WEBVTT - The Inner-Me Enemy, Part 5 0:00:01.240 --> 0:00:04.280 That. He says, listen, don't you ever blame God. As 0:00:04.280 --> 0:00:06.720 a matter of fact, don't blame the devil. Don't blame 0:00:06.720 --> 0:00:10.640 the world because the greatest enemy is not our external enemy, 0:00:10.640 --> 0:00:14.240 the world, not our infernal enemy, the devil. The greatest 0:00:14.240 --> 0:00:17.400 enemy is our internal enemy, the flesh. 0:00:25.000 --> 0:00:28.080 You're listening to Treasure Truth with pastor and author James Ford, 0:00:28.080 --> 0:00:30.920 junior senior pastor of the Christ Bible Church in Chicago. 0:00:30.960 --> 0:00:33.559 I'm Steve Hiller. Glad you're with us as we continue 0:00:33.560 --> 0:00:37.080 a message called the Inner Me Enemy and pastor, this 0:00:37.080 --> 0:00:39.599 is at least the second day that we've opened the 0:00:39.600 --> 0:00:43.040 show by talking about the fact that the flesh, who 0:00:43.040 --> 0:00:45.640 we are in the inside, is our greatest enemy. So 0:00:45.640 --> 0:00:47.279 we can't get away with saying, the devil made me 0:00:47.280 --> 0:00:47.720 do it. 0:00:48.200 --> 0:00:52.400 That's right. We can't. You know, here's what I found 0:00:53.040 --> 0:01:00.200 that I cannot get away from me. Because wherever I go, 0:01:00.440 --> 0:01:05.480 I take me with me. And so it's like, yes, 0:01:05.840 --> 0:01:10.399 my thought life, my actions, you know, and I and 0:01:10.400 --> 0:01:14.680 I realize that I'm the product of some things, of 0:01:14.680 --> 0:01:19.199 my environment, of my education, of, you know, who God 0:01:19.200 --> 0:01:22.759 has made me as a person. All those things come 0:01:22.760 --> 0:01:27.840 together and they make me, me. And I realize that 0:01:28.400 --> 0:01:31.240 one of the hardest things for me to do is 0:01:31.240 --> 0:01:36.000 to control me. That's why I must submit to the 0:01:36.000 --> 0:01:39.960 Spirit of God to control me. Galatians 220 I'm crucified 0:01:39.959 --> 0:01:44.880 with Christ. Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ 0:01:44.880 --> 0:01:47.480 lives in me, and the life I now live in 0:01:47.480 --> 0:01:49.400 the flesh. I live by the faith of the Son 0:01:49.400 --> 0:01:52.040 of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 0:01:52.080 --> 0:01:56.560 It's the exchanged life where I understand I have the 0:01:56.560 --> 0:02:00.200 power of God operating in me. You know, I use 0:02:00.200 --> 0:02:02.960 this illustration all the time, but I love it. On 0:02:02.960 --> 0:02:07.080 the sea bottom there's a sea snail, moves very slow, 0:02:07.720 --> 0:02:11.600 just fish food and has a big shell and so 0:02:11.639 --> 0:02:13.600 fish will come. He goes in the shell doesn't do 0:02:13.600 --> 0:02:16.840 any good. They suck him out. Boom. Empty shell. But 0:02:16.840 --> 0:02:21.320 then sea crabs, they love those shells, so they'll come 0:02:21.320 --> 0:02:25.000 and occupy them. Now you have a living thing in 0:02:25.000 --> 0:02:30.079 a dead thing and it takes over the dead thing. Now, 0:02:30.120 --> 0:02:33.000 when fish think it's a snail, guess what happens? It 0:02:33.000 --> 0:02:36.880 moves faster than the snail ever could. Yeah, and sometimes 0:02:36.880 --> 0:02:40.359 the fish get eaten because it's a crab. And it 0:02:40.360 --> 0:02:43.960 has the the pinchers, the pinchers, and they grab the 0:02:43.960 --> 0:02:45.960 fish and eat the fish where the fish thought it 0:02:45.960 --> 0:02:48.880 was getting a free meal, it actually gets eaten. That's 0:02:48.880 --> 0:02:51.920 Jesus Christ in us. He gives us that power to 0:02:51.960 --> 0:02:55.120 do what we ordinarily could not do in this dead 0:02:55.120 --> 0:02:58.960 shell of humanity. That's why we have to crucify the flesh. 0:02:59.480 --> 0:03:02.470 Amen. Well, we could spend more time unpacking that, but 0:03:02.470 --> 0:03:05.070 let's do that by listening to today's message. We're in 0:03:05.070 --> 0:03:09.230 James chapter one as we continue the enemy. Enemy here 0:03:09.230 --> 0:03:10.270 is Pastor Ford. 0:03:11.030 --> 0:03:14.070 You may have a story about the pastor who was 0:03:14.070 --> 0:03:17.790 late for a meeting, and finally he decided can't find 0:03:17.790 --> 0:03:22.270 a parking space. So he double parked. He wrote a 0:03:22.270 --> 0:03:25.910 little note. He said, I'm late for a meeting. Forgive 0:03:25.910 --> 0:03:30.270 us our trespasses. Well, the beat cop came around and 0:03:30.310 --> 0:03:33.430 and saw the note, read it and everything, and then 0:03:33.430 --> 0:03:35.910 he gave him a ticket. And this is the note 0:03:35.910 --> 0:03:40.830 that he wrote in response to the preacher's note. Being 0:03:40.830 --> 0:03:43.110 a cop on this beat for ten years, if I 0:03:43.110 --> 0:03:45.910 don't give you a ticket, I'll lose my job. Lead 0:03:45.910 --> 0:03:51.430 us not into temptation. Why? Oscar Wilde said it best. 0:03:51.470 --> 0:03:56.070 He said I can resist everything but Tim tation. As 0:03:56.070 --> 0:03:58.390 a matter of fact, one person put it this way. Uh, 0:03:58.390 --> 0:04:01.990 lead us not into temptation. We do alright finding it 0:04:01.990 --> 0:04:06.910 for ourselves. Amen. Amen. And so there are five sources 0:04:06.910 --> 0:04:10.590 to our test. Five sources to our test. Let me 0:04:10.590 --> 0:04:12.310 give them to you. I'm going to drop. I'm not 0:04:12.310 --> 0:04:15.510 going to push them. There are five different areas in 0:04:15.510 --> 0:04:19.229 which a test can come. First of all, there's the 0:04:19.270 --> 0:04:26.790 sovereign source. That is that Yahweh God does test us. Now, 0:04:26.790 --> 0:04:29.910 we've seen in the text already he does not tempt 0:04:29.910 --> 0:04:33.230 us to do evil. But what does he do like 0:04:33.230 --> 0:04:37.110 he did with Abraham in Genesis 22? It said God 0:04:37.110 --> 0:04:41.589 did test Abraham, and the word literally means to approve 0:04:41.589 --> 0:04:46.270 the value of something. So God was allowing Abraham to 0:04:46.310 --> 0:04:50.070 see how much faith he really had when he had 0:04:50.070 --> 0:04:53.310 him offer up Isaac. You said, well, what was he 0:04:53.310 --> 0:04:56.390 trying to approve? Here's the question. Just just real quick. 0:04:56.390 --> 0:05:01.150 Here's the questions that God was asking him to answer 0:05:01.150 --> 0:05:03.910 when he told him to offer up Isaac. Number one. 0:05:04.230 --> 0:05:07.510 Will you obey me when you don't like what I'm 0:05:07.510 --> 0:05:12.270 telling you to do? That's question number one. Now, just 0:05:12.270 --> 0:05:16.950 don't think he's talking to Abraham. Whenever God allows us 0:05:16.950 --> 0:05:20.870 to be tempted, he's asking us that question to Will 0:05:20.870 --> 0:05:24.870 you obey me when you don't like what I'm telling 0:05:24.870 --> 0:05:28.230 you to do? Number two, will you obey me when 0:05:28.230 --> 0:05:34.270 you don't understand what I'm doing? Question number three will 0:05:34.270 --> 0:05:37.870 you obey me when you don't like what I'm doing? 0:05:38.950 --> 0:05:43.830 Question number four. Do you love me more than Isaac? 0:05:43.990 --> 0:05:47.030 Because often we pray for something and God gives it 0:05:47.029 --> 0:05:50.830 to us. And then that takes his place. I said, 0:05:50.830 --> 0:05:52.469 I'm going to drop him, not push him. I really 0:05:52.470 --> 0:05:54.990 want to push him. I really do, you know, because 0:05:54.990 --> 0:05:57.150 you got you ask God for that house. Now you 0:05:57.150 --> 0:05:59.589 can't come to church because you're so busy cleaning it. 0:05:59.589 --> 0:06:02.070 You ask God for the car. You ask God for 0:06:02.070 --> 0:06:04.310 the husband. You have God for the wife. You ask 0:06:04.310 --> 0:06:06.750 God for the job. Now you're so busy with overtime 0:06:06.750 --> 0:06:09.470 you don't even have time to come to Bible study anymore. 0:06:09.950 --> 0:06:12.550 You know, on and on it goes. So then, question 0:06:12.910 --> 0:06:16.230 number five. Do you love me more than the pagans 0:06:16.230 --> 0:06:19.190 love their God? Because what they would do is give 0:06:19.190 --> 0:06:23.310 the fruit of their womb, the firstborn they would sacrifice 0:06:23.310 --> 0:06:27.070 to their God. So God is a source of tests. 0:06:27.390 --> 0:06:30.750 The sovereign source. Here's the second. Here's the second. We 0:06:30.750 --> 0:06:34.430 know it very well. The satanic source. I mean, the 0:06:34.430 --> 0:06:36.470 devil is on us like white on rice, like duck 0:06:36.470 --> 0:06:39.470 on a June bug like flies on stink like grits 0:06:39.470 --> 0:06:43.190 on Al Green. You heard what the teacher wanted to 0:06:43.230 --> 0:06:45.590 test the kid. He said if the devil would come 0:06:45.589 --> 0:06:47.510 to get one of us, which one would he take? 0:06:47.710 --> 0:06:50.870 He said, well, he take me. Why would he take you? 0:06:50.870 --> 0:06:56.390 Because he already got you. And so God tests us 0:06:56.390 --> 0:06:59.589 to build us up. But the devil to break us down. 0:06:59.589 --> 0:07:02.670 God test us to purify. We already saw that, uh, 0:07:02.670 --> 0:07:06.070 James chapter one two through four, but the devil to 0:07:06.070 --> 0:07:09.510 pervert us. And so we need to understand that there's 0:07:09.510 --> 0:07:13.150 the sovereign source of test. Uh, there's the satanic source. 0:07:13.150 --> 0:07:17.550 Here's the third source. Here's the third source, the secular source. 0:07:17.710 --> 0:07:21.110 It's called the world. And does anybody remember how we 0:07:21.110 --> 0:07:25.230 define world? What's the word world? Cosmos from which we 0:07:25.230 --> 0:07:28.590 get the word. What? Cosmetics. So what is the world? 0:07:28.750 --> 0:07:34.070 It is that orderly, arranged system that leaves God out, 0:07:34.870 --> 0:07:39.070 that it has glamour and glitz and glow and glory 0:07:39.230 --> 0:07:43.830 and gold, but all of it is at the expense 0:07:43.830 --> 0:07:47.550 of our fellowship with God. So we've got to be 0:07:47.550 --> 0:07:53.870 like Moses, who who denied the pleasures of Egypt so 0:07:53.870 --> 0:07:57.310 that he could serve God. Here's the fourth source, the 0:07:57.310 --> 0:08:02.590 situational source. What do you mean, Cause and effect. Natural 0:08:02.590 --> 0:08:05.870 cause and effect. That God says I let it rain 0:08:05.870 --> 0:08:08.870 on the just and the unjust. That there are certain 0:08:08.910 --> 0:08:13.990 things that come natural that we can't avoid. Here's the 0:08:13.990 --> 0:08:17.950 fifth one. The one we're talking about, the self source. 0:08:18.190 --> 0:08:20.590 That is the flesh. That's what we've been talking about, 0:08:20.590 --> 0:08:22.830 the old sin nature. And we need to know that 0:08:22.830 --> 0:08:26.790 the old nature knows no law, and the new nature 0:08:26.790 --> 0:08:31.830 needs no law, because the new nature impetus is the 0:08:31.830 --> 0:08:36.110 Holy Spirit. So then what we looked at was James 0:08:36.110 --> 0:08:40.510 chapter 113 through 16. And here's what we saw that 0:08:40.510 --> 0:08:43.469 he says, listen, don't you ever blame God. As a 0:08:43.470 --> 0:08:46.150 matter of fact, don't blame the devil. Don't blame the 0:08:46.150 --> 0:08:49.950 world because the greatest enemy is not our external enemy, 0:08:49.950 --> 0:08:53.590 the world, not our infernal enemy, the devil. The greatest 0:08:53.590 --> 0:08:57.470 enemy is our internal enemy, the flesh. So he says, 0:08:57.470 --> 0:09:02.300 every man is drawn away of his own lusts when 0:09:02.300 --> 0:09:06.020 he is enticed. So we looked at the inception of 0:09:06.020 --> 0:09:09.940 sin starts on the inside. That the devil can't make 0:09:09.940 --> 0:09:13.780 us do anything. Nobody can make us do anything. We 0:09:13.780 --> 0:09:21.180 do it because we want to do it. Amen. So 0:09:21.220 --> 0:09:24.940 the inception of sin. Then he showed us about the 0:09:24.940 --> 0:09:29.900 reception of sin. Then he told us about the deception 0:09:29.900 --> 0:09:33.740 of sin. Then he told us about the conception of sin. 0:09:34.500 --> 0:09:38.820 And so he says, listen, listen, that when you engage 0:09:39.140 --> 0:09:41.740 in sin, you have a sin, baby. That's what he's 0:09:41.740 --> 0:09:45.940 trying to tell us. So don't blame God. It's you. Now, yes, 0:09:45.940 --> 0:09:49.780 Satan can tempt our flesh and he'll tell us this. 0:09:49.820 --> 0:09:53.100 It's okay to listen to. It's okay to look at. 0:09:53.100 --> 0:09:55.939 It's okay to be at. It's okay to go to. 0:09:55.980 --> 0:09:58.980 It's okay to do this or that or okay. It's 0:09:58.980 --> 0:10:02.580 not going to hurt you. And my favorite. This will 0:10:02.580 --> 0:10:07.939 be the last time. Oh, man. I'm glad somebody relating 0:10:07.940 --> 0:10:10.780 to me on this. Uh, you know, because remember the 0:10:10.780 --> 0:10:15.500 last time you did it before this last time you 0:10:15.500 --> 0:10:18.300 did it, you said it was the last time you 0:10:18.300 --> 0:10:23.100 was going to do it. Do you remember that? And 0:10:23.100 --> 0:10:27.100 now you're doing it again. Why? Satan knows he can't 0:10:27.100 --> 0:10:29.540 make us. But if he can instigate us, if he 0:10:29.540 --> 0:10:33.780 can just get it started, the flesh will finish it. No, no, 0:10:33.780 --> 0:10:37.340 the flesh will finish us. So he knows one drink 0:10:37.340 --> 0:10:40.579 can start you back down the road to alcoholism. He 0:10:40.580 --> 0:10:44.020 knows one snort of cocaine or or or one puff 0:10:44.020 --> 0:10:47.900 of crack or heroin addiction can get you started again 0:10:47.940 --> 0:10:51.340 down that road. One drag on a blunt can get 0:10:51.340 --> 0:10:54.500 you started with the reefer again. One pull of the 0:10:54.500 --> 0:10:57.900 slot machine, uh, one throw of the dice and you 0:10:57.900 --> 0:11:01.219 back to being a gambling junkie. One visit to a 0:11:01.220 --> 0:11:06.579 porn site can reignite your internet porn addiction. One 900 0:11:06.620 --> 0:11:10.700 number can start you back on the road to phone sex. 0:11:10.900 --> 0:11:14.620 So all sin is based on us being drawn away 0:11:14.900 --> 0:11:19.059 of our own lust. So the question we've been answering 0:11:19.059 --> 0:11:24.180 is this one that Paul said in Romans 724, O 0:11:24.220 --> 0:11:27.420 wretched man that I am, who can deliver me from 0:11:27.420 --> 0:11:31.100 this body of death? Now how many remember the word picture? 0:11:31.100 --> 0:11:34.380 Body of death? Anybody? Do you remember the word picture? 0:11:34.380 --> 0:11:37.340 What does it mean? But where did Paul get this? 0:11:38.780 --> 0:11:42.140 That's right. That's exactly right. Thank you. Smiley, that what 0:11:42.140 --> 0:11:46.300 would happen is this. If you had premeditated murder, you 0:11:46.300 --> 0:11:49.380 murdered somebody and you planned to do it. Here was 0:11:49.380 --> 0:11:52.820 your sentence. When you were convicted, the dead body of 0:11:52.860 --> 0:11:59.179 that person would be strapped onto your back forever. So 0:11:59.179 --> 0:12:03.179 what would happen? The purification from the death is seeping 0:12:03.179 --> 0:12:07.059 into your body, and now your body is absorbing that 0:12:07.059 --> 0:12:11.219 death so that ultimately, because you're carrying the dead person, 0:12:11.580 --> 0:12:16.780 you're going to die. Boy, what an analogy that since 0:12:16.780 --> 0:12:24.300 we are the ones is us, we're killing ourselves when 0:12:24.300 --> 0:12:28.740 we submit to the old sin nature as it begins 0:12:28.740 --> 0:12:36.100 to take over us. We who have life die now, 0:12:36.100 --> 0:12:38.620 not in our relationship, but in our fellowship. And some 0:12:38.620 --> 0:12:40.819 of us can say Amen. Or if we can't, we 0:12:40.820 --> 0:12:43.180 can say, oh, oh my. You say, well, what does 0:12:43.179 --> 0:12:46.220 it do? There's a plant called the Matador plant. It's 0:12:46.220 --> 0:12:48.060 in South America. Let me show you how it works. 0:12:48.540 --> 0:12:53.220 It starts off as a little plant, and, uh, it 0:12:53.540 --> 0:12:56.780 it wraps itself around the base of a tree. You 0:12:56.780 --> 0:12:59.900 ought to Google this. This thing fascinated me. And then 0:13:00.300 --> 0:13:06.060 it will continue to wrap itself around the tree. And 0:13:06.059 --> 0:13:08.900 no matter how tall the tree is, it will continue 0:13:08.900 --> 0:13:12.939 to grow. When it reaches the top, by the time 0:13:12.940 --> 0:13:16.900 it reaches the top, the tree has already been sucked 0:13:17.820 --> 0:13:23.140 of its life by the matador plant. Then the matador 0:13:23.179 --> 0:13:29.060 plant blooms flowers at the top of the dead tree. 0:13:29.340 --> 0:13:34.900 That's a perfect picture of my sin nature and what 0:13:34.900 --> 0:13:36.820 it does to me. 0:13:40.100 --> 0:13:43.260 Hurley is a vivid picture, isn't it? You're listening to 0:13:43.300 --> 0:13:48.420 Treasure Truth with Pastor Ford. A message called the enemy. Enemy. 0:13:48.460 --> 0:13:50.660 And we're going to get back to this teaching in 0:13:50.660 --> 0:13:53.140 just one moment. Hey, I want to let you know. 0:13:53.179 --> 0:13:56.780 Treasure truth is listener supported. And that's exactly what it 0:13:56.780 --> 0:14:00.620 sounds like. We depend on those who listen to this 0:14:00.620 --> 0:14:04.300 radio program or podcast to give and support the ministry, 0:14:04.860 --> 0:14:08.020 because there's no huge church or denomination or anything like 0:14:08.020 --> 0:14:11.579 that behind this program. The financial needs really are met 0:14:11.580 --> 0:14:15.180 by those who listen giving. And so if you're benefiting 0:14:15.179 --> 0:14:18.059 from Pastor Ford's teaching, you know, I've often asked you, 0:14:18.100 --> 0:14:20.180 would you let us know that? But another way you 0:14:20.180 --> 0:14:23.340 can let us know that is to give financially. Now 0:14:23.340 --> 0:14:26.580 we need single one time gifts and ongoing monthly gifts. 0:14:26.580 --> 0:14:29.700 It's everybody who listens, doing something that will allow us 0:14:29.700 --> 0:14:32.900 to cover the production costs and the airtime for this program. 0:14:33.380 --> 0:14:35.940 So to give your gift, simply come to our website. 0:14:35.940 --> 0:14:39.620 It's Treasure Truth radio.org and click on the link that 0:14:39.620 --> 0:14:42.740 says make a donation. You'll find that on the left 0:14:42.740 --> 0:14:46.820 side of the homepage. Again, that's Treasure Truth radio.org and 0:14:46.820 --> 0:14:50.460 make a donation. Once again, here is Pastor Ford. 0:14:51.020 --> 0:14:55.300 All it takes is one little thing to open the door. 0:14:55.340 --> 0:14:58.100 Come on, say it with me. Because first the devil 0:14:58.100 --> 0:15:05.410 gets a Toehold. Then the toehold becomes a foothold and 0:15:05.410 --> 0:15:11.810 the foothold becomes a chokehold, and the chokehold becomes a stronghold. 0:15:11.850 --> 0:15:15.170 Come on, say it again. First the devil gets a toehold, 0:15:15.370 --> 0:15:22.650 then a foothold, then a chokehold, then a stronghold. And 0:15:22.650 --> 0:15:26.250 so here, now we're saying, okay, then what is it 0:15:26.250 --> 0:15:29.210 that's necessary now? This is amazing to me. Why is 0:15:29.210 --> 0:15:31.290 it amazing to you? You say everything is amazing. You 0:15:31.290 --> 0:15:34.370 in the Bible. Here's why. It's amazing to me. Because 0:15:34.610 --> 0:15:37.370 you look at Paul's writings and he'll tell you things like, 0:15:38.250 --> 0:15:40.810 you want to overcome sin, you got to be filled 0:15:40.810 --> 0:15:48.610 with the spirit. Amen. Why? Because that gives us power 0:15:48.730 --> 0:15:53.170 over sin. How filled should we be? Come on, everybody, 0:15:53.170 --> 0:15:58.090 say it. So filled that if a mosquito flew in 0:15:58.090 --> 0:16:01.130 here and bit one of us, It fly out singing 0:16:01.130 --> 0:16:06.410 there's power in the blood, right? But this is unique 0:16:06.410 --> 0:16:10.010 because now he says, okay, let me okay, okay. Let 0:16:10.010 --> 0:16:11.530 me stop, let me stop, let me stop. Let me stop. 0:16:11.570 --> 0:16:16.450 Is anybody in here like me? When I do something 0:16:16.450 --> 0:16:18.770 wrong the first time, I look for the lightning bolt 0:16:18.770 --> 0:16:23.010 out of heaven. I know God's going to get me. 0:16:25.490 --> 0:16:31.210 And I'm focusing so much on this thing that it 0:16:31.210 --> 0:16:36.210 becomes a preoccupation that I'm trapping myself and don't even 0:16:36.210 --> 0:16:39.210 know it because my focus is on it. Because I 0:16:39.210 --> 0:16:41.330 know I'm not supposed to be doing it. But by 0:16:41.330 --> 0:16:43.930 putting my focus on it, I'm bringing it to, okay, 0:16:43.930 --> 0:16:45.290 let me see if I can get you with me 0:16:45.290 --> 0:16:49.370 on this one. Then anybody ever walk past a sign 0:16:49.490 --> 0:16:54.010 on a bench that said wet paint? Is there anybody 0:16:54.010 --> 0:16:57.450 like me that just had to see if it was 0:16:57.450 --> 0:17:03.410 still wet? That's what you need to learn about our children. 0:17:03.410 --> 0:17:05.970 If we say, don't be getting involved in sex, don't 0:17:05.970 --> 0:17:09.570 be getting involved. And that's all we do. We going 0:17:09.570 --> 0:17:13.010 to peak there. Why are they so, you know, interested 0:17:13.010 --> 0:17:17.409 in me knowing that that's all I ever hear. I 0:17:17.410 --> 0:17:20.130 don't know about you, but I. I found out, and, 0:17:20.170 --> 0:17:22.690 you know, it was almost too late. The best way 0:17:22.690 --> 0:17:24.409 to get your kids to do something that's. Tell them 0:17:24.410 --> 0:17:29.050 they can't. The best thing to do to keep them 0:17:29.050 --> 0:17:30.449 from doing what you don't want them to do is 0:17:30.450 --> 0:17:35.689 tell them they can. Anyway, so here it is. He's saying, listen, 0:17:35.690 --> 0:17:39.170 let me tell you how to do this. He said, 0:17:39.170 --> 0:17:44.210 there are three aspects about God that are to catch 0:17:44.210 --> 0:17:50.290 your attention, that will help you to overcome the tendencies 0:17:50.290 --> 0:17:56.450 of our sinful, fleshly inclinations. Here they are. He says 0:17:57.290 --> 0:18:00.570 the gifts of God. You see that the glory of 0:18:00.570 --> 0:18:02.409 God and the grace of God. Now we looked at 0:18:02.410 --> 0:18:05.130 the first one. But but I want to point out then, 0:18:05.130 --> 0:18:08.890 that James is profound here. What do you mean? Look 0:18:08.890 --> 0:18:13.810 at what he's telling us. He says, look ahead. See 0:18:13.810 --> 0:18:16.970 the conclusion. So you look to God. Why do you 0:18:16.970 --> 0:18:19.330 look to God? You look ahead to see the conclusion. 0:18:19.330 --> 0:18:23.050 Why he's talking about the judgment of God. Uh, he says, 0:18:23.050 --> 0:18:26.450 don't err. My beloved brethren. Don't get it twisted. Don't 0:18:26.450 --> 0:18:28.850 get it wrong. Hey, hey, you. You have to give 0:18:28.850 --> 0:18:33.170 an account to God. But then he says, look around. 0:18:33.170 --> 0:18:39.169 Verse 18. See the consistency. God is good. Focus on 0:18:39.170 --> 0:18:42.770 the goodness of God rather than your own faults and failures. 0:18:44.250 --> 0:18:47.889 And then he says, look inside. Verse 18, see the conversion. 0:18:47.890 --> 0:18:49.770 Now we've dealt with the gifts of God. Let me 0:18:49.770 --> 0:18:51.530 fill it in for those who are not here. Uh, 0:18:51.530 --> 0:18:54.810 Roman numeral one. He says, look, here's how you overcome it. 0:18:54.810 --> 0:18:57.170 The first aspect of God that helps you to overcome 0:18:57.170 --> 0:19:00.609 your sinful tendencies is the gifts of God he talks 0:19:00.609 --> 0:19:03.609 about in verse 17, every good and every perfect gift 0:19:03.609 --> 0:19:06.530 is from above, and cometh down from the father of lights, 0:19:06.530 --> 0:19:09.690 with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. So 0:19:09.690 --> 0:19:11.850 he says three things about the gifts I can only 0:19:11.850 --> 0:19:13.650 give them to you. We already talked about them. He 0:19:13.650 --> 0:19:17.330 talks about the measure of the gifts. He talks about 0:19:17.330 --> 0:19:20.490 the motive of the gifts, and he talks about the 0:19:20.490 --> 0:19:24.570 manner of the gifts. So the measure, the motive and 0:19:24.570 --> 0:19:27.850 the manner. Let's move on. Let's finish it. The second 0:19:28.410 --> 0:19:31.730 focus we ought to have on God the Father is 0:19:31.730 --> 0:19:36.169 the glory of God, the glory of God. Listen to 0:19:36.170 --> 0:19:38.610 what he says, that every good and perfect gift is 0:19:38.609 --> 0:19:42.369 from above, and cometh down from the father of lights, 0:19:42.369 --> 0:19:48.050 with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Paul, 0:19:48.050 --> 0:19:52.090 what are you trying to tell us here? He's saying, listen, listen, listen. 0:19:52.090 --> 0:19:55.490 Here's what you need to do. God wants us to 0:19:55.530 --> 0:20:00.050 worship him based on who he is. And so when 0:20:00.050 --> 0:20:05.170 we understand who he is, we understand what we need 0:20:05.170 --> 0:20:07.170 to do in response to who he is, because that's 0:20:07.170 --> 0:20:09.010 what worship is. Let me see if I can get 0:20:09.010 --> 0:20:11.610 you with me. He says two things here. You can 0:20:11.609 --> 0:20:15.010 write them down. The glory of God in His creation, 0:20:15.050 --> 0:20:17.930 the glory of God in his character. I submit to 0:20:17.930 --> 0:20:20.770 you that why he wants us to. In the words 0:20:20.770 --> 0:20:23.450 of the song, anybody remember it? It came out of 0:20:23.450 --> 0:20:26.889 hymn books. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in 0:20:26.890 --> 0:20:29.770 his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow 0:20:29.770 --> 0:20:33.410 strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. Hey, 0:20:33.450 --> 0:20:38.970 show me folk who had the right response to worship, 0:20:38.970 --> 0:20:44.250 and I'll show you folk whose sinfulness dealt with itself. Okay, 0:20:44.250 --> 0:20:47.409 let me give you a couple examples. Isaiah chapter six. 0:20:48.010 --> 0:20:50.690 In the year that King Uzziah died, I also saw 0:20:50.690 --> 0:20:53.730 the Lord high and lifted up, and his train filled 0:20:53.730 --> 0:20:58.210 the earth. And the cherubim and seraphim hollered, Holy, holy, holy! 0:20:58.330 --> 0:21:02.359 He sees a worship scene. And what does he do? 0:21:02.400 --> 0:21:09.119 Immediately he falls on his face and he worships. Now 0:21:09.280 --> 0:21:13.520 he's got the right perspective of God. When he gets 0:21:13.520 --> 0:21:18.399 the right perspective of God, he then gets the right 0:21:18.400 --> 0:21:24.480 comprehension about his self. It falls in line. In other words, 0:21:24.480 --> 0:21:28.920 the closer we come to him, he's called the father 0:21:29.119 --> 0:21:34.080 of lights. Okay, I've done this so many times. I 0:21:34.080 --> 0:21:36.840 think I've told you a couple times, too. Uh, but 0:21:36.840 --> 0:21:41.280 this is embarrassing. Uh, I, uh, you know, dressed to 0:21:41.280 --> 0:21:44.360 the nines. I'm getting ready to head down, Moody. And 0:21:44.359 --> 0:21:48.359 I don't like to be late. I know, but anyway, 0:21:48.920 --> 0:21:53.000 I'm on my way down there, and somebody cuts me 0:21:53.000 --> 0:21:58.439 off on Dan Ryan. And, you know, I think something. 0:21:58.440 --> 0:22:03.960 I don't say it. I hit the break room. Then 0:22:03.960 --> 0:22:08.400 I looked down. I got a dark brown shoe and 0:22:08.400 --> 0:22:11.959 a black shoe. Because I wear Stacey's. And so I 0:22:11.960 --> 0:22:17.960 have blue, black and brown all the same style. I 0:22:18.000 --> 0:22:22.840 had a dark brown shoe and a black shoe. I 0:22:22.840 --> 0:22:25.000 had to be late because I had to turn around 0:22:26.960 --> 0:22:30.280 because I wasn't going there with it. Now here's here's the. 0:22:30.600 --> 0:22:33.640 When I was in the house getting ready to go, 0:22:33.760 --> 0:22:37.800 it was dark. When I went to the garage, there 0:22:37.800 --> 0:22:40.359 was a little bit of light, but not enough to 0:22:40.400 --> 0:22:44.000 make a contrast. But when I stepped out into the 0:22:44.000 --> 0:22:50.119 brightness of day, then I saw what was wrong with me. 0:22:50.760 --> 0:22:51.359 You get. 0:22:51.359 --> 0:22:51.639 It? 0:22:54.520 --> 0:22:57.560 This is treasure truth with Pastor Ford. A message called 0:22:57.560 --> 0:23:00.760 the enemy. Me and me. And we're going to continue 0:23:01.040 --> 0:23:03.080 this message on our next broadcast. If you want to 0:23:03.080 --> 0:23:04.720 make sure you don't miss it, come to our website 0:23:04.720 --> 0:23:07.399 right now and sign up to begin podcasting the program. 0:23:07.640 --> 0:23:10.240 Or you can download the Moody Radio app. They're both free, 0:23:10.240 --> 0:23:12.159 and it makes it really convenient for you to listen 0:23:12.160 --> 0:23:15.720 on the go whenever it fits your schedule. Well, this 0:23:15.720 --> 0:23:18.240 is the fifth part of the series, and if you've 0:23:18.240 --> 0:23:21.040 missed any of the previous broadcasts, you can always go 0:23:21.040 --> 0:23:24.520 online to our website and catch up there. Simply come 0:23:24.520 --> 0:23:28.040 to Treasure Truth radio.org and stream the program through your 0:23:28.040 --> 0:23:31.280 computer or mobile device. You can also download the MP3 0:23:31.560 --> 0:23:35.000 or order a copy of this broadcast on CD. Again, 0:23:35.000 --> 0:23:39.280 to get started, come to Treasure Truth radio.org. Well, thanks 0:23:39.280 --> 0:23:42.520 for listening today. Thanks also to our producers, Amy Rios 0:23:42.520 --> 0:23:45.920 and Ryan McConaughey. For Pastor Ford, I'm Steve Hiller. Treasure 0:23:45.920 --> 0:23:49.040 truth is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of 0:23:49.080 --> 0:23:50.480 Moody Bible Institute.