WEBVTT - Have No Fear, God Is Here, Part 5 0:00:00.480 --> 0:00:03.920 Is there anybody in here who ever went through anything? 0:00:03.920 --> 0:00:07.440 And the first thing you thought is, God, you said 0:00:07.440 --> 0:00:09.880 you love me. If you love me, why am I 0:00:09.920 --> 0:00:13.840 going through? And he's saying, you're questioning my love because 0:00:13.840 --> 0:00:16.280 I let it come into your life. I let it 0:00:16.280 --> 0:00:18.239 come into your life because I love you. 0:00:25.000 --> 0:00:28.200 This is treasure truth with pastor and author James Ford Jr, 0:00:28.240 --> 0:00:31.360 senior pastor of Christ Bible Church in Chicago. I'm Steve Hillard. 0:00:31.360 --> 0:00:33.519 Glad you're with us. As we continue to look at 0:00:33.520 --> 0:00:37.360 Isaiah 43 today in a message. Have no fear. God 0:00:37.400 --> 0:00:40.279 is here. And pastor, I think most of us, if 0:00:40.280 --> 0:00:43.160 we're going to be honest, me included, would say, yeah, 0:00:43.200 --> 0:00:47.200 when that pain hit my life, I wondered, God, why 0:00:47.200 --> 0:00:49.040 in the world are you letting me go through this? 0:00:49.040 --> 0:00:51.760 If you love me, why are you letting me go 0:00:51.760 --> 0:00:54.160 through this? But you're saying we need to change the 0:00:54.160 --> 0:00:56.800 way we're thinking about that? If God's letting us go 0:00:56.800 --> 0:00:59.920 through that painful thing you're saying, ultimately it's because he 0:00:59.920 --> 0:01:00.800 does love us. 0:01:00.880 --> 0:01:06.000 Yes, I'm saying that everything that God allows to come 0:01:06.000 --> 0:01:10.400 into our life is because he loves us. Now see, 0:01:10.760 --> 0:01:16.120 here's the problem. Sometimes our definition of love is skewed 0:01:16.840 --> 0:01:20.960 because I would if you say, well, what's your definition 0:01:20.959 --> 0:01:24.560 of love? That if you love me, you never do 0:01:24.560 --> 0:01:29.040 anything to hurt me, to harm me. You never let 0:01:29.040 --> 0:01:32.640 anything come into my life that would disappoint me or 0:01:32.640 --> 0:01:38.080 discourage me. Uh, that's not that's not biblical love. Hmm. 0:01:38.640 --> 0:01:42.080 There's a whole lot of Ford in the Ford when 0:01:42.080 --> 0:01:46.440 there should be more Lord in Ford. And often what 0:01:46.520 --> 0:01:49.480 God has to do is use my circumstances as the 0:01:49.560 --> 0:01:54.200 hammer and the chisel in his hand to chip off 0:01:54.200 --> 0:01:58.160 the Ford so that people can see the Lord. And, uh, 0:01:58.160 --> 0:02:02.440 it's painful. I don't like it, get. But God does 0:02:02.440 --> 0:02:07.600 it because he is making me better, not bitter. And 0:02:08.040 --> 0:02:12.119 he's forming me into the image of Christ. I don't 0:02:12.120 --> 0:02:16.280 know what's ahead, but something is ahead where I'm going 0:02:16.280 --> 0:02:20.360 to need to be on a higher level of maturity 0:02:20.360 --> 0:02:23.200 to be able to deal with it. And it's like 0:02:23.240 --> 0:02:26.040 I used to I used to work out. And of course, 0:02:26.040 --> 0:02:28.840 you can see now my chest that was up around 0:02:28.840 --> 0:02:32.640 my chest area has slid down. It's now around my waist. 0:02:32.680 --> 0:02:34.680 Ah, I don't know. I still wouldn't want to mess 0:02:34.680 --> 0:02:35.080 with you. 0:02:36.400 --> 0:02:39.519 But I used to lift weights and I would lift 0:02:39.520 --> 0:02:43.120 them £5, you know, just. Just working out. But then 0:02:43.120 --> 0:02:46.080 £5 didn't work anymore, right? They had to go to ten. 0:02:46.480 --> 0:02:48.320 And then when ten stopped working, I had to go. 0:02:48.360 --> 0:02:54.040 That's the Christian walk that God is working things in us, 0:02:54.520 --> 0:02:58.679 out of us. And we need to know that's part 0:02:58.680 --> 0:03:03.790 of the development process. those trials, those tests, the tribulation. 0:03:03.990 --> 0:03:08.910 And as we are being exercised in these trials, we 0:03:08.910 --> 0:03:11.910 are getting stronger so we can look back and I 0:03:11.910 --> 0:03:15.150 can look back and say things that used to floor me, 0:03:15.790 --> 0:03:19.230 don't even faze me anymore, you know? And now I'm 0:03:19.230 --> 0:03:23.790 on to bigger problems and trials and tests. 0:03:23.830 --> 0:03:26.669 So you're saying that if our faith is being stretched 0:03:26.669 --> 0:03:28.790 and we're growing, that just means God's got bigger stuff 0:03:28.830 --> 0:03:29.550 coming our way. 0:03:29.630 --> 0:03:35.070 You know, I heard Doctor Ravi Zacharias say, whom God 0:03:35.070 --> 0:03:41.070 will use. He will always bruise. I believe that. 0:03:41.110 --> 0:03:41.430 Yeah. 0:03:41.870 --> 0:03:44.310 The more the bruising, the more the using. 0:03:44.670 --> 0:03:47.590 And that is something that is we're being bruised that 0:03:47.590 --> 0:03:50.470 we can hold on to. So let's open our Bibles 0:03:50.470 --> 0:03:54.070 to Isaiah 43 and just be reminded of the truth. 0:03:54.070 --> 0:03:57.390 We can have no fear because God is here. Here's 0:03:57.390 --> 0:03:58.230 Pastor Ford. 0:03:59.110 --> 0:04:01.030 Look at verse two. When you pass through the fire. 0:04:01.030 --> 0:04:03.110 I will be there. When you. When you pass through 0:04:03.110 --> 0:04:05.870 the waters, I will be with you. Notice what he says. 0:04:05.870 --> 0:04:11.110 You're going to go through it. Say when, not if. Amen. Amen. 0:04:11.230 --> 0:04:13.390 And notice what I said earlier. Don't promise you're going 0:04:13.390 --> 0:04:15.110 to get out. He don't promise it's going to be easy. 0:04:15.150 --> 0:04:16.950 He don't promise you're going to like it. He don't 0:04:16.950 --> 0:04:18.950 promise that it ain't going to be painful. He just 0:04:18.950 --> 0:04:22.510 promised one thing. You'll go into the water and you're 0:04:22.510 --> 0:04:24.630 going to get wet, but you ain't going to drown. 0:04:24.630 --> 0:04:28.070 And you go into the fire and you will not 0:04:28.070 --> 0:04:33.870 be burned. Alright, maybe you're going through the fire because 0:04:33.910 --> 0:04:37.510 God is trying to burn the earthly empire off of 0:04:37.510 --> 0:04:41.990 you so that you'll focus on the heavenly empire. Maybe 0:04:41.990 --> 0:04:45.550 it's because you got the wrong power. Maybe you got 0:04:45.550 --> 0:04:50.229 the power on TV 32 instead of the power of 0:04:50.230 --> 0:04:52.990 the Holy Spirit. Maybe it's because he's trying to keep 0:04:52.990 --> 0:04:54.990 you from a scandal. 0:04:55.910 --> 0:05:03.310 Come on, man. I thought I'd throw a little TV 0:05:03.310 --> 0:05:06.390 in there, get somebody mad at me. He talk about 0:05:06.390 --> 0:05:08.830 Empire scam? I don't know, he talking about. That's my show. 0:05:09.670 --> 0:05:11.870 Let's move on, he said. Because you're the property of God. 0:05:11.870 --> 0:05:14.870 Because you're the preservation of God. Number three, verse three, 0:05:14.910 --> 0:05:17.830 A listen to what he says. He says, for I 0:05:17.830 --> 0:05:19.990 am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, 0:05:19.990 --> 0:05:24.590 thy Savior. Stop! He says, the third reason that you 0:05:24.589 --> 0:05:26.870 don't have to have any fear is because of the 0:05:26.870 --> 0:05:31.590 person of God. He identifies himself. Why? He wants us 0:05:31.589 --> 0:05:35.429 to know that whatever is bigger than us, he's bigger 0:05:35.430 --> 0:05:38.950 than it. I'm so glad I've got a God who's 0:05:38.950 --> 0:05:43.910 bigger than what's bigger than I am. And so what 0:05:43.910 --> 0:05:45.830 does he do? Hey, look at this, look at this, 0:05:45.830 --> 0:05:48.630 look at this, look at this. Verse one. God is able. 0:05:48.670 --> 0:05:52.390 Verse two God is available. Verse three God is awesome. 0:05:52.950 --> 0:05:56.990 You know what he's telling us? Verse one. He's powerful. 0:05:56.990 --> 0:06:03.990 Verse two, he's present. Verse three, he's perfect. I told 0:06:03.990 --> 0:06:05.469 you this before, but I'm going to repeat it because 0:06:05.470 --> 0:06:08.110 I do use Google a lot. And a couple days 0:06:08.110 --> 0:06:10.110 ago my Google went out and I was I was 0:06:10.110 --> 0:06:12.630 calling everybody I can't get my Google back on. I 0:06:12.630 --> 0:06:15.510 can't get my Google on because I get a lot 0:06:15.550 --> 0:06:17.950 of information from Google. I just call them my phone. 0:06:17.990 --> 0:06:20.989 They say, what about let me Google it. And so 0:06:21.589 --> 0:06:23.550 my administrative assistant said, okay, we're going to teach you 0:06:23.550 --> 0:06:25.390 how to do this computer thing and get it together. 0:06:25.390 --> 0:06:26.990 You got to start doing your own stuff. So I 0:06:26.990 --> 0:06:28.710 started doing my own stuff. I wish I was like 0:06:28.710 --> 0:06:32.030 Brother Garland. He does all his own stuff on a computer, 0:06:32.070 --> 0:06:34.469 puts his PowerPoint together, everything. I can't do none of 0:06:34.470 --> 0:06:38.430 that yet, doc. And so I'm trying it. So I 0:06:38.430 --> 0:06:41.310 wanted to do a series called God Is Able, and 0:06:41.310 --> 0:06:42.950 I knew there was about 8 or 9 of them, 0:06:42.950 --> 0:06:44.790 but I said, there's gotta be more than what I know. 0:06:45.029 --> 0:06:48.950 And so I put punched in God is able and 0:06:48.950 --> 0:06:51.350 it said no reference is found. I said, that's what 0:06:51.350 --> 0:06:53.710 I'm talking about. I called up my administrator. I said, 0:06:53.710 --> 0:06:56.029 this thing is stupid. I said, I know at least 0:06:56.029 --> 0:06:58.469 4 or 5 of them. You know, God is able, 0:06:58.510 --> 0:07:01.430 you know, uh, but God is able to do exceedingly 0:07:01.430 --> 0:07:03.270 abundantly above all you know. And it didn't even pull 0:07:03.270 --> 0:07:06.190 up anything she said to me without missing a beat. 0:07:06.710 --> 0:07:11.470 Did you capitalize the G. I looked and it was 0:07:11.470 --> 0:07:16.030 a small G, and lo and behold, the stupid computer 0:07:16.030 --> 0:07:19.870 became a smart one, and the smart pastor became stupid 0:07:19.870 --> 0:07:22.750 because the computer was saying to me, I do not 0:07:22.790 --> 0:07:27.590 recognize a God who is able with a small G. 0:07:28.110 --> 0:07:32.390 What you gotta do is capitalize God, and once you 0:07:32.430 --> 0:07:36.710 capitalize God, then all the references came through. There were 0:07:36.710 --> 0:07:41.990 30 something references, but God. And I said, oh, I wonder, 0:07:41.990 --> 0:07:45.990 is the assembly like me walking around with a small G. 0:07:46.150 --> 0:07:49.950 And you need to change from a lowercase g to 0:07:49.990 --> 0:07:53.710 a uppercase G so that you can get some references, 0:07:53.710 --> 0:07:56.950 because God won't answer when you make him too small. 0:08:01.190 --> 0:08:06.710 I'm in Bible territory. And now unto him who is 0:08:06.710 --> 0:08:15.790 able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you could 0:08:15.830 --> 0:08:25.950 ask or think, according to the mighty working power in us. Now, now, 0:08:25.950 --> 0:08:28.070 I don't have time, but I gotta go through this 0:08:28.070 --> 0:08:30.150 because I'm a teacher, not a preacher. And I want 0:08:30.150 --> 0:08:31.870 you to see something here. I want you to see 0:08:31.870 --> 0:08:38.550 something that just blew me away. 13 I's in this pericope. 0:08:38.710 --> 0:08:42.070 Watch this. But now, thus saith the Lord that created thee, 0:08:42.070 --> 0:08:44.670 O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not, 0:08:44.670 --> 0:08:47.390 for I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by 0:08:47.390 --> 0:08:50.190 thy name thou art mine. When thou pass through the waters, 0:08:50.230 --> 0:08:52.110 I will be with you, and through the rivers they 0:08:52.110 --> 0:08:54.630 shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the fire, 0:08:54.670 --> 0:08:57.070 thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle 0:08:57.070 --> 0:08:59.270 upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the 0:08:59.270 --> 0:09:02.020 Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour. I gave Egypt for 0:09:02.020 --> 0:09:05.060 thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast 0:09:05.059 --> 0:09:07.820 precious in my sight, thou hast been honorable, and I 0:09:07.860 --> 0:09:10.260 have loved thee. Therefore I will give men for thee, 0:09:10.260 --> 0:09:12.660 and people for thy life. Fear not, for I am 0:09:12.660 --> 0:09:14.980 with thee. I will bring thy seed from the east, 0:09:15.220 --> 0:09:17.540 and gather thee from the west. I will say to 0:09:17.620 --> 0:09:20.300 the north, give up, and to the south keep not back. 0:09:20.300 --> 0:09:22.620 Bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the 0:09:22.620 --> 0:09:25.100 ends of the earth. Everyone that is called by my name. 0:09:25.100 --> 0:09:27.819 For I have created him for my glory I have 0:09:27.820 --> 0:09:35.700 formed him. Yea, I made him third eyes. Do you 0:09:35.700 --> 0:09:43.660 think that God is trying to get our attention? I 0:09:43.660 --> 0:09:49.300 think he is. And it's like sometimes what we do 0:09:49.740 --> 0:09:57.260 is we forget who gives us everything. It wasn't your job, 0:09:57.500 --> 0:10:03.979 it wasn't who you know. It wasn't your Edumacation James 0:10:03.980 --> 0:10:08.300 said it this way, he said, but every perfect gift 0:10:08.300 --> 0:10:11.820 comes from above, from the father of lights, in whom 0:10:11.820 --> 0:10:16.860 is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. We've got it twisted. 0:10:17.420 --> 0:10:23.620 We think it's agency and not source. Remember what God did. 0:10:24.340 --> 0:10:30.660 God had the ravens feed Elijah. And then the brook 0:10:30.660 --> 0:10:36.100 dried up and the ravens stopped coming. Why? One reason. 0:10:36.660 --> 0:10:39.620 Many reasons. But one of them is this. I can't 0:10:39.620 --> 0:10:43.179 have you thinking. And depending upon ravens and brooks. I 0:10:43.179 --> 0:10:46.100 can't have you looking at agency when I'm the source. 0:10:46.380 --> 0:10:50.220 So I gotta shut that down so that you won't 0:10:50.220 --> 0:10:53.939 be looking at Ravens and Brooks. And you'll look to me, 0:10:53.940 --> 0:10:57.300 and you will realize I'm the one that did it. 0:10:57.300 --> 0:11:00.220 So I'm going to supply a widow for you. And 0:11:00.220 --> 0:11:02.860 then on and on it goes. That's what God does. 0:11:02.900 --> 0:11:05.020 You ever hear that story about this guy? He went 0:11:05.020 --> 0:11:08.420 off to the service. And so every day he sent 0:11:08.420 --> 0:11:11.219 his boo a love letter. And he was in there 0:11:11.220 --> 0:11:13.100 for three years. Brother Dave in the Marine Corps. Gotta 0:11:13.100 --> 0:11:15.820 be a marine cause we were Marines. And, uh, for 0:11:15.820 --> 0:11:18.859 three years. That's a lot of letters, isn't it? Yeah, 0:11:18.900 --> 0:11:23.980 365 every year. Guess what she did? Say what she do. 0:11:24.460 --> 0:11:31.020 She married the mailman. Yeah, she got it twisted, didn't she? Yeah. 0:11:31.059 --> 0:11:34.500 The mailman kept giving her the love letter. Oh, well, 0:11:34.500 --> 0:11:35.380 let me move on. 0:11:38.900 --> 0:11:41.940 You're listening to Treasure Truth with pastor and author James 0:11:41.940 --> 0:11:45.340 Ford Junior. A message called have no fear. God is here. 0:11:45.340 --> 0:11:47.220 And we're going to get back to this teaching in 0:11:47.220 --> 0:11:49.340 just one moment. I want to let you know if 0:11:49.340 --> 0:11:51.180 you ever miss a broadcast, come to our website. You 0:11:51.179 --> 0:11:54.740 can always listen online at Treasure Truth Radio.com. You can 0:11:54.740 --> 0:11:57.540 also listen if you have the Moody Radio app. You'll 0:11:57.540 --> 0:11:59.900 find it at your favorite app store like iTunes or 0:12:00.020 --> 0:12:02.500 Google Play. We can link you to that when you 0:12:02.500 --> 0:12:07.540 come to our website. Again, it's Treasure Truth Radio. Well, 0:12:07.540 --> 0:12:10.179 we are in Isaiah 43, so join us there as 0:12:10.179 --> 0:12:11.460 we get back to the message. 0:12:12.780 --> 0:12:14.780 So notice this. Let me drop it. Let me drop it. 0:12:14.780 --> 0:12:18.059 Notice everything is about this person. Notice the character of 0:12:18.059 --> 0:12:20.339 this person. What's the character of this person for things 0:12:20.340 --> 0:12:25.380 he says here he talks about his invincibility, his immensity, 0:12:25.540 --> 0:12:30.300 his immutability, his imminency. Those are the four things that 0:12:30.300 --> 0:12:32.300 he names there when he says that those are all 0:12:32.300 --> 0:12:34.260 theological terms. I know you don't understand them, but the 0:12:34.260 --> 0:12:36.260 old preacher would say it this way he's so high, 0:12:36.380 --> 0:12:38.620 can't get over him so low. Can't get on him 0:12:38.620 --> 0:12:40.940 so wide, can't get around him. What is that? That's 0:12:40.940 --> 0:12:44.100 the transcendence of God. That God high and lifted up 0:12:44.100 --> 0:12:47.140 and above all of his creatures. He is the creator. 0:12:47.140 --> 0:12:48.860 What does it mean? He's so white? It's called the 0:12:48.860 --> 0:12:52.300 immensity of God that there's nowhere that God is not. 0:12:55.900 --> 0:13:01.100 He fills all time and space and then the ubiquity 0:13:01.100 --> 0:13:07.500 of God, that God is the God that is everywhere 0:13:07.820 --> 0:13:13.580 at the same time. Then notice the comprehensiveness of his person. 0:13:13.580 --> 0:13:15.459 What does this imply? Take my word for it. But 0:13:15.460 --> 0:13:19.820 you go through this. This seven verses covers our person, 0:13:19.820 --> 0:13:24.340 our pardon, our purity, our promotion, our protection, our prominence, 0:13:24.340 --> 0:13:28.380 and our posterity, those seven things. Look at the consistency 0:13:28.380 --> 0:13:31.420 of his person. The first verse are the eyes of 0:13:31.420 --> 0:13:35.219 the past. Two through five are the eyes of the present, 0:13:35.220 --> 0:13:37.939 and six and seven are the eyes of the future. 0:13:38.179 --> 0:13:41.940 Notice the comprehensiveness of his person. He identifies Himself as 0:13:41.940 --> 0:13:47.060 Jehovah Elohim, as Jehovah Shammah, as Jehovah, as Jehovah Shalom. 0:13:47.860 --> 0:13:54.020 This thing is powerful. But then notice with me number four. 0:13:54.059 --> 0:13:56.860 Fourth reason you don't have to fear because God is here. 0:13:56.860 --> 0:14:00.180 It is the passion or the love of God. Listen 0:14:00.179 --> 0:14:03.700 to this verse. Listen to this. He says, since thou 0:14:03.700 --> 0:14:07.260 was precious, put a pin there in my sight. Thou 0:14:07.260 --> 0:14:09.500 hast been honourable. Put a pin there, and I have 0:14:09.500 --> 0:14:12.180 loved thee. Put a pin there. Therefore will I give 0:14:12.179 --> 0:14:15.460 men for thee, and people for thy life. Now you 0:14:15.460 --> 0:14:18.260 gotta understand what God is saying here. Now let me 0:14:18.260 --> 0:14:20.100 just set it up this way, because we talk about 0:14:20.100 --> 0:14:21.420 the love of God all the time. Let me say 0:14:21.420 --> 0:14:22.940 it this way. Okay? Let me say it this way. 0:14:23.180 --> 0:14:27.300 Is there anybody in here who ever went through anything? 0:14:27.900 --> 0:14:32.460 And the first thing you thought is, God, you said 0:14:32.460 --> 0:14:34.900 you love me. If you love me, why am I 0:14:34.940 --> 0:14:37.660 going through? Is there anybody who would tell truth, shame 0:14:37.660 --> 0:14:40.900 the devil? Even though there were a lot of hands up? 0:14:40.900 --> 0:14:44.620 That wasn't enough. Because some of you sitting there lying, 0:14:45.460 --> 0:14:51.700 thinking that that makes you spiritual. He put both mine 0:14:52.780 --> 0:14:55.380 and I add stuff to it. I'm a pastor. I'm 0:14:55.420 --> 0:15:01.170 going through all this for you. Yeah. They only gotta 0:15:01.170 --> 0:15:02.810 put up with me. One person I gotta put up 0:15:02.810 --> 0:15:08.170 with them 800. Thought you love me. Every time I 0:15:08.210 --> 0:15:12.250 turn around, somebody's critical about something. Thought you love me. 0:15:12.730 --> 0:15:14.970 Every time I come around, I gotta deal with this one. 0:15:14.970 --> 0:15:16.850 Who don't like this, I deal with that one who 0:15:16.850 --> 0:15:18.850 don't like this and deal with that one. I thought 0:15:18.850 --> 0:15:24.410 you love me. And what we don't understand is God 0:15:24.410 --> 0:15:26.490 is saying I do. That's why I gave em to you. 0:15:29.690 --> 0:15:33.650 That's why you got haters. Cuz they love you. Yeah, 0:15:33.650 --> 0:15:36.010 because he knows that you ain't going to do nothing 0:15:36.010 --> 0:15:38.210 but sit on your rusty dusty. But when somebody start 0:15:38.250 --> 0:15:42.850 hating God uses your haters as your elevators. God use 0:15:42.850 --> 0:15:46.970 your haters as your motivators. God use your haters as 0:15:46.970 --> 0:15:51.890 your Consecrators God use them. You will get on your 0:15:51.890 --> 0:15:55.530 knees quicker with a hater than ten people who love you. 0:15:59.090 --> 0:16:04.570 You'll seek God's face quicker when somebody's hating. And when 0:16:04.570 --> 0:16:07.650 they're when they ain't. You ain't got no money. Yeah. 0:16:08.690 --> 0:16:09.170 Come on. 0:16:10.130 --> 0:16:14.490 And he's saying you're questioning my love. Because I let 0:16:14.490 --> 0:16:17.610 it come into your life. I let it come into 0:16:17.610 --> 0:16:21.410 your life because I love you. Yeah. Anybody ever read 0:16:21.410 --> 0:16:24.810 the Velveteen Rabbit? It's an old story. Listen. Listen to 0:16:24.810 --> 0:16:27.650 this for the first time. Some of you, it's a 0:16:27.650 --> 0:16:31.970 story about two toys. A new toy, a rabbit, and 0:16:31.970 --> 0:16:36.770 an old, worn out toy, a skin horse. What is real? 0:16:36.850 --> 0:16:39.210 Asked the rabbit one day when they were lying side 0:16:39.250 --> 0:16:42.730 by side. Does it mean having things that buzz inside 0:16:42.730 --> 0:16:47.810 of you and a stick out handle? Skin horse. Real 0:16:48.010 --> 0:16:51.450 isn't how you are made. It's a thing that happens 0:16:51.450 --> 0:16:54.850 to you when a child loves you for a long time. 0:16:56.290 --> 0:17:00.330 Not just to play with, but really loves you, then 0:17:00.370 --> 0:17:06.129 you become real. Does it hurt? Said the rabbit. Sometimes, 0:17:06.130 --> 0:17:09.369 said the skin horse, for he was always truthful. When 0:17:09.369 --> 0:17:14.370 you are real, though, you don't mind being hurt, because 0:17:14.369 --> 0:17:21.570 you know the hurt is a demonstration of love. Does 0:17:21.570 --> 0:17:24.010 it happen all at once? Like being wound up? The 0:17:24.010 --> 0:17:27.970 rabbit asked. Or bit by bit. Skin horse. It doesn't 0:17:27.970 --> 0:17:33.970 happen all at once. You become. And it takes a 0:17:33.970 --> 0:17:44.850 long time. Mhm. See, the deeper they dig the hole. 0:17:44.890 --> 0:17:48.490 Come on. Somebody remembers the hide. They're going to make 0:17:48.490 --> 0:17:51.490 the skyscraper. Okay. Let me, let me come with something different. 0:17:52.450 --> 0:17:56.330 God was working in a curious person walking by and 0:17:56.330 --> 0:17:58.689 said wow, that's intricate. What are you doing now? He 0:17:58.690 --> 0:18:01.010 was building a church and the church was already built 0:18:01.010 --> 0:18:04.210 except for the steeple. And so he said, well, what 0:18:04.210 --> 0:18:06.570 is that? I mean, I see you're done with the building, 0:18:06.570 --> 0:18:08.370 aren't you? And he said, well, no, we have one 0:18:08.369 --> 0:18:10.850 more piece to put in. It's at the top of 0:18:10.890 --> 0:18:14.530 that steeple. He said, really? So what are you doing 0:18:14.530 --> 0:18:19.689 it down here for? Listen to this. I'm carving it 0:18:19.690 --> 0:18:24.330 out down here so that it fits up there. 0:18:25.450 --> 0:18:28.370 That's good, that's good. Yes. 0:18:28.930 --> 0:18:31.410 He carving on us down here. 0:18:31.650 --> 0:18:32.210 Amen. 0:18:32.650 --> 0:18:38.050 To prepare us for up there. That's it. I'm just 0:18:38.050 --> 0:18:43.250 a work in progress, that's all. I ain't perfect, I 0:18:43.250 --> 0:18:47.170 ain't got it all together. But one day I'm going 0:18:47.170 --> 0:18:49.530 to be with him. And then the Bible says at 0:18:49.570 --> 0:18:52.330 that day I will see him as he is, and 0:18:52.330 --> 0:18:55.690 I will be like him. The transformation will take place 0:18:55.690 --> 0:18:58.450 as I'm going up in the air. I'll be transformed 0:18:58.450 --> 0:19:01.129 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. I'll 0:19:01.130 --> 0:19:04.090 look just like Jesus. 0:19:06.770 --> 0:19:08.290 Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. 0:19:09.450 --> 0:19:12.890 Yes yes yes yes yes. So here's what he's trying 0:19:12.890 --> 0:19:16.450 to get them to understand. They're saying everything has changed. 0:19:16.650 --> 0:19:19.650 We've lost our income. We lost our home. We're being 0:19:19.690 --> 0:19:23.010 taken into captivity. We have no bling. We have no Benjamins. 0:19:23.010 --> 0:19:27.410 We have no benzes. We are broke, busted, disgusted and 0:19:27.410 --> 0:19:32.730 can't be trusted. God, what do you want us to know? 0:19:33.410 --> 0:19:36.369 My love hasn't changed. And when you look at those 0:19:36.369 --> 0:19:39.330 words in the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of 0:19:39.330 --> 0:19:42.410 the Hebrew Masoretic Text, here's what you find. Though. Every 0:19:42.410 --> 0:19:44.530 one of those words, those three words, that word would 0:19:44.530 --> 0:19:47.530 be agape. In the New Testament, that word precious would 0:19:47.530 --> 0:19:50.770 be what Peter would use to translate that Jesus Christ 0:19:50.770 --> 0:19:53.929 is a precious stone. Uh, that word honorable is the 0:19:53.930 --> 0:19:57.490 same word that would be translated, uh, that the Lord 0:19:57.490 --> 0:20:03.210 Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone. And he is precious. 0:20:03.609 --> 0:20:07.649 All those words were about Jesus. You see what he's saying? Listen, listen, listen. 0:20:07.650 --> 0:20:09.730 Help me tell somebody. I don't got too much longer 0:20:09.730 --> 0:20:12.010 to preach to you this morning, but look at somebody 0:20:12.010 --> 0:20:17.050 and say, say, saint. God can never love you more 0:20:18.770 --> 0:20:22.850 than he does now. And he'll never love you less 0:20:23.970 --> 0:20:27.850 than he does now. Tell em you are loved by God. 0:20:29.290 --> 0:20:43.170 Unconditionally unmerited, unparalleled love. So the things have changed, but 0:20:43.170 --> 0:20:45.410 they don't change. And he said, my love for you 0:20:45.450 --> 0:20:48.850 have it the way I esteem you and consider you 0:20:48.850 --> 0:20:53.170 precious in my sight. That hasn't changed. The unconditional love 0:20:53.210 --> 0:20:55.890 hasn't changed. I'm here right now and you ain't living right. 0:20:55.890 --> 0:20:58.210 You ain't acting right. You ain't walking right. But yet 0:20:58.210 --> 0:21:01.080 I haven't abandoned you. You tried to get away from me. 0:21:01.080 --> 0:21:03.240 And every time you did, you turn around. I was 0:21:03.240 --> 0:21:08.920 right there. I said I put something together. I say 0:21:08.920 --> 0:21:12.000 everything is changed. What? Don't change. Pastor, for here they are. 0:21:12.040 --> 0:21:13.959 Let me just give em to you. Say give em 0:21:13.960 --> 0:21:18.680 to us. Alright. This ain't move on after that. Yeah. 0:21:18.720 --> 0:21:22.280 Number one, God is still sitting on his throne. Number two, 0:21:22.320 --> 0:21:26.400 God never sleeps nor number summers. Number three Jesus still saves. 0:21:26.440 --> 0:21:29.359 Number four, the Bible is still God's word. Number five. 0:21:29.400 --> 0:21:35.280 Prayer still changes things. Number six Jesus still loves us. 0:21:35.320 --> 0:21:38.840 Number seven preaching is still God's method. Number eight his 0:21:38.840 --> 0:21:44.200 grace is still sufficient. Number nine God still inhabits praise. 0:21:44.359 --> 0:21:47.920 Number ten and 11 his yoke is easy and his 0:21:47.920 --> 0:21:55.040 burden is light. And don't forget the last one. There's 0:21:55.040 --> 0:21:57.280 still room at the cross for you. 0:22:00.600 --> 0:22:03.640 Matt is pastor James Ford junior. A message called have 0:22:03.640 --> 0:22:07.320 no fear. God is here. We'll have you come to 0:22:07.320 --> 0:22:10.760 the cross of Jesus. As Pastor Ford said, there's still room, 0:22:10.760 --> 0:22:14.080 there's always room. But if you've never come and claimed 0:22:14.080 --> 0:22:17.800 these promises, don't delay. Come right now. We've got someone 0:22:17.800 --> 0:22:22.000 standing by to take your call at one 888. Need him? 0:22:22.400 --> 0:22:27.640 That's 888 him. You're listening to Treasure Truth, and you 0:22:27.640 --> 0:22:32.399 can find us online at Treasure Truth Radio. You know, pastor, 0:22:32.400 --> 0:22:34.280 one of the things that I think is really cool 0:22:34.280 --> 0:22:38.040 is just to hear from new listeners who stumble across 0:22:38.040 --> 0:22:42.400 this radio program, either online or through the radio. And 0:22:42.560 --> 0:22:46.800 it is there for them today because someone previously had 0:22:46.800 --> 0:22:48.920 given and helped get this program off the ground. 0:22:48.960 --> 0:22:52.000 Amen. That's right. It reminds me of those lepers in 0:22:52.000 --> 0:22:55.199 the Book of Kings. They had found food in the 0:22:55.200 --> 0:22:58.840 Syrian camp, and they said, we would be remiss Miss. 0:22:59.160 --> 0:23:01.800 If we didn't go back to the city and tell 0:23:01.800 --> 0:23:06.080 everybody the famine is over, there's a feast. Well, I'm 0:23:06.080 --> 0:23:09.000 telling you, not just treasure truth, but when you listen 0:23:09.000 --> 0:23:13.720 to Moody Radio, you feast on the Word of God. 0:23:13.760 --> 0:23:17.359 Great expositors of the Word of God. And who would 0:23:17.359 --> 0:23:21.120 not want someone else to be built up in their 0:23:21.119 --> 0:23:25.520 most precious faith by the teaching that comes across the 0:23:25.520 --> 0:23:27.960 Moody Network? And you can do that. 0:23:27.960 --> 0:23:30.920 You can do that by coming to Treasure Truth Radio org. 0:23:30.960 --> 0:23:33.119 Click on that donate button. There. You can give a 0:23:33.119 --> 0:23:35.400 one time gift or an ongoing monthly gift. Again, that's 0:23:35.440 --> 0:23:39.560 at npr.org and click on donate. Thanks for doing that. 0:23:39.560 --> 0:23:42.080 Thanks to our producers, Amy Rios and Ryan McConaughey. For 0:23:42.080 --> 0:23:45.040 Pastor Ford, I'm Steve Hiller. Treasure truth is a production 0:23:45.040 --> 0:23:48.760 of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.