Takers, Part 11

whatever that pain may be. We tire in the waiting because of the circumstances that we have to wait in. So what would you say to the person who says, I'm trying to be faithful in my waiting, but it's so hard, it hurts.

your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God that passeth all understanding shall keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. So even our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane he prayed, uh, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, if it be thy will. And so it was all about the will of God. Jesus was in pain. He. He had not vain repetition, but painful reiteration. Three times he prayed that. And then it

says this. He says to the disciples who had been sleeping, all right, you guys can wake up now it's time to go. Well, he had swept, as it were, great drops of blood, right. And he was in great agony about going to the cross. Well, well, the cross was still there. What made the difference? Conformity to the will of God. So Hebrews five eight, that even though he were the son. The Greek says he learned obedience by

the things that he suffered. And so, yeah, suffering sometimes is redemptive for us.

you know? And so it's part and parcel of growth in the Christian life.

You've got to rest on the promises I gave you. Promises. Now a lot of people make promises. Uh, you got some people who say, uh, loan me some money until payday Friday and somebody can testify. Don't raise your hand. You might be sitting next to him, or they may be in the sanctuary. Uh, but what did they do? They didn't tell you which Friday. And they didn't tell you which year? Some. Come on. Some of us know there's folk now trying to look away because they know

they owe us money. And they look, they say, sitting over here and they and instead of looking at me, they're looking at the wall because they know you looking from over there, because you moved from over there, because they ain't paid you your money yet. And then walk up in here talking about praise the Lord, acting like they don't know they owe you money. Yeah, yeah. You saw us up here. Why do you think I said suppose? Because you never know what's going to happen? Because we

made that promise. I so and so do take you so and so as my lawfully wedded spouse to have and to hold in sickness and in health, in poverty until death do us part. And I tell you all the time, some of us, it's just until death do us part. Yeah. People make promises. I'll call you back later on today. We going to hook up later on this week. Come on now. I mean, how many have been told that and and heard from the person yet? Come on, come on. Look, look look at the hands.

Look at the hands. Yeah. And so what. Oh here's the here's one. I'll pray for you. Look at that. Look at that, everybody. Everybody's saying, man, what a farce, you know. And so we make promises. But we need to understand here. God makes them a promise. And he says, listen, I want you to understand two things. You've got to personalize the promise. And I told you what I do. I put my name there. I put my name there. Uh, pastor for can do all things through Christ who strengthens him.

Pastor Ford has never seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread. Pastor Ford is the head and not the tail. Pastor Ford that knows the plans that God has for him. Plans for good and not for evil, to bring him to a desired end. Pastor Ford, pastor for I personalize it. But then. But then you got to participate. Notice what he told them. Walk in it. Walk in it. It's yours, but you're not walking in it. You're not possessing your possession. God says you gotta walk

in it. Oh, yeah, I know the tests are hard, but you got to go to school in order to get that degree. You ain't going to get it at home. And so we need to do that. This neighborhood is ours. He's giving it to us. We're a lighthouse, a beacon. Man, we got to do it. We've got to do it. Yeah, because the Bible tells us in second Corinthians 120, all the promises of God in him are yea and Amen. Numbers 2319 God is not a man that he should lie.

Isaiah 5511 so shall it be. The word that goeth forth from my mouth, it shall never return unto me void. It will always accomplish that which I set for it to do. I want to share this with you real quick now. Now get this. Remember in Micah five two, God made a promise. He said, O thou, Bethlehem Ephrata. He says, you're going to have a baby born in you. Who's going to be the Ancient of Days? So he talked about the humanity and the deity of Christ in Micah five two. I ain't got time to talk about

all that because I gotta move on. But here's my point. When did God fulfill that promise? Anybody know how many hundreds of years later? 700 years. That's right. 700 years later. Now get this. He. He said, I promised you my word. But here's the problem. Jesus was in Nazareth. He's supposed to be going to Bethlehem to be born. So, God, your promise is going to be null and void because they live in Nazareth. His carpenter shop is in Nazareth. Now, all of a sudden, you know, she's pregnant and he

needs to be born in Bethlehem. Luke two one and a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that everybody should be taxed in there. God used the greed of Caesar to fulfill a 700 year old promise. All I'm trying to tell you is God's word never has an expiration date. It's as relevant today as it was back in that day. And if God took 700 years to fulfill a promise about his son. Why are you crying? Because it's been

a few years. He says, I have given listen to this are not yet is God's right now because they're not standing in the land. They're looking at it. The Jordan is flooding over. It's the obstacle that's stopping them. And God says, I want to get you over there so you can walk up, but we can't get over there. God, don't worry about it. I got you, I got you on this, and you'll get over there when you get over there. Walk. Because everywhere you walk. And it's a

symbol of submission, of domination over this thing. It's submitting to you because you're walking on it. And this is what I really love. Because remember he said, he said that the seed of the woman will bruise the serpent's heel. And so what did he do? Jesus says this. He says, what I will do is this. He said, he has put Satan under our feet. Under our feet, man, don't you sell your future to Satan. You want to know why I say why? Because the check's gonna bounce. Amen.

But don't let the devil put a question mark where God has put an exclamation point. And so he says, yeah, we we're working on this thing. Uh, we personalize it. We participate. Why? Because if you have both hands on the promises, you can't have any hands on the problem. Let's see if we can finish this today. I'm going to drop off. I'm not going to push him. Notice. Thirdly. Then we are to rest in God's protective power. Verse five. Listen to this. Listen to verse five. How do we

get this? How do I possess my possessions? Glad you asked. You ask intelligent questions. Respond to God's plan. Uh. Rely on God's promises. Now, thirdly, rest in God's protective power. Verse five. Let me read it. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life, as I was with Moses. So I will be with thee. I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Do you see that God is promising them protection in three areas? Let me give it to you.

I'm just going to drop it. I'm not going to push them. Protection against foes. Protection against failure and protection against fear. What's he going to protect him against? Foes. Failure and fears. Now Moses's name keeps coming up all over the place, and it's coming up in every category. Have you noticed that? Why? Because I want you to be able to look back and say this. If God did it before, he can do it again. Hey, anybody ever been healed? Okay. If he did it before, he

can do it again. Anybody ever been broke and God provided. If he did it, then he could. He did it. Then he could do it again. Anybody ever have haters and you thought that they were going to overcome you, but God got you out of it. If he did it, then he can do it now. See, whatever God has done, God can do. And all we got to do is believe that he protects us. So he wants you to know it's different leader. Same power, different church, same power,

different everything. Same power. It's the same protective power that protected Moses and brought him through the Red sea. It's going to be the same power that take you through the Jordan River. It's a it's like a a young Navy lieutenant who's first time. And he said, uh, uh, the captain said, I got an interview. He said, okay. He said, there is a storm coming up on the starboard bow. What would you do? He said, I throw out an anchor. He said, okay, there's a storm coming

out in the aft bow. What would you do? I throw out an anchor. He said, there's a storm coming in the forward bow. What would you do? He said, I throw out an anchor. He said there is a storm coming at the end of the ship. What would you. He said, I thought anchor captain said, where are you getting all these anchors? He said the same place. You're getting all them storms. Same place you're getting all them storms. It's the same power that you and I understand that.

The same power that protected Moses and brought the children of Israel where they had to go to possess their possession. If he could do it back then with Pharaoh, he could do it with the gangbangers. He can do it with all the other obstacles that face us. I want some people who will be willing to say, God, I understand that I am invincible as long as I am in your will that nobody can take me out, take me over, turn me in unless you allow it. I

am the peculiar people of God, that is. I have been circled about and nothing and no one can get in unless you say so. I am invincible until God is finished with me. And Warren Wiersbe said he was preaching that, and a guy walked up to him and said, doctor Wesby, I got it, I got it. He said, I realize I'm invincible, that I could walk in the busiest intersection in this city, and nothing will happen to

me if it's not my time. Doctor Warren Wiersbe said, I said to him, sir, if you walk in the busiest intersection in this city, it is your time.

Ford's teaching is making a difference in your life. Give us your feedback by coming to Treasure Truth radio.org and clicking on the contact link. Let's get back to the message takers again. Here's Pastor Ford.

of all the bangers in the land. These were the number one bangers. I don't know what the toughest gang is in Chicago, but whatever it is, that's who they would be. Everybody else was afraid of the Jericho ites. Why? Because of their wall. How high was it? That's right. 60ft. How wide was it? That's right, 30ft. Now, how many chariots could ride side by side? Two. That's right. And they were bad. These guys were slaves. They were farmers.

And they didn't have weapons between them. And now he says, I want you to go in there and deal with them. You have inadequate resources and inadequate people don't have enough money, don't have enough people. I want you to go in there anyway because I have protective power. This is a true story. Let me tell you what happened in Beatrice, Nebraska. Listen to this. This. I saw this, and I said, I've got to share this with them about God's protective power.

The pastor went to church Saturday afternoon to prepare for the evening choir practice. Most members arrived between 715 and 730. However, a few members get there at 7:00 for a 730 rehearsal. So here it is. He went home, had a quick supper, was ready to leave, but it was discovered that his daughter's dress was soiled, which required a change of dress which required ironing. So they were late. High school sophomore LaDonna had problems with geometry and had to stay until

she had it cleared up. She usually always early for rehearsal, but that day she was late. Two sisters car wouldn't start. They were the ones that arrived at seven, but they had to call someone to pick them up and they were late. Mr. Schuster and her small daughter usually arrived about 720. But that night her her mother needed her to drop by and she went by. Her mother's house and she was late. A lathe operator wanted to stop to. Put an important letter in the mailbox and he doesn't

know why, but he was late. Stenographer Joyce Black was just feeling lazy. She actually told the truth. Stayed until the last possible moment. She was all ready to go when it happened. Machinist Harry was going to take his two boys to choir rehearsal since his wife was away, but started talking to someone, and when he looked at his watch, it was already too late. The pianist Marilyn Paul, who had never been late in the 19 year history

of her being a musician. Wow. Uh, but fell asleep after dinner and woke up and was late for the first time in all those years. The choir director was late because of her daughter. She had tried unsuccessfully to wake her daughter, but she wouldn't wake up. Two high school girls went together, but one was listening to a program that was 7 to 730 and usually would break off. But the message was so good to them. They said, we gotta listen to this. At 725, the West Side

Baptist Church blew up. The roof caved in, the walls fell in. It was totally obliterated because of leaking gas. None of the members of the choir were there. All were late, which had never occurred before. You know what it reminded me of? Isaiah 5417 no weapon formed against you shall prosper. And God tells them, listen, I'm going to protect you. Notice, notice with me. Notice because then not just God's protective power, God's plan and God's promise.

But then notice. Then the text tells us that God also wants us to realize that he will allow us to possess our God given possessions. When we readily obey God's precepts, when we readily obey God's precepts. Just look at verses six and seven. Be strong and of a good courage, for unto this people thou shalt divide for an inheritance the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou may observe to do according to all the

law which Moses my servant commanded thee. Turn not from it to the right hand to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. Now get this. Get this with me. Let me let me do a couple of things. Let me show you some things. Three times he says to him, be strong and of good courage. Three times. Now notice he says it in verse six. He says it in verse seven, and he says it in verse nine. Here's all I want you to see. Every time he tells him to be strong and of a good courage.

It's about something different. It's not the same thing. Look at what he says. Be strong and of a good courage that has to do with his provision. You see that? Be strong when it comes to your provision. But wait a minute. Look at verse seven. Only be strong and courageous about my precepts, obeying my precepts. So be strong about obtaining your possession. Be strong about obeying my precepts. Then look at verse nine, have I not commanded thee?

Be strong and of good courage. Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed. For the Lord is with you. So be strong against persecution. So, so, so. He's trying to cover all the bases. What? Why is he telling Joshua that? Because he knows that Joshua is feeling the fear. God says you don't have to be afraid. And that's what's stopping us. What is fear? Come on, everybody say it together. False evidence appearing real. That's all it is. And how many fear knots are there in the Bible? Somebody said

a lot. How many? 365. Somebody counted them. 300. Now, what does that tell you? One for every day of the year. God said, you know, my people are going to be afraid. They have a tendency to do that. But we know perfect love casts out fear because fear, fear and faith are like oil and water. They cannot coexist. If you fear, you rule out faith. If you have faith, you rule out fear. And so fear knocked on the door. Faith answered, nobody was there. That's what Doctor King said.

And so we have to launch out and step out in faith. And he says, I don't want you to be afraid. And the word be strong and courageous literally speaks of not allowing other things to stop you from the things that God. And let me put it this way. Don't let the little things stop you from the everything that God has for you. Amen. And so he says, listen, here's what I want you to do. I want you to readily obey my precepts. Mm. I had two dogs.

They were pitbulls, Angel and Toby. And Angel was white. Toby was brown. And I had them trained to nonverbal commands. I did like that. No matter where they were, that Angel would come and heal at my left. Toby would come and heal at my right, and they would look up in my face to await my next command. I go like this. They roll over. I go like this. They sit. If I ever point it at you better run. That's all I have to do to have them. I don't have to say sic em, just point. And they

would attack. I often thought, boy, it would be nice if I could get my wife and children to respond like that. That would really be a great thing, you say. What's your point? My point is that these dogs waited on their master's command, that they didn't do anything. Like, for example, if they were hungry and my children or my wife said, here, come and get to eat. And I had told them to come in and I had done this, they would not move. They keep looking at me.

Don't look at them. Come here, come here, come here. And they look at me. And if I didn't release them, they wouldn't go. I said, man, wouldn't it be something if we treated our master like that?

Thanks also to our producer, Amy Rios for Pastor Ford, I'm Steve Hiller. Treasure truth is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.