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Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000691S
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00:01 (Breath of Life Theme Music)
00:11 Sermon #B691 - This Same Jesus 00:20 Dr. Byrd: I want to invite you to take your Bibles 00:22 and turn with me to the book of Acts, Acts Chapter 1. In regards to Acts 1:9-11. Acts 1:9-11 at this time. 00:34 Acts 1 9-11, the word of God from the King James Version Three simple verses. 00:39 He says to us Acts 1:9, the word says, "And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, 00:48 he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight." 00:53 Verse 10, "And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, 00:56 two men stood by them in white apparel." Verse 11, "Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, 01:05 why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, 01:13 shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." 01:20 Today, we are just going to spend a little time talking about Jesus. Our title today is "This Same Jesus." 01:30 Let us pray. God we ask that you would bless us now. Fill us with your spirit. Anoint us with your grace. 01:34 Breathe in this place right now. Breathe on me right now. Lord, set captives free right now. 01:41 Break chains today. Oh God, alleviate addictions in the name of Jesus. 01:46 Lord speak for your servant is here, and then we be careful to give you the praise and the glory. 01:51 Forgive me of my sins and Lord, as you do every week hide me behind your cross. 01:56 I am so unworthy, but I thank you for those twins called Grace 01:59 and Mercy that make me worthy to stand here today. So move by Your Spirit 02:04 and God, I pray that when the appeal time comes the men, women, boys 02:08 and girls will respond to Your voice and Oh, God, we will be able to say together, 02:13 "It was this same Jesus." Pray this prayer. It is in Jesus name, we pray. Amen. Amen. This same Jesus. 02:29 As many of you know, I am a PK. If you do not know what a PK is, a PK is you are a pastor's kid 02:37 or a preacher's kid. Traveling and moving in my childhood were commonplace for me growing up. 02:47 The one thing that was constant in my childhood, every summer during my adolescent years, my sister, 02:57 my twin brother and I would always spend the summer with our grandparents who lived in Baton Rouge, 03:07 Louisiana. Now, regardless of where we lived in our lives or regardless of whatever we were doing, 03:16 every summer, we spent time at my grandparents' house. That is the house in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 03:25 1220 Mayhaw Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70807. 03:33 Now, you need to understand when we stay with our grandparents in the summer, 03:38 we were living our best lives. The zoo, the train at the zoo, the fair, staying up late, 03:49 eating all the time, getting whatever we wanted; it was great. 03:56 I must say I do not know what it is about being a grandparent. I mean my wife and I, Danielle, 04:02 look at our parents today and we always say that if we did the things that our kids now do in our parents, 04:12 their grandparents presents, when we were kids, we would get disciplined 04:17 and I am not talking about time out either. You see back in those days, 04:22 parents believe that if you spare the rod, you spoil the child. 04:28 I wish I had somebody who knew what I was talking about. 04:30 But after staying for a few weeks in the summer at my grandparents' home, 04:35 it was time for us to return to our home. Our parents would drive to Baton Rouge to pick us up. 04:44 While we loved our parents, we did not want to leave our grandparents' house, 04:51 because we knew that when we return home, there would be no more getting what we wanted 04:59 or doing what we wanted all the time. 05:03 When it was time to go home, we would load up the car. We would pack the car. 05:11 We would have prayer in a circle, and then we would get in the car. My parents would be in the front seat. 05:21 My siblings and I would be in the backseat. My dad would begin to drive out of the driveway very slowly. 05:32 All of a sudden, as we were pulling out of the driveway in reverse, it would get very quiet in the car. 05:40 No one was arguing about who is touching me in the backseat. 05:43 No one would be arguing about who had to sit in the hump in the middle in the back seat. 05:48 It was very quiet. No one was saying anything. A tear or two would roll down me and my siblings' cheeks. 06:00 My parents did not think we saw them, but I can see them looking through the rearview mirror. 06:08 No one said anything. We were sad. Why? We had to say goodbye. 06:17 The disciples are with Jesus, in their lifetime, 06:21 they had seen and witnessed Jesus turning water into wedding punch. 06:26 They had seen Jesus feed five thousand men plus women and children with two fish and five loaves of bread. 06:32 They had seen a woman touched Jesus' robe and find more medicine in the Hem of His garment 06:38 than from any doctors anywhere. They had seen Lazarus raised from the dead they had seen Jesus work 06:46 miracles. They had seen Jesus preached to multitudes. But now, they had also seen Jesus crucified. 06:53 They were saddened. They were down. But then the good news is they have seen Jesus resurrected, 06:59 and they were filled with great joy. The Bible says that for forty days, Jesus walked with them. 07:05 Jesus talked with them. Jesus communed with them, but then something happens. 07:12 Jesus performs his final earthly miracle. He exits from the earth and He is taken up to heaven. 07:22 It is a hard goodbye for the disciples. Tears begin to fall from their cheeks. They are sad. 07:31 They are down. They are speechless as Jesus is now being taken up into heaven. 07:38 But Jesus, as He is taken up into heaven, there is no airplane. There is no helicopter. 07:45 Jesus just ascends into a cloud. He disappears and the disciples never see him. Again. 07:52 Jesus is gone. Jesus earthliest work is complete. But then something else happens. 08:00 As they are looking into the sky not knowing where Jesus is. Two men dressed in white suddenly say to them, 08:10 "This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven will come back in the same way you 08:19 have seen him go into heaven." 08:22 Now, for the theologians out there - I wish I had time but I do not have much time - 08:26 but notice the Bible does not say two angels. The Bible just says two men dressed in white, 08:33 but I am grateful for the ministry of Ellen White 08:35 because she says in The Desire of Ages page eight hundred thirty-one that these two men are two angels 08:39 in the form of two men. They say, this same Jesus born in Bethlehem, smuggled into Africa, 08:52 reared in Nazareth, baptized in the muddy Jordan, heal the sick, raise the dead, 09:00 five thousand hungry souls He fed. This same Jesus walks on water, arrested in Gethsemane, 09:08 condemned by Pilate, crucified on Calvary, buried in a borrowed tomb, but on the third day, 09:15 He rose again. He ascended back to Heaven. This same Jesus who woke you up this morning, 09:22 started you on your way, put food on your table, clothing on your back. 09:27 This same Jesus answered your prayers, made a way out of no way. 09:34 This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way you 09:40 have seen Him go into heaven. 09:42 The disciples had to say goodbye and there are three things that now would have to take place. 09:47 Number one, the disciples teaching period was over 09:50 and it was now time for them to spread the Gospel of Jesus to everybody everywhere. 09:55 After the ascension, after Jesus was taken up, their job was to spread the gospel everywhere. 10:01 It was now time for them to exercise the Holy Ghost power that have been imparted to them to share 10:07 the gospel. Jesus, just before the two angels declaration in verse 11, 10:12 had made a declaration in a transfer of this power to disciples, his disciples, in verse 8. 10:20 If you look back in Acts 1:8, it says, "But ye shall receive power, 10:27 after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, 10:32 and in all Judea and in Samaria, and the unto the uttermost part of the earth." 10:36 And so friends of mine, although the disciples had to say goodbye to Jesus, 10:42 they began operating in this same power that this same Jesus had transferred to them that if somebody 10:48 ought to shout right there. In Acts 2:43, it says that the apostles then begin to perform many miracles. 10:56 Peter healed the lame man at the temple in Acts Chapter 3. 10:59 Peter healed many from various cities in Acts Chapter 5. Stephen wrought great miracles 11:04 and signs at Acts Chapter 6. Philip did great miracles and signs at Acts Chapter 8. 11:09 Ananias healed Paul's blindness at Acts Chapter 9. Peter healed Aeneas in Acts Chapter 9. 11:14 Peter raised Dorcas from the dead in Acts Chapter 9. Paul blinded Elymas in Acts Chapter 13. 11:19 Paul perform miracles. It is Iconium in Acts 14. Paul healed a crippled man in Acts 14. 11:25 Paul healed a woman possessed by an evil spirit in Acts 16 . 11:29 Paul raised Eutychus from the dead in Acts Chapter 20, 11:32 and Paul also healed those in Melita island who were diseased in Acts 28. 11:37 This same Jesus had given the apostles this same power. Oh, but I am so glad that that was then 11:45 but this is now. Because God wants to now impart this same power from this same Jesus to us. 11:53 Ellen White says in volume six of the testimonies that the fullness of divine power has been imparted to 11:59 God's people that they might impart to others light and joy and refreshing. 12:03 Listen to me friends of mine, when Jesus ascended back to heaven, there was a change. 12:09 Let me say that again. When Jesus ascended back to heaven, there was a change 12:14 because it was an end to Jesus' earthly existence, 12:17 and the disciples had to now change their delivery of the gospel because Jesus was God, 12:23 and now they had to carry the gospel themselves. But Jesus has change. 12:29 It is important to us today as well because as we deal with this coronavirus pandemic, 12:35 as we live in a new normal, changes are taking place. We cannot congregate like we used to. 12:44 We cannot assemble it. We cannot assemble like we used to. We cannot meet like we used to. 12:52 We cannot do mass public evangelism like we used to. 12:57 But just like we saw with the early Church of Acts where there was massive growth, 13:03 I believe that we will grow stronger as a church as we change. God has greater things in store for us. 13:12 We cannot carry the gospel the same way we carried it before COVID-19. We are dealing in a new normal, 13:19 but the church, I believe, will grow as we change. 13:24 Somebody said that a crisis is the vortex of possibilities, and I must admit it - and I even hate to 13:33 admit it - that maybe, just maybe, 13:37 it took a pandemic to get the church to step up its ministry strategies 13:44 and be relevant to the world in which we live. I see this as an opportunity, 13:51 because you see, if the pandemic had not come and I wish we did not have the pandemic. 13:56 I do not want you to misinterpret me. Do not think that I am happy about people dying, getting sick. 14:00 That is not what I am saying. 14:01 But if the pandemic had not come, some churches would still be arguing over whether 14:07 or not they should get cameras. If the pandemic had not come, 14:09 And so now, neither snow nor rain, nor sleet, nor pandemic will keep us from worshipping God. 14:15 Thanks to the change this transition is bringing. 14:20 The ascension marked a change in Jesus from His earthly existence to his existence now 14:25 and maybe this transition will mark a change for the church as well. But let me tell you this, 14:31 even with his change, the same Holy Ghost power that Jesus left with the apostles is the same 14:39 Holy Ghost power that Jesus has left with us. You have power. I have power. We have power. 14:48 We got Holy Ghost power. Oh, somebody still not getting this. 14:51 Now, if you are in church, somebody should shout right there, but you are at home, 14:55 so let me help somebody with this. 14:56 I was in the hospital one day and I was visiting some church members 14:59 and I saw these people hooked up to life support. I saw a nurse and I ask that nurse, "Nurse, 15:05 can you explain to me what happens in the storm around here?" She said, "What are you talking about?" 15:10 I said, "Well, I know in my neighborhood, sometimes when lightning strikes, all the lights go out. 15:16 The electricity goes out. The power goes out. 15:19 What do you do with all these people who are on life support, 15:23 hooked up to all these machines when the storms come? 15:27 What do you do with all these people when the lights go out? 15:30 What do you do with all these people when the power goes? Understand they need power for life support." 15:37 The nurse said, "Pastor, you do not understand." I said, "What are you talking about?" 15:41 She said, "Although these may be our primary lights, we are equipped for the storm." I said, "Talk to me." 15:48 She said, "There is a room down the hallway that has a big generator in it. 15:52 It does not have any external power. The power is on the inside." 15:57 Can I preach it like I want it? You will never know how much power is in that generator until the lights 16:03 go off. You will never know that generator exist until the lights go off. 16:07 But the moment these lights go out, the power kicks in. 16:14 I am trying to tell somebody to understand that is what the Holy Ghost is. 16:20 When you do not have anything left, that is when the Holy Ghost kicks in. 16:24 When you are down to your last dime, that is when the Holy Ghost kicks in. 16:29 When your body is rocking with pain, that is when the Holy Ghost kicks in. 16:33 When your something is driving you crazy, that is when the Holy Ghost kicks in. 16:37 When you feel like giving up, that is when the Holy Ghost kicks in, 16:41 because greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. I have got power today. 16:47 You have got power today. We have got power today. 16:50 Jesus has imparted the power of the Holy Ghost to us" power to make you walk right, 16:56 power to make you talk right, power to make you act right, power to make you live right, 17:01 power sickness, power over demons, power over devils, power over doubts, power over death, 17:07 power over depression, power over defeat, power over divorce, power over the enemy. 17:13 Why are you walking around pitiful? You have got power! 17:20 It is like driving a car and not knowing all the stuff in the car. You have not read the manual. 17:27 Do you not realize you have got power? I dare you to open up the Word of God and realize you have power. 17:33 Let me tell you something in this coronavirus pandemic. Do not get upset 17:37 because somebody cannot come to your house or your hospital room to visit you during the pandemic. 17:42 Let me tell you something. Pray for yourself. You have got power. 17:46 Sometimes, you got to encourage yourself in the Lord. Getting upset 17:50 because somebody will not lay hands on you. Lay hands on yourself. Cast demons out for you yourself. 17:55 You have got power. God said whatever you abide on Earth, He abide in heaven. Whatever you lose on Earth, 18:02 He lose in heaven. You got power. I am tired of these Christians coming with batteries not included. 18:09 Quit waiting for batteries. When you accepted the Lord Jesus Christ in your life, 18:13 you got everything you need inside of you. Just reach down inside and tap into that power! 18:20 When Jesus was taken up into heaven, He left us with power. Jesus is coming back, 18:29 but He is not coming back anywhere until the gospel goes everywhere. 18:34 The gospel must go forward! Jesus ascends back to Heaven. The disciples say goodbye. 18:43 But God's power is on us and he wants us to use this power to take the gospel to the world. 18:51 But God said something else would happen after Jesus went back to Heaven. 18:56 Number two, Jesus would be seated at the right hand of the father 19:03 and he seated at the right hand of the father and he is interceding on our behalf. 19:09 Somebody asked where is Jesus right now? I know He was on Earth. I know He ascended back to Heaven, 19:15 but where is he right now? Jesus ascended from earth to the right hand of God, 19:22 which by the way is a position of high honor. In this position, Jesus who has authority and He has honor. 19:29 Thank you, Jesus. He is interceding for us. He is mediating for us. Picture that. 19:35 The head of the Church, Jesus, is seated at the right hand of God interceding for us. 19:41 Now, that is to make somebody else want to shout. That means, friends, in our ups and our downs, 19:46 when we pray over the prayer list. the number of people praying is not just the prayer team. 19:54 It is not just the church. It is not just our friends praying or our family praying, 19:59 but Jesus right now is seated at the right hand of the father and He is praying for us. 20:05 He is interceding for us. He is seated at the right hand of God. The Ascension is critical, 20:12 because it reminds us that Jesus is at the right hand of God interceding, praying 20:17 and mediating on our behalf. Hallelujah. 20:21 Let me tell you something. 20:23 You could have been dead. Locked up right now, suicidal. You could have collapsed on the floor. 20:32 But this same Jesus, who is seated at the right hand of the father, this same Jesus delivered you. 20:43 This same Jesus rescue you. This same Jesus saved you. 20:50 Do not let anybody tell you that you do not have a right to praise Him. 20:55 Anybody been through what you have been through. You got a right to praise him. 21:01 You do not care what anybody thinks. You do not care what anyone says. You do not care what you have on. 21:09 You do not care who is looking at you. You are just glad you are not in the hospital somewhere. 21:14 You are just glad needles are not sticking out of your arms. 21:17 You are just glad you are not locked up in a jail cell right now. 21:20 You are just glad that this same Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father interceding for us. 21:30 But there is one more thing. 21:32 Oh, number three, and I feel my health coming. Because of the Ascension, Jesus is coming back. 21:39 I said because of the Ascension, Jesus is coming back. 21:45 This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven will come back in like manner as ye have seen 21:53 him go into heaven; which means friends of mine, one day, very soon. I said one day, very soon, 22:02 Jesus will descend from heaven in a bodily form. This same Jesus is coming back 22:08 and the same way He left is the same way He is coming back. He left in a cloud. 22:15 He is coming back in a cloud. He left in the air. He is coming back in the air. 22:19 We are living right now in a between time, which the Ascension reminds us of . 22:26 It is the in-between time when Jesus ascends and when Jesus descends. When Jesus descends, 22:35 there will be no more crying, no more dying, no more sickness, no more pain. When Jesus descends, 22:47 no more cancer, no more coronavirus, no more arthritis, no more diabetes, no more heart disease. 22:56 When Jesus descends, no more wheelchairs, no more walking canes, no more heartaches, no more house notes, 23:06 no more car notes. When Jesus descends, no more fighting, no more back biting, no more lying, 23:14 no more dying, no more wars, no more killing, no more stealing, no more hurt. 23:21 When Jesus descends, the former things are passed away. All things become new, 23:28 and we have only a short time left before Jesus comes. We do not have time to be petty. 23:35 We do not have time to sweat the small stuff. We do not have time to engage in the paralysis of analysis. 23:42 I beg you. Stop playing church. Stop playing games. Stop being messy. Stop being hypocritical. I beg you. 23:50 We are running out of time. We do not have time to worry about how cute your dress is 23:55 or how nice your suit is. We are running out of time. Who cares if you got the biggest house in the church? 24:02 We are running out of time. We got to preach now. We got to teach now. We got to minister now. 24:08 We got to sing now. We got to testify now. Educate now. Evangelize now. We are running out of time. 24:15 I know you feel like giving up, but this same Jesus. I know you feel like throwing in the towel, 24:23 but this same Jesus. I know you feel like saying "I do not care," but this same Jesus. 24:29 I know you feel like saying "It does not matter anymore," but this same Jesus. 24:34 I know we are troubled on every side, but this same Jesus. I know we have got confusion everywhere, 24:41 but this same Jesus. I know we have got problems everyday, but this same Jesus. 24:47 I know that evil is pressing on every head, but this same Jesus. He is the same yesterday, 24:54 today and forever! 24:56 He did it for Adam. He did it for Eve. He did it for Noah. He did it for Moses. He did it for Abraham. 25:04 He did it for Sarah. He did it for Isaac. He did it for Jacob. He did it for Joseph. He did it for Esther. 25:11 He did it for Gideon. He did it for Samson. He did it for Naaman. He did it for David. 25:16 He did it for Daniel. He did it for Jeremiah. He did it for Nehemiah. He did it for Jonah. 25:22 He did it for Mary. He did it for Peter. He did it for James. He did it for John. He did it for Paul. 25:28 He did it for Timothy. He will do it for you! He did it for me. 25:32 This same Jesus, and I am so glad. Troubles do not last always. 25:41 I am so glad that weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning time. 25:48 I am so glad that after the rain, the sun will shine again. He is coming back! 25:54 I am ready to take my seat for my soul is getting happy. I know we have got the education. 25:59 I know we have got committees. I know we have got policies. I know we have got procedures. 26:05 I know we've got protocols. I know we have got boards. 26:09 But every now and then, can you just give me some Jesus? Jesus, sweetest name I know. Jesus, 26:20 I will tell it everywhere I go. Jesus, demons tremble, Satan fickles. Jesus, He is savior. Jesus, 26:31 He is deliverer Jesus, He is healer. Jesus, He is teacher. Jesus, He is preacher. Jesus, 26:40 He is prayer answerer. Jesus, He is way maker. Jesus, He is mountain mover. Jesus, He is heart fixer. 26:48 Jesus, He is bill payer. Jesus, He is mind regulator. Jesus lily of the valley. Jesus, 26:56 bright and morning star. Jesus, fairest of ten thousand. This same Jesus! 27:03 She shall bring forth a son and thou shall call his name "Jesus," 27:07 for he shall save his people from their sins, and Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, 27:13 and in favor with God and man and there is no other name under heaven. Whereby we can be saved. 27:25 But save the name of Jesus, and I am proud to tell somebody today that this same Jesus 27:41 who locked the lions; this same Jesus who appeared in that fiery furnace; this same Jesus, 27:56 He will save your soul. Do you want to be saved today? Do you want Jesus to save your soul? 28:00 Thank you very much for tuning in to this week's Breath of Life broadcast. 28:04 We hope and pray that you've been blessed by Dr. Byrd's inspirational message. 28:09 If you would like to hear this sermon in its entirety, 28:12 please feel free to visit us at www.breathoflife.tv. 28:17 Or, call us at (256) 929-6460. 28:23 [END] 28:30 When I was eight years old, I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. 28:36 When I was fifthteen, I had my first surgery. When I think about the time that I lost 28:47 during my adolescent years, I just can't seem to put it togther. Even now I'm doing 28:57 treatment for my disease. Everyone experiences loss. It's not of matter of if but when. 29:12 www.breathoflife.tv |
Revised 2020-10-28