WEBVTT - Takers, Part 4 0:00:00.260 --> 0:00:05.060 God says, Joshua, I want you to take the land, 0:00:05.059 --> 0:00:06.680 you and the people of God. I gave it to 0:00:06.710 --> 0:00:09.800 you as a promise. Now take it. See, the problem 0:00:09.800 --> 0:00:13.130 is we take what we shouldn't be taking, and we 0:00:13.160 --> 0:00:15.050 don't take what we should be taking. 0:00:21.620 --> 0:00:24.950 This is treasure truth with pastor and author James Fort Junior, 0:00:24.980 --> 0:00:28.310 senior pastor of Christ Bible Church in Chicago. I'm Steve Miller, 0:00:28.310 --> 0:00:30.560 and glad you've joined us today as we continue our 0:00:30.560 --> 0:00:33.800 message takers. You know, pastor, you bring up a good 0:00:33.800 --> 0:00:37.010 point in that little clip we heard just a moment ago. 0:00:37.010 --> 0:00:39.470 Sometimes God gives us a promise and says, take it. 0:00:39.470 --> 0:00:42.349 And we say, no, I want to take something else. 0:00:42.350 --> 0:00:46.790 How do we rightly discern what God has given us 0:00:46.790 --> 0:00:48.979 to take? How do we know what promises might apply 0:00:48.979 --> 0:00:49.700 to us? 0:00:50.000 --> 0:00:53.300 Well, we have to look at the context of the promises. 0:00:53.300 --> 0:00:56.480 So if we take Scripture out of context, we'll be 0:00:56.480 --> 0:01:00.020 trying to take something that really doesn't apply to us. 0:01:00.020 --> 0:01:06.060 So like Joshua chapter one, that land was promised to Israel. 0:01:06.270 --> 0:01:10.440 And so we can't claim that promise. There's an old 0:01:10.440 --> 0:01:14.699 song from a hymn book. Some people don't recognize what 0:01:14.700 --> 0:01:17.760 that is, but we used to sing out of what 0:01:17.760 --> 0:01:19.140 was called a hymn book. 0:01:19.140 --> 0:01:20.580 We would look down instead of up. 0:01:20.610 --> 0:01:26.130 Yes, yes, yes. And there was a song entitled Every 0:01:26.130 --> 0:01:30.120 Promise in the word is mine. No, it is not. No, 0:01:30.120 --> 0:01:33.330 it is not. And we must make sure that we 0:01:33.330 --> 0:01:38.910 don't confuse what's being taught with something that's taught called 0:01:38.910 --> 0:01:42.510 prosperity gospel. And we don't we don't even believe the 0:01:42.510 --> 0:01:47.490 Bible is teaching that that believe it, receive it just 0:01:47.490 --> 0:01:50.760 carte blanche, you know, name it, claim it, blab it, 0:01:50.790 --> 0:01:55.230 grab it, call it and haul it. No, no. The 0:01:55.230 --> 0:01:59.790 key here is God initiated it and told them this 0:01:59.790 --> 0:02:03.430 was their promise. So the only way you can claim 0:02:03.430 --> 0:02:07.030 it is if God gave it to you. Now here's 0:02:07.030 --> 0:02:10.690 a classic example in the New Testament. Uh, Peter sees 0:02:10.690 --> 0:02:14.679 Jesus walking on the water. He didn't say I claim 0:02:14.680 --> 0:02:18.130 it in the name of Jesus. No, he said, Lord, 0:02:18.160 --> 0:02:22.870 if it's you, bid me come. Here's what he said. 0:02:22.900 --> 0:02:26.290 If you name it, I'll claim it. That's exactly what 0:02:26.290 --> 0:02:29.889 he did, right? And so Jesus said, come. So he 0:02:29.889 --> 0:02:36.040 walked on water, defied nature, gravity, everything. You know, water 0:02:36.040 --> 0:02:40.600 turns into asphalt because God gave him a promise and 0:02:40.600 --> 0:02:42.310 he stepped out on that promise. 0:02:42.310 --> 0:02:46.180 So often we, like you said, don't rightly discern what 0:02:46.180 --> 0:02:48.880 promises apply to us, and that can get us into 0:02:48.910 --> 0:02:51.550 a lot of trouble. But today, as we open God's 0:02:51.550 --> 0:02:54.310 Word together, I hope we'll pull some lessons out of 0:02:54.310 --> 0:02:58.150 what actually does apply to us. And if he does, 0:02:58.150 --> 0:03:00.280 call us to be a taker, what that looks like. 0:03:00.280 --> 0:03:04.600 So join us in Joshua chapter one as we continue. Takers. 0:03:04.600 --> 0:03:06.070 Here's Pastor Ford. 0:03:06.400 --> 0:03:10.960 When you take what God does not want you to have. 0:03:10.990 --> 0:03:15.639 God takes what he wants you to have. Okay, somebody 0:03:15.639 --> 0:03:19.270 was texting. So since somebody was texting, maybe I better 0:03:19.300 --> 0:03:23.859 say it again. When you take what God does not 0:03:23.860 --> 0:03:27.790 want you to have. God takes what he does want 0:03:27.790 --> 0:03:29.980 you to have. Now, now, if you don't believe me, 0:03:29.980 --> 0:03:31.960 the Bible says, out of the mouth of 2 or 0:03:31.960 --> 0:03:35.500 3 witnesses shall every word be established. So I'm going 0:03:35.530 --> 0:03:38.260 to call some witnesses. Can I call some witnesses? Say, 0:03:38.260 --> 0:03:42.850 call some witnesses, pastor. Amen. Let me call my first witness. 0:03:42.880 --> 0:03:46.540 Adam and Eve. So you see, Adam and Eve had 0:03:46.540 --> 0:03:50.260 it going on. I mean, they had it nice. Listen, 0:03:50.260 --> 0:03:53.920 they lived in a perfect world, in a perfect environment. 0:03:53.950 --> 0:03:57.910 He had a perfect job and a perfect wife and 0:03:57.910 --> 0:04:01.850 a perfect everything because he had a perfect god. Yeah. 0:04:01.880 --> 0:04:06.110 I mean, I can imagine the conversation Eve saying to Adam. Adam, 0:04:06.110 --> 0:04:10.040 do you love me? And Adam looking around saying, who else? 0:04:10.070 --> 0:04:13.790 It was just a perfect environment. So there was nobody 0:04:14.060 --> 0:04:18.380 else for him to cheat with. That's perfect. And so 0:04:18.380 --> 0:04:23.360 what happens, man? They have all of this. Then they 0:04:23.360 --> 0:04:28.460 decided to take what God didn't want them to have. 0:04:28.490 --> 0:04:31.159 So he said, all the trees you can freely eat. 0:04:31.160 --> 0:04:33.260 But that tree that's in the midst of the garden. 0:04:33.260 --> 0:04:36.440 Don't eat that. I don't want you to touch that. 0:04:36.440 --> 0:04:40.339 God always has to have something that he's given to us, 0:04:40.339 --> 0:04:43.040 that he reserves for himself, so that we know that 0:04:43.040 --> 0:04:45.830 we're stewards and not owners. So every time you look 0:04:45.860 --> 0:04:47.929 at it, that belongs to God. He gave me all 0:04:47.960 --> 0:04:50.359 of this. And isn't it amazing that as much as 0:04:50.360 --> 0:04:54.080 God gives us to enjoy is generally the things that 0:04:54.080 --> 0:04:56.659 he tell us that we shouldn't have that we want? 0:04:56.690 --> 0:04:59.360 Anybody ever walk and see a sign that said wet paint? 0:04:59.480 --> 0:05:00.990 That was true. Shame the devil. How many of you 0:05:00.990 --> 0:05:03.960 like me? I just got to touch it to see 0:05:03.990 --> 0:05:09.240 if it's wet. Amen. Yeah. And so what happened? They 0:05:09.240 --> 0:05:13.170 took what God told them not to take. They ate 0:05:13.200 --> 0:05:16.349 of the tree. And that God said, don't eat. Don't 0:05:16.380 --> 0:05:19.320 touch it. Don't take that. And so what's the premise 0:05:19.350 --> 0:05:22.620 when you take what God does not want you to have? 0:05:22.650 --> 0:05:25.680 God takes what he does want you to have. So 0:05:25.680 --> 0:05:27.390 he didn't want them to have it and they took it. 0:05:27.390 --> 0:05:29.250 So what did he want them to have? The Garden 0:05:29.279 --> 0:05:33.330 of Eden, that perfect place. And God took it because 0:05:33.330 --> 0:05:36.659 they took what God said, don't take. So God took 0:05:36.660 --> 0:05:39.210 back what he wanted them to have, and he shut 0:05:39.210 --> 0:05:41.400 them out of the garden. And some of you are 0:05:41.400 --> 0:05:45.690 out of your garden, your Paradise, because you always taking 0:05:45.690 --> 0:05:51.000 something that God said, don't take. Mm. Yeah yeah yeah 0:05:51.000 --> 0:05:53.789 yeah yeah. Cast out of the garden. Let me get 0:05:53.790 --> 0:05:58.140 my second witness. Moses. Moses. God said, I want you 0:05:58.140 --> 0:06:00.150 to speak to the rock. Now. The first time he 0:06:00.180 --> 0:06:02.800 smote smoked the rock. That's justification. You already know that 0:06:02.800 --> 0:06:06.070 it's a picture of Calvary, because First Corinthians chapter ten 0:06:06.070 --> 0:06:10.210 says the Rock was Christ. Not, not, not represent him. 0:06:10.210 --> 0:06:13.240 The Rock was that rock that followed them was Christ. 0:06:13.240 --> 0:06:15.609 So God is saying, I'm giving you a picture of 0:06:15.610 --> 0:06:18.729 the Rock on Christ. The solid rock I stand. All 0:06:18.760 --> 0:06:22.570 other ground is sinking sand. There's something supernatural. When you 0:06:22.570 --> 0:06:25.719 strike a rock and water comes out and it's supernatural 0:06:25.720 --> 0:06:27.789 when you put a spear in the side of the 0:06:27.790 --> 0:06:31.570 Lord Jesus Christ, out comes blood, out comes water. Blood 0:06:31.570 --> 0:06:35.289 for redemption, water for cleansing. It's a so great salvation. 0:06:35.290 --> 0:06:38.740 It's like prego. Everything is in there. Yeah. And so 0:06:38.740 --> 0:06:42.460 he says, he says in essence. Then he says, listen, Moses, 0:06:42.460 --> 0:06:44.919 there's something I don't want you to take. So I 0:06:44.920 --> 0:06:47.650 want you to speak to the Rock. Why? Because striking 0:06:47.650 --> 0:06:51.609 the rock is justification. But speaking to the rock is sanctification. 0:06:51.640 --> 0:06:53.979 I don't want you to break my type because it's 0:06:53.980 --> 0:06:57.190 a picture of Jesus. Because he only died once on 0:06:57.190 --> 0:07:00.250 Calvary once and for all. He don't need to die again. 0:07:00.290 --> 0:07:03.620 So you speak to it because the striking is justification, 0:07:03.620 --> 0:07:06.860 but the speaking is sanctification. That is, if we confess 0:07:06.860 --> 0:07:09.740 our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us and 0:07:09.740 --> 0:07:12.140 to cleanse. You don't gotta go back to the cross 0:07:12.140 --> 0:07:15.860 for justification. That's already happened. You just need to go back. 0:07:15.890 --> 0:07:19.130 Fall down on your knees. Father, I stretch my hands 0:07:19.130 --> 0:07:22.820 to thee. No other help I know. Forgive me. Cleanse me. 0:07:22.820 --> 0:07:25.670 I repent of this sin. And so, instead of him 0:07:25.670 --> 0:07:32.120 doing that, numbers chapter 2018 through 12 says this Moses 0:07:32.330 --> 0:07:36.740 hit the rock and said, must we wait a minute? 0:07:36.740 --> 0:07:39.950 What do you mean we? God is the deliverer. Now 0:07:39.950 --> 0:07:44.960 all of a sudden Pastor Moses thinks he built the church. 0:07:45.110 --> 0:07:50.210 Must we? And so God said, because you took something 0:07:50.210 --> 0:07:51.920 I didn't want you to have. What did he take? 0:07:52.010 --> 0:07:55.850 He took God's glory. And that's something he does not 0:07:55.850 --> 0:07:59.990 want us to have. Isaiah 40 28I share my glory 0:07:59.990 --> 0:08:03.750 with no one. Psalm 24 nine through ten. I share 0:08:03.750 --> 0:08:07.560 my glory with no one. Don't mess with God's glory. Oh, 0:08:07.560 --> 0:08:09.330 you know what that reminds me? There are two truths. 0:08:09.330 --> 0:08:11.910 You want to hear them? Yeah, yeah. Truth number one. 0:08:11.910 --> 0:08:14.640 There is a god. Truth number two, you ain't him. 0:08:14.790 --> 0:08:18.270 And so God says, listen, listen, you. You took what 0:08:18.270 --> 0:08:19.830 I didn't want you to have. So you know what 0:08:19.830 --> 0:08:23.310 he did? He cancelled his Holy Land trip. I wanted 0:08:23.310 --> 0:08:25.650 you to have the promised Land. But since you took 0:08:25.650 --> 0:08:28.260 my glory, I didn't want you to have that. Now 0:08:28.260 --> 0:08:31.170 I'm taking the Promised land because I wanted you to 0:08:31.170 --> 0:08:33.570 have it. But when you take what I don't want 0:08:33.570 --> 0:08:36.810 you to have, I take what I do want you 0:08:36.809 --> 0:08:39.090 to have. Let me get my third witness in here. 0:08:39.120 --> 0:08:42.720 It's Aiken, a guy named Aiken. See, God said when 0:08:42.720 --> 0:08:46.170 you go into Jericho, the first fruits belong to me. 0:08:46.170 --> 0:08:49.559 The first fruit belong to me. Isn't it amazing? Adam, 0:08:49.559 --> 0:08:52.709 don't touch the tree that belongs to me. Aiken, don't 0:08:52.740 --> 0:08:57.360 touch the first spoils because that belongs to me. And 0:08:57.360 --> 0:09:00.480 what did he do? Aiken was walking around Round and 0:09:00.480 --> 0:09:07.050 he saw some Louboutin red bottoms and some rich denims. 0:09:07.080 --> 0:09:12.000 He saw two. Givenchy shirts and he saw a Rolex 0:09:12.000 --> 0:09:15.150 that was iced out. You know, he wanted to put 0:09:15.150 --> 0:09:20.670 his wrist on freeze. He saw some VVS diamonds. He 0:09:20.670 --> 0:09:24.540 could just see himself in them. And everybody saying, wow, 0:09:24.570 --> 0:09:28.020 look at Akon, man. His neck is froze. And then 0:09:28.020 --> 0:09:31.110 as he was leaving he was thinking about Mrs. Akon 0:09:31.110 --> 0:09:33.840 and all the stuff he got for himself. So he 0:09:33.840 --> 0:09:37.230 saw a Birkin bag and he picked that up for her. 0:09:37.230 --> 0:09:40.350 He would have took that ghost, but he knew he 0:09:40.350 --> 0:09:42.599 couldn't hide that in his tent. Now, now some of 0:09:42.600 --> 0:09:45.750 you are saying, I don't know what you said. You know, 0:09:45.750 --> 0:09:49.860 that shows me you ain't keeping current. Amen. Red bottomed 0:09:49.860 --> 0:09:53.490 gym shoes cost $800 a pair. That's where they start. 0:09:53.490 --> 0:09:58.080 They start. Givenchy shirts cost about $300 a shirt. That's 0:09:58.080 --> 0:10:03.760 where they start. Iced out means diamonds. Neck froze. Means 0:10:03.760 --> 0:10:07.030 you got diamonds around your neck and wrist froze. A 0:10:07.030 --> 0:10:09.880 Rolex is iced out. It's a Rolex with everybody. With me. 0:10:09.880 --> 0:10:15.160 And a ghost is a Rolls-Royce. Anyway, I was trying 0:10:15.160 --> 0:10:18.429 to relate to the young people, but. And a Birkin bag. 0:10:18.429 --> 0:10:21.069 The cheapest one you can get is four grand. So 0:10:21.070 --> 0:10:23.290 you know what that means. Sister four. They ain't gonna 0:10:23.290 --> 0:10:35.140 never have one. Yeah. Hey, man. So what did he do? 0:10:35.170 --> 0:10:37.960 Aiken took what God didn't want him to have. So 0:10:37.960 --> 0:10:40.060 God took what he wanted him to have. He took 0:10:40.059 --> 0:10:42.070 the same thing from him that he took from Moses, 0:10:42.100 --> 0:10:45.100 the promised Land. But God got serious with that thing, 0:10:45.100 --> 0:10:47.920 and he took his life and his wife's life and 0:10:47.920 --> 0:10:52.150 his family's life. Everybody died because one man took what 0:10:52.179 --> 0:10:54.730 God didn't want him to have. So God took what 0:10:54.730 --> 0:10:57.250 he did want him to have. And I tell you 0:10:57.280 --> 0:10:59.800 that you got to read this for yourself. Joshua chapter eight, 0:10:59.809 --> 0:11:02.900 verse two. Guess what it says? He told them, go 0:11:02.900 --> 0:11:05.270 back in the I after they recover from the sin 0:11:05.300 --> 0:11:08.900 of Achan, because one person's sin stopped everybody's progress. Let 0:11:08.900 --> 0:11:12.530 me say that again. One person's sin stopped everybody's progress. 0:11:12.530 --> 0:11:15.530 And so now they they repented as a congregation. They 0:11:15.530 --> 0:11:20.150 repented as a congregation. They repented as a congregation. And 0:11:20.150 --> 0:11:23.060 then and then here's what God said. God said, now 0:11:23.059 --> 0:11:26.270 go in there. Take I and everything in it belong 0:11:26.300 --> 0:11:29.120 to y'all. Did you miss that right over your head? 0:11:29.270 --> 0:11:32.750 Pastor Betts, you know it. If he would have waited 0:11:33.050 --> 0:11:37.820 two chapters, everything he took that God didn't want him 0:11:37.820 --> 0:11:42.410 to have became what God wanted him to have. Maybe 0:11:42.410 --> 0:11:45.290 that is your boo, but maybe he ain't ready for 0:11:45.290 --> 0:11:48.590 you yet. Maybe you ain't ready for him yet. Maybe 0:11:48.620 --> 0:11:51.650 God's getting you ready for who he's got ready for you. 0:11:51.650 --> 0:11:54.920 And so what happens? Let me just say this. Aiken 0:11:54.920 --> 0:11:57.980 is long gone, but he got some cousins in the 0:11:57.980 --> 0:12:02.970 21st century. He got some cousins. Yeah. At Christ Bible 0:12:03.000 --> 0:12:06.000 Church he got some cousins. Because there are a lot 0:12:06.030 --> 0:12:10.380 of people in here who take what God said don't take. 0:12:10.410 --> 0:12:13.770 That's his tithe. And in Malachi he said you're cursed 0:12:13.770 --> 0:12:16.200 with a curse. Now the second word curse is the 0:12:16.200 --> 0:12:19.050 Hebrew word exaggerate. Now what does that mean, pastor? I'm 0:12:19.050 --> 0:12:21.870 glad you asked. You ask intelligent questions. Extra great is 0:12:21.870 --> 0:12:25.380 the opposite of consecrate. What is something? Consecrated is dedicated 0:12:25.380 --> 0:12:27.780 to God. What is extra great? Here's what it literally means. 0:12:27.780 --> 0:12:29.910 God says, when you rob me and some of you 0:12:29.940 --> 0:12:33.959 know it already, you came to church and you came. 0:12:33.960 --> 0:12:36.480 You rode in a stolen car because you're paying your car. 0:12:36.480 --> 0:12:39.240 Note With God's tithe money you got on stolen suit, 0:12:39.270 --> 0:12:42.689 stolen clothes, stolen gym shoes, stolen sandals. You want to 0:12:42.720 --> 0:12:45.660 know why? Because you bought it with God's tithe. You 0:12:45.690 --> 0:12:51.120 watching a stolen TV? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And that iPhone six. Mhm. 0:12:51.150 --> 0:12:54.510 You robbed God. And so here's what God said. Here's 0:12:54.510 --> 0:12:56.429 what he said. I'm just going to take my hands off. 0:12:56.429 --> 0:12:59.219 That's what extra great means. It means God's going to 0:12:59.220 --> 0:13:00.970 take his hand off. Here's what he's telling them and 0:13:01.059 --> 0:13:03.280 telling us in Malachi. He said, you don't give me 0:13:03.309 --> 0:13:05.500 what I asked you for, then I'm going to take 0:13:05.500 --> 0:13:07.360 what I was going to give you. I just take 0:13:07.360 --> 0:13:09.670 my hands off of it. In other words, God says 0:13:09.670 --> 0:13:13.179 there are people like like Sister Tiffany and myself and 0:13:13.179 --> 0:13:15.790 dozens of others in this room that understand that you 0:13:15.790 --> 0:13:19.540 can do more with the 90% God blesses than the 100% 0:13:19.540 --> 0:13:22.750 that God doesn't bless, that you keep the 100% and 0:13:22.750 --> 0:13:25.030 God takes his hand off of it. You give God 0:13:25.030 --> 0:13:27.550 his and he blesses the 90, and the 90 goes 0:13:27.580 --> 0:13:30.790 way beyond what it ever would do because God is 0:13:30.790 --> 0:13:31.660 blessing it. 0:13:32.380 --> 0:13:35.260 Well, how many of us can really testify to the 0:13:35.260 --> 0:13:38.920 truth of that? When we honor God with what he's 0:13:38.920 --> 0:13:42.370 entrusted to us, he just seems to make it stretch sometimes, 0:13:42.370 --> 0:13:45.310 doesn't he? Where you're listening to Treasure Truth with Pastor Ford. 0:13:45.309 --> 0:13:47.199 We'll get back to this message in just a moment. 0:13:47.200 --> 0:13:49.959 But speaking of finances for just a second, I want 0:13:49.990 --> 0:13:52.510 to let you know that this is a listener supported ministry. 0:13:52.510 --> 0:13:54.939 And so if you're benefiting from Pastor Ford's teaching, I 0:13:54.940 --> 0:13:57.100 want to ask you to consider giving a financial gift 0:13:57.100 --> 0:13:59.960 so we can pay for airtime, production costs and everything 0:13:59.960 --> 0:14:02.300 else it takes to keep this program running. You can 0:14:02.300 --> 0:14:05.510 give online by coming to Treasure Truth Radio org and 0:14:05.510 --> 0:14:09.470 click on the donate button. Again, that's a treasure Truth radio.org. 0:14:09.500 --> 0:14:12.140 Back to the message. Here is Pastor Ford. 0:14:12.440 --> 0:14:14.540 Oh, I tell you, the furnace don't always go out 0:14:14.570 --> 0:14:17.510 because the furnace is going out. Sometimes the furnace going 0:14:17.510 --> 0:14:19.820 out because God said, oh yeah, you going to steal mine? 0:14:20.240 --> 0:14:22.550 Sometimes the car don't break down because it's time for 0:14:22.550 --> 0:14:25.250 the car to break down. God said, oh yeah, you 0:14:25.250 --> 0:14:27.200 going to rob me? Say, what are you doing, pastor? 0:14:27.230 --> 0:14:29.120 We already took the offering. Maybe some of you will 0:14:29.120 --> 0:14:32.780 see the ushers afterward. So you are a taker. And 0:14:32.780 --> 0:14:37.880 he took. So God said, okay, you take, I take. Now, 0:14:37.880 --> 0:14:41.600 remember last week here was the supposition. There's good takers. 0:14:41.810 --> 0:14:45.200 Not just bad takers. There's good takers. And that's what 0:14:45.200 --> 0:14:49.340 this chapter is all about. God says, Joshua, I want 0:14:49.340 --> 0:14:52.370 you to take the land, you and the people of God. 0:14:52.370 --> 0:14:55.430 I gave it to you as a promise. Now take it. See, 0:14:55.430 --> 0:14:58.790 the problem is, we take what we shouldn't be taking, 0:14:58.790 --> 0:15:01.550 and we don't take what we should be taking. Have 0:15:01.550 --> 0:15:03.230 you all heard that story about the three guys that 0:15:03.230 --> 0:15:07.400 Jesus met on 79th Street? And they were walking down 0:15:07.400 --> 0:15:12.110 79th Street, and Jesus met them. And the first guy, uh, 0:15:12.140 --> 0:15:15.710 you know, he had these thick bottle glasses and he 0:15:15.710 --> 0:15:18.980 could hardly see. And he said, Jesus, you, Jesus. He said, yeah. 0:15:18.980 --> 0:15:22.040 He said, Will you heal my eyes? And Jesus touched 0:15:22.040 --> 0:15:25.160 him and he was healed instantly. And then there was 0:15:25.160 --> 0:15:27.050 another guy. He said, man, I got shrapnel in my back. 0:15:27.080 --> 0:15:29.450 That's why I'm bent over. I got it in Vietnam. 0:15:29.450 --> 0:15:31.910 I've been bent over ever since. I can't straighten up. 0:15:31.910 --> 0:15:34.520 It's very painful. Jesus touched him and the shrapnel came 0:15:34.520 --> 0:15:36.590 on his back. He stood up. He said, oh, praise 0:15:36.590 --> 0:15:39.680 the Lord! They shouting. Jesus looked at the third man, 0:15:39.680 --> 0:15:41.810 and he saw that he was infirm and that he 0:15:41.810 --> 0:15:44.600 was lame in the leg. And, uh, he was a 0:15:44.600 --> 0:15:47.360 union worker. And Jesus, Jesus went to touch him. He said, 0:15:47.360 --> 0:15:50.810 don't touch me, don't touch me. I'm on long term disability. 0:15:50.840 --> 0:15:54.680 Don't touch me. What's my point? He offers, and we 0:15:54.680 --> 0:15:58.010 don't take. Come on back, come on back, he offers. 0:15:58.010 --> 0:16:01.560 But I want to remind you. Listen, listen, listen to this. 0:16:01.590 --> 0:16:04.710 If he tells you to be a taker, you need 0:16:04.710 --> 0:16:06.690 to take. Now, we talked about this before, so I'm 0:16:06.690 --> 0:16:08.370 gonna drop it. I'm not going to push them. Remember 0:16:08.400 --> 0:16:12.060 in the King James Version, Luke chapter five, Peter let 0:16:12.090 --> 0:16:14.460 Jesus use his boat. And I don't tell you, you 0:16:14.460 --> 0:16:17.580 ain't going to outgive God. You give him a spoonful, 0:16:17.610 --> 0:16:20.400 he'll give you a shovelful. And so what happened, Peter 0:16:20.400 --> 0:16:22.740 let him use his boat. And remember, we talked about it. 0:16:22.770 --> 0:16:25.650 We said it's a good thing it was empty, because 0:16:25.650 --> 0:16:28.320 if it was full, he would never let Jesus use 0:16:28.320 --> 0:16:31.950 his boat. But because it was empty. Y'all not getting this, y'all. 0:16:31.950 --> 0:16:35.160 Not because it was empty. Because he's going through and 0:16:35.160 --> 0:16:38.700 didn't catch anything because he doesn't have anything. Now he 0:16:38.700 --> 0:16:44.220 has the opportunity to let Jesus fill his boat. Maybe 0:16:44.220 --> 0:16:46.740 that's why you're empty today. Uh huh. Yeah, because if 0:16:46.740 --> 0:16:49.680 you were full, you wouldn't be in church. Uh, but 0:16:49.680 --> 0:16:52.320 but your emptiness pushed you back. Lord, if you get 0:16:52.320 --> 0:16:55.410 me out of this. And so what happens? Jesus said, 0:16:55.410 --> 0:16:57.300 you let me use your boat. I'm gonna reward you. 0:16:57.300 --> 0:16:59.340 You didn't catch any fish. So here's what I want 0:16:59.340 --> 0:17:03.430 you to do. Cast your nets over to the other side. Now. 0:17:03.430 --> 0:17:05.680 Come on. You remember it. What did he do? Cast 0:17:05.680 --> 0:17:09.040 his net. Singular. And what happened? It broke. Why did 0:17:09.040 --> 0:17:15.220 it break? Because God wanted him to take more than 0:17:15.250 --> 0:17:19.870 Peter wanted to take. When God says take it, take 0:17:19.869 --> 0:17:22.990 it all, take it all. I don't know about you. 0:17:22.990 --> 0:17:28.240 I want everything that God has for me. Everything. Whatever 0:17:28.240 --> 0:17:30.430 it is, I want it. I want it because he 0:17:30.430 --> 0:17:37.540 said I can have it. See, somebody's child will remain anonymous. 0:17:37.540 --> 0:17:39.280 But it was in the old when we had the 0:17:39.280 --> 0:17:42.189 old sanctuary. I had a candy dish. I told you 0:17:42.220 --> 0:17:43.869 stories about my candy dish. I didn't tell you the 0:17:43.869 --> 0:17:47.020 same story. There's a different one. He came into my office. 0:17:47.020 --> 0:17:49.240 I ain't gonna tell you his name. And he said, 0:17:49.240 --> 0:17:54.220 Pastor Ford, can I have some candy? I said, help yourself. 0:17:54.220 --> 0:17:57.400 You know what he did? He took the candy dish 0:17:57.400 --> 0:18:01.400 and emptied it in his pocket and put it back 0:18:01.400 --> 0:18:04.310 on my desk. I said, what are you doing? He said, 0:18:04.310 --> 0:18:07.760 I'm helping myself. I said, I didn't tell you to 0:18:07.790 --> 0:18:10.940 take it off. He said, you didn't tell me not 0:18:10.940 --> 0:18:15.020 to take it off. You said, help myself. Then check 0:18:15.020 --> 0:18:16.430 it out. Check it out. I ain't going to tell 0:18:16.430 --> 0:18:19.040 his name. Guess what happened? So he's standing there. I said, 0:18:19.040 --> 0:18:21.740 you got the candy. Go ahead. He said, I want some. 0:18:21.740 --> 0:18:25.580 That's in the bottom drawer. I said, he said, I 0:18:25.609 --> 0:18:28.460 listened to your sermon. You got candy in the bottom drawer. 0:18:28.490 --> 0:18:31.520 You said, help myself. I got one pocket full. I 0:18:31.520 --> 0:18:34.790 want to fill my other pocket. I said, move my chair. 0:18:34.820 --> 0:18:38.690 Go ahead. And he did. And I said, I said 0:18:38.720 --> 0:18:40.400 to him on the way out, I was thinking about 0:18:40.400 --> 0:18:42.500 I said, you know, something? And I connected to the 0:18:42.500 --> 0:18:44.990 promises of God. I said, you taught me a lesson today. 0:18:44.990 --> 0:18:48.800 He said, what'd I teach you? When God says you 0:18:48.800 --> 0:18:52.280 can have it, then just take it. Don't put a 0:18:52.280 --> 0:18:56.390 limit on God. God is more generous than we would 0:18:56.390 --> 0:18:59.760 ever believe that he is. Oh, I tell you, I 0:18:59.760 --> 0:19:01.860 tell you I learned something. And here's what he says. 0:19:01.859 --> 0:19:03.960 He says, I want you and the children of Israel 0:19:03.990 --> 0:19:06.930 to possess your God given possession. And remember last week, 0:19:06.930 --> 0:19:08.910 that's all I'm going to talk about this and and 0:19:08.910 --> 0:19:10.859 the theme, and then we're moving on to new material. 0:19:10.859 --> 0:19:13.410 So he says, here's the outline for the chapter Take 0:19:13.410 --> 0:19:18.090 My People in chapters one through five. Take those people out. 0:19:18.119 --> 0:19:21.869 Chapter six through 12. Take that place over chapters 13 0:19:21.900 --> 0:19:24.510 through 22. Let me say it again. Take my people 0:19:24.510 --> 0:19:28.680 in one through five. Take those people out six through 0:19:28.710 --> 0:19:32.220 12 and take that place over 13 through 22. So 0:19:32.220 --> 0:19:36.300 here's the thing. The theme is Yahweh will give you 0:19:36.300 --> 0:19:40.770 the manifestation of his revelation when we meet his qualifications. 0:19:40.890 --> 0:19:45.899 There it is. There are six requirements, six qualifications required 0:19:45.900 --> 0:19:49.230 by us to possess our God given possessions. Here they are. 0:19:49.260 --> 0:19:51.150 There are six of them. Let me give them to you. 0:19:51.180 --> 0:19:55.590 We must respond to God's plan. We must rest in 0:19:55.590 --> 0:20:00.310 God's promises. We must rely upon God's protection. We must 0:20:00.310 --> 0:20:04.990 readily obey God's precepts. We must realize God's presence, and 0:20:04.990 --> 0:20:08.200 we must recruit God's people. Now I have time for 0:20:08.200 --> 0:20:11.919 one just one point, because I'm here all the time. 0:20:12.160 --> 0:20:13.959 Lord willing, I ain't going anywhere. I said I might 0:20:13.960 --> 0:20:16.209 as well take my time. And so I am. I 0:20:16.210 --> 0:20:19.150 got one point today and we can get up on 0:20:19.150 --> 0:20:21.040 out of here. Let me drop em and I'm gonna 0:20:21.040 --> 0:20:25.000 push em. Respond to God's plan. That's verses one and two. 0:20:25.030 --> 0:20:27.730 Let me read it now. After the death of Moses, 0:20:27.760 --> 0:20:30.580 the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that 0:20:30.580 --> 0:20:35.050 the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of nun. Moses minister, saying, Moses, 0:20:35.050 --> 0:20:38.800 my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, 0:20:38.800 --> 0:20:41.679 thou and all this people unto a land which I 0:20:41.680 --> 0:20:45.340 do give to them, even the children of Israel. The 0:20:45.340 --> 0:20:48.040 emphasis in the Hebrew is on the word. Now it's 0:20:48.040 --> 0:20:50.470 the first word in verse one. It's the first word 0:20:50.470 --> 0:20:54.399 in verse two. Now, now, now, now, now, now. My 0:20:54.400 --> 0:20:58.630 question is, why now, Lord, why are you using now, now, now? 0:20:58.690 --> 0:21:04.750 Because God wants them to understand the time for procrastination 0:21:04.750 --> 0:21:10.120 is over. See, this is the second generation. The first generation. 0:21:10.450 --> 0:21:14.240 This first generation, they died in the wilderness. Over 2 0:21:14.240 --> 0:21:17.409 million of them. This is the second generation. And in 0:21:17.410 --> 0:21:20.859 Deuteronomy chapter one, somebody hollered out, what does Deuteronomy mean, 0:21:20.890 --> 0:21:27.070 second law? Due to two. Nomos law. Deuteronomy. Second law. 0:21:27.100 --> 0:21:31.180 What's he doing? He's giving the plan to the second 0:21:31.180 --> 0:21:34.690 generation that he gave to the first generation that the 0:21:34.690 --> 0:21:40.240 first generation did not implement because they were afraid of 0:21:40.240 --> 0:21:43.419 the giants in the land. So now he's coming. He's saying, 0:21:43.420 --> 0:21:48.040 don't make the same mistake your parents made. Why do 0:21:48.040 --> 0:21:50.260 you think we're so hard on our kids about, you know, 0:21:50.290 --> 0:21:53.050 don't have sex before you get married? Not just because 0:21:53.050 --> 0:21:56.619 the Bible says so. Because we know the mistake that 0:21:56.619 --> 0:22:00.230 we made and we say, don't do this. It cripples you. 0:22:00.260 --> 0:22:04.159 It does stuff. And so he's saying, look, look, you've 0:22:04.160 --> 0:22:06.590 got to understand. Here's what they did. Write it down. 0:22:06.590 --> 0:22:09.530 Deuteronomy chapter one. Here's what God told him. He said, listen, 0:22:09.530 --> 0:22:11.869 I want you to go now. Take the land. They 0:22:11.869 --> 0:22:13.880 went over there. The spies come back with a big report. 0:22:13.880 --> 0:22:15.679 Majority report. I don't even I don't even want to 0:22:15.680 --> 0:22:18.740 deal with that. And so they came back. Their giants 0:22:18.740 --> 0:22:21.470 and the grasshopper. The land is like God said. Two 0:22:21.500 --> 0:22:24.020 of us had to carry one cluster of grapes. But 0:22:24.050 --> 0:22:27.170 don't ever put a but where God has put a comma. Yeah, 0:22:27.200 --> 0:22:29.120 don't ever put a period where God has put a comma. 0:22:29.150 --> 0:22:32.390 So I said, but they're giants and we're grasshoppers. Well, 0:22:32.390 --> 0:22:34.250 we know there are giants and we know your grasshoppers, 0:22:34.250 --> 0:22:36.379 but the battle is the Lord's. He never said you 0:22:36.380 --> 0:22:40.970 had to beat them. And so the whole generation died out. 0:22:41.900 --> 0:22:45.440 This is treasure truth with Pastor Ford. Really a helpful 0:22:45.440 --> 0:22:48.770 look at Joshua chapter one, the first nine verses today 0:22:48.770 --> 0:22:52.250 as we continue this message entitled takers. By the way, 0:22:52.250 --> 0:22:55.280 if you ever miss a broadcast, you can always go 0:22:55.280 --> 0:22:58.070 back and listen to a previous day's program or, you know, 0:22:58.100 --> 0:23:00.869 catch up on an entire series, just come to our website. 0:23:00.869 --> 0:23:04.020 It's Treasure Truth radio.org. You're going to find everything that 0:23:04.020 --> 0:23:07.020 you need right there. Speaking of other things that you 0:23:07.020 --> 0:23:09.390 may need, Pastor Ford has written a number of books 0:23:09.390 --> 0:23:12.810 and he's really passionate about marriage and relationships. A number 0:23:12.810 --> 0:23:15.060 of different titles related to that. You can check those 0:23:15.060 --> 0:23:18.000 out when you come to Treasure Truth radio.org and look 0:23:18.000 --> 0:23:20.580 for the link that says Books by Pastor Ford. And 0:23:20.580 --> 0:23:22.260 if you ever have a question about something you hear 0:23:22.260 --> 0:23:25.350 on the broadcast, you can ask your question by coming 0:23:25.380 --> 0:23:29.280 to Treasure Truth radio.org and clicking on the contact link. There. 0:23:29.280 --> 0:23:31.409 You can give us your feedback or ask a question. 0:23:31.410 --> 0:23:34.170 And who knows, we might just answer that question on 0:23:34.170 --> 0:23:36.780 a future broadcast. You're going to find those links and 0:23:36.780 --> 0:23:41.129 a lot more at Treasure Truth radio.org. Well, thanks for 0:23:41.130 --> 0:23:44.160 listening today. Thanks also to our producer, Amy Rios for 0:23:44.160 --> 0:23:47.189 Pastor Ford, I'm Steve Hiller. Treasure truth is a production 0:23:47.190 --> 0:23:51.119 of Moody Radio, a ministry of the Moody Bible Institute.