Participants:
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000695S
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00:01 (Breath of Life Theme Music)
00:07 Sermon #B695 - It's Going To Get Better 00:20 Dr. Byrd: Turn with me to the book of Acts 3. Acts 3:1 is where we want to begin today. 00:32 Acts 3:1, Word of God is clear and says, "Now, Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, 00:46 being the ninth hour. And a certain lame man from his mother's wombs was carried, 00:54 whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; 01:01 who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, 01:12 Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. 01:22 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: 01:26 In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, 01:37 and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, 01:43 and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking 01:48 and praising God: And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: 01:57 and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him." 02:08 Today, I just want to encourage you with the message, "It is going to get better." It is going to get better. 02:17 Let us talk with, God the Father in Heaven. Lord, we thank You. We thank You for the promise that we are under your wings. 02:27 And because we are under your wings, Lord, we are safe and we are secured. 02:31 We just need and want and ask you to bide with us forever. Now, Father, as we go into this Word today, encourage, 02:45 inspire, convict and convert. We promise we will give you the praise, the honor and the glory. 02:54 We thank You for this privilege and opportunity to stand before Your people because we are not worthy. 02:59 God, I am not worthy to stand here, but I just thank You for Your grace and Your mercy. Forgive me of my sins 03:05 and speak this Word to Your people and at the appeal time, Lord, moved by your power. Sprinkle out your grace. 03:12 Forgive us of our sins. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. It is going to get better. 03:27 As of this week, there have been over fifty-five million cases of the coronavirus worldwide at 1.3 million deaths. 03:38 In the United States, the most advanced nation in the world, there have been nearly twelve million coronavirus cases 03:44 and over two hundred and fifty-two thousand deaths and counting. Because of the coronavirus, 03:53 people are being discouraged about traveling this Thanksgiving. This is difficult for many people because historically, 04:05 Thanksgiving week has been the busiest travel week in the United States. Now, people are being told not to travel. 04:18 It is not just the coronavirus. It is not just the hurricanes. It is not just the tropical storms. 04:26 It is also the economic challenges that plague our society. There is a widening gap between the haves and the have nots. 04:36 It is not just the haves and the have nots, but we, now, are experiencing a widening gap between the have nots 04:44 and the haves even less. In the United States, 04:48 less than ten percent of the population controls the wealth of the country which means that the other ninety percent have 04:56 little or no substantial net worth. As long as the chief concern of the day is the rich to stay rich 05:04 and not share their bounty with the least of these, our society will remain divided with turmoil and strife. 05:12 As long as those with power are obsessed with staying in power rather than sharing their power and influence with 05:19 and for the good of other people, we are headed for a time of disaster. As long as the informed are intentional 05:29 and keeping many other marginalized uninformed and misinformed, we are headed for an implosion. 05:37 Socially, we are also in trouble. Too many societal ills have gone unchecked for too long. Systemic racism is widespread. 05:52 Knees are still on our necks. Races still do not get along. Cultural cultures still clash, 06:04 and that is in the church and outside the church. Racism is alive and well and runs rampant in America's workforce, 06:13 school force communities and society at large. Segregation still continues in many schools. Urban schools are underfunded 06:23 and understaffed. People of color are often underemployed and underpaid. The penal system, judicial system, 06:31 education system, economic system, police system and a whole bunch of other systems overtly 06:39 and covertly contribute to the racial injustices in our society today. We have a drug epidemic to root out. 06:49 A crime wave to change. A health crisis to manage. A homeless humanity to shelter. Illiterate environment to weed out. 07:04 We have a Generation X, Y and Z to reach. It is no secret that we are losing our children and our young people. 07:19 Children are dying before they have a chance to live. Young people know how to fire a gun before they learn how to walk 07:28 and chew gum at the same time. Not only are babies having babies, but babies are killing babies. 07:37 D. Elton Trueblood, in his book, The Predicament of Modern Man, said the greatest disappointment, 07:43 the biggest disappointment he said of our time is the fact that technological advances 07:47 and scientific discoveries as well as economic and political breakthroughs have failed to make us happier, 07:54 healthier and a more wholesome society. Technology has advanced but morality has declined. Industry has skyrocketed, 08:04 but ethics and values have nosedived. We have enjoyed a period of relative peace from military confrontation, 08:13 but spiritual war has been engaged. 08:17 We have finished a national election and whether a certain people want to acknowledge it or not, the votes are certified. 08:27 Are things going to change? Spiritual challenges still confront us and we are still preaching the gospel, 08:39 but is it going to get better? 08:43 You see, I have learned that it does not matter how positive or how promising something or someone might be. 08:49 Life has a way of giving everyone of us the humbling conjunction "But." "She is a beautiful girl, 08:57 but..." "He is a smart guy, but..." "Strong leader, but..." "Great teacher, but..." 09:07 "Anointed singer, but..." "Powerful preacher, but..." The word "but" 09:13 is a connecting conjunction to remind us that whatever our greatest assets are, 09:19 there is always a liability that detracts from that. The ability to make a difference in society 09:26 and make things better is based on how we negotiate the conjunction "but" in our lives. You see, Handel was paralyzed, 09:37 but he wrote the "Hallelujah Chorus". Beethoven was deaf, but he heard the melody of a 9th Symphony. 09:46 Fanny Crosby was blind at six weeks of age, but she wrote "Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine!" 09:55 Ellen White had a third grade education, but she was the one of the most translated writers in American history. 10:03 Things can change. Things can get better. Thing do not have to remain the same. 10:12 Peter and John are on their way to the temple at three o'clock in the afternoon. 10:18 They are on their way to the temple for a prayer meeting at three o'clock. 10:23 Somebody is saying why are they going to church for a prayer meeting at three o'clock. 10:27 Well, Biblical history suggests that devout Jews and Gentiles went to the temple, 10:35 went to the church to observe prayer three times a day: nine a.m. in the morning, three p.m. 10:42 in the afternoon and six p.m. in the evening. This was not strange for Peter and John. 10:48 They went to church for a prayer meeting because they knew that with much prayer, there is much power. 10:55 I wish I had a witness in his place. Peter and John are on their way to the temple, 10:59 but as they are walking up to the temple, as they get to the temple gate which the Bible says is called Beautiful, 11:07 they met a man who has been lame from his birth. The man is begging for money. Now, it is important to note, 11:16 friends of mine, that the man is not inside the temple, but the man is outside the temple begging for money at the gate. 11:25 Everyday, he is at the gate begging. In order to live, he has to beg. In order to eat, he has to beg. 11:35 In order to survive, he has to beg. Understand he cannot work. There are no social service institutions. 11:44 There is no social security. There is no public assistance. The man has to beg. 11:51 Do not get it twisted, friends of mine. Even though we do now have social service institutions 11:57 and social service agencies like the United Way, the Salvation Army and the Social Security, 12:05 there are still people in the twenty-first century who live in the United States, 12:10 the most industrialized nation in the world, who still have to beg. 12:15 In fact, nearly one half of the world's population makes less than two dollars and fifty cents per day. 12:22 While some people think that given all the government and non-governmental systems to help the poor, 12:27 there should not be beggars on the street. Think again. 12:31 I need you to understand that sometimes it is hard for people to get on their feet 12:35 because we live in a society where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. 12:40 In case you did not know, not all beggars are con artists. Not all beggars are on drugs or disabled. 12:48 Not all beggars are mentally ill. There are some beggars who have genuinely had a tough life. 12:55 There are some beggars who have had a rough life. If you do not believe me, then miss your check 13:02 and see what happens to you. Do not look down on other people because somebody knows you are one check away; 13:10 one direct deposit away; one pay period away from foreclosure, bankruptcy or homelessness. 13:17 Are you hearing what I am saying?,but let 13:20 give the beggar some credit. At least, he was a smart beggar. At least, he was a businessman 13:28 because he picked the most profitable place in Jerusalem to beg. Because each day he sat, the Bible says, 13:35 at the gate called Beautiful, outside the temple door to have the best chance to receive money from people entering 13:42 the temple. After all, if anybody should have been concerned about the needs of people, 13:49 it should have been the people who were going to church. After all church folk cannot walk into the temple to pray 13:56 and ignore the cries of those in need at the gate, but not only that. 14:02 The people coming to this temple at this gate were probably people of means. 14:06 They probably had a little something because remember the gate was called Beautiful 14:10 because it was decorated with Corinthian bronze and when the sun rose, the sun cast its glorious glow upon the gate. 14:19 Let me expand this concept of begging because it is just not those outside the temple who are begging, 14:24 but it is also those inside the temple who are begging. 14:27 The definition of a beggar is one who comes to get something but gives nothing. 14:32 There are a lot of people who are not just outside the temple but inside the temple, 14:36 inside the church and they want something, but they do not want to give anything. They want something out of worship, 14:42 but they do not want to give anything in worship. They want somebody to pray for them, 14:46 but they do not want to pray for somebody else. They want a good hymn, but they do not want to sing a good hymn. 14:51 They want a good sermon, but they do not want to encourage you in the sermon. They are always ready to get 14:55 but never ready to give. Peter and John walk up to the gate. The man is saying, "Alms. Alms. Alms," 15:03 which means money, money, money. Peter stops him. Bible says he stops them and Peter says, "Look at us." 15:14 Now, you need to know this is very important 15:16 because it is in harmony with the actions of Jesus whenever Jesus wanted to heal someone. 15:21 Peter and John, they had watched how Jesus had healed and they notice what Jesus had done when he healed. 15:26 Remember, Jesus never walked up to somebody and simply touch them 15:30 and heal them without first directing their attention to himself. 15:34 Jesus always captivated the attention of individuals He wanted to heal and directed them to focus their eyes on him. 15:42 The reason, my friend, that he did that was because it stirred a sense of expectation. 15:48 It stirred what was happening here in Acts 3. The man thought he was just simply going to get some money from Peter 15:56 and John, but his faith was quickened by Peter's words "Look at us" In order, friends of mine, to receive anything from God. 16:05 You must first expect something from God. 16:09 Peter responds to the man's plea with two responses. 16:14 First, Peter admits his own financial bankruptcy in the material when he says, "Silver and gold have I none." 16:23 In other words, what Peter is saying we do not have what you want, but we do have what you need. 16:31 There is a difference between our wants and our needs. I wish somebody knew what I was talking about. 16:36 We want a lot of things but we only need some things. I have learned in life, we want a Bentley, 16:43 but we only need a Ford. We want some steak, but we only really need some salad. We want hamburger, 16:52 but the impossible burger is really what we need. Wants satisfy a desire, but needs satisfy a necessity. 17:01 You do not hear what I am saying. Peter says we do not have anything in the material, 17:06 but I do have something in the spiritual. if you are looking for money, I do not have any of that, 17:12 but I have got something else. Peter said I have got something better. Peter said, "In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, 17:20 rise up and walk." In that miraculous moments, in that God moment, as this man is looking at Peter and John in the eye, 17:32 as he hears these words, at the mention of the name of Jesus, something miraculous, something remarkable, 17:42 something awesome begins to happen. Strength begins to float in the man's ankles. Peter sensing it, 17:50 he takes the man by the right hand and he lifts the man up. The man rises up and he begins to shout out. 17:57 The man begins to jump. The man begins to leap, The man begins to praise God. 18:02 Now, I have always asked myself, why is it that Jesus did not heal the man himself when Jesus himself was on planet Earth? 18:15 After all, the Bible says the man had been lame from his birth and had to have then been around when Jesus was around. 18:22 Remember, Pentecost happened only fifty days after Jesus' resurrection. Acts 3 comes after Acts 2 when Pentecost took place, 18:32 so the man, and this is the punch line of this sermon, had to have been alive when Jesus was on this Earth. 18:40 Why then did not Jesus heal the man himself? Well, Jesus is an on time God. He may not come when you want him, 18:52 but He is always right on time. One of the reasons that I believe Jesus did not heal the man when Jesus was on this 19:02 Earth was because Jesus wanted to show us that there is power in the name of Jesus. Not just in the person of Jesus, 19:12 but there is power in the name of Jesus. Somebody has going to shout right there. You see, in this miracle, 19:19 it could not have been the person of Jesus because Jesus had died. Jesus was buried. Jesus had risen from the grave. 19:29 Jesus had ascended back to Heaven. Jesus was not there physically, but the healing took place because of the name of Jesus. 19:43 You see, before Peter told the man to rise up and walk in the name of Jesus, the man think about it. 19:52 He had everything he needed to walk. He had feet. He had ankles. He had legs. He had knees. He had hips. 20:04 He had tendons. He had muscles. He had bones. He had all the basic equipment that God gives to every human being, 20:14 but the man still could not walk. When Peter told him to rise up and walk in the name of Jesus, his feet got to moving. 20:30 His ankles got to shifting. His knees got to bending. His legs got to walking. Peter did not lay hands on the man. 20:41 Peter did not anoint the man. Peter did not touch the man. 20:46 At the name of Jesus, the man walks and some of us are just like the lame man. 20:55 Some of our churches are just like the lame man. Some of our ministries are just like the lame man. 21:01 We need everything we need to live for Jesus. We need everything we need to grow God's work. We have pianos. 21:07 We have organs. We have keyboards. We have podiums. We have screens. We have cameras. We have computers. 21:13 We have the internet. We have livestreams. We have preachers. We have teachers. We have praise teams. 21:19 We have media teams. We have the internet. We have the structure. We have the support, the skills, the talents, 21:25 the gifts, the moneys, the resources, the buildings and the members. We have everything we need. 21:30 The same reason some of our churches are not growing. The same reason some of our institutions are not growing is 21:41 because we do not have the power. In the name of Jesus, give us the power. Power in our churches, 21:52 power in our ministries, power in our institutions, power in our conference, power in our schools, 22:02 power in our preaching, power in our teaching, power in our singing. In the name of Jesus, give us power. 22:13 Somebody still wants to know are things going to get better? 22:20 Some of us live under the mistaken notion like the lame man that things will always be the same, 22:26 that things will never get better, so our energy is defeated. Alternative directions are never considered. 22:32 Ingenuity is devastated. All because we live with the mistaken notion that things will not change, 22:40 things will not get better and things will remain the same. In the name of Jesus, 22:47 I want somebody to know today that things can get better. Things can change. Things do not have to remain the same. 23:03 If the Lord can do it for a lame man, then the Lord can do it for me. It is no secrets what God can do, 23:16 what he has done for others, he will do for you. 23:20 I really need to stop my sermon right now, but my soul is about to get happy. I have got to make this final point. 23:31 When Peter said, "In the name of Jesus," it was the power 23:37 and the authority of Jesus that loosed God's power in the life of the lame man. 23:45 There is power when you preach in the name of Jesus. There is power when you pray in the name of Jesus. 23:53 There is power when you serve in the name of Jesus. There is power when you worship in the name of Jesus. 24:01 There is power when you witness in the name of Jesus. There is power when you work in the name of Jesus. 24:09 Power to make you walk right, power to make you talk right, power to make you act right. 24:15 I am so glad that things can be better at the name of Jesus. If God chooses, if it is God's expressed will, 24:27 at His name. I am going to let you know the coronavirus can go away if it is His will and His name. 24:34 Hurricanes can stop at His name. Social and economic inequity can cease at His name. Racism can end at His name. 24:45 Cancer can go in remission at His name. Humans can be healed at His name. Jobs can be secured at His name. 24:56 Relationships can be restored at His name. Things can get better if God chooses at His name 25:05 because there is power in the name. If not, just like those three Hebrew boys, if not, 25:14 I am still going to praise Him because if it does not happen down here, it is so not going to happen up there 25:20 because ultimately, things are going to get better. If not on this side, it is going to happen on the other side 25:27 because the day is coming. 25:30 We are at the name of Jesus. Every knees shall bow. Every tongue must confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. 25:39 The day is coming when the wicked will cease from troubling and the weary will be at rest. 25:45 The day is coming where it is going to get better. There will be no more crying. No more dying. 25:51 No more sickness. No more pain. No more cancer. No more coronavirus. No more high blood pressure. 25:59 No more diabetes. No more house note. No more car note. No more stress. No more mess. Satan can have his way so long. 26:09 Jesus is coming back. 26:14 Jesus has already defeated Satan. Our goal is not to fight victory from Satan. 26:21 Our goal is to keep victory from being robbed by Satan. Satan is already defeated. 26:28 He was defeated at the cross. That same power that defeated Satan at the cross is the same power available for us today. 26:35 Let me tell you something. Your identity as a child of God, 26:39 your authority over spiritual powers are not things you are receiving or will receive, 26:47 but you have them right now. You possess power and authority over the kingdom of darkness right now. 26:54 You have power to defeat demons right now. You have power to tread over serpents right now. 27:01 Do not wait until the battle is over. Shout now. Satan was defeated two thousand years ago. 27:09 His defeat is not pending. His defeat is not future. His defeat has already happened. We do not fight for victory. 27:19 We fight from victory. It is going to get better. Jesus is coming. 27:27 Thank you very much for tuning in to this week's Breath of Life broadcast. 27:31 We hope and pray that you've been blessed by Dr. Byrd's inspirational message. 27:36 If you would like to hear this sermon in its entirety, 27:38 please feel free to visit us at www.breathoflife.tv. 27:44 Or, call us at (256) 929-6460. 27:50 [END] 27:57 When I was eight years old, I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. 28:03 When I was fifthteen, I had my first surgery. When I think about the time that I lost 28:14 during my adolescent years, I just can't seem to put it togther. Even now I'm doing 28:24 treatment for my disease. Everyone experiences loss. It's not of matter of if but when. 28:36 www.breathoflife.tv |
Revised 2020-11-25