Dr. Carlton P. Byrd, The End is Better than the Beginning

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] if you will take your Bibles and let's go to the book of songs and we're gonna go to Psalm 107 we're not gonna keep you long today Psalm 107 but I will warn you if the Holy Ghost gets loose you know what happens I say I'm trying to be mindful of time one member said pastor the church is good I don't mind saying in church amen but that was just one person that wasn't everybody all right so let's go quickly to Psalm 107 and let's go to verse number 15 Psalm 107 and let's go to verse number 15 Psalm 107 and verse number 15 if you happen to me who you say Amen the Word of God says in verse 15 all that men would praise the whom everybody would praise the Lord for His goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men for he had broken the gates of brass and cut the bars of iron and sunder fools because of their transgression and because of their iniquities are afflicted their soul abhorred with all manner of meeting and they draw near unto the gates of death then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble and he saving them out of their distresses he sent His Word and healed them he delivered them from their destructions o that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men today I just want to spend a little time on the subject the end is better than the beginning the end is better than the beginning father god bless us now as we go into your word speak because your servants heareth and God the appeal time do what you do may your Holy Spirit flow full and free speak your word to your people somebody needs this today God so speak it I pray hide behind your cross forgive me of my sins it's not about me but Lord is all about you we pray this prayer in the name of Jesus let all those who love him say Amen and amen the end is better than the beginning it's hard to believe it but we've come to the end of 2019 the end of another year in about 83 hours from now 2019 we'll be history it will be done now for some of us have we pulled the church today 2019 was an awesome year for somebody he graduated from high school graduated from college got a new job got a new hooked car got a new house somebody got married somebody had a child somebody got engaged somebody to get married but somebody got a man somebody got a woman somebody you were healed from a disease somebody you retire and you realized in retirement you have more money now in retirement than when you were working 2019 for somebody was a good year do I have a witness in this place but then on the flipside 2019 for somebody was a rough year you lost your job you lost your house you lost your car your marriage fell apart your relationship went bad you failed school you lost a husband your life passed away you lost a parent you lost a child you were diagnosed this year with a debilitating disease you missed an opportunity you broke a resolution you made a mistake and now you're saying if I had to do it all over again I would do it differently if 2019 was bad to you don't dwell on it don't dwell on the past the past is the past there's nothing you can do to change the past yes the past shapes our lives but the past and light was not meant to be lived in the past you can't live in the past but I believe somebody knows you can live in the present it's all today I just came for old fashioned church today and I want to encourage somebody that you ought to praise God today in the present for bringing you safely to the end of another year because the end is always better than the beginning Oh somebody doesn't hear me I said in spite of what the devil has been doing to you in spite of what the devil has been doing to you in 2019 God has been good to somebody in this place God kept you when the bottom fell out God made a way out of no way God healed you when they said there was nothing else that can be done you lost your job but you're here today broken relationship but you're here today divorced but you're here today death in your family but you're here today you failed a class but you're here today not up but you're here today strong out but you're here today suicidal but you're here today and I just want to know on this the final Sabbath of 2019 in the present in your current in your right now can you praise the Lord you ought to tell somebody if you only knew what I've been through if you only knew what God brought me through if you really understood what I've been through this past year my praise would make sense to you right now 2019 was rough but God brought me through and I'm encouraged today because I just believe that my end it's gonna be better than my beginning that my latter is gonna be greater than my former is anybody understand what I'm talking about because through all that I went through God still kept me and when I think of the goodness of Jesus and when I think of God's mercy when I think of his keeping power over this year I'm reminded of Psalm 107 I reminded of David Psalm and testimony of God's redemptive power o that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men now four times in this song David says this and each time he says this he's telling us where God found his people when he saved his people that's a word for somebody that God will find you and then God will save you where he finds you oh you don't know what I'm talking about God found somebody in the crack house but he saved them God found somebody in the out house but he saved them God found somebody in the bankruptcy house but God save them God found somebody in the house of doubt and depression but God didn't save you God will find you where you are and then God will save you oh that man would praise the Lord for His goodness his wonderful works to the children of in now many theologians believe that David this saw was probably written after Israel had been delivered from their bondage in Assyria and Babylon then in this song they are reminded of the consequences of their sins and they are reminded of the grace that God showed them and forgiving them of their sins and then he restores them they are also reminded that God is faithful God is what everybody come on God is what everybody God is faithful to hear and then to restore those who call on him when you look at Psalm 107 Psalm 107 and verses 1 through 7 are the introduction verses 8 through 14 are the first testimony and I say testimony because in the introduction in verse three David says let the redeemed of the Lord say so live in verses 15 through 20 which we read we have the second testimony then in verses 21 and 230 we have the third testimony and then in verses 31 through 43 we have the fourth and final testimony now I can't preach every testimony today but I'll just preach one is that Alright everybody so I've chosen testimony number two now over this year somebody or to praise the Lord because God protected youth he protected you from your transgressions he protected you from your iniquities he protected you from your indiscretions your misdeeds your lapses in judgment now don't sit there and act like you don't know what I'm talking about don't you sit there and act like you haven't done anything in your past one of the blessing of my local church a lot of people who went to school here retired come back here and people we remember you win come on say Amen don't act like and sit there like your past is perfect because I believe I've got a witness in this place that can say I can't believe I did that or I can't believe I said that David admits that in his own life he engaged in what was foolish but he says oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and his wonderful works to the children of men he says let me tell you how good god has been so he begins there in verse 15 then he goes to verse 16 and he says he had broken the gates of brass and he had cut the bars of iron in sunder now what he's really saying is I've gotten myself in trouble over my life but God brought the change God delivered me out of my trouble out of the mess that I caused in my own life but then he continues in verse number 17 he says the fools because of their transgression and because of their iniquities the fools are afflicted in other words I heard myself because I did some foolish stuff I was so caught up in foolish stuff that my soul went after any and everything and when I was going after any and everything I ended up coming very close to the gates of death anybody ever been close to death anybody been close to death in 2019 but look at what the Word of God says in verse 19 baby says I cried unto the Lord in my troubles because that's when I really cry when I'm in trouble and God saved me out of my distress David said God sent His Word to heal me and deliver me from my destructions but I shout news shout news because wherever your transgressions led you God didn't let them kill you God didn't let them mess with your family God didn't let him mess with your finances mess with your destiny isn't it good to know that there is no depth that you can go to that God can't save you out of there's no situation that you can get yourself into that God cannot hear you that when you're calling the Lord in trouble God will save you out of trouble and that's why I don't know how some people can come to church 52 weeks and sit up in here like they all that and then some in the bag of chips when you know what you used to be and God still thank you Jesus insert your prayer and God didn't let what should have taken you out take you out God did not let what should have killed you kill you I don't know who I'm talking to today but under the authority of the Holy Ghost when you look back over your life not just 2019 but when you look back over your entire life and the stuff you used to do and you're just mad at yourself now because you do it did it and the truth is your past can wound you but the good news is in verse 20 David says even though my past left me in bad shape God sent His Word to heal me I love to sing I love to hear testimonies I love to have prayer in church I love to shake hands in church but I also need the Word of God I'm trying to help somebody understand that David says that even though your past messed you up even though 2019 may have messed you up God has sent His Word to heal you even though you felt like one day this year you don't have anything to live for even though you felt like you don't have anything to offer God God reminded you by sending your word when you needed it to heal your mind heal your soul heal your body God has a way of giving you a word just when you need it do I have a witness in this place has anybody ever go on to their Bible to open up to read the Word of God and you will open up at a certain chapter and a certain verse and God will give you just what you need just when you need to I have a witness in his race just when you thought you had messed up and lost all second chances God gave somebody a word and he took you to Luke chapter 15 and you read about a prodigal son who had messed up but God showed you a father in the distance and said bring my best road kill the fatted calf my son was lost and is now found when the spirit of guilt comes upon you God will give you a word and he will show you in Romans chapter 8 that there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ who walk not after the flesh but now after the spirit God will take you to second Corinthians 5:17 If any man be in Christ he's a new creature old things are passed away all things become new God will take you to 1st Corinthians 10:13 there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able but will with the temptation make a way of escape but he may be able to bear it God will take you the first John 1:9 if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness God will take you to John 3:16 for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth him should not perish but have everlasting life somebody knows God will give you a word to heal you because God will look beyond your faults and he will see and supply your needs somebody oughta praise him today because in spite of all that you were caught up here and God didn't let it take you out somebody knows that if God had not been patient with you you wouldn't be here today look at all sanctimonious looking all good somebody knows if he had not been the grace of God you would not be here today I'm almost done somebody had to overcome an addiction but you hear somebody had to overcome depression but you hear somebody had to overcome abuse and misuse but you're here somebody in 2019 you have to overcome the loss of a loved one but you're here and until you lose somebody close to you you really don't understand what people go through somebody had to overcome a bad relationship but you're here I know you act like it's not you but all I me there are two or three witnesses but know that God that's why will you praise God you don't have time to be cute you don't have time to worry about how your hair looks you don't have time to worry about how your shoes look you just don't give God some glory you begin to say to yourself I can't believe that God loves me like he does there's nothing you could do like a stop God from loving you the text says God protected me from my transgressions verse 17 God protected me from my iniquities verse 17 God protected me from me verse 17 I cried to the Lord and he saved me verse 19 he sent his word and he delivered me verse 20 and that's why I praise him like I do oh that men would praise the Lord verse 21 that's a word for somebody we reminder of where the Lord Lord found us and how he delivered us from our terrible condition and because he has moved in power on our behalf we are challenged to praise him because the same God who delivered us in the past is the same God who would deliver us in the presence the same God who brought us through 2019 is the same God that would be with us today and I want someone to know today that 2019 may have been rough but God protected you from your transgressions he protected you from your iniquities you cried unto Him somebody in the midnight hour you cried to him and he saved you and then he set his words and he delivered you and because now of your experiences because of your challenges because of your transgressions you are now better for it than you were before and so now your ending is gonna be better than your beginning ecclesiastes 7:8 says better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof Psalm 30:5 30 verse 5 says weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning time but after the same Sun the rain after the rain the Sun will shine again that understand behind every dark cloud there's a silver lining that your latter will be greater than your past that your ending is gonna be better than your beginning never remind you this world is not our final home everything on this earth has been corrupted by sin but one day God's gonna redeem his creation and he's gonna redeem us paradise that was lost will be regained John says there's gonna be a new heaven and a new earth the God is gonna wipe away all tears from our eyes he said there's gonna be no more death no more dying no more crying no more sickness no more pain no more wheelchairs no more walking canes no more cancer no more arthritis no more high blood pressure no more pills no more God says I'm gonna make all things that the end is gonna be better than the beginning and I don't know about you all but I'm looking forward to my new home because the end is gonna be better than the beginning I'm looking forward to that city the New Jerusalem the holy city 12 gates to the city three gates to the North three gates to the South three gates to these three gage to the west the walls are made of Jasper the streets are made of purest gold where we all sail on a sea of glass where the lion is go play with the lamb I'm looking forward to that City because my ending is gonna be better than my beginning I can shout now because I've been through it in 2019 but I'm encouraged that God's got a better ending for me somebody you've been through it but God's got a better ending for you let's close with a lesson from God's creation of how a butterfly transforms a man watched a wiggly cocoon after about an hour there was a split on the bottom of the cocoon after about another hour the butterfly's abdomen was now half free after another hour the butterfly was still only half free so the man got some scissors [Music] he cut that cocoon to free what he thought would be the butterfly free from the torture but the butterfly never took flight and the butterfly died a few hours a few days later what's the lesson faster burn butterflies I see pastor Lynch need the struggle to stimulate their wings and make them strong y'all don't hear what I'm saying in order to fly butterflies yeah I don't hear what I'm saying they have to struggle a bit in order for us to fly God has to allow us to struggle a little bit in order for this bird to fly God has to allow me to struggle a bit in order for you to fly God has to let you struggle a little bit praise God that in 2019 some of us had to struggle a bit because we have supply but are in it better when you encounter various trials and tribulations but fasting produces endurance today I need you to understand the converse yes your beginning doesn't have to be your ending but in order for your anything to be better than your beginning you got to love Jesus you got to obey Jesus you gotta follow Jesus you got to accept him as your personal Savior you paid yourself here oh praise the God praise the Lord I struggled but now I can fly and you can't just say oh well my fee is forever my beginning no there's a condition you gotta choose Jesus and you gotta mean it you gotta follow the Lord and it's condition if you love me then [Music] my commandments my transgressions my iniquities they had me down but I cried unto the Lord and then he came in a world that held and now I'm better for it and so now at the end of 2019 I can shout and say oh that men but praise the Lord for His goodness now when I was going through it it was I'm better for it all that men would praise the Lord for His goodness for his wonderful works thank you very much for tuning in to this week's breath of life broadcast we hope and pray that you've been blessed by dr. Berg inspirational message if you would like to hear this sermon in its entirety please feel free to visit us at WWF of live TV or call us at two five six nine two nine six four six zero [Applause]

Channel: Breath of Life TV

Views: 20,100

Rating: 4.7060704 out of 5

Keywords: Adventist, Byrd, Breath of Life, Preaching, Dr. Byrd, Love, Seventh-day Adventist, Adventism, Jesus Christ, Sermon, SDA, TV, God, Religious, Worship, prayer, pray for, faith, church, blessings, devotion

Id: TuG_Z4iMKEM

Length: 28min 1sec (1681 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 01 2020