S1: What starts with we will always end in nothing. But
S1: what starts with Jesus will always end in success. Because
S1: he wants us to understand his presence makes the difference.
S2: Welcome to Treasure Truth with pastor and author James Ford,
S2: junior senior pastor of Christ Bible Church in Chicago. I'm
S2: Steve Hillard. Glad you're with us. As today we wrap
S2: up our message. Have no fear. God is here, pastor. Uh,
S2: there may be someone listening today who says, you know,
S2: I thought I was starting with Jesus. I thought that
S2: what I was doing was what he wanted me to do,
S2: and I was really trying to serve him and and
S2: step out in faith. But, man, I failed, and I
S2: failed miserably. Maybe it was a business. Maybe it was
S2: a relationship, you know, whatever that was, it fell apart.
S2: You just said, if it starts with Jesus, it's going
S2: to end. It's success. Help me wrap my brain around this.
S3: Let's start off first by defining success. Because one person
S3: said this, I would rather ultimately fail than to succeed
S3: in an endeavor that will ultimately succeed without Jesus Christ.
S3: And so there are times when what God will do
S3: is he'll allow us to go through with our own
S3: plans so that we can see the futility of trying
S3: to do things our own way. As a pastor, I've
S3: done this myriads of times in my 34 years of
S3: pastoring Christ Bible Church. I thought God's leading me to
S3: do this only to have it fail and God tell me, no,
S3: I didn't have you do that. Uh, there have been times, though,
S3: when I've succeeded and God has said, I didn't tell
S3: you to do that. So my point in the statement
S3: that I made was this, that we need to take
S3: the time to really see if this is what God
S3: really wants for us, and then go for it with
S3: all the gusto. The success of it will be determined,
S3: and the outcome will be determined by whether or not
S3: Christ is involved. So let's take a relationship. Yeah, there
S3: are many people who are in a relationship that God
S3: didn't sanction, but you wanted that person so bad that
S3: you just grabbed them for yourself. Now you wouldn't let
S3: them go, so God had them let you go. And
S3: that's success. That's not failure because he wasn't in it.
S3: So ultimately, what could I tell you that would help
S3: you to determine which is which? Ask him. I wouldn't
S3: be able to tell you.
S2: Yeah, well. And you're absolutely right. Um, we do need
S2: to be asking him, seeking him. And, you know, as
S2: you talked about the fact that, you know, as you've
S2: led Christ Bible Church for 34 years. Some of the
S2: things that you were convinced God was calling you to do,
S2: they didn't work out the way that you thought they would.
S2: Can you look back now and say, ultimately that was
S2: a success?
S3: Oh yeah, that the failure was a success. But what
S3: would have happened had it been, quote unquote, my kind
S3: of success? I would have been veered off of the
S3: course that he set for me and going in the
S3: wrong direction. And so he puts me back on course.
S3: I mean, that's that's Proverbs three five and six. Direct
S3: your path.
S2: Well, let's open our Bibles to Isaiah 43 and look
S2: further at this passage and continue the message. Have no fear.
S2: God is here. Here's Pastor Ford.
S1: The deeper they dig the hole. Come on. Somebody remembers.
S1: The higher they're going to make the skyscraper. Okay, let
S1: me let me come with something different. God was working
S1: in a curious person walking by and said, wow, that's intricate.
S1: What are you doing now? He was building a church,
S1: and the church was already built except for the steeple.
S1: And so he said, what is that? I mean, I
S1: see you're done with the building, aren't you? And he said, well, no,
S1: we have one more piece to put in. It's at
S1: the top of that steeple. He said, really? So what
S1: are you doing it down here for? Listen to this.
S1: I'm carving it out down here so that it fits
S1: up there.
S4: That's good, that's good. Yes.
S1: He carving on us down here.
S4: Amen.
S1: To prepare us for up there. That's it. I'm just
S1: a work in progress, that's all. I ain't perfect, I
S1: ain't got it all together. But one day I'm going
S1: to be with him. And then the Bible says at
S1: that day I will see him as he is, and
S1: I will be like him. The transformation will take place
S1: as I'm going up in the air. I'll be transformed
S1: in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, I'll
S1: look just like Jesus.
S4: Mhm. Mhm. Mhm.
S1: Yes yes yes yes yes. So here's what he's trying
S1: to get them to understand. They're saying everything has changed.
S1: We've lost our income. We lost our home. We're being
S1: taken into captivity. We have no bling. We have no Benjamins.
S1: We have no benzes. We are broke, busted, disgusted and
S1: can't be trusted. God, what do you want us to know?
S1: My love hasn't changed. And when you look at those
S1: words in the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of
S1: the Hebrew Masoretic Text, here's what you find. Though. Every
S1: one of those words, those three words, that word would
S1: be agape. In the New Testament, that word precious would
S1: be what Peter would use to translate that Jesus Christ
S1: is a precious stone. Uh, that word honorable is the
S1: same word that would be translated, uh, that the Lord
S1: Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone. And he is precious.
S1: All those words were about Jesus. You see what he's saying? Listen, listen, listen.
S1: Help me tell somebody. I don't got too much longer
S1: to preach to you this morning, but look at somebody
S1: and say, say, saint. God can never love you more
S1: than he does now. And he'll never love you less
S1: than he does now. Tell him you are loved by God.
S1: Unconditionally unmerited, unparalleled love. So the things have changed, but
S1: they don't change. And he said, my love for you
S1: have it the way I esteem you and consider you
S1: precious in my sight. That hasn't changed. The unconditional love
S1: hasn't changed. I'm here right now and you ain't living right.
S1: You ain't acting right. You ain't walking right. But yet
S1: I haven't abandoned Imagine you. You tried to get away
S1: from me. And every time you did, you turn around.
S1: I was right there. I said I put something together.
S1: I say everything is changed. What? Don't change, pastor, for
S1: here they are. Let me just give em to you.
S1: Say give em to us. Alright. This ain't move on
S1: after that. Yeah. Number one, God is still sitting on
S1: his throne. Number two, God never sleeps. Nor number some.
S1: Verse number three Jesus still saves. Number four, the Bible
S1: is still God's word. Number five prayer still changes things.
S1: Number six Jesus still loves us. Number seven preaching is
S1: still God's method. Number eight his grace is still sufficient.
S1: Number nine God still inhabits praise. Number ten and 11
S1: his yoke is easy and his burden is light. And
S1: don't forget the last one. There's still room at the
S1: cross for you. Mm. Hmm. Now notice. Notice with me. Number.
S1: Number which one? I'm on number five. I got three
S1: more notice. God says, have no fear. I'm here because
S1: of his presence. Listen to what he says. Fear not,
S1: for I am with thee. I will bring thy seed
S1: from the east, from the west, all of that. Notice
S1: what he said. Verse one I have called thee by
S1: thy name thou art thine. Verse two I will be
S1: with thee. Twice I will be with thee. Wait a minute, God.
S1: I will be with thee. I will be with thee.
S1: I will be with thee, I guess. One for the father,
S1: one for the son, one for the Holy Ghost. Blessed.
S1: 3 in 1. And then he says, fear not. Now
S1: somebody who's been here who studies their Bible, tell me,
S1: holler it out nice and loud. Everybody that knows it.
S1: How many fear knots are there in the Bible?
S4: 365.
S1: You don't. Only true, who knows it? How many fear
S1: knots in the Bible? What is that one for? Every day.
S1: So if you're fearful, just go in. You don't have
S1: to use the scripture over again. Just grab one. Fear not,
S1: fear not, fear not, fear not. Why? Because of the
S1: presence of God. Now I wonder how many of you
S1: know that God never was, was, and that God always
S1: is is. We studied on Wednesday. Some of y'all would
S1: never be able to hear anything. Uh, on a Wednesday. Um,
S1: you know, because you you with Cookie on Wednesday rather
S1: than with with with the Holy Ghost. Amen. So here's
S1: what we learned. We said, why do they use the
S1: name Jehovah? Because the word literally means higher. Means he was.
S1: Hova means being in Hebrew, and Yahi means he will be.
S1: So they chose the name Jehovah because the name means future,
S1: present past that he's a God of eternity. So they
S1: said the best way to tell us who he is
S1: in a name is to take the past, present and
S1: future and jam it all together. And when you jam
S1: it all together, you get the name Jehovah, the one
S1: who is. And that's it. So what are you saying?
S1: I'm saying listen, he's the eternal contemporary. God knows what's
S1: going to happen tomorrow. Yesterday. That's good stuff, pastor. Thank you.
S1: I think so too. Amen. Amen. And then I went
S1: through Scripture and I said, everywhere you look, the presence
S1: of God. Okay. Well, if you look back, what do
S1: you see? Jesus dying for you. That's what it tells
S1: us in Galatians 220, who loved me and gave himself
S1: for me? When you look beside you, what do you
S1: see Jesus with you? Psalm 23 four yea, though I
S1: walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will
S1: fear no evil, for thou art with me. When you
S1: look around you, what do you see encircled by Jesus?
S1: Because the Bible says, we are in Christ by the
S1: baptizing work of the Holy Spirit. First Corinthians 1213 when
S1: you look inside, what do you see Christ in you?
S1: The hope of glory, according to Colossians 127 and 28,
S1: when you look up, what do you see? According to
S1: Hebrews 725, I see Christ on the right hand of
S1: the father praying for me. When you look ahead, what
S1: do you see? I see Christ coming for me. First
S1: Thessalonians chapter 413 through 18. And when I look under me,
S1: what do I see? I see Christ holding me up
S1: on Christ, the solid rock I stand. All other ground
S1: is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand. Yeah.
S2: I don't know whether to laugh or to burst into song.
S2: You're listening to Treasure Truth with Pastor Ford and a
S2: message called Have No Fear. God is here, and we're
S2: going to get back to this teaching in just a moment.
S2: If you've not done so before, I hope you'll come
S2: to our website and then like us on Facebook and
S2: follow us on Twitter. We'll link you to those. And
S2: that would be a great way for us to be
S2: able to interact. You can also give us your feedback
S2: by coming to the website and clicking on the contact link.
S2: Our website address is Treasure Truth Radio. All right, let's
S2: get back to the message from Isaiah 43. Again, here
S2: is Pastor Ford.
S1: Let me give you these last two. But but you know,
S1: it's like each one of these verses could have been
S1: a sermon. You say, how so? Because then if I
S1: were talking about his presence, this verse talks about it's
S1: a powerful presence. It's a perpetual presence. He never leaves
S1: you nor forsake. It's a participating presence. It's the manifested presence.
S1: I know you're saying we want God to show up
S1: in our worship. Isn't he already here? Isn't the omnipresent. Yeah,
S1: but that don't mean he going to show up in
S1: his manifested presence. That don't mean he's going to come
S1: and minister to us and walk the aisles and touch
S1: our hearts.
S4: Mm.
S1: Then it's a personal presence. Yeah. They said we have
S1: to hold on. He said children, have you any meat?
S1: We have toiled all night and caught nothing. Uh oh.
S1: What starts with we will always end in nothing. But
S1: what starts with Jesus will always end the success. They said, we.
S1: We know these waters. We should have caught some fish.
S1: We caught nothing. Yeah. What you're doing apart from me
S1: doesn't work. But he said, cast the nets on the
S1: other side of the boat. And they caught 153 fish.
S1: Because he wants us to understand his presence makes the difference.
S1: Then the promises of God. Verse six. The promises of God.
S1: He focuses on the promises. Listen to this. I will
S1: say to the North, give up to the south. Keep
S1: not back. Bring my sons from afar and my daughters
S1: from the ends of the earth. What's that all about?
S1: That's a part of the Abrahamic Covenant that he would
S1: always constitute Israel as a nation. And so now he's
S1: going back to that promise. It's a different aspect of
S1: it because they're in the diaspora. And he's saying, I
S1: don't care what your situation has been. Can I just
S1: say something without being political or focusing on race? Do
S1: you realize who you are? Black people? 8 million. That's
S1: the number I got died in the middle passage. Didn't
S1: make it over 3 million. You are part of the
S1: people who survive. Horrible, devastating thing. Let me just say it. Here's.
S1: Here's a promise. You say, what's going on here? Listen,
S1: if you needed a ride to church and you said, uh,
S1: you know, hey, hey, hey, hey, elder Green, would you
S1: scoop me on the way? He said, I'll scoop you.
S1: Then all of a sudden, Minister Dave calls me and says, hey, pastor,
S1: you need a ride? What am I going to say
S1: to him? I already have a ride. No I don't.
S1: I have the promise of a ride. I don't really
S1: have a ride, but I said I have a ride
S1: because I believe what the person told me that their
S1: credibility and integrity will back up the words that they
S1: told me. Now, if he said, do you need a ride?
S1: And I don't trust his word. And then he called
S1: me after and said, do you need a ride? Yeah,
S1: I need a ride. I gotta call Elder Green. Elder green,
S1: don't worry about it. I'm cool, man, I'm cool. Why?
S1: Because I believe his word. Do you believe God's word?
S4: Yeah.
S1: Because when you don't stand on it, it means you
S1: don't believe it. It means you don't trust him. And
S1: God has made a promise to us. We think God's
S1: like some of us. We made promises. Do you so
S1: and so. Take so and so to be your lawfully
S1: wedded wife, to have and to hold in sickness, health,
S1: poverty and health until death do you part? I do.
S4: Right now.
S1: Okay. Are you divorced people? Don't holler it out. That liar.
S1: She lied. Do you swear to tell the whole truth
S1: and nothing but the truth, so help you God? I do,
S1: is the information listed here on your 1040 true? If
S1: it is. Sign here. You heard about that? Pastor of
S1: the IRS called him and said. Your member said they
S1: gave $25,000 to the church last year. Did they? He said, oh,
S1: they will. We're behind you, pastor. Just don't tell how
S1: far behind we are. Oh, I'll serve in this ministry faithfully.
S1: How about this one? The check is in the mail. Oh,
S1: here's a good one. Baby, you're the only one for me.
S4: Mhm.
S1: God is good on his word. He keeps his promises. See?
S1: Salvation in the Old Testament. The lambs and goats were
S1: the promises of a Redeemer who would come. And so
S1: God wrote a check. Uh, which is really a worthless
S1: piece of paper. It's only as valid as the amount
S1: of cash in the bank. And so what I've had won.
S1: And so God post-dated a cheque. Calvary. So that everybody
S1: who was in the Old Testament until Jesus came could
S1: look forward to the coming of the Messiah, Jesus. And
S1: so every time they went to the temple, they had
S1: that post-dated cheque. The cheque is in the mail. But
S1: when Jesus died on Calvary, uh, a new sign went up. Uh,
S1: Jesus said it is finished. It means to blessed. Paid
S1: in full. Guess what? The cash is in the bank
S1: because of Calvary. God is good on his word. We
S1: need to be like Caleb in Joshua chapter 14. Remember
S1: what Caleb said Caleb said. He said, let me tell
S1: you something. Give me my mountain. Because God promised to
S1: me 45 years ago. And, uh, even though I'm 85,
S1: I want my mountain because God is good for his word.
S4: Amen.
S1: And they said, you're an old man. How man. How
S1: are you going to take it? You remember what he said?
S1: The same strength I had 45 years ago. The same
S1: strength I got now. Power of the Holy Ghost don't diminish.
S1: They ain't got nothing to do with your age.
S4: Yeah.
S1: Let me go on and get y'all out of here.
S1: Here's the last one. I'm going to drop em. I
S1: ain't going to push em. The purposes of God. Now,
S1: you listen to this. Just let me read. Can I
S1: read this to you? Say, read it to us. Thank you.
S1: Everyone that is called by my name. For I have
S1: created him for my glory. I have formed him. Yea,
S1: I have made him. You see what he's saying? You
S1: got a purpose. You got a divine purpose. And I
S1: just came to tell somebody. Today the fire is raging
S1: to bring that purpose out of you. I just went
S1: through the scriptures, got a few folk because Jacob, uh,
S1: he had Israel in him. Uh, but it took the
S1: fire of Laban's hate and the fire of Esau's revenge
S1: to bring it out. But when he wrestled with God,
S1: it came out and Jacob became Israel. Joseph had seeds
S1: of greatness in him, and he took the fire of
S1: the pit and Potiphar in the prison to bring out
S1: the palace in him. Gideon hiding in a winepress, scared
S1: of the enemy, acting like Pee-Wee Herman. But he had
S1: Rambo in him, and God used 135,000 Midianites when he
S1: only had 300 men to bring the Rambo out of him.
S1: You know the end of what happened. Peter acted like
S1: a coward, but he had courage in him. And he
S1: took the denial fire and the fire of desertion and
S1: the fire of the Holy Spirit to turn him into
S1: somebody who turned Jerusalem out and preach the Word of God.
S1: So that 3000 people got saved on the day of
S1: Pentecost and wrote two books in the Bible, and mentored
S1: somebody who had fallen by the name of John Mark,
S1: so that he became the first gospel ever written in
S1: the New Testament. And then don't forget about our elder
S1: brother Jesus Christ, because it took the fire of Calvary's
S1: cross to bring out the payment for our sin through
S1: his precious blood, and to restore us in our relationship
S1: with God. I just want to read it to you.
S1: Imma close just by letting the scripture speak for itself today.
S1: Listen to what it says. It says in hope maketh
S1: not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad
S1: in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given
S1: unto us. For when we were without strength, in due
S1: time Christ died for the ungodly, for scarcely for a
S1: righteous man will one die. Yet peradventure for a good
S1: man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth
S1: his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,
S1: Christ died for us much more. Then, being now justified
S1: by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
S1: For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to
S1: God by the death of his son, much more being reconciled,
S1: we shall be saved by his life, And not only so,
S1: but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
S1: by whom we have now received the atonement. Yes. I
S1: don't know what you're going through. I don't know what
S1: the problem is. The fire is raging, but you are
S1: God's lodgepole pine cone. Seeds of greatness is being released.
S1: Your purpose is becoming clearer. Your destiny is before you.
S1: And I'll. The ashes of the debris. It's all around you.
S1: They'll show. Grow. The green, lush, fertile fruit that's brought
S1: about through faithfulness in the world you shall have tribulation,
S1: but be of good cheer. Jesus said, I have overcome
S1: the world.
S2: It's really a message of hope that we all need
S2: to hold on to. You're listening to Treasure Truth with
S2: Pastor James Ford Jr and a message called have no fear.
S2: God is here. Well, Pastor Ford's back in the studio
S2: with me here. And pastors, I sit in the Moody
S2: Radio Studios. I'm just reminded of the legacy of Moody Radio,
S2: how God has used Moody Radio for years and years,
S2: generations really, to share the gospel message.
S3: Oh, yeah. And you know, we want to see that continue. Steve. Yeah.
S3: I mean, we hear from so many listeners who have
S3: benefited from listening to this teaching ministry, and if you're
S3: listening and you're one of them, would you consider paying
S3: it forward? Steve talked about the fact that we have
S3: a legacy, a long lasting legacy. And if the Lord
S3: has used this program in your life. You can help
S3: cover our production costs by giving a one time gift,
S3: or becoming a monthly partner today, so that we can
S3: continue to be here in the future for others who
S3: need to hear the truth of God's Word.
S2: Now you can pay it forward right now. Just come
S2: to the website. It's Treasure Truth radio.org. You're going to
S2: see a donate link there. Go ahead and click on that.
S2: And that can be a one time gift. Or you
S2: can give a reoccurring monthly gift that really helps us
S2: be great stewards of how God is going to bless
S2: this ministry financially. So go ahead. Come to treasure Truth
S2: radio.org and look for that donate link. Thanks for doing that.
S2: Thanks for listening and thanks also to our Bible teacher,
S2: Pastor Ford, and our producers, Amy Rios and Ryan McConaughey.
S2: I'm Steve Hiller. Treasure truth is a production of Moody Radio,
S2: a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.