Participants: Carlton P. Byrd
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000538A
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00:01 Breath Of Life Ministries Presents
00:06 Sermom 538 "Three Days Left" 00:13 [Breath of Life theme music] 00:20 PB: Luke chapter 24 and verse number 1. 00:29 The Word says to us, "Now upon the first day of the week, 00:36 very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, 00:38 bringing the spices which they had prepared, 00:40 and certain others with them. And they found 00:43 the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. 00:46 And they entered in, and found not the body 00:49 of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, 00:52 as they were much perplexed thereabout, 00:54 behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: 01:00 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their 01:03 faces to the earth, they said unto them, 01:04 Why seek ye the living among the dead? 01:09 He is not here, but is risen: remember 01:13 how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, 01:17 saying, The Son of man must be delivered into 01:22 the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, 01:27 and the third day rise again." 01:34 The title of our message for today, 01:38 "Three Days Left." Three days left. 01:53 Father, in the name of Jesus, 01:57 through the intercession of the Holy Ghost, 01:59 remove all distraction right now that Lord, 02:03 we might be ready to receive Your word 02:06 for us this day. We praise You in advance 02:11 for what You're going to do. May Your 02:14 Holy Spirit reign and rule in me today 02:17 that this word might reach and penetrate 02:21 the hearts of Your people. In Jesus' 02:25 name we pray, begging You to 02:27 forgive us of our sins. Amen. 02:30 Three days left. We are now entering 02:41 what I call "voter fatigue" in this 02:46 presidential election. Anybody know 02:49 what I'm talking about? [Aud. reaction] 02:51 PB: Is there anybody today who's just tired? 02:55 [Aud. reaction] PB: Is there anyone else 02:58 outside of me who is saying enough already? 03:02 For the past year and a half, we've endured 03:08 primaries, debates, speeches, promises, 03:15 name calling, insults, accusations, 03:23 what you think somebody said, what you think 03:28 somebody meant when they said what they said, 03:30 and what somebody actually said. And so today- 03:36 -and those who are watching by television may 03:38 be watching after the election is complete- 03:40 -but we're three days before the election. 03:43 Today all I've got to say is thank You, Jesus. 03:47 [Aud. reaction] PB: Three days left. 03:51 We've heard about emails; we've heard about 03:58 tax returns; we've heard about border walls; 04:04 just three days left. We've heard about 04:11 Russian hackers; we've heard about the FBI; 04:16 we've heard about sexual assaults; 04:22 we've heard about everything, but now thank You, 04:26 Jesus, we have three days left. One candidate is 04:35 referred to as a car wreck; the other candidate 04:39 is referred to as a drunk driver. We have three 04:45 days left. We've heard it all during this election year, 04:51 because an election year is when a lot of 04:53 politicians get free speech mixed up with 04:56 cheap talk. But praise God, we have three days left. 05:05 Now, it's interesting because literally today 05:08 we actually have three days left to the election, 05:12 but three is an important number. Three is the 05:18 number of times--past, present, future; birth, life, 05:27 death; beginning, middle, end. 05:33 Three is an important number. 05:38 Three is in the Bible. Noah had three sons, 05:44 Shem, Ham, Japheth. There were three patriarchs: 05:51 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Balaam beat his 05:56 donkey three times. Jonah was in the belly 06:02 of the great fish three days and three nights. 06:07 Pastor Byrd has three girls. [Aud. reaction] 06:11 PB: Christyn, Caileigh and Carissa. 06:15 That's not in the Bible; let me get back to the Bible. 06:18 [Aud. reaction] PB: There is the number of the Divine: 06:21 the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. 06:26 The threefold office of Christ is a Christian 06:29 doctrine that Christ performs the function 06:31 of a prophet, priest, and king. Three gifts 06:36 were given to Jesus at His birth: frankincense, 06:39 gold, and myrrh. The ministry of Jesus 06:43 lasted three years. The devil tempted 06:47 Jesus three times. Three is an important number. 06:52 We have three days left. Many have said that in 06:57 three days this election will have the greatest 07:00 impact ever on our lives, as history will be 07:03 made with either the first woman being elected 07:07 to the highest office in the free world or the 07:10 first person being elected to this same office 07:14 will be somebody who's never been elected to 07:16 any public office. Three days. But the number 07:21 is deeper than this election. The number 07:25 three is deeper than who will lead this country 07:29 in three days. The number three is deeper 07:32 than who will occupy the oval office. 07:35 The number three is deeper than patriotic 07:38 democracy because arguably the greatest 07:40 event that took place in Earth's history 07:43 was when Jesus rose from the dead on the 07:48 third day after His death. I wish I had 07:52 a church in this place today. [Aud. reaction] 07:54 PB: Day one, He died on Friday. Day two, 07:57 He lay resting in the grave according to 07:59 the Sabbath and according to the commandment, 08:01 which means even in death He was obedient 08:03 to His laws. But my Bible tells me that on 08:06 the third appointed day, one Sunday morning, 08:11 Jesus got up with all power in His hands. 08:15 Power over death, power over hell, 08:18 power over the grave, power over Satan, 08:22 power over sin, power over trouble, 08:26 power over triumph, power over tribulation, 08:29 power over temptation, power over Carlton Byrd, 08:33 power over Edmond Julius, power over Oakwood. 08:37 Jesus got up with power! [Aud. reaction] 08:40 PB: I preach this sermon not because it's 08:45 Eastertime, because it's not. I preach this 08:48 sermon not solely because we have three days 08:52 left before the presidential election, 08:54 but I preach this sermon number one because 08:57 I need people to know that the greatest act 09:00 for the number three was when Jesus rose 09:04 on the third day. [Aud. reaction] 09:05 PB: The Bible says it clearly in Luke 24, verse 5. 09:07 "And as they were afraid, and bowed down their 09:09 faces to the earth, they said unto them, 09:12 Why seek ye the living among the dead? 09:13 He is not here, but is risen." He is what, everybody? 09:16 Aud.: Risen. PB: "Remember how he spake 09:18 unto you when he was yet in Galilee," 09:19 look at it, "saying, The Son of man must 09:23 be delivered into the hands of sinful men, 09:25 and be" what, everybody? Aud.: Crucified. 09:27 PB: He must be what, everybody? Aud.: Crucified. 09:29 PB: "And the third day rise" what? “Again.” 09:32 The prophecy of Genesis 3:15 is now being fulfilled. 09:36 Satan will bruise Jesus' heel. But Jesus would 09:40 crush Satan's head. Let me remind you today 09:44 that the warfare between Satan and us lies not 09:48 in the struggle to win but rather in striving 09:51 to avoid defeat. We think we've got to fight in 09:55 order to win. But no Christian is able to fight and win. 09:59 We fight because we've already won. [Aud. reaction] 10:03 PB: Jesus has already defeated Satan. 10:06 Satan has totally lost his ground. 10:09 Satan's job and battle today is to recover. 10:12 Our battle is to retain. We don't fight in 10:16 order to occupy, we fight to protect what we've 10:18 already got. Our goal is not wrestling victory 10:23 from Satan but rather to keep victory 10:25 from being robbed. Satan is a defeated foe. 10:29 Satan was done at the cross. Satan did all 10:33 he could at the cross, but he was defeated 10:36 and put to shame by our Jesus. Satan's 10:39 attack on us will never be greater than his 10:42 attack on Jesus on the cross, and the same 10:45 power which raised Jesus from the dead, 10:48 after He was crucified, the same power that 10:52 defeated Satan at the cross is the same power 10:54 available to you and me to defeat Satan today. 10:58 So the moment you receive Christ, the moment 11:02 you accept Christ as your personal Savior, 11:05 you take possession of what Jesus did for you 11:08 2,000 years ago. Your identity as a child of 11:11 God and your authority over spiritual powers 11:14 are not things you are receiving or will receive 11:17 at some time in the future, but you have 11:19 them right now. So don't wait till the 11:21 battle is over. Shout now. You possess authority. 11:25 You possess power. You possess all of this 11:28 over the kingdom of darkness right now. 11:30 You've got power to defeat demons now. 11:33 You've got power to tread over serpents now. 11:36 Satan was defeated 2,000 years ago. His defeat 11:40 is not pending, his defeat is not future, 11:42 his defeat already happened. You don't fight 11:45 for Calvary, you fight from Calvary. 11:47 Victory is mine. Victory is mind. 11:50 Victory today is mine. I told Satan, 11:53 get thee behind. Victory today is mine. 11:57 Satan thought he had defeated Jesus, 12:00 but after His crucifixion there was 12:03 a resurrection. That's good news for me, 12:07 because when people try to put me on a 12:09 cross and crucify me, I always remember 12:10 after every crucifixion there is a resurrection, 12:14 which means I'm coming back. I wish I 12:17 had a witness in this place. [Aud. reaction] 12:19 PB: I used to say it when I was a little boy 12:21 in school. If you're going to fight me, 12:22 you'd better beat me up and beat me down, 12:24 'cause I will get up. [Aud. reaction] 12:26 PB: Jesus died on Friday. Jesus lay 12:30 resting in the grave on the Sabbath. 12:32 But on the third day Jesus got up. 12:37 The text says the Son of Man must be 12:40 delivered into the hands of sinful men 12:43 and be crucified, and the third day 12:44 rise again. But many people try to incorrectly 12:49 assign these three days. The test doesn't 12:52 say--listen to me--or imply that the process 12:55 began on the first day of the week. 12:57 It says that the crucifixion and the 13:00 resurrection process would last three days. 13:03 In this chronological sequence, day one is Friday, 13:08 the sixth day of the week. Day two is 13:10 Sabbath Saturday, the seventh day of the week. 13:13 Day three is Sunday, the first day of the week. 13:18 And this is when I got my spiritual democracy. 13:22 This is when I became liberated. 13:25 This is when I became emancipated. 13:28 This is when I became free. 13:31 I praise God for the three days. 13:37 But not only that, I also preach this sermon 13:40 today because the understanding of a day, 13:42 and the proper sequencing of days, is critical 13:47 to our theology and understanding of the Bible. 13:51 More specifically, our understanding- 13:54 -listen to me good--and our belief in the Sabbath, 13:56 God's seal rests in our understanding and 14:01 belief of what a day is. A day is a 24-hour period. 14:07 Hours: 24 hours as a unit of time, going from 14:11 one midnight to the next midnight, corresponding 14:15 to a rotation of the earth on its axis. 14:17 That's one day. The word for day in Genesis 14:22 chapter one is the Hebrew word "yom." 14:25 Everybody say "yom." Aud.: Yom. 14:26 PB: In Genesis 1:4, we read that God 14:30 separated light from darkness. 14:33 Then in Genesis 1:5 we read, 14:36 "God called the light day and the 14:39 darkness He called"--what, everybody? 14:41 Aud.: Night. PB: So then, the first 14:43 time the word "day" is used, it is defined 14:48 as the light to distinguish it from the darkness 14:50 we call night. Genesis 1:5 then finishes with this: 14:54 "And the evening and the morning were the"--what day? 14:58 Aud.: First day. PB: Come on, the evening and 15:00 the morning were the what day? Aud.: First day. 15:02 PB: Wait a minute. The light is called day, 15:06 the darkness is called night, but then both the 15:11 evening and the morning in this example are called 15:15 the first day. This then is the same phrase used for 15:19 each of the subsequent five days and shows that 15:22 there was a clearly established cycle of days 15:25 and nights, periods of light and darkness which 15:28 constitute a complete day. So somebody says then, 15:31 well, Pastor Byrd--'cause you know we have eager 15:33 beavers that write an email and ask me all these 15:35 questions--I gotcha. I understand, Pastor, 15:39 the meaning of a complete day, twenty-four 15:42 hour period. But Pastor, how could there be a 15:46 day and a night if the sun weren't even in existence? 15:51 How could there be light but yet there was no sun. 15:55 Because it is clear from Genesis 1:14 that the 15:58 sun was not created until the fourth day. 16:02 Genesis 1:3 says that God created light on 16:07 the first day. But yet the sun didn't come 16:10 until the fourth day. The phrase "evening 16:13 and morning" shows there was already alternating 16:17 periods of light and darkness; therefore, 16:20 light was in existence being directed from one 16:23 stationary source upon a rotating earth, 16:26 resulting in the day and night cycle. 16:28 But we are not told exactly where this light came from. 16:32 The word "light" in Genesis 1:3 means then that 16:38 the substance of light was created. 16:42 Then, in Genesis 1:14 through 19 we are told 16:46 of the creation of the fourth day, in which 16:49 the sun was created and to be the source of 16:51 light from that time forward. The sun was 16:55 created to rule the day that already existed. 16:59 The day then stayed the same. It merely had a 17:02 new light source. The first three days of 17:06 creation before the sun was created were the 17:08 same type of days as the remaining days in creation 17:12 week with the sun. Why did God do this? Why did 17:15 God create light before He created the sun? 17:19 How did we have light before we had the sun? 17:22 Well, maybe God deliberately left the creation 17:27 of the sun until the fourth day because He 17:30 knew that down through the ages cultures would 17:33 try to worship the sun as the source of life. 17:36 And we know that the sun is not the source of life, 17:41 because God is the source of life. Jesus, 17:46 the Son of God, an active agent in creation, 17:50 said I am the way, I am the truth, and I am the life. 17:56 So then we can't worships the sun, because the sun 18:00 is not the source of life. Only God the Father, 18:04 God the Son, God the Holy Spirit are the source of life. 18:10 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, 18:13 and the earth was without form and void, darkness was 18:17 upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God 18:19 moved upon the face of the waters. Verse 26, 18:22 "And God said, let us make man." The text never 18:27 said God said let Me make man; pointing to the 18:30 plurality of the Godhead, the Father, 18:31 Son and the Holy Ghost. But not only that, 18:33 maybe God did what He did because God knew 18:37 modern-day theories would tell us that the sun 18:40 came before the earth. But we know that's not true, 18:45 because the Word says in the beginning God 18:48 created the heavens and the--what, everybody? 18:50 Aud.: Earth. PB: So then before there was a sun, 18:53 the Bible says there was an earth, which means 18:56 there was light from God before God even created 18:59 the sun. With the sequence of when light was 19:03 created by God on day one, and the subsequent 19:06 creation of the sun by God on day four, 19:09 God is saying to us, God is showing us, 19:12 that He made the earth and light to start with, 19:16 and that He can sustain it with its day and 19:19 night cycle, and that the sun was created 19:22 on the fourth day as a tool of His to be the 19:25 bearer of light from that time onward. 19:27 But let's go a little deeper. Scientific research 19:31 reveals that the sun is actually a star. But I've 19:38 come to tell you that Jesus is also a star, 19:44 for He testifies of Himself in Revelation 22:16, saying, 19:50 "I am the root and the offspring of David. 19:53 I am the bright and the morning"--what, everybody? 19:57 Star. So then the sun--the s-u-n--is estimated to 20:04 be some 90+ million miles from the earth, 20:08 but the Son--S-o-n--is also far from those 20:14 who pursue wickedness and disobedience. 20:16 But the Son--S-o-n--is nearer than near 20:21 for those who are born again, because 20:23 He says in Matthew 28:20, "Lo, I am with 20:27 you always, even unto the end of the world." 20:29 The bright surface of the sun, s-u-n, is called 20:34 the photosphere. The bright surface of the Son, 20:37 S-o-n, is called Shekinah glory. Acts tells us, 20:43 as Saul made his journey near Damascus that he 20:47 was blinded by a light, a light that was brighter 20:50 than the natural sun, s-u-n. Why? Because it was 20:55 the glory of the supernatural Son, S-o-n. 20:59 Without the heat and the light of the sun, s-u-n, 21:03 life as we know it could not exist on earth. 21:06 Photosynthesis is an active work of the sun, 21:09 s-u-n, in sustaining life and plants. Well, 21:12 however, without the Son, S-o-n, there would 21:16 be no life at all. The sun, s-u-n, dries up the rain, 21:20 but the Son, S-o-n, dries up the pain. The Son, 21:24 S-o-n, gives life, but the Son, S-o-n, is the 21:28 light of the world. There are many people who 21:31 wear sunblock to prevent them from burning, 21:33 but if you put on your Sonblock, S-o-nblock, 21:39 of unrepentance and die without knowing Jesus, 21:43 burn is just what you will do. The sun, s-u-n, 21:49 can be eclipsed, but I'm so glad that there's 21:54 no power on earth, that there is no event in 21:59 the universe that can overpower or eclipse 22:02 Jesus Christ, the Son, S-o-n,. Don't equate 22:09 the power of the sun, s-u-n, with the power 22:12 of the Son, S-o-n, because the sun, s-u-n, 22:16 exists because of the Son, S-o-n,. 22:19 Do I have a witness in this place? 22:21 [Aud. reaction] PB: God is an infinite being. 22:24 God has infinite power. God has infinite knowledge. 22:30 God has infinite wisdom. God is sovereign. 22:34 God can do what He wants, when He wants, 22:37 where He wants, how He wants. God is omnipotent, 22:42 which means God is all powerful. There if nothing 22:45 God cannot do. God can make anything He wanted 22:48 in no time at all. God could have created this whole 22:53 universe, the entire earth, and all it would take 22:56 would be the blink of an eye or the snap of a finger. 22:59 So somebody's asking, well, Pastor, if God could do that, 23:03 why did God take as long as six days anyway to create 23:06 this earth? After all, six days is a long time for an 23:11 infinite sovereign, omnipotent being to make anything. 23:14 Well, the answer is found in God's seal. God's Sabbath. 23:19 Exodus 20, verse 11, "For in six days the Lord made 23:24 heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is, 23:27 and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD 23:28 blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." 23:30 Exodus 20 contains the Ten Commandments, 23:32 and don't you forget, these commandments were 23:34 written on stone with the very finger of God, 23:37 according to Exodus 31. Exodus chapter 20, verse 9, 23:40 says "Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work." 23:43 So then the justification for verse 9 of 23:46 Exodus chapter 20 is given in verse 11 of chapter 20, 23:49 "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, 23:53 the sea and all that in them is, and rested the 23:55 seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the 23:56 Sabbath day and"--did what, everybody? 23:58 Aud.: Hallowed it. PB: So this verse then is a 24:00 direct reference to God's created week in Genesis 1. 24:03 So then to be consistent, whatever is used as the 24:07 meaning of the word "day" in Genesis chapter 1 must 24:15 also be used in Exodus chapter 20. By accepting one 24:18 day as a 24-hour period, we understand that God is 24:21 telling us that He worked for six 24-hour days. 24:27 But He rested on one 24-hour day to set a pattern 24:33 for us: the pattern of our seven-day week, 24:37 which we still have today. [Aud. reaction] 24:41 PB: Somebody's still not getting this. 24:42 In other words, in Exodus 20 we learn the reason 24:46 why God took as long as six days to make everything. 24:51 He didn't have to take six days, but he took six days 24:53 because He was setting a pattern for us to follow; 24:57 a pattern we're following right now, that we work 25:01 six 24-hour periods or days. But we rest on the 25:06 one 24-hour period, the Sabbath. Remember the 25:10 Sabbath day to keep it--what, everybody? 25:13 Aud.: Holy. PB: But Satan through his trickery, 25:18 Satan through his deception, Satan through deceit is 25:26 trying to destroy the sacredness of God's day. 25:30 He's trying to destroy the sacredness of God's Sabbath. 25:34 As we move--listen to me--closer to the end of time, 25:37 we're seeing the desecration of God's Sabbath 25:40 in great proportion. The Sabbath for many is 25:44 now just any ordinary day. We do anything on 25:47 the Sabbath. We go anywhere on the Sabbath. 25:51 We don't go to God's house on God's Sabbath. 25:54 The Word clearly says in Leviticus 23:3 that 25:58 the Sabbath is to be a holy convocation. 26:01 The Word clearly says in Luke 4:16 and 20 that 26:04 it was Jesus' custom to go to church on God's Sabbath. 26:07 Hebrews 10:25 says "Let us not forsake the assembling 26:10 of ourselves together in God's house," but we 26:13 have made the Sabbath an ordinary day. 26:15 We have justified our treatment of the Sabbath 26:18 day and not going to God's house with "I'm tired." 26:20 "I need a break." "I'll watch on the Internet." 26:27 And then one Sabbath missed becomes two Sabbaths. 26:32 Two Sabbaths becomes three Sabbaths missed. 26:35 One month of Sabbaths becomes six months of Sabbaths. 26:41 And then you wake up and you realize you've become 26:43 a CME Christian. A CME attendee. What is that? 26:50 Well, that's where you attend on Christmas, 26:52 Mother's Day, and Easter. 26:57 Do I have a witness in this place? 26:59 [Aud. reaction] PB: And this is all a part- 27:01 -listen to me good--of Satan's plan. 27:04 In the end, this is what the great controversy 27:08 is all about. Who are you going to give your 27:11 worship to? God or Satan. That's why the three angels' 27:17 messages of Revelation 14 are so important. 27:19 Revelation 14:6 and 7, the first message, 27:22 "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, 27:25 having the everlasting gospel to preach unto 27:27 them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, 27:29 and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying 27:31 with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; 27:34 for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship 27:36 him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, 27:38 and the fountains of waters." God defined a day 27:41 as the evening and the morning. God, specifically, 27:45 systematically, methodically set aside six 24-hour 27:50 periods of work so He could set aside one 24-hour 27:56 day as an example to us. He could have created 27:59 everything with the snap of His finger, 28:01 but He did what He did as an example to us. 28:04 God hasn't changed the sequence of days. 28:09 God has not changed this day. God has not 28:14 changed the sacredness of this day. 28:15 >: Thank you for joining us for another 28:17 exciting Breath of Life television broadcast. 28:20 Tune in next week at the same time, 28:22 as Dr. Byrd will deliver another dynamic message 28:25 from the Lord, just for you. Until next time, 28:28 may God bless you. 28:29 END |
Revised 2016-11-11