we're going to stop the satanic attacks 20:16 on the family, we've got to God be God. 20:19 Let God build our homes. 20:20 Let God build our families. 20:22 If you want a home that will last and survive, then you'd 20:25 better let God be the master home builder. 20:28 God invented the family. 20:29 God instituted the family. 20:31 God created the family. 20:33 And if God created the family, God knows what's best 20:36 for the family, God knows what will work and won't work. 20:41 God is the creator; we are creation. 20:44 God is shepherd; we are sheep. 20:47 We've got to let God build the house. 20:51 Now, any builder will tell you on any house you've got 20:55 to have good walls. 20:58 You've got to have a good roof. 21:01 But a builder will tell you that if you don't have a good 21:04 foundation, the house will shift, the house will move, 21:12 and ultimately the house will fall. 21:15 Do I have a witness in this place? 21:17 [Aud. reaction] PB: That's why Jesus 21:19 told us that the wise man built his house upon the rock; 21:26 the foolish man built his house upon the what, 21:28 everybody? 21:29 Aud.: Sand. 21:30 PB: The rains came down; the floods came up. 21:33 The wise man's house stood; the foolish man's house fell. 21:38 Today, you'd better build your house on a solid 21:40 foundation. 21:41 You'd better build your house upon the solid rock, 21:44 on Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground 21:48 is sinking sand. 21:50 If you're married with children, build on the rock. 21:53 If you're single and by yourself, build on the rock. 21:57 [Aud. reaction] PB: Verse 1 continues. 22:02 "Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh 22:09 but in vain." 22:11 Which means not only number one, can God build our home, 22:16 but number two, God will protect our home. 22:21 What is a city? 22:22 A city is a group of families who live close together. 22:24 The word "watch" means to protect, to guard, to secure 22:29 and save. 22:30 David then is saying, not only will God build 22:33 your home, but God will protect. 22:37 God will guard. 22:39 God will save and secure your family. 22:44 The family needs protection in our world today. 22:47 The world we live in, friends, we know 22:49 it's not safe. 22:50 There are burglars out there, prowlers out there, 22:54 robbers out there, intruders out there, criminals out there, 22:59 thieves out there. 23:00 The world we live in is not safe, and we need protection 23:04 from evil, satanic forces. 23:06 The devil and his demons want nothing more but to break 23:10 up and destroy our families. 23:11 But, if we let God build the house, if we let God protect 23:16 the house, then no weapon formed against you 23:19 is going to prosper. 23:20 It won't work. 23:21 If God be for us, who can be against us? 23:26 Unless the Lord builds your home, everything you 23:29 do is going to be in vain. 23:32 Unless the Lord builds your home, you're going 23:34 to experience turmoil, trouble and trial. 23:37 Unless the Lord builds your home, your plans 23:41 are going to fail. 23:42 But today, let God be God. 23:43 Acknowledge who God is, that God is the master builder. 23:49 Let God build your house. 23:52 But how else do we stop the attack on the family? 23:56 In addition to letting God, acknowledging who God is, 24:00 number two, you've got to read the building manual. 24:02 [Aud. reaction] PB: You can't just know 24:06 the builder, but you've got to read the building 24:10 manual. 24:11 The B-I-B-L-E. 24:13 Yes, that's the book for me. 24:15 I stand alone on the Word of God. 24:19 The B-I-B-L-E. 24:20 There is a famine, listen to me, in the land, and it's 24:23 not for bread and water. 24:25 But there's a famine for the Word of God. 24:28 Let me tell you. 24:29 Let me be real. 24:30 Twenty-first century, people don't know the Bible like 24:33 they used to. 24:36 That's Christians, that's Seventh-Day Adventists. 24:40 Amen light. 24:41 Aud.: Amen. 24:42 PB: That's everybody. 24:43 We've got to return to Bible study, and that's not just 24:49 for new members. 24:51 That's old members too. 24:53 We've got to get back to the days where we have family 24:56 worship. 24:57 Where we read the Bible together. 25:00 If you have a large family, have family worship 25:03 and read the Bible. 25:05 If you have a small family, have small-family worship 25:08 and read the Bible. 25:09 If you just have you, yourself and I in your 25:12 house, have family worship by yourself, and read the Bible. 25:17 Somebody asked me one time, Well, you're talking 25:19 about having family worship by myself. 25:21 Hw do I have family worship by myself? 25:23 I say, easy. 25:25 Put a CD in, have praise and worship. 25:30 Y'all don't know what I'm talking about. 25:32 Twenty years ago, when I started in this conference, 25:35 I pastored a church that had two members. 25:37 And I would go to prayer meetings sometimes, 25:40 and it would be me, myself and I. 25:43 I did not shut the door, turn off the lights 25:46 of the church. 25:47 I cut on every light in that church. 25:49 I opened up every door in that church. 25:52 I took out--back then we had boomboxes. 25:54 Anybody remember those? 25:55 I put a cassette tape in my boombox. 25:58 I turned it up as loud as I could, and I would have 26:02 praise and worship in that church by myself. 26:05 I would read a passage of Scripture by myself. 26:09 I would then have a closing song--put another tape in. 26:12 Y'all don't hear what I'm saying. 26:14 [Aud. reaction] PB: And then me and Jesus 26:16 would have a benediction. 26:17 Do I have a witness in this place? 26:19 The Breath of Life gift offer this week is the book, 26:22 "The Ten Commandments Under Attack." God's law has 26:25 stirred controversy in recent years. 26:27 So, are the ten commandments out of date? 26:29 Offensive? 26:30 Find out how the ten commandments lay a solid 26:33 foundation for society and how each commandment 26:36 is so important to us every day. 26:38 Contributing authors include Dwight Nelson, 26:40 Clifford Goldstein and Mike Tucker. 26:42 There's also an introduction by Mark Finley. 26:44 Living by the ten commandments will bring blessings 26:46 to us, our families and our country. 26:49 "The Ten Commandments Under Attack" is yours for a gift 26:52 of $5 or more. 26:54 Just call our toll-free number: 877-BOL-OFFER. 26:57 That's 877-265-6333. 26:58 Please have your credit card ready when you call. 27:02 Or you may write us to request your copy. 27:07 Just send your check to Breath of Life, P.O. Box 340, 27:12 Newbury Park, CA 91319. 27:14 Get your copy of "The Ten Commandments Under Attack" 27:19 today. 27:20 PB: Thank you very much for tuning in and watching 27:22 Breath of Life today. 27:23 We do hope that you were blessed by our ministry and that we 27:27 gave a healing word in a hurting world. 27:31 In order for Breath of Life to continue in ministry, 27:34 we need you. 27:35 We need your prayers, we need your support. 27:38 We want you to know that any and all donations, 27:40 small or great, they are sincerely welcomed 27:43 and appreciated. 27:45 To contact us or to make your donations, please feel free 27:48 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, 28:03 P.O. Box 340, Newbury Park, CA 91319. 28:09 P.O. Box 340, Newbury Park, CA 91319. 28:14 Or log onto our website at www.BreathofLife.tv. 28:22 PB: We've got to return to Bible study, and that's not 28:24 just for new members. 28:25 That's old members, too. 28:26 We've got to get back to the days where we 28:30 have family worship. |
Revised 2015-02-05