S1: Is that not my salvation? That Jesus Christ paid the
S1: price for me? And then he blessed me. With what?
S1: With all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in himself. Ephesians
S1: one three. That is, our redemption is so rich.
S2: You're listening to Treasure Truth with pastor and author James Ford,
S2: junior senior pastor of the Christ Bible Church in Chicago.
S2: I'm Steve Hillard. Glad you're with us today as we
S2: continue the message. The richness in redemption. And, pastor, I'm
S2: glad we're going to spend a little time talking about
S2: what is ours in redemption in Christ, because I think
S2: sometimes we understand that it is the forgiveness of sins.
S2: So I am redeemed by Christ. I've been forgiven for
S2: the sins I've committed. And then what? What else is mine?
S3: Uh, well, I like what, uh, Doctor Lewis Sperry Chafer
S3: from Dallas said, you know, he's a great theologian, and
S3: he has a book out that talks about 34 automatic
S3: operations of the Holy Spirit the moment he comes into
S3: our life. So, for example, just take one, take adoption.
S2: Okay.
S3: And Paul was a plagiarist to the max. He took
S3: things from the Greek and elevated them and gave them
S3: a spiritual significance in many of the cases. And so
S3: very powerful stuff. Well, Roman adoption, you had to have
S3: things like, for example, your biological child could be disinherited.
S3: Your adopted child could not. Yeah. You see. And so
S3: we've been adopted, you know, and accepted in the beloved.
S3: And so God the Father accepts us as his children.
S3: So we're adopted. We're sealed until the day of redemption.
S3: We're regenerated. We're baptized. And and so, I mean, our
S3: salvation is so rich.
S2: Yeah. And, uh, wish we had time to get into
S2: the other 33, but we don't. So let's get into
S2: first Peter chapter one as we continue the message. The
S2: richness in redemption. Here is Pastor Ford.
S1: Now, I want to see how many listen to me
S1: at Bible study. You have God's name and creation. What
S1: is it? Elohim. That's right. Elohim. That's his primary name
S1: in creation. In the beginning, Elohim created the heavens and
S1: the earth. What's God's primary name in redemption? Yahweh. That's right.
S1: Yahweh or Jehovah. So then in chapter one, when creation
S1: breaks open in the pages of Scripture, in the beginning,
S1: God notice God doesn't try to prove himself. He only
S1: declares that he is. Alright. And so. But where does
S1: he reveal his name in redemption chapter two. Now, of course,
S1: I'm a Bible teacher and I want to know. Wait
S1: a minute. Man doesn't need redemption until chapter three. Why
S1: does he reveal his name in redemption in chapter two? Well,
S1: you all know it well, don't you? Yes. Because salvation
S1: was not an afterthought with God. It was a forethought
S1: with God. And God wanted everybody to know before you
S1: ever knew you needed a Savior, I provided you one.
S1: Revelation says He's the Lamb of God that was slain
S1: before the foundation. Look how good God is. The richness
S1: of redemption is that he has provided this. This is
S1: supposed to be a true story. I tried to find out, uh,
S1: Brother Billy, if it was, uh. But I couldn't find out, so.
S1: So I just say I got it out of, uh,
S1: my today in the word. That's a moody publication. So,
S1: you know, Moody is the name you could trust. You
S1: know what I'm saying? And so this prince of Dubai
S1: came over here and started getting coffee, and he would
S1: go to the coffee shop, and every day he would
S1: give them a $20 tip for a $5 cup of coffee.
S1: So after a while this went on for a couple
S1: of weeks. So finally they said, you know, can we
S1: just talk to him? Listen. Uh, you don't seem to
S1: be from here, but you don't give a $20 tip
S1: for a $5 cup of coffee, and you do it
S1: every day. We just don't want to be taking advantage
S1: of you. He said no, I like the way you do. Coffee.
S1: And so I kept coming in and kept coming in. Uh,
S1: but you don't know it. I bought this place, and
S1: now what I want to do is not give you
S1: a $20 tip. I want to sign it over to
S1: you so that you own it. If you will come
S1: to Dubai and teach my people how to make coffee.
S1: That you know what? Is that not my salvation? That
S1: Jesus Christ paid the price for me? And then he
S1: blessed me. With what? With all spiritual blessings in heavenly
S1: places in himself. Ephesians one three. That is, our redemption
S1: is so rich. Yes, we sometimes don't understand it. How
S1: God can be so generous with us, so gracious with us.
S1: So good to us. Okay, I'll speak for myself. Because
S1: I say to myself, I don't see how God could
S1: be so good to me and treat me like he
S1: treats me. When I treat him like I treat him. Alright.
S1: And no matter how I treat him, God always treats
S1: me better. And the old preacher said it this way.
S1: He's better than me. You heard that old preacher too.
S1: Then I bend to my self. And so this plan
S1: of redemption, he says, listen, you, you need to understand.
S1: Calvary is man at his worst and God at his best.
S1: And let me just say this. Whenever you have your
S1: back against the wall, remember Christ's back was to the cross.
S1: So the Bible tells us that we have this plan
S1: that God has given to us. Here it is, here
S1: it is, here it is. Notice, thirdly, in the richness
S1: of our redemption, notice the personalization of redemption. We find
S1: it in verse 18, verse 20. See verse 21. Uh,
S1: what does it tell us? Uh, that it's not automatic, uh,
S1: that we have to receive Jesus Christ as our personal
S1: Lord and Savior. Well, pastor, aren't we all God's children?
S1: I heard we're all God's children. No. No. Now we're
S1: all God's creation. Yes. Okay, what if I said to
S1: you I made this pulpit? Now, don't think about the fact,
S1: you know, I don't have the skills. But what if
S1: I really did? And I said, let me introduce you
S1: to my son. What would you say? The lights are on,
S1: but nobody's home. Pastor's elevator doesn't go to the top
S1: floor anymore. Clearly, that is not his son. He may
S1: have made it, but it's not his son now. Why
S1: is it not my son? Because it does not have
S1: my life in it. Alright. You and I must realize. Yes,
S1: you are God's by creation. Let me tell you the story.
S1: Let me tell you the story. Uh, two little boys, uh,
S1: were up around the outer drive. Older brother was fishing.
S1: The younger brother was messing with his boat in the water.
S1: He had made this boat. It was really, really a
S1: nice looking boat. He had carved his initials in it,
S1: JK James Cooper. And he was playing with it. And
S1: a wind came up and started going out to sea.
S1: And he said to his brother, my boat. My boat
S1: is gone. His brother said, nothing I can do about it. Well,
S1: about a week later he was walking down 79th Street.
S1: Walked past the pawn shop and in the window of
S1: the pawn shop was his boat. He ran inside. He said, Mister,
S1: that's my boat. I made it. See? Look, Jake. Those
S1: are my initials, I made that. Pawnshop owner said son. Uh, no. No.
S1: The only way you get this boat is you buy it.
S1: He said, but it's mine. I really I can't help that, son.
S1: You have to buy this boat. How much? He said
S1: that boat's $9. Little boy went home, broke over his
S1: life savings. His piggy bank. $9. Went back and bought
S1: that boat. Here's what they heard him say as he
S1: was walking out the door. I have you back your mind,
S1: but your mind twice. You see, I created you and
S1: carved my initials in you. But you got lost. But
S1: I found you. And then when I found you, I
S1: had to buy you back. So you're my. You're God's twice.
S1: If you are a believer, you're his by virtue of creation.
S1: Because he created us and carved into us what is
S1: called in the Latin the imago dei, the image of God.
S1: Every person has personality, intellect, emotion, will free more agency
S1: and trichotomy. Every person has that. But then when we
S1: go to Calvary, get washed in the blood, we're born
S1: again by the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit becomes
S1: resident with the privilege of being president when we make
S1: him Lord. And now his life is in us. And
S1: so some of us are his twice, once by virtue
S1: of creation, the second by virtue of Calvary. Praise God,
S1: I'm his twice. See, every believer ought to have two birthdays. One,
S1: your mother told you about the other you tell your
S1: mama about. Yeah. Folks say to me, you remember when
S1: you got saved and you know, and I. Look, I'm
S1: not tripping. I'm not tripping. Did you hear what I said?
S1: I said I ain't tripping. Yeah. So if you say
S1: you don't remember when you got saved. Okay, I got
S1: to go along with that. As long as you know
S1: now that you are saved. But for the life of me,
S1: I can't understand how you could get saved and don't
S1: know when you got saved. Yes. Alright, let me see
S1: if I can remember. Um. September 29th, 1974. Between 11:30 a.m.
S1: 12:00 pm. Uh, at 7372 from motorway Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15208I
S1: was on the right side. She was on the left
S1: side of the bed. I was on the right side
S1: of the bed, the side closest to the window. Alright,
S1: now I vaguely remember my salvation. Yeah. It's like I
S1: met Jesus. My world was turned upside down. Yes. And
S1: so if you're here today, here's the good news. Come on.
S1: Can we do it together? Okay, so who is Jesus? Jesus.
S1: God in the flesh, who died, was buried, rose again,
S1: ascended into heaven, seated at the right hand of the father,
S1: making intercession for us according to the will of God.
S1: Our soon coming King. Who is Jesus? He's God in
S1: the flesh, who died, was buried, but rose again the
S1: third day, ascended into heaven, seated at the right hand
S1: of the father, making intercession for us according to the
S1: will of God. Our soon coming King. Mhm. Yes he is.
S1: Yes he is. Yes he is.
S2: You're listening to Treasure Truth with Pastor Ford. A message
S2: called The Richness in Redemption. And we'll get back to
S2: hearing more about the soon coming King in just a moment.
S2: If you ever miss a broadcast or part of one,
S2: you can come to our website and listen to each
S2: and every program in its entirety. Just come to Treasure
S2: Truth radio org. You can download MP3 order copies of
S2: this broadcast on CD, or simply stream the programs through
S2: your computer or mobile device. You also find links to
S2: be able to listen through the Moody Radio app. You'll
S2: find that in a lot more when you come to
S2: treasure Truth Radio. Back to the message again. Here is
S2: Pastor Ford.
S1: And so then. Born once, die twice, born twice, die once. Maybe.
S1: What's the maybe the rapture of the church? Everybody's not
S1: going to see death. Oh, Lord. All believers have wanted
S1: to be in that number. Yes. I'm no different. Here's
S1: the last one. Here's the last one. Here's the last one.
S1: Because he talks about several things the commitment necessary, the
S1: content and the confidence. And so he says, listen, we
S1: we have confidence in this. We are assured. I know
S1: there's no other way. I know that if you say
S1: that you're going to heaven and you don't know Jesus. Liar, liar.
S1: Pants on fire. Hallelujah. You're not going to heaven without
S1: Jesus Christ. Amen. Now, here's the last one. The Practice
S1: of redemption. I want you to notice how he ties
S1: our eternal life with our temporal life. He's saying, if
S1: you have eternal life, you ought to be living a
S1: certain way in your temporal life. Now, I had something
S1: put together, but I'm not going to say it because
S1: this morning, uh, you know, they got real quiet on me.
S1: I could tell it was offensive. And you know me,
S1: I don't like to offend anyone. And so I'm not
S1: going to say it, but if you're a Christian, there's
S1: some things that need to be straightened out. You say what,
S1: Pastor Ford? Well, I said I wasn't going to say it,
S1: but if I was going to say it, I would
S1: have said stuff like, your name's written in the Lamb's
S1: Book of life, but you got two last names on
S1: your mailbox. That's not the practice of redemption. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
S1: You slept in a bed last night, but it wasn't
S1: your own. Yeah, I was going to say, but I'm
S1: not going to say that because folk get mad about that. Yeah, yeah,
S1: you got the Bible in your hand, but you got
S1: lottery tickets in your pocket. In your purse. That's true.
S1: You talk like a Christian. You dress like a ho. Mhm.
S1: You shouting today. But you were shocking last night. Mhm.
S1: You aren't low down but you are on the down low.
S1: I'm not going to say it. You trying to encourage me.
S1: I'm not going to say you whispered a prayer this morning.
S1: But it was laced with the alcohol from last night.
S1: You didn't want to lift your hands in praise in
S1: the sanctuary, because you still got the stamp from the
S1: red diamond. Come on, man. Say how you know about
S1: the red diamond. How many know what the red diamond is?
S1: Or ain't nobody going to raise your hand now? You
S1: know what the red diamond is one of the most
S1: popular strip clubs in Chicago. Say, how do you know
S1: about it, pastor? People be telling me about it. Yeah. Yeah. Mhm.
S1: So you say the Holy Spirit is in you and
S1: you're still buying hot merchandise. Alright, let me leave you alone.
S1: You say thank you. In other words, there is a
S1: standard that you must have. And there's a life that
S1: you must live. Now listen, listen, listen. It would be okay. Uh,
S1: sister Cherise Jackson, she works at the UIC College of Dentistry. So? So,
S1: you know, on our Yahoo group, we send out, uh,
S1: notices of jobs. Like, this week alone, I sent out
S1: four different places hiring people. Now, this is what I.
S1: This is what this is what she sent. Free dental screening,
S1: UIC College of Dentistry. no appointment necessary and in the
S1: date and time patients. Needed by dental students for licensing.
S1: Exam screening includes free. Faculty selected X-rays and limited screening
S1: exam patients selected. Qualify for treatment only on days of
S1: licensing exam so giving you the qualifications. You know this
S1: is the standard. Please bring one form of ID please
S1: bring current list of medications. Here's the next phrase and
S1: see I highlighted. If you can see it you see
S1: a little yellow mark I highlighted because when I got
S1: it I said, oh no they didn't. Here's the next qualification.
S1: Must have teeth to qualify. Now come on. I mean
S1: isn't that a no brainer right? No, but but guess what?
S1: There were some people who actually came before who had
S1: no teeth. They didn't get it. Listen. Abundant life begins
S1: when you accept Christ. Here's what second Corinthians 517 therefore,
S1: if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature.
S1: Old things have old things. Old things have old things.
S1: That old things have all. Come on, come on, come on.
S1: Hit me. You know, because I'm stuck. Old things are
S1: all things are. You got to come hit me. Old
S1: things are old. Things are old. Things are passed away.
S1: And all things have become new. If you've been saved
S1: for five years and nothing has changed. You may be
S1: professing salvation. I doubt if you're possessing salvation. Come on, man. See,
S1: people want to want to say they're saved and live
S1: like yard dogs. No no no no. Christ. Gotta be
S1: doing something. Something's gotta change. Let me close. You've been
S1: so gracious. That's enough for today. Listen, when Oliver Cromwell
S1: was running England, they were in a war to seize
S1: that country and to put it back on its right track.
S1: Any soldier caught sleeping was executed. This young man fell
S1: asleep at his post and was brought to Oliver Cromwell.
S1: His mother and his fiancée came. He was supposed to
S1: be married. And they began to plead for his life.
S1: And they said, please don't, don't, don't, don't, don't execute him.
S1: And Oliver Cromwell said, the morale of my army would
S1: be destroyed. I need to execute him. Everybody knows you
S1: fall asleep on guard duty. You're executed. And they begged
S1: and pleaded for mercy. He wouldn't give him any. He
S1: said when that town bell rings six times, signifying at
S1: 6 a.m. in the morning, he's going to be executed.
S1: Everybody's gathered there. His mother's there, but his fiancee's not there.
S1: Everybody assumes she doesn't want to see this young man executed,
S1: and she can't bear to watch her fiance executed. So
S1: they're waiting, and at 6:00, and they're waiting for the
S1: ringing of the bell. But it doesn't ring. So they're
S1: waiting five after it doesn't ring. Ten after it doesn't ring.
S1: Finally Cromwell says, what's going on? Why didn't the bell ring?
S1: And the mother said, remember you said when the bell
S1: rings and the bell didn't ring? So he has to
S1: be set free. And Cromwell said, you're right, and set
S1: the young man free. They watched, coming around the corner.
S1: His fiancee and her hands were limp and drenched with
S1: blood and bleeding, manacled, crushed because she had grabbed that clapper.
S1: And instead of that bell ringing to signal his destruction,
S1: she allowed that bell to crush her hands. And even
S1: as the pain, excruciating pain was going through her body,
S1: all she could think about. I'm saving the one that
S1: I love. I'm saving the one that I love. And
S1: when she came around that corner, the evidence of her
S1: love was clearly seen in the blood that was dripping
S1: in the hands that were mangled. I just came to
S1: remind you today that Jesus Christ grabbed the bell of
S1: God's destructive wrath. And instead of it coming on us
S1: for our execution every time, the bell would toll. Jesus
S1: Christ is holding it. And he's saying, I'm doing it
S1: for the one I love, that if I don't go
S1: to the cross and shed my blood, my bride is
S1: going to die. So Jesus Christ went to Calvary, shed
S1: his blood for you and for me. I want you
S1: to think about this, that whenever we die and go
S1: to heaven, mortal shall put on immortality. Uh, yeah. So
S1: there's no more death, and natural shall put on supernatural.
S1: So there are no more boundaries. And the the terrestrial
S1: shall put on the celestial. And so we will be
S1: those who will be in a glorified body. But for
S1: all of eternity there's going to be one man with
S1: prints in his hands and nail prints in his feet,
S1: and a spear print in his side to say to
S1: you and I for all of eternity, as we worship
S1: him and praise him every time we look at him,
S1: the marks of the love of Jesus Christ will be
S1: seen throughout all eternity. And every time in heaven we
S1: look at him on the throne. He loved me. He
S1: loved me. He loved me. And he loved me so
S1: much that he died for me.
S2: You're listening to Treasure Truth with Pastor James Ford Jr.
S2: And a message that he's called the richness in redemption.
S2: You know, for additional teaching and resources, you can come
S2: to our website, Treasure Truth Radio. You know, with so
S2: many competing truth claims out there, why trust the Bible?
S2: Chances are you've encountered a question like this from friends
S2: or coworkers who are skeptical about Christianity. But you know,
S2: there are satisfying answers to this question. But do you
S2: have those answers? You know you can in the book,
S2: Why Believe the Bible? By trusted teacher Doctor John MacArthur,
S2: you'll not only learn why we can believe the Bible.
S2: You'll also learn how to get the most from God's
S2: Word by trusting it as a source of truth and freedom.
S2: Contact us today with a gift of any amount and
S2: we'll send you this book. Again, it's called Why Believe
S2: the Bible? By Doctor John MacArthur. Call us at 888644
S2: 7660 or go online to Treasure Truth Radio.com. Why? Trust
S2: the Bible is a book that every Christian should read,
S2: but it's also perfect for handing out to a friend
S2: or loved one who has questions about God. Someone who
S2: wants to go deeper in their understanding. So give us
S2: a call with the gift of any size, and we'll
S2: say thank you with a copy of this book. Again,
S2: our phone number is 888644 7660. And our website is
S2: Treasure Truth radio.org. And thanks for helping us keep this
S2: teaching ministry on the air. I'm Steve Hiller. Our producer
S2: is Amy Rios. Join us again tomorrow as we begin
S2: a message called midnight at midday. That's on Treasure Truth
S2: with Pastor Ford. A production of Moody Radio, a ministry
S2: of Moody Bible Institute.