Participants:
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000185A
|
00:01 Are you looking for an exciting change in your life? Well, get ready for a breath of new life.
00:06 Today, Dr. Byrd speaks on the topic "The State of The Dead." And now, here he is, 00:11 speaker/director of Breath of Life Ministries, Dr. Carlton Byrd. 00:18 PB:We have for the past two nights, and tonight our third night, we've been talking about death in so many words, 00:33 that the dead in Christ are going to rise what, everybody? 00:36 Aud: First. PB: Come on, the dead in Christ rise what? Aud: First. 00:38 PB: Then we which are alive remain shall be caught up together to meet the Lord in the what? 00:42 Aud: Air. PB: We talked about the fact that if the righteous at their earthly death went straight 00:47 to heaven, who would Jesus be coming back for? We talked about that and so tonight we dabble a little 00:53 bit on that, a little bit more, to understand exactly what is death. And what happens to a man, to a woman, 00:59 after death. Now, God is omnipotent. Everybody say omnipotent. Which means God is all powerful. 01:07 God can do any and everything. But not only is he omnipotent, God is omniscient, which means 01:14 that God knows everything. But then not only is he omnipotent and omniscient, God is omnipresent. 01:22 Which means God is everywhere at the same time. But not only that, God is sovereign. 01:29 Which means God can do what God wants when he wants where he wants and how he wants. 01:37 But not only is God sovereign, God is timeless. Which means God always was here, always has been here, 01:47 always will be here, always was and always is. And because God is timeless, God is immortal. 01:54 Everybody say immortal. Which means God can't die. He is uncreated, he is self-existent, 02:04 he has no beginning and he has no end. Now, on the other hand, human beings are mortal. 02:11 They are what, everybody? Mortal means by definition that you are subject to death. 02:17 As human beings we are subject to die. Now, I like saying this all the time when we try 02:24 to explain the word mortal, because we recognize that a lot of words are derived from the word mortal. 02:30 Now remember, mortal means we are subject to what, everybody? We are subject to death. 02:36 We are subject to die. Well then, if mortal means subject to death, mortuary means house of death, 02:43 mortician is somebody who works with the dead, and when you have a mortgage you pay it until you're dead. 02:50 But God is infinite and humans are finite. God is eternal. Humans are transitory. God is immortal. 03:07 Humans are mortal. No human being lives forever, because human beings are subject to death. 03:17 So we know we are supposed to die, but tonight we deal with what happens after we die. 03:22 The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 9: 5 and 6: "For the living know that they shall die: 03:29 but the dead know not any thing." Let's try that one more time. For the living know that they 03:34 shall what, everybody? Die, but the dead know not what? Aud: Anything. 03:39 PB: Now, we're going to talk about this tomorrow. But let me throw it out here tonight. 03:42 How many days are there in a week? Come on, how many days are there in a week? 03:46 In six days God created this earth. There are seven days in a week, 03:52 but in six days God created this earth, and on day six God created man. 03:59 God created whom, everybody? God created man. Genesis 1:1 says, In the beginning God 04:04 created the heavens and the what? Come on, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the what? 04:10 Aud: Earth. PB: Verse number 26, and God said, let us make man. Let us make whom, everybody? 04:16 Now, I love this text because it proves the fact that God made man. Man did not come from monkey. 04:23 Man came from God. Man did not come from a big bang theory, but man came from God. God said, let us make man. 04:35 Notice in the text. The Bible does not say, and God said, let me make man. But the text says, God said, 04:42 let us make man. Pointing to the plurality in the Godhead. God the Father, God the Son, 04:48 and God the Holy Spirit. Don't let anyone tell you that Jesus was just a good, nice man. 04:55 Jesus was God. God said, let us make man. Not me, but us. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 05:03 John 1:1, in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God and then 05:10 the word became flesh. Jesus is God, Holy Spirit is God, and the Father is God. They are three in one. 05:20 How did God create man in the beginning? Go with me to the Book of Genesis. 05:24 What Book did I say, everybody? And let's go to the beginning. Go to Genesis, 05:28 Chapter 2 and we're going to verse 7. Genesis 2:7. The Word of God says to us, 05:38 if you have it, let me hear you say Amen. The Word of God says in Genesis 2:7, 05:43 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the what? And breathed into his nostrils 05:49 the breath of what? Aud: Life. PB: And man became a living what? Aud: Soul. 05:53 PB: One more time. The Lord God formed man of the dust of the what, everybody? Ground. 05:57 Breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. And man then became a living what? 06:02 Aud: Soul. PB: So, how did God create man in the beginning? Number one, he took dust. 06:06 He took what, everybody? And then he took the breath of what? Aud: Life. 06:10 PB: And then man became a living what? Aud: Soul 06:12 PB: In order for God to have created man he took dust of the what? Ground. 06:16 He took the breath of what? And man became a living what? Aud: Soul. 06:21 PB: If I have dust, but I don't have breath, do I have a living soul? Aud: No. 06:25 PB: If I don't have dust, but I do have breath, do I have a living soul? No. 06:28 Either way I don't have a living soul, because in order for me to be a living soul, 06:32 it takes dust of the ground, breathing into man's nostrils the breath of what, everybody? 06:36 And then man becomes a living what? Aud: Soul. 06:39 PB: All right. That's how we're formed. So now let's talk about the reverse of that process. 06:44 We know how we got here, dust of the ground, breath of life, man became a living soul. 06:49 What the reverse of that? Go to the Book of Ecclesiastes. What book did I say, everybody? 06:53 Remember, know what you believe, know why you believe it, know where it's found. 06:57 Get some Word in you. Remember, you've got to know what you're shouting about. 07:00 Preaching is not just decibel level. If you're going to shout, say something worth shouting about. 07:04 So, let's find out what the Word of God says. Ecclesiastes, Chapter 12, verse 7. Ecclesiastes 12:7. 07:13 If you have it let me hear you say Amen. The Word says, Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: 07:19 and the spirt shall return unto whom, everybody? Shall return unto whom? God, who gave it. 07:26 So, let's understand what's going on. In order for one to be created, God took dust of the what? Ground. 07:31 Breathed into its nostrils the breath of what, everybody? Aud: Life. 07:35 PB: And man became a living what? Aud: Soul. 07:37 PB: Now, we just read from Ecclesiastes 12:7, that at death then shall the dust return to the what? 07:44 Aud: Ground. PB: So that means then the dust of the ground returns to what it was and then the Bible says, 07:49 the spirit shall return to whom, everybody? God who gave it. Now, this is where a lot of people 07:54 misunderstand the spirit. Because a lot of people try to equate the spirit with the soul. 08:00 Are you hearing what I'm saying? People try to equate and say, well, the soul goes back to God. 08:06 Well, we just read from Genesis 2:7, dust of the ground, breath of life, man became a living what? 08:11 Aud: Soul. PB: We just read, if you don't have dust, but you have breath, you can't have 08:15 a living soul or the converse of that. If you have breath but don't have dust, vice versa, 08:20 you can't have a living soul. Now, we just read from the Bible that when a body, a person, dies, 08:25 their body returns to dust. Then it says, the spirit returns to God. But how do we know if the spirit 08:32 is the breath or whether the spirit is the soul? How do we know that the spirit is the breath and not the soul? 08:47 The Bible is clear. Body returns to dust, spirit returns to God. But what happens to the soul, 08:53 or is the soul spirit or is the spirit the breath of life? 08:56 Take your Bible and go to the Book of Job. What book, everybody? Let's find out what the Word of God says. 09:02 It gives us the answer. Remember, not my will but thy will be done. Job, Chapter 27, verse 3. Job 27:3. 09:13 Right before the Book of Psalm. If you have it let me hear you say Amen. The Word says in Job 27:3, 09:23 All the while my breath is where? In me and the spirit of whom? Come on, the spirit of whom? 09:29 Aud: God. PB: Is in my what? Aud: Nostrils. 09:32 PB: Now, we read from Genesis 2:7 the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and 09:38 breathed in his what? Come on, breathed in his nostrils the breath of what? Aud: Life. 09:44 PB: And man became a living soul. Then Job 27:3 says, all the while my breath is where? 09:49 In me and the spirit of whom? Aud: God. PB: Is in my what? Aud: Nostrils. 09:55 PB: So the spirit of God is in my nostrils and the breath of God is in me, 09:59 then that must mean then that the spirit is equated or synonymous with the breath. 10:06 Not the soul. Are you hearing what I'm saying? The spirit is the breath. 10:10 All the while breath is in me and the spirit of God is in my nostrils. 10:15 God breathed into my nostrils the breath of life. The spirit is the breath of life. 10:21 So then when a person dies, the body returns to what? Dust. The spirit returns to whom? God. 10:26 And the spirit is the breath. The spirit is the what, everybody? It's not the soul, but the breath, 10:32 which means then, if you don't have dust, you don't have breath, you can't have a soul. 10:37 So when you don't have dust, you don't have breath. The soul then ceases to exist. 10:44 God formed man of dust and made a body. He then combined his breath with his body and 10:47 man became a living soul. The biblical definition for a soul is body plus breath equal living soul. 10:57 One more time, body plus what? Breath equal living what? Dust of the ground, the breath of life is 11:05 also the spirit of God and when you don't have either of them, the soul ceases to what, everybody? 11:11 Aud: Exist. PB: Now, a living, breathing being is a soul. What the Bible's trying to tell 11:17 us is the fact that we are souls. The truth is we don't have souls. The truth is we are souls. 11:27 I don't have a soul, I am a soul. We are souls. Not that we have souls. And when the soul sins, 11:36 according to Ezekiel 18:4, the soul that sinneth it shall die. That makes sense that when I die then, 11:43 my body returns to dust, the spirit returns to God, there is no more soul. My soul ceases to exist. 11:50 Because I don't have a soul, I am a soul. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. 12:00 So then at death, because the soul that sinneth it shall die, the body returns to dust, 12:05 the spirit returns to God, and the soul ceases to exist. I said all of this to say what? 12:15 Dead people are dead. I've said all of that to say that dead people are dead. What do I mean? 12:31 Take your Bibles. You're in Job. Go to Job, Chapter 7. Job, Chapter what, everybody? 12:35 Come on quickly. Let's give you some Word. Job 7 and we going to verse 9. Job 7:9. 12:42 Dead people are dead. The Word of God says, As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: 12:50 so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. He shall return no more to his house, 12:56 neither shall his place know him any more. What am I trying to say? Dead people can't 13:01 go back and haunt houses. Why? Dead people are what, everybody? Dead people are what, everybody? 13:09 Well, Mama was talking to me. No, Mama wasn't. You just ate before you went to sleep. 13:14 The dead do not come back to your house, because dead people are what, everybody? Aud: Dead. 13:19 PB: Let's get some more. Go to Job 14 and we're going to verse 12. Job 14:12, the Word of God says, 13:28 "So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised 13:33 out of their sleep." Verse 21: "His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, 13:39 but he perceiveth it not of them." What am I trying to say? Dead people do not know what their loved 13:45 ones on earth are doing, because dead people are what, everybody? They're dead. 13:49 Let's get some more. Go to the Book of Psalms and we're going to Psalms 6, verse 5. 13:56 Psalms 6:5, the Word of God says, "For in death there is no more remembrance of thee: 14:05 in the grave who shall give thee thanks?" Which is what we're trying to say. 14:10 The dead do not remember or give thanks. Why? Dead people are what? Dead. 14:16 That's why while I've got life in my body, while I've got God's breath in my body, 14:21 I'm going to give God a praise. I'm going to give God some thanks, because the dead 14:27 cannot give thanks because the dead are what, everybody? Aud: Dead. 14:31 PB: Go to Psalms 115, talking about praising the Lord. Psalm 115 and we're going to verse 17. 14:38 Psalms 115:17, the Word of God says to us tonight. If you have it let me hear you say Amen. 14:47 The Word says: "The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence." 14:55 Dead people don't praise God because dead people are what? Dead people are what? 15:00 Dead people are dead. Dead people do not praise God because dead people are dead. 15:04 Psalm 146, verse 4. The Word of God says to us tonight: "His breath goeth forth, 15:17 he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." Dead people can't 15:25 think because dead people are what, everybody? Dead people are dead. Dead people 15:32 do not go haunt houses because dead people are what? Dead people do not know what 15:37 their loved ones on earth are doing because dead people are what? Dead people do not 15:41 remember or give thanks because dead people are what? Dead people do not praise the 15:45 Lord because dead people are what? Dead people do not think because dead people are what, everybody? 15:50 Because when a person dies their body returns to dust, the spirit returns to God, the soul 15:57 ceases to exist, because dead people are what? Aud: Dead. 16:01 PB: Now let me show you how this all works together. Are we ready now? 16:08 Let's show you how all this works together. At Jesus' second coming the Bible says there's 16:15 going to be a resurrection. And this is the first resurrection, which is a good resurrection 16:20 because blessed and holy is he that have part in the first resurrection. At Jesus' second coming 16:26 the dead in Christ are going to rise what? Aud: First. 16:29 PB: Then we which are alive, the righteous living, are going to be caught up to meet the Lord in the what? 16:33 Aud: Air. PB: If we were already in heaven there would be nobody to rise. 16:36 Why would Jesus need to come back to redeem people who were already with him? The fact is, 16:43 Mama and Daddy aren't in heaven because the Bible says when they die the body returns to dust, 16:49 the spirit returns to God, the soul ceases to exist. When Jesus comes back, the dead in Christ 16:55 are going to rise first and the righteous living are caught up to meet with the Lord in the air. 16:59 When Lazarus died, Lazarus did not go straight to heaven because if he had Jesus would have said, 17:05 Lazarus, come down. But Jesus said, Lazarus, come forth. (Applause) 17:12 PB: He was in the grave. He was not in heaven. Jesus said, come forth. 17:22 Righteous dead rise first. Righteous living are caught up to meet the Lord in the what? 17:31 Aud: The air. PB: The wicked living die at the brightness of his what? 17:34 PB: The wicked dead remain what, everybody? They remain dead for how long? How long, everybody? 17:39 A thousand years, because there's a second resurrection at the end of the one thousand years. 17:46 This is a resurrection of the wicked. We talked about it Sunday night. Why would God resurrect wicked people 17:53 only for them to die again? Because at the end of the one thousand years, this is the only time in earth's 17:59 history where all of us who have ever lived will be alive at the same time. Everybody who's lived on this earth, 18:06 we must be alive, because the prophecy must come to pass that one day every knee is going to bow, 18:11 every tongue is going to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. At his first coming he comes to save his people. 18:20 At his second coming he comes to get his people. And at his third coming, he's coming back with his people. 18:29 Hallelujah, somebody. But Satan is alive. He wants us to believe that dead are alive and can be contacted. 18:39 But the Bible says the living know that they shall die, but the dead know not anything. The dead are dead. 18:47 So, you know what? Leave all this voodoo, these Ouija boards, these crazy spirits alone. I tell people, 19:00 some people get offended, but I tell it like it is. If the Lord said it, you can count on it. 19:05 If it ain't in the Word, it doesn't deserve to be heard. I wish I had a witness in this place. 19:09 Understand, that's why I can't deal with crazy spirits. If you don't believe in the spirit of God, 19:16 then you need to get from around me. I don't ask everybody to pray for me because if you ain't 19:21 praying to God's Holy Spirit. Sometimes when I go visit folk in the hospital room, there are people 19:27 in there with doubting, faithless spirits. I got to say, get out of this room. God has sent me to 19:33 clean this room out. Because if you don't believe that my God can just speak a word, can say a word, 19:40 can touch somebody, then you have no business praying to my God. 19:45 Isaiah 20 says, to the Lord, to the testimony. If they speak not according to this Word it is 19:53 because there is no light in them. Let me tell you something. Can I preach a minute? Satan knows 19:59 the Bible better than you. Satan can quote Scripture better than you. Satan can preach better than you. 20:06 If Satan will tempt Adam and Eve, if Satan will tempt Jesus, don't you know he will tempt you. 20:13 Satan will transform himself into an angel of light. He's not in a red suit. He does not have horns 20:21 sticking out of his head. He does not have a tail coming out of his backside. Satan is not walking 20:26 around with a pitchfork. Some of you work for the devil. Some of you live with the devil. 20:33 Satan will transform himself into an angel of light, making him pure as a minister. 20:40 He'll deceive you on the Word. He'll deceive you on life. He'll deceive you on death. 20:45 He'll deceive you on resurrection power, making you think that he has power to give life 20:51 and resurrect, but Satan can't resurrect anybody. Satan can't give life. Only Jesus can give life. 21:01 He said, I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly. He said, I am the resurrection 21:11 and the life. At the cross, Satan thought he had defeated Jesus. 21:16 But he went and died on Friday, laid resting in the grave on the Sabbath, ---. 21:25 Jesus got up because Jesus said I am the resurrection and the life, and because he lives, I live. 21:34 I serve a risen Savior. He's in the world today. Behold I show you a mystery that one day we 21:44 shall not all seek, but one day in a moment, in a twinkle of an eye, we shall be changed. 21:52 This mortal will put on immortality. This corruptible will put on incorruption. 21:58 And death will be swallowed up in victory. Victory is mine. Victory is mine. 22:05 Victory today is when we all get to heaven. What a day that's going to be when we all see Jesus. 22:17 We're going to sing and shout. Someone give him glory in this place. Somebody give him honor in this place. 22:25 God's at work. God we praise. The devil's alive. I'm going to stop. The devil's alive. The devil is scared. 22:36 He knows he has but a short time. Death is not a period, only a comma in the story of life. Because he's coming back. 22:47 Again. Yes, he's coming back. Glory Hallelujah. Glory Hallelujah. Bless his name. Lift him up. Praise God. 23:01 Praise God. He's coming back again. Dear God, I have to praise right now. 23:09 (Continuous music) PB: Big Mama is not looking down on you. Big Daddy is not looking down on you. 23:23 The body has returned to dust. The spirit has returned to God. And the soul ceases to exist. 23:35 If they were already in heaven, who would Jesus come back and get? I don't know who told you. 23:42 I'm not mad at who told you that. All I know is the devil is alive. You better read the Bible 23:53 and go to the Bible for yourself. Yes, soon and very soon. I don't know about you, 24:02 but I'm going to see the King. No more dying. No more crying. No more sickness. No more pain. 24:12 Hallelujah. Hallelujah. We're going to see. Let's go to screen, quickly, quickly. Let's go to screen. 24:23 Sanctify them through they what, everybody? Thy truth, because thy word is what? Now understand. 24:30 God's truth is most important, because it's God's truth that's going to set you free. 24:37 Now let me tell you. I know this may be unpopular with some people, but if God said it, friends of mine, 24:43 that settles it. I wish I had a witness in this place. Whether you believe it or not, if God said it, 24:49 that settles it. That's the end of the matter. If God said it. The Bible says the Lord God formed 24:56 man of the dust of the what, everybody? Dust of the what, everybody? And breathed into his 25:01 nostrils the breath of what? And man became a living what? Man became a living what, everybody? 25:07 Which means then, dust plus breath of life, which is the spirit, is equivalent to a living what? 25:15 A living soul. Then the dust will return to earth as it was and the spirit returns to whom, everybody? 25:22 God, who gave it in the first place. Behold, all souls are mine. As the soul of the prophet, 25:28 so also the soul of the son, is mine. The soul that sinneth, it shall what, everybody? Marvel 25:34 not at this for the hour is coming in the which that all that are in the grave shall hear his what? 25:41 Hear his voice. God's voice. The voice of Jesus. Satan does not have power over life and death. 25:47 Are you hearing what I'm saying? If he had power over life and death, he would have killed Job, 25:52 but he couldn't do because he don't have that kind of power. Are you hearing what I'm saying? 25:56 The day is coming when all who are in the grave will hear Jesus' voice. They shall come forth. 26:01 They that have done good unto the resurrection of what, everybody? Light. 26:05 They that have done evil to the resurrection of damnation. For the Lord himself shall 26:11 descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God 26:16 and the dead in Christ shall rise what? Then we which are alive remain to be caught up 26:21 together with him in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with 26:27 the Lord wherefore comfort one another with these words. You will never be the same again, 26:34 because you have not. You will never be able to be lied to again about this because you know 26:40 what the Word of God says. You hear people all the time, oh, they're in a better place. 26:44 They're in the grave. Are you hearing what I'm saying? Jesus said comfort one another with 26:49 the words that when I will come back the dead in Christ I will rise first then. 26:53 So, remember at Jesus' second coming there are four primary groups of people. 26:57 Number one, the righteous dead, they rise what? Number two, the righteous living are caught 27:02 up to meet the Lord in the what? Number three, the wicked living die at the brightness of his what? 27:08 And then, number four, the wicked dead remain what, everybody? Because if all the righteous went to 27:14 heaven when they died, then who would Jesus be coming back to get at his second coming? 27:20 The righteous do not go to heaven at death, because if they did there would be no one 27:24 for Jesus to come and get. Satan wants to deceive people into thinking that dead people 27:32 are alive and can be contacted, but dead people are what, everybody? Dead. 27:36 The living know that they shall die, but the dead know not anything and they have 27:42 no more reward, for the memory of them is what, everybody? Also, their love, 27:45 their hatred, and their envy have now perished, never more will they have a share 27:50 in anything done under the sun. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth. 27:57 In that very day his thoughts do what, everybody? They perish. So, understanding 28:04 this making clear we are not to seek counsel from astrologers, fortunetellers, 28:06 Thank you for joining us for another exciting broadcast. 28:10 We'd like you to partner with us as we offer the Breath of Life to a dying world. 28:15 All of our sermon titles and DVDs can be purchased at www.breathoflife.tv. 28:22 Until next time, God loves you. END |
Revised 2015-04-03