(Breath of Life Theme Music)
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Sermon #B654-The End is
better than the beginning
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Dr. Byrd: If you will take your
bibles and let's go to the Book
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of Psalms and we're going to go
to Psalm 107, when I won't keep
you long today, Psalm 107.
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But I will warn you, the Holy
Ghost gets loose, you know what
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happens? I see I'm trying to be
mindful of time, one member say,
pastor of the church is good.
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I don't mind saying in church,
Amen. But that was just one
person that wouldn't everybody.
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All right, so let's go quickly
to Psalm 107 and let's go to
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verse number 15. Psalm 107 and
let's go to verse number 15,
Psalm 107 and verse number 15.
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If you haven't let me hear you
say, Amen. [Congregation: Amen]
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The Word of God says in verse
15, “Oh, that men would praise
the whom everybody,
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would praise the Lord, for his
goodness, and for this wonderful
works to the children of men.
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For he hath broken the gates of
brass and cut the bars of iron
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and sunder, fools because of
transgression and because of
their iniquities are afflicted,
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their soul abhorreth all manner
of meat and they draw near unto
the gates of death,
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then they cry unto the Lord and
their trouble. He saved them out
of their distresses.
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He sent His word and healed
them. He delivered them from
their destructions.
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Oh, that men would
praise the Lord for His goodness
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and for His wonderful
works to the children of men.”
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Today, I just want to spend
a little time on the subject.
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The end is better than the
beginning. The end is better
than the beginning.
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Father, God bless us
now as we go into your word.
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Speak because of your servants
here then God at the appeal
time, do what you do.
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May Holy Spirit flow full and
free. Speak your word to your
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people. Somebody needs this
today God. So, speak and I'll
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pray. Hide behind your cross,
forgive me of my sins is not
about me but Lord is all about
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you. We pray this prayer in the
name of Jesus. Let all those who
love Him say Amen. Amen.
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The end is better than the
beginning. It's hard to believe
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it. But we've come to the end of
2019, the end of another year in
about 83 hours from now.
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2019 will be
history. It will be done.
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Now, for some of us if we pulled
the church today 2019 was an
awesome year for somebody.
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You graduated from high school,
graduated from college, got a
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new job, got a new hot car,
got a new house, somebody got
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married, somebody had a child,
somebody got engaged, somebody's
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getting married, but somebody's
got a man. [Congregation:
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laughing] Somebody's got a
woman, somebody, you were healed
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from a disease, somebody you
retired and you realize in
retirement you have more money
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now in retirement than when you
were working. 2019 for somebody
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was a good year. Do I
have a witness in this place?
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But then on the flip side, 2019
for somebody was a rough year.
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You lost your job, you lost your
house, you lost your car, your
marriage fell apart,
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your relationship went back,
you failed school, you lost a
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husband, your wife passed away,
you lost a parent, you lost a
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child, you were diagnosed this
year with a debilitating
disease, you missed an
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opportunity, you broke a
resolution, you made a mistake
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and now you're saying if I had
to do it all over again, I would
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do it differently. If 2019 was
bad to you, don't dwell on it.
Don't dwell on the past. The
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past is the past. There's
nothing you can do to change the
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past. Yes, the past shapes our
lives but the past and life was
not meant to be lived in the
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past. You can't live in the past
but I believe somebody knows you
can live in the present.
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So today I just came for
old fashioned church today.
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I want to encourage somebody
that you ought to praise God
today in the present
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for bringing you safely
to the end of another year
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because the end is always
better than the beginning.
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Oh, somebody doesn't hear me. I
said in spite of what the devil
has been doing to you,
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in spite of what the devil
has been doing to you in 2019
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God has been good to somebody in
this place. God kept you when
the bottom fell out.
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God made a way out of no way.
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God healed you when they said
there was nothing else that can
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be done. You lost your job but
you're here today. Broken
relationship but you're here
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today. Divorced but you're here
today. Death in your family but
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you're here today. You failed a
class but you're here today.
Locked up but you're here today.
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Strung out but you're here
today. Suicidal but you're here
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today and I just want to know on
this the final Sabbath of 2019
in the present, in your current,
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in your right now can you praise
the Lord?[Congregation: Amen]
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You ought to tell somebody.
If you only knew what I've been
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through, if you only knew
what God brought me through,
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if you really understood
what I've been through this past
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year, my praise would make sense
to you right now. 2019 was rough
but God brought me through.
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And I'm encouraged today
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because I just believe that my
end is going to be better than
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my beginning. That my ladder
is going to be greater than my
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former. Is anybody understanding
what I'm talking about?
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Because through all that I
went through, God still kept me.
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When I think of the goodness of
Jesus and when I think of God's
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mercy, when I think of his
keeping power over this year I'm
reminded of Psalm 107.
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I'm reminded of David Psalm and
testimony of God's redemptive
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power. “Oh, that men
would praise the Lord, for his
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goodness, and his wonderful
works to the children of men.”
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Now, four times in this psalm,
David says this and each time he
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says this, he's telling us where
God found his people when he
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saved his people. That's the
word for somebody that God will
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find you. Then God will save you
where he finds you. Oh, you
don't know what I'm talking
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about. God found somebody in the
crack house, but he saved them.
God found somebody in the
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outhouse, but he saved them. God
found somebody in the bankruptcy
house, but God saves that.
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God found somebody in the house
of doubt and depression, but God
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then saved you. God
will find you where you are
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and then God will save you all
that men would praise the Lord,
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for his goodness, his wonderful
works to the children, man.
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Now, many
theologians believe that David,
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this psalm was probably written
after Israel had been delivered
from their bondage in Assyria
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and Babylon. Then in this psalm,
they are reminded of the
consequences of their sins
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and they are reminded of the
grace that God showed them, and
forgiving them a better sins,
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and then he restores them. They
are also reminded that God is
faithful. God is what everybody?
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God is what everybody? God is
faithful to hear and then to
restore those who call on him.
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When you look at Psalm 107,
Psalm 107 verses 1 through 7 are
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the introduction, verses 8
through 14 are the first
testimony and I say testimony
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because in the introduction in
verse 3, David says, “Let the
redeemed of the Lord say so.”
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Then in verses 15 through
20, which we read, we have the
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second testimony. Then in verses
21 through 30, we have the third
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testimony. Then in verses 31
through 43, we have the fourth
and final testimony.
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Now, I can't preach every
testimony today, but I'll just
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preach one. Is that all right
everybody? So, I've chosen
testimony number 2.
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Now, over this year, somebody
ought to praise the Lord because
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God protected you. He protected
you from your transgressions. He
protected you from your
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iniquities. He protected you
from your indiscretions, your
misdeeds, your lapses in
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judgment. Now, don't sit there
and act like you don't know what
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I'm talking about. Don't you sit
there and act like you haven't
done anything in your past.
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One of the blessings by Oakwood
church a lot of people who went
to school here retired and
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come back here and people we
remember you when. Come on, say
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Amen. Don't act like and sit
there like your past is perfect.
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Because I believe, I've got a
witness in this place that can
say I can't believe I did that
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or I can't believe I said that.
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David admits that in his
own life, he engaged in what was
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foolish. But he says, “All that
men would praise the Lord, for
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his goodness and his wonderful
works to the children of men.”
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He says, “Let me tell you how
good God has been.” So he begins
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there in verse 15. Then he goes
to verse 16 and it says, “He had
broken the gates of brass
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and he had cut the
bars of iron in Sunder.”
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Now, what he's really saying is,
I've gotten myself in trouble
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over my life, but
God broke the chains.
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God delivered me out of my
trouble out of the mess that I
caused in my own life.
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But then he continues in
verse number 17, he says,
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“The fools because of their
transgressions and because of
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their iniquities, the fools are
afflicted.” In other words, I
hurt myself because I did some
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foolish stuff. I was so caught
up in foolish stuff that my soul
went after any and everything.
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When I was going after any and
everything I ended up coming
very close to the gates of
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death. Anybody ever been close
to death? Anybody been close to
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death in 2019? But look at what
the Word of God says in verse
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19. David says, “I cried
until the Lord in my trouble
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because that's when I really cry
when I'm in trouble. God saved
me out of my distress.”
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David said, “God sent His Word
to heal me and deliver me from
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my destruction.” Now that's
shouting news. Shouting news
because wherever your
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transgressions lead you, God
didn't let them kill you. God
didn't let them mess with your
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family. God didn't let him mess
with your finances, mess with
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your destiny. Isn't it good to
know that there is no depth that
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you can go to that
God can't save you out of?
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There's no situation that you
can get yourself into that God
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cannot hear you that when you
call them the Lord in trouble,
God will save you out of
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trouble. That's why I don't
know how some people can come to
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church 52 weeks and sit
up in here like they all that
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and then some in the bag of
chips when you know what you
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used to be. God still thank you,
Jesus, answered your prayer.
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God didn't let, what should have
taken you out, take you out.
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God did not let what should have
killed you, kill you. I don't
know who I'm talking to today.
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But under the authority of the
Holy Ghost, when you look back
over your life, not just 2019,
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but when you look back over your
entire life at the stuff you
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used to do, and you're just mad
at yourself now because you do
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it, did it, and the truth
is your past can wound you.
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But the good news is in verse
20. David says, “Even though my
past left me in bad shape,
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God sent His word to heal me.”
I love to sing. I love to hear
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testimonies. I love to have
prayer in church. I love to
shake hands in church
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but I also need the Word of God.
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I'm trying to help somebody
understand that David says
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that even though your past
messed you up, even though 2019
may have messed you up,
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God has sent His
word to heal you.
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Even though you felt like one
day this year you don't have
anything to live for.
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Even though you felt like you
didn't have anything to offer
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God, God reminded you by sending
your word when you need to heal
your mind, heal your soul,
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heal your body. God has a way of
giving you a word just when you
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need it. Do I have a
witness in this place?
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Has anybody ever gone to their
bible to open up to read the
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Word of God and you will open
up at a certain chapter and a
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certain verse and God will give
you just what you need, just
when you need to have a witness
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in this place? Just when you
thought you had messed up and
lost all second chance, God gave
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somebody a word. He took you to
Luke chapter 15. You read about
a prodigal son, who had messed
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up but God showed you a father
in the distance and said bring
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my best robe. Kill the
fatted calf, my son was lost
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and is now found when the spirit
of guilt comes upon you. God
will give you a word.
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He will show you in Romans
chapter 8 that there is there,
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for now, no condemnation to
those who are in Christ who walk
not after the flesh,
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but now after the spirit.
God will take it to second
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Corinthians 5:17, “If any man be
in Christ, he's a new creature,
old things are passed away.
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Old things become due.” God will
take you to First Corinthians
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10:13, “No temptation taking
you but such as is common to man
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but God is faithful who will not
suffer you to be tempted about
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that you're able. But well with
the temptation make a way of
escape, that he may be able to
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bear it.” God will
take you to first John 1:9,
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“If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us
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of our sins and cleanse us from
all unrighteousness.” God will
take you to John 3:16,
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“For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son
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that whosoever believes in
Him should not perish but have
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everlasting life.” Somebody
knows God will give you a word
to heal you because God will
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look beyond your faults and He
will see and supply your
needs.[Congregation: Amen]
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Somebody ought to praise
Him today.[Congregation: Amen]
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Because in spite of all that you
were caught up and God didn't
let it take you out.
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Somebody knows that if God
had not been patient with you,
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you wouldn't be here today look
at all sanctimonious. Looking
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all good. Somebody knows if it
had not been the grace of God,
you would not be here today.
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I'm almost done. Somebody had
to overcome an addiction but you
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here. Somebody had overcome
depression but you're here.
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Somebody had to overcome abuse
and misuse but you're here.
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Somebody in 2019 you had to
overcome the loss of a loved
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one, but you're here and until
you lose somebody close to you,
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you really don't understand
what people go through.
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Somebody had to overcome a bad
relationship but you're here.
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I know you act
like it's not you.
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But all I need are two or three
witnesses.[Congregation: Amen]
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That know that God kept you.
That's why when you praise God,
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you don't have time to be cute.
You don't have time to worry
about how your hair looks.
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You don't have time to worry
about how your shoes look. You
just don't give God some glory.
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You can say to yourself,
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I can't believe that God loves
me like he does.[Congregation:
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applause] There's nothing
you can do that to stop God from
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loving you. The text
says, “God protected me from my
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transgressions.” Verse 17, “God
protected me from my
iniquities.” Verse 17, “God
00:18:05.95\00:18:17.29
protected me from me.” Verse
17, “I cried to the Lord and He
00:18:17.33\00:18:24.83
saved me.” Verse 19, “He sent
his word and He delivered me.”
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Verse 20, “That's why I praise
Him like I do, oh that man would
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praise the Lord.” Verse 21,
that's a word for somebody. We
remind of where the Lord found
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us and how he delivered us
from our terrible condition.
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Because he has moved in power on
our behalf, we are challenged to
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praise Him because the same
God who delivered us in the past
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is the same God who would
deliver us in the presence.
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The same God who brought us
through 2019 is the same God
that will be with us today.
00:19:09.18\00:19:13.92
I want someone to know today
that 2019 may have been rough,
00:19:13.95\00:19:20.22
but God protected you from your
transgressions. He protected you
from your iniquities.
00:19:20.26\00:19:27.03
You cry on to him, somebody in
the midnight hour, you cry out
to Him and He saved you.
00:19:27.03\00:19:33.97
Then he said his words and He
delivered to me because now of
00:19:34.00\00:19:41.01
your experiences, because of
your challenges, because of your
00:19:41.04\00:19:44.98
transgressions, you are now
better for it than you were
before.[Congregation: applause]
00:19:45.01\00:19:50.65
So now, your ending is going to
be better than your beginning.
00:19:50.69\00:19:58.56
Ecclesiastes, 7:8 says, “Better
is the end of a thing than the
beginning there off.”
00:19:58.59\00:20:06.97
Psalm 30 verse 5 says, “Weeping
may endure for nights but joy
comes in the morning time.”
00:20:07.00\00:20:14.44
But after the sun, the rain,
after the rain the sun will
00:20:14.48\00:20:19.48
shine again that understanding
behind every dark cloud there's
00:20:19.51\00:20:23.12
a silver lining, that your
ladder will be greater than your
00:20:23.15\00:20:26.29
past, that your ending is
going to be better than your
00:20:26.32\00:20:29.86
beginning. Let me remind
you, this world is not our final
00:20:29.89\00:20:35.83
home. Everything on this
Earth has been corrupted by sin.
00:20:35.86\00:20:40.77
But one day, God's going to
redeem his creation and He's
going to redeem us.
00:20:40.80\00:20:50.25
Paradise that was
lost will be regained.
00:20:50.28\00:20:55.42
John says, “It's going to be
a new heaven and a new Earth.”
00:20:55.45\00:21:01.72
God is going to wipe
away all tears from our eyes.
00:21:01.76\00:21:07.50
He said there's going to be no
more death, no more dying, no
more crying, no more sickness,
00:21:07.56\00:21:12.60
no more pain, no more
wheelchairs, no more walking
canes, no more cancer, no more
00:21:12.63\00:21:18.11
arthritis, no more high blood
pressure, no more pills, no
00:21:18.14\00:21:21.34
more. God says, “I'm
going to make all things new.”
00:21:21.38\00:21:26.05
That the end is going to
be better than the beginning.
00:21:26.08\00:21:33.05
I don't know about you all. But
I'm looking forward to my new
00:21:33.09\00:21:39.06
home, because the end is going
to be better than the beginning.
I'm looking forward to that
00:21:39.09\00:21:48.77
city, the New Jerusalem, the
holy city. 12 gates to the city.
Three gates to the north,
00:21:48.80\00:21:58.31
three gates to the south, three
gates to east, three gates to
00:21:58.35\00:22:02.05
the west. The walls are made of
Jasper, the streets are made of
00:22:02.08\00:22:08.29
purest gold. We will sail on a
sea of glass. With the lion is
going to play with the lamb.
00:22:08.32\00:22:14.30
I'm looking
forward to that city.
00:22:14.36\00:22:17.23
Because my ending, it's going
to be better than my beginning.
00:22:17.27\00:22:23.04
I can shout now, because
I've been through it in 2019.
00:22:23.07\00:22:30.28
But I'm encouraged that God's
got a better ending for me.
00:22:30.31\00:22:36.72
Somebody, you've been through
it, but God's got a better
00:22:36.75\00:22:45.99
ending for you. Let's close with
a lesson from God's creation of
how a butterfly transforms.
00:22:46.03\00:22:57.17
A man watched a wiggling cocoon.
00:22:57.21\00:23:02.68
After about an hour, there
was a split on the bottom of the
00:23:02.71\00:23:13.09
cocoon. After about another
hour, the butterfly's abdomen
00:23:13.12\00:23:23.20
was now half free. After another
hour, the butterfly was still
only have free. So the man got
00:23:23.23\00:23:35.31
some scissors. He cuts that
cocoon to free, what he thought,
would be the butterfly free from
00:23:35.34\00:23:47.02
torture. But the butterfly never
took flight and the butterfly
died a few hours, few days
00:23:47.06\00:23:58.90
later. What's the
lesson Pastor Byrd?
00:23:58.93\00:24:02.77
Butterflies, I said Pastor
Lynch, need the struggle to
stimulate their wings
00:24:02.80\00:24:13.92
and make them strong, you
all don't hear what I'm saying.
00:24:13.95\00:24:17.45
In order to fly, butterflies,
you all hear what I'm saying,
they have to struggle a bit.
00:24:17.49\00:24:27.20
In order for us to fly, God has
to allow us to struggle a little
00:24:27.23\00:24:36.74
bit. In order for this bird
to fly, God has said allow me to
00:24:36.77\00:24:44.78
struggle a bit. In order for you
to fly, God has to let you
struggle a little bit.
00:24:44.81\00:24:50.89
Praise God, that in 2019 some of
us had to struggle a bit because
00:24:50.92\00:25:02.30
we have to fly, but our end
is going to be better than our
00:25:02.33\00:25:09.40
beginning. Consider it all God
when you encounter various
trials and tribulations
00:25:09.44\00:25:16.04
that testing of your
fate produces endurance.
00:25:16.08\00:25:22.75
Today, let me be
clear. [Congregation: Amen]
00:25:22.78\00:25:28.92
I need you to understand the
converse, yes, your beginning
doesn't have to be your ending.
00:25:28.96\00:25:39.90
But in order for your ending to
be better than your beginning,
you got to love Jesus,
00:25:39.93\00:25:49.91
you got to obey Jesus,
you got to follow Jesus,
00:25:49.94\00:25:54.32
you got to accept Him as your
personal savior. You can't just
00:25:54.35\00:25:57.39
say up here, “Oh, praise God.
Praise the Lord. I struggled,
for now, I can fly.” You can't
00:25:57.42\00:26:02.26
just say, “Oh well, my ending is
going to be better than my
beginning.” No, there's a
00:26:02.29\00:26:10.50
condition. You got to choose
Jesus and you got to mean it.
You got to follow the Lord and
00:26:10.53\00:26:22.31
mean it's. Condition, if you
love me then keep my
commandments, my transgressions,
00:26:22.34\00:26:38.43
my iniquities. They had me down.
But I cried unto the Lord. He
heard me. Then He gave a word
00:26:38.46\00:26:52.64
that healed me. Now, I'm better
for it. So, now at the end of
00:26:52.67\00:26:59.45
2019, I can shout and say oh,
that men would praise the Lord
00:26:59.48\00:27:08.36
for His goodness. Now, when I
was going through it, it
wouldn't good. But I'm better
00:27:08.39\00:27:15.13
for it. Oh, that men,
that praise the Lord for his
00:27:15.16\00:27:19.63
goodness, for his wonderful
works to the children of men.
Let's stand, it's time to go
00:27:19.67\00:27:27.61
home. Everybody stands on
your feet. It's God's time now.
00:27:27.64\00:27:31.08
Thank you very much for tuning
in to this week's Breath of Life
00:27:31.11\00:27:35.35
broadcast. We hope and pray that
you've been blessed by Dr.
Byrd's inspirational message.
00:27:35.38\00:27:39.99
If you would like to hear
this sermon in its entirety,
00:27:40.02\00:27:42.59
please feel free to visit
us at www.breathoflife.tv.
00:27:42.62\00:27:48.30
Or, call us at (256) 929-6460.
00:27:48.33\00:27:55.24
[End]
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