Participants:
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000645A
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00:00 (Breath of Life Theme Music)
00:06 Sermon #B645 - It's not Going to Get Better 00:21 Ephesians chapter 6 and verse number 10, the Word of God, familiar passage. 00:27 In Ephesians, chapter 6 verse 10, the Word of God says, 00:29 "Finally, my brother, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. 00:39 Put on the whole-" what everybody? [Congregation: Armor] 00:41 "Armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, 00:47 for we wrestle not against flesh and blood. But against principalities, against powers, 00:53 against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness, in high places." 01:00 Today I just want to challenge you on the subject, not long, but it's simply this, 01:03 It's not going to get better. It's not going to get better. 01:07 God, right now-- In Your own way, by Your power, move in this place. 01:12 Forgive us for our sins, anoint us, o God, by Your grace. 01:16 Thank you for what we've experienced already in worship and we pray that God, 01:20 now, Your word might come alive. We promise we'll give You the praise, the honor, 01:23 and the glory, forgive us of our sins, and at the Appeal, Lord, move. 01:26 We pray, in the name of Jesus, let everyone say "Amen" [Congregation: Amen] and Amen. 01:31 It's not going to get better. 01:35 We're living at a time that is distinctively different than anything we've seen before. 01:41 The devil is not playing with us. Times are getting rough. Times are getting tough. 01:52 Gone are the days when AIDS were teacher's assistants. 01:57 Gone are the days when straight meant not curved or bent. 02:02 Gone are the days where a pot was something you cooked in, coke was a cold drink, 02:07 a weed was an unwanted plant you pulled out of your garden 02:10 and snakes were reptiles that crawled on the ground. 02:14 We're living in a different world today. 02:18 With the touch of a computer key, a message can go electronically across the world in an instant. 02:26 With the dial of a number, you can talk to anybody in the world. 02:31 Many thought that with the election of '44 we were entering into a post-racial age, 02:39 that racism was behind us, but it appears that with the election of '45, 02:45 overt racism has been incited and encouraged. 02:49 We're in 2019, not 1960, and racism is arguably worse now than it was then, 02:59 because people today are given the right to hate, 03:02 the freedom to fight and the license to kill. 03:06 Children are being separated from their parents, and held at the border. 03:11 Every day either there's a mass shooting or somebody has been killed by gun violence. 03:18 Hurricanes like Dorian are creating havoc, disorder, and destruction across the land. 03:24 The proliferation of sexual variety, sexual activity, and sexual deviancy is out of control. 03:33 The "Me Too" movement is increasing, not just far, but near, and close to home. 03:44 As the old folks used to say, echoing on the words of my favorite writer, 03:51 "The Spirit of God is being withdrawn from the world." 03:57 She says in "Testimonies to the church", volume 9, 04:00 that plagues and judgments are already falling upon the despisers of the grace of God. 04:06 That the calamities by land and sea, the unsettled state of society, 04:11 the alarms of war are pretentious, which means they're threatening. 04:15 Ellen White says, "These actions forecast approaching events of the greatest magnitude." 04:22 She says, "The agencies of evil are combining their forces and consolidating. 04:29 They are strengthening themselves for the last great crisis. 04:33 Great changes," she says, "are soon to take place in our world, 04:38 and the final movements will be rapid ones." 04:42 Please, please, do not look through the myopic lens of life 04:49 and think that all of what we're seeing and all that we're experiencing is coincidental or by chance. 04:55 What we're experiencing now, 04:58 what we experienced this week is all a part of Satan's comprehensive plan to steal, kill and destroy. 05:10 Too many of us have forgotten that the spiritual life is not a playground, 05:16 but it's a battlefield, and because we have forgotten this, 05:21 few of the Lord's people are armed, equipped and dangerous. 05:25 Whether we believe it or not, we're engaged in spiritual warfare. [Congregation: Amen] 05:29 Understand we're fighting Satan. We're fighting whom, everybody? [Congregation: Satan] 05:33 Satan, we're fighting the devil, if we're ever going to be successful in the fight, 05:35 we better recognize that we cannot approach today's battles with yesterday's methodologies. 05:42 You can't do 8-track ministry in a Twitter or Instagram society. 05:48 Yes, the devil is the same devil that mess with our mamas, mess with our daddies, 05:54 mess with our grandmammas, mess with our granddaddies, 05:57 but the way he's fighting today is more violent and vicious than how he fought yesterday. 06:02 Do I have a witness at this place? Now, as I get older, 06:06 as I get older the more I realize the importance of experience. 06:11 Everybody say "experience." Let me break that down. 06:14 When you have experience in an application for a job you're applying for, 06:19 you can get employment opportunities based on your experience. 06:24 That's why the company you're applying to, that's why they want to see a resume. 06:30 They want to look at your background 06:32 because the experience can tell the interviewer some aspect of what they get when they get you. 06:39 Young people, that's why you got to work, that's why you got to get a job, 06:44 because you got to get some experience on your resume, 06:48 so your prospective employer can know something about you, so you can get a job. 06:53 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 06:55 Not only that, any psychologist will tell you that the best way 07:00 to determine someone's future behavioris to look at their past behavior. 07:04 Brothers, if she's divorced the last three men she's married, 07:09 you'll probably need to find somebody else. 07:12 Ladies, if he's cheated on the last three women he's dated, 07:16 it's very likely that if you're woman number four, the odds are stacked against you. 07:20 It's lunacy to think that a person can continue to do the same thing and get a different result. 07:27 Experience is a good barometer of what to expect for the future. 07:32 Experience can help you get the job, experience can help you make a good decision, 07:38 experience can help you stop from making a bad decision. 07:42 There are assets to experience, but not only are their assets to experience; 07:48 experience also has its liabilities. 07:51 Because if you're not careful- 07:53 experience can put you in a box where you can assume that you can win the fight before you, 07:58 the same way you won the fight behind you. 08:01 When experience becomes tradition, it becomes dangerous. 08:06 When you lock God up in a box, and you say, "You must always do it this way." 08:13 You lose the creativity of thought and action to be able to progress into new methods of rescue 08:19 that God would have used for you if he could get you to stop worshiping how he did it 08:24 and start recognizing that He's the God who it. [Congregation: Amen] 08:28 You'd be surprised at how God will give you a new situation but you'll ruin it with an old method. 08:37 You'll be surprised at the people who resented the way their parents raised them, 08:42 but when the heat is on, they act just like their parents. 08:48 Why? You can be in a new place but still have an old attitude, 08:53 and if you don't change your old attitude, 08:55 you will fight in your old methodology. [Congregation: Applause] 08:58 We're in the fight against the devil, yes we are, and we have to fight, 09:01 but we got to know that Satan has intensified his efforts, 09:04 so the people of God must also intensify their efforts. 09:08 If Satan has upped the ante, then the people of God ought to up the ante, 09:13 which means we can't fight the same way we used to fight. 09:17 We've got to fight harder, we've got to fight smarter, 09:19 we've got to fight stronger because it's not going to get better. 09:25 Things in our world are not going to get better, they're going to get worse. 09:29 The text says, "Be strong in the Lord, and in the power-" 09:36 In the what, everybody? [Congregation: Power] 09:37 Come on, talk to me, in the what, everybody? [Congregation: Power] 09:39 Power's might, not our might, but His might, 09:42 which means we must get our strength to fight from the power of God's might. 09:47 I need somebody to understand that our power to fight the devil must come from the Lord. 09:52 We can't do it by ourselves. 09:54 What's going on in our world today, we can't overcome ourselves, we need the Lord, 10:01 and when a believer's faith is in God, then God's power becomes that power of the believer. 10:06 You see, if you trust in yourself, then you are as strong as you are, 10:12 but when you trust in God, you are as strong as He is. 10:18 Somebody's still not getting this. [Congregation: Applause] 10:21 I told you this before, let me reiterate it again. 10:24 I know I can't fly. I know my last name is Byrd, but I can't fly. 10:32 I tried it as a child. Do I have a witness in this place? 10:35 Somebody knows what I'm talking about, you jumped off your bed talking about, "I believe I can fly." 10:39 You busted your head on the way down. 10:41 You cannot fly, the law of gravity is real, do I have a witness at this place? 10:46 I can't fly, but when I put myself in an airplane, 10:51 and I yield to that airplane's power, 10:55 then suddenly I have the ability to soar 36,000 feet in the air. 11:00 I can't run 75 miles per hour, I can't even run 5 miles per hour, 11:07 but when I get in that Mercedes-Benz, and I yield to its power, 11:13 I suddenly have the ability to achieve speeds I couldn't achieve on my own. 11:18 When my faith is in God, when my faith is in His power, then His strength becomes my strength. 11:26 His power becomes my power, that's why the Bible says, 11:30 "Now unto Him, that is able to do exceedingly abundantly and above all, 11:35 we can ever ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. 11:39 Greater is He that is in me, than He that is in the world." 11:43 And any math teacher will tell you if you have a greater than you, must have a less than. 11:48 So whoever the greater is inside of you, 11:51 then He that is in the world is less than whoever is inside of you. 11:54 But the text goes on, I'm almost done. "Put on the whole armor of God, 11:58 that he may be able to stand against the wiles of the-" what, everybody? 12:02 The wiles of the whom, everybody? 12:04 Now, the Greek word for "put on" in this context is, "panoplya", which means "put on" and "keep on." 12:11 In other words, don't take it off. 12:13 Put on the armor and keep it on, y'all don't hear what I'm saying. 12:16 Put it on and keep it on, put on and keep on the girdle of truth. 12:21 Put on and keep on the breastplate of righteousness. 12:24 Put on and keep on the shoes of the gospel. 12:27 Put on and keep on the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, carry the sword, 12:32 which is the word of God, and you've got to pray always. [Congregation: Applause] 12:37 Put on the whole armor of God, so you might be able to what? 12:41 Come on, you might be able to what? Stand against the wiles of the devil. 12:46 It's not the time for you to give up on God. 12:48 This is time for us to put on the whole armor of God. 12:51 That's young people, that's middle-aged people, that's old people, that's all people, 12:57 it's time to stand. Speaking of the church and people leaving the church, 13:01 I meddle a little bit but I'm going here cause I got the mic. 13:05 I don't know if you have your head in the sand, but we're in trouble. 13:10 The church is in trouble. I'm not just talking about my Oakwood church, 13:14 I'm talking about the universal church is in trouble, 13:17 particularly when it comes to our young people leaving the church. 13:22 According to the national base LifeWay Research, two-thirds or 66% of American young adults 13:32 between the ages of 18 and 22 who attended a Protestant church 13:37 regularly for at least a year as a teenager, 13:39 say they also have now dropped out of the church. But not only that, 13:44 the number of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 who have no religious affiliation 13:50 has nearly quadrupled in the last 30 years from 10% to 39%. 13:56 When asked why they're leaving the church, according to the survey done, the young people say-- 14:01 it published in January 2019, so this is current. 14:04 Here the top four answers for the young people: 14:05 Number one, they moved to college and stopped attending church. Sounds familiar? 14:16 Number two, church members seemed hypocritical and judgmental. 14:22 Number three, they didn't feel connected with people in the church. 14:28 Number four, they disagreed with the church's stands on political and social issues. 14:34 I must admit, I've been to church all my life, and it baffles me, however, 14:39 that we can have all this research, all this material, all this knowledge, 14:44 and we see it happening with our own eyes, see young people leaving the church, 14:48 but it seems as if we don't care. 14:51 It's time to stop talking about it, and it's time to do something about it. 15:01 I traveled all across this country, all across this division, 15:05 and if it were not for migration to the North American Division, 15:09 the North American Division would be dead. 15:12 I traveled all across, what you see here is not what's out there. 15:16 I'm looking at our churches, I'm looking at who's in our churches, and there are no young people. 15:26 Children's Story, there are no young people. 15:31 Sabbath School, no children, and we wonder why our church schools are dying. 15:38 We have no children in the church. For a church, "Go preach Pastor Byrd." 15:44 And if something doesn't happen soon, in the next 10 years, the church is going to be dead. 15:54 You don't like that, I'm going to preach it anyhow. 15:57 I'm baffled about how some of us-- because I'm a part of the "us", 16:03 I'm three years from 50 now, got a child in college now, Lord have mercy. 16:10 Some of us senior church members have children who grew up in the church, 16:16 but they are no longer in the church, they no longer go to church, 16:20 but yet we're talking about we need young people in the church. 16:24 But then we don't want young people to sing gospel music in the church. 16:29 That appeals to them and not us, but yet we want them in the church. 16:36 That's a contradiction. Let me be clear, everything young people sing is not my preference. 16:48 But I'd rather them sing in Church [Congregation: Applause] 16:54 a song that doesn't compromise what the Bible says, 17:01 even though it may not be my preference than for them to sing a song out of the church, 17:08 that compromises what thus saith the Lord. 17:11 Do I have a witness in this place? [Congregation: Applause] 17:14 It's time for the people of God to stand, and I'm going to stand. 17:21 Even if it goes against the grain, even if it's unpopular, I'm going to stand. 17:27 We are not fighting each other, we're fighting the devil which means I'm not your enemy, 17:37 you're not my enemy, Satan is the enemy in these fights. 17:42 Not the person seated next to you but Satan is the enemy. 17:48 Paul says, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood. 17:51 But against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, 17:56 against spiritual wickedness and high--" What, everybody? [Congregation: Power] 17:59 Power. There goes that word again. 18:02 We read it in verse 10, we read it again in verse number 12 18:04 so let me break down that word and I'm going to sit down. 18:07 In the Bible there are two types of power, there's Dunamis power and Exousia power. 18:14 Dunamis is a miracle-working power, Dunamis is dynamite power. 18:19 Exousia is authoritative power, it is authority power, 18:24 and Exousia gives you the authority to have the dynamites. 18:29 You don't know the power that's in you, you don't know the power you have in you. 18:35 The devil is not afraid of you, the devil is afraid of who's inside of you. 18:41 I say it all the time, no Christian has ever been demon-possessed 18:45 because if the Holy Ghost is in you, you can't be possessed by a demon, 18:50 you can be influenced but you can't be possessed 18:52 because you're already possessed by the Holy Ghost and the Holy Ghost 18:55 and the demon can't live inside you at the same time. [Congregation: Hallelujah] 19:02 What you're dealing with is a demonic influence. 19:07 And because you're already possessed by the Holy Spirit 19:09 you don't let anybody tell you you're demon-possessed. We're too loose with that term, 19:16 demonology and demon possession, we're too loose with that. 19:19 Don't you let anybody tell you you're demon-possessed. No, you're not. 19:23 You're a child of the Most High God, you're possessed by the Holy Ghost, 19:29 you're just being demon-influenced, 19:32 and to withstand this demonic influence all you have to do is yield to the power of the Holy Ghost. 19:39 When you have faith in God, His power becomes your power. 19:44 Can I give you some good news? Can I give you some good news? 19:48 You don't have to fight the devil with your power because you're not operating in your power, 19:53 you're operating in God's power, you're operating in Dunamis, you've got dynamite. 19:59 You're operating in Exousia, you've got authority. 20:02 You don't have to wrestle with the devil, you don't have to box the devil, 20:06 all you got to do is let the power of God fight the devil. [Congregation: Amen] 20:11 Your identity as a child of God and your authority over spiritual powers, 20:21 they are not things you are receiving or will receive at some time in the future. 20:31 You have them right now so don't wait until the battle is over. Shout now. 20:45 You have the power to defeat darkness now. You have the power to defeat demons now. 20:53 Satan was defeated 2,000 years ago, his defeat is not pending, 20:58 his defeat is not in the future, his defeat has already happened. 21:03 You don't fight for Calvary, you fight from Calvary so victory is mine. 21:10 Victory is mine, victory today is mine. 21:14 I told Satan, "Keep and be behind, victory today is mine." 21:20 The world is not going to get better but victory is mine. 21:25 The world is not going to get better but Jesus is mine. 21:29 The world is not going to get better but Jesus is coming back, 21:34 for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, 21:38 with the voice of the Archangel the Trump of God and the dead in Christ are going to rise first, 21:42 then we were to our lives remains to be called together with them in the clouds 21:45 to meet the lord of the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord, 21:49 and I saw a new heaven and a new earth. 21:54 For the first heaven and the first earth, they were passed away, 21:57 and there was no more sea, and I John saw the holy city. 22:05 The New Jerusalem coming down, out of heaven as a bride adorned for her husband, 22:17 and I heard a great voice, John seeing out of heaven saying, "Behold. 22:21 The tabernacle of God is with man, and he would dwell with him, and they shall be his people. 22:32 God himself shall be their God, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. 22:45 There's to be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain. 22:55 For the former things are passed away and all things shall become new." 23:11 It's not going to get better, all of the evil that we see in the world is interconnected, 23:22 it is a part of the great controversy. 23:29 That's why Satan can promote drama in Huntsville, 23:35 and Satan can have drama in the Bahamas, that's why Satan can have drama at the border, 23:43 and then Satan can have drama in California where all people got to shoot up this week, 23:47 he can have all this drama going on at the same time 23:51 because there's something bigger going on to just you and me. 23:56 There's a great controversy going on between good and evil. 24:04 Choose who this day whom you go to serve. 24:09 But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. 24:14 If God be for us, who can be against us? 24:20 Because greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world. 24:26 I'm a soldier in the army of the LORD. I'm a soldier in the army. 24:33 If I die, let me die because I-- 24:39 [Choir Singing] I shall wear a crown. 24:48 Thank you very much for tuning in to this week's Breath of Life broadcast. 24:53 We hope and pray that you've been blessed by Dr. Byrd's inspirational message. 24:57 If you would like to hear this sermon in its entirety, 25:00 please feel free to visit us at www.breathoflife.tv. 25:06 Or, call us at (256) 929-646 25:14 [END] 25:18 [MUSIC] 25:26 Our Miami revival was a special treat. 25:29 Truly the Holy Spirit was in the place, as over a hundred individuals were baptized. 25:36 One of these persons baptised was an old classmate of mine; René Castillo. 25:42 I hadn't seen him in over thirty years, and when the appeal was made for baptism, 25:48 René surrendered his life to the Lord, and was baptized. 25:53 Every word that man said, man it's just- 25:57 Every time he opened his mouth I would have an epiphany. 26:02 Everytime he said something, I already knew it but I had buried it. 26:10 That it was like - almost like relearning it and I'm like, I know that. 26:13 I know that. I know that. 26:16 He did say something, and it's been going over and over in my head. 26:23 He says-- Lord I hide your word in my heart, so that I don't sin against Thee. [Sobbing] 26:38 I feel grateful because-- I brought one of my sons-- 26:49 for two days and he actually enjoyed it. I didn't want to push it on him; you know? 26:56 It is my responsiblity, according to word of God, to be the leader-- 27:01 the spiritual leader of my household; and I have not done that. 27:08 I am so grateful that René had the opportunity to renew his relationship with the Lord. 27:14 René's story makes us mindful that the work of evangelism restores and strengthens individuals and families. 27:24 To help us to continue it's mission of spreading this wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ. 27:29 Please, share a gift with us today. 27:32 Make your tax deductible gift payable to Breath of Life by mail, 27:36 at Breath of Life PO BOX 5960, Huntsville, AL 35814 27:42 Give us all call the number is 256.929.6460 27:48 Or you can visit us online at www.breathoflife.tv 28:02 Breath of Life Television Ministries is coming to the DMV. 28:05 Our Fall Revival be held at the Dupont Park Church, 28:08 3985 Massachusetts Ave SE, Washington, DC 20019. 28:12 We begin Saturday evening October 5th at 7 P.M. 28:15 and continue through Saturday October 19th. 28:18 We'll have special musical guest including 28:20 Lady Tramaine Hawkins, Jonathan Nelson and Maurette Brown-Clarke. 28:23 For more information the number is 256.929.6460, 28:27 or visit us online at www.breathoflife.tv |
Revised 2019-09-12