Participants:
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000721S
|
00:01 (Breath of Life Theme Music)
00:06 Sermon #B721 - Test Time 00:20 Dr. Byrd: Take your Bibles. To those who are viewing today, Daniel 3:16, 17, and 18. 00:35 We will read 3 verses in your hearing from the King James Version of the Bible. Daniel 3:16. 00:43 The word of God is clear. Shadrach Meshach and Abednego answered and said to the king, 00:47 "O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer in this matter." 00:51 Verse 17, "If it is so, Our God, whom we serve, can deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, 00:59 and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O King. But if not, be it known unto thee, O King, 01:10 that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou has set up." 01:20 On this special Baccalaureate Sabbath, we've entitled this message, "Test time." 01:28 Test time. Father, the name of Jesus has died, in our name. Thou art the potter, we are the clay. 01:33 Mold us and make us after thine will while we are yielded, waiting, and still. 01:38 I pray to God that you would speak to these graduates. Speak to the families. 01:42 Speak to the virtual audience. Go through the television airwaves. 01:47 The electronic technical airwaves on laptops, computers, iPhones, 01:51 and smartphones and have your way today. Hide me behind your cross, forgive us of our sins. 01:57 In the end, we give you praise. We give you all the glory. What you're going to do? 02:00 Forgive me of my sins in Jesus' name. Amen. Test time. 02:06 All right, so right about now. To the graduating class, 02:10 you don't want to hear another word about tests. ACT, SAT, Star test, Citizenship test, 02:26 Bible test, Science test. You don't want to hear another word about a test. 02:35 But today, I'm going to talk to you about tests. 02:39 Your model says, "Sometimes we're tested, not to show our weaknesses, 02:47 but we're tested to discover our strengths." Now, let me remind everyone in this place 02:53 and everyone who is watching. Every experience, every test that we have in our lives, 02:59 it's tied to a purpose. Everything that God allows to happen in your life through his Providence 03:06 will you have to know is a sovereign setup. That's why I tell people, 03:11 setbacks are just setups for comebacks. Do I have a witness to this place? 03:15 So whatever you go through in life, you have to learn to give God glory for it. 03:19 Because it's tied to a higher and bigger picture that's going to unfold in your life 03:25 and reveal to you the destiny that God has on your life. 03:28 That's why you got to let the Lord lead your life and let him order your steps. 03:32 Because the Bible says that the steps of a good man, the steps of a good woman, 03:36 are ordered by the Lord. But, not only that, young people you got to learn from this point on. 03:42 You should have known before. But definitely from this point on, 03:45 you've got to learn how to hang around the right people in life. 03:48 Because if you don't do bad, you can do bad by yourself. 03:52 I've learned that you have to have the right mentors in your life. 03:57 One of the greatest decisions that any of us can ever make in our lives is who we allow to mentor us. 04:03 Because whomever you stand under is ultimately what you understand. 04:10 If you allow nothing to Mentor you, you'll end up chasing nothing. 04:15 If you allow ignorance to mentor you, you'll end up chasing ignorance. 04:20 If you allow confusion to mentor you, then you will end up chasing confusion. 04:27 But if you allow integrity, if you allow success and spiritual focus to mentor you, 04:35 then you will learn the principles of how to move through life, overcome the obstacles of life, 04:41 and live God's purpose for your life. 04:44 It was the word of God, Jeremiah 1:5, God said, "Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee. 04:51 And before thou camest out of that mother's womb, I sanctified thee 04:54 and I ordained thee to be a prophet unto the nations." 04:57 This means, young people before you were even thought of, before your mama 05:02 and your daddy got together, God had already placed his Destiny on your life. 05:06 So for those watching today, I don't care if you're a graduate or not. 05:10 I don't care if you're young, old, thin, or not so thin. I don't care if you're a man, 05:14 woman, black, or white. There's greatness in you. There's Destiny that's in you. 05:22 There's a promise in you. 05:24 To the graduate right now, the person sitting next to you doesn't even understand who they're sitting 05:30 next to. If they understood who they were sitting next to you, they might act a little differently. 05:36 Because they're sitting next to somebody who has greatness in them. 05:40 Tia, you're sitting next to Kristen. Kristen has greatness in her. 05:44 Kristen, you're sitting next to Tia. She has greatness in her. Somebody with God's hand is on them. 05:52 Somebody that God's about to use to do something for his glory. 05:56 I've learned in my life before God can use you, you got to go through some tests. 06:02 Not just show you your weaknesses, Kaylee. But so that you might discover your strengths. 06:09 Now class, your model, in my opinion, Ethan, epitomizes Daniel chapter 3. 06:16 Where we find the story, Lexi, of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, better known to us as Shadrach, 06:27 Meshach, and Abednego. The king at this time, everyone, is Nebuchadnezzar. 06:33 He has commanded everyone to bow down and worship a huge statue that he has created. 06:38 Anyone who does not bow down to this statute, as we know, is thrown into a fiery furnace. 06:45 Nebuchadnezzar says that in Daniel 3:4, "To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages. 06:52 When you hear the sound of all kinds of music, 06:55 fall and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar has set up." 07:00 Notice, everybody, Nebuchadnezzar's grand idolatry was accompanied by music. 07:08 Elaborate and well produce music, by the way. This reminds us of the great power of music. 07:17 The fact that music can be used for both good and evil. I don't care if it's choral music, 07:26 classical music, anthem music, acapella music, or gospel music. Put music in the wrong hands, 07:37 and it can be used for the wrong purposes. But notice in the text the kind of music that is used. 07:45 Notice the kinds of instruments in Daniel chapter 3. There weren't drums. It wasn't a Hammond Organ. 07:54 It wasn't a bass guitar or a keyboard. 07:57 Sometimes we try to label instruments. We try to label instruments and say that a drum in 08:04 and of itself is demonic. That the Hammond is devilish. That the bass guitar is diabolical. 08:11 But notice in this text that the instruments that are being used were being used for a demonic, 08:17 devilish, and diabolical purpose were the cornets, the flutes, the harp, the sackbuts, the psaltery, 08:27 and the dulcimer. Let me remind somebody today that no instrument in and of itself is bad, 08:35 but it's the person playing the instruments. There's nothing wrong with that drum, 08:42 but is the person on the drum consecrated? Is the person playing the keyboard Christ-like? 08:47 Does the organist love Jesus? 08:51 Verse 8, "Wherefore at that time, all the Chaldeans came near and accused the Jews. 08:57 They spake and they said to King Nebuchadnezzar, 'O King, live forever. 09:02 Thou O King has made a decree that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, 09:06 flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music should fall 09:09 and worship the golden image: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, 09:15 that he should be cast in the burning fiery furnace. 09:17 Now, there are certain Jews whom thou has at over the affairs of Babylon." 09:25 Let's stop there. There are certain Jews, Nebuchadnezzar. There are certain people. 09:31 Your boys. Those 3 boys you passed over some of us for. Those 3 boys you promoted over us. 09:41 Those 3 boys you're always bragging about. Those 3 boys you're always looking out for. 09:47 Those 3 boys, didn't bow down to your image. 09:50 Let me remind someone that I have learned even this week, that there will always be some haters, 09:55 some gossips, some tattletales in the midst. 09:59 These are professional haters who don't have what you have, who can't get what you got. 10:05 So instead of being happy for you, they hate on you and discredit everything you do. 10:10 I have learned and been reminded this week. Everybody does not joy in your success. 10:16 I have learned that everybody is not happy when you do well. I have learned 10:21 and been reminded that the first and the greatest moments in your life can produce the greatest 10:26 moments in envy in somebody else's life. But let me give you some advice. Don't hate the player, 10:32 hate the game. You do what's rights and God will bless you. 10:37 Young people, somebody's gonna hate on you and your life. But learn to be a cheerleader. 10:40 Learn how to cheer somebody else on. Because if God is a blessing. 10:45 Somebody else, God must be in the neighborhood 10:49 and it's just a matter of time before God starts blessing you. Are you hearing what I'm saying? 10:54 Nebuchadnezzar, is it true that you, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, will not serve my gods 11:01 or worship my golden image? Is it true you will not bow down? In other words, 11:05 the word on the street is that you 3 boys have defied my decree. But don't you remember? 11:10 I promoted you from nothings to a nobleman. I promoted you from the lower class to the upper class. 11:18 I changed your name. I open doors for you. I know you don't want to cross me, 11:25 so I'll give you one more chance. Let's just say you didn't hear the music. 11:31 Let's just say you didn't hear the musicians. 11:34 Let's just say you didn't fully understand that you're from another country 11:38 and so you didn't know what was going on. Because if you don't bow down, 11:41 I'm going to throw you into a fiery furnace. 11:45 But then verse 16 of our text, one of my favorite texts, 3:16,17,18, 11:51 gives the 3 young men's response, "O Nebuchadnezzar. 11:56 We are not careful to answer you in this matter." In other words, "We ain't scared of you." 12:04 In other words, "we are not intimidated by you." We talked this thing over. 12:10 We put a motion on the floor and the vote was unanimous. We're not bowing. 12:17 This doesn't even take a lot of thought. It doesn't take a lot of discussions. 12:22 No matter what you say or what you do, we're not going to bow. Yes, we should be obligated to you. 12:29 Yes, we should be indebted to you. Yes, we should be loyal to you. Yes, you've elevated us. 12:35 We appreciate what you've done. But we have a different perspective. 12:39 Every time you open the door for us, we thank you but we praise God. Every time you elevated us, 12:46 we thank you but we praise God. Every rank you promoted us to, we thank you but we praise God. 12:53 King, we can't worship you. You're just a courier. You're just a conduit. 13:00 You're just a channel through God sent our blessing, 13:04 we can't worship you any more than we can worship a tree for giving us shade. 13:09 A cow, for giving us milk. A bee, for giving us honey. Rain, for giving us water. 13:15 We thank you, but God is worthy of Our Praise. We love you, but we don't worship him. 13:21 We might respect you but we can't worship you. We might honor you but we can't worship you. 13:26 God, and God alone, is worthy of our praise. King Nebuchadnezzar says, "Hold up young people. 13:32 If you don't bow, you're going to burn." That's okay, King. The God we serve, He is able. 13:48 I said he's able. 13:50 [Congregation: Amen] 13:52 To deliver us out of thine hand. But if not, In other words, we know God can save us. 14:03 But if not, we know, God can free us. But if not we know, God can heal us. 14:11 But if not, we know God can remove cancer. But if not, we know God can break that habits. 14:20 But if not, we know God can give us a job. But if not, we still won't worship you. 14:27 But we will worship the God of Heaven and Earth. The God of Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Jacob, Miriam, 14:36 Moses, Enoch, and Elijah. The God of Rachel and Rebecca. The God of your mama and your daddy. 14:42 The God of you and me. 14:44 Let me tell you, young people, those who are watching, moms and dads, grandpa and Grandma. 14:48 As a child of God, you've got to get to the point in your faith where you learn how to say, 14:54 "Even if God doesn't. Even if I lose my job. Even if I lose my house. Even if I lose my car. 15:02 Even if I lose my friends. Even if my spouse walks out on me. If my family doesn't understand. 15:09 Even if I don't pass the class. Even if I don't get into the school I want to get into. 15:12 Even if I don't get the job I want. Even if I have to stand alone. God is able. 15:22 It's not a matter if God can, but I know that God will." 15:27 So we know the story's about to end. 15:30 Nebuchadnezzar is mad. He's furious. Nebuchadnezzar is angry. 15:35 So he turns up the fire in the furnace 7 times hotter than its normal heat. 15:40 The Bible says in verse 22, that because the furnace was much hotter than usual, 15:45 the very ones who threw the 3 Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace, 15:48 were killed by the very flames in the furnace. They didn't get in the furnace. 15:53 But they were killed by the flames from the furnace. Let that be a reminder for all of us today. 15:57 Be careful about fueling the flames for somebody else. The same flames will reach out and grab you. 16:02 I wish I had a witness to this place. 16:03 [Cognregation: Cheering and clapping.] 16:05 Too many of us are setting traps for others. Waiting for others to fall. 16:09 The same traps that we set for others are often the same traps we fall in ourselves. 16:13 You can be so busy turning somebody else against somebody else, 16:17 you better be careful that these same people don't turn on you. The Bible says that you reap, 16:23 what you sow, The lies we spread on others. The gossip we spread on others. 16:30 The dirt we do to others will come back to get us. Be sure your sins will find you out. 16:37 Bible says that Nebuchadnezzar threw the 3 Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace. 16:41 After we read this, we get excited, we shout, preachers hoot, the organ plays, 16:46 and we stomp our feet over God's deliverance of the 3 Hebrew boys. Then we want to go home. 16:50 But before we get there, let's look at verse 23, and then it will stop. 16:55 Verse 23 of the Bible tells us that the 3 Hebrew boys fell to the ground. 16:59 These 3 men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell. Bound into the midst of the fiery furnace. 17:10 Now, one would think that if they fell to the ground in a fiery furnace, 17:14 they surely were on their way to death. Man's extremity is God's opportunity. 17:20 When it seems like you're going to fall that's when God holds you up. 17:23 I wish I had a witness in his place. 17:25 When it seems like you're about to fall that's when Jesus stands up for you when you can't stand 17:29 for yourself. It seems that the 3 Hebrew boys are on their way to sure death. But all of a sudden, 17:36 Nebuchadnezzar says, "Hold up. Wait a minute. I thought we put 3 boys in the fiery furnace." 17:45 We did. "I thought we heat the fiery furnace seven times hotter." We did. 17:52 "Well, why do I see 4 men walking loose in the fiery furnace 17:59 and the fourth has the appearance of the Son of God?" 18:04 When Jesus shows up, that Jesus shows out. If God before us, who can be against us? 18:15 No weapon formed against us is going to prosper. Fret, not thyself because of evildoers, 18:22 neither be thou envious of the workers of iniquity, God will cut them down, like the grass. 18:28 I once was young, but now I'm old. 18:31 But I've never seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread. 18:36 Let me tell you something. Jesus will be with you in the worst of your trials. 18:40 Jesus will be with you in the worst of your tests. 18:43 Jesus will be with you in the furnaces of your life. I'm a witness. If you're a child of God, 18:49 get ready for the furnace. You will, at one day or another, be thrown into it. 18:53 Every child of God has to go through it. Sometimes God will intentionally test your faith 18:59 and allow you to go through a furnace so he might bring Integrity to your testimony. 19:05 Have you ever wondered, "Why God? Why the trial? Why the test?" You weren't sitting back saying, 19:11 "Lord, I'll be your spiritual guinea pig. You can try 19:14 and do whatever you want to test me any kind of way. But God, in His sovereignty, will. 19:18 God, my friends, can do what he wants when he wants, where he wants, how he wants, 19:33 and to whom he wants. He doesn't have to ask you or me for permission to do as he wants. 19:40 God knows that he has to allow certain things to happen in our lives to bring integrity to our 19:48 testimony. Because our testimonies are shallow. They have no substance. 19:55 They have no validity unless we've been through what we're telling somebody else they can make it 20:02 through. 20:03 Your testimony has no credibility unless you've been through some things. 20:05 Unless you've had some tests that you've been through. But I'm so glad when you've been through it. 20:13 When you been talked about. When you've been criticized. 20:18 When you've been so sick you didn't know how you were going to get well. 20:21 When you were so broke that you had to go to your couch to find some change. 20:26 Does anybody know what I'm talking about? You had to go to your astray in your car. 20:30 [Congregation: Cheering and clapping.] 20:32 Find some change. Y'all don't know what I'm talking about? I'm talking about, so broke, 20:35 you had to put a dishrag in the tub and call that a stopper. 20:39 So broke that you had to run by McDonald's to get some napkins. 20:44 Run by Taco Bell and get some hot sauce. Run by Popeyes and get some jelly. 20:49 But when you've been through the fire. When you've been through the flood. 20:54 You'll go from a sewn-up test of a lion to testify it. When I think of the goodness of Jesus 21:02 and all He's done for me, my soul cries out. Hallelujah. 21:08 [Congregation: Cheering and clapping.] 21:10 Somebody says, "God, why do you leave me in the test so long?" I'll tell you why. 21:16 Sometimes God will leave us in the test so long because it has to be long to feel long. 21:21 God knows that if he brought you out when you want it to come out, 21:27 God knows you'd suffer from anthropomorphic arrogance. You'd suffer from ecclesiastical elitism. 21:34 He knows your nose will be so high in the air that if it rained, you'd drown. 21:37 [Congregation: Cheering and clapping.] 21:38 So I've learned in my life, that God will leave you in the test. 21:42 Until your money can't buy you out. 21:45 [Congregation: Cheering and clapping.] 21:46 Until your degree can't think you out. Until your family can't bail you out. 21:50 So, when you do come out, you'll know it wasn't your family. You'll know it wasn't your money. 21:56 You know it wasn't your friends. But somebody knows. I said somebody know. 22:02 Somebody knows it was nobody but Jesus. 22:06 [Congregation: Cheering and clapping.] 22:08 Sometimes, young people, we're tested not to show our weaknesses. That's what you said. 22:17 So that we might discover our strengths. 22:24 You got to start. Young people and everybody. 22:31 You got to start learning how to thank God for stuff that other folks thought you were crazy for. 22:39 Lord, I thank you for everybody who played me. 22:44 [Congregation: Amen] 22:46 Because I'll never be played again. Lord, I thank you for everybody who hated on me 22:53 because now I know who my real friends are. I've learned in my life, 22:59 if your faith is going to be tried, if your faith is going to be tested, 23:04 if your faith is going to be justified at all, you must go through the furnace of affliction. 23:11 Faith has no way to be tried and comfort. Faith is not proven in abundance. 23:15 You don't prove your faith by how much money you've got. You prove your faith when the lights are off. 23:19 When the water is off. When the bills are due. 23:24 This story teaches me a lot. Number one, 23:26 it teaches me that sometimes God allows us to go through the fire to purify us. 23:32 So that he might promote us. Eleven years ago, when I was at the Berean Church in Atlanta. 23:47 The same southwest region conference voted and asked me to be the president of the conference. 23:57 Eleven years ago, I was 38 years old. Eleven years ago, the same conference that voted me this week, 24:05 voted me 11 years ago. But this story and the fire have taught me, 24:12 that sometimes God wasn't through training me yet. He's still training me. 24:18 Are you hearing what I'm saying? But this story has taught me, 11 years ago wasn't the right time. 24:23 God wasn't through putting me through enough fires. He still had to purify me to promote me. 24:31 Y'all don't hear what I'm saying today. 24:32 [Congregation: Clapping.] 24:34 God never uses anybody in a great way. 24:38 Until he first takes that person through the furnace of affliction. 24:45 Joseph, you can't be governor of Egypt until you're thrown into a pit. 24:51 Elijah, you can't stand on Mount Carmel in power until you go to the brook of Cherith in humility. 24:59 David, You can't lead the children of Israel until you learn how to watch some sheep in the wilderness. 25:06 Paul, you can't be the greatest New Testament writer of the Christian church until you go blind 25:12 on a Damascus Road. Carlton Byrd, you can't be the president of a conference 25:21 until you learn what it means to suffer. To have some sleepless nights. To vacuum some floors. 25:32 To paint some walls. To get on some ladders. To humble yourself so that in due time, he can exalt you. 25:40 Y'all don't hear what I'm saying. 25:41 [Congregration: Clapping.] 25:42 The 3 Hebrew boys had the test of food in Daniel, Chapter 1. 25:51 So they could be ready for the test of worship in Chapter 3. 25:57 This leads me to the second point, God will never allow us to be tested beyond our capacity to respond. 26:07 1 Corinthians 10:13, "There has no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man. 26:11 But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able. 26:15 But with the temptation, make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." 26:19 So God gave Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego small tests at first. 26:25 Until they knew how to withstand the great tests to their faith with Nebuchadnezzar 26:31 and his furnace. Graduates, you have the test in eighth grade. 26:37 So you'd be ready for the test in twelfth grade. You had tests in your life at age 14, 26:45 so you would be ready for the tests of life at age 18. Every round goes higher. 26:54 Number three, we can trust God to protect us even when we don't know the outcome of 27:02 the situation we find ourselves in. Shadrach Meshach and Abednego believe that God will protect them, 27:10 but they still declared to be faithful to him even if they perished in the fire. 27:15 Number four, if God allows you to be put in the furnace, 27:23 we can be sure that he's going to be there with us. If he allows us to be put in the furnace, 27:33 and I'm preaching to myself now, we can be assured that he will be with us. You all are graduating. 27:44 JB, you're graduating. You're graduating, but it's test time. 27:51 Don't you ever forget that sometimes we're tested not to show our weaknesses, 28:00 but to discover our strengths. 28:04 Thank you very much for tuning in to this week's Breath of Life broadcast. 28:09 We hope and pray that you've been blessed by Dr. Byrd's inspirational message. 28:14 If you would like to hear this sermon in its entirety, 28:16 please feel free to visit us at www.breathoflife.tv. 28:22 Or, call us at (256) 929-6460. 28:28 [END] |
Revised 2021-06-03