What starts with we will always end in nothing. But what starts with Jesus will always end in success. Because he wants us to understand his presence makes the difference.
Welcome to Treasure Truth with pastor and author James Ford, junior senior pastor of Christ Bible Church in Chicago. I'm Steve Hillard. Glad you're with us. As today we wrap up our message. Have no fear. God is here, pastor. Uh, there may be someone listening today who says, you know, I thought I was starting with Jesus. I thought that what I was doing was what he wanted me to do, and I was really trying to serve him and and step out in faith. But, man, I failed, and I
failed miserably. Maybe it was a business. Maybe it was a relationship, you know, whatever that was, it fell apart. You just said, if it starts with Jesus, it's going to end. It's success. Help me wrap my brain around this.
Let's start off first by defining success. Because one person said this, I would rather ultimately fail than to succeed in an endeavor that will ultimately succeed without Jesus Christ. And so there are times when what God will do is he'll allow us to go through with our own plans so that we can see the futility of trying to do things our own way. As a pastor, I've done this myriads of times in my 34 years of
pastoring Christ Bible Church. I thought God's leading me to do this only to have it fail and God tell me, no, I didn't have you do that. Uh, there have been times, though, when I've succeeded and God has said, I didn't tell you to do that. So my point in the statement that I made was this, that we need to take the time to really see if this is what God really wants for us, and then go for it with
all the gusto. The success of it will be determined, and the outcome will be determined by whether or not Christ is involved. So let's take a relationship. Yeah, there are many people who are in a relationship that God didn't sanction, but you wanted that person so bad that you just grabbed them for yourself. Now you wouldn't let them go, so God had them let you go. And that's success. That's not failure because he wasn't in it. So ultimately, what could I tell you that would help
you to determine which is which? Ask him. I wouldn't be able to tell you.
Yeah, well. And you're absolutely right. Um, we do need to be asking him, seeking him. And, you know, as you talked about the fact that, you know, as you've led Christ Bible Church for 34 years. Some of the things that you were convinced God was calling you to do, they didn't work out the way that you thought they would. Can you look back now and say, ultimately that was a success?
Oh yeah, that the failure was a success. But what would have happened had it been, quote unquote, my kind of success? I would have been veered off of the course that he set for me and going in the wrong direction. And so he puts me back on course. I mean, that's that's Proverbs three five and six. Direct your path.
Well, let's open our Bibles to Isaiah 43 and look further at this passage and continue the message. Have no fear. God is here. Here's Pastor Ford.
The deeper they dig the hole. Come on. Somebody remembers. The higher they're going to make the skyscraper. Okay, let me let me come with something different. God was working in a curious person walking by and said, wow, that's intricate. What are you doing now? He was building a church, and the church was already built except for the steeple. And so he said, what is that? I mean, I see you're done with the building, aren't you? And he said, well, no, we have one more piece to put in. It's at
the top of that steeple. He said, really? So what are you doing it down here for? Listen to this. I'm carving it out down here so that it fits up there.
That's good, that's good. Yes.
He carving on us down here.
Amen.
To prepare us for up there. That's it. I'm just a work in progress, that's all. I ain't perfect, I ain't got it all together. But one day I'm going to be with him. And then the Bible says at that day I will see him as he is, and I will be like him. The transformation will take place as I'm going up in the air. I'll be transformed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, I'll look just like Jesus.
Mhm. Mhm. Mhm.
Yes yes yes yes yes. So here's what he's trying to get them to understand. They're saying everything has changed. We've lost our income. We lost our home. We're being taken into captivity. We have no bling. We have no Benjamins. We have no benzes. We are broke, busted, disgusted and can't be trusted. God, what do you want us to know? My love hasn't changed. And when you look at those words in the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of
the Hebrew Masoretic Text, here's what you find. Though. Every one of those words, those three words, that word would be agape. In the New Testament, that word precious would be what Peter would use to translate that Jesus Christ is a precious stone. Uh, that word honorable is the same word that would be translated, uh, that the Lord Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone. And he is precious. All those words were about Jesus. You see what he's saying? Listen, listen, listen.
Help me tell somebody. I don't got too much longer to preach to you this morning, but look at somebody and say, say, saint. God can never love you more than he does now. And he'll never love you less than he does now. Tell him you are loved by God. Unconditionally unmerited, unparalleled love. So the things have changed, but they don't change. And he said, my love for you have it the way I esteem you and consider you precious in my sight. That hasn't changed. The unconditional love
hasn't changed. I'm here right now and you ain't living right. You ain't acting right. You ain't walking right. But yet I haven't abandoned Imagine you. You tried to get away from me. And every time you did, you turn around. I was right there. I said I put something together. I say everything is changed. What? Don't change, pastor, for here they are. Let me just give em to you. Say give em to us. Alright. This ain't move on after that. Yeah. Number one, God is still sitting on
his throne. Number two, God never sleeps. Nor number some. Verse number three Jesus still saves. Number four, the Bible is still God's word. Number five prayer still changes things. Number six Jesus still loves us. Number seven preaching is still God's method. Number eight his grace is still sufficient. Number nine God still inhabits praise. Number ten and 11 his yoke is easy and his burden is light. And don't forget the last one. There's still room at the
cross for you. Mm. Hmm. Now notice. Notice with me. Number. Number which one? I'm on number five. I got three more notice. God says, have no fear. I'm here because of his presence. Listen to what he says. Fear not, for I am with thee. I will bring thy seed from the east, from the west, all of that. Notice what he said. Verse one I have called thee by thy name thou art thine. Verse two I will be with thee. Twice I will be with thee. Wait a minute, God. I will be with thee. I will be with thee.
I will be with thee, I guess. One for the father, one for the son, one for the Holy Ghost. Blessed. 3 in 1. And then he says, fear not. Now somebody who's been here who studies their Bible, tell me, holler it out nice and loud. Everybody that knows it. How many fear knots are there in the Bible?
365.
You don't. Only true, who knows it? How many fear knots in the Bible? What is that one for? Every day. So if you're fearful, just go in. You don't have to use the scripture over again. Just grab one. Fear not, fear not, fear not, fear not. Why? Because of the presence of God. Now I wonder how many of you know that God never was, was, and that God always is is. We studied on Wednesday. Some of y'all would
never be able to hear anything. Uh, on a Wednesday. Um, you know, because you you with Cookie on Wednesday rather than with with with the Holy Ghost. Amen. So here's what we learned. We said, why do they use the name Jehovah? Because the word literally means higher. Means he was. Hova means being in Hebrew, and Yahi means he will be. So they chose the name Jehovah because the name means future,
present past that he's a God of eternity. So they said the best way to tell us who he is in a name is to take the past, present and future and jam it all together. And when you jam it all together, you get the name Jehovah, the one who is. And that's it. So what are you saying? I'm saying listen, he's the eternal contemporary. God knows what's going to happen tomorrow. Yesterday. That's good stuff, pastor. Thank you.
I think so too. Amen. Amen. And then I went through Scripture and I said, everywhere you look, the presence of God. Okay. Well, if you look back, what do you see? Jesus dying for you. That's what it tells us in Galatians 220, who loved me and gave himself for me? When you look beside you, what do you see Jesus with you? Psalm 23 four yea, though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. When you look around you, what do you see encircled by Jesus?
Because the Bible says, we are in Christ by the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit. First Corinthians 1213 when you look inside, what do you see Christ in you? The hope of glory, according to Colossians 127 and 28, when you look up, what do you see? According to Hebrews 725, I see Christ on the right hand of the father praying for me. When you look ahead, what do you see? I see Christ coming for me. First Thessalonians chapter 413 through 18. And when I look under me,
what do I see? I see Christ holding me up on Christ, the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand. Yeah.
I don't know whether to laugh or to burst into song. You're listening to Treasure Truth with Pastor Ford and a message called Have No Fear. God is here, and we're going to get back to this teaching in just a moment. If you've not done so before, I hope you'll come to our website and then like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. We'll link you to those. And that would be a great way for us to be
able to interact. You can also give us your feedback by coming to the website and clicking on the contact link. Our website address is Treasure Truth Radio. All right, let's get back to the message from Isaiah 43. Again, here is Pastor Ford.
Let me give you these last two. But but you know, it's like each one of these verses could have been a sermon. You say, how so? Because then if I were talking about his presence, this verse talks about it's a powerful presence. It's a perpetual presence. He never leaves you nor forsake. It's a participating presence. It's the manifested presence. I know you're saying we want God to show up
in our worship. Isn't he already here? Isn't the omnipresent. Yeah, but that don't mean he going to show up in his manifested presence. That don't mean he's going to come and minister to us and walk the aisles and touch our hearts.
Mm.
Then it's a personal presence. Yeah. They said we have to hold on. He said children, have you any meat? We have toiled all night and caught nothing. Uh oh. What starts with we will always end in nothing. But what starts with Jesus will always end the success. They said, we. We know these waters. We should have caught some fish. We caught nothing. Yeah. What you're doing apart from me doesn't work. But he said, cast the nets on the other side of the boat. And they caught 153 fish.
Because he wants us to understand his presence makes the difference. Then the promises of God. Verse six. The promises of God. He focuses on the promises. Listen to this. I will say to the North, give up to the south. Keep not back. Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth. What's that all about? That's a part of the Abrahamic Covenant that he would always constitute Israel as a nation. And so now he's going back to that promise. It's a different aspect of
it because they're in the diaspora. And he's saying, I don't care what your situation has been. Can I just say something without being political or focusing on race? Do you realize who you are? Black people? 8 million. That's the number I got died in the middle passage. Didn't make it over 3 million. You are part of the people who survive. Horrible, devastating thing. Let me just say it. Here's.
Here's a promise. You say, what's going on here? Listen, if you needed a ride to church and you said, uh, you know, hey, hey, hey, hey, elder Green, would you scoop me on the way? He said, I'll scoop you. Then all of a sudden, Minister Dave calls me and says, hey, pastor, you need a ride? What am I going to say to him? I already have a ride. No I don't.
I have the promise of a ride. I don't really have a ride, but I said I have a ride because I believe what the person told me that their credibility and integrity will back up the words that they told me. Now, if he said, do you need a ride? And I don't trust his word. And then he called me after and said, do you need a ride? Yeah, I need a ride. I gotta call Elder Green. Elder green, don't worry about it. I'm cool, man, I'm cool. Why? Because I believe his word. Do you believe God's word?
Yeah.
Because when you don't stand on it, it means you don't believe it. It means you don't trust him. And God has made a promise to us. We think God's like some of us. We made promises. Do you so and so. Take so and so to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold in sickness, health, poverty and health until death do you part? I do.
Right now.
Okay. Are you divorced people? Don't holler it out. That liar. She lied. Do you swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God? I do, is the information listed here on your 1040 true? If it is. Sign here. You heard about that? Pastor of the IRS called him and said. Your member said they gave $25,000 to the church last year. Did they? He said, oh, they will. We're behind you, pastor. Just don't tell how far behind we are. Oh, I'll serve in this ministry faithfully.
How about this one? The check is in the mail. Oh, here's a good one. Baby, you're the only one for me.
Mhm.
God is good on his word. He keeps his promises. See? Salvation in the Old Testament. The lambs and goats were the promises of a Redeemer who would come. And so God wrote a check. Uh, which is really a worthless piece of paper. It's only as valid as the amount of cash in the bank. And so what I've had won. And so God post-dated a cheque. Calvary. So that everybody who was in the Old Testament until Jesus came could
look forward to the coming of the Messiah, Jesus. And so every time they went to the temple, they had that post-dated cheque. The cheque is in the mail. But when Jesus died on Calvary, uh, a new sign went up. Uh, Jesus said it is finished. It means to blessed. Paid in full. Guess what? The cash is in the bank because of Calvary. God is good on his word. We need to be like Caleb in Joshua chapter 14. Remember what Caleb said Caleb said. He said, let me tell
you something. Give me my mountain. Because God promised to me 45 years ago. And, uh, even though I'm 85, I want my mountain because God is good for his word.
Amen.
And they said, you're an old man. How man. How are you going to take it? You remember what he said? The same strength I had 45 years ago. The same strength I got now. Power of the Holy Ghost don't diminish. They ain't got nothing to do with your age.
Yeah.
Let me go on and get y'all out of here. Here's the last one. I'm going to drop em. I ain't going to push em. The purposes of God. Now, you listen to this. Just let me read. Can I read this to you? Say, read it to us. Thank you. Everyone that is called by my name. For I have created him for my glory. I have formed him. Yea, I have made him. You see what he's saying? You got a purpose. You got a divine purpose. And I just came to tell somebody. Today the fire is raging
to bring that purpose out of you. I just went through the scriptures, got a few folk because Jacob, uh, he had Israel in him. Uh, but it took the fire of Laban's hate and the fire of Esau's revenge to bring it out. But when he wrestled with God, it came out and Jacob became Israel. Joseph had seeds of greatness in him, and he took the fire of the pit and Potiphar in the prison to bring out the palace in him. Gideon hiding in a winepress, scared
of the enemy, acting like Pee-Wee Herman. But he had Rambo in him, and God used 135,000 Midianites when he only had 300 men to bring the Rambo out of him. You know the end of what happened. Peter acted like a coward, but he had courage in him. And he took the denial fire and the fire of desertion and the fire of the Holy Spirit to turn him into somebody who turned Jerusalem out and preach the Word of God.
So that 3000 people got saved on the day of Pentecost and wrote two books in the Bible, and mentored somebody who had fallen by the name of John Mark, so that he became the first gospel ever written in the New Testament. And then don't forget about our elder brother Jesus Christ, because it took the fire of Calvary's cross to bring out the payment for our sin through his precious blood, and to restore us in our relationship with God. I just want to read it to you.
Imma close just by letting the scripture speak for itself today. Listen to what it says. It says in hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly, for scarcely for a righteous man will one die. Yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us much more. Then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life, And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Yes. I don't know what you're going through. I don't know what the problem is. The fire is raging, but you are
God's lodgepole pine cone. Seeds of greatness is being released. Your purpose is becoming clearer. Your destiny is before you. And I'll. The ashes of the debris. It's all around you. They'll show. Grow. The green, lush, fertile fruit that's brought about through faithfulness in the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. Jesus said, I have overcome the world.
It's really a message of hope that we all need to hold on to. You're listening to Treasure Truth with Pastor James Ford Jr and a message called have no fear. God is here. Well, Pastor Ford's back in the studio with me here. And pastors, I sit in the Moody Radio Studios. I'm just reminded of the legacy of Moody Radio, how God has used Moody Radio for years and years, generations really, to share the gospel message.
Oh, yeah. And you know, we want to see that continue. Steve. Yeah. I mean, we hear from so many listeners who have benefited from listening to this teaching ministry, and if you're listening and you're one of them, would you consider paying it forward? Steve talked about the fact that we have a legacy, a long lasting legacy. And if the Lord
has used this program in your life. You can help cover our production costs by giving a one time gift, or becoming a monthly partner today, so that we can continue to be here in the future for others who need to hear the truth of God's Word.
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Thanks for listening and thanks also to our Bible teacher, Pastor Ford, and our producers, Amy Rios and Ryan McConaughey. I'm Steve Hiller. Treasure truth is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.