WEBVTT - Faith for Your Future, Part 1 0:00:00.760 --> 0:00:03.480 Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence 0:00:03.480 --> 0:00:06.400 of things not seen. And so what does faith do? 0:00:06.440 --> 0:00:11.319 Give you insight into foresight. Like it's hindsight. In other words, 0:00:11.320 --> 0:00:13.640 he's going to let you know what your future is 0:00:13.640 --> 0:00:14.560 going to be. 0:00:21.920 --> 0:00:24.760 You're listening to Treasure Truth with pastor and author James 0:00:24.760 --> 0:00:27.640 Ford Jr, senior pastor of the Christ Bible Church in Chicago. 0:00:27.680 --> 0:00:29.600 I'm Steve Hiller. Glad you're with us today as we 0:00:29.600 --> 0:00:33.640 begin a message entitled Faith for Your Future. And, pastor, 0:00:34.080 --> 0:00:36.600 I know a lot of people who heard what they 0:00:36.600 --> 0:00:39.360 just heard say, oh cool, God is going to give 0:00:39.360 --> 0:00:43.040 me insight into what's coming ahead. How is he going 0:00:43.080 --> 0:00:44.519 to do that, though? I want to know what my 0:00:44.520 --> 0:00:46.479 future's going to be. How do I get God to 0:00:46.479 --> 0:00:47.000 tell me that? 0:00:47.040 --> 0:00:52.520 Well, the best way is through prayer and the word 0:00:52.520 --> 0:00:55.840 of God. So, you know, I always quote the venerable 0:00:55.840 --> 0:01:00.279 scholar Doctor Warren Wiersbe. He said it. Everybody uses it 0:01:00.320 --> 0:01:03.560 doesn't give him credit for it, but he said it first. 0:01:03.840 --> 0:01:06.720 When I opened the Bible, God opens his mouth. And 0:01:06.720 --> 0:01:10.280 when I closed the Bible, God closes his mouth. That's 0:01:10.280 --> 0:01:14.360 a powerful, powerful statement. That's tweetable. You gotta tweet it 0:01:14.360 --> 0:01:18.520 right now. You ought to get on put it on Facebook, Instagram. 0:01:18.520 --> 0:01:22.360 That's a great quote. And so God speaks to us 0:01:22.720 --> 0:01:25.640 through his word. And so we have the indwelling of 0:01:25.640 --> 0:01:30.720 the Holy Spirit who sensitizes us to the Holy Scriptures 0:01:30.760 --> 0:01:33.440 to turn us into a holy servant. We have the 0:01:33.440 --> 0:01:37.560 mind of Christ. We need to feed it, program that 0:01:37.560 --> 0:01:41.920 computer the mind of Christ, and it gives us perception. 0:01:42.319 --> 0:01:47.760 And that perception then is turned into footsteps. It's Proverbs 0:01:47.800 --> 0:01:50.960 chapter three five and six. Trust in the Lord with 0:01:50.960 --> 0:01:53.840 all of your heart. Lean not to your own understanding. 0:01:53.840 --> 0:01:57.520 In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct 0:01:57.520 --> 0:02:00.200 your path. Here it is real quick. The word direct 0:02:00.400 --> 0:02:04.440 has a primary, secondary and tertiary meaning primary. We hear 0:02:04.440 --> 0:02:06.320 it all the time. He will guide you. Yeah, but 0:02:06.320 --> 0:02:10.240 the secondary and the tertiary, meaning we very rarely hear 0:02:10.400 --> 0:02:14.799 secondary meaning, removing obstacles. So he says, I'm guiding you. 0:02:14.800 --> 0:02:18.559 There's an obstacle in the way. When there's an obstacle, stop. 0:02:18.680 --> 0:02:22.080 Don't try to move it yourself. God says I will 0:02:22.080 --> 0:02:25.720 move the obstacle. And in the tertiary, meaning is to 0:02:25.760 --> 0:02:32.440 get one to their desired goal. So that's a powerful promise. 0:02:32.480 --> 0:02:35.800 And so I can be confident of this very thing 0:02:35.919 --> 0:02:38.359 that he who has begun a good work in me 0:02:38.560 --> 0:02:41.280 shall perform it until the day of Christ. I'm confident 0:02:41.400 --> 0:02:44.080 you have to walk by faith. Sure, you have to 0:02:44.080 --> 0:02:44.320 do it. 0:02:44.360 --> 0:02:47.040 Yeah. And so I'm thinking of the person listening today 0:02:47.040 --> 0:02:50.919 who says, okay, uh, I think God has this for me. 0:02:50.960 --> 0:02:55.000 Whether that's a future spouse, maybe a certain job. Uh, 0:02:55.000 --> 0:02:57.160 you know, whatever that thing may be, maybe they've had 0:02:57.160 --> 0:03:00.080 trouble having kids. And, you know, I believe God is 0:03:00.080 --> 0:03:02.950 going to give me a kid. How do you know 0:03:03.150 --> 0:03:07.549 when God is saying no or no? It's going to 0:03:07.550 --> 0:03:08.510 be a long time. 0:03:08.790 --> 0:03:12.510 And he will speak to us through those same meetings. 0:03:12.510 --> 0:03:12.990 Those same meetings. 0:03:13.030 --> 0:03:16.710 Okay. Yeah. Through prayer, through the Word of God. See, see, 0:03:16.750 --> 0:03:19.310 God speaks to us in so many different ways, the 0:03:19.310 --> 0:03:22.910 circumstances of life. He can do it supernaturally. If you're married, 0:03:22.910 --> 0:03:27.190 he'll speak through your spouse. He'll speak through saints and circumstances. 0:03:27.190 --> 0:03:30.830 And so God speaks in various ways. But how do 0:03:30.830 --> 0:03:34.470 I get to know his voice? Anybody ever call you 0:03:34.669 --> 0:03:37.270 and you talk to them and then you say, uh, 0:03:38.110 --> 0:03:39.470 but who is this? 0:03:39.630 --> 0:03:39.950 Yeah. 0:03:40.550 --> 0:03:44.830 You see, if you're accustomed to communing with God, you'll 0:03:44.830 --> 0:03:47.030 be able to distinguish his voice. 0:03:47.070 --> 0:03:49.350 Yeah, well, good reminder that we need to get into 0:03:49.390 --> 0:03:52.230 his word. So let's do that right now. Philippians chapter one. 0:03:52.510 --> 0:03:55.870 As we begin a message, faith for your future, here's 0:03:55.870 --> 0:03:56.750 Pastor Ford. 0:03:57.550 --> 0:04:02.590 Uh, little Joey was excited about going fishing with his dad, and, uh, 0:04:02.630 --> 0:04:04.950 he had gone plenty of times before, but he never 0:04:04.950 --> 0:04:10.350 caught anything. And, uh, being a Christian young man, he decided, well, 0:04:10.350 --> 0:04:12.350 this time I'm going to pray, and I know I'm 0:04:12.350 --> 0:04:16.430 going to catch fish because God will answer prayer. And 0:04:16.430 --> 0:04:19.070 so that night, he they could hear him all over 0:04:19.070 --> 0:04:22.390 the house as he was talking to God and asking 0:04:22.390 --> 0:04:25.390 God to allow him to catch some fish when Him 0:04:25.390 --> 0:04:28.430 and his dad went fishing in the morning. And so 0:04:28.430 --> 0:04:31.870 they got up early in the morning, and to his chagrin, 0:04:32.190 --> 0:04:35.589 it was raining. I mean, it was raining buckets. It 0:04:35.589 --> 0:04:38.750 was a downpour. And his father heard him say, God, 0:04:38.750 --> 0:04:42.070 I'm disappointed in you. I wanted to go fishing and 0:04:42.070 --> 0:04:45.510 you let it rain. I asked for sunshine and you 0:04:45.510 --> 0:04:48.470 let it rain. His father said, come on, son, we're 0:04:48.470 --> 0:04:51.390 going anyway. And he said, dad, in all this rain, 0:04:51.630 --> 0:04:53.710 he said, we're going to starve rock. It's not going 0:04:53.710 --> 0:04:56.030 to be raining when we get there. And sure enough, 0:04:56.029 --> 0:04:58.710 as they went, the rain was subsiding. By the time 0:04:58.710 --> 0:05:01.430 they got there. The rain was over. Young man took 0:05:01.430 --> 0:05:05.910 his rod, threw it into the water and boom, hit 0:05:05.950 --> 0:05:09.310 a fish. And the fish was that big? Well, no, 0:05:09.310 --> 0:05:14.190 it was that big. No, it was that big. Anybody 0:05:14.190 --> 0:05:20.950 ever go fishing before? Yeah, it was that big. And 0:05:20.950 --> 0:05:24.349 not only did he catch fish, he caught a bunch 0:05:24.350 --> 0:05:28.350 of fish. And he was saying, dad, I don't understand. 0:05:28.589 --> 0:05:31.710 And his dad said, son, I heard what you said 0:05:31.710 --> 0:05:35.630 to the Lord. And what you didn't realize was this. 0:05:35.630 --> 0:05:39.309 That he did answer your prayer because the downpour of 0:05:39.310 --> 0:05:43.270 rain was so heavy, it was knocking bugs out of 0:05:43.270 --> 0:05:46.109 the sky. And when the bugs landed on the face 0:05:46.110 --> 0:05:49.510 of the water, the fish who were normally down deep, 0:05:49.510 --> 0:05:52.790 come up to eat the bugs and they're able to 0:05:52.830 --> 0:05:56.390 see your worms, and it's a better deal for them. 0:05:56.390 --> 0:06:00.270 And that's why you caught all those fish. He was embarrassed, 0:06:00.270 --> 0:06:02.510 like some of us need to be when it rains 0:06:02.510 --> 0:06:05.870 on our parade. And he said, and his father heard 0:06:05.870 --> 0:06:11.630 him saying, Jesus, forgive me for being grumpy because I 0:06:11.670 --> 0:06:17.630 couldn't see far enough ahead to know what would happen 0:06:17.630 --> 0:06:25.430 after the rain. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Little Johnny's not the 0:06:25.430 --> 0:06:27.990 only one with that problem, because I came to talk 0:06:27.990 --> 0:06:33.910 to some people. It's raining right now. It's raining. It's raining. 0:06:33.910 --> 0:06:36.630 It's raining. Right? Y'all don't even recognize the song. I 0:06:36.630 --> 0:06:39.710 know you didn't recognize it. Uh, it's raining right now, 0:06:39.830 --> 0:06:41.990 and you're wondering. God, what in the world are you doing? 0:06:41.990 --> 0:06:44.870 I'm praying for sunshine, and it's not happening. I'm praying 0:06:44.870 --> 0:06:47.190 for a job. I'm praying for a boo. I'm praying 0:06:47.190 --> 0:06:50.510 for healing. And all I'm getting is all this downpour 0:06:50.550 --> 0:06:54.310 of rain. And God sent me to tell you today 0:06:54.470 --> 0:06:58.349 that you gotta look beyond the storm to see what's 0:06:58.350 --> 0:07:04.470 going to happen after the rain stops. Yeah, yeah. Paul 0:07:05.029 --> 0:07:08.229 said the Philippians had it just like little Joey. They 0:07:08.230 --> 0:07:11.350 were looking at the problem the wrong way. Now you 0:07:11.350 --> 0:07:16.550 know the content of the context of this. You know 0:07:16.550 --> 0:07:21.110 what this book is all about. This book is all 0:07:21.110 --> 0:07:25.590 about Paul being where prison Paul's in the joint, and 0:07:25.590 --> 0:07:28.030 it's not three hots and a cot. As a matter 0:07:28.030 --> 0:07:30.750 of fact, if you were in prison back then, if 0:07:30.790 --> 0:07:34.710 your family didn't provide for you, you would starve to death. Boy, 0:07:34.830 --> 0:07:38.710 if that happened today. Lord have mercy. And so he 0:07:38.710 --> 0:07:41.830 didn't commit a misdemeanor or a felony. Uh, he. I 0:07:41.910 --> 0:07:44.830 told you before, he didn't miss a child support payment. 0:07:44.870 --> 0:07:48.190 He wasn't in there for violating his order of protection. 0:07:48.270 --> 0:07:52.310 It wasn't for pushing crack. It was for preaching Christ. Alright. 0:07:52.790 --> 0:07:57.310 Paul literally went to jail for being a Christian. I 0:07:57.350 --> 0:08:02.270 gotta ask that age old question. If you were put 0:08:02.270 --> 0:08:06.510 in jail for being a believer, would there be enough 0:08:06.510 --> 0:08:11.070 evidence to convict you at the trial? Yes. Most of 0:08:11.070 --> 0:08:14.510 us would hear Johnnie Cochran saying, if it doesn't fit, 0:08:14.510 --> 0:08:20.110 you must acquit. Yeah, it don't fit. Yeah, it don't 0:08:20.110 --> 0:08:23.110 fit because you don't read your Bible, not even a verse. 0:08:23.150 --> 0:08:25.790 A day to keep the devil away. It doesn't fit. Yeah. 0:08:25.790 --> 0:08:27.630 You don't pray. You. I know you don't come to 0:08:27.670 --> 0:08:32.270 prayer meeting. A man don't come to Bible study. Don't serve, 0:08:32.309 --> 0:08:37.510 don't tithe. Yes. If it doesn't fit, you must acquit. 0:08:37.910 --> 0:08:39.469 I know you heard the story about the lady who 0:08:39.470 --> 0:08:43.070 was falsely arrested. And she was upset at the officer. 0:08:43.070 --> 0:08:45.110 When he came, he said, ma'am, I'm so sorry I 0:08:45.110 --> 0:08:48.230 arrested you, and. And I just didn't know. I just 0:08:48.230 --> 0:08:50.750 didn't know. I'm sorry for the mistake. He said. I 0:08:50.750 --> 0:08:54.189 saw you flipping the finger at the guy behind you, 0:08:54.190 --> 0:08:57.510 and you were calling him everything but a child of God. 0:08:57.550 --> 0:09:00.030 Then I looked at your car and I saw the 0:09:00.140 --> 0:09:04.180 Choose Life license plate holder. The vanity plates that said 0:09:04.179 --> 0:09:08.780 Jesus is number one. I saw the chrome plated fish emblem. 0:09:08.980 --> 0:09:13.060 I saw ww d on the left bumper. And follow 0:09:13.059 --> 0:09:15.820 me to Sunday school on the right bumper. And I 0:09:15.820 --> 0:09:24.380 just assumed you had stolen that car. So Paul's in prison, 0:09:24.380 --> 0:09:27.780 and it's the first Roman imprisonment. And the Philippian saints 0:09:27.780 --> 0:09:31.180 are sad about it, but Paul is glad about it. 0:09:31.220 --> 0:09:38.300 It's called the Epistle of Joy. 18 times in four chapters. Joy, joy, joy, joy, joy. 0:09:38.580 --> 0:09:41.420 And so we see him in all of the chapters. 0:09:41.420 --> 0:09:45.179 You remember this in chapter one. He's rejoicing in the 0:09:45.179 --> 0:09:49.780 service of Christ. Chapter two he's rejoicing in the selflessness 0:09:49.780 --> 0:09:53.620 of Christ. In chapter three, he's rejoicing in the sufferings 0:09:53.620 --> 0:09:57.020 of Christ. And in chapter four he's rejoicing in the 0:09:57.059 --> 0:10:01.500 sufficiency of Christ. And so Paul is the apostle of joy. 0:10:01.540 --> 0:10:03.579 I'm in the middle of it. I'm in the middle 0:10:03.580 --> 0:10:05.660 of it, but in the middle of it I'm raising 0:10:05.660 --> 0:10:07.820 my hand. In the middle of it. I'm doing my 0:10:07.820 --> 0:10:10.940 dance in the middle of it. I'm saying hallelujah. In 0:10:10.940 --> 0:10:13.740 the middle of it. I'm praising God because I'm just 0:10:13.740 --> 0:10:19.300 in the middle of it. And so what happens? You know, 0:10:19.340 --> 0:10:22.339 now Paul's not he's not saying, you know, just act 0:10:22.340 --> 0:10:25.420 as if nothing ever happened. No, he's not saying that 0:10:25.420 --> 0:10:28.340 we are to be sober minded, but to many of 0:10:28.340 --> 0:10:33.339 us are sober faced. Alright. Well, I haven't seen, uh, 0:10:33.500 --> 0:10:36.459 Elder Strader more joy at a funeral service than I've 0:10:36.460 --> 0:10:42.220 seen in some worship services. Yeah. I mean, you you 0:10:42.220 --> 0:10:45.420 ever see him? Uh, they they blow up like a bullfrog. Look, 0:10:45.460 --> 0:10:47.500 like they got something in their mouth, and it's nasty, 0:10:47.500 --> 0:10:54.380 and they can't spit it out. They just hold it. No, 0:10:54.380 --> 0:10:59.260 this is the epistle of joy. Paul is christocentric, and 0:10:59.260 --> 0:11:02.939 we ought to be, too. Everything ought to be about Jesus. 0:11:02.940 --> 0:11:05.819 You get a raise at the job. Thank you. Jesus. 0:11:05.900 --> 0:11:08.420 You see a fool. Lord Jesus, don't let that fool 0:11:08.420 --> 0:11:12.700 come around me. Yeah. You meet somebody who piques your interest. Lord, 0:11:12.700 --> 0:11:22.780 please let them be saved, sanctified and heterosexual. Because nowadays 0:11:22.780 --> 0:11:27.339 you can't tell. You look at them and and and 0:11:27.660 --> 0:11:29.860 I have done it. You know, I've made some big 0:11:29.860 --> 0:11:33.140 mistakes as a pastor. Let me tell you my first one. Uh, 0:11:33.140 --> 0:11:35.860 sister and we're in the old sanctuary. Didn't see a 0:11:35.860 --> 0:11:38.340 little more than a hundred people. And, uh, it was 0:11:38.340 --> 0:11:41.220 just a just a blessing to get a visitor. And, uh, 0:11:41.260 --> 0:11:44.100 this sister came. She was visiting, and I said to her, 0:11:44.100 --> 0:11:46.740 I said, thank you for visiting with us today. By 0:11:46.740 --> 0:11:51.340 the way, how many months pregnant are you? Never saw 0:11:51.340 --> 0:11:58.260 her again because she said, I ain't pregnant. Yeah, yeah. 0:11:58.300 --> 0:12:01.420 Big mistake, big mistake. And I'll tell you another one 0:12:01.420 --> 0:12:04.940 I made, uh, when I said, uh oh, introduce me 0:12:04.940 --> 0:12:10.620 to your sister. That ain't my sister. That's my mama. Yeah, well, 0:12:10.620 --> 0:12:12.460 you know. Hey, what can I say? 0:12:15.220 --> 0:12:18.020 You're listening to Treasure Truth with a guy who apparently 0:12:18.020 --> 0:12:20.220 will put his foot in his mouth. That's pastor and 0:12:20.220 --> 0:12:24.420 author James Ford Jr. A message called Faith for Your Future. Really? 0:12:24.420 --> 0:12:27.579 A look at Philippians chapter one today. If you ever 0:12:27.580 --> 0:12:29.540 miss a broadcast, you can always catch up when you 0:12:29.580 --> 0:12:33.260 come to our website. Treasure Truth Radio org stream programs, 0:12:33.260 --> 0:12:37.740 download mp3's, or even order copies of this broadcast on CD. Again, 0:12:37.740 --> 0:12:41.340 that's at Treasure Truth radio. Org. Once again, here is 0:12:41.340 --> 0:12:42.260 Pastor Ford. 0:12:42.820 --> 0:12:45.179 See, you say you love Jesus, but let me remind 0:12:45.179 --> 0:12:49.700 you that Satan doesn't care if you have Jesus on 0:12:49.700 --> 0:12:54.500 your lips as long as you got hell on your mind. Mhm. 0:12:54.780 --> 0:12:57.860 And so Paul was addicted to Jesus. He was a 0:12:57.860 --> 0:13:04.300 Jesus addict. So the Philippian saints are heartbroken about Paul's incarceration, 0:13:04.300 --> 0:13:06.340 and they're acting like little Johnny, help me preach this. 0:13:06.380 --> 0:13:09.020 Look at your neighbor and say, neighbor, neighbor. How you 0:13:09.020 --> 0:13:14.100 see the problem may be the problem. Yeah. How you 0:13:14.100 --> 0:13:16.820 see the problem may be because here what Paul is teaching. 0:13:16.820 --> 0:13:19.020 Get this. If you don't get anything else, he's saying, 0:13:19.020 --> 0:13:22.939 my problem is my platform. He said it's not an accident. 0:13:22.940 --> 0:13:25.580 It's an appointment that you're looking at me and you 0:13:25.580 --> 0:13:28.980 think I'm on trial, but it's actually a trust and 0:13:28.980 --> 0:13:32.340 that it's not misery. I'm doing ministry. And so his 0:13:32.340 --> 0:13:36.300 perspective about what he's going through is different. In other words, 0:13:36.300 --> 0:13:39.860 Paul says, everybody in here ought to view your circumstances 0:13:39.860 --> 0:13:43.260 as a call, that you ought to view your opposition 0:13:43.260 --> 0:13:46.540 as an opportunity, that you ought to view your pain 0:13:46.540 --> 0:13:49.500 as a platform for what, pastor for glad you asked. 0:13:49.540 --> 0:13:53.500 You ask intelligent questions. You view your circumstances as a 0:13:53.500 --> 0:13:57.699 call to preach Christ. You view your opposition as an 0:13:57.700 --> 0:14:02.100 opportunity to pioneer Christ, and you view your pain as 0:14:02.100 --> 0:14:06.939 a platform to prioritize Christ. Paul is saying, listen, I 0:14:06.980 --> 0:14:12.700 don't have control over my circumstances, but I do have 0:14:12.700 --> 0:14:18.900 control over the cause that my circumstances are about. Alright, 0:14:20.220 --> 0:14:22.460 let me say that again. I don't have control over 0:14:22.460 --> 0:14:28.300 my circumstances, but I do have a cause in my circumstances. Man, 0:14:28.300 --> 0:14:31.180 I'm so glad for Jimmy. Not just singing, but, uh, 0:14:31.180 --> 0:14:33.020 I shared it this morning. He said, uh, I gotta 0:14:33.020 --> 0:14:34.860 tell you, like Paul Harvey, let me give you the 0:14:34.860 --> 0:14:37.380 rest of the story. He gave me the whole story. Uh, 0:14:37.420 --> 0:14:39.780 Oscar De La Hoya, they call him the Golden boy. 0:14:39.820 --> 0:14:42.740 Used to be a great boxer. Now, uh, he's a 0:14:42.860 --> 0:14:45.540 promoter now. But anyway, he was on the freeway, and 0:14:45.540 --> 0:14:47.860 he was driving in the fast lane, and all of 0:14:47.860 --> 0:14:51.260 a sudden, the wheels on his Mercedes Benz locked up. 0:14:51.900 --> 0:14:54.580 And when the wheels of his Mercedes Benz locked up, 0:14:54.580 --> 0:14:58.300 he got hit from behind. And so he pulled over 0:14:58.300 --> 0:15:01.010 to the side and he always carried his cell phone, 0:15:01.010 --> 0:15:03.690 but he didn't have it. And so there was a payphone, 0:15:03.690 --> 0:15:06.770 and he went to the payphone, only to hear crash. 0:15:07.010 --> 0:15:10.730 An 18 Wheeler had ran over his Mercedes Benz, and 0:15:10.730 --> 0:15:12.810 when he was sharing it, he started talking about the 0:15:12.810 --> 0:15:16.410 fact that here I thought wheels locked up, hit in 0:15:16.410 --> 0:15:19.210 the back, don't have my cell phone, but if I 0:15:19.210 --> 0:15:21.850 had any of those things, I would have been in 0:15:21.850 --> 0:15:25.770 my vehicle and I would have been run over. See 0:15:25.770 --> 0:15:29.730 how you see the problem sometimes is the problem, and 0:15:29.730 --> 0:15:32.890 you need to understand that God wants to do the 0:15:32.890 --> 0:15:34.810 same in your life. As a matter of fact, Jimmy 0:15:34.810 --> 0:15:37.890 told me that after that he didn't drive himself anymore. 0:15:38.050 --> 0:15:42.730 He gets chauffeured around. Mhm. That's pretty good stuff. And 0:15:42.730 --> 0:15:45.810 so you need trust for your trials in the present. 0:15:46.050 --> 0:15:48.490 But you need faith for your future. Why. There's three 0:15:48.490 --> 0:15:50.610 reasons in this text. Here's what I'm going to give 0:15:50.610 --> 0:15:51.970 you I'm going to drop them. I'm not going to 0:15:51.970 --> 0:15:55.050 push them. He says in verse 19. You need faith 0:15:55.050 --> 0:15:58.210 for your future. Reason number one faith for your future. 0:15:58.210 --> 0:16:01.050 How do you get it? You need enlightenment by Christ's 0:16:01.050 --> 0:16:04.530 purpose for your life. Secondly, you need to be emboldened 0:16:04.530 --> 0:16:07.890 by Christ's people's prayers to your life. And then thirdly, 0:16:07.890 --> 0:16:10.370 and finally, he says, you get to be empowered by 0:16:10.370 --> 0:16:13.490 Christ's provision in your life. So he says, it's all 0:16:13.490 --> 0:16:16.690 about faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, 0:16:16.730 --> 0:16:19.610 the evidence of things not seen. And so what is 0:16:19.610 --> 0:16:22.370 my definition? Here? It is. Faith gives you what? Come on, 0:16:22.410 --> 0:16:26.410 say it with me. Insight into foresight. Like a science. 0:16:26.410 --> 0:16:30.290 Like what does faith do? Give you insight into foresight. 0:16:30.290 --> 0:16:34.890 Like what does faith do? Give you insight into foresight 0:16:34.890 --> 0:16:37.410 like it's hindsight. In other words, he's going to let 0:16:37.410 --> 0:16:40.370 you know what your future is going to be. And 0:16:40.370 --> 0:16:43.330 so let's look at what Paul says. Reason number one. 0:16:43.370 --> 0:16:46.450 He says, here's here's how you get faith for the future. 0:16:46.450 --> 0:16:49.370 You have to be enlightened by Christ's purpose for your life. 0:16:49.370 --> 0:16:52.370 Listen to what he says, for I know that this 0:16:52.370 --> 0:16:54.810 shall turn to my salvation. Now I need to tell 0:16:54.810 --> 0:16:57.729 you the word know is from the Greek word oida 0:16:57.770 --> 0:17:02.370 say oida. It literally means to know comprehensively. It means 0:17:02.370 --> 0:17:05.810 to know without a shadow of a doubt. It means full, 0:17:06.290 --> 0:17:13.490 accurate knowledge. So then Paul says, I'm in prison, but 0:17:13.490 --> 0:17:19.090 I will be set free. That prison is not prison, 0:17:19.090 --> 0:17:21.970 because whom the son sets free is free indeed. So 0:17:21.970 --> 0:17:26.450 I may be locked up, but I'm not locked out 0:17:27.930 --> 0:17:32.370 of Jesus Christ. See? Paul expected to be free. Let 0:17:32.369 --> 0:17:35.850 me read verse 26 to you. That you're rejoicing. There 0:17:35.850 --> 0:17:37.610 it is again. I want you to have joy. Wait 0:17:37.609 --> 0:17:41.490 a minute. Joy. Now may be more abundant in Jesus 0:17:41.490 --> 0:17:44.410 Christ for me by my coming to you again. See 0:17:44.410 --> 0:17:47.250 what he said? I'm coming again. I'm not in here 0:17:47.250 --> 0:17:50.810 to stay. I'm just passing through. And so you need 0:17:50.810 --> 0:17:52.889 to understand it. Let me bottom line it for you. 0:17:52.890 --> 0:17:54.730 Because I know you see, I thought you said you're 0:17:54.730 --> 0:17:57.530 going to. Bottom line, I am. Here's what Paul is 0:17:57.530 --> 0:18:03.690 saying where I am is not where I'm going. Therefore, 0:18:03.930 --> 0:18:07.970 since I know that where I am will not affect 0:18:07.970 --> 0:18:11.250 where I'm going, where I am will not stop me 0:18:11.250 --> 0:18:14.770 from where I'm going. So what I'm going through now 0:18:15.369 --> 0:18:20.129 cannot hinder me from getting to where God is going 0:18:20.130 --> 0:18:21.770 to take me. Let me say it this way. Too 0:18:21.770 --> 0:18:29.409 many people let their history mess up their destiny. Mm. See, 0:18:29.450 --> 0:18:33.850 some of you, your past is too active in your present, 0:18:33.850 --> 0:18:36.570 and it's hindering your future. Y'all ain't going to pray 0:18:36.570 --> 0:18:39.850 with me, okay? I really gotta get. I gotta get 0:18:39.850 --> 0:18:44.210 plain for some of you. See? Uh, you with Little Willie? Physically. 0:18:45.130 --> 0:18:49.090 But you still with Pookie emotionally? You ain't been with 0:18:49.090 --> 0:18:52.170 Pookie in two years, but you tore up from the 0:18:52.170 --> 0:18:58.810 floor up. Got your mind all messed up emotionally. You 0:18:58.810 --> 0:19:04.210 know what I'm talking about. You're with Shaquita, but you're 0:19:04.210 --> 0:19:08.970 making her pay for what Bianca did to you. Oh, 0:19:09.010 --> 0:19:10.850 y'all ain't going to pray with me up in here. 0:19:11.690 --> 0:19:16.169 You got hurt at the old church, and now you 0:19:16.210 --> 0:19:25.970 sitting back won't tithe or serve in the new church. Mhm. Mhm. Yeah. See, 0:19:25.970 --> 0:19:29.209 the old boss was nasty. Now you won't give the 0:19:29.210 --> 0:19:35.730 new boss a chance. Mhm. Paul was saying my pain 0:19:35.730 --> 0:19:39.730 is a platform to my purpose. Hey listen don't let 0:19:39.730 --> 0:19:43.530 the devil put a period where God has put a comma. 0:19:44.210 --> 0:19:47.450 Because I tell you I've seen it so many times 0:19:47.690 --> 0:19:52.690 when the devil says the end. God says to be continued. Okay, 0:19:52.690 --> 0:19:53.889 let me, let me, let me show you some. Let 0:19:53.890 --> 0:19:55.369 me show you something. Let me show you something. Turn 0:19:55.369 --> 0:19:57.889 to Luke. Turn to Luke. Turn to Luke. Luke. Chapter 22. 0:19:57.890 --> 0:20:00.250 Let me show you something here. This thing. This thing 0:20:00.250 --> 0:20:03.250 rocks me every time I look at it. Luke 22. 0:20:03.490 --> 0:20:07.570 Listen to what it says in Luke 22, verse 31. 0:20:07.570 --> 0:20:10.410 Listen to this. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, 0:20:10.410 --> 0:20:12.889 Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift 0:20:12.890 --> 0:20:15.250 you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee, that 0:20:15.250 --> 0:20:18.010 thy faith fail not. And when thou art converted, strengthen 0:20:18.010 --> 0:20:21.010 thy brothers. And he said, Lord, I am ready to 0:20:21.010 --> 0:20:23.250 go with thee, both into prison and to death. And 0:20:23.250 --> 0:20:25.290 he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not 0:20:25.290 --> 0:20:28.490 crow this day before thou shalt thrice deny that thou 0:20:28.490 --> 0:20:30.250 knoweth me. Now you know what's going on here. We 0:20:30.250 --> 0:20:32.570 talked about it Wednesday night, that that we talked about. 0:20:32.570 --> 0:20:34.650 We're talking about something else. And we said, Peter is 0:20:34.650 --> 0:20:38.250 an example of people who deny what they will do. Uh, 0:20:38.250 --> 0:20:41.370 in other words, Peter was serious. Peter didn't know that 0:20:41.369 --> 0:20:45.730 betrayal was in him. And he even told Jesus, uh, 0:20:46.369 --> 0:20:51.450 you don't know what you're talking about. So what is this? 0:20:51.450 --> 0:20:56.490 Peter's failure. He failed him. He's going to abandon him. 0:20:56.490 --> 0:20:58.930 He's going to deny Christ. But wait a minute. Look 0:20:58.930 --> 0:21:03.840 at verse 3029 and I appoint unto you a kingdom 0:21:03.840 --> 0:21:06.280 as to my father, as my father hath appointed to me, 0:21:06.280 --> 0:21:08.360 that you may eat and drink at my table in 0:21:08.359 --> 0:21:11.000 my kingdom, and sit on thrones, judging the 12 tribes 0:21:11.000 --> 0:21:14.480 of Israel. What did Jesus just tell the disciples? Was 0:21:14.480 --> 0:21:18.040 Peter included in this? Okay, now get this. Here it is, 0:21:18.080 --> 0:21:21.600 verse 31. You're going to fail me. Verse 30. Let 0:21:21.600 --> 0:21:23.960 me tell you your future. I'm going to tell you 0:21:23.960 --> 0:21:27.040 your future before I tell you your failure. Why, Jesus? 0:21:27.119 --> 0:21:31.040 Because your failure is what is. Your future is what 0:21:31.040 --> 0:21:33.840 shall be. So I'm going to tell you what shall 0:21:33.840 --> 0:21:37.879 be before what is. So that whenever what is happened, 0:21:37.880 --> 0:21:40.520 you won't focus in on what is. You'll focus on 0:21:40.520 --> 0:21:44.120 what shall be, that your failure will not stop you, 0:21:44.119 --> 0:21:47.240 that your failure will not cause you to say, I 0:21:47.240 --> 0:21:50.160 know he can't use me anymore. I done messed up 0:21:50.160 --> 0:21:54.080 too many times I messed. No, no, get yourself up, 0:21:54.119 --> 0:21:58.480 pick yourself up and start walking. Jesus is able to 0:21:58.480 --> 0:22:01.719 restore you. He's able to give you another chance. What 0:22:01.720 --> 0:22:03.800 are you talking about? Second chance? No. We are way 0:22:03.800 --> 0:22:05.280 beyond that. Yes. 0:22:07.320 --> 0:22:10.399 Pastor and author James Ford Jr, directing us to keep 0:22:10.400 --> 0:22:13.359 our eyes on the promises that we have in Christ. 0:22:13.680 --> 0:22:16.120 Our message is called faith for your future. And you're 0:22:16.119 --> 0:22:19.240 listening to Treasure Truth. You know, when we realize that 0:22:19.240 --> 0:22:22.399 God has given us so many chances and continues to 0:22:22.440 --> 0:22:25.080 work with us even after we mess up time and 0:22:25.080 --> 0:22:28.760 time again, the only appropriate response is to share the 0:22:28.760 --> 0:22:32.360 good news with others. But as anyone who's tried this knows, 0:22:32.400 --> 0:22:35.520 sharing the gospel isn't always easy. You know some people 0:22:35.520 --> 0:22:37.919 will be open to the message, but many will be 0:22:37.920 --> 0:22:41.399 skeptical and raise objections. And it's important for us to 0:22:41.440 --> 0:22:45.000 know how to answer those with biblical truth. In the book. 0:22:45.000 --> 0:22:48.320 Had a Witness to anyone. Ari Torrey provides Bible verses 0:22:48.320 --> 0:22:51.600 for almost any occasion to equip and strengthen you to 0:22:51.640 --> 0:22:54.840 share the gospel. Doctor Torrey was an evangelist and a 0:22:54.840 --> 0:22:57.480 Bible teacher who traveled the world at the turn of 0:22:57.480 --> 0:23:00.880 the last century, and over the years he collected scripture 0:23:00.880 --> 0:23:04.560 passages that were helpful in sharing the gospel. The result 0:23:04.560 --> 0:23:06.680 is a practical book and we want you to have 0:23:06.680 --> 0:23:10.160 a copy. It's called How to Witness to Anyone. Request 0:23:10.160 --> 0:23:11.880 your copy when you give a gift of any amount 0:23:11.880 --> 0:23:18.120 to treasure truth. Call us at 888644 7660 or go 0:23:18.119 --> 0:23:23.040 online to Treasure Truth Radio.com. It's your financial support that 0:23:23.040 --> 0:23:26.280 makes this ministry possible. So thanks in advance for your 0:23:26.280 --> 0:23:32.760 generous donation. Again, our number is 888 644 7660. And 0:23:32.760 --> 0:23:37.479 our website is Treasure Truth Radio. I'm Steve Hiller, our 0:23:37.480 --> 0:23:40.280 producer is Amy Rios. Join us again tomorrow as we 0:23:40.320 --> 0:23:43.920 continue this message of faith for your future. That's here 0:23:43.920 --> 0:23:47.800 on Treasure Truth with Pastor Ford. A production of Moody Radio, 0:23:48.160 --> 0:23:50.520 a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.