WEBVTT - The Inner-Me Enemy, Part 3 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:05.040 What is the solution to the natural inclinations that are 0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:08.360 a part of my sin nature? What do I do 0:00:08.360 --> 0:00:11.600 with the proclivities? Let me put it this way. How 0:00:12.200 --> 0:00:15.280 in the world do I fight what I like? 0:00:22.040 --> 0:00:25.079 Welcome to Treasure Truth with pastor and author James Ford, 0:00:25.079 --> 0:00:27.920 junior senior pastor of the Christ Bible Church in Chicago. 0:00:27.960 --> 0:00:31.200 I'm Steve Hillard. Glad you're with us. As today we 0:00:31.200 --> 0:00:35.120 continue a message called the Inner Me Enemy and pastor. 0:00:35.120 --> 0:00:39.120 I think that is the $100,000 question right there. I've 0:00:39.120 --> 0:00:41.600 been looking forward to getting to this message, because I 0:00:41.600 --> 0:00:44.640 think there are many people who say there is a 0:00:44.640 --> 0:00:48.280 sin in my life that I just can't seem to beat. 0:00:48.280 --> 0:00:52.199 Some may call it a besetting sin, whatever proclivities, but 0:00:52.200 --> 0:00:54.440 there's the sin that you just don't want to let 0:00:54.440 --> 0:00:57.600 go of. Um, because as you point out, you like 0:00:57.600 --> 0:00:59.720 that sin, right? But we know we need to fight 0:00:59.720 --> 0:01:03.320 that sin. Yes. So help us with that today. 0:01:03.480 --> 0:01:08.560 Uh, well, let me give our listening audience a passage. Now, 0:01:08.560 --> 0:01:13.400 if you study this passage, it's replete with principles that 0:01:13.400 --> 0:01:16.720 help us with that question. How do I fight what 0:01:16.720 --> 0:01:23.320 I like? It's in Second Corinthians chapter ten, verses three 0:01:23.360 --> 0:01:27.440 through eight. And it talks about, uh, in this case 0:01:27.440 --> 0:01:32.880 it's called a stronghold. It talks about entrenched, uh, sin. Uh, 0:01:32.880 --> 0:01:37.280 that's entrenched roots grow deep. And, uh, so it tells 0:01:37.280 --> 0:01:41.240 us how we're supposed to respond. Here's the first one. 0:01:41.400 --> 0:01:45.440 Understand that it's a spiritual battle, not a natural one. 0:01:45.480 --> 0:01:45.840 Hmm. 0:01:45.880 --> 0:01:48.280 You see, so an awareness of the nature of the 0:01:48.280 --> 0:01:53.040 conflict that this is, you know, a spiritual fight. And 0:01:53.040 --> 0:01:57.280 then he says, we need to avail ourselves of the 0:01:57.280 --> 0:02:01.080 weapons of our warfare. So God has given us weapons. 0:02:01.080 --> 0:02:05.120 The armor of God, the word of God. Uh, prayer. 0:02:05.360 --> 0:02:08.480 You know, and so all these, we have to utilize them. Uh, 0:02:08.480 --> 0:02:12.880 then we have to ally ourselves with proper thinking. Because 0:02:12.919 --> 0:02:15.440 as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. 0:02:15.480 --> 0:02:17.440 I say it all the time. You know, we don't 0:02:17.440 --> 0:02:19.880 think with our mind. We think with our heart. Because 0:02:19.880 --> 0:02:21.960 the Bible says, as a man thinketh in his heart, 0:02:21.960 --> 0:02:24.359 so is he. We don't speak with our lips. We 0:02:24.360 --> 0:02:26.760 speak with our heart for our the abundance of the heart. 0:02:26.760 --> 0:02:29.520 The mouth speaks, and on and on it goes. And 0:02:29.520 --> 0:02:31.920 so then we need to do that. And then you 0:02:31.919 --> 0:02:35.120 can't fix what you won't face, and you can't correct 0:02:35.120 --> 0:02:38.000 what you won't confront. So then we have to repent 0:02:38.000 --> 0:02:42.079 of that and we have to confess it. Homologeo first 0:02:42.080 --> 0:02:45.760 John one nine say the same thing about it that 0:02:45.760 --> 0:02:49.680 God says so. Confession is really when I agree with 0:02:49.680 --> 0:02:54.399 God against myself, okay? And so on and on it goes. 0:02:54.440 --> 0:02:56.880 And then, uh, you know, the passage goes on and 0:02:56.880 --> 0:02:59.600 gives us some other principles, but, uh, you know, go 0:02:59.600 --> 0:03:03.669 through it, read it, study it, get those principles. And 0:03:03.669 --> 0:03:09.310 then here's the hard part implementation or application of the 0:03:09.310 --> 0:03:13.310 passage into my life. Begin to do it. It'll be difficult. 0:03:13.590 --> 0:03:16.630 It's going to be a struggle. But we've been energized 0:03:16.630 --> 0:03:19.830 by the Holy Spirit. Uh, be not drunk with wine, 0:03:19.830 --> 0:03:23.110 wherein is excess, but be filled with the spirit. His 0:03:23.110 --> 0:03:25.590 power can help us overcome as well. 0:03:25.750 --> 0:03:29.150 Well, I cannot wait to get into the rest of 0:03:29.150 --> 0:03:33.470 today's message. Our series, The Enemy Enemy is from James 0:03:33.470 --> 0:03:35.830 chapter one. So you may want to open your Bible. 0:03:35.870 --> 0:03:38.150 Put a finger there. But we're going to start out 0:03:38.190 --> 0:03:41.830 today's message looking at Luke. Here is Pastor Ford. 0:03:42.590 --> 0:03:50.310 Now expectation is the motivation that gives determination to reach 0:03:50.310 --> 0:03:53.869 your destination. Now I just said something. But but you don't. 0:03:53.870 --> 0:03:56.830 You don't know what I'm talking about. We've talked about 0:03:56.830 --> 0:04:02.390 it before. Remember what Jesus did in the Gospel of Luke, 0:04:03.510 --> 0:04:09.390 Jesus told the disciples. He said, you will sit on 0:04:09.390 --> 0:04:14.910 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. Then in 0:04:14.910 --> 0:04:20.190 the next verse he said, you're going to fail me now. 0:04:20.190 --> 0:04:22.430 Now all the teachers in the house said, oh yeah, 0:04:22.430 --> 0:04:26.950 we caught that right away. Verse 30, he says, you're 0:04:26.950 --> 0:04:31.950 going to sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes 0:04:31.950 --> 0:04:36.270 of Israel. Next verse, you're going to fail me. He 0:04:36.270 --> 0:04:40.110 told them about their future before he told them about 0:04:40.110 --> 0:04:45.349 their failure, so that when they hit their failure, they'll 0:04:45.350 --> 0:04:49.190 understand it's not final. Because I already told you what 0:04:49.190 --> 0:04:52.350 your future's going to be. So I want you to 0:04:52.350 --> 0:04:58.550 have an expectation in the midst of your failure. That 0:04:58.550 --> 0:05:02.910 will be the motivation Evasion and determination to take you 0:05:02.910 --> 0:05:06.229 to this destination. Are you feeling me? In other words, 0:05:06.230 --> 0:05:10.270 what he's doing is he's saying, listen, listen, uh, let 0:05:10.270 --> 0:05:14.390 me tell you where you're going so that you'll know 0:05:14.550 --> 0:05:18.669 that what you're going through right now is not designed 0:05:19.870 --> 0:05:25.750 to destroy you. It's designed to develop you so that 0:05:25.750 --> 0:05:29.469 as you have that mindset, it'll be like when my 0:05:29.470 --> 0:05:32.950 mama used to whoop me. My mama know how to 0:05:32.990 --> 0:05:37.110 whoop some tail. Come on. Anybody, like, had a mama 0:05:37.110 --> 0:05:40.510 like me go get some switches. So you had to 0:05:40.550 --> 0:05:44.830 go get the weapon of mass destruction that she was 0:05:44.830 --> 0:05:47.390 going to put on your behind. And so and so 0:05:47.430 --> 0:05:49.150 if you came back with, you know, you had to 0:05:49.150 --> 0:05:53.550 have three because they had to be plotted together. And 0:05:53.550 --> 0:05:56.270 if they were too wispy, she would whoop you with 0:05:56.270 --> 0:05:58.229 those and say, go get me some more, because, you know, 0:05:58.310 --> 0:06:03.869 you brought me them little wispy things. So I just 0:06:03.870 --> 0:06:05.870 I cut to the chase. I didn't go back so 0:06:05.870 --> 0:06:07.990 many times. I just said, I'm going to have me 0:06:08.029 --> 0:06:11.630 three tree trunks. And here's what I would say as 0:06:11.630 --> 0:06:15.230 she was whooping me. It can't last forever. She can't 0:06:15.230 --> 0:06:17.910 beat me forever. She can't beat me forever. And you 0:06:17.910 --> 0:06:21.710 know what? Sometimes that woman made me thinking. Maybe she 0:06:21.710 --> 0:06:27.430 can beat me forever. And so you're going through this 0:06:27.910 --> 0:06:32.070 and you're going through trauma, and you're going through trial, and. 0:06:32.070 --> 0:06:38.510 And you understand failure isn't final because of what I've 0:06:38.510 --> 0:06:42.990 already told you. Talk about Peter. Peter in in acts 0:06:42.990 --> 0:06:46.310 chapter 12. What happened to Peter? Peter gets out of 0:06:46.310 --> 0:06:49.710 prison and you look in the principles in the passage, 0:06:49.710 --> 0:06:52.390 how could this man sleep? Everybody was up. The church 0:06:52.390 --> 0:06:55.230 was up praying for him. Uh, Rhoda was up. Uh, 0:06:55.230 --> 0:06:59.190 the guards were up. Everybody was up. But Peter was asleep. 0:06:59.470 --> 0:07:02.070 How can you take a chill pill? Well, maybe he 0:07:02.070 --> 0:07:07.989 remembered the promise. Remember the promise? Jesus told him that 0:07:07.990 --> 0:07:12.510 he was going to be old when he died. Peter 0:07:12.510 --> 0:07:18.390 is about 3637. He's not old. And so Peter's thinking, hey, 0:07:18.510 --> 0:07:22.110 wait a minute, wait a minute. This expectation is the 0:07:22.110 --> 0:07:26.750 motivation for my determination to reach that destination. I'm not 0:07:26.750 --> 0:07:31.150 even scared. And so we need to understand. We will 0:07:31.150 --> 0:07:35.110 overcome because of what God has done now. James does 0:07:35.110 --> 0:07:38.790 the same thing. Now, remember last week what we talked 0:07:38.790 --> 0:07:44.030 about was verses 13 through 16. And remember what he 0:07:44.030 --> 0:07:50.510 said was, don't blame God and don't blame the devil either, 0:07:50.510 --> 0:07:54.110 because the enemy is the enemy. And so we looked 0:07:54.110 --> 0:07:59.510 at the inception of sin and then the reception of sin, 0:07:59.710 --> 0:08:03.550 and then the deception of sin and then the conception 0:08:03.550 --> 0:08:06.910 of sin. We said that in verses one through 12 0:08:06.950 --> 0:08:11.630 you have temptation as a noun, and it talks about problems. 0:08:11.950 --> 0:08:16.430 But now in 13 through 18, temptation as a verb. 0:08:16.590 --> 0:08:21.550 And it's talking about our passions because it's our passions 0:08:21.750 --> 0:08:25.710 that drive us. It's our passions. In other words, what 0:08:25.710 --> 0:08:30.110 happens is those two external enemies, they team up with 0:08:30.150 --> 0:08:34.510 that internal enemy, the flesh. And so they can't make 0:08:34.510 --> 0:08:41.110 the flesh do anything. They just allure the flesh. That's 0:08:41.110 --> 0:08:44.110 what they do. Draw the flesh out. So we said, 0:08:44.150 --> 0:08:47.190 you can't help what you see, but you can help 0:08:47.190 --> 0:08:50.670 what you look at. You can't help what you hear, 0:08:51.110 --> 0:08:55.870 but you control what you listen to. And so here 0:08:55.870 --> 0:08:58.870 James is going to say the same things. James is 0:08:58.870 --> 0:09:01.820 going to say when your outlook looks bleak, try to 0:09:01.820 --> 0:09:07.500 up look. He's going to give us the solution to sinful, 0:09:07.700 --> 0:09:12.060 selfish tendencies. It's in verses 17 and 18. He says 0:09:12.059 --> 0:09:14.860 every good and every perfect gift is from above, and 0:09:14.860 --> 0:09:17.819 cometh down from the father of lights, in whom is 0:09:17.820 --> 0:09:21.100 no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will beget. 0:09:21.140 --> 0:09:23.420 He us with the word of truth, that we should 0:09:23.420 --> 0:09:29.620 be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. Now 0:09:29.660 --> 0:09:33.780 here's what he's doing. Remember, Jesus told Peter and his disciples, 0:09:34.140 --> 0:09:38.740 what's going to save you is my theology. Yeah, that 0:09:38.740 --> 0:09:42.900 Jesus prayed for us. So he's saying, then, uh, when 0:09:42.900 --> 0:09:46.380 your outlook looks bleak, try to up look, because Jesus 0:09:46.380 --> 0:09:49.420 is at the right hand of the father. Hebrews 725 0:09:49.460 --> 0:09:54.660 making intercession for us. His theology is what preserving us. 0:09:55.540 --> 0:10:00.380 But now James says, uh, you have to also focus 0:10:00.380 --> 0:10:05.100 on theology, that is, focus on the father. So he 0:10:05.100 --> 0:10:09.340 focuses us to God as the solution. Now get this. 0:10:09.340 --> 0:10:14.020 Don't miss this. What is the solution to the natural 0:10:14.020 --> 0:10:18.420 inclinations that are a part of my sin nature? What 0:10:18.420 --> 0:10:21.340 do I do with the proclivities? Let me put it 0:10:21.340 --> 0:10:25.579 this way. How in the world do I fight what 0:10:25.580 --> 0:10:30.620 I like? Because you know there's some sin. Just don't 0:10:30.660 --> 0:10:34.900 attract me. And there's some sin that don't attract you. 0:10:34.900 --> 0:10:37.620 And we get up giving them testimonies about something we 0:10:37.620 --> 0:10:41.780 ain't never struggled with. Yeah, well. I'm celibate. Well, you know, 0:10:41.780 --> 0:10:47.860 you you've been celibate all your life. But anyway. So, 0:10:47.860 --> 0:10:49.660 so so what's he saying? Let me tell you what 0:10:49.660 --> 0:10:53.380 it does when you realize that you already have a 0:10:53.380 --> 0:10:56.900 solution before you know you even have the problem. Here's 0:10:56.900 --> 0:11:01.980 what it does. Four things. Number one, it guides our footsteps. 0:11:03.300 --> 0:11:08.820 It guides our footsteps. It leads us to Christ. So 0:11:08.860 --> 0:11:11.860 knowing that he has this for me ought to drive 0:11:11.860 --> 0:11:16.220 me to him. So I ought to want fellowship with him, 0:11:16.220 --> 0:11:19.179 because he's the one who made the promise. Second thing, 0:11:19.380 --> 0:11:24.500 it grows our faith. Yeah, it grows our faith. We 0:11:24.500 --> 0:11:29.020 learn of Christ. We learn of Christ. Number three, it 0:11:29.059 --> 0:11:35.500 governs our focus. We look to Christ. Number four, it 0:11:35.500 --> 0:11:38.059 guards our future. We love Christ. 0:11:39.780 --> 0:11:42.860 This is treasure truth with Pastor Ford. And we're going 0:11:42.900 --> 0:11:45.220 to get back to this teaching in just one moment. 0:11:45.220 --> 0:11:46.500 I'll let you know if you ever missed one of 0:11:46.500 --> 0:11:49.300 these points in the broadcast. You can always go back 0:11:49.300 --> 0:11:52.500 and listen online to simply come to Treasure Truth Radio. 0:11:53.940 --> 0:11:55.860 While you're there, I want to ask you to consider 0:11:55.900 --> 0:12:00.460 giving a gift because we are a listener supported radio ministry, 0:12:00.660 --> 0:12:03.540 and that is exactly what it sounds like. We depend 0:12:03.540 --> 0:12:05.620 on those who listen to this program, who see the 0:12:05.620 --> 0:12:08.780 benefit of Pastor Ford's teaching to give financially so that 0:12:08.780 --> 0:12:11.780 we can cover the production costs and the airtime. And 0:12:11.780 --> 0:12:14.660 so if you value Pastor Ford's teaching in your life, 0:12:14.660 --> 0:12:17.100 if you're a regular listener and you see the benefit, 0:12:17.300 --> 0:12:19.660 would you give a gift? Simply come to Treasure Truth 0:12:19.660 --> 0:12:23.700 Radio and click on the link that says make a donation. Again, 0:12:23.740 --> 0:12:27.900 that's at Treasure Truth Radio. Again, here's Pastor Ford. 0:12:29.059 --> 0:12:31.900 So the first thing it does is it guides our footsteps. 0:12:31.900 --> 0:12:35.660 It leads us to Christ. It grows our faith. We 0:12:35.660 --> 0:12:39.219 learn of Christ. It governs our focus. We look to Christ. 0:12:39.260 --> 0:12:43.900 It guides our future. We love Christ. Now the traditional 0:12:43.900 --> 0:12:47.180 black church has gotten a bad rap because remember, they 0:12:47.179 --> 0:12:50.300 say he's so high you can't get over him. He's 0:12:50.300 --> 0:12:53.700 so low you can't go under him. He's so wide, 0:12:53.740 --> 0:12:56.380 you can't get around. He's a doctor in the sick room. 0:12:56.380 --> 0:12:59.780 He's a lawyer in a courtroom. He's my downsitting and 0:12:59.900 --> 0:13:03.579 my uprising. He's the will in the middle of a will. 0:13:03.620 --> 0:13:09.420 He's the bright and morning star. Now, now, whenever I 0:13:09.420 --> 0:13:18.140 began to realize. That is profound theology. Put simply, I mean, 0:13:18.500 --> 0:13:22.620 it's profound. And I didn't realize it until they asked 0:13:22.620 --> 0:13:24.460 me at Moody. This has been a little while ago. 0:13:24.500 --> 0:13:28.620 They said, we want you to do a class on 0:13:28.620 --> 0:13:33.900 black preaching. And I said, I was the last person 0:13:35.140 --> 0:13:38.140 that you. I said, now, you know, I don't hoop. Yeah, but, 0:13:38.179 --> 0:13:41.820 you know, and I did the research. Oh, man. Oh 0:13:41.820 --> 0:13:44.780 I stopped. As a matter of fact, I have a friend, uh, 0:13:44.780 --> 0:13:48.179 that I criticize. And I went back to him and 0:13:48.179 --> 0:13:52.660 apologized that that's why it didn't bother me, because I 0:13:52.660 --> 0:13:56.140 know the origin of it and where it came from 0:13:56.179 --> 0:13:58.140 and all of that stuff. And it was like, wow. 0:13:58.220 --> 0:14:02.940 But when I did this, It overwhelmed me. Now get this. 0:14:03.500 --> 0:14:07.699 Look at this theology in here. He's so high in 0:14:07.700 --> 0:14:15.540 theological circles. That's called the transcendence of God. He's so 0:14:15.540 --> 0:14:18.540 high you can't get over. That's the transcendence of God. 0:14:18.540 --> 0:14:21.980 He's so low you can't get under him. That's called 0:14:21.980 --> 0:14:27.580 the eminency of God. The eminency of God. But then 0:14:27.580 --> 0:14:32.300 he's so wide. That's called the immensity of God. The 0:14:32.340 --> 0:14:35.900 immensity of God. Uh, he's a doctor in a sick room, 0:14:35.940 --> 0:14:40.860 a lawyer in a courtroom. That's called the advocacy of God. Man, 0:14:40.860 --> 0:14:45.060 isn't that powerful stuff. He's my downsitting and my uprising. 0:14:45.060 --> 0:14:49.620 We call that the sovereignty of God. And then he 0:14:49.620 --> 0:14:51.660 say he's a will in the middle of the will. 0:14:51.660 --> 0:14:56.100 That's the mystery of God. He's my bright and morning star. 0:14:56.140 --> 0:14:59.660 That's the majesty of God. Here it is in this 0:14:59.730 --> 0:15:04.010 simple prose. It was like ah, ah. The the man 0:15:04.010 --> 0:15:08.370 went to the theologian. He was an astronomer. So, so 0:15:08.370 --> 0:15:11.210 he said to the theologian, he said, you know, when 0:15:11.210 --> 0:15:20.210 it comes to the stars, I keep mine simple. He said, twinkle, twinkle, 0:15:20.250 --> 0:15:22.410 little star, how I wonder where you are. He said, 0:15:22.410 --> 0:15:25.730 what about you? He said, I keep my theology simple 0:15:25.730 --> 0:15:28.410 to Jesus loves me. This I know. For the Bible 0:15:28.410 --> 0:15:31.330 tells me so. Yeah. That's it. It's just simple. It's 0:15:31.330 --> 0:15:34.530 just plain. Hey, you know what the test is for 0:15:34.530 --> 0:15:40.010 a theologian? Can he write a track? And so the 0:15:40.010 --> 0:15:44.250 simplicity of it, it is wow that they understand what's 0:15:44.250 --> 0:15:48.530 going on here. That all the time I was criticizing, man, 0:15:48.530 --> 0:15:53.050 I should have been praising God for the theology that's 0:15:53.050 --> 0:15:56.730 in those words. And so here's what he's going to 0:15:56.730 --> 0:15:58.770 tell us. He's going to say, look, here's what I 0:15:58.770 --> 0:16:02.250 want you to do. There are three aspects of Yahweh 0:16:02.290 --> 0:16:08.450 God that you need to focus in on in order 0:16:09.610 --> 0:16:12.730 to deal with your sinful tendencies. Here they are in 0:16:12.730 --> 0:16:16.650 their in their three incentives to overcoming our sinful tendencies. 0:16:16.650 --> 0:16:18.729 Here's what he's going to talk about in these two verses. 0:16:18.730 --> 0:16:21.850 He's going to talk about the gifts of Yahweh God, 0:16:21.850 --> 0:16:26.330 the glory of Yahweh God, and the grace of Yahweh God. 0:16:26.330 --> 0:16:28.970 Let me kind of bottom line what he's going to do. 0:16:29.170 --> 0:16:34.930 Notice what he's doing. He's giving us three looks. He's saying, 0:16:35.210 --> 0:16:38.690 look ahead and see the conclusion. That's what we already 0:16:38.690 --> 0:16:42.370 talked about. God is going to judge. He then he 0:16:42.370 --> 0:16:46.730 tells us, look around and see the consistency. So he 0:16:46.770 --> 0:16:49.970 talks about God, see the conclusion that God said will 0:16:49.970 --> 0:16:52.170 come about. He. Then he says, look around, see the 0:16:52.170 --> 0:16:57.370 consistency because God is good. Then he says, look inside 0:16:57.970 --> 0:17:00.850 and see the conversion. So here's what he's going to do. 0:17:00.890 --> 0:17:03.610 He's going to say, listen, these three things will help 0:17:03.610 --> 0:17:09.010 us to overcome our sinful tendencies, our proclivity to certain sins. 0:17:10.730 --> 0:17:13.689 Look what God has done. And and he's ultimately pointing 0:17:13.730 --> 0:17:18.129 to glorification. One day you won't have to struggle with it. 0:17:19.970 --> 0:17:23.250 Then he says, look around at the consistency of God, 0:17:23.650 --> 0:17:27.690 how good he's been to you. Don't you feel bad 0:17:27.930 --> 0:17:32.209 sometimes doing God like you do God? Okay, let me 0:17:32.210 --> 0:17:35.090 just speak for myself. You know, I, I mean, you know, 0:17:35.250 --> 0:17:37.689 you know, I'm the only one. I'm the only one. 0:17:38.290 --> 0:17:42.690 And so then he says, look inside. See the conversion? So, 0:17:42.690 --> 0:17:45.370 so so he says in verse 18 of his own 0:17:45.369 --> 0:17:48.090 will be God. He us with the word of truth. 0:17:49.650 --> 0:17:52.890 You're converted. The word is in you. The word is power. 0:17:54.850 --> 0:17:59.850 So then these three aspects, let's walk through them. So 0:17:59.850 --> 0:18:02.690 the first thing he talks about as a solution to 0:18:02.730 --> 0:18:07.170 sinful tendencies is the gifts of God. Listen to what 0:18:07.170 --> 0:18:11.129 he says again. Every good gift and every perfect gift 0:18:11.130 --> 0:18:15.450 is from above, and comes down from the father of lights, 0:18:15.690 --> 0:18:19.170 with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Here's 0:18:19.170 --> 0:18:25.570 what he says God is a giver, and he's generous. 0:18:25.570 --> 0:18:30.010 When he gives us, he gives us more than the world, 0:18:30.010 --> 0:18:33.369 the flesh and the devil can offer us. See, the 0:18:33.369 --> 0:18:39.450 devil doesn't give any gifts. None. How do you know that, pastor? 0:18:39.450 --> 0:18:41.770 For glad you asked. You ask intelligent question because you 0:18:41.770 --> 0:18:49.690 always pay. When the devil gives you something, always pay. Yeah. 0:18:49.730 --> 0:18:54.010 And now remember, verse 16 told us. No excuses. So 0:18:54.010 --> 0:18:56.129 you can't come up and say. It's not my fault. 0:18:56.130 --> 0:18:58.570 She made me do it. I couldn't help it. Everybody 0:18:58.570 --> 0:19:01.890 else is doing it. Nobody's perfect. Oh, the spirit is willing. 0:19:01.890 --> 0:19:04.250 The flesh is weak. Get Scripture in it. Get, you know, 0:19:04.290 --> 0:19:07.050 get some scripture in there for your for your sin. 0:19:07.970 --> 0:19:10.609 I was pressured into it. The devil made me do it. 0:19:10.810 --> 0:19:17.810 I didn't know it was wrong. It was just a mistake. No. 0:19:19.090 --> 0:19:22.369 Tell me one thing that the devil gave and it 0:19:22.369 --> 0:19:26.570 didn't cost. Go back through scripture and you can see 0:19:26.650 --> 0:19:30.330 individuals who paid, uh, messing around with the devil. Uh, 0:19:30.330 --> 0:19:34.209 because it always cost them. It cost Adam and Eve. Paradise. Uh, 0:19:34.210 --> 0:19:38.690 it cost lot. His family. It cost Jacob 20 years. 0:19:39.170 --> 0:19:42.129 Remember what he said? His mother said, let's trick your daddy. Uh, 0:19:42.130 --> 0:19:44.970 get your brother's blessing and birthright and go to my 0:19:44.970 --> 0:19:47.609 brother for a little while. A little while turned into 0:19:47.609 --> 0:19:52.770 20 years. He never saw his mama alive again. Cause 0:19:53.010 --> 0:19:55.970 in his life, it cost Samson his eyes. It cost 0:19:55.970 --> 0:20:00.090 David his children. It cost Nebuchadnezzar his sanity. It caused 0:20:00.090 --> 0:20:05.449 John Mark fellowship with the Apostle Paul. Let's start here. 0:20:05.450 --> 0:20:11.810 What did it cost you? Yeah, it cost us. And 0:20:11.810 --> 0:20:15.129 so what's going on? He talks about three things. About 0:20:15.130 --> 0:20:18.090 the gifts that God gives. Hey, write these in. He 0:20:18.090 --> 0:20:22.090 talks about the measure of the gifts, the motives of 0:20:22.090 --> 0:20:24.850 the gifts and the manner of the gifts. Let me 0:20:24.850 --> 0:20:28.290 say it again. He talks about the measure of the gifts, 0:20:28.290 --> 0:20:32.090 the motive of the gifts, and the manner of the gifts. 0:20:32.130 --> 0:20:36.649 Notice he talks about, first of all, the measure of 0:20:36.650 --> 0:20:40.810 the gifts. It's the kind of gifts that God gives. 0:20:41.010 --> 0:20:45.970 God gives only good gifts. And so these gifts that 0:20:45.970 --> 0:20:52.930 he gives are good and perfect. Now let's talk about it. 0:20:52.930 --> 0:20:57.450 The word good is agathos and the word say agathos. 0:20:58.130 --> 0:21:02.840 Agathos Foss speaks about the quality of goodness. There's about 0:21:02.840 --> 0:21:06.600 eight words in the New Testament translated good. This one's 0:21:06.600 --> 0:21:08.520 at the top. This is the one where it says 0:21:08.520 --> 0:21:12.120 God is good. In other words, the essential essence of 0:21:12.160 --> 0:21:16.119 who God is is agathas. And so he is a 0:21:16.160 --> 0:21:21.720 good God. Now, why focus in on this so that 0:21:21.720 --> 0:21:26.000 you will know that he is the one? Let me 0:21:26.000 --> 0:21:30.560 read Proverbs 1022. Here's what it says about God's gifts. 0:21:30.560 --> 0:21:36.760 In Proverbs 1022, he says, God gives gifts and adds 0:21:36.760 --> 0:21:44.439 no sorrow with it. Proverbs 1022 the blessings of the Lord. 0:21:44.440 --> 0:21:48.840 It maketh rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. 0:21:49.400 --> 0:21:53.200 Man that that God has used the word that's used 0:21:53.200 --> 0:21:56.840 to describe the character of God itself in Mark chapter 0:21:56.840 --> 0:22:02.960 ten verse 18. Ain't so. God gives only good gifts. 0:22:05.720 --> 0:22:09.159 You're listening to Treasure Truth with pastor and author James 0:22:09.160 --> 0:22:13.040 Ford Jr. A message called The Enemy Enemy, and we're 0:22:13.040 --> 0:22:16.720 going to continue this look from James chapter one on 0:22:16.720 --> 0:22:19.239 our next broadcast. 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Org and there you can stream the program. 0:22:46.840 --> 0:22:49.320 You can download an MP3, or you can even order 0:22:49.320 --> 0:22:52.920 copies of this broadcast on CD however you choose to listen. 0:22:52.960 --> 0:22:56.720 The easiest place to get started is simply Treasure Truth radio.org. 0:22:57.960 --> 0:22:59.720 You know, if you're a regular listener, you know that 0:22:59.720 --> 0:23:03.520 Pastor Ford often talks about marriage and relationships and the 0:23:03.520 --> 0:23:06.359 importance of them. And he believes in that so strongly. 0:23:06.359 --> 0:23:08.679 He's written a number of books along those lines. You 0:23:08.680 --> 0:23:11.119 can check those out when you come to Treasure Truth 0:23:11.119 --> 0:23:14.320 radio.org and click on the Books by Pastor Ford link. 0:23:14.359 --> 0:23:16.520 On the left side of the homepage, you'll see the 0:23:16.520 --> 0:23:20.400 different titles available as a paperback or in an e-book format. Again, 0:23:20.440 --> 0:23:25.240 you'll find that at Treasure Truth radio.org. Also, quickly, before 0:23:25.240 --> 0:23:27.720 we go, if you're listening in another part of the world, 0:23:27.720 --> 0:23:29.960 we'd love to hear from you. You can visit our 0:23:29.960 --> 0:23:32.400 contact page at the website. Leave us your comments. Let 0:23:32.400 --> 0:23:35.040 us know where you're listening and how you found us. Again, 0:23:35.040 --> 0:23:40.520 our website address one last time. Treasure truth radio.com. Well, 0:23:40.520 --> 0:23:43.760 for Pastor Ford and our producers, Amy Rios and Ryan McConaughey, 0:23:43.800 --> 0:23:46.720 I'm Steve Hiller. Thanks for listening. Treasure truth is a 0:23:46.720 --> 0:23:50.920 production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.