S1: So faith believes the Word of God, and it activates
S1: the promise for what it cannot see is rewarded by
S1: seeing what is believed. So faith sees the invisible, believes
S1: the unbelievable, does the impossible, complies with the incomprehensible, and
S1: accepts the intangible.
S2: This is treasure truth. With pastor and author James Ford,
S2: junior senior pastor of Christ Bible Church in Chicago. I'm
S2: Steve Hiller and glad that you're with us. We've been
S2: taking a look at Joshua chapter one and how God
S2: had told the nation of Israel and Joshua to go
S2: take the land. Our message is entitled takers, and we've
S2: been looking at Scripture, seeing promises that are ours to
S2: take and the faith that's required for us to take them.
S2: But sometimes Pastor God says this is a promise that
S2: I have for my people. This is a promise that
S2: I may have for you, but he doesn't grant that
S2: right away. How do we keep our faith strong in
S2: those periods of waiting?
S3: Wow. Well, listen to what Hebrews 11 one says. Faith
S3: is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of
S3: things not seen. Man, I'll tell you what's really powerful
S3: to me. Take Noah 120 years you have loved being
S3: in his church. His. His sermon was. It's going to
S3: rain for words. Okay, let's take the offering and we'll
S3: see you next Sunday. Same time next Sunday. It's going
S3: to rain. And for 120 years he preached this as
S3: he built the boat. Now my question is this. And
S3: it floored me. I was in a devotional time and
S3: I'm reading a Hebrew scholar, and he says that the
S3: stem of what God said to him, it would be
S3: like in the Greek it would be called Eris. Heiress.
S3: Past tense. Here it is. Bottom line. How many times
S3: did God tell Noah it's going to rain in 120 years?
S3: One time. So for 120 years, he held on to
S3: one word that God said. Question. How long have you waited?
S2: Oh, all right, that's convicting.
S3: Surely not 120 years. Abraham receives a word from God,
S3: holds on for 16 years, and then messes up and
S3: has an Ishmael. And then God fulfills his word in
S3: 25 years total. You know, the children of Israel, you know,
S3: in Egypt, in bondage. And for 430 years they waited. And,
S3: you know, really, you see, people don't see the humor
S3: in the Bible. I do. Humor is all over the Bible.
S3: It says in Exodus it says, And God remembered his children.
S3: After 400 years, about time, you know. But God has
S3: a plan. And here's something that I don't think we
S3: preach enough. It has to do with God's purpose more
S3: than my pleasure or provision. That if his purpose is
S3: not realized, forget about my pleasure, my provision, everything else, power,
S3: anything that that God makes sure that he's the one
S3: that's going to be glorified in this. And so we
S3: acknowledge that that's the Romans 828. We know that all
S3: things work together for good to those who love the
S3: Lord and are called according to his purpose. So then
S3: when I'm called according to his purpose, what can happen
S3: to me that would cause me to turn my back
S3: on God? Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zero. Why? Because I belong
S3: to him. Lock, stock and barrel. And whatever he does
S3: is good. Mm.
S2: That's the right perspective for all of us to have.
S2: We may struggle in the midst of that. And that's
S2: where knowing what those promises are, claiming those taking those
S2: are so important. And that's what our series has been
S2: all about. That's what we're looking at today from the
S2: book of Joshua. So join us there as we continue takers.
S2: Here's Pastor Ford.
S1: The power to perform.
S3: Is.
S1: In the promise proclaimed. It's inherent in the word that
S1: he's given to us. Our faith activates the power. Now,
S1: we ain't got to go through that. We always talk
S1: about jerry curls. You had to have the activator. And
S1: faith is the activator that activates the word of God.
S1: So what did he do? He. He. Rose became a taker. Now,
S1: here's here's what I would have done. if I'd been
S1: laying on that pallet for 38 years. I don't want
S1: anything to do with that pallet, am I? Am I
S1: right about it? Sister? Wife? Yeah. Look, look, I just
S1: had this thing. I'm sick of it. I haven't had
S1: the new model. And, you know, I don't want this
S1: thing anymore. So. Jesus, why don't you tell me to
S1: take it? Because everybody knows that for 38 years, the
S1: pallet been carrying you. Now I want you to show
S1: them that when you get a promise from God, you
S1: now carry what was carrying you. You got victory over
S1: what had you conquered. You pick up your pallet so
S1: everybody can see that you're more than a conqueror through
S1: him that loves you. That when you got a promise
S1: from God, it doesn't matter what your circumstances are. Because
S1: now God gives you sovereignty over your circumstances so that
S1: now he doesn't always change the circumstances, the palette, but
S1: he always changes you. So you're able to pick up
S1: that palette, pick it up. Come on, tell somebody. Pick
S1: it up, pick it up, pick it up, pick up
S1: that palette. Get up off of it. Pick it up now.
S1: Now I want you to notice something. Because when you
S1: look at this thing, it's really powerful. Not because he says,
S1: here's what I want you to do. I want you
S1: to believe the promise. I say it all the time,
S1: but let me say it again. Don't put a question
S1: mark where God has put a period. Don't do that. No,
S1: don't put a question mark where God has put a period.
S1: It is, it is. There's three tenses of the promise here.
S1: Because this past promise that's given in the present about
S1: his future. Now, here's what you do. It's a past promise.
S1: But here's what you gotta do. You gotta personalize it.
S1: You gotta personalize it. What's he telling them to do?
S1: Claim this promise for yourself, Joshua and the children of Israel.
S1: I've given it to you. Now all you have to
S1: do is claim it. See, the first generation didn't believe it.
S1: And so let me show you. Let me show you
S1: my grandson. Uh, my my next to my youngest grandson.
S1: His name is Jaden Ford. Uh, now, Jaden is a
S1: young scholar. Every year he gets 10 or 12 awards
S1: and have been getting them since he's been at Dixon
S1: School in pre-K. He's in fourth grade now. Every year
S1: he gets these awards. Well, this year, here's what happened. Uh,
S1: three years in a row, he won student of the year.
S1: And that's from pre-K to sixth grade. Student of the year. And, uh,
S1: this year they said, okay, we're going to award our
S1: trophy for student of the year. Now, the student of
S1: the year gets special things. Uh, they get they got a, uh,
S1: he got a, uh, the the reader thing. Where's the
S1: reader thing? Kindle fire, Kindle fire, he got a Kindle Fire,
S1: and he and he got the opportunity to bring his
S1: family and they ate with the principal. Now he's done
S1: that three years in a row. So they got up
S1: and they said, okay, we're going to announce the student
S1: of the year. And before the teacher could announce it,
S1: the whole student body said Jaden Ford. And she said,
S1: that's right, Jaden Ford. Now, he has never been late
S1: or missed a day of school from pre-K, and he
S1: gets that award for never missing class and never being
S1: late every year. So this is what happened last week.
S1: My son got a flat tire and so he was
S1: on his way to school and his dad got a
S1: flat tire. He went into the trunk and the spare
S1: was flat. Jaden is in the back. He starts crying, oh, dad,
S1: I'm going to be late. I'm never been late. You're
S1: going to make me late. I knew I should have
S1: rode to school with mom. I told you we should
S1: leave early in case anything happened. Then we could get
S1: on the bus. So my son said. He said, you know,
S1: I've been sharing with my children how God just changed me,
S1: turned me around, and now I have this job. My
S1: son works for the railroad. He said, I have this
S1: job and I'm so blessed. And so I told him,
S1: you know how when you give God what he wants,
S1: he gives you what you want, and until you give
S1: God what he wants, he's not giving you what you want.
S1: So he said he wanted my life, but I didn't
S1: want to give it to him. And I tried everything
S1: in my own power, my own way to make it.
S1: And I never made it. But as soon as I
S1: turned my life over to him, he opened up doors
S1: I never could see and look where I am now.
S1: And so Jaden said, but how is that going to
S1: help me get to school on time? And my son said,
S1: do you believe in Jesus Christ? Yes, I do, daddy. Uh,
S1: don't you believe that he could get you on school
S1: on time? You believe that? Yes, sir, I believe it,
S1: but I'm riding with you and not with Jesus in a.
S1: He's very practical. He's very practical, pastor. He's very practical.
S1: And so he said he said he said, well, then
S1: do you know how to pray? And he said, yes,
S1: I know how to pray. He said, well, pray and
S1: ask him because this is something that is good and
S1: he will do it for you. But we're going to
S1: be late. You're on a flat tire. And he said, well,
S1: are you going to believe God or what? And so
S1: Jaden prayed, Lord, you know, I've never been late. And
S1: now because I chose to go with my daddy and
S1: not my mommy, I'm going to be late. Please help
S1: us get to school on time. My son said he
S1: he hit the gas and that and that tire hit
S1: the rim. And the tire came off and the rim
S1: was rolling. And then the rim started sparking and the
S1: car starts smoking. And he stopped. The car grabbed his
S1: son and they ran the rest of the way, he
S1: said as the last child was going in. Jaden went in,
S1: joined in the back, got in his room, sat in
S1: his chair and the bell rang and the bell rang
S1: and he showed him. All you had to do was
S1: personalize it. And he was telling me about his thanksgiving prayer,
S1: and that he talked about it all day in school.
S1: Jesus got me here on time. Jesus got me here
S1: on time. Jesus got. I prayed and Jesus got me
S1: here on time. Jesus. And so my son had me
S1: cracking up. If you don't know my youngest son, all
S1: the four men got a little sense of humor. I
S1: don't know where they get it from, but they all
S1: got it. And so and so I said, what did
S1: you do, son? He said, I said, Lord Jesus, you're
S1: a will worker. You've been will to me. Because where
S1: there's a will, there's a way. So then he went
S1: and he and he, he went to, uh, right down here, um, where,
S1: where the brothers do the to tires, he said. He
S1: rolls up and they had to give him a tire
S1: and a rim. And they said to him, man. He said, man,
S1: you're lucky you made it here. And he said, uh,
S1: I'm not lucky. I'm blessed. I'm real blessed. Oh, me.
S1: That's what I said. He said he got it on
S1: and said Amen. And so you see what he's doing.
S1: You have to personalize. You know what I do? Here's
S1: what I do all the time. And now unto him
S1: who's able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that pastor
S1: Forward could ask or think. Uh, I am pastor Ford
S1: is more than a conqueror through him that loved him. Uh,
S1: Pastor Ford has never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed.
S1: I put my name in the promise. I personalize it,
S1: remember Caleb and Joshua 14. Uh, they're shooting dice now
S1: in the Bible. It's legal. So don't be running out
S1: here talking about, you know, pastor said it's alright to
S1: shoot some dice because the Israelites, they shot dice. It
S1: was called casting lots. And that's how they they divided
S1: the land. Caleb comes up and says, uh uh, no, no, no,
S1: we don't shoot dice. Cast lots from Give Me My Mountain,
S1: which the Lord promised me. And here's what it says
S1: in Joshua 1445 years ago. How long have you been
S1: holding on to the promise that God gave you? So now,
S1: if 45 years later I'm laying claim on it, it's
S1: mine and I want what's mine, I'm taking what's mine.
S1: And he said, the Anakin up there, that's the Giants.
S1: Those are the guys that are just a little taller
S1: than Shaq. And he said, that's alright. God gave it
S1: to me. So then I gotta take it. And he
S1: goes up there and he takes his land because it's
S1: his possession. And I want to tell you something. The
S1: Bible says the wealth of the wicked is stored up
S1: for the righteous. When are we going to start taking it?
S1: The Bible tells us that this community belongs to us
S1: because we're a lighthouse on this corner. When are we
S1: going to start taking it? When are we going to
S1: take back what the devil has stolen.
S2: Oh, what a challenge from Pastor Ford. As we continue
S2: this message entitled takers, we're going to get back to
S2: it in just one moment. Hey, if this Bible teaching,
S2: this study of Joshua one is making a difference in
S2: your walk with Christ. We'd love to hear about it.
S2: And also, I want to ask you to consider giving
S2: a financial gift so we can continue to bring you
S2: Pastor Ford's teaching each day. We really are a listener
S2: supported radio production. Give online at Treasure Truth Radio. Org
S2: and click on the donate button. Back to the message.
S2: Here is Pastor Ford.
S1: Notice because not only do we have to personalize it
S1: this past promise, but we also have to participate in it.
S1: Notice what he says. Walk every place the sole of
S1: your foot touches. Now, I'm not suggesting that we do
S1: a community walk, even though there's nothing wrong with that
S1: to show our presence. That doesn't guarantee anything. What's his point?
S1: His point is this that we participate in the promise fulfillment.
S1: There's something we must do in order to experience the
S1: manifestation of the revelation. What is it? What is it
S1: that we must do? Because if we won't do our part,
S1: God will not do his part. Come on, say it
S1: with me. Without God, we can. Without us, God won't.
S1: That's right. And so he says, Joshua, I want you
S1: to walk. And notice, if you go to chapter 13,
S1: I call it when I. When I did it, I
S1: called it the unconquered Territory. Say, what are you talking about?
S1: Everywhere they walk, they possess. And everything they left became
S1: a curse to them later on. Which ones did they
S1: leave alone. Amalekites. Philistines. Jebusites. Who's giving them trouble in
S1: first and second. Samuel. Philistines. Who's giving them trouble in
S1: first and second Kings. First Chronicles. Second Chronicles. Amalekites. A
S1: thousand years later under Esther. Who is Haman and Agagite?
S1: Where do the Agagite come from? Amalekites. Everything you refuse
S1: to get out of your life and everything you refuse
S1: to step on. God says I'm waiting on you. I'm
S1: waiting on you. Boy oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.
S1: See you. You gotta believe God's promises. You gotta personalize it.
S1: You've got to do that. We've got to let people
S1: know that we are more than conquerors through him that
S1: loved us. We activate our faith. You say, what's the
S1: book all about? It's about sanctifying faith. You know the
S1: difference between justifying faith? Sanctifying faith. Let me give it
S1: to you real quick. Justifying faith brings you to heaven.
S1: Sanctifying faith brings heaven down to you. Uh, justifying faith saves,
S1: but sanctifying faith sustains. So what does faith do? Faith
S1: cuts the T's off of Kant and turns them into can.
S1: Faith helps us face the music even when we don't
S1: like the tune. Faith not only believes God can, but
S1: God will. That that faith knows where we are. God
S1: brought us what we have. God got us what we know.
S1: God taught us who we are. God wrought in us
S1: and the battles we won. God fought for us. So
S1: faith believes the Word of God and it activates the
S1: promise for what it cannot see is rewarded by seeing
S1: what is believed. So faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable,
S1: does the impossible, complies with the incomprehensible and accepts the intangible.
S1: I mean, I mean, okay, okay, here it is. So.
S1: So it is the promise. See, when we got a
S1: promise from God, all the promises in him are yea
S1: and Amen. God is not a man that he should lie.
S1: Faithful is he who has promised. So get this. Okay,
S1: let's say now. Let's say. Let's say Brother White, you
S1: don't have a you don't have a ride. And I say,
S1: Brother White, I'll get ready, man. Imma scoop you for church.
S1: And you say, okay, now then, Brother Betts, call you
S1: ten minutes after and say, hey man, uh, Imma scoop
S1: you for church. What are you going to tell him?
S1: I already have a ride. Now wait a minute. Does
S1: he really have a ride? No, he does not. He
S1: has a promise of a ride. That's all he has.
S1: And so it depends on. I know what you said to.
S1: I ain't even have to be over there because I'm
S1: about to say it right now, he said, I probably
S1: would have accepted from Brother Betts since he lived on
S1: the West Side and Pastor Ford live on the South Side.
S1: But I didn't come all the way to West Side
S1: and Brother Betts already on the West side. But anyway, anyway,
S1: I know that was Sister White said that. And, uh,
S1: and so he has a promise of a ride. But
S1: my question is this why is he acting like he
S1: already has arrived? Because he refused another ride. Because he
S1: had the promise of a ride. Well know why? Because
S1: the person that gave him the promise, he had confidence
S1: in that he would do what he said. The reason
S1: why you're not standing on the promises of God is
S1: because you don't believe that God can do what he
S1: said he can do. That's why. That's why. And so
S1: what we need to understand is, I mean, it's like
S1: I didn't ask. I'm not going to ask you if
S1: you play now. Anybody ever play bid whist. Hey, I
S1: was a whist ologist, Jack. And you know what I do.
S1: You know what I do when I had set book.
S1: Anybody do this? You lick the card, you put it
S1: on top of your forehead. You know, you let them
S1: know this this set book. This is set book right
S1: here with this set book, go ahead and play. Most
S1: people know what they do. Oh I'm set. They throw
S1: the hand. Ain't used to playing hand. Let's play another hand. Why?
S1: Because you put up there the set book. And that's
S1: what you got to do when it comes to the
S1: promises of God. That God made you a promise. And
S1: the devil is trying to make you think that God
S1: is not going to fulfill his promise. And so all
S1: you do is you put boom, you put it right
S1: up there. The devil says, I'm more powerful than you. No, no.
S1: Greater is he in me than in than in me.
S1: That's in the world. Yeah, but you can't do this. Boom!
S1: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Yeah,
S1: but guess what? Guess what? He's left you. He's forsaken you. Boom!
S1: He never leaves me nor forsake me. You just keep
S1: putting that trump card up there because you know that
S1: God come hell or high water will fulfill his promise.
S1: And the question on the floor is, do you believe him?
S1: Is there a believer in the house? Is there anybody
S1: that will stand on the Word of God and say, God,
S1: I believe you. I don't care what the circumstances tell me.
S1: I don't care what people say. I don't care what
S1: doubt comes my way. I'm standing on the word. Let
S1: me close. Deacon Russell on little Frankie. He's Frankie, the fifth.
S1: Little Frankie. And little Frankie boy. He's perceptive. I think
S1: he helps me to close this thing out. You know
S1: what he says? Uh, he was acting up, and his
S1: daddy said he knows he's afraid of pastor lives. So
S1: he said, you keep acting up, and I'm going to
S1: tell Pastor Lyles on you. And without missing a beat,
S1: Deacon Roussin said, and he looked at me and said,
S1: and if you keep messing with me, I'm telling Pastor
S1: Ford on you. You see what he did? He trumped him.
S1: He said, I'm going to appeal to a higher authority
S1: in this place. You want me to be afraid because
S1: you got pastor lives? Well, I need you to know
S1: I got the one who? His his senior pastor. That's
S1: all we gotta do. Joshua, I'm speaking to you right now, son.
S1: And I'm telling you, the enemy, the haters. Because the
S1: higher you go, the more haters you get. Do you
S1: ever find that out? Yeah, yeah. We always say new level.
S1: New devil actually is new. New level. Stronger devils. More devils. Right.
S1: But you gotta say I'm a bloom where God planted me.
S1: And I don't care what anybody else does. I'm standing
S1: on the promises of God.
S2: Really? The only safe and secure place to stand. Isn't it?
S2: You're listening to Treasured Truth with Pastor Ford. A message
S2: from Joshua, chapter one. It's called takers, and we're a
S2: number of days into this message or series. And if
S2: you want to go back and find out what you missed,
S2: come to the website. It's Treasure Truth radio.org. You can
S2: stream a program or download an MP3 for free. Again,
S2: that's a treasure Truth radio. Org and if Pastor Ford's
S2: study of Joshua chapter one is making a difference in
S2: your walk with Christ, we'd love to hear about it.
S2: You can always give us your feedback at Treasure Truth
S2: radio.org and click on the contact link. Thanks for doing that.
S2: And thanks also to our producer, Amy Rios for Pastor Ford,
S2: I'm Steve Hiller. Treasure truth is a production of Moody Radio,
S2: a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.