Participants: Carlton P Byrd
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000587A
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00:01 Breath Of Life Ministries Presents:
00:07 Sermon B587 "Let the People Rejoice" 00:12 [Breath of Life Theme Music] 00:21 PB: First Thessalonians chapter 5:15, I read, 00:23 "See that none render evil for"--what, everybody? 00:26 Aud.: Evil. PB: "Evil for evil unto any man; 00:31 but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, 00:35 and to all men. Rejoice"--what? Aud.: Evermore. 00:39 PB: Come on, rejoice what? Aud.: Evermore. 00:41 PB: Pray without what? Aud.: Ceasing. 00:43 PB: "In every thing give thanks: for this is the 00:45 will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 00:48 Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. 00:53 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 00:57 Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very 01:01 God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God 01:04 your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved 01:07 blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 01:13 Today we challenge you in the subject, "let the people rejoice." 01:19 Father, bless us now for the next couple of moments as 01:22 we dig into this text. God, as we dig into this text 01:25 and as we seek to make it applicable to our everyday life, 01:28 we pray Your power, we pray Your Holy Ghost in this place. 01:32 God, I don't know how this is gonna end. I don't know 01:34 which way Your Spirit will lead, but I promise You, 01:37 I will be obedient to You. Move by Your power. 01:41 Sprinkle out Your grace, and God, may Your Spirit move, 01:44 particularly when we get to the appeal. We give 01:47 You the praise, the honor, and every single bit 01:49 of the glory. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. 01:53 Let the people rejoice. Have you noticed that many 02:00 people now refer to Thanksgiving Day as Turkey Day? 02:05 But don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. 02:09 All of you all did not dinner roast or tofurkey on Thursday. 02:12 Come on, say amen. Let's get that out. Come on, say amen. 02:16 All right, turkey, turkey, turkey. It's all people talk 02:20 about on Thanksgiving. Baked turkey, fried turkey, 02:25 smoked turkey, barbecued turkey, jerk turkey, sliced turkey, 02:34 turkey soup, turkey sandwiches. In fact, society talks 02:42 more about turkey on Thanksgiving than they do 02:45 Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving. And because they talk 02:49 more about turkey on Thanksgiving instead of thanksgiving 02:52 on Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving has become a day when 02:57 people worship a created thing--turkey--rather than 03:02 the Creator. People value the creature more than 03:07 they value the Creator. Remember, I preached a couple 03:12 of weeks ago that this dates back to the Garden of Eden, 03:18 when Eve, after being deceived Satan, she confronts 03:19 Adam with the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good 03:21 and evil. Adam had a decision to make. Do I go with the gift, 03:23 Eve, or the giver, God. Do I go with the creature or the Creator. 03:29 And because he chooses to be with her rather than to be with God, 03:32 Adam chooses death and that choice brings about the 03:36 fall of man, and because he fell, we all fell. 03:38 So now we live in a world where creation is valued 03:45 more than the Creator. Where physical and material 03:50 blessings are valued more than spiritual blessings. 03:55 And while we ought to be thankful for physical and 03:57 material blessings, we ought to be more thankful for 04:00 spiritual blessings, because every good and perfect 04:03 gift comes from above. Do I have a witness in this place? 04:06 All right, so then, Thanksgiving yes, is a day of fun, 04:09 food, family and football. But it's just not a holiday 04:15 every fourth Thursday of November. Thanksgiving is a 04:18 distinctive holiday. It doesn't commemorate a battle. 04:23 It doesn't celebrate someone's birthday, but 04:27 Thanksgiving is a day set aside to express our 04:31 thanks to God. That's what it is: a day to express 04:37 our thanks to God. The pilgrims did it. Our nation's 04:43 forefathers did it. Our parents did it. And we do it. 04:49 Thanksgiving is not turkey day; Thanksgiving is 04:55 thank God day. Heh, heh, heh. [Aud. reaction] 04:58 PB: Now, this is best illustrated in the text, 05:01 First Thessalonians chapter 5. Now, please understand, 05:04 I can choose a bunch of other texts on Thanksgiving Sabbath, 05:07 including Psalm 95:2, "Let us come before his presence 05:10 with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise until him with psalms." 05:13 I could choose Psalm 100, "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, 05:17 all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before his 05:20 presence with thanksgiving." I could choose Psalm 105:1, 05:24 or Psalm 106:1, Psalm 107:1, Psalm 118:1, or Psalm 136:1, 05:31 where they all say the same thing: O give thanks unto the 05:35 Lord for he is good and his mercy endureth forever. 05:39 But I like what Brother Paul said in First Thessalonians 5. 05:42 In this text, Paul was en route to Rome with a layover in 05:47 Corinth when he wrote this letter to the young church at 05:49 Thessalonica. In this text, Paul offers eight principles. 05:53 How many principles, everybody? Aud.: Eight. 05:55 PB: Eight principles on Christian etiquette, 05:57 and how Christians ought to act towards one another. 06:00 So let me remind you how we ought to act towards each other. 06:03 Are you hearing what I'm saying? First, Paul say in verse 15, 06:06 "Don't render evil"--for what, everybody? Aud.: Evil. 06:09 PB: In other words, you can't live the Christian life 06:12 based on the pay back mentality. You can't go around 06:15 trying to get even with folk who have wronged you. 06:18 Two wrongs never make a right. God's Word said vengeance 06:21 is mine, which means if you kick my dog, then that doesn't 06:25 give me license to kick your cats. Christianity is not an eye 06:29 for an eye, or a tooth for a tooth, because an eye for an eye 06:31 and a tooth for a tooth will leave everybody snaggletoothed and blind. 06:35 [Aud. reaction] PB: If you're a follower of Christ, 06:38 you must return good for evil. Number two, another 06:41 principle he gives us. He says "rejoice." He says what, everybody? 06:44 Aud.: Rejoice. PB: Come on, he says what, everybody? Aud.: Rejoice. 06:47 PB: Rejoice evermore. Now, I don't know about you- 06:49 -and I'm excited about this Thanksgiving Sabbath. 06:51 Missed you last Sabbath. God has blessed us with Thanksgiving. 06:53 I'm glad to be here this Sabbath. And I don't know about you, 06:56 but I don't have time for a religion that won't let me rejoice. 06:59 [Aud. reaction] PB: So when I come to church, I don't come 07:03 for foolishness. When I come to church, I don't come for mess. 07:07 When I come to church, I don't come to get down, 07:10 defeated or despondent. I get enough of that during the week. 07:13 Does anybody else know what I'm talking about? When I come 07:16 to church, I come to rejoice. I was glad when they said unto me, 07:22 let us go into the house of the Lord. He woke me up this morning, 07:25 started me on my way, put food on my table, clothing on my back. 07:30 When I come to church, I come to rejoice that God raised me, 07:34 that God saved me, that God delivered me, that God res cued me. 07:39 This is the day the Lord hath made, let us rejoice. Do what, everybody? 07:44 Aud.: Rejoice. PB: And be glad in it. I come to praise the 07:47 name of Jesus. I come to lift the name of Jesus. I come to magnify 07:49 the name of Jesus. If God's been good to you, somebody oughta say 07:54 something. If God has blessed you, somebody oughta say something. 07:59 If God has been your bridge over troubled waters, somebody oughta 08:02 say something. If God has helped you raise those children by 08:06 yourself and pay that tuition, somebody oughta say something. 08:11 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Paul said rejoice. 08:16 He said what, everybody? Aud.: Rejoice. 08:17 PB: Evermore. I'm coming back to rejoice I a minute, 08:20 'cause that's the name of the title. But let's go to 08:22 principle number three. Paul says pray. He says what, everybody? 08:24 Aud.: Pray. PB: Pray without ceasing. And if there's 08:27 something that life has taught me, it's taught me how to pray. 08:30 Somebody knows, if you're a child of God, you will learn how to pray. 08:34 You see, the devil is always busy. I said, the devil is always busy. 08:40 When you're asleep, the devil is busy. When you're a wake, 08:44 the devil is busy. When you think you're at your spiritual best, 08:48 the devil is busy. When you're at your spiritual worst, the devil 08:53 is busy. When you've got your guard up, the devil is busy. 08:56 When you've got your guard down, the devil is busy. What am 09:00 I trying to say? The devil is busy. Ha ha. 09:03 Satan is on the loose. The devil is never satisfied for peace 09:10 to travail. Satan is the author of confusion, 09:13 and whenever he can get his foot I your life, 09:16 he will. That's why Paul says pray without ceasing. 09:18 Pray without what, everybody? Aud.: Ceasing. 09:20 PB: That means don't stop praying. Old folks, 09:23 you say where there's much prayer, there's much power. 09:26 A little prayer, a little what, everybody? 09:28 Aud.: [indiscernible] PB: No prayer, no what, everybody? 09:30 Prayer still--I believe it--prayer still changes things. 09:34 I still believe prayer changes situations. I still believe 09:37 prayer changes people. Pray for your family. Pray for your 09:42 children. Pray for your grandchildren. Pray for this church. 09:48 Pray for this ministry. Pray for the elders, 09:51 pray for the deacons, pray for the deaconesses, 09:53 and God knows, pray for the pastor! 09:57 And while you sayin' amen to pray for everybody else, 09:59 pray for yourself. Do I have a witness in this place? 10:01 [Aud. reaction] PB: Number four principle, 10:03 Paul says, in everything. In what, everybody? 10:05 Aud.: Everything. PB: Give what? Aud.: Thanks. 10:08 PB: Thanks. For this is the will of God in 10:09 Christ Jesus concerning you. Now, when I was a child, 10:13 I was taught to say "thank you." When somebody 10:16 did something for you, you said "thank you." 10:19 And if you didn't say "thank you," it was a reflection 10:22 on your upbringing and your home training. 10:25 Does anybody know what I'm talking about? 10:27 [Aud. reaction] PB: See, we got too much entitlement 10:29 goin' on around here. We gotta teach people, young people, 10:31 how to say "thank you." Is anybody listening to what I'm saying? 10:33 You use, if I didn't say "thank you" in my house, my daddy- 10:36 -he's sitting right here, on the second row. My daddy didn't 10:39 believe in being embarrassed. So I had better say "thank you" 10:44 in response to people's kindness. Does anybody know what 10:49 I'm talking about? [Aud. reaction] 10:50 PB: You see, back when I was growing up, 10:51 there was not all this time out like we have today. 10:54 A hard head made a soft bottom. Does anybody know what 10:57 I'm talking about? All this time out. I'ma ca--I told 11:00 my daddy one day, "I'ma call DHR." He said, 11:02 "I'll dial the number for you." [Aud. reaction] 11:05 PB: Now, that was real parenting. Does somebody 11:07 know what I'm talking about? You may not have money, 11:10 but you could have manners. You may not be reach, 11:13 but you don't have to be rude. You may not--you may be poor, 11:17 but you can be polite. Everybody can say "thank you." 11:20 [Aud. reaction] PB: Principle number five, the text says, 11:23 "Quench not the spirit." Quench not the what, everybody? 11:25 Aud.: Spirit. PB: In other words, don't suppress 11:27 God's Spirit. When God's Spirit is moving in somebody's life; 11:32 when God's Spirit is moving in the room, 11:35 don't quench God's Spirit. That's why we were taught, 11:39 back in the day, that during the appeal time in the 11:42 sermon you didn't move. It was God's time. 11:47 Does anybody know what I'm talking about? [Aud. reaction] 11:50 PB: It was Holy Ghost time. That's why we're tal--don't move. 11:53 It's God's time. The only movement in the appeal 11:55 should be somebody moving to the front. 11:56 I'm reminding and educating at the same time. 11:59 You don't want a distraction. Quench not the spirit. 12:04 Number six principle: despise not prophesyings. 12:08 In other words, don't despite those who have a 12:11 word from the Lord. That word might be a blessing for you. 12:14 Are you hearing what I'm saying? But then, number seven: 12:16 prove all things. Hold fast that which is good. 12:18 Really clarifies number six, because while you don't 12:22 want to despise prophesyings. On the other hand, 12:25 Paul is saying, don't be gullible. Paul said, 12:29 check everything out. Keep only what is good. 12:34 Don't believe everything you hear. Are ya--are 12:39 you hearing what I'm saying? Don't believe everything 12:41 you see on the Internet. Check it out. There are 12:45 four tests to a true prophet. Number one, a true 12:49 prophet will speak according to the Word of God; 12:52 Isaiah 8:20. Are you hearing what I'm saying? 12:54 Number two, a true prophet--whatever he or she prophesies- 12:58 -will come to pass, Jeremiah 28:9. Number three, a true prophet, 13:02 by their fruit you gonna know 'em. So you can't tell me 13:06 you do one thing but you live in another. Are you hearing 13:07 what I'm saying? That's Matthew 7:20. Then number four, 13:10 you gotta test the spirits. Everybody talkin' about they 13:15 have spirit, you'd better test 'em. First John 4:1, 13:19 try the spirits. Every spirit is not from God. 13:23 That's why I don't ask everybody to pray for me. 13:25 Are you hearing what I'm saying? People try to 13:27 challenge me on that statement, but if you're not 13:28 praying to the same Spirit of God I'm praying to, 13:30 I don't need you praying over me. Are you hearing 13:32 what I'm saying? A true prophet will confess that 13:35 Jesus Christ is Lord. Number eight, abstain from 13:40 all appearance of evil. In other words, avoid the 13:43 appearance of what, everybody? Aud.: [indiscernible] 13:45 PB: All right, so the old saying says, 13:47 if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, 13:50 quacks like a duck, it must be a what, everybody? 13:55 [Aud. reaction] PB: It must be a duck. 13:56 So if you don't wanna be a duck, don't look 13:59 like a duck, don't act like a duck. 14:03 The seasoned saints used to say, shun the very 14:06 appearance of evil. See, I grew up at home, 14:10 representing my parents. I grew up in a home, 14:11 and my parents told me, "If someone asks you to 14:14 go to the party, you gonna say no. If somebody 14:20 asks you to go to the party, you're gonna say no." 14:22 But then, you ought to be living your life in such 14:25 a way that people don't even feel comfortable asking you- 14:31 -Are you hearing what I'm saying?--to go to the party. 14:34 You should be living your life in such a way that people 14:38 don't even feel comfortable coming to you with mess and 14:43 confusion. Are you hearing what I'm saying? Avoid the 14:46 very appearance of evil. But remember I said, this is 14:50 thanksgiving text. So though I've given you eight principles 14:53 that Christian etiquette is all about, two principles specifically, 14:57 principles two and four, deal directly with thanksgiving. 14:59 Principle number two: rejoice. Do what, everybody? 15:03 Aud.: Rejoice. PB: Evermore. And then principle number four: 15:05 In everything give what, everybody? Aud.: Thanks. 15:07 PB: Now, we always preach principle four on 15:10 Thanksgiving Sabbath. Verse 18. We always preach it: 15:13 In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God 15:16 in Christ Jesus concerning you. But today, in the couple 15:19 of minutes I have left, I want to emphasize and speak 15:21 specifically to principle number two. Rejoice evermore 15:26 for thanksgiving. I told you I was coming back to this. 15:30 Rejoice evermore. Now, this principle, this verse, 15:36 verse 16, rejoice evermore, is two words. 15:41 How many words, everybody? Aud.: Two. 15:44 PB: Two. Now, do you know the shortest 15:47 verse in the Bible? Uh-huh, I thought you, 15:50 somebody was gonna shout that. John 11:35 says 15:53 Jesus what, everybody? Aud.: Wept. 15:54 PB: But that's only true as it being the shortest 15:57 verse in the Bible, in the English version. 15:59 As you study the Greek text, rejoice evermore is 16:04 the shortest verse. And in case you didn't know, 16:08 short verses in the Bible say a lot. It's not always the 16:13 quantity but the quality, because it doesn't have to be 16:17 everlasting to be eternal. Are you hearing what I'm saying? 16:21 One verse, two words: rejoice evermore. 16:28 Now, the verb here is rejoice. 16:30 The verb here is what, everybody? Aud.: Rejoice. 16:32 PB: and rejoice is imperative in nature. 16:36 The subject is understood: You rejoice. 16:40 Are you hearing what I'm saying? It's an imperative verb, 16:43 "rejoice." Who? You. Subject understood, 16:46 imperative verb "rejoice." But only is the verb imperative, 16:49 but it's also in the present tense. Which means, 16:54 it's neither past nor future. Somebody's gonna 16:57 get this in a minute. Paul's not saying you should 17:01 have rejoiced in times past. Neither is Paul saying, 17:04 you should rejoice in times future. But Paul is saying, 17:08 rejoice right now. And not only is he saying 17:12 rejoice right now, but he's saying rejoice and 17:16 keep on rejoicing. Don't stop rejoicing. Rejoice always. 17:21 Continually rejoice. Be cheerful, no matter what. 17:25 Be full of joy all the time. Rejoice evermore. 17:30 Now somebody should be excited. Let me go a little deeper. 17:33 This simple command reveals the true life-changing 17:37 power of Jesus. When Christ enters your life, 17:41 He changes you from the inside out so that you 17:45 have both the power and the desire to rejoice even 17:49 in the worst moments of your life. So then, 17:52 joy then--because it's inside out--is something 17:56 that is internal and based on a revelation. 17:59 Joy is not based on external stimuli. 18:02 When then I know who God is, when I know 18:06 what God has done in my life, it doesn't 18:09 make a difference what happens on the outside. 18:12 But it's all about based on Who I know and 18:14 what I know, on the inside. Joy works from 18:18 the inside out. Somebody's still not getting it. 18:22 Let me help you. Joy then doesn't depend 18:25 on whether I have a job or not. 18:27 Joy does not depend on whether I have a 18:29 paycheck or not. Joy does not depend on 18:32 how many coworkers or so-called friends, 18:35 how they've treated me. Joy doesn't depend 18:37 on my health. Joy doesn't depend on the 18:40 state of my family or my children. 18:42 Joy doesn't depend on who's in the White House; 18:45 who's in the Senate; who's in the House of 18:48 Representatives, who sits on the Supreme Court. 18:50 Joy doesn't depend on who my favorite NBA team is. 18:55 [Aud. reaction] Joy doesn't depend on what the 18:57 stock market is doing. Joy is not based on some 18:59 external reality, but joy is based on an internal reality. 19:03 [Aud. reaction] PB: Joy doesn't' depend on my circumstances, 19:06 but on a living relationship with Jesus Christ. 19:09 If you don't have--listen to me good--if you don't 19:12 have joy right now, don't blame your circumstances. 19:16 Let me say that one more time. If you don't have joy 19:18 right now, don't blame your circumstances. 19:22 Your circumstances were never meant to bring you 19:24 joy in the first place. If you build life on circumstances, 19:28 you're gonna be miserable just as often as you're happy. 19:31 You need a source of joy that does not change; an eternal 19:35 perspective that comes only from knowing Jesus. My joy today 19:40 is not based on you all; my joy is not based on building that 19:44 family life center; my joy is based on knowing Jesus Christ, 19:48 and this joy that I have, the world didn't give it, 19:52 and the world can't take it away. [Aud. reaction] 19:55 PB: Back in the day, back in the day. 20:00 I don't know if you all remember or not, 20:02 but we used to sing a certain song a lot. 20:06 Back in the day, we used to sing hymn 340 a lot. 20:11 We have heard a joyful sound: Jesus saves, 20:17 Jesus saves. Spread the gladness all around. 20:22 Je--does anybody remember that song? 20:25 [Aud. reaction] PB: Anybody know what I'm talking about? 20:28 Let me tell you something. Whenever the gospel is preached; 20:32 whenever Jesus the Christ is preached, friends of mine, 20:36 it's a joyful sound. It's a joyful sound to those who hear it. 20:41 And I believe--listen to me good--one of the reasons 20:44 why evangelism is waning and its interest declining 20:48 is because we've lost that sense of joy in the gospel. 20:55 [Aud. reaction] PB: We're not excited like we used to be. 20:57 We're not enthusiastic like we used to be. 21:00 We're not on fire like we used to be. 21:01 Some of us think that our sacred duty is to be gloomy, 21:06 to be sad, frozen chosen, first church of refrigeration, 21:13 dill-pickle Christians who go through life acting like 21:17 smiling is a sin and laughter is an abomination. 21:22 Preach, Pastor Byrd. I'm doing the best I can. 21:24 [Aud. reaction] PB: Some of us will sit in service 21:26 all day long, never smile, never sing, never pat our feet, 21:33 never moan, never groan, never nod, never say amen, 21:39 never do anything. But when I think of the goodness 21:41 of Jesus and all He's done for me, my soul cries out 21:46 hallelujah! Thank God for saving me. Can I be real? 21:52 [Aud. reaction] PB: I couldn't go anywhere and sit 21:56 for three or four hours and do nothing. 21:58 [Aud. reaction] PB: And when we present our faith as dull, 22:02 dry and boring; when we give the impression that 22:08 knowing Christ means becoming a dull, dry, boring, 22:13 religious person, who can blame the younger 22:16 generation for rejecting the gospel? 22:18 [Aud. reaction] PB: Let me tell you something- 22:21 -can I be real today? [Aud. reaction] 22:22 PB: I've seen enough joyless Christians. 22:26 Sometimes, I'll admit, I prefer a company 22:29 of friendly unbelievers, because at least 22:34 with them I can introduce them to Jesus, 22:36 and they'll be excited that Jesus was born 22:39 for them, that He died to save them, 22:43 and that He's coming back to get them. 22:44 If the gospel is Good News--we have heard a 22:48 joyful sound--we ought to rejoice and be glad. 22:52 The Bible says the joy of the Lord is your strength. 22:56 The Bible says a cheerful heart doeth good like medicine. 23:00 Paul says rejoice! Let the people rejoice! 23:04 God desires that people should be joyful. 23:07 As Christians, we oughta be the happiest 23:09 people in the world. [Aud. reaction] 23:11 PB: Christians should not have long faces. 23:13 Christians should not have mean dispositions. 23:16 Christians shouldn't have cruel characters. 23:19 Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice! 23:23 Let the people rejoice! Bless the Lord, O my soul, 23:27 and all that is within me bless His holy name. 23:29 I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise 23:32 shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall 23:35 make her boast in the Lord. The humble shall hear 23:37 thereof, and be glad. O, come and magnify the 23:39 Lord with me and let us exalt His name together. 23:42 O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good. 23:46 Rejoice evermore. [Aud. reaction] 23:49 PB: Today I'm thankful. I said, I'm thankful. 23:53 I'm thankful. Anybody else thankful? [Aud. reaction] 23:56 PB: You weren't supposed to be here today, 23:59 you should have died this year. But you're here today. 24:01 You ought to be thankful. I'm thankful. I'm thankful 24:04 for my wife; I'm thankful for my children; 24:07 I'm thankful for my church; I'm thankful for my ministry; 24:11 I'm thankful for being alive. I'm thankful for the 24:14 faculties of my mind. I'm thankful for the movement 24:17 of my limbs. I'm thankful! And because I'm thankful, 24:23 I've got joy. God has called us to be grateful. 24:29 He's called us to be what, everybody? Aud.: Grateful. 24:33 PB: And not grumble. We grumble when the air 24:37 goes out in our homes; but what about those who 24:40 have no home? We grumble when we have a cold or 24:44 a sore throat, but what about those dying with cancer? 24:47 We grumble when the kids mess up the house, 24:50 but what about those people who wish they could 24:52 have children? We grumble when the sermon 24:55 Pastor Byrd preaches is too long. But what about 24:58 those who have never heard the precious promises 25:01 of Jesus Christ? So when people talk about you, 25:05 don't grumble. Don't grumble. Thank God. 25:10 Now you know who your real friends are. Ha ha. 25:13 When you have a bad day at work, don't grumble. 25:16 Be thankful. At least you have a job. When you 25:20 can't pay your bills, be thankful. 25:22 At least you're not of your bill collectors. 25:25 Ha ha. When you're in church, sitting with somebody 25:27 who can't sing, be thankful. At least you've got 25:30 ears to hear. When you realize how much work it 25:34 takes to take care of a house, be thankful. 25:36 At least you have a house. When you have to walk 25:39 a long distance from your car, and you have to park 25:42 and walk up to the Oakwood Church, be thankful. 25:45 At least you can walk. Are you hearing what I'm saying? 25:48 When you get irritated by other people's anger, 25:51 ignorance, bitterness or insecurities, be thankful. 25:55 At least you're not one of them. When you think of 25:58 everything in your life that is terrible, 26:01 and you want to give up, think about all the 26:05 people who have been told that they only have 26:08 a certain amount of time to live. They don't 26:11 want to give up. Be thankful. Ellen White says 26:16 in "The Ministry of Healing"--I love this quote- 26:18 -she says that "even those things which appear 26:22 to be against us may work for our good," 26:26 because she says--I love this quote--because she says 26:29 "God would not ask us to be thankful for that 26:33 which would harm us." Rejoice! Let the people rejoice! 26:41 Be thankful! Stop whining. Stop complaining. 26:46 Stop grumbling, and don't hang around other grumblers, 26:52 because sooner than later, you will start grumbling. 26:55 Birds of a feather flock, what? Aud.: Together. 26:58 PB: Together. I'm almost done, but let me give 27:00 you three ways how you can spot a grumbler. 27:04 Can I tell you how you can spot a grumbler? 27:08 [Aud. reaction] PB: Number one, a grumbler 27:15 is never satisfied with what he has. If it's money, 27:21 he never has enough. If it's his home, somebody 27:26 else has a nicer one. A grumbler is an expert in 27:29 criticism and has a Ph.D. in nit-picking. Nothing 27:35 is ever really enough. Number two, how do you spot 27:40 a grumbler. A grumbler always has an excuse. 27:43 Ask him, why don't you buy a new car? He says, 27:47 the interest rates are too high. Ask him again, 27:50 he says, well, cars cost too much. Ask him again, 27:54 he says, new cars are rip-offs. So then you ask him, 27:57 why doesn't he buy a used car, and he says you're 28:01 just buying somebody else's problems. 28:02 "Thank you very much for tuning into this 28:05 week's Breath of Life Broadcast. 28:07 We hope and pray that you have been blessed 28:09 by Dr. Byrd's inspirational message. 28:12 If you would like to hear this sermon in 28:13 its entirety, please feel free to visit us at 28:16 www.breathoflife.tv or call us at 256.929.6460. 28:26 Again, thank you very much for joining us, 28:27 and please tune in next week for another 28:29 powerful message from Dr. Byrd." 28:31 [end] |
Revised 2017-12-04