Participants:
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000701S
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00:01 (Breath of Life Theme Music)
00:06 Sermon #B701 - Law & order 00:20 Dr. Byrd: And so, I invite you now to take your Bibles. Please take your Bibles, 00:23 and we're going to go to one verse. did not want to be too long today. But I want to go to one verse, 00:30 Acts chapter five. Acts chapter five. We want to go to today, Acts Chapter 5 00:34 and we are going to go to verse number twenty-nine and I want to encourage you this afternoon, 00:41 later on, go ahead and read the entire chapter of Acts five, 00:46 and that will help you in understanding the context from which we come today. 00:50 But we are going to read just one verse, Acts chapter five verse number twenty-nine. 00:55 The word of God says, "Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, 01:00 'We ought to obey God rather than men.' Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, 01:08 'We ought to obey God rather than men.'" Let us pray. God, we thank You today for this time, 01:17 thus far we have had with You and we ask that You would be with us now as we preach Your word, God. 01:23 Move these lips of clay and speak through this mind and body and spirit today to speak to your people. 01:31 Lord, I pray that you would give us what we need today. Give us what we need here in Huntsville, 01:38 even across the land. Give us what we need. Forgive me of my sins. Hide me behind your cross 01:44 and when appeal time comes, Lord, move like you always do 01:47 but today I am asking for a double portion of Your Spirit. We pray this prayer, 01:52 asking for forgiveness of sin, in the name of Jesus, amen, and amen. 01:59 Peter answered and said, "We ought to obey God rather than men." 02:08 Today, we have entitled our sermon, "Law and Order." Law and Order. Wednesday, 02:18 January the 6th, 2021 will go down in infamy. The United States, the most industrialized nation in the world. 02:31 The United States, the nation with the greatest military in the world. The United States, 02:39 the nation with the most comprehensive infrastructural intelligence in the world. The United States, 02:47 the wealthiest nation in the world. The United States, its capital, was breached, breached not by Iraq, 02:58 breached not by North Korea, breached not by Russia, but breached by its own citizens. 03:09 The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies. It always comes from within. 03:18 Joseph was not betrayed by the Egyptians, Joseph was betrayed from within. 03:27 Jesus was not betrayed by the Roman soldiers, Jesus was betrayed from within. 03:36 The United States was not betrayed from an outsider, the United States was betrayed from within. 03:45 The United States' capital, it was betrayed and we looked and we watched and we said, "Wait a minute. 03:54 Our capital is being attacked but I thought this was the law-and-order administration?" 04:01 What happened to the words we heard this summer that when the looting starts, the shooting starts. 04:09 But instead, we heard, "We love you. You are very special." Hypocrisy at its best. 04:17 Ahmaud Arbery was shot while jogging. Breonna Taylor was shot while sleeping. 04:24 George Floyd had a knee to his neck. Protesters were shot with rubber bullets while marching 04:32 and peacefully protesting against these injustices. Tear gas was deployed on the marchers. 04:38 Police and security were lined up, armed and ready to do proceed battle. But on Wednesday, 04:47 when the capital was breached, when windows were broken, when fights ensued, when walls were climbed, 04:57 when riots broke out, when the American flag was taken down, the police opened up the gates, 05:07 the police let the rioters in, the police took selfies with the rioters. Where was law and order? 05:18 Where were all the police and the National Guard that were present this past summer on Wednesday? 05:24 Some reports suggest that an initial request to deploy the National Guard was denied. 05:31 So if you have ever been confused with the term privilege being used relative to conversations about 05:39 racial injustice, please refer to Wednesday, January the 6th, 2021 and you will understand what privilege is. 05:49 Because how can one group be the victim of rubber bullets and tear gas and another group attack the capital 05:57 and the police open up the gates and let them in? 06:02 You see, let us be real today. Let us cut to the chase and get to the core of the matter today. 06:09 There is unrest in our nation right now and this unrest has been brewing for a while 06:16 and it is fueled by the fact that there is a shift going on. You see, our country, our cities, 06:24 our communities, and our church, they are all changing and there is worry and concern about demographic 06:33 and economic shifts because the collective minority is becoming larger than the conventional majority. 06:41 And so the conventional majority feels like what was theirs is being taken from them and they are mad, 06:48 they are angry, they are furious, but they are also scared and they are determined to fight 06:54 and do whatever it takes to keep what they believe is theirs. 06:59 In the past two years, 07:01 we have had the tale of two candidates. One candidate loses an election and starts sowing lies, fantasies, 07:08 falsehoods, and incites riots. Another candidate loses an election, but what did she decide to do? 07:15 She decides to build, build to change a state, build to change a nation. 07:22 So what are you going to do when you lose? I wish I had time. But, sadly, people listen to the lies. 07:30 They listen to the falsehoods, they listen to the fabrications and fantasies of one candidate and, 07:35 consequently, we had this past Wednesday which was everything but law and order. 07:44 Now, when you hear law and order, it is supposed to be an objective statement. 07:49 But clearly, it is subjective and means different things to different people 07:53 because people today are given the freedom to hate, the right to fight, the pardon to persecute, 08:00 and the license to kill. So law and order is a different statement for different people. 08:07 Somebody is not getting this so let me help you. If you take a knee during the national anthem, 08:15 you are unpatriotic. If you would chant "Black Lives Matter," you are a Marxist. 08:24 If you march in a George Floyd protest, you are a thug. If you preach against social injustice, 08:34 you are dividing the church. But if you attack the capital, bust out windows, sit at Nancy Pelosi's desk, 08:45 take her mail, prepare two pipe bombs, shoot an officer, steal a podium, 08:53 and sit in the Senate President's chair, you are making America great again. 08:59 Law and order is a different statement for different people. And, similarly, 09:07 truth means different things to different people. In our world of post-modernism, 09:13 which says there is no absolute truth, that your truth is your truth, my truth is my truth, 09:21 and as long as my truth does not conflict with your truth, then we are okay. But understand, 09:28 whenever you subscribe to that, we have got a problem 09:32 because if your truth is not in harmony with God's truth, then we have got a problem to the law 09:37 and to the testimony. If they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them. 09:44 Now, let me be clear. You can listen to what other people tell you. People did that this week. 09:50 You can even listen to people who are in authority. 09:52 People did that this week too but you better believe that you need to do what God says. 09:57 The text says, "We ought to obey God rather than men." 10:02 So let me give you the context of this text. The disciples, they had been arrested 10:06 and placed in jail for teaching people about Jesus Christ but the angel of the Lord, hallelujah, 10:12 He is an on-time God, yes, He is, miraculously released them from jail 10:16 and told them to return to the temple to teach the people. 10:20 When the religious court was assembled the following day to consider their case, 10:25 when they went to the prison to get the prisoners to get the disciples, 10:29 they found the jail secured. But when they got to the prisoners' cells, they found their cells empty. 10:37 You do not hear what I am saying. A report then came to the people that the disciples were 10:42 back in the temple teaching. So the officers were sent to bring them peaceably to the court where 10:50 the disciples were asked, "Did we not tell you? Did we not strictly command you not to teach anymore 11:01 in the name of Jesus?" But Peter unashamed because you know Peter was an outspoken brother, 11:08 Peter on the same said, "We ought to obey God rather than men." 11:16 Now when you carefully read the scripture, we are commanded to obey authorities 11:18 and governments over us. The Bible is clear in Romans chapter thirteen verses one and two 11:24 and I am reading from the NIV version of the Bible. It says, 11:27 "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities for there is no authority except that which God has established. 11:34 The authorities that exist have been established by God," verse number 2, "Consequently, 11:40 whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted 11:46 and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves." But be very clear about this text. 11:52 Don't get twisted on this text because just because governing authorities are ordained by God, 11:57 these authorities may not be godly. I wish I had a witness in this place. It is a sin to go against God. 12:05 So while we are to submit to governing authorities if the government asks us to go against God, 12:12 we have to refer back to our text. We ought to obey God 12:17 rather than men. So I do not care if you are a Democrat, I do not care if you are a Republican, 12:23 we do not have God in the White House. We do not have God in the Governor's mansion. 12:28 We do not have God in City Hall. We have people, senators, and sinners, people, rascals and representatives, 12:38 people, reprobates and Republicans, people, degenerates and Democrats, people, 12:44 all governments on earth run by people will eventually fail 12:48 because we have governments run by sinners and lived out by sinners. 12:55 Let me be clear today. It is okay to join organizations but when the organization goes against God, 13:00 when the organization goes against what thus sayeth the Lord, when the law of man is in conflict with God, 13:07 you better remember Peter's words, "We ought to obey God rather than men." 13:13 Just because something is lawful does not mean it is right. Just because something is legal, 13:18 does not mean it is right. The midwives in Egypt refused to kill boys at their birth. 13:23 Daniel refused to stop praying and still prayed to God three times per day. 13:27 The three Hebrew boys refused to bow down to the golden image set up by Nebuchadnezzar. 13:33 And although Peter commanded that we are to submit to every ordinance of men, 13:38 here is Peter himself saying we ought to obey God rather than men. 13:44 Do not get caught up in all the hype. Do not get caught up in all the ridiculous rhetoric. 13:51 Do not get caught up in the one who is making the loudest noise. We ought to obey God rather than men. 14:01 And when I think about law and order, I am reminded because I am preaching to myself now, 14:09 I am reminded that those of us in leadership, we have to be careful. I am preaching to myself now. 14:17 Those of us with influence have to be careful, those of us in leadership on any level have to be careful. 14:28 He did not say it today but Chaplain Barry Black said earlier it in his interview with CNN, 14:31 he said it this week when he said that words do matter, that the power of life and death is in your tongue. 14:40 How many people were brainwashed into believing lies? If you drink bleach it will cure you from Coronavirus. 14:48 How many people were convinced of conspiracy theories that were spewed in fabrication? 14:53 "An election was stolen from me." How many people believe that law and order were the orders of the day when in reality, 15:01 'stand back and stand by' were code words to justify bigotry and injustice? I tell myself all the time, "Carlton Byrd, 15:11 do not forget that with the greater influence that the Lord allows you to have, do not you forget that the higher the level, 15:17 the higher the devil. People will see you on flyers, people will see you on television, people will see you on the internet, 15:26 and you have to be careful because people shoot at the deer they can see not the one in the bushes." 15:31 I wish I had a witness in this place. God is always sending things to remind me that 15:36 I have not elevated your ministry to exalt you but I need you to be a mouthpiece for 15:42 kingdom-building work in these perilous times. God will give you influence at times of your life for a divine purpose 15:49 and you have to be careful how you manage that influence 15:54 because there is nothing worse than giving influence to somebody who is not ready. 15:59 You can be academically ready. You can be economically ready. You can be philosophically ready. 16:09 But if you do not have the wisdom, you do not have the judgment and clarity of mind to manage the moments, 16:15 your gift can put you in a position where your character cannot keep you. And that goes, my friends, 16:21 beyond morality. It goes down to having the discernment to know what to say, when to say it, 16:26 and how to say it. And just because you can master a crowd, just because you can inspire 16:31 and motivate people and get people excited, does not mean you can manage the moment 16:35 and the opportunity that God is giving you to be a light. 16:39 Just because you have the freedom to say something or it is within your rights to do something, 16:43 does not mean you ought to do it. And shame today on our media for giving such spotlight to such immaturity, 16:51 indecency, and indelicacy! Shame on our media for galvanizing importance and respect 16:58 but then taking hours and millions of dollars worth of television time 17:02 and putting it in the hands of somebody who cannot handle the decision between right and wrong, 17:08 decency and decadence, civility and incivility, and maturity and childishness! We create these monsters 17:16 and then we are vulnerable to their decisions. They are media created monsters that undermine the welfare 17:22 of generations of people and we would never know what they thought 17:25 or said if we had not put a camera in their face, a microphone in their mouth, 17:30 and a platform in front of them and acted as if they were important. 17:35 Now the world today is at unrest and ready to kill thousands of people 17:44 because you have handed power over to foolishness all under the guise of law and order. 17:51 But we ought to obey God rather than men. God's government, I am here to tell somebody today, 18:00 the government of God will never fail. God's government is the only government that is going to stand. 18:09 You see, God is a God of order. God wants things done decently and in order. 18:17 And God set up the first government on Earth and that first government was god-centered. 18:25 And any government, even God's government, there are rules in any government 18:29 because if there are not any rules, there will be no order. It will just be chaos. 18:33 But God is God of order. Genesis one teaches us and tells us that God is our creator 18:39 and God set up the first rules. In Genesis chapter three, the Bible tells us that Adam and Eve broke God's rules, 18:47 they broke God's government, and instead of being God-focus, they became self-focused. And ever since Adam 18:54 and Eve broke the rules of God, society, humanity, and government have been self-focused. 19:00 But the day is coming. The day is coming soon where God is going to set up his permanent kingdom, 19:12 His holy kingdom, His righteous kingdom, His everlasting kingdom, 19:21 and the wicked will cease from troubling and the weary will be at rest. 19:29 God is going to set up his kingdom but just before God sets up his kingdom in its fullness, 19:38 there is going to be a period of lawlessness, there is going to be a period of anarchy. 19:44 If we thought Wednesday was bad, we have not seen a thing yet. Mobs, riots, attacks, 19:54 breaches will be commonplace. What took place this week is just a foreshadow of what is coming. 20:02 We are living in the last days. I said, friends of mine, 20:08 we are living in the final days of earth's history. Jesus is coming back sooner than we think. 20:18 And with all the restlessness, with all the lawlessness, with all the unrest 20:26 and the spirit of war that we are seeing, it is not going to get better. 20:32 It is going to get worse and the people of God are going to be seen as the troublemakers, the menaces, 20:40 the agitators, the problems, and the blame is going to be put on the people of God. 20:46 The government is going to seek to establish law and order. 20:51 There is coming a day where they will be a union of church and state. 20:55 Religious leaders will convince political leaders that those who refuse to follow man's 21:01 self-focus government will need to be exterminated 21:05 and we will have to make a decision as to whom we're going to follow. 21:08 But I can still hear the words of the Apostle Peter, "We ought to obey God rather than men," 21:15 because the same way that God delivered Peter, 21:18 the same way that God delivered the disciples in Acts chapter five is the same way God is going to deliver 21:25 his people in the last days. The plagues will come, the trouble will come, but God will protect his people, 21:32 God will establish law and order and Jesus will come to get his people from this Earth. 21:39 At the first resurrection at Jesus' second coming, the righteous dead are going to rise first, 21:45 the righteous living will be caught up in the air to meet the Lord, 21:48 the wicked living will die at the brightness of his coming, 21:50 the wicked dead will remain dead for one thousand years. During those one thousand years, 21:55 and I had to understand something about God's law and order. 21:59 I had to understand something about God's government. You see, God makes sure every T is crossed 22:05 and every I is dotted because understand, God has to resurrect the wicked for one primary reason. 22:10 Understand that at the end of the millennium, at the end of the one thousand years, 22:14 when the New Jerusalem and Jesus and the righteous descend from heaven to this earth, 22:18 and then God rains down fire, before he rains down fire and the wicked have been resurrected, 22:22 it will be the only time in earth's history where everyone who has ever lived will all be alive at the 22:27 same time. Hitler will be alive. Napoleon will be alive. Alexander the Great will be alive. 22:37 Donald Trump will be alive. Everyone who has ever lived will be alive at the same time. 22:45 Why is it important that everyone is alive at the same time? It is important, my friends, 22:52 because God has to set up His government. God has to establish law and order. 22:58 Everybody must be alive who has ever lived on this planet at the same time 23:03 because the prophecy must come to pass that the day is coming where every knee shall bow, 23:08 every tongue must confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. 23:13 Before Jesus returns back to this earth to set up his permanent kingdom, He has to clean this Earth. 23:20 It was not water and it won't be water but it is going to be fire this time. 23:24 But every eye, every individual, every person has to acknowledge that He is Lord. 23:30 Ride on, King Jesus! No man can hinder thee! Ride on, King Jesus! 23:36 I want to go to heaven in the morning! Lift up your heads, o ye gates! I said lift up your heads, 23:41 o ye gates and be ye lifted up ye everlasting doors and the King of glory shall come in. 23:46 Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty. 23:50 I told you earlier and I am here to take my seat that people want to be in charge 23:54 because they want to be in control. I said people want to be in charge 23:58 because they want to be in control but being in charge does not mean being in control 24:03 because there is only one who is in control. I wish I had a witness in this place. 24:08 You may be in charge at the White House. You may be in charge in the Senate. 24:14 You may be in charge in the House of Representatives. You may be in charge in your house. 24:19 You may be in charge of your company. You may be in charge of your team at work. 24:24 You may be in charge of your class or your Sabbath School class. But when it comes to this world, 24:29 when it comes to the church, when it comes to the things of God, you better check your ego at the door. 24:36 You better had left your perceived importance in your house, in your car, on your job 24:41 because the only one whose large and in charge is God himself. The only one who deserves to be worshipped. 24:48 The only one who deserves to be praised. The only one who deserves his name shouted on. 24:53 The only one who deserves to be obeyed is God himself. And I am so glad troubles do not last always. 25:00 I am so glad weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning. I am so glad that after the rain, 25:07 the sun will shine again. I am so glad that after the attacks, after the mobs, after the breaches, 25:14 God still is in control. God still has the whole world in his hands. I am trying to sit down 25:20 but my soul is getting happy right now. Either, I have learned, we are coming out of a test, 25:27 we are headed towards a test, or we are being tested right now. But the good news is, nevertheless, 25:36 it is only a test. Hold on because Jesus is going to establish law and order. 25:47 We saw a mob this week but mobs are not new to us. We watched a mob this week but mobs are not new to us. 26:01 We saw and experienced a mob this week but mobs are not new to us because two thousand years ago, 26:13 an angry mob shouted, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" Jesus, He went to Calvary, 26:27 bled in his hands for my evil touch. He bled in his hands for my evil thoughts, 26:37 bled in his mouth for my evil talk, bled in his feet for my evil walk. 26:48 But I am so glad that Jesus died for me. I am so glad that Jesus rose for me. 27:08 Thank you very much for tuning in to this week's Breath of Life broadcast. 27:12 We hope and pray that you've been blessed by Dr. Byrd's inspirational message. 27:17 If you would like to hear this sermon in its entirety, 27:19 please feel free to visit us at www.breathoflife.tv. 27:25 Or, call us at (256) 929-6460. 27:38 Dr. Byrd: Pain, loss, trama, 27:47 in life we experience these things. 27:51 My wife and I have a story, 27:54 we have a testimony of how we lost 27:58 our first born daughter in a horrific car accident. 28:05 We have this new sharing book, its en-titled “Gone.” 28:10 And, in it I want to share with you 28:13 how God has helped me, 28:16 how God has helped my wife, how God has helped us, 28:21 as we had to endure the fact that our first born daughter is gone. 28:28 www.breathoflife.tv 28:34 [END] |
Revised 2021-01-14