(Breath of Life Theme Music)
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Sermon #B721 - Test Time
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Dr. Byrd: Take your Bibles. To
those who are viewing today,
Daniel 3:16, 17, and 18.
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We will read 3 verses in your
hearing from the King James
Version of the Bible. Daniel
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3:16. The word of God is clear.
Shadrach Meshach and Abednego
answered and said to the king,
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"O Nebuchadnezzar, we are
not careful to answer in this
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matter." Verse 17, "If it is so,
Our God, whom we serve, can
deliver us from the burning
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fiery furnace, and he will
deliver us out of thine hand, O
King. But if not, be it known
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unto thee, O King, that we will
not serve thy gods, nor worship
the golden image which thou has
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set up." On this special
Baccalaureate Sabbath, we've
entitled this message, "Test
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time." Test time. Father, the
name of Jesus has died, in our
name. Thou art the potter, we
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are the clay. Mold us and make
us after thine will while we are
yielded, waiting, and still.
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I pray to God that you would
speak to these graduates. Speak
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to the families. Speak to the
virtual audience. Go through the
television airwaves.
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The electronic technical
airwaves on laptops, computers,
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iPhones, and smartphones and
have your way today. Hide me
behind your cross, forgive us of
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our sins. In the end, we give
you praise. We give you all the
glory. What you're going to do?
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Forgive me of my sins in
Jesus' name. Amen. Test time.
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All right, so right about
now. To the graduating class,
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you don't want to hear another
word about tests. ACT, SAT, Star
test, Citizenship test,
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Bible test, Science test. You
don't want to hear another word
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about a test. But today,
I'm going to talk to you about
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tests. Your model says,
"Sometimes we're tested, not to
show our weaknesses,
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but we're tested to discover our
strengths." Now, let me remind
everyone in this place
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and everyone who is watching.
Every experience, every test
that we have in our lives,
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it's tied to a purpose.
Everything that God allows to
happen in your life through his
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Providence will you have to know
is a sovereign setup. That's why
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I tell people, setbacks are just
setups for comebacks. Do I have
a witness to this place?
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So whatever you go through in
life, you have to learn to give
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God glory for it. Because it's
tied to a higher and bigger
picture that's going to unfold
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in your life and reveal to you
the destiny that God has on your
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life. That's why you got to let
the Lord lead your life and let
him order your steps.
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Because the Bible says that the
steps of a good man, the steps
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of a good woman, are ordered by
the Lord. But, not only that,
young people you got to learn
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from this point on. You should
have known before. But
definitely from this point on,
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you've got to learn how to hang
around the right people in life.
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Because if you don't do
bad, you can do bad by yourself.
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I've learned that you have to
have the right mentors in your
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life. One of the greatest
decisions that any of us can
ever make in our lives is who we
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allow to mentor us. Because
whomever you stand under is
ultimately what you understand.
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If you allow nothing to Mentor
you, you'll end up chasing
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nothing. If you allow ignorance
to mentor you, you'll end up
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chasing ignorance. If you allow
confusion to mentor you, then
you will end up chasing
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confusion. But if you allow
integrity, if you allow success
and spiritual focus to mentor
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you, then you will learn the
principles of how to move
through life, overcome the
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obstacles of life, and live
God's purpose for your life.
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It was the word of God, Jeremiah
1:5, God said, "Before I formed
thee in the belly, I knew thee.
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And before thou camest out of
that mother's womb, I sanctified
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thee and I ordained thee to
be a prophet unto the nations."
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This means, young people before
you were even thought of, before
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your mama and your daddy got
together, God had already placed
his Destiny on your life.
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So for those watching today, I
don't care if you're a graduate
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or not. I don't care if you're
young, old, thin, or not so
thin. I don't care if you're a
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man, woman, black, or white.
There's greatness in you.
There's Destiny that's in you.
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There's a promise in you.
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To the graduate right now, the
person sitting next to you
doesn't even understand who
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they're sitting next to. If they
understood who they were sitting
next to you, they might act a
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little differently. Because
they're sitting next to somebody
who has greatness in them.
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Tia, you're sitting next to
Kristen. Kristen has greatness
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in her. Kristen, you're sitting
next to Tia. She has greatness
in her. Somebody with God's hand
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is on them. Somebody that God's
about to use to do something for
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his glory. I've learned in my
life before God can use you, you
got to go through some tests.
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Not just show you your
weaknesses, Kaylee. But so that
you might discover your
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strengths. Now class, your
model, in my opinion, Ethan,
epitomizes Daniel chapter 3.
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Where we find the story, Lexi,
of Hananiah, Mishael, and
Azariah, better known to us as
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Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
The king at this time, everyone,
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is Nebuchadnezzar. He has
commanded everyone to bow down
and worship a huge statue that
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he has created. Anyone who does
not bow down to this statute, as
we know, is thrown into a fiery
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furnace. Nebuchadnezzar says
that in Daniel 3:4, "To you it
is commanded, O people, nations,
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and languages. When you hear
the sound of all kinds of music,
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fall and worship the golden
image that Nebuchadnezzar has
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set up." Notice, everybody,
Nebuchadnezzar's grand idolatry
was accompanied by music.
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Elaborate and well produce
music, by the way. This reminds
us of the great power of music.
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The fact that music can be used
for both good and evil. I don't
care if it's choral music,
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classical music, anthem music,
acapella music, or gospel music.
Put music in the wrong hands,
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and it can be used for the wrong
purposes. But notice in the text
the kind of music that is used.
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Notice the kinds of instruments
in Daniel chapter 3. There
weren't drums. It wasn't a
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Hammond Organ. It wasn't
a bass guitar or a keyboard.
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Sometimes we try to label
instruments. We try to label
instruments and say that a drum
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in and of itself is demonic.
That the Hammond is devilish.
That the bass guitar is
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diabolical. But notice in this
text that the instruments that
are being used were being used
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for a demonic, devilish, and
diabolical purpose were the
cornets, the flutes, the harp,
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the sackbuts, the psaltery, and
the dulcimer. Let me remind
somebody today that no
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instrument in and of itself is
bad, but it's the person playing
the instruments. There's nothing
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wrong with that drum, but is the
person on the drum consecrated?
Is the person playing the
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keyboard Christ-like?
Does the organist love Jesus?
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Verse 8, "Wherefore at that
time, all the Chaldeans came
near and accused the Jews.
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They spake and they said to King
Nebuchadnezzar, 'O King, live
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forever. Thou O King has made a
decree that every man that shall
hear the sound of the cornet,
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flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery,
and dulcimer, and all kinds of
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music should fall and worship
the golden image: And whoso
falleth not down and
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worshippeth, that he should
be cast in the burning fiery
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furnace. Now, there are certain
Jews whom thou has at over the
affairs of Babylon."
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Let's stop there. There are
certain Jews, Nebuchadnezzar.
There are certain people.
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Your boys. Those 3 boys you
passed over some of us for.
Those 3 boys you promoted over
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us. Those 3 boys you're always
bragging about. Those 3 boys
you're always looking out for.
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Those 3 boys, didn't
bow down to your image.
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Let me remind someone that I
have learned even this week,
that there will always be some
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haters, some gossips,
some tattletales in the midst.
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These are professional haters
who don't have what you have,
who can't get what you got.
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So instead of being happy for
you, they hate on you and
discredit everything you do.
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I have learned and been reminded
this week. Everybody does not
joy in your success.
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I have learned that everybody
is not happy when you do well. I
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have learned and been reminded
that the first and the greatest
moments in your life can produce
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the greatest moments in envy in
somebody else's life. But let me
give you some advice. Don't hate
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the player, hate the game. You
do what's rights and God will
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bless you. Young people,
somebody's gonna hate on you and
your life. But learn to be a
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cheerleader. Learn how to cheer
somebody else on. Because if God
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is a blessing. Somebody else,
God must be in the neighborhood
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and it's just a matter of time
before God starts blessing you.
Are you hearing what I'm saying?
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Nebuchadnezzar, is it true that
you, Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, will not serve my gods
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or worship my golden image? Is
it true you will not bow down?
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In other words, the word on the
street is that you 3 boys have
defied my decree. But don't you
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remember? I promoted you from
nothings to a nobleman. I
promoted you from the lower
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class to the upper class. I
changed your name. I open doors
for you. I know you don't want
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to cross me, so I'll give you
one more chance. Let's just say
you didn't hear the music.
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Let's just say you
didn't hear the musicians.
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Let's just say you didn't fully
understand that you're from
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another country and so you
didn't know what was going on.
Because if you don't bow down,
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I'm going to throw
you into a fiery furnace.
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But then verse 16 of our
text, one of my favorite texts,
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3:16,17,18, gives the 3
young men's response, "O
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Nebuchadnezzar. We are not
careful to answer you in this
matter." In other words, "We
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ain't scared of you." In other
words, "we are not intimidated
by you." We talked this thing
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over. We put a motion on the
floor and the vote was
unanimous. We're not bowing.
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This doesn't even take a lot of
thought. It doesn't take a lot
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of discussions. No matter what
you say or what you do, we're
not going to bow. Yes, we should
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be obligated to you. Yes, we
should be indebted to you. Yes,
we should be loyal to you. Yes,
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you've elevated us. We
appreciate what you've done. But
we have a different perspective.
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Every time you open the door for
us, we thank you but we praise
God. Every time you elevated us,
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we thank you but we praise God.
Every rank you promoted us to,
we thank you but we praise God.
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King, we can't worship you.
You're just a courier. You're
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just a conduit. You're just
a channel through God sent our
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blessing, we can't worship you
any more than we can worship a
tree for giving us shade.
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A cow, for giving us milk. A
bee, for giving us honey. Rain,
for giving us water.
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We thank you, but God is worthy
of Our Praise. We love you, but
we don't worship him.
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We might respect you but we
can't worship you. We might
honor you but we can't worship
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you. God, and God alone, is
worthy of our praise. King
Nebuchadnezzar says, "Hold up
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young people. If you don't bow,
you're going to burn." That's
okay, King. The God we serve, He
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is able. I said he's able.
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[Congregation: Amen]
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To deliver us out of thine hand.
But if not, In other words, we
know God can save us.
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But if not, we know, God can
free us. But if not we know, God
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can heal us. But if not, we know
God can remove cancer. But if
not, we know God can break that
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habits. But if not, we know God
can give us a job. But if not,
we still won't worship you.
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But we will worship the God of
Heaven and Earth. The God of
Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Jacob,
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Miriam, Moses, Enoch, and
Elijah. The God of Rachel and
Rebecca. The God of your mama
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and your daddy.
The God of you and me.
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Let me tell you, young people,
those who are watching, moms and
dads, grandpa and Grandma.
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As a child of God, you've got to
get to the point in your faith
where you learn how to say,
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"Even if God doesn't. Even if I
lose my job. Even if I lose my
house. Even if I lose my car.
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Even if I lose my friends. Even
if my spouse walks out on me. If
my family doesn't understand.
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Even if I don't pass the class.
Even if I don't get into the
school I want to get into.
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Even if I don't get the job I
want. Even if I have to stand
alone. God is able.
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It's not a matter if God
can, but I know that God will."
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So we know the
story's about to end.
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Nebuchadnezzar is mad.
He's furious. Nebuchadnezzar is
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angry. So he turns up the fire
in the furnace 7 times hotter
than its normal heat.
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The Bible says in verse 22, that
because the furnace was much
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hotter than usual, the very ones
who threw the 3 Hebrew boys in
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the fiery furnace, were killed
by the very flames in the
furnace. They didn't get in the
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furnace. But they were killed by
the flames from the furnace. Let
that be a reminder for all of us
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today. Be careful about fueling
the flames for somebody else.
The same flames will reach out
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and grab you. I wish I
had a witness to this place.
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[Cognregation:
Cheering and clapping.]
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Too many of us are setting traps
for others. Waiting for others
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to fall. The same traps that we
set for others are often the
same traps we fall in ourselves.
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You can be so busy turning
somebody else against somebody
00:16:13.74\00:16:17.84
else, you better be careful that
these same people don't turn on
you. The Bible says that you
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reap, what you sow, The lies we
spread on others. The gossip we
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spread on others. The dirt we do
to others will come back to get
us. Be sure your sins will find
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you out. Bible says that
Nebuchadnezzar threw the 3
Hebrew boys in the fiery
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furnace. After we read this, we
get excited, we shout, preachers
hoot, the organ plays,
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and we stomp our feet over God's
deliverance of the 3 Hebrew
boys. Then we want to go home.
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But before we get there, let's
look at verse 23, and then it
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will stop. Verse 23 of the Bible
tells us that the 3 Hebrew boys
fell to the ground.
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These 3 men, Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego fell. Bound into
the midst of the fiery furnace.
00:16:59.61\00:17:10.73
Now, one would think that
if they fell to the ground in a
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fiery furnace, they surely were
on their way to death. Man's
extremity is God's opportunity.
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When it seems like you're going
to fall that's when God holds
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you up. I wish I had
a witness in his place.
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When it seems like you're about
to fall that's when Jesus stands
up for you when you can't stand
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for yourself. It seems that the
3 Hebrew boys are on their way
to sure death. But all of a
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sudden, Nebuchadnezzar says,
"Hold up. Wait a minute. I
thought we put 3 boys in the
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fiery furnace." We did. "I
thought we heat the fiery
furnace seven times hotter." We
00:17:45.13\00:17:52.93
did. "Well, why do I see 4
men walking loose in the fiery
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furnace and the fourth has the
appearance of the Son of God?"
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When Jesus shows up, that Jesus
shows out. If God before us, who
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can be against us? No weapon
formed against us is going to
prosper. Fret, not thyself
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because of evildoers, neither be
thou envious of the workers of
iniquity, God will cut them
00:18:22.23\00:18:28.14
down, like the grass. I
once was young, but now I'm old.
00:18:28.17\00:18:31.24
But I've never seen the
righteous forsaken nor his seed
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begging bread. Let me tell you
something. Jesus will be with
you in the worst of your trials.
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Jesus will be with you
in the worst of your tests.
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Jesus will be with you in the
furnaces of your life. I'm a
witness. If you're a child of
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God, get ready for the furnace.
You will, at one day or another,
00:18:49.09\00:18:53.56
be thrown into it. Every child
of God has to go through it.
Sometimes God will intentionally
00:18:53.60\00:18:59.23
test your faith and allow you to
go through a furnace so he might
bring Integrity to your
00:18:59.27\00:19:05.67
testimony. Have you ever
wondered, "Why God? Why the
trial? Why the test?" You
00:19:05.71\00:19:11.95
weren't sitting back saying,
"Lord, I'll be your spiritual
guinea pig. You can try
00:19:11.98\00:19:14.95
and do whatever you want to test
me any kind of way. But God, in
His sovereignty, will.
00:19:14.98\00:19:18.72
God, my friends, can do what he
wants when he wants, where he
wants, how he wants,
00:19:18.75\00:19:33.64
and to whom he wants. He doesn't
have to ask you or me for
permission to do as he wants.
00:19:33.67\00:19:40.94
God knows that he has to allow
certain things to happen in our
lives to bring integrity to our
00:19:40.98\00:19:48.75
testimony. Because our
testimonies are shallow. They
00:19:48.78\00:19:55.66
have no substance. They have no
validity unless we've been
through what we're telling
00:19:55.69\00:20:02.30
somebody else they
can make it through.
00:20:02.33\00:20:03.80
Your testimony has no
credibility unless you've been
through some things.
00:20:03.83\00:20:05.90
Unless you've had some tests
that you've been through. But
I'm so glad when you've been
00:20:05.93\00:20:13.14
through it. When you been
talked about. When you've been
00:20:13.17\00:20:18.65
criticized. When you've been so
sick you didn't know how you
were going to get well.
00:20:18.68\00:20:21.45
When you were so broke that you
had to go to your couch to find
00:20:21.48\00:20:26.92
some change. Does anybody know
what I'm talking about? You had
to go to your astray in your
00:20:26.96\00:20:30.63
car. [Congregation:
Cheering and clapping.]
00:20:30.66\00:20:32.33
Find some change. Y'all don't
know what I'm talking about? I'm
talking about, so broke,
00:20:32.36\00:20:35.36
you had to put a dishrag in
the tub and call that a stopper.
00:20:35.40\00:20:39.60
So broke that you had to run by
McDonald's to get some napkins.
00:20:39.63\00:20:44.11
Run by Taco Bell and get some
hot sauce. Run by Popeyes and
00:20:44.14\00:20:49.54
get some jelly. But when you've
been through the fire. When
you've been through the flood.
00:20:49.58\00:20:53.98
You'll go from a sewn-up test of
a lion to testify it. When I
think of the goodness of Jesus
00:20:54.02\00:21:01.99
and all He's done for me,
my soul cries out. Hallelujah.
00:21:02.02\00:21:08.46
[Congregation:
Cheering and clapping.]
00:21:08.50\00:21:10.53
Somebody says, "God, why do you
leave me in the test so long?"
00:21:10.57\00:21:16.30
I'll tell you why. Sometimes God
will leave us in the test so
long because it has to be long
00:21:16.34\00:21:21.54
to feel long. God knows that if
he brought you out when you want
00:21:21.58\00:21:27.35
it to come out, God knows you'd
suffer from anthropomorphic
arrogance. You'd suffer from
00:21:27.38\00:21:34.19
ecclesiastical elitism. He knows
your nose will be so high in the
air that if it rained, you'd
00:21:34.22\00:21:37.63
drown. [Congregation:
Cheering and clapping.]
00:21:37.66\00:21:38.89
So I've learned in my life, that
God will leave you in the test.
00:21:38.93\00:21:42.93
Until your money
can't buy you out.
00:21:42.96\00:21:45.13
[Congregation:
Cheering and clapping.]
00:21:45.17\00:21:46.63
Until your degree can't think
you out. Until your family can't
00:21:46.67\00:21:50.74
bail you out. So, when you do
come out, you'll know it wasn't
your family. You'll know it
00:21:50.77\00:21:56.75
wasn't your money. You know it
wasn't your friends. But
somebody knows. I said somebody
00:21:56.78\00:22:02.52
know. Somebody knows
it was nobody but Jesus.
00:22:02.55\00:22:06.79
[Congregation:
Cheering and clapping.]
00:22:06.82\00:22:08.56
Sometimes, young people, we're
tested not to show our
weaknesses. That's what you
00:22:08.59\00:22:17.60
said. So that we might
discover our strengths.
00:22:17.63\00:22:24.81
You got to start.
Young people and everybody.
00:22:24.84\00:22:31.78
You got to start learning how to
thank God for stuff that other
folks thought you were crazy
00:22:31.81\00:22:39.89
for. Lord, I thank you
for everybody who played me.
00:22:39.92\00:22:44.46
[Congregation: Amen]
00:22:44.49\00:22:46.23
Because I'll never be played
again. Lord, I thank you for
everybody who hated on me
00:22:46.26\00:22:53.37
because now I know who my real
friends are. I've learned in my
00:22:53.40\00:22:59.91
life, if your faith is going to
be tried, if your faith is going
00:22:59.94\00:23:04.88
to be tested, if your faith is
going to be justified at all,
you must go through the furnace
00:23:04.91\00:23:11.02
of affliction. Faith has no way
to be tried and comfort. Faith
is not proven in abundance.
00:23:11.05\00:23:15.09
You don't prove your faith by
how much money you've got. You
prove your faith when the lights
00:23:15.12\00:23:19.76
are off. When the water is
off. When the bills are due.
00:23:19.79\00:23:23.97
This story teaches
me a lot. Number one,
00:23:24.00\00:23:26.84
it teaches me that sometimes God
allows us to go through the fire
00:23:26.87\00:23:32.07
to purify us. So that he might
promote us. Eleven years ago,
when I was at the Berean Church
00:23:32.11\00:23:47.06
in Atlanta. The same southwest
region conference voted and
asked me to be the president of
00:23:47.09\00:23:57.93
the conference. Eleven years
ago, I was 38 years old. Eleven
years ago, the same conference
00:23:57.97\00:24:05.81
that voted me this week, voted
me 11 years ago. But this story
and the fire have taught me,
00:24:05.84\00:24:12.71
that sometimes God wasn't
through training me yet. He's
00:24:12.75\00:24:18.55
still training me. Are you
hearing what I'm saying? But
this story has taught me, 11
00:24:18.59\00:24:23.12
years ago wasn't the right time.
God wasn't through putting me
through enough fires. He still
00:24:23.16\00:24:31.00
had to purify me to promote me.
Y'all don't hear what I'm saying
00:24:31.03\00:24:32.73
today. [Congregation: Clapping.]
00:24:32.77\00:24:34.10
God never uses
anybody in a great way.
00:24:34.14\00:24:38.91
Until he first takes that
person through the furnace of
00:24:38.94\00:24:45.75
affliction. Joseph, you can't be
governor of Egypt until you're
00:24:45.78\00:24:51.75
thrown into a pit. Elijah, you
can't stand on Mount Carmel in
power until you go to the brook
00:24:51.79\00:24:59.29
of Cherith in humility. David,
You can't lead the children of
Israel until you learn how to
00:24:59.33\00:25:06.53
watch some sheep in the
wilderness. Paul, you can't be
the greatest New Testament
00:25:06.57\00:25:12.31
writer of the Christian church
until you go blind on a Damascus
Road. Carlton Byrd, you can't be
00:25:12.34\00:25:21.92
the president of a conference
until you learn what it means to
suffer. To have some sleepless
00:25:21.95\00:25:32.16
nights. To vacuum some floors.
To paint some walls. To get on
some ladders. To humble yourself
00:25:32.19\00:25:40.40
so that in due time, he can
exalt you. Y'all don't hear what
00:25:40.44\00:25:41.54
I'm saying.
[Congregration: Clapping.]
00:25:41.57\00:25:42.77
The 3 Hebrew boys had the test
of food in Daniel, Chapter 1.
00:25:42.80\00:25:51.48
So they could be ready for the
test of worship in Chapter 3.
00:25:51.51\00:25:57.55
This leads me to the second
point, God will never allow us
to be tested beyond our capacity
00:25:57.59\00:26:07.30
to respond. 1 Corinthians 10:13,
"There has no temptation taken
you, but such as is common to
00:26:07.30\00:26:11.07
man. But God is faithful, who
will not suffer you to be
tempted above that you are able.
00:26:11.10\00:26:15.17
But with the temptation, make
a way of escape, that you may be
00:26:15.20\00:26:19.74
able to bear it." So God gave
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
small tests at first.
00:26:19.77\00:26:25.68
Until they knew how to withstand
the great tests to their faith
with Nebuchadnezzar
00:26:25.71\00:26:31.09
and his furnace. Graduates, you
have the test in eighth grade.
00:26:31.12\00:26:36.99
So you'd be ready for the test
in twelfth grade. You had tests
in your life at age 14,
00:26:37.03\00:26:45.00
so you would be ready for the
tests of life at age 18. Every
00:26:45.03\00:26:54.71
round goes higher. Number three,
we can trust God to protect us
even when we don't know the
00:26:54.74\00:27:02.28
outcome of the situation we find
ourselves in. Shadrach Meshach
and Abednego believe that God
00:27:02.32\00:27:10.06
will protect them, but they
still declared to be faithful to
him even if they perished in the
00:27:10.09\00:27:15.23
fire. Number four, if God allows
you to be put in the furnace,
00:27:15.26\00:27:23.77
we can be sure that he's going
to be there with us. If he
allows us to be put in the
00:27:23.81\00:27:33.55
furnace, and I'm preaching to
myself now, we can be assured
that he will be with us. You all
00:27:33.58\00:27:44.89
are graduating. JB, you're
graduating. You're graduating,
but it's test time.
00:27:44.93\00:27:51.07
Don't you ever forget that
sometimes we're tested not to
show our weaknesses,
00:27:51.10\00:28:00.44
but to discover our strengths.
00:28:00.48\00:28:04.95
Thank you very much for tuning
in to this week's Breath of Life
00:28:04.98\00:28:09.42
broadcast. We hope and pray that
you've been blessed by Dr.
Byrd's inspirational message.
00:28:09.45\00:28:14.06
If you would like to hear
this sermon in its entirety,
00:28:14.09\00:28:16.42
please feel free to visit
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00:28:16.46\00:28:22.23
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00:28:22.26\00:28:28.20
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00:28:28.24\00:28:43.25