S1: I came to tell you. Yes. Everything you go through,
S1: God has allowed it and he has a higher purpose. Now,
S1: you may not see it, and you may not sense it,
S1: and you may not like it, but God is sovereign.
S1: He going to make sure his purpose is done.
S2: Welcome to Treasure Truth with pastor and author James Ford,
S2: junior senior pastor of the Christ Bible Church in Chicago.
S2: I'm Steve Hiller. Glad you're with us today, and I
S2: hope that you've already been encouraged a little bit by
S2: what we just heard, because that is such an important
S2: truth for us to internalize, to keep in mind as
S2: we go through the difficult things of life. God does
S2: have a higher purpose, and sometimes because of that, he
S2: does allow us to go through pain and struggles and
S2: suffering and difficulty. And like Pastor Ford just said, you
S2: may not know it. You may not understand it. You
S2: may not be able to figure it out. In fact,
S2: you can be pretty miserable in it and even tell
S2: God that. But because God is sovereign, he is going
S2: to use that difficulty for his purposes to accomplish what
S2: he wants. And so as we go through that difficulty,
S2: understanding the sovereignty of God and trusting in that is
S2: so important to us. And I think it's also helpful
S2: for us to look at Jesus. I mean, here we
S2: have God incarnate, God with skin on. And he suffered
S2: and he subjected himself to the father's will, which included
S2: drinking the cup of going to the cross. And if
S2: Jesus had to walk through that, if he had to
S2: go through suffering, why would it be surprising to us
S2: that we need to go through suffering as well? You
S2: may have heard Pastor Ford say this before. There are
S2: some things that you learn in the dark that you
S2: just don't learn in the light. So sometimes in a sovereignty,
S2: God allows us to go through that darkness. Yes. Well,
S2: that's what we're looking at in today's broadcast. So if
S2: you can, I hope you'll open your Bible and join
S2: us in Isaiah chapter 50 as we continue the message,
S2: the blessings in a beat down. Here is Pastor Ford.
S1: I came to tell you. Yes, everything you go through,
S1: God has allowed it and he has a higher purpose.
S1: Now you may not see it, and you may not
S1: sense it, and you may not like it, but God
S1: is sovereign. He going to make sure his purpose is done.
S1: I think I told you this once before. I'll just
S1: repeat myself for those who haven't heard it. I remember
S1: growing up we'd have chicken, rice, peas, carrot and corn
S1: and that would be dinner. And even with ten kids,
S1: we'd have stuff left over because mama always made sure
S1: everybody was full and we'd have stuff left over. You know,
S1: we have next day chicken, rice, peas, corn and carrots.
S1: But guess what? They weren't individually on our plate, Reverend Strother.
S1: Like they were the day before. They're in a casserole
S1: with some kind of sauce on it. And we would say, mama,
S1: what is this? And she wouldn't say, this is the
S1: leftover food from yesterday. You know, she'd say, this is
S1: Chicken Supreme. This is chicken a la king. And I
S1: would tell my brothers and sisters I was the oldest.
S1: I'd say, this ain't nothing but leftovers from yesterday. Now
S1: I say it under my breath so she wouldn't hear me.
S1: But God is like my mama. You wonder how in
S1: the world all this thing, this thing, this leftover mess
S1: in my life. Uh, somebody that messed over me, uh,
S1: somebody that hated on me. Somebody I done went through sickness.
S1: I done went through pain. This happened and that happened.
S1: And God says, let me get a hold of it.
S1: I'll work it together. I'll take everything that's left over
S1: in your life. Put it together, serve it up and
S1: give it to you. As supreme, give it to you
S1: as Allah, King. Why, God? Because all things work together
S1: for good to those who love the Lord and those
S1: who are the called according. I'm going to make this
S1: work for you. Don't worry about what they did to you,
S1: because I'm working for you. Because no weapon formed against
S1: you shall prosper. It ain't going to work. If I
S1: can sing, I'd break out into it. No weapon formed
S1: against you. But. But I don't sing. I teach the Bible.
S1: You know what the word form means? Come on, Dave,
S1: help me. What's the word form mean, Yasar? It's the
S1: same word God used when he's talking about making a woman. Yasar.
S1: It literally means to shape with a purpose. See what
S1: he says. No weapon that they have shaped and purposed
S1: against you is going to prosper. Now, he didn't say
S1: that they weren't be able to start it. He said,
S1: I ain't going to let them finish it. Mhm. Yeah.
S1: It's amazing. It's amazing. It is now. Now get this,
S1: get this. You got to see what he's saying. Uh,
S1: follow along with me. Now that I should know how
S1: to speak a word in season to him that is weary,
S1: let me just. Bottom line it can I. Bottom line.
S1: Say bottom line, pastor, for it. Because you got three
S1: more points and we want to get out of here.
S1: We won't stay in here all day. Here's the bottom line.
S1: What's he saying? Jesus said I learned and the things
S1: I learned. I communicated that to other. Come on, help
S1: me preach this so I can move on. Look at
S1: your neighbor and say, neighbor, your ministry should come from
S1: your misery. Huh? He has ministry and he's learned. No, no, no,
S1: I got a bottom line. I. I got a bottom
S1: line because I got to go ahead. I got to
S1: drop these other three and just get out of here.
S1: But here's what he's saying. You got pregnant out of wedlock.
S1: You ought to be the last one. Hating on some
S1: young girl who who got herself pregnant. No, you ought
S1: to be running to her and saying, girlfriend. It happened
S1: to me too. And and yeah, I was stuck on
S1: stupid at one time and. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but listen, listen, listen.
S1: God is able to sustain you. I got my education.
S1: I got me a job. I take care of my children.
S1: I take care of myself. I don't need a man
S1: do anything for me. I got the man doing everything
S1: for me. So, girl, you just lift up your head.
S1: God can forgive you. You move on. Don't let your
S1: haters pull you down. Don't let your haters chase you
S1: out of church. Don't you let your haters talk down
S1: to you. And when they come to you, don't hold
S1: your head down. Lift your head up. Look him in
S1: the eye and say yeah and you ain't never made
S1: a mistake. Yeah. Mhm. Yeah I've repented of that. I've
S1: asked God to forgive me, but I see. I see
S1: one thing. I can't be messing around with you because
S1: you're too busy worried about where I've been instead of
S1: where I'm going. Amen. That's it. Amen. And so he says, yeah,
S1: your ministry should come out of your misery. Yeah. Here
S1: it is. Here's third one. Sovereignty of God over my listening.
S1: Listen to what he says now. Now, you know, you know,
S1: I like exposition, but I'm I'm not going to execute this. Listen,
S1: it says he says, uh, verse four, be he waketh
S1: morning by morning, he waketh my ear to hear as
S1: the learned. The Lord opened my ear, and I was
S1: not rebellious, neither turned away back. Bottom line, Jesus saying,
S1: I listened to everything God told me. Yes, everything. Everything
S1: that God told him. And so he said. Lo is
S1: written in the volume of the book I come to
S1: do thy will, O God. Man. If there's ever a
S1: time when we need to learn how to listen, uh,
S1: let me let me just do. I'm gonna see how
S1: many remember. But but listen to this. Uh, I want
S1: you to tell me, uh, have you ever heard of
S1: this person here? Have you ever heard of this person?
S1: Let me see. Have you ever heard of Shammua? How
S1: many heard of Shammua in the Bible? Oh, nobody. Okay.
S1: How many have heard of Shuafat? Shuafat? Anybody? Oh, nobody
S1: heard of Shuafat? Okay, how about, uh. Uh. Igor? Igor. Igor.
S1: Anybody never heard of him? How about, uh, Paul? T
S1: p a l t I. Anybody? Anybody. Okay. Uh, how about, uh. Gideon. Gideon.
S1: Anybody heard of Gideon? How about Gadi? Gadi? Anybody ever
S1: heard of JD? How about Amiel? Am I? Anybody ever
S1: heard of Amiel? How about Seth? Uh, s e t
S1: h u r. anybody ever heard of them? How about Nobby?
S1: How about Gale? Gale? Oh, you never heard of them?
S1: How about Joshua? Yeah. How about Caleb? Let me tell
S1: you why. By reading this verse in numbers 1422. Why?
S1: You never heard of those other ones? Because the ten
S1: men that I named, he says, because all those men
S1: which have seen my glory and my miracles, which I
S1: did in Egypt and in the wilderness, have tempted me
S1: now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice.
S1: Those are the ten of the 12 guys who went
S1: into the land and saw that it was a land
S1: like God promised, but they came back and they did
S1: not listen to the report of the Lord. They didn't listen.
S1: Who shall believe the report of the Lord? And so
S1: God says, listen, I told you it was a land
S1: that flows with milk and honey. I told you there
S1: were giants. But I also told you I will fight
S1: your battles. And that's what you should have came back
S1: and said. And they came back and said, we are
S1: grasshoppers and they are giants. He told you that?
S2: You're listening to Treasure Truth with Pastor Ford. A message
S2: called The Blessings in a Beat Down. And we're going
S2: to get back to this teaching in just one moment.
S2: You know, maybe as you're listening to this broadcast, a
S2: question comes to mind about something you've heard Pastor Ford say,
S2: or how we apply this and live out the Christian life.
S2: We can always contact us through the website and ask
S2: your question to Pastor Ford. Just come to Treasure Truth
S2: Radio org and click on that contact link. We'd love
S2: to know what difference this teaching is making in your life.
S2: And if you have a question, go ahead and ask that.
S2: Who knows, we might even answer that on a future broadcast. Again,
S2: it's the contact link when you come to treasure Truth Radio.
S2: Once again, here is Pastor Ford.
S1: Okay. Listen, are you talking about a time where we
S1: we don't listen to God and in the church listen
S1: to this. I think this epitomizes the fact that people
S1: don't listen. The paradox of our time in history is
S1: that we build taller buildings, but shorter tempers, wider freeways,
S1: but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less. We
S1: buy more but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and
S1: smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees,
S1: but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts,
S1: yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. We drink
S1: too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little,
S1: drive too fast. Get too angry. Stay up too late.
S1: Get up too tired. Read too little, watch TV too
S1: much and pray too seldom. we have multiplied our possessions
S1: but reduced our values. We talk too much. We love
S1: too seldom, and we hate too often. He says we've
S1: learned how to make a living, but we haven't learned
S1: how to make a life. We've added years to life,
S1: but not life to years. We've been all the way
S1: to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the
S1: street to help a neighbor. We conquered outer space, but
S1: not our inner space. We've done larger things, but not
S1: better things. We've cleaned up the air, but we polluted
S1: our soul. We conquered the atom, but not our prejudices.
S1: We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but
S1: accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait.
S1: We build more computers to hold more information, to produce
S1: more copies than ever. But we communicate with each other
S1: less and less. I'm in the car with two of
S1: my grandchildren and they're texting. I said, who are y'all
S1: texting each other? Why are you texting each other? Because
S1: we don't want you to hear what we're saying. So
S1: I stopped the car and pulled over and said, give
S1: me them phones. I want to see what they were texting. Yeah.
S1: And so let me finish it. So he said, this
S1: is a time of fast foods and slow digestion. Big
S1: men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These
S1: are the days of two incomes, but more divorce, fancier houses,
S1: but broken homes. These are the days of quick trips.
S1: Disposable diapers, throw away morality, one night stands, overweight bodies
S1: and pills that do everything from cheer you to quiet you,
S1: to kill you. It's a time when there is much
S1: in the show window and nothing in the stock room. Alright.
S1: That's good. Here's the last two. Take these down if
S1: you're taking notes. Notice and this is the central part.
S1: So take notes and say oh, you preach that before,
S1: and sometimes it's just like I go back to it
S1: because I haven't done this justice. You know me, it's
S1: like every word been screaming, say something about me now.
S3: Say something about me.
S1: And I've been skipping over stuff. But here it is
S1: the sovereignty of God in our lashings. Listen to this.
S1: It says I gave my back to the smiters and
S1: my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I
S1: hid not my face from shame and spitting man. This
S1: is what he quoted in Matthew 26 while he's on
S1: the cross. And I wish I could talk about each
S1: one of them. But what did he do? He told us,
S1: turn the other cheek. And you know what? We feel
S1: like they slapped me on one cheek. I want to
S1: turn the other theirs. And Jesus said, I turned my cheek.
S1: And then in that day, a beard was a man's glory.
S1: And he says he plucked out his beard. Plucked out
S1: his beard. What's the point? Here's the point that Jesus
S1: is saying, I know that what I'm going through is
S1: in the will of God. So what I'm going to
S1: do is I'm not going to seek vengeance. I'm going
S1: to seek acceptance. So what did he do? If you
S1: break it down, you'll see in these two verses there's
S1: purpose and perseverance. A lot of people got purpose, but
S1: they don't have perseverance. You don't want to go through anything.
S1: There are people. And I'm glad I don't know. There
S1: are people who. You just ran into a problem at
S1: the other church. There was somebody that was ignorant and
S1: rude with a toxic personality. And instead of you dealing
S1: with them and facing them and confronting them, you said,
S1: Imma go to another church. I ain't got to put
S1: up with this. But guess what? When you come here
S1: after running there, you going to meet somebody just like
S1: them and you going to keep running until you get
S1: up in somebody's face and say, hold on a minute, homie.
S1: Hold on a minute, girlfriend. Let me just tell you
S1: what you're doing is biblically wrong and I'm not going
S1: to accept that. So you go do that to somebody else.
S1: You don't do that to me. Don't talk to me
S1: like that. Don't talk to me like that. I remember
S1: we used to have a person in here most of
S1: the men were afraid of. And one day she called
S1: me out. And we had three services in the old sanctuary.
S1: And she called me out right as Sunday school was dismissed.
S1: And I'm going to my office, I heard, Pastor Ford,
S1: I want to talk to you. And I said, almost
S1: called her name sister So-and-so. And I want to talk
S1: to you. And everybody's, like, buzzing and everything. Get down.
S3: Here now.
S1: You said you did that. Yes, I did that. And
S1: I called her down. She came in. Well, well, well,
S1: you know, I just I'm, I got a what. No
S1: no no no no no. Let me tell you something.
S1: I ain't married to you, all right? Yeah, and I'm
S1: not one of your children. Don't you ever talk to
S1: me like that. Ever. Oh, well. I'm sorry. Y'all apologize,
S1: I said. Yeah, well. Well, you know, I said it
S1: so that everybody can hear it. Yeah. And guess what?
S1: As long as that person was here, never did that
S1: to me. Now I've seen her do it to other brothers,
S1: and I try to pull their coat. Hey, she did
S1: it to me one time. Come on, let.
S3: Me tell you what I did. Let me tell you
S3: what I did. Let me tell you what I did, man.
S1: And you know.
S3: What?
S1: I had a brother quit his ministry leader over it
S1: just because he didn't want to deal with her. Wow.
S1: That's right. He says you gotta set your face like
S1: a flint. You gotta go through some things. Yeah. And
S1: then here's the last one. He says that you have
S1: to know the sovereignty of God over your liberty. What's
S1: he saying? God is over when it's going to be over.
S1: I ain't going to say anything else. You're going through it.
S1: How long has it been, pastor? I've been waiting for
S1: God to send me a husband for 13 years. Okay.
S1: Keep waiting. Keep waiting. Sarah and Abraham waited 25 years
S1: for their baby. Moses waited 40 years before he got
S1: into the Institute of the Holy Ghost. In 80 years
S1: before he started. Keep waiting. Keep waiting. Well, my biological
S1: clock is running. God can rewind it when it runs out. God,
S1: I'm sick of this. I'm sick of this. I'm sick
S1: of this. No! God says you will be in it
S1: until I say, here's what I love. It says to
S1: the church of Smyrna, you will be persecuted ten days. Now, now,
S1: I don't know if you caught that. He said ten days.
S1: Do you know what that means? Ten days means ten days.
S1: You know what he was saying? Ten is the number
S1: for testing. You know what he's saying? I don't care
S1: what you're going through. One day is going to be over.
S1: Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in
S1: the morning. I need to close. And you've been so gracious.
S1: But you remember what happened, uh, in, uh, in New
S1: York City? Uh, there was a man by the name
S1: of Wes Autrey, and Wes Autrey was a 50 year
S1: old construction worker, and he had his two daughters with him. And, uh,
S1: he always would think, like most people who traveled, uh,
S1: that New York subway system. What if I ever fell
S1: on those tracks? You know, there's two electric, uh, rails, uh, and, uh,
S1: you could be electrocuted on those things. He said, what
S1: if I fell in, or what if somebody else fell in? Well,
S1: he found out one day, uh, because there was a
S1: man who had a seizure who fell in, uh, as
S1: the number one was coming. Wes Autrey didn't even think
S1: about it. He jumped down, pulled the man in between
S1: the tracks and covered him. The train saw them, but
S1: couldn't stop and ran over them. The train was over them.
S1: They cut the power so that they could crawl out.
S1: They hollered down, are you Alright. And what said I'm okay?
S1: And this man is okay because I covered him. You
S1: and I were on the train of life. Uh, we
S1: were waiting for the train of life. But our sin
S1: paralyzed us and pushed us on the tracks. And Jesus
S1: Christ covered us. He covered us and he said, we're alright.
S1: We're both getting up out of here. And though we
S1: were dead in trespasses and sin, we are alive in
S1: Jesus Christ. Listen, there are blessings in a beatdown. And
S1: I trust the next time you're in tribulation, the next
S1: time you're in trial, the next time you're in trouble,
S1: you'll remember that God wants you to bring something out
S1: of the tribulation that you never would have had had
S1: you not gone through the tribulation. And so when God
S1: brings you to it. You need to know that God
S1: will bring you through it.
S2: Providing a new perspective on trials and tribulations. That's Pastor
S2: James Ford Jr. A message called the blessings in a
S2: beat down. Well, you're listening to Treasure Truth and you
S2: can find out more about this ministry when you check
S2: out our website. It's Treasure Truth Radio. You know, in
S2: order to respond to our trials with faith, it's not
S2: just enough to wait for them to arrive. We have
S2: to be building and growing in our relationship with God
S2: long before the trials occur. And listening to this program
S2: is one way of doing that. And so is your
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S2: care to choose resources each month that will build your
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S2: when you give a donation of any amount, we're going
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S2: It's a book called Why Believe the Bible? And this
S2: book is divided into three segments of five chapters each.
S2: We first tackle. Can we really believe the Bible? Then
S2: what does God's Word do for us? And then finally,
S2: how to get the most from God's Word? As you read,
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