Participants:
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000696S
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00:01 (Breath of Life Theme Music)
00:07 Sermon #B696 - Happy Thanksgiving 00:20 Dr. Byrd: And I want to invite you to take your Bibles and turn with me to the Book of 1 Thessalonians 5. 00:26 And we are going to go to verse number fifteen, 1 Thessalonians 5:15. The word of God says to us, 1 Thessalonians 5:15, 00:37 and we are going to read through verse number twenty three. 00:39 1 Thessalonians 5:15, the word says, "See that none render evil for evil unto any man, but ever follow that which is good, 00:49 both among yourselves and to all men." Verse number sixteen says, "Rejoice evermore." Verse seventeen says, 00:57 "Pray without ceasing." Verse eighteen says, "In everything, give thanks for this is the will of God 01:05 and Christ Jesus concerning you." Verse number nineteen says, "Quench not the spirit." Verse twenty, "Despise not prophesyings." 01:15 Verse twenty one, "Prove all things. Hold fast that which is good." Verse twenty two, "Abstain from all appearance of evil." 01:26 And then verse number twenty three, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly. And I pray, God, your whole spirit 01:35 and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 01:44 Today, we challenge you with the subject, Happy Thanksgiving. 01:49 Father in Heaven, Lord, today, we just praise Your holy name. We thank You for what we have experienced in praise 01:56 and worship in the Sabbath School Bible Study Children's Ministries. We thank You for the Music Ministry of Aaron Spencer. 02:03 But now God, we need a word from You. If we do not hear from You, what will we do? So speak. And make Your word plain. 02:12 Lord, as I say each week, forgive me of my sins and hide me behind Your cross. At the appeal time move God, 02:20 move by Your power, spread about Your grace. We pray this prayer in the name of Jesus, Amen. 02:30 Happy Thanksgiving. Have you noticed now that many people refer to Thanksgiving Day simply as Turkey Day? Turkey, turkey, 02:46 and turkey, that is all they talk about on Thanksgiving. We have baked turkey. We have fried turkey. We have sliced turkey. 03:01 We have jerk turkey. We have smoked turkey. Even the vegans now talk about tofurky 03:13 Society talks more about turkey on Thanksgiving than they do thanksgiving on Thanksgiving. 03:20 And because they talk more about turkey on Thanksgiving instead of thanksgiving on Thanksgiving, 03:28 Thanksgiving has become a day when people worship a created thing, a turkey, more than they do the Creator. 03:37 People value a creature more than they value the Creator. 03:43 This dates back, my friends, to the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. And Eve, after being deceived by Satan, 03:50 confronted Adam with the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and Good and Evil. And Adam had a decision to make, 03:57 "Do I go with the gifts, or do I go with the giver? Do I go with the creation, or do I go with the Creator?" 04:06 And because Adam chooses to be with her rather than to be with God, Adam chooses death. 04:12 That choice brings about the fall of man. And because he fell, we all now have fallen. 04:19 And so now, we live in a world where creation is valued more than the Creator, 04:25 where physical and material blessings are valued more than spiritual blessings. 04:32 And while we should be thankful for physical and mental blessings, 04:37 I believe I have got a witness that knows we ought to be thankful more for spiritual blessings, 04:43 because every good and perfect gift is from above. 04:48 Yes. Thanksgiving is a name for food, fun, football, and fellowship. 04:56 But it is not just a holiday every fourth Thursday in November. Thanksgiving is a distinctive holiday. 05:06 It does not celebrate someone's birthday. It does not commemorate a noteworthy battle. 05:13 But Thanksgiving is a day that has been set aside to express our thanks to God. So then Thanksgiving is not Turkey Day. 05:25 Thanksgiving is Thank God Day. 05:29 Now, we could choose a lot of texts on Thanksgiving including Psalm 95:2, "Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, 05:37 and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms." We could choose Psalm 100, "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. 05:46 Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before His presence with singing." Or we could choose Psalm 105:1, Psalm 106:1, Psalm 107:1, 05:57 Psalm 118:1, or Psalm 136:1 where all of these six say, "O give thanks unto the Lord for He is good 06:07 and His mercy endureth forever." 06:10 But I like what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:15-23, 06:16 because it is in this text that Paul offers eight characteristics on Christian etiquette of how Christians ought to act toward 06:24 one another. Quickly, let us go through these, because I know some of you want to get to your after-Thanksgiving-Day meal. 06:32 Number one, Paul says in verse number fifteen, "Do not render evil for evil on to anyone." In other words, friends, 06:43 you cannot live the Christian life based on the payback mentality. 06:48 You cannot go around trying to get even with folks who have wronged you. Two wrongs never made a right. 06:55 If you kick my dog, then that does not mean I can kick your cat. Christianity is not an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth, 07:04 because that will leave everybody snaggletooth and blind. If you are a follower of Christ, you must return good for evil. 07:13 Number two, Paul says, "Rejoice evermore." I do not know about you, 07:19 but I do not have time for a religion that will not let me rejoice. 07:23 In fact, I do not have time to be a part of a church that will not let me rejoice before COVID 07:29 and after COVID even during COVID when I am in this church preaching to myself. When I come to church, 07:36 I am not trying to be down. I am not trying to be despondent. I am not trying to be defeated. 07:42 I get enough of that during the week. 07:44 But when I come into the house of God, when I step up into the holy of holies, I do not know about you, 07:51 but I have come to rejoice, because he woke me up this morning, started me on my way. He put food on my table 07:58 and clothing on my back, made a way out of no way, turned my darkness into day. 08:04 God has brought me from last year's Thanksgiving to this year's Thanksgiving despite and in spite of coronavirus, 08:13 the racism, the hurricanes, the wildfires. God has brought me here. 08:18 And so when I come and step in this pulpit, I come to rejoice that God raised me, that God saved me, that God delivered me, 08:27 that God rescued me. This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. 08:34 I have come to praise the name of Jesus. I have come to lift the name of Jesus. I have come to bless the name of Jesus. 08:42 I have come to magnify the name of Jesus. God has kept me safe. God has kept my wife safe. God has kept our children safe. 08:51 God has kept this church saved. And I have come to praise His name. 08:56 So even in your house, in your living room, in your bedroom, in your kitchen, if God has been good to you, 09:04 you ought to say something. God has blessed you. You ought to say something. If God has been your bridge over troubled waters, 09:11 you ought to say something. If God has paid your bills and you had no money to pay your bills, you ought to say something. 09:18 Somebody right now, you have been a beneficiary of South Central Conference Operation Impact. 09:23 Somebody right now, you ought to bless the name of Jesus. Because if God has kept you, if God has delivered you, 09:28 if God has saved you, if God has rescued you, if God has redeemed you, if God has protected you, if God has spared you, 09:34 you ought to say something. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. 09:39 Rejoice evermore. I am coming back to rejoice in a minute, because somebody still does not have that. 09:44 Number three, Paul says, "Pray without ceasing." If there is anything that life has taught me, it has taught me how to pray. 09:50 Somebody knows that if you are a child of God, you will learn how to pray. I wish I had a witness in this place. 09:56 You see? We got to pray without ceasing, because the devil is always busy. The devil is busy. When you are asleep, 10:00 the devil is busy. When you are awake, the devil is busy. When you think you are at your spiritual best, the devil is busy. 10:07 When you are at your spiritual worst, the devil is busy. When you got your guard up, the devil is busy. 10:12 When you got your guard down, the devil is busy. 10:15 The bottom line is the devil is busy. Satan is on the loose The devil is never satisfied for peace to prevail. 10:22 Satan is the author of confusion. And whenever he can get a foot in, he will. 10:26 That is why Paul says, "You got to pray without ceasing." That means do not ever stop praying. With much prayer, 10:33 there is much power. With some prayer, there is some power. With little prayer, there is little power. With no prayer, 10:40 there is no power. 10:42 Prayer, I still believe, changes things. Prayer is still high time. Prayer time, I will say it, is high time. 10:49 Pray for your family. Pray for your children. Pray for your friends. Pray for your spouse. Pray for the church. 10:55 Pray for the elders. Pray for the deacons. Pray for the deaconess. Pray for me. 11:00 And while you are saying Amen to pray for everybody else, pray for yourself. 11:05 Number four, Paul says, "In everything, give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 11:13 Now, you need to understand. When I was a child, I was taught to say thank you. When someone did something for you, you said, 11:24 "Thank You." 11:26 I do not understand some of the young people today. You do something for them, they do not say thank you. 11:29 I have to remind them, "You do understand the words thank you." 11:31 Because if you did not say thank you back in the day, it was a reflection on your upbringing and your home training. 11:36 Are you hearing what I am saying? Because my Daddy did not believe in being embarrassed, 11:41 I had better say thank you in response to someone's kindness towards me, 11:45 because the hard head in my house is made of soft bottom. 11:48 Are you hearing what I am saying? 11:50 The Bible used to say, and the old saints used to believe, that you spare the rod, you spoil the child. 11:56 Are you hearing what I am saying? Back in my day, there was no timeout. Somebody knows what I am talking about. 12:01 But my Daddy believed you may not have money, but you can have manners. You may not be rich, but you do not have to be rude. 12:08 You may be poor, but you can be polite, because everybody can say thank you. Does anyone hear what I am talking about today? 12:13 Number five, "Quench not the spirit." In other words, Paul says, "Do not suppress God's spirit." 12:20 When God's spirit is moving in somebody's life, when God's spirit is moving in the room, do not quench the spirit. 12:25 That is why I believe in having church. And you will have plan for church, but you got to leave some room for the Holy Ghost. 12:31 You got to leave some room for the spontaneity of the Holy Ghost. 12:35 Sometimes, we can sing a song. And we do not need to move to the next thing. 12:39 We just need to stay there and savor and marinate the ministry and song. Are you hearing what I am saying? 12:45 Quench not the spirit. 12:47 Sometimes, yes, I have to study. Then sometimes I prepare. But sometimes when I am up here preaching, 12:52 the Holy Ghost starts speaking to me. And He says, "Tell my people this. Tell my people that." Quench not the spirit. 12:59 Number six, "Despise not prophesyings." In other words, do not despise those who have a word from the Lord. 13:07 But then number seven, Paul says, "Prove all things. Hold fast that which is good," which really clarifies number six, 13:14 because while you do not want to despise the prophesyings, on the other hand, Paul is saying, "Do not be gullible. 13:20 Prove all things. Check everything out, and keep only what is good." 13:25 When someone comes running up to you telling you something they found in the word of God, "I have got new light," 13:29 you better check that new light out. Are you hearing what I am saying? You better check it out. Prove all things. 13:35 There are four tests to a true prophet, four tests to a true prophet. 13:40 Because everybody is coming up to me talking about, "Pastor Byrd, the Lord, told me to tell you this. 13:44 The Lord told me to tell you that." Well, I am needing the Lord to tell me. Are you hearing what I am saying? 13:48 Four tests of a true prophet. Number one, "They speak according to the word of God," Isaiah 8:20. 13:53 Number two, whatever the prophet prophesies, according to Deuteronomy 28:9, "It must come to pass." 13:58 Number three, "By their fruit, you shall know them," Matthew 7:20. And 1 John 4:1-4, "Believe not every spirit, 14:06 but try the spirit to see if they have God, because there are many false prophets that are gone out in the world, 14:12 because the true prophet will confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." 14:17 Number eight, "Abstain from all appearance of evil." In other words, avoid the appearance of evil. 14:25 The old saying says, "If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, quacks like a duck, then probably, it is a duck." 14:34 So if you do not want to be a duck, do not look like or do not act like a duck. Are you hearing what I am saying? 14:39 The seasoned saints used to say, "Shun the very appearance of evil." I grew up in a home where my parents told me, 14:46 "If you are invited to the party, if you are invited to a birthday party..." I am not talking about a birthday party per se. 14:52 I am talking about a club party. "If you are invited to a party, you are going to say, 'No.' " 14:56 But they said, "You ought to be living your life in such a way that someone does not even feel comfortable asking you to go to 15:03 the party." You should be living your life, friends of mine, in such away that people do not even feel comfortable coming to 15:08 you with mess, that they do not even feel comfortable coming to you with gossip. Avoid the very appearance of evil. 15:16 But remember. I said, "This is my Thanksgiving text." 15:19 So I do not deal so much with all the Christian etiquette principles as I do with Thanksgiving. 15:24 But I want to deal with two principles, two and four, that we shared. Principle two was, "Rejoice evermore." 15:31 And principle number four was, "In everything, give thanks." 15:35 Now, we always preach principle number four during Thanksgiving time, "In everything, 15:40 give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 15:43 But today, I want to deal specifically with principle number two, "Rejoice evermore." 15:49 I told you I was coming back to this verse. 15:51 Now, this principle, this verse, verse sixteen, "Rejoice evermore," is two words. Do you know the shortest verse in the Bible? 16:01 Most of you will jump up to say the shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35, "Jesus wept." And that is true. 16:07 But that is true only in the English version. In the Greek version of the Bible, 16:11 the shortest verse in the Bible is this verse right here, verse eighteen. It is the shortest verse in the Bible, 16:20 "Rejoice evermore." 16:23 And in case you did not know, in case you did not know verse sixteen, "Rejoice evermore," in case you did not know, 16:29 short verses in the Bible say a lot. Because it is not always the quantity, but it is the quality. 16:35 I wish I had a witness in this place. Because it does not have to be everlasting to be eternal. 16:39 Are you hearing what I am saying? 16:41 Verse sixteen, one verse, two words, "Rejoice evermore." The verb here is rejoice, 16:48 and the verb is imperative in nature which means it is forceful, "Rejoice!" Paul is trying to tell us. 16:54 But not only is it imperative, but it is also in the present tense which means it is neither past nor it is in the future. 17:01 Paul is saying, "You should have rejoiced." Paul is not saying, "You should have rejoiced in times past." 17:06 And neither is Paul saying, "You should wait to rejoice in times future." Paul is saying, "Rejoice right now." 17:12 You see? When we rejoice, we have joy. Joy, remember, is different from happiness. 17:22 There is a distinction between happiness and joy. Happiness is based on an external stimuli. 17:28 Joy is based on an internal revelation. You all ought to hear what I am saying. 17:32 Happiness is based on what somebody else does for you. When someone gives you money, you are happy. 17:38 When someone tells you, "You preach well," you are happy. When someone tells you, "You are sang well," you are happy. 17:43 When someone compliments you, you are happy. Ladies, when somebody gives you flowers, you are happy. 17:48 But joy is not happiness. Joy is something that is internal based on a revelation. It is not based on an external stimuli. 17:57 Because when - thank You, Jesus - I know who God is, when I know what God has done in my life, 18:03 it does not make a difference what happens on the outside, but it is based on who I know and what I know on the inside. 18:10 Joy works from the inside out. 18:12 Let me break this down. Somebody is still not getting it. 18:15 If you do not have joy right now, do not blame your circumstances. 18:20 Your circumstances were never meant to bring you joy in the first place. You all ought to hear what I am saying. 18:24 If you build your life on circumstances, you are going to be miserable just as often as you are happy. 18:30 You need a source of joy that does not change - are you hearing what I am saying - 18:33 an internal perspective that comes from only knowing Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. 18:39 My joy is based on the fact that I know Jesus. And this joy that I have, you all did not give, and you cannot take away. 18:48 I do not know if you all remember it. I am a young man. But I am an old man in a young body. 18:54 And back in the day in church, I do not know if you remember this, but we used to sing a hymn. 18:58 It was a hymn number three-forty. 19:00 We have heard a joyful sound, 19:02 Jesus saves, Jesus saves; 19:05 Spread the gladness all around, 19:08 Jesus saves, Jesus saves. 19:09 Anybody remember that song? Anybody remember that song? 19:11 We have heard a joyful sound, 19:12 Jesus saves. 19:15 Let me tell you something. Whenever the gospel is preached, whenever Jesus is preached, it is a joyful sound. 19:19 It is a joyful sound to those who hear it. And I believe that one of the reasons our evangelistic interest is waning is 19:25 because we have lost that sense of joy in the gospel. We are not excited about it like we used to be. 19:30 We are not enthusiastic about it like we used to be. We are not on fire like it used to be. 19:35 But I, in the name of Jesus, have heard a joyful sound. Jesus saves. Jesus saves. 19:42 So when I am preaching to two thousand people in this church or whether I am preaching to two people in this church, 19:47 I going to sound the loud cry. 19:49 We have heard a joyful sound. 19:51 Jesus saves. Jesus saves. 19:53 Some of us think that it is our sacred duty to be gloomy, to be sad, the frozen chosen, 20:01 dill pickle Christians who go through life acting like smiling is a sin and laughter is an abomination. 20:10 Before COVID-19, some folks would sit up in church service all day long, never sing, never smile, 20:17 never pat a foot, never moan, never groan, never say Amen, never do anything. But I dare you, when we come back to church, 20:24 you are going to be excited. Are you hearing what I am saying? 20:26 But I need you to know, I could not go anywhere for three or four hours and do nothing. And when we present our faith as dull, 20:33 as dry, as boring, when we give the impression that knowing Christ means becoming a dry, dull, boring religious person, 20:43 who can blame the younger generation for rejecting the gospel? 20:48 God has called me to be grateful and not grumble. We grumble when the air or the heat go out in our homes. 20:58 But what about those who have no home? We grumble when we get a cold or a headache. But what about those dying of cancer 21:05 or those stricken with the coronavirus? We grumble when our kids mess up the house. 21:10 But what about those persons who wish they have children, but they do not? 21:14 So when people talk about you, do not grumble. Thank God, because now you know who your real friends are. 21:20 When you have a bad day at work, do not grumble. Be thankful. At least, you have a job. When you cannot pay your bills, 21:26 be thankful. At least, you are not one of your bill collectors. Are you hearing what I am saying? 21:29 When you realize how much work it is to take care of a house, be grateful. At least, you have a house. 21:35 When you get irritated by people's arrogance and anger and ignorance and bitterness and insecurity, be thankful, 21:41 because you could be one of them. When you think that everything in this world is terrible and you want to give up, 21:47 think about all the people who have been told they only have a certain amount of time left. They do not want to give up. 21:52 Be thankful. 21:54 Ellen White says in The Ministry of Healing, 21:56 page two-thirty three that even those things which appear to be against us may work out for our good. 22:01 Hallelujah, somebody, because God would not ask us. Thank You, Jesus, "God would not ask us. 22:06 Be thankful for that," she says, "which would harm us." 22:10 Stop whining. Stop complaining. Stop grumbling, and do not hang out with grumblers either, because sooner than later, 22:20 you will start grumbling. Birds of a feather flock together. 22:23 I am almost done. But let me tell you three ways how to spot a grumbler, so when you see the grumble coming, 22:28 you are running like they are the plague. 22:30 Number one, I have learned, a grumbler is never satisfied with what he or she has. If it is money, he never has enough. 22:39 If it is his home, somebody else has a nicer one. He is an expert in criticism and has a Ph.D. in nitpicking. 22:46 Nothing is ever enough. 22:48 Number two, a grumbler always has an excuse. Ask him or her why he or she does not buy a new car, and he or she says, 22:55 "The interest rates are too high." Ask him again, and he says, "Cars cost too much." Ask him again, and he says, 23:00 "New cars are rip-off." Ask him why he does not buy a used car, and he says, "You are just buying someone else's problems." 23:07 Ask him why he does not fix up the car he has, and he says, "You do not throw good money after bad stuff." 23:13 A grumbler always has an excuse. 23:16 Number three, a grumbler secretly believes he can never succeed. Now, the key word here is "secretly". 23:25 He may not even be aware that he has given up on life. But his grumbling gives him away. 23:30 You all ought to hear what I am saying. 23:32 Down in his heart, the grumbler believes the game of life is rigged, that the cards of life are stacked against him, 23:39 and he is doomed to failure. Show him a glass of water, and ask him, "Is the water glass half empty or half full," 23:46 and he will say, "I do not know. But the water is probably polluted." 23:51 But stop grumbling. Stop whining. Stop complaining. I have had some good days. I have had some bad days. 24:04 I have had some weary days. I have had some hills to climb. But when I look around and I think things over, 24:17 all of my good days outweigh my bad days. I will not complain. God has been good to me. 24:29 He has opened doors I could not see. So I will just take time to say, "Thank You, Lord, in the good times. 24:39 Thank You, Lord, in the bad times. Thank You, Lord. I will not complain. 24:45 "When I come out of this, my praise is going to another level. 24:49 When I come out of this, I do not have time to be cute. When I come out of this, I am going to a new level in Jesus. 24:56 When I come out of this, I am rising to a new level in Jesus." 25:00 That is why you ought to thank God for whatever you go through. You ought to say, "Lord, I thank You for my mountains. 25:06 I thank You for my valleys. I thank You for the storms You brought me through." If I never had a problem, 25:11 I would not know that God could solve it. I would not know what faith in God's word could do. 25:16 Let me tell you something. You got to learn how to start praising 25:20 and thanking God for all the stuff folks thought you were crazy for. Be thankful. I am thankful. And because I am thankful, 25:29 I rejoice. 25:31 God has put no tax on rejoicing. God has putting no restrictions on rejoicing. God has put no embargoes on rejoicing. 25:39 There is no ordinance from God commanding you to be miserable. It is alright to be joyful. It is all right to be happy. 25:46 It is alright to rejoice. I sing, because I am happy. I sing, because I am free. His eye is on the sparrow. 25:54 And I know He watches over me. 25:57 Understand, I am through. But if God has done anything for you, there is no way you can want me to be quiet. 26:03 If God has helped you get the new house, but yet you still want me to be quiet. You have got the new car, 26:08 but you want me to be quiet. You have got the new job, but you want me to be quiet. You have been healed of sickness, 26:13 but you want me to be quiet. 26:15 But I understand. God has been good to me, too. And if you only knew what I have been through, 26:20 you would understand why I praise Him like I do. If you only knew what I have been through, 26:24 you will understand why I give Him glory like I do. 26:27 You see? Every time we praise God, it makes the devil nervous. And I do not know about you, but I want to make the devil nervous. 26:33 In fact, I want to make the devil scared. 26:35 So rejoice. I said rejoice. Happy Thanksgiving. Rejoice. Rejoice evermore. You should be dead buried in your grave, but rejoice. 26:45 Somebody had coronavirus, but you recovered. You ought to rejoice. 26:50 In everything, give thanks. In the good times, praise His name. In the bad times, do the same. 26:56 In everything, give the King of Kings all the things. 27:00 I am trying to sit down. But on this Thanksgiving Sabbath, my soul is getting happy right now. Praise be the Lord. 27:06 Praise God in the sanctuary. Praise Him in the firmament of His power. Praise Him on His mighty acts. 27:12 Praise Him according to His excellent greatness. Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet. 27:16 Praise Him in the psaltery and the harp. Praise Him on the timbrel and dance. Praise Him with stringed instruments 27:22 Praise Him with the loud cymbals. Praise Him with the high-sounding cymbals. Let everything, I said, let everything, 27:29 let everything that has breath praise ye the Lord. Rejoice evermore and in everything. 27:39 Give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Happy Thanksgiving. Rejoice evermore. 27:56 Thank you very much for tuning in to this week's Breath of Life broadcast. 28:00 We hope and pray that you've been blessed by Dr. Byrd's inspirational message. 28:05 If you would like to hear this sermon in its entirety, 28:07 please feel free to visit us at www.breathoflife.tv. 28:13 Or, call us at (256) 929-6460. 28:19 [END] |
Revised 2020-12-03