WEBVTT - Have No Fear, God Is Here, Part 1 0:00:00.400 --> 0:00:04.840 Even though everything is gone, the house is in foreclosure. 0:00:04.880 --> 0:00:08.680 The relationship is jacked up, tore up from the floor up. 0:00:08.680 --> 0:00:10.799 And we look at things and we say, what in 0:00:10.800 --> 0:00:14.000 the world is going on? And God says, have no fear, 0:00:14.000 --> 0:00:14.760 I'm here. 0:00:22.000 --> 0:00:25.000 Welcome to Treasure Truth with pastor and author James Ford, 0:00:25.000 --> 0:00:27.920 junior senior pastor of Christ Bible Church in Chicago. I'm 0:00:27.920 --> 0:00:31.200 Steve Hillard. Glad you're with us. As today we begin 0:00:31.240 --> 0:00:35.480 a new message. Have no fear, God is here. And pastor, 0:00:35.800 --> 0:00:39.400 that sounds great. But when the house is in foreclosure, 0:00:39.400 --> 0:00:42.280 when that marriage is falling apart, when the doctor says 0:00:42.280 --> 0:00:46.159 it is cancer, whatever that thing is, that's absolutely rocked 0:00:46.159 --> 0:00:50.640 your world. Trite little phrases don't really seem to help 0:00:50.640 --> 0:00:56.120 so much, so let's talk about practical application of that truth. 0:00:56.840 --> 0:01:03.200 Well. That's really good, Steve. I mean, you asked the 0:01:03.200 --> 0:01:05.240 very difficult questions and. 0:01:05.280 --> 0:01:06.600 And give you three minutes to answer. 0:01:06.640 --> 0:01:11.000 I'm sure that there are myriads of individuals who are 0:01:11.000 --> 0:01:17.160 listening who said, go ahead, Steve. Get them. But, you know, 0:01:17.560 --> 0:01:20.520 I don't want it to be trite, but it is true. 0:01:20.520 --> 0:01:23.320 And that is this, that I have to live by 0:01:23.319 --> 0:01:28.000 my revelation, not my situation, not now. I know there's 0:01:28.040 --> 0:01:32.400 a modicum or a level of maturity that one needs 0:01:32.400 --> 0:01:35.600 to reach to have this perspective, but I have to 0:01:35.640 --> 0:01:39.600 look at it from the divine perspective and not from 0:01:39.600 --> 0:01:42.080 the human perspective. If I look at it from the 0:01:42.080 --> 0:01:46.360 human perspective, I'm going to be depressed. I'm going to 0:01:46.400 --> 0:01:49.320 I mean, maybe do some things that I ordinarily would, 0:01:49.360 --> 0:01:52.200 but if I if I'm going to believe God and 0:01:52.200 --> 0:01:56.200 I'm going to trust him, then I have to see 0:01:56.200 --> 0:01:59.200 that his word is true. For example, I feel like 0:01:59.200 --> 0:02:02.440 I'm abandoned. His word says, I will never leave you 0:02:02.480 --> 0:02:06.400 nor forsake you. So what do I do? The facts 0:02:06.640 --> 0:02:09.239 have to override my feelings, right? 0:02:09.320 --> 0:02:10.440 Because their feelings lie to us. 0:02:10.440 --> 0:02:13.600 They lie all the time. Steve, you know. And so 0:02:13.800 --> 0:02:17.040 I have to depend on and stand on his word 0:02:17.280 --> 0:02:21.040 and come to perverbial hell or high water. I've got 0:02:21.040 --> 0:02:25.200 to believe that what God said is true. And I'm, 0:02:25.200 --> 0:02:28.120 you know, I'm a believer for a long time. And 0:02:28.120 --> 0:02:31.200 I'm telling you, I'll go on record as saying God 0:02:31.200 --> 0:02:34.760 has never let me down. Now, he hasn't always done 0:02:34.760 --> 0:02:38.120 it the way I wanted it done. Sure, but he 0:02:38.120 --> 0:02:40.520 did it. Yeah, the old preacher would say it this way. 0:02:40.520 --> 0:02:42.720 He may not come when you want him, but he's 0:02:42.720 --> 0:02:45.919 always right on time. How many people have got fired 0:02:45.919 --> 0:02:49.040 from a job only to find out that they weren't 0:02:49.040 --> 0:02:52.030 fired out? They were fired up. I've got 3 or 0:02:52.030 --> 0:02:55.200 4 people. I've got a businessman. He owns his own business, 0:02:55.240 --> 0:02:58.480 sets his own time, makes his own money. He got 0:02:58.480 --> 0:03:02.269 fired and he just went to pieces. And then the 0:03:02.270 --> 0:03:06.350 Lord showed him that. You've been wanting to own a business, 0:03:06.350 --> 0:03:09.910 start your business. He started a carpet business and he's 0:03:09.910 --> 0:03:12.710 doing very well. And if you would ask him, what's 0:03:12.710 --> 0:03:14.910 the best day in your life, a worst day in 0:03:14.910 --> 0:03:17.389 your life? When I got fired from my job that 0:03:17.389 --> 0:03:19.710 I worked on for 20 years, what was the best 0:03:19.710 --> 0:03:21.790 day of your life? When I got fired from my 0:03:21.790 --> 0:03:24.230 job that I worked on for 20 years. Yeah. So 0:03:24.230 --> 0:03:25.950 we have to learn how to wait on the Lord. 0:03:25.950 --> 0:03:27.550 Wait on the Lord. And as he said, in the 0:03:27.550 --> 0:03:31.869 process of waiting on him to remind ourselves of what 0:03:31.910 --> 0:03:35.550 Scripture says, great reminder that we have to know Scripture. 0:03:35.590 --> 0:03:35.830 Over. 0:03:35.830 --> 0:03:38.310 And over. And secondly, we need to be preaching that 0:03:38.310 --> 0:03:41.950 to ourselves. Because if we're not, the temptation there is 0:03:41.950 --> 0:03:45.150 to let that bad just drive us into the crazy cycle. 0:03:45.150 --> 0:03:47.910 We fall into temptation. But if we're preaching to ourselves 0:03:48.190 --> 0:03:49.590 makes a huge, huge difference. 0:03:49.630 --> 0:03:52.790 Don't forget this. The Bible says in Second Corinthians that 0:03:52.790 --> 0:03:55.790 we walk by faith and not by sight. Yeah, so 0:03:55.790 --> 0:03:58.670 anything that's seen is not faith. And we have to 0:03:58.670 --> 0:03:59.430 believe God. 0:03:59.710 --> 0:04:03.150 Well, we're going to begin today's message from Isaiah 43. 0:04:03.190 --> 0:04:04.670 Here is Pastor Ford. 0:04:05.550 --> 0:04:09.550 I remember going out witnessing and I used to do 0:04:09.550 --> 0:04:12.350 it by myself, even though I know Jesus sent them 0:04:12.350 --> 0:04:16.469 out two by two. And so one day I was 0:04:16.470 --> 0:04:20.870 out not too far from here, and I knew I 0:04:20.870 --> 0:04:24.630 was about to get jacked. I knew it, I knew it. 0:04:24.670 --> 0:04:28.469 I mean, I knew the scenario so well because I 0:04:28.470 --> 0:04:33.150 used to rob people. And so I knew the motif. 0:04:33.150 --> 0:04:35.630 I knew what was going on. I said, oh, man, 0:04:35.630 --> 0:04:40.230 they set me up. And I felt extra bad because 0:04:40.230 --> 0:04:43.990 I didn't have nothing of which to be robbed. And 0:04:43.990 --> 0:04:46.550 you know how that goes. You know, I mean, you 0:04:46.589 --> 0:04:51.070 gotta give em something. And I didn't have anything. And 0:04:51.070 --> 0:04:52.750 I'm thinking to myself, all I'm gonna do. I'm gonna 0:04:52.750 --> 0:04:54.670 give em what I got. Imma give em Jesus, I 0:04:54.670 --> 0:04:57.430 don't care. I come from these streets. So it's. It's 0:04:57.430 --> 0:05:00.229 appropriate that the streets take me out. And so, you 0:05:00.230 --> 0:05:02.990 know I, I got a little holy boldness, you know. 0:05:02.990 --> 0:05:05.229 And so even when they surround me. Yeah. So what 0:05:05.230 --> 0:05:06.989 are you out here talking about? I said, I'm talking 0:05:06.990 --> 0:05:09.510 about Jesus, man. You know what I'm talking about. The 0:05:09.510 --> 0:05:12.109 one who died on Calvary. I'm all bold and everything, 0:05:12.110 --> 0:05:14.350 you know. And they said, yeah, well, we got something 0:05:14.350 --> 0:05:17.790 else that we want to talk about. All of a sudden. 0:05:17.790 --> 0:05:22.630 I heard everything, alright. Pastor Ford and I looked around 0:05:23.070 --> 0:05:28.229 and was one of my police officers in uniform. Hallelujah. 0:05:29.990 --> 0:05:34.110 I'm thinking to myself it really wasn't alright, but everything 0:05:34.110 --> 0:05:38.550 is alright now. I got even bolder. Oh yeah, come 0:05:38.550 --> 0:05:40.190 on up. I'm talking to these guys. Come on, come here, 0:05:40.190 --> 0:05:42.229 come here, come here, come here, come here. Put my arms. 0:05:44.390 --> 0:05:54.070 Now tell em about Jesus. Tell em about Jesus. So afterward, afterward, 0:05:54.070 --> 0:05:56.230 after we got done witnessing to him, he welcomed me 0:05:56.230 --> 0:05:58.590 back to the church. And he said, you know what 0:05:58.589 --> 0:06:00.190 they was about to do? I said, you know, I 0:06:00.190 --> 0:06:02.830 know I used to do it. He said. He said 0:06:02.830 --> 0:06:04.990 I was driving by and I said, there's my pastor. 0:06:04.990 --> 0:06:08.549 He in trouble. Boom. And he popped on out, man. 0:06:08.750 --> 0:06:12.790 Got that Glock on the side, got that badge jacked, 0:06:12.950 --> 0:06:17.990 had that uniform, and everything was all right. You want 0:06:17.990 --> 0:06:21.910 to know why? Uh, because in that situation, he had 0:06:21.910 --> 0:06:25.350 more power than I had. Uh, he had more authority 0:06:25.350 --> 0:06:28.750 than I had. See, the uniform that he had on 0:06:28.910 --> 0:06:35.669 represented that he was a part of a citywide police force, 0:06:35.710 --> 0:06:39.110 a brotherhood of blue, that if you mess with him, 0:06:39.110 --> 0:06:41.790 you gotta mess with them, too. I came to tell 0:06:41.830 --> 0:06:44.710 somebody today. That's what our text is about today. Uh, 0:06:44.710 --> 0:06:47.589 that God says he's bigger than whoever and whatever is 0:06:47.589 --> 0:06:49.830 bigger than you. He wants you to know that even 0:06:49.830 --> 0:06:53.950 when you find yourself in the midst of fearful situations, 0:06:53.950 --> 0:06:57.990 you don't have to fear because God is here. Yeah. 0:06:58.029 --> 0:07:01.750 And that when he shows up, he shows up with authority. 0:07:02.230 --> 0:07:05.310 He shows up with power, and he's dressed in a 0:07:05.310 --> 0:07:10.190 uniform that says he has the backing of heaven all 0:07:10.190 --> 0:07:13.550 around him. Angels that are at his beck and call. 0:07:13.670 --> 0:07:18.110 You don't have anything to worry about because God is here. 0:07:18.150 --> 0:07:19.710 Go ahead. Look at your neighbor. Help me preach and say, 0:07:19.710 --> 0:07:23.550 don't be scared. Yeah, don't be scared. Tell him. Don't 0:07:23.550 --> 0:07:27.030 be scared. God is here. Yeah. Don't be scared. Yeah. 0:07:27.070 --> 0:07:29.550 And now, let me just just just quote what Isaiah 0:07:29.550 --> 0:07:31.510 says because I like the way he puts it together. 0:07:31.510 --> 0:07:34.710 Isaiah says, but they that wait on the Lord shall 0:07:34.710 --> 0:07:38.790 renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as 0:07:38.790 --> 0:07:40.750 an eagle. Now let me tell you what he means. 0:07:40.830 --> 0:07:43.870 He means that sometimes when you're in a storm, God 0:07:43.870 --> 0:07:47.710 allows you to escape. Say, escape. That's what we love. 0:07:47.750 --> 0:07:49.470 Come on. You ought to say it louder now. Because 0:07:49.470 --> 0:07:52.550 I know you love it. Escape. Yeah, well, my wife 0:07:52.550 --> 0:07:56.070 and I, we're flying, general. And the pilot says, look 0:07:56.110 --> 0:07:58.270 out on the left side of the plane. We're sitting 0:07:58.270 --> 0:07:59.750 on the left side of the plane. So I look 0:07:59.790 --> 0:08:02.590 out and guess what? I see a storm. I had 0:08:02.590 --> 0:08:06.230 never seen a storm without being in a storm, Brother Dave. 0:08:06.430 --> 0:08:09.670 And he said, I got a signal from the tower 0:08:09.670 --> 0:08:11.869 that we were headed for a storm. So I got 0:08:11.870 --> 0:08:14.310 a new route and I didn't want to go over it. 0:08:14.310 --> 0:08:18.790 I wanted you to see it. We rode right alongside 0:08:18.790 --> 0:08:23.470 of the storm. That's escape. Yeah. It's like we were 0:08:23.470 --> 0:08:25.470 supposed to be in that storm. And. And I'm. I'm 0:08:25.470 --> 0:08:28.550 saying this is powerful. I'm looking at the storm that 0:08:28.550 --> 0:08:31.910 I should be in. And God reminds me that sometimes 0:08:31.910 --> 0:08:35.150 you ought to be in it. But because you have me, 0:08:35.270 --> 0:08:37.270 I said they're going to escape it. You don't know 0:08:37.270 --> 0:08:40.190 how many times he saved you from an accident on 0:08:40.190 --> 0:08:42.910 the Dan Ryan. How many times somebody was looking to 0:08:42.910 --> 0:08:46.070 rob you, rape you, cheat you, and God stepped in, 0:08:46.070 --> 0:08:54.310 and you don't even know today that God saved you. Oh, yeah. Yeah. 0:08:54.309 --> 0:08:58.670 And so. And so what happens? We escape. Some of 0:08:58.670 --> 0:09:02.500 you ought to thank God that he didn't answer the prayer. 0:09:03.540 --> 0:09:06.260 You pray for that woman. You pray for that man, 0:09:06.260 --> 0:09:08.700 and God didn't give them to you. Now, five years later, 0:09:08.700 --> 0:09:15.380 you go back and say, thank you, Jesus. Yeah, you 0:09:15.420 --> 0:09:18.940 gotta thank God for the prayers. He didn't answer. So, 0:09:18.940 --> 0:09:22.060 so so Isaiah says he lets us escape it. Say 0:09:22.059 --> 0:09:25.340 escape it. But but then it says he shall mount 0:09:25.340 --> 0:09:26.980 up with wings as eagles. So what the eagle do? 0:09:26.980 --> 0:09:30.140 Here's the picture. The eagle in like a pigeon in 0:09:30.140 --> 0:09:33.220 a storm. The pigeon is flapping, flapping, flapping, flapping. But 0:09:33.220 --> 0:09:37.300 the eagle gets on the crest of the storm, spreads 0:09:37.300 --> 0:09:41.860 his wings and allows the momentum of riding the top 0:09:41.860 --> 0:09:44.860 of the storm to carry him. So he does not 0:09:44.860 --> 0:09:47.820 burn as much energy because he doesn't flap a whole 0:09:47.820 --> 0:09:50.620 lot anyway. But he doesn't have to flap because the 0:09:50.620 --> 0:09:54.300 storm is carrying him. Some of us know that we 0:09:54.340 --> 0:09:57.420 were able to escape the storm and like an eagle, 0:09:57.420 --> 0:10:00.459 it didn't affect us. When we thank God because we 0:10:00.500 --> 0:10:02.860 got things out of the storm that we wouldn't have 0:10:02.860 --> 0:10:05.500 had had we not gone through the storm. But the 0:10:05.500 --> 0:10:09.739 storm didn't adversely affect us because God gave us eagles wings. 0:10:09.740 --> 0:10:13.220 But then it says, shall run and not be weary. 0:10:13.260 --> 0:10:17.820 What does that mean? There's some times that God enables us. 0:10:17.820 --> 0:10:21.500 He strengthens us so that we go through the storm. 0:10:21.500 --> 0:10:25.260 But we are enabled by the power of the Holy 0:10:25.260 --> 0:10:29.180 Spirit to go through that storm. But here's who the 0:10:29.179 --> 0:10:31.540 people I came to talk to today. He said, you 0:10:31.540 --> 0:10:35.620 shall walk and not be weary. He says, some of 0:10:35.620 --> 0:10:39.540 you will have to endure the storm. Oh, I know 0:10:39.540 --> 0:10:41.940 we like to escape it. I know we like to 0:10:41.940 --> 0:10:44.420 be enabled. But God said, wait, wait, wait, wait. Every 0:10:44.420 --> 0:10:47.140 storm is not not going to be escaped. Every storm 0:10:47.140 --> 0:10:50.580 is not going to be enablement. Some storms are just 0:10:50.580 --> 0:10:54.429 going to be endurance. I came to talk to 2 0:10:54.429 --> 0:10:56.260 or 3 people today who are in the midst of 0:10:56.260 --> 0:10:58.740 a storm, and I want to ask you some questions. 0:10:58.780 --> 0:11:04.260 Say ask pastor. will you trust God's hand when you 0:11:04.300 --> 0:11:08.700 can't trace God's heart? Will you commit to him when 0:11:08.700 --> 0:11:13.420 you can't comprehend him? Will you follow him even when 0:11:13.420 --> 0:11:17.740 you can't feel him? Will you listen to him when 0:11:17.740 --> 0:11:21.660 you don't like what he's saying? Will you have faith 0:11:21.660 --> 0:11:26.100 in him when faith feels foolish and you look foolish 0:11:26.100 --> 0:11:29.540 to other people because of the faith that you have? 0:11:29.660 --> 0:11:33.940 Is there anybody in here that understands that? We've got 0:11:33.940 --> 0:11:37.460 to believe that he's here, even when we feel alone 0:11:37.460 --> 0:11:41.179 and abandoned, that we've got to believe that he cares. 0:11:41.420 --> 0:11:45.900 Even though everything is gone, the house is in foreclosure. 0:11:45.940 --> 0:11:49.780 The relationship is jacked up, tore up from the floor up. 0:11:49.780 --> 0:11:51.939 And we look at things and we say, what in 0:11:51.940 --> 0:11:55.100 the world is going on? And God says, have no fear, 0:11:55.100 --> 0:11:55.860 I'm here. 0:11:59.380 --> 0:12:02.940 Well, that is the title of today's message. Have no fear. 0:12:02.980 --> 0:12:06.060 God is here. Really? A look at the first seven 0:12:06.059 --> 0:12:09.820 verses of Isaiah chapter 43 today. Hey, we'd love to 0:12:09.820 --> 0:12:12.420 know how Pastor Ford's teaching is making a difference in 0:12:12.420 --> 0:12:14.660 your life. You can always give us your feedback through 0:12:14.660 --> 0:12:18.260 social media like Facebook or Twitter. You can also email 0:12:18.260 --> 0:12:21.780 us through the website. Just come to treasure. Org and 0:12:21.780 --> 0:12:25.020 click on the contact link. We recently heard from Rodney 0:12:25.059 --> 0:12:27.260 who writes. Hi Pastor Ford, I've been listening to you 0:12:27.260 --> 0:12:30.500 for about two years straight and it's been really uplifting. 0:12:30.620 --> 0:12:33.340 I just wanted to thank you. It's really helped me 0:12:33.380 --> 0:12:37.420 through some very dark times in my life. God bless. Rodney, 0:12:37.420 --> 0:12:39.140 thanks for letting us know that you're out there, that 0:12:39.140 --> 0:12:42.460 you're listening, that this program is making a difference in 0:12:42.460 --> 0:12:44.939 your life. Again, if we've never heard from you before, 0:12:44.980 --> 0:12:49.140 come to Treasure Truth radio.org and click on the contact link. 0:12:49.540 --> 0:12:51.740 Let's get back to our message. Have no fear. God 0:12:51.740 --> 0:12:54.500 is here. Once again, here is Pastor Ford. 0:12:55.220 --> 0:12:59.140 Do we have any job believers in the house? Though 0:12:59.140 --> 0:13:04.100 he slay me yet? Where are the people with yet? Faith? 0:13:04.380 --> 0:13:08.300 I don't have a job yet. My body ain't healed yet. 0:13:08.660 --> 0:13:11.380 My marriage ain't what it ought to be yet. My 0:13:11.380 --> 0:13:13.740 kids ain't what they ought to be yet. Where are 0:13:13.740 --> 0:13:16.140 they yet? Give me some yet people. Do I get 0:13:16.140 --> 0:13:27.620 2 or 3 yet? I'm a yet person. Yet? Mm. 0:13:28.540 --> 0:13:31.339 You go to work tomorrow. And the boss getting on 0:13:31.380 --> 0:13:35.380 your last black nerve. White nerve. Hispanic nerve. Yellow nerve. 0:13:35.420 --> 0:13:40.579 You just say yet? You go home, and the husband 0:13:40.620 --> 0:13:44.660 and the wife ain't acting right yet. They call you up. 0:13:44.660 --> 0:13:47.180 You gotta come down to school for your kids yet. 0:13:48.340 --> 0:13:50.380 We're getting ready to give you a pink slip yet. 0:13:50.980 --> 0:13:56.819 Got red slips in the mail yet. Amen. Yet I 0:13:56.940 --> 0:14:01.300 will trust him. It's like. It's like Miss Seely. It's 0:14:01.300 --> 0:14:04.740 like Miss Seely, remember Miss Seely, miss Seely got fed up. 0:14:05.780 --> 0:14:11.579 And finally she said, yes, I may be a woman 0:14:11.780 --> 0:14:16.380 and I may be poor, and I may be ugly, 0:14:17.179 --> 0:14:25.500 but I'm here. Thank God I'm here. Okay, let me 0:14:25.500 --> 0:14:27.500 show you. Let me show you how many of you 0:14:27.500 --> 0:14:30.420 were walking through and you said, I don't think I'm 0:14:30.420 --> 0:14:32.460 going to make it. Anybody ever been in that situation? 0:14:32.460 --> 0:14:36.580 I got a question. What you doing here today? Go ahead. 0:14:36.580 --> 0:14:39.940 Tell somebody I made it. I came through it, I 0:14:39.980 --> 0:14:43.820 walked through it. I went through the storm. God brought 0:14:43.820 --> 0:14:53.020 me out. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Come on, Sister Ford. Yeah. 0:14:53.020 --> 0:14:56.700 We can shout and dance. Every storm we went through 0:14:57.380 --> 0:15:00.130 brought us out. And then bring us out. our mealy 0:15:00.130 --> 0:15:07.650 mouth and pouting brought us out victorious and dancing. Yeah, 0:15:08.970 --> 0:15:11.530 she doing a holy dance. I'm doing the best dance 0:15:11.530 --> 0:15:18.010 I can. Mm. And so now, in our suffering, in 0:15:18.010 --> 0:15:21.090 our storms, sometimes we look for God and we say, 0:15:21.090 --> 0:15:27.970 where are you? And God says, I'm where I always been. Well, 0:15:27.970 --> 0:15:32.170 what's our problem? Here's our problem. Say, what's our problem, pastor? 0:15:33.210 --> 0:15:40.450 We look in the wrong direction. Sorrow looks back. Worry 0:15:40.450 --> 0:15:50.530 looks around. Depression looks down. Faith. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. 0:15:50.530 --> 0:15:53.250 They had an old song. It came out of the hymnbook. 0:15:53.250 --> 0:15:56.210 But y'all. Y'all don't know about hymnbook. My faith looks 0:15:56.210 --> 0:15:59.370 up to thee. Remember that song? My faith looks up 0:15:59.370 --> 0:16:05.570 to thee, O Lamb of Calvary. Whoo! Yeah! Mm. If 0:16:05.570 --> 0:16:07.370 I had time, we'd sing it. I ain't got time. 0:16:07.690 --> 0:16:11.130 So Israel's in a storm. Now get this. And it's 0:16:11.130 --> 0:16:13.730 a storm of their own making. Now, wait a minute. 0:16:13.730 --> 0:16:15.490 Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait. 0:16:15.530 --> 0:16:19.250 I've got to get you to understand this because I 0:16:19.290 --> 0:16:22.130 don't know how many of you are like me. It's 0:16:22.130 --> 0:16:25.770 like there are times now. Not every time, but there 0:16:25.770 --> 0:16:30.970 are times when I'm not right. And he still blesses me. Yeah. 0:16:33.730 --> 0:16:36.650 And you know what he's telling me, Mike? I want 0:16:36.690 --> 0:16:40.930 to bless you in spite of you and not because 0:16:40.930 --> 0:16:44.010 of you. Because if you see the blessings I give 0:16:44.010 --> 0:16:46.490 you in spite of you, then you're going to want 0:16:46.490 --> 0:16:49.450 some of those because of you blessings. Because the because 0:16:49.450 --> 0:16:52.010 of you blessings are greater than the in spite of 0:16:52.010 --> 0:16:58.930 you blessings. I want to be blessed. If he does 0:16:58.930 --> 0:17:02.410 this while I'm walking, right? Why? I ain't talking right. 0:17:02.410 --> 0:17:04.530 What will he do if I get my act together? 0:17:04.530 --> 0:17:06.770 What will he do if I fellowship with him? What 0:17:06.770 --> 0:17:09.530 will he do if I give and serve and witness 0:17:09.530 --> 0:17:17.290 and tithe? What will he do? And so here, here 0:17:18.170 --> 0:17:22.010 he says, listen, Israel is moaning and groaning because they're 0:17:22.010 --> 0:17:23.930 in the storm. He's making them walk. And he says, 0:17:23.930 --> 0:17:27.770 let me tell you something in four chapters. Fear not, 0:17:28.890 --> 0:17:31.530 fear not, fear not, fear not fear. What is seven? 0:17:31.530 --> 0:17:36.929 God's number for perfection or completion? He said it's seven 0:17:36.930 --> 0:17:39.250 times so that you will know. I don't care what 0:17:39.250 --> 0:17:44.410 your fear is. Don't be scared. Don't be scared. He's 0:17:44.410 --> 0:17:47.129 saying I'm not a fair weather friend. I'm a friend 0:17:47.130 --> 0:17:50.889 that sticks closer than a brother. This passage is pregnant. 0:17:50.890 --> 0:17:52.770 You know I'm a teacher. Let me just drop it. 0:17:52.770 --> 0:17:54.650 I ain't going to push it. As my friend Romeo 0:17:54.690 --> 0:18:01.850 would say, historically, it refers to God's deliverance from Egypt. Literally, 0:18:01.890 --> 0:18:07.650 it refers to the Babylonian captivity. Deliverance. Prophetically, it refers 0:18:07.650 --> 0:18:10.770 to the Great Tribulation, when God fulfills all the rest 0:18:10.770 --> 0:18:15.210 of the promises that he made to Israel. Ultimately, it 0:18:15.210 --> 0:18:22.090 focuses on the deliverance of Jesus Christ as our kinsman Redeemer. Typically, 0:18:22.090 --> 0:18:26.530 it points to the church, and principally and practically it's 0:18:26.530 --> 0:18:30.490 a great passage for dealing with our fears. So in 0:18:30.490 --> 0:18:33.850 Isaiah 40 he says, listen, you have foes, you have fears, 0:18:33.850 --> 0:18:36.730 you have fights. So he's telling us this, that your 0:18:36.730 --> 0:18:41.210 storms are going to take on three entities people, passions 0:18:41.210 --> 0:18:45.730 and problems. And then seven times, fear not, fear not. 0:18:45.770 --> 0:18:49.170 God says, you know what fear is? What is it? 0:18:49.210 --> 0:18:54.930 False evidence appearing real. That's what fear is. As a 0:18:54.930 --> 0:18:57.330 matter of fact, the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Junior 0:18:57.330 --> 0:18:59.330 said it this way when he was asked, why do 0:18:59.330 --> 0:19:01.770 you keep going out? Aren't you afraid somebody's going to 0:19:01.770 --> 0:19:04.530 kill you? He said, ultimately, I think I will, uh, 0:19:04.570 --> 0:19:08.370 be be martyred. But he said this. He said fear 0:19:09.570 --> 0:19:14.730 knocked at the door. Faith answered. Nobody was there. Oh, 0:19:14.730 --> 0:19:18.530 I love that. Yeah. Fear knocked at the door, faith answered. 0:19:18.570 --> 0:19:21.770 Wasn't nobody there? And so we need to know that 0:19:21.770 --> 0:19:23.490 we don't need to be afraid. Now, there are seven 0:19:23.490 --> 0:19:26.850 reasons and seven verses. Here they are. Verse one. He says, 0:19:26.850 --> 0:19:28.970 you don't need to be afraid because you're the property 0:19:28.970 --> 0:19:31.370 of God. Uh, verse two, you don't need to be 0:19:31.369 --> 0:19:34.770 afraid because of the protection from God. Uh, you don't 0:19:34.770 --> 0:19:37.129 need to be afraid. Verse three, because of the person 0:19:37.130 --> 0:19:39.530 of God, you don't need to be afraid. Verse four, 0:19:39.530 --> 0:19:43.210 because of the passion or the love of God. Verse five, 0:19:43.250 --> 0:19:45.850 you don't need to be afraid because of the presence 0:19:45.850 --> 0:19:49.330 of God. Verse six, you don't need to be afraid 0:19:49.330 --> 0:19:52.530 because of the promises of God. In verse seven. You 0:19:52.530 --> 0:19:55.730 don't need to be afraid because of the purposes of God. 0:19:55.730 --> 0:19:58.130 Notice what he says. First of all, verse one. Let 0:19:58.130 --> 0:20:00.010 me tell you why you don't have to be scared. 0:20:00.010 --> 0:20:03.129 Because you're my property. Now get this. This text. Now 0:20:03.130 --> 0:20:07.410 notice what God does. God goes back to the beginning 0:20:08.170 --> 0:20:11.850 and he takes them from the present to the past. Now, 0:20:11.850 --> 0:20:14.690 this is unusual. Now, we just studied the passage where, 0:20:14.690 --> 0:20:18.210 remember when Peter fell and he said to him in 0:20:18.210 --> 0:20:20.970 verse 30 of Luke 22, he said, you're going to 0:20:20.970 --> 0:20:24.650 sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. Then 0:20:24.650 --> 0:20:27.530 verse 31, you're going to deny me. Now why did 0:20:27.530 --> 0:20:29.850 he tell him that he was going to sit on 0:20:29.850 --> 0:20:31.369 the throne before he told him he was going to 0:20:31.369 --> 0:20:33.970 deny him, because God didn't want him to focus in 0:20:33.970 --> 0:20:35.930 on what is he wanted him to focus in on 0:20:35.930 --> 0:20:38.290 what shall be. He's saying, here's what shall be. Let 0:20:38.290 --> 0:20:40.649 me tell you that first you're going to sit on thrones. 0:20:40.690 --> 0:20:43.210 Now here's what it is you're going to deny me. Now, 0:20:43.210 --> 0:20:45.690 why do that? Because if I tell you what you 0:20:45.690 --> 0:20:49.210 shall be, then you understand that what is shall not 0:20:49.210 --> 0:20:52.130 cancel out what shall be, so that you won't focus 0:20:52.130 --> 0:20:55.689 in on what is. You'll walk through it. You'll. You'll 0:20:55.730 --> 0:20:59.520 endure it because you want to get to what shall be. 0:20:59.800 --> 0:21:01.880 And so that's what we need to do. But this 0:21:01.880 --> 0:21:05.480 is different. He's telling them go back and see what was. 0:21:06.359 --> 0:21:09.520 Now let me show you what is. Now whenever you 0:21:09.520 --> 0:21:12.080 get in a place where you gotta walk through, you 0:21:12.119 --> 0:21:15.400 gotta look back and see what was. So you'll be 0:21:15.400 --> 0:21:17.960 able to deal with what is. You say, pastor, I 0:21:17.960 --> 0:21:20.239 still don't understand it. Okay, then let me come and 0:21:20.240 --> 0:21:22.600 get you. Because I went to public school too. We 0:21:22.600 --> 0:21:25.720 focus in on what's happening now. God, focus in on 0:21:25.720 --> 0:21:30.320 what happened back then. Why? Because God takes us back 0:21:30.320 --> 0:21:35.600 so we can see history to comprehend our destiny. Because 0:21:35.600 --> 0:21:39.000 what he told us about what shall be. He made 0:21:39.000 --> 0:21:43.640 the promise in history about our destiny. Let me say 0:21:43.640 --> 0:21:46.119 it another way. Let me say it another way, that 0:21:46.119 --> 0:21:49.840 God takes us back to history so he can share 0:21:49.840 --> 0:21:53.879 his eternal purpose and counsel for our destiny. 0:21:56.800 --> 0:21:59.760 You may be listening right now, and life hasn't turned 0:21:59.760 --> 0:22:02.480 out the way that you planned. Instead of hope and 0:22:02.520 --> 0:22:06.119 optimism for the future, you're feeling despair. Well, let me 0:22:06.119 --> 0:22:08.760 encourage you right now to look back on the promises 0:22:08.760 --> 0:22:11.920 of God and see what he has in store for you. 0:22:12.640 --> 0:22:15.880 You're listening to Treasure Truth, a message called have no Fear. 0:22:15.920 --> 0:22:19.840 God is here. And this kind of encouraging and convicting 0:22:19.880 --> 0:22:22.160 teaching is what you can expect every day here on 0:22:22.160 --> 0:22:25.640 treasure truth. We're careful to provide you with messages and 0:22:25.640 --> 0:22:29.000 resources that will grow your faith and help you walk 0:22:29.000 --> 0:22:31.560 in step with God. You know, pastor, one of the 0:22:31.560 --> 0:22:33.840 things that I think is really cool is just to 0:22:33.880 --> 0:22:37.879 hear from new listeners who stumble across this radio program, 0:22:37.880 --> 0:22:42.120 either online or through the radio, and it is there 0:22:42.119 --> 0:22:46.240 for them today because someone previously had given and helped 0:22:46.240 --> 0:22:47.720 get this program off the ground. 0:22:47.760 --> 0:22:50.800 Amen. That's right. It reminds me of those lepers in 0:22:50.800 --> 0:22:53.960 the Book of Kings. They had found food in the 0:22:53.960 --> 0:22:58.120 Assyrian camp, and they said, we would be remiss if 0:22:58.119 --> 0:23:01.439 we didn't go back to the city and tell everybody 0:23:01.720 --> 0:23:05.360 the famine is over. There's a feast. Well, I'm telling you, 0:23:05.400 --> 0:23:08.960 not just treasure truth, but when you listen to Moody Radio, 0:23:09.240 --> 0:23:13.920 you feast on the Word of God. Great expositors of 0:23:13.920 --> 0:23:18.000 the Word of God. And who would not want someone 0:23:18.000 --> 0:23:21.399 else to be built up in their most precious faith 0:23:21.800 --> 0:23:25.560 by the teaching that comes across the Moody Network? And 0:23:25.560 --> 0:23:26.760 you can do that. 0:23:26.760 --> 0:23:29.760 You can do that by coming to Treasure Truth Radio org. 0:23:29.800 --> 0:23:31.919 Click on that donate button there. You can give a 0:23:31.920 --> 0:23:34.200 one time gift or an ongoing monthly gift. Again, that's 0:23:34.240 --> 0:23:38.360 at npr.org and click on donate. Thanks for doing that. 0:23:38.359 --> 0:23:40.879 Thanks to our producers, Amy Rios and Ryan McConaughey. For 0:23:40.880 --> 0:23:43.840 Pastor Ford, I'm Steve Hiller. Treasure truth is a production 0:23:43.840 --> 0:23:47.560 of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.