S1: Do you believe God? I don't know what you believe
S1: in God for, but do you believe him for something?
S1: Then proclaim it. Stand on it. I don't care what
S1: kind of opposition comes my way. This is where I'm going.
S1: This is where I'm headed. And nobody and nothing can
S1: stop me. You want to know how I know? Because
S1: God done already told me where I'm going.
S2: Welcome to Treasure Truth with pastor and author James Ford,
S2: junior senior pastor of the Christ Bible Church in Chicago.
S2: I'm Steve Hiller. Glad you're with us as we continue
S2: our message, faith for your future. And pastor, you know,
S2: I have flipped on the TV, usually late at night
S2: on a weekend, and here comes some televangelist on who's saying, hey,
S2: God wants you to have whatever that is, abundance. He
S2: wants you to have all of these things. You just
S2: have to believe it. So I just heard you say,
S2: are you believing God for something? Well, then proclaim it.
S2: Stand on it. How do we know that, uh, what
S2: we are asking God for, what we're standing, what we're
S2: claiming is really ours to claim, and not something that
S2: you might see on a late night infomercial televangelist thing.
S3: I can share that in one word. Purpose.
S2: Okay.
S3: Does what you want fit into God's purpose for your life? So,
S3: for example, here's what people fail to do. They talk
S3: about Joseph and they don't take it far enough. You see,
S3: they say he went to the pit. Yeah. And then
S3: he went to Potiphar's. And then he went to prison.
S3: Then he went to the palace. But they forget the purpose.
S3: Psalm 106. The commentary says that God allowed him to
S3: go through these things because he sent him ahead to
S3: preserve his people. See, the palace wasn't just for Joseph.
S3: The palace was for God's purpose, to put him in
S3: a position where God could have not just safety for
S3: the people of Israel in their inception as a nation, sure,
S3: but an incubator protected by Egypt, which really is hilarious because,
S3: you know, Egypt represents the world. Yeah. And so the
S3: Israelites have an incubator. They're protected for God by the
S3: most powerful heathen nation in the world at that time,
S3: you know. And so how does it connect to God's purpose?
S3: One more thing. Hannah wanted a baby, right? And she'd
S3: go every year. As a matter of fact, Eli thought
S3: she was drunk on shame people, you know. And she said, no,
S3: it's too early to be getting high. And she makes
S3: a vow to God. That's what God was waiting on.
S3: She wanted a baby for her and her husband. She
S3: wanted a baby because she was in arguments with Panaina.
S3: You know, but God, when she wanted a baby for
S3: God's purpose. You give me a child, I'll give the
S3: child back to you. Now God answers her prayer. Why?
S3: Because her prayer fits in with his purpose. So that's it. Purpose. Purpose.
S3: And I always ask myself whatever I'm asking God for.
S3: I usually tack this on. How does this fit in
S3: your purpose? You know.
S2: That's a great question.
S3: And sometimes he'll tell me it doesn't.
S2: And then you have to change your prayer. That's right.
S2: That's it.
S3: Okay. And you have to change what you want. Yeah.
S3: Because when you want what God wants, then God wants
S3: what you want. You get that on the way up.
S2: Oh, yeah. Well, if whether you're on the way home
S2: right now or you're heading to work or however you
S2: happen to be listening to us right now, glad that
S2: you're there. And if you can, I hope you'll open
S2: your Bible to Philippians chapter one as we continue this message.
S2: Faith for your future. Here is Pastor Ford.
S1: And so let's look at what Paul says. Reason number one.
S1: He says, here's here's how you get faith for the future.
S1: You have to be enlightened by Christ's.
S3: Purpose for your life. Listen to what he says, for
S3: I know that this shall turn to my salvation. Now
S3: I need to tell you, the word no is from
S3: the Greek word oida say oida. It literally means to
S3: know comprehensively. It means to know without a shadow of
S3: a doubt. It means full, accurate knowledge. So then Paul says,
S3: I'm in prison, but I will be set free. That
S3: prison is not prison, because whom the son sets free
S3: is free indeed. So I may be locked up, but
S3: I'm not locked out of Jesus Christ. See, Paul expected
S3: to be free. Let me read verse 26 to you
S3: that your rejoicing. There it is again. I want you
S3: to have joy. Wait a minute. Joy. Now may be
S3: more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming
S3: to you again. See what he said? I'm coming again.
S3: I'm not in here to stay. I'm just passing through.
S3: And so you need to understand it. Let me bottom
S3: line it for you because I know you say. I
S3: thought you said you were going to. Bottom line, I am.
S3: Here's what Paul is saying. Where I am is not
S3: where I'm going. Therefore, since I know that where I
S3: am will not affect where I'm going, where I am
S3: will not stop me from where I'm going. So what
S3: I'm going through now cannot hinder me from getting to
S3: where God is going to take me. Let me say
S3: it this way. Too many people let their history mess
S3: up their destiny. See, some of you, your past is
S3: too active in your present and it's hindering your future.
S3: Y'all ain't going to pray with me, okay? I really
S3: gotta get. I gotta get plain for some of you. See, uh,
S3: you with Little Willie physically. But you still with Pookie emotionally.
S3: You ain't been with Pookie in two years, but you
S3: tore up from the floor up. Got your mind all
S3: messed up emotionally. You know what I'm talking about. You're
S3: with Shaquita, but you're making her pay for what Bianca
S3: did to you. Oh, y'all ain't going to pray with
S3: me up in here. You got hurt at the old church,
S3: and now you sitting back won't tithe or serve in
S3: the new church. Mhm. Mhm. Yeah. See, the old boss
S3: was nasty. Now you won't give the new boss a chance. Mhm.
S3: Paul was saying my pain is a platform to my purpose.
S3: Hey listen don't let the devil put a period where
S3: God has put a comma. Because I tell you I've
S3: seen it so many times when the devil says the end.
S3: God says to be continued. Amen. Okay, let me, let me,
S3: let me let me show you some. Let me show
S3: you some. Let me show you some. Turn to Luke.
S3: Turn to Luke. Turn to Luke. Luke. Chapter 22. Let
S3: me show you something here. This thing. This thing rocks
S3: me every time I look at it. Luke 22. Listen
S3: to what it says in Luke 22 verse 31, listen
S3: to this. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan
S3: hath desired to have you, that he may sift you
S3: as wheat. But I have prayed for thee, that thy
S3: faith fail not. And when thou art converted, strengthen thy brothers.
S3: And he said, Lord, I am ready to go with thee,
S3: both into prison and to death. And he said, I
S3: tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day
S3: before thou shalt thrice deny that thou knoweth me. Now
S3: you know what's going on here. We talked about it
S3: Wednesday night, that that we talked about. We're talking about
S3: something else. And we said, Peter is an example of
S3: people who deny what they will do. Uh, in other words,
S3: Peter was serious. Peter didn't know that betrayal was in him.
S3: And he even told Jesus, uh, you don't know what
S3: you're talking about. So what is this? Peter's failure. Her.
S3: He failed him. He's going to abandon him. He's going
S3: to deny Christ. But wait a minute. Look at verse 3029.
S3: And I appoint unto you a kingdom as to my father,
S3: as my father hath appointed to me, that you may
S3: eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and
S3: sit on thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel. What
S3: did Jesus just tell the disciples? Was Peter included in this? Okay,
S3: now get this. Here it is, verse 31. You're going
S3: to fail me. Verse 30. Let me tell you your future.
S3: I'm going to tell you your future before I tell
S3: you your failure. Why, Jesus? Because your failure is what is.
S3: Your future is what shall be. So I'm going to
S3: tell you what shall be before what is so that
S3: whenever what is happened, you won't focus in on what is.
S3: You'll focus on what shall be, that your failure will
S3: not stop you, that your failure will not cause you
S3: to say, I know he can't use me anymore. I
S3: done messed up too many times, I messed. No, no.
S3: Get yourself up, pick yourself up and start walking. Jesus
S3: is able to restore you. He's able to give you
S3: another chance. What are you talking about? Second chance? No,
S3: we're way beyond that. Yes. Okay. I speak for myself.
S3: I'm way beyond second, third, fourth. I'm up in the
S3: millions somewhere. Amen. Amen. So you see what he's saying?
S3: He's saying, man, I know God's will for my life.
S3: And because I know it, nothing's going to stop me.
S3: Not even my failure is going to stop me. Nothing's
S3: going to stop me because I know that God has
S3: a better plan for me. Notice what it takes. First
S3: of all, notice he has an awareness of God's will
S3: for his life. Here's the question that the Philippians were
S3: asking what is God doing allowing you to go to jail? You,
S3: Apostle Paul, one of the greatest servants. He has you,
S3: the Apostle Paul, who starts churches. Who heals the sick?
S3: Raises the dead. Like you ain't never thought that. God,
S3: why am I going through this? I tired. I, I
S3: witnessed this the other day. I was in the club.
S3: I said I just said, you.
S4: Know, Jesus. Just out of the blue with holy boldness.
S3: Why am I going through this, Lord? Mm. Because God
S3: will let things happen to you that never happened before.
S3: So he can take you to places you've never been before.
S2: You're listening to Treasure Truth with Pastor Ford. Something for
S2: us to really think about today. Our message is called
S2: Faith for Your Future. And we're looking at Philippians chapter one.
S2: If you ever miss a broadcast in the series, come
S2: to our website. It's Treasure Truth radio.org. You can download MP3,
S2: stream the program or order copies on CD. Another way
S2: to listen is to begin podcasting this program. That way
S2: you won't miss a future broadcast. And if you happen
S2: to use iTunes for your podcasting, would you go ahead
S2: and rate the podcast? By doing that, you'll help us
S2: be found by even more people. You'll find all those
S2: links at Treasure Truth Radio. Again, here's Pastor Ford.
S3: I have a friend. I'm not going to call his name.
S3: He called me up. He said, man, look like my
S3: church going split. I said, oh man, I feel bad
S3: about that. I've almost had that happen a couple times too.
S3: That's bad man, that's bad. And he said, man, guess
S3: what happened? I said, what happened? It was it made
S3: national news. He said, uh, we went to church that
S3: Sunday because we had a fight. Me and the deacon
S3: boy had a fight that Friday. We went to church
S3: that Sunday and the deacons, uh, had surrounded the church.
S3: And at every door there were two deacons. And when
S3: people came to get in church, they had the church
S3: padlocked with a chain. And when the people came up
S3: and said, we're going to take those chains off, they
S3: flipped their coats back now, not like when they was
S3: on the front row and the preacher was getting ready
S3: to go into the squall, and they stand up and
S3: button them up. They unbutton them and when they unbutton them,
S3: every one of them was packing. Yeah, yeah, they was packing.
S3: And they said, nobody's coming in here. And, uh, the
S3: police came. It made national news. And I said, I said, brother,
S3: let me tell you something. I said, I don't know
S3: what God is doing, but I will tell you this.
S3: You're going to look back on this one day and
S3: you're going to thank God for this. He said, no, no, no, no, no,
S3: that's too rough. I ain't never had this happen. I said,
S3: I said, man. And then he called me up. We
S3: got to meet in the library. I said, man, one
S3: day you're going to look back on this. You're going
S3: to thank God for this. Let me bottom line it
S3: let me tell you what happened. Fast forward to video.
S3: So whenever they had the split, about 60 people went
S3: with him. And all the people that stayed with the deacons,
S3: those were the recalcitrant members. Don't look around. You don't
S3: want to reveal who you are. You know, don't serve,
S3: don't give, but complain about everything and don't do anything.
S3: And so he went with 60 people who were committed.
S3: He said, well, I'm gone from 200 to 60. I said,
S3: but you got 60 faithful, committed people.
S4: Yes.
S3: And I'd rather have 60 committed people than a thousand
S3: people who merely nilly.
S4: Amen. Amen. Amen.
S3: I said, you going to look back on this and
S3: you going to thank God. So then he said, you
S3: know what? We have an opportunity to get a building. Uh,
S3: pray for us. I pray for him and everything. And, uh,
S3: he went to find out the building and the property
S3: is about 30 acres of property, and it was $6.3 million.
S3: And he said, I only have 900,000. I ain't going
S3: to qualify. I said, man, look, you have not because
S3: you ask, not submit it anyway. I said, I will
S3: submit it anyway. And so he submitted it. He called
S3: me up. He said, guess what, there's a cult that
S3: that's going to pay cash. And uh, I said, man,
S3: keep praying, keep praying. I said, one day you're going
S3: to look back on this and you're going to say, man,
S3: all of this was a blessing. So anyway, long story short,
S3: here's what happened. The people there was about 14 to
S3: 20 people. They had plenty of money. So they built
S3: this humongous sanctuary and this humongous building. There are over
S3: 40 classrooms in this building. As a matter of fact,
S3: my friends membership is a little over 900 and they
S3: don't even use one half of the building yet. And
S3: so they said, listen, we thought if we built it,
S3: they would come and they built it and they didn't come.
S3: They said, well, then this church can come in and
S3: we're going to bless them. So they gave him $6.3
S3: million worth of property and building for $900,000. He took
S3: me out to Pappadeaux. We got our eat on and
S3: he said, Jimmy the boat. You told me that one
S3: day I'd look back and thank God for the rebellion
S3: and thank God for the struggle. I understand what you
S3: always say, and that you always hear that the struggle
S3: that I'm going through is for the future that I'm
S3: going to. If there is no struggle, there will be
S3: no future. And some of you right now, you're.
S4: Wondering why, why, why.
S3: You ought to be saying, what are you taking me to?
S3: Where am I headed? Oh, this this is a big problem.
S3: It's going to be a great privilege. Look at the people.
S3: Look at the people. Famous people. Alright. Who started with nothing.
S4: Come on.
S3: Mm. How about Oprah? Abused as a child. Kicked around.
S3: Now she got her own.
S4: Amen. Amen. Amen.
S3: Worth over 2.
S4: Billion.
S3: Yeah. She struggled. Don't hate her glory. You don't know
S3: her story. How about Tyler Perry? Abused.
S4: Homeless.
S3: Homeless, sleeping in a cardboard box under a bridge. Anybody
S3: seen his his layout in Ebony, his mansion? Don't hate
S3: his glory if you don't know his story. How about
S3: Maya Angelou? Raped by relatives. Couldn't express herself. Couldn't get
S3: it off of her. And somebody said, write. And so
S3: she wrote. I know why the caged birds sing. And
S3: the rest is history. She's with the Lord now. But
S3: you know what I'm saying? See, you know, the nightingale
S3: is called the nightingale because it sings the sweetest song
S3: in the darkness. Other birds sing when the sun comes up. Huh?
S3: We got any robins in here that sing in the
S3: morning when the sun rises. Yeah, I'm blessed and highly
S3: favored of the Lord. He got me the job I
S3: got my house, I got my car. But the nightingale
S3: sings best. In the darkness of the night. When the
S3: night is the darkest, it sings the best. And I
S3: want to tell you I know Jesus has some nightingale
S3: Christians up in here. Up in here. You done been
S3: through some stuff, but you were singing in the midst
S3: of it. You done been through some stuff, but you
S3: giving God the glory even in spite of it. You
S3: done been through the stuff, and people are looking at
S3: you and wondering how in the world can you go
S3: through that? And you just sing the praises of Jesus.
S3: You sing the glory of God. You sing about the
S3: power of the Holy Spirit. I can take it and
S3: I can make it. I don't have to fake it
S3: because I've got God in my life. Mm. I tell you,
S3: I tell you, yeah. And then. And then you gotta
S3: apply God's word to your life. You gotta apply it. See? See,
S3: he's aware of it, but he's applying it. What's he saying?
S3: I'm in jail right now, but I'm not going to
S3: be for long. Amen. Hey. Oh, I didn't bring my phone.
S3: I was going to have everybody take your phone out.
S3: Take your phone out. Take your phone out. All right,
S3: put it on camera. Put your phone on camera. Thank you.
S3: Now take a selfie. Take a selfie. Come on, take
S3: a selfie. Take a selfie. Okay, now, if you go
S3: on social media, here's what I want you to do.
S3: Take a selfie, put it on Facebook or whatever your
S3: social media is and then put this under it. Everybody
S3: put this under it. Look at me right now because
S3: it's the last time you're going to see me like this.
S3: I'm going somewhere. Come on, come on, take that selfie.
S3: Put it on, put it on. Look at me right now.
S3: This is the last time you're going to see me
S3: like this. Because I'm going somewhere. Come on, put it
S3: on Facebook. Put on. Let everybody know. Yeah. That's right.
S3: Do you believe? God, I don't know what you believe
S3: in God for, but do you believe him for something?
S3: Oh yeah? Yeah. Then proclaim it. Stand on it. Come
S3: hell or high water. This is where I'm going. I
S3: don't care what kind of opposition comes my way. This
S3: is where I'm going. This is where I'm headed. And
S3: nobody and nothing can stop me. You want to know
S3: how I know? Because God done already told me where
S3: I'm going. Hey, man. Yeah. That's it, that's it, that's it. Okay,
S3: now you ain't put it on there by now. You slow.
S3: Paul had a word from God that his work was
S3: not done. Now, you know, we talk about all the time. Uh,
S3: James was beheaded. Peter was not. Two reasons. I'm going
S3: to give you both of them today. Here's the first reason.
S3: John 2118. Jesus told him, I'm going to read it
S3: to you. I'm going to read it to you. John 2118.
S3: He's talking to Peter. He said to him, uh, Peter,
S3: feed my sheep, feed my sheep, feed my lambs. Verse 18. Verily, verily,
S3: I say unto you, when you were young, You gird yourself,
S3: you clothe yourself, you walk wherever you would. But when
S3: you are old, you will stretch forth your hands, and
S3: another shall gird thee, and carry thee where you would
S3: not go. This he spake, signifying the death. He would die.
S3: Do you see that in there? When Peter's in prison,
S3: he's somewhere between 33 and 36 years old. And guess what?
S3: Jesus told him he wasn't going to die until he
S3: became an old man. So when he was in prison,
S3: one of the reasons why he knew that he was
S3: going to get out was because God had already told
S3: him he was going to live to be an old man.
S3: So he knew even though Herod had beheaded James, he
S3: couldn't behead him because he had a word from God. Amen.
S3: Do you got a word? Do you got a word
S3: from God? You need to get a word from God.
S3: Job said in job 2312 I have esteemed the words
S3: of thy mouth more than my necessary food. Matthew chapter four.
S3: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every
S3: word that comes from the mouth of God. Psalm one.
S3: Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel
S3: of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners,
S3: nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his
S3: delight is in the law of the Lord, and in
S3: his law he doth meditate day and night. So the
S3: question on the floor is not, do you own a Bible?
S3: But does the Bible own you? Let me say that again.
S3: It's not whether you own a Bible, but does the
S3: Bible own you? So we are to listen to it eagerly.
S3: We're to look to it expectantly. We are to learn
S3: from it enthusiastically. We're to languish in it entirely. We're
S3: to let it work in us effectively, and we're to
S3: love it eternally. Amen. Mm. See, what we need to
S3: be is Bible holics. You know that? What do you mean?
S3: God's word is what we need. See if you got
S3: a headache. You take a Tylenol pill. If you have
S3: acid indigestion, you take a pill. If you have a heartache,
S3: you take a pill.
S2: You're listening to Treasure Truth with Pastor Ford and a
S2: message called Faith for Your Future. You know, becoming a
S2: Bible holic doesn't just happen on its own. It takes
S2: an effort as you immerse yourself in Scripture and spend
S2: time with God every day. While we provide these daily
S2: messages on treasure truth to help deepen your faith and
S2: help you grow in your understanding of God's Word and
S2: the fact that you're listening. Well, it's a good sign
S2: that you take these things seriously. But think for just
S2: a moment what it would be like if this program
S2: didn't exist. How would your life be different? If you've
S2: come to rely on this program for your spiritual nourishment?
S2: Would you become a monthly partner and support our ongoing
S2: work here on the station? Become a monthly partner by
S2: calling us at 888644 7660 or go online to Treasure
S2: Truth Radio.com. You can also send a check in the mail.
S2: Our address is Treasure Truth, 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago,
S2: Illinois 610. You know, as a listener supported ministry, every
S2: gift makes a difference, whether it comes from a monthly
S2: partner or when you give a single gift. And today,
S2: as a way of showing our thanks for your support,
S2: we want to send you a book by R.A. Torrey
S2: called How to Witness to Anyone. Doctor Torrey was one
S2: of the great evangelists of modern times, and he served
S2: as the president of the Moody Bible Institute and founded
S2: Biola University in Los Angeles. In his book, How to
S2: Witness to Anyone, he shares practical scripture verses that will
S2: help you answer objections and reach your friends and neighbors
S2: with the good news. So give a donation of any
S2: size and request. How to witness to anyone. Again, our
S2: phone number is 888644 7660. And our website is treasure.
S2: Truth Radio.com. I'm Steve Hiller, our producer is Amy Rios.
S2: Join us again tomorrow here on Treasure Truth. A production
S2: of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.