xciting
00:00:01.30\00:00:06.36
change in your life? Well, get
ready for a breath of new life.
00:00:01.30\00:00:06.36
Byrd.
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Now I want you to read with me,
Matthew 2:1...Matthew 2:1 ...if
you have it let me hear you say
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amen. Dr. Carlton Byrd: Matthew
2:1, the Word says, "Now when
Jesus was born in Bethlehem of
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Judaea in the days of Herod the
king, behold, there came" what
kind of men? Come on, talk to
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me. What kind of men? "Wise men
from the east to Jerusalem,
Saying, Where is He that is born
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King of the Jews? for we have
seen His star in the east, and
are come to worship Him. When
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Herod the king had heard these
things, he was troubled, and all
Jerusalem with him." worshipped
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him: and when they had opened
their treasures, they presented
unto him gifts; gold, and
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frankincense and myrrh. Lessons
from the wise men. Father God,
now speak to us. We've sung,
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we've prayed, but now we need a
word from you. Hide me behind
your cross and forgive us for
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our sins, we pray, in
Jesus' name. Amen. the season.
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we know why He was born.
Although we don't know how Jesus
was born, we do know for whom
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Jesus was born. word.
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Death and destruction would no
longer have the last word.
Racism and retribution would no
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longer have the
last word. trouble.
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and he has promised you and me
many mansions. You have to wait
in line to see Santa. I was in
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Houston this past weekend, Jesus
is the Reason for the season. Do
I have a witness in this place?
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And when you understand this,
friends, the Christmas holiday
and the holidays in general will
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take on new meaning for you,
because what will happen is, you
will make up your mind that
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whether or not you get a gift,
that whether or not you're
invited to a Christmas party,
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because you'll remember that two
thousand years ago, hallelujah,
God gave you the best gift you
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could ever receive. world? But
Herod, in his conniving way,
tells the wise men, he says, go
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find Jesus, and when they do,
they let him know where they are
so he can come too and worship
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the newborn king, like he wanted
to worship Jesus. I wish I had
time to unpack that. Verse 9
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says that when they had heard
the king, they departed, and lo,
the star, which they saw in the
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east, went before them, till it
came and stood over where the
young child was. Number one.
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These wise men were looking for
the star. Now, there were a lot
of stars in the sky. but it was
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divinely designed that they
would see this star and get to
the star just as had been
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promised. So the star, then, was
just a supernatural
demonstration of the
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manifestation of the prophetic
promise. The star was a symbol
that God was getting ready to
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move his people in a new
dimension. In other words,
friends of mine, the thing that
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had been prophesied had come to
pass when the star had shown in
Bethlehem. Whenever God gets
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ready to do something big, God
always gives evidence. God
always gives a sign that God is
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getting ready to make a major
shift in the lives of His
people. God did it with a cloud
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of fire by day and a pillar of
fire by night for the
Israelites, and then God does it
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in this text with a star to lead
the wise men. I'm looking out
for the next shift in the
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spirits when God is getting
ready to do something in my
life, when God is getting ready
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to do something in your life,
when God is getting ready to do
something in the life of this
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church, get ready for the shift.
And when you sense the shifting
of the spirit of God, Aud:
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Position. Get in position, get
in place. The Bible says the
star took the wise men to where
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Jesus was, and I don't know
about you, but I want to be
where Jesus is. You can go where
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you want, but I want to go
anywhere with Jesus. and so the
wise men followed the star. So
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if you're going to be wise,
lesson number one from the wise
men, Do I have a witness in this
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place? Number two. When you see
Jesus, you ought to learn how to
rejoice. Now, to understand
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their joy, let's talk about joy
for a minute, because as I get
older I recognize that there are
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many people who mistake joy for
happiness. Joy and happiness are
not the same thing. Joy is more
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than happiness. Happiness is
motivated by an external
reality. Happiness creates an
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internal response based on some
external stimuli. But when,
friends of mine, I know who my
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God is, when I know what God has
done in my life, it doesn't make
a difference what happens on the
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outside because it's based on
who I know on the inside. Joy is
not based on an external
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reality. Joy is based on an
internal revelation. Which means
joy can't be taken from you. Joy
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can't be stolen from you. This
joy that I have, the world
didn't give it, and the world
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can't take it away. Which means
that this joy that I have,
people can't take it from me
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because people didn't give it to
me in the first place. The devil
can take what he wants, but he
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can't take my joy. My joy is not
based on some external stimuli
but my joy is based on internal
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reality. Happiness is fleeting
and temporary. But joy is
enduring and everlasting. My joy
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is based on the knowledge that
Jesus is my King. The Bible says
they rejoiced with exceeding
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great joy. They were delighted.
They were blissful. They were
elated. They had joy. And
00:14:25.60\00:14:33.83
friends, when I look now at this
being the final Sabbath of 2014,
when I look back over what God
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has done in my life, He started
out this year giving my wife and
me a healthy baby girl,
00:14:40.16\00:14:47.36
hallelujah, somebody. but
understand, my joy is not
dictated by 11:00 am worship at
00:14:47.36\00:15:29.46
Oakwood. My joy is not dictated
by what somebody gives me. I
have joy in my house, joy in my
00:15:29.46\00:15:37.56
car, joy when I come to church.
This is joy unspeakable. And
when I follow Jesus, and when I
00:15:37.56\00:15:44.30
find Jesus, I have joy. But not
only did they have joy. Lesson
number three, the Bible says
00:15:44.30\00:15:51.56
they worshipped. They did what,
everybody? They worshipped
Jesus. Go to verse 11, the (a)
00:15:51.56\00:15:58.96
portion. Verse 11, the (a)
portion, says, "And when they
were come into the house, they
00:15:58.96\00:16:11.73
saw the young child with Mary
his mother, and they fell down,
and" did what, everybody?" Aud:
00:16:11.73\00:16:17.13
Worshipped. When I walk up in
the Oakwood church, when I walk
up into God's sanctuary, when I
00:16:17.13\00:16:27.33
come into the presence of God,
something happens when I move
from the outside to the inside.
00:16:27.33\00:16:37.66
When you come to this point in
your life and you understand
that bowing down is an act of
00:16:37.66\00:16:47.33
submission, you understand who
Jesus is, that Jesus is King of
Kings. Anybody know He's King of
00:16:47.33\00:16:55.70
Kings? That he's Lord of Lords.
You ought to worship Him--listen
to me good--for who He is. Not
00:16:55.70\00:17:00.60
just for what He's done. Not
just for what He's going to do.
But you learn to worship Him for
00:17:00.60\00:17:08.53
who He is. And friends, if you
don't bow down now, one day you
will be made to bow down.
00:17:08.53\00:17:14.66
Because my Bible says the day is
coming where every knee shall
bow and every tongue is going to
00:17:14.66\00:17:24.13
confess that Jesus is Lord.
Everything you have is because
of who He is. It's not always
00:17:24.13\00:17:43.76
about the what of God, but the
who of God. Too many of us want
the what of God and not the who
00:17:43.76\00:17:58.40
of God. What can God get for me?
What can God do for me? Seven
ways to this, five ways to that.
00:17:58.40\00:18:02.70
Can God get me a house? Can God
get me a car? Can God get me a
job? If I'm a single woman, can
00:18:02.70\00:18:08.60
God get me a man? If I'm a
single man, can God get me a
woman? Your problem is, you're
00:18:08.60\00:18:29.30
looking at the what and not the
who. Well, who is God? Every day
someone's asking the same
00:18:29.30\00:18:41.00
question. Is God hiding His face
from our problems? Why do bad
things happen to good people?
00:18:41.00\00:18:50.60
Does God really hold my destiny
in His hands? The Breath of Life
Ministry has the perfect answer
00:18:50.60\00:18:57.30
in a beautiful new book called
"How Can I Understand the
Bible." It's your gift free with
00:18:57.30\00:19:08.73
your donation of any amount.
Contact us at
www.breathoflife.tv. Or call us
00:19:08.73\00:19:15.83
at 1-877-265-6333. Now, back to
Dr. Byrd with a message already
in progress. Dr. Byrd: I'll tell
00:19:15.83\00:19:23.63
you who God is. Let me tell you
this way. Christmastime. It was
prophesied who God is. Who God
00:19:23.63\00:19:30.86
is in Isaiah, chapter 9. One
thousand years before Jesus, the
Son of God, even came to this
00:19:30.86\00:20:01.83
earth. But somebody's still
asking, who is He? Verse 6
continues in Isaiah 9. It says,
00:20:01.83\00:20:08.16
"His name shall be called
Wonderful." Everybody say
wonderful. Aud: Wonderful. Let
00:20:08.16\00:20:34.36
me stop right there, because
someone's still not getting it.
let me help you understand. If
00:20:34.36\00:20:43.73
something and somebody asks you,
what was it like? and you
couldn't find the words, all you
00:20:43.73\00:21:00.63
could say is, wonderful. How's
that new car? Wonderful. How's
that new house? Wonderful. How's
00:21:00.63\00:21:05.90
that new baby? Wonderful. How's
your husband, how's your wife,
how are your kids? Wonderful.
00:21:05.90\00:21:12.03
Has anybody ever had that kind
of relationship with God that He
is so good to you that you just
00:21:12.03\00:21:18.83
say, wonderful. I mean, when it
crosses your mind, wonderful.
When you look back over your
00:21:18.83\00:21:26.96
life, wonderful. Well, I may not
be bowling down your street, you
may not see Him as wonderful,
00:21:26.96\00:21:36.30
but maybe you understand
"Counsellor." I'll be your
direction, I'll be your
00:21:36.30\00:21:45.63
guidance, I'll be your advice,
I'll be your counsel. But then
maybe he's not wonderful to you,
00:21:45.63\00:21:54.13
maybe he's not counselor, but
then maybe you understand
"mighty God." He's a mighty God.
00:21:54.13\00:21:59.93
He kept you from divorce court.
He's a mighty God. He dried your
weeping eye; He's a mighty God.
00:21:59.93\00:22:08.63
He kept you from losing your
mind; He's a mighty God. He kept
you when you lost that son, when
00:22:08.63\00:22:18.13
you lost that daughter, I wish
somebody knew that He's a mighty
God. He's the one that when the
00:22:18.13\00:22:24.56
enemy came against you, He said,
no weapon formed to get you is
going to prosper because He's a
00:22:24.56\00:22:33.70
mighty God. Well, maybe you
don't understand that. You don't
understand wonderful, you don't
00:22:33.70\00:22:53.06
understand the counselor, you
don't understand He's a mighty
God. So you say, who is He?
00:22:53.06\00:22:58.20
Well, the text said he is now an
everlasting Father. You do know
what everlasting means.
00:22:58.20\00:23:11.93
Everlasting means it transcends
time. God says, I'm Alpha and
Omega. He says, I'm the
00:23:11.93\00:23:18.03
beginning and I'm the end. He
says, I'm the first and I'm the
last. God said, nobody made me.
00:23:18.03\00:23:34.06
I made myself. I am
self-existent. I am uncreated.
Nobody put me in position. God
00:23:34.06\00:23:41.46
says, you didn't vote me in and
you can't vote me out. God says,
the buck stops with me. He says,
00:23:41.46\00:23:53.06
I'm God, I'm CEO of the
universe. King of kings and Lord
of lords. He says, I'm not bound
00:23:53.06\00:24:08.10
by your time clock. Because
before there was a sun, moon or
stars, there was God. Before a
00:24:08.10\00:24:16.33
man and a woman, water or whale
or wind, there was God. Before a
day, a week, a month, there was
00:24:16.33\00:24:34.73
God. Before there was anybody to
sing a song to Him, pray a
prayer to Him, preach a sermon
00:24:34.73\00:24:42.40
for Him, there was God. Jesus,
who was born 2,000 years after
Abraham, yet He said He was
00:24:42.40\00:25:07.10
before Abraham. Jesus, who was
David's son, was also David's
Lord. Jesus, who was Abraham's
00:25:07.10\00:25:18.40
seed, was also Abraham's Savior.
but then he turned around and
took a fatherless man from the
00:25:18.40\00:25:53.96
body of a woman in redemption.
He's the everlasting Father. But
then, maybe He's just Prince of
00:25:53.96\00:26:20.53
Peace. When the devil was
messing with your mind, and you
didn't know how you were going
00:26:20.53\00:26:33.43
to come out, but Jesus said,
"I'll keep you in perfect peace
if you just keep your mind
00:26:33.43\00:26:40.10
stayed on me. I've learned in
life peace is not the absence of
tension, but peace is security
00:26:40.10\00:26:45.56
in the midst of tension. It's
not the what of God, but the who
of God. And friends of mine, on
00:26:45.56\00:26:57.26
this final Sabbath of 2014,
you've got to make up in your
mind that if God does nothing
00:26:57.26\00:27:06.73
else for you, and I know that
sounds good, if you don't get a
Christmas card from anybody, and
00:27:06.73\00:27:20.06
you get to the point in your
Christian experience that you
say, Lord, I just worship you
00:27:20.06\00:27:24.93
for who you are, I just worship
you because you're Jehovah
Jireh, you're my provider, I
00:27:24.93\00:27:34.66
just want to bless your name
because you're Jehovah Nissi, my
banner. I worship you because of
00:27:34.66\00:27:40.13
who you are. Then finally, the
fourth lesson from the wise men:
that you've got to give God
00:27:40.13\00:27:46.06
thanks, and show him thanks with
appreciation. gold, and
frankincense and myrrh." Quickly
00:27:46.06\00:27:54.83
here, I don't have time to go
through it all, but let me just
say this to you: People always
00:27:54.83\00:28:02.86
say and think that there were
three wise men. But the Bible
never quantifies the number of
00:28:02.86\00:28:09.83
wise men. Are you hearing what
I'm saying? Now, gold was worth
a lot. It was an appropriate
00:28:09.83\00:28:12.93
gift for a king. Frankincense
was incense. Jesus, the Messiah,
was going to have to die. So at
00:28:12.93\00:28:16.10
his birth he had to get the gift
of gold as the king, he had to
get frankincense as the incense
00:28:16.10\00:28:21.73
and prayers going to heaven. But
he also had to get myrrh as an
embalming perfume because there
00:28:21.73\00:28:22.73