Sermon #B652-When God Says No
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Dr. Byrd: Let's get right in
the Word today, what do you say
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everybody? If you will take your
Bibles and go with me to the
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book of Romans, and we're going
to go to one chapter and one
verse, Romans Chapter 8, Verse
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number 28. And without even
turning, we should know this
text, Romans Chapter 8, Verse
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number 28. Romans Chapter 8,
Verse number 28. If you haven't,
let me hear you say Amen.
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The Word of God says and we know
that all things work together
for what everybody--
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come on, talk to me, work
together for what everybody?
[Congregants: For good.]
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For good, to them, that love the
Lord and are the called
according to His purpose.
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Let's say it again, all
things work together for what
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everybody? Good to them who love
the Lord and are the called
according to His purpose.
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My subject because we can preach
this text in many different
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ways, but my subject today
is entitled When God Says No.
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Father bless us now,
as we go into your word.
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Forgive me of my sins,
hide us behind your cross.
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When the appeal time comes, move
by your power and sprinkle out
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your grace. Speak this Word to
your people this day. In Jesus
name, let everyone say, Amen,
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and Amen. One of the things that
we have preached, proclaim,
declared and testified over
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and over again, is that God will
hear and answer prayer. Earlier
in our worship experience,
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I share with you again that God
will answer prayer. We quote,
ask, and it shall be given.
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Seek, and ye shall find. Knock,
and the door shall be open until
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you. We recite and this is the
confidence we have when
approaching God that whatever we
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ask, we know, we have. We
quote Second Chronicles 7:14,
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"If my people, who are called by
my name, would humble themselves
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and pray and seek my face, turn
from their wicked ways, then I
will hear from heaven,
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And I will hear heal their
land." With great enthusiasm,
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we quote and recite
great euphemisms about prayer.
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We say, "With much prayer--"
There's much what everybody?
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We say little prayer and little
what? No prayer and no power.
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We often tell each other, "You
gotta push. You've got to pray
until something happens."
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We used to sing a song
called Jesus on the Mainline.
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Tell him what you want, call him
up and tell him what you want.
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Now, back in the day, the young
people don't know anything about
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this. We used to make collect
calls. And so in this song
whoever the person said call
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collects, he'll accept tell him
what you want. Does anybody know
what I'm talking about?
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We get excited. when we talk
about prayer. We testify I serve
a prayer answering God.
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I serve a problem-solving God. I
serve a heart-fixing God. I
serve a pain-relieving God.
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I serve a way making God. I
serve a cancer-killing God. I
serve a job giving God.
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I serve a marriage saving God,
we get excited about prayer.
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Do I have a witness in this
place?  [Congregation: Yeah]
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We read the Bible and reminded
of the prayers that people
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prayed, and God said, "Yes."
Yes, to Daniel in the lion's
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den. Yes,to three hebrew boys in
the fiery furnace. Yes, to the
woman with the issue of blood.
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Yes to the crippled man at the
pool of Bethesda. Yes, to Jairus
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and his daughter. Yes, to the
blind man in John Chapter 9, in
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our own lives. We have seen God
say, "Yes." to our prayer
requests for healing.
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Our prayer pleas for employment,
our prayer petitions for the
restoration of a marriage,
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the birth of a child, money
to get in school, help to pass a
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test. And when God says, "Yes."
we jump. We shout, we clap our
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hands. We say Amen because we
serve a prayer-answering God. Do
I have a witness in this place?
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[Congregants: Yes]
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But what do we do when God says,
"No."? What do we do when we
pray in the name of Jesus?
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Pray in the name of the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Ghost and
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God says, "No." What do we
do when we touch and agree with
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other believers, and we bind
Satan in the name of Jesus, but
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God says, "No."? What do we do
when we have fasted and prayed?
Been anointed with oil?
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Have laid on of hands,
but yet God says, "No."
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What do we do when we pray for
healing from cancer, changed our
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diet, eat now the right things,
exercise, believe, expected, but
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God says, "No."? We studied for
the test. We didn't study on the
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Sabbath. We practice problems,
went over examples. We prayed
for an A, but God didn't answer.
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And then why are some people
healed and some people aren't?
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I mean, as a pastor, I must
admit I have prayed for some
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people. And God said, "Yes," but
then I say, I pray the same
prayer for other people
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and God said, "No."
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Can I get real? As a
pastor, It gets tough sometimes.
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It gets painful to visit church
members who truly love the Lord.
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And I see them suffering and
they are unable to do anything
about their condition.
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I pray for their
healing. I even tell people,
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"If you don't believe in the
healing power of God, I need you
to clear out the room
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because we don't need
distracting spirits in this
room." I pray for their healing.
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They pray for their healing,
but God stills says, "No."
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But then I'm baffled because
I'll pray for somebody elsewhere
it's gonna take a miracle
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for them to survive, but then
God says, "Yes." Why are some
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people healed and others who are
just as deserving, not healed?
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But then, as a Seventh Day
Adventist Christian, I was
taught not to question God,
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because we hear it all the time.
God knows what's best. God
doesn't make mistakes.
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God is sovereign. So
don't you question God.
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But yet if we're real today and
we pull off the cover, if we're
honest with ourselves,
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we do question God. And before I
give them a text, let me help
somebody out right now.
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Somebody's gonna get mad with me
with a statement, but I'm gonna
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say it anyhow. It's all right to
question God. Now, that's making
somebody uncomfortable.
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But it's okay to question
God. It's okay because God knows
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everything, and God knows our
questions before we even asked
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them. Not asking does not
mean that they're not there.
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It only means that we're in
denial and we're hiding them,
pretending they're not there,
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but they are there. God knows
they're there and it is okay
friends of mine to ask why?
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It's okay to question God
because there's a difference
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between questioning
God and doubting God.
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When we doubt, we're saying,
"I'm not sure I believe."
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When we question, we're
saying, "I believe, I just don't
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understand." Doubt says, "I'm
not sure if you're a real or
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true." Question say, "I
know you're real and true.
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I just don't understand
why you do what you do."
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Another reason why it's okay to
question God is because God can
handle our questions.
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If God can handle our sins,
God can handle our questions.
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If God can handle our
disobedience, God can handle our
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questions. If God can handle our
broken promises, then God can
handle our questions.
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If God can handle our mess, then
God can handle our questions.
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If God can handle everything
we're not and still love us in
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spite of us, then surely
God can handle our questions.
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Can I be honest with you all
today? Faith is not faith unless
it has some questions.
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Faith is not getting everything
you pray for every time.
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It doesn't take
faith to believe in God.
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If God does everything we want
God to do when we want God to do
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it and the way we want God to
do it. Faith means we have some
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questions. But faith
means believing with questions.
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Faith means that when God says,
"Yes" we believe, and when God
says, "No" we still believe.
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And when we don't know what
God is saying, we still believe.
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Faith means believing when we
understand and believing when we
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don't understand. Faith means
believing in the bright daylight
and believing in the darkness
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midnight. Faith means believing
when the sun is shining in the
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sky, but it also is believing
in the midst of the storm.
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Faith is believing when the
water is clear and sparkling,
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but it's also believing when
the water is muddy and murky.
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Faith is Job declaring though
he slay me, yet well, I trust in
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him. Faith is Habakkuk
saying,"though the fig tree
doesn't blossom, and no fruit is
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on the vines." Yet but I still
rejoice in the Lord. I will
exalt in the God of my
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salvation. Faith is Jesus saying
in the garden of Getsemani,
"Nevertheless not my will,
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but thy will be done." Faith is
Jesus hanging on the cross, even
though he questions God,
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"My God, why has thou forsaken
me?" Faith means we have
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questions, but faith also
means believing with questions.
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So somebody wants to know,
"Pastor Byrd, how do you keep
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your faith in God? When God says
no, and your questions are not
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answered?" Well, I'm gonna tell
you like the old folks used to
tell me, you just have to trust
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God. Now I believe the Paul
wrote these letters to the New
Testament Church in the
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that he did for a reason. I
believe there's a reason why
Paul's journey was in Rome
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before Corinth. I believe
there's a reason Romans comes
before Corinthians.
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I believe there's a reason Paul
writes Romans 8:28 before he
wrote Second Corinthians 12.
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Because I believe he had
to say something in Romans 8
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before he said something in
First Corinthians-- in Second
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Corinthians 12. Now in Romans 8,
he says, and we know that all
things work together for what
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everybody? Good. To them who
love the Lord and are the called
according to His what? Purpose.
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But I want you to take your
Bibles quickly, I'm almost done.
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Take your Bibles quickly
and go to Second Corinthians.
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Go to second Corinthians and
I want you to go to Chapter 12.
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Second Corinthians, Chapter 12,
and I want you to go to verse
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number 7. I do believe there is
a reason Romans 8 comes in for
Second Corinthians 12.
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Quickly go to Romans-- go to
Second Corinthians Chapter 12,
and go to Verse number 7.
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II Corinthians 12 verse 7, if
you have it let me hear you say
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Amen. All right, the Word says,
Paul, unless I should be exalted
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above measure, to the abundance
of the revelations there was
given to me a thorn in the
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flesh, the messenger of Satan to
buffet me, less I should be
exalted above measure.
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For this thing, I be
sought the Lord thrice.
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In other words, Paul said, "I
prayed three times, for God to
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remove this thorn, that it might
depart from me." But look what
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he says, God said. And he said
to me, "My grace is sufficient
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for thee," for my strength
is made perfect in weakness.
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Most gladly, therefore what I
rather glory in my infirmities,
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hallelujah, that the power of
Jesus Christ may rest upon me.
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Therefore, Paul says, "I take
pleasure in infirmities I could
preach that all right there.
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I take pleasure in infirmities.
I take pleasure in reproaches.
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I take pleasure
in the necessities
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in persecutions, in distresses
for Christ's sake for when I am
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weak." Then I am what,
everybody? [Congregation:
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inaudible] Now, in
Second Corinthians 12 quickly,
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Paul begins this chapter
by talking about a spiritual
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experience when he was
shown heaven in vision.
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He didn't know whether the
experience was in body or out of
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body, but envision he has an
experience. Paul says that to
keep him from becoming
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conceited, to keep him from
getting the big head, a thorn in
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the flesh, a messenger from
Satan was set to torment him.
Now, Paul took this thorn,
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Haleluya. He took it to God in
prayer not once, not twice, but
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three times. Paul prayed, Paul
pleaded, Paul petition, Paul
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agonized with God, "God, take
this thorn from me." But three
times, God said, "No"
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God says "No". When Paul and
Silas are in jail, they prayed,
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and they sang so powerfully
that the earth shook, the prison
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doors flew open, their chains
fell off. But yet when Paul
asked God, "God, remove this
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thorn." God says, "No," God said
no to Paul's prayer requests,
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and instead he says,
"My grace is sufficient."
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Why would God tell Paul "No" and
then turn around and talk about
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grace? I believe that
God is reminding Paul,
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that he should be more concerned
with his spiritual health than
his physical well being.
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While is God focused on
spiritual power during physical
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pain, how is spiritual
power perfected in weakness?
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The answer to this question
gives us a better insight as to
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why God said "No" to remove the
thorn in the first place? Think
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about it. When do we pray the
most? Do we pray more when we're
happy, and things are going our
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way, and the sun is
shining and we have no worries?
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I mean, we get blessed with
money, blessed with a house,
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blessed with car, and we just
pray and pray and pray and not,
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"No, no. " Or do we pray more
when we're suffering? When we've
got major problems,
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when we've got questions and we
need answers, and we don't know
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what to do? And God is telling
Paul, and God is telling us
today that when we are weakened
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by this life, that's when we're
strongest. Because that's when
we rely on the Lord.
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I would never know that he
is a provider if I've never been
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broke. I would never know He's
a healer unless I've been sick.
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When we're going through
the trouble that's when we pray
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more, that's when we depend
on God more. So, God says,
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"No, Paul, I'm not gonna remove
that thorn because it's when
you're in your pain,
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when you're going through it.
that's when you learn to best
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depend on me." How many
testimonies Have you heard
people tell of a time in which
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their time lives were going
great, and they just decided to
pray more, and everything just
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got better? I haven't heard
many testimonies like that.
00:17:43.43\00:17:45.89
But I heard countless
testimonies of people whose
lives were in a mess
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and they decided to turn to
Lord, to depend on the Lord, to
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rely on the Lord. And when they
turn to the Lord, everything in
their life began to change.
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And I believe I've got a witness
in this place that knows when
you surrender to the Lord,
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things change, won't God do it?
If God not able, don't get it
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twisted. It doesn't mean that
they were miraculously healed or
completely freed of their
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situations, but they knew that
God now was in control, and they
began to depend on him.
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And so sometimes, God says no to
our prayers, no to removing the
thorns in our lives,
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because he knows what's best for
us and all things work together
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for good. But I want to share
something else before I set
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down. Remember now, Paul prays,
God says "No". God instead says,
"My grace is sufficient."
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Why grace? The Lord could have
said, "My love is sufficient."
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He could have said, "My peace is
sufficient." He could have said,
"My will is sufficient."
00:18:59.67\00:19:08.11
But why does God say, "My grace
is sufficient."? Well, you got
to remember what grace is.
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Grace is the
unmerited goodness of God.
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Grace is what God does for us
without our asking, y'all don't
hear what I'm saying?
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You see, we ask for blessings.
We ask for forgiveness. We asked
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for peace. We asked for a
car, we asked for a house.
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We ask for mate but Grace is
what God gives us without
asking, because God is good.
00:19:32.97\00:19:40.14
When God says, "No" God is
saying, "I'll give you what you
need without you asking for it.
00:19:40.18\00:19:47.12
So instead of giving you what
you want, I'm going to give you
00:19:47.15\00:19:52.25
what you need." God doesn't give
us what we want when we ask, God
gives us what we need.
00:19:52.29\00:19:57.29
And so to say yes, sometimes
would bring us harm we don't
00:19:57.33\00:20:02.96
foresee. Because God's getting
you ready better, ready for
00:20:03.00\00:20:06.00
something better, and we know
that all things work together
00:20:06.03\00:20:11.14
for good. But not only that,
sometimes we get discouraged in
prayer by thinking God has said
00:20:11.17\00:20:15.71
"No" when in fact, God
has said nothing at all.
00:20:15.74\00:20:18.88
I have learned, my friends, that
delay is not denial. Wait, is an
00:20:18.91\00:20:26.09
answer. God often delays his
answer to us to teach us
patience and build our faith.
00:20:26.12\00:20:30.46
I've learned that sometimes God
says "Yes", sometimes God says
00:20:30.49\00:20:36.10
"No", sometimes God says "Slow",
and sometimes God says, "You
00:20:36.13\00:20:41.60
need to grow." But we know that
all things work together for
00:20:41.64\00:20:46.78
good. And because God knows
what's best, and he knows what's
00:20:46.81\00:20:50.91
best for our good, even when you
don't know what to ask, and even
when you're not ready for the
00:20:50.95\00:20:54.65
answer, God's grace is
sufficient. God will take care
00:20:54.68\00:21:03.02
of you. So I preach this sermon
not just for your ears, but for
00:21:03.06\00:21:08.66
my ears too. I preach the sermon
not just for you to do you
today, but as your pastor,
00:21:08.70\00:21:13.57
I'm preaching to
myself today. I wonder,
00:21:13.60\00:21:16.84
"Why Lord in the past month
we've had all these deaths at
the Oakwood University church?"
00:21:16.87\00:21:23.85
And sometimes it can begin to
weigh you down. And I have to
now preach to myself.
00:21:23.88\00:21:30.09
And I have to tell myself,
that God says sometimes it's not
00:21:30.12\00:21:34.89
"Yes", but sometimes it's
"No", but he says, "My grace is
00:21:34.92\00:21:41.53
sufficient." We don't know why
our loved one has died, but we
know God is going to take care
00:21:41.56\00:21:47.57
of us. We don't know why we lost
our job, but God is going to
00:21:47.60\00:21:52.81
take care of us. We don't know
why our marriage relationship
fell apart, but God is gonna
00:21:52.84\00:21:58.98
take care of us. We don't know
what's gonna happen to our
children, but we know God's
00:21:59.01\00:22:04.25
gonna take care of us. We don't
know why God won't heal us, but
we know God's gonna take care of
00:22:04.29\00:22:09.56
us. We don't know where the
money is gonna come from to pay
00:22:09.59\00:22:12.83
our bills, but we do know
God's gonna take care of us.
00:22:12.86\00:22:16.36
We don't know why God says "No",
but we know God's gonna take
00:22:16.40\00:22:21.77
care of us. We don't know what
the future holds, but we do know
who holds the future
00:22:21.80\00:22:27.28
and we know God is
gonna take care of us.
00:22:27.31\00:22:32.71
And we know that all things work
together for good to them who
00:22:32.75\00:22:43.49
love the Lord and the call
according to His purpose. I once
was young, but now I'm old.
00:22:43.53\00:22:52.10
But I've never seen the
righteous forsaken nor his seed
00:22:52.13\00:23:02.08
begging bread. If God before
us, who can be against us?
00:23:02.11\00:23:08.52
And we know that all things work
together for good to them who
00:23:08.55\00:23:14.89
love the Lord and are called
according to His purposes, fret
not thyself because of
00:23:14.92\00:23:20.23
evildoers, neither be
that envious of the workers of
00:23:20.26\00:23:23.00
iniquity because God will
cut them down like the grass,
00:23:23.03\00:23:25.23
and we know that all things work
together for good to them who
00:23:25.27\00:23:30.01
love the Lord. So when God
says "No", I will trust Him.
00:23:30.04\00:23:37.28
[background music] When God
says "Slow", I'll trust Him.
00:23:37.31\00:23:43.85
When God says, "Buddy bird, you
got to grow.", I'll trust Him.
00:23:43.89\00:23:57.10
So in your life, you might have
to question Him, but you still
have got to trust Him.
00:23:57.13\00:24:06.94
You may not understand,
but You gotta trust Him.
00:24:06.98\00:24:13.35
The old folk were right, God is
too wise to make mistakes. God
is too right to be wrong.
00:24:13.38\00:24:26.56
Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
just to take him at his word,
00:24:26.59\00:24:35.60
I don't know what tomorrow
might be, but I trust Him.
00:24:35.64\00:24:42.78
Thank you very much for tuning
in to this week's Breath of Life
00:24:42.81\00:24:47.05
broadcast. We hope and pray that
you've been blessed by Dr.
Byrd's inspirational message.
00:24:47.08\00:24:51.82
If you would like to hear
this sermon in its entirety,
00:24:51.85\00:24:54.09
please feel free to visit
us at www.breathoflife.tv.
00:24:54.12\00:25:00.23
Or, call us at (256) 929-646
00:25:00.26\00:25:06.84
[end]
00:25:06.87\00:25:12.41
[Congregation: Applause]
00:25:12.44\00:25:20.88
Dr. Byrd: Our Miami
revival was a special treat.
00:25:20.92\00:25:23.75
Truly the Holy Spirit was in the
place, as over hundred
individuals were baptized.
00:25:23.79\00:25:30.39
One of these persons who was
baptised, was an old classmate
of mine; René Castillo.
00:25:30.43\00:25:36.33
I hadn't seen René in over
thirty years, but when the
appeal was made for baptism,
00:25:36.36\00:25:42.37
René surrendered his life
to the Lord, and was baptized.
00:25:42.40\00:25:46.91
René: Every word that
man said, man it's just-
00:25:46.94\00:25:51.55
Every time he opened his
mouth I would have an epiphany.
00:25:51.58\00:25:56.69
Everytime he said something, I
already knew it but I had buried
00:25:56.72\00:26:03.96
it. That it was like - almost
like relearning it and I'm like,
00:26:03.99\00:26:07.66
I know that. I
know that.  I know that.
00:26:07.73\00:26:10.53
He did say something, and it's
been going over and over in my
00:26:10.57\00:26:17.24
head. He says-- Lord I hide your
word in my heart, so that I
don't sin against you.
00:26:17.27\00:26:27.78
[Sobbing]
00:26:27.82\00:26:35.22
I feel grateful because
I brought one of my sons--
00:26:35.26\00:26:44.13
for two days and he actually
enjoyed it. I didn't want to
push it on him you know?
00:26:44.17\00:26:50.07
It is my responsiblity,
according to word of God, to be
00:26:50.11\00:26:55.61
the leader-- the spiritual
leader of my household; and I
have not done that.
00:26:55.64\00:27:02.52
Dr. Byrd: I am so grateful,
that René had the opportunity
00:27:02.55\00:27:05.99
to renew his
relationship with the Lord.
00:27:06.02\00:27:08.76
René's story makes us mindful,
00:27:08.79\00:27:11.23
that the work of evangelism
restores and strengthens
individuals and families!
00:27:11.26\00:27:18.50
To help Breath  of
Life continue its mission,
00:27:18.53\00:27:21.10
of spreading this wonderful
gospel of Jesus Christ.
00:27:21.14\00:27:24.27
Please share a
gift with us today.
00:27:24.31\00:27:27.28
Make your tax deductible gift
payable to Breath of Life by
00:27:27.31\00:27:30.88
mail, at Breath of Life PO
BOX 5960, Huntsville, AL 35814
00:27:30.91\00:27:36.82
Give us all call the
number is 256.929.6460
00:27:36.85\00:27:42.69
Or you can visit us
online at www.breathoflife.tv
00:27:42.72\00:27:49.13
[The End]
00:27:49.16\00:28:04.25