Takers, Part 5

And so it sounds like you're saying that actually emboldens strengthens our faith for the next big challenge or promise he may have for us.

I had a special needs child. His name was Nathaniel, and my wife had gone to visit her mom in Pittsburgh. And so the next day she was coming home. We were going to pick her up from the airport, and I told Nate my other two boys were gone. I told Nate, I said, man, this house is a mess. We've got to clean this place up. And so around about 8:00 I went upstairs and said, I'll be right back. And I laid across the bed and fell asleep. 2:00 in the morning I woke up, I went back downstairs

and Nate was still sitting in that chair. I said, you've been sitting here for four hours. He said, waiting on you. I said, well, why didn't you come upstairs? And and you know, I mentioned his special needs job, and why don't you come upstairs and wake me up or something? And he said, well, no, you said, wait right here. And so I said, man, you waited and I didn't come back. He said, yes, you did.

recruit God's people. Now I have time for one just one point, because I'm here all the time. Uh, Lord willing, I ain't going anywhere. I said. I might as well take my time. And so I am. I got one point today and we can get up on out of here. Let me drop em. I'm not going to push them. Respond to God's plan. That's verses one and two. Let me read it now. After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the

Lord spake unto Joshua the son of nun. Moses minister, saying, Moses, my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou and all this people, unto a land which I do give to them, even the children of Israel. The emphasis in the Hebrew is on the word. Now it's the first word in verse one. It's the first word in verse two. Now, now, now, now, now, now. My question is, why now, Lord, why are you using now, now, now? Because God wants them to understand. The time for procrastination

is over. See, this is the second generation. The first generation, this first generation. They died in the wilderness. Over 2 million of them. This is the second generation. And in Deuteronomy chapter one, somebody hollered out, what does Deuteronomy mean? Second law due to two Nomos law. Deuteronomy. Second law. What's he doing? He's giving the plan to the second generation that he gave to the first generation that the first generation did not implement because they were afraid of

the giants in the land. So now he's coming. He's saying, don't make the same mistake your parents made. What do you think we're so hard on our kids about? You know, don't have sex before you get married. Not just because the Bible says so. Because we know the mistake that we made. And we say, don't do this. It cripples you. It does stuff. And so he's saying, look, look, you've got to understand. Here's what they did. Write it down.

Deuteronomy chapter one. Here's what God told him. He said, listen, I want you to go now. Take the land. They went over there. The spies come back with a big report. Majority report. I don't even I don't even want to deal with that. And so they came back. Their giants and the grasshopper. The land is like God said. Two of us had to carry one cluster of grapes. But don't ever put a but where God has put a comma, man. Don't ever put a period where God has put a comma.

So I said, but there are giants and we're grasshoppers. Well, we know there are giants, and we know your grasshoppers, but the battle is the Lord's. He never said you had to beat them. And so the whole generation died out. Now get this. I've got to get you to understand this. Let me let me show you something real quick. In the book of Romans chapter eight. Let me read to you what it says in verse 29. Romans 829. Let me read this. I'm going somewhere. I'm going to show you.

829 why he giving them this plan, why he wants you to do his plan when he says, do the plan. Why? Because he opens the door and no man can shut it and he shuts the door and no man can open it. So he opened the door and said, go into the land. They grabbed placards, start walking around the throne of Grace, talking about Hades. No, we won't go Hades. No, he said, you don't want to respond to my plan. They said no. He said, well, since you won't respond to my plan, I'm going to make it so you

can't respond. So even if you go, I ain't going with you because I opened the door and you didn't walk through it. Now I'm closing it. You can't open it. And you know what they said. Read it. Deuteronomy one. Oh, okay, okay then we'll go. Alright. Alright then, Imma do it. I'm gonna. Okay. You want me.

He also called them. He also justified. And whom he justified, them he also glorified. Now get this, get this, get this. We're saying in essence, hey, wait a minute. What do you why did you bring that out? Because theologically, Pastor Betts teaches that glorified, which is the future aspect of our salvation. He's telling us like it's in the past. Why? Theologically eternal security. But it's deeper than that, practically. Let

me tell you what it is. If I tell you that the end of your salvation is already yours in the middle of your salvation, no matter what comes your way, you will not worry about what happens to you in life because you already know the end is going to be. And so that's what's happening here. Respond to my plan. You looking at folk and you wondering what in the world is going on. But if you trust the plan, here's what I wrote you. Or did I say me? Yeah, yeah, yeah,

this is what I wrote. Uh, I said God says so. Depend on me and follow my plan. And here's what a very handsome, intelligent pastor of Christ Bible Church wrote. Quote, the more you depend upon God, the more dependable you find him to be. So what happens? No matter what comes our way, we follow God's plan and God's going to execute it and bring it to pass. past c. C. Okay, I know, I know, you say, Pastor Ford. I ain't getting it. Okay, let's see if you can get it.

Let me tell you a story about a man named Jed. Poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed. But then one day he was shooting at some food, and up from the ground came a bubbling crude oil. That is Texas tea. Black gold. Well, the first thing you know. Oh, Jed's a millionaire. Kinfolk said, Jed, move away from there. Said California is the place you ought to be. So they loaded up the truck and they moved to Beverly Hills.

That is, movie stars, mansions, the Beverly Hillbillies. Don't don't don't, don't. Now, I mean, I mean, I can tell how many in Pittsburgh it was Tuesday, 7:00. I don't I don't know what it was here, but I could see by everybody that went along with me how many couldn't wait to see granny get down and and see Ellie Mae. Whoop somebody. Who's she gonna whoop today? You know, and to see Jed and and and dumb Jethro. Amen. Every woman looking for a Jethro. Rich and dumb. But here. But you

missed it, didn't you? Here's the point. Why respond to my plan now? Because you need to know. I've got a plan. Listen, listen, listen, listen. I've come a long way. You know why? Because I understand. Uh, you know, it's like I don't throw out prosperity. Let me tell you why. Because the prosperity gospel is not incorrect. It's just incomplete. It's more than just giving to get. I mean, I mean, God is a big giver. Do you understand that? And so what happens? He said, I want you to go

in the land, and there's something that's precluding you. Now, now, you missed the whole story of Jed Clampett. Let me say it slow. Now, listen to my story about a man named Jed. A poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed. But then one day he was shooting at some food, and up through the ground came a bubbling crude. He missed what he was shooting at, but in the providence of God, even though he missed what he was shooting at,

God gave him what he didn't know was his. He's sitting on land that got all this oil and he doesn't know it. And the problem with us is we've been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. And we sitting on it and we shooting at something. But God says, I got a plan. You going to shoot at it and miss it? But in my providence, you going to hit the wealth that I have for you? Man, I tell you, it's there. It's there.

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marry a man. It's still his plan for a man to marry a woman and not a woman to marry a woman. It still is. Plan for a man to marry a woman and not a man to marry a dog. It still is. Plan for a man to marry a woman and not a woman to marry a cat. Why aren't you following God's plan? Because you're trying to get out of debt and you're saying, well, I'll just keep all my money. And God says, that's not how you get out of debt. Read second Kings four. How did she get out of debt? How did how did the

widow get all the oil? She said, make me a little cake first. You don't get out of debt by taking God's money. You get out of debt by giving him his first. Now I'm going to show you something. I'm going to show you something. We're just going to stand now. I ain't putting nobody on Front Street. But I want to show you how many people will say that's true. My wife and I were in $35,000 worth of credit card debt. We were making $100 a week as pastor of this church and being charged charge $100

a month for rent with a family of five. In two years, we were out of debt. Is that true? If it's true, stand up. Now, how many of you know at one time and you went through something like that and God showed you. You can't outgive him. You spoon it in, he'll shove it, and I'm gonna see you stand. Stand. Show them. Show them individuals who who believe God. Look at all these people who said there was a time that I would rock, but I. Now I saw that God look up in the balcony. Look

at all these people. Look at all these people who are standing who say, I have trusted God. Look at all these people. You can maybe sit down. I just want everybody to know I ain't the only one, that it works for anybody and everybody that will trust the Lord. I'm telling you. So God says, listen, what's stopping you from going into that business? What's stopping you from getting that degree? What's stopping you from doing what you need to be doing? I've given you everything. I've given you

a promise. Take it, take it, take it, take it, take it, take it, take it. Wow! I tell you now get this, get this. Hang in there with me. Hang in there with me. I'm gonna get you out of here pretty soon. Listen, now, this plan is not new. This plan was given to them 470 years prior to Joshua chapter one. It's in Genesis 1513. He gave it to Abraham. Abraham passed the passed it down to his son was his son's name Isaac. And Isaac passes down

to his son. What's his name? Jacob. And then Jacob passes it down to his 12 boys, and one of his boys passes down to Moses. Moses passes down to Joshua. Joshua's passing it down to the children of Israel. It's passed down. Guess what? From Genesis 15 to Joshua one, it's over 600 times the land that they were supposed to possess. Why did God keep telling them Lang lang lang 600 times? Because sometimes you got to have it ingrained. Because there are so many things that try to stop

you from what God has given you. And so guess what? In the book of Deuteronomy, it's 200 times over and over and over and over and over again. Why? Why? Because we've got to know that whenever the devil comes against us, I mean, it's like, what are our possessions? I'm blessed with every blessing in spiritual places in Christ Jesus. Then why am I living so impoverished? I tell you, I do know I no longer have a poverty mentality. God said, the poor you will have with you always.

But he never said I had to be one of them until he tell me I got to be one of them. I don't want to be poor. No, no, no, I'm blessed now why don't I have it? Because I gotta take it. I am more than conquerors through him that love me. And so I have the victory. How come I don't have it? Because I didn't take it. I didn't put on the whole armor of God. That I might be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. And so then greater is he that is

in me than he is in the world. Well, why is the devil whooping my tail and making me run? Because I won't take it. Come on, help me out. Let's get pumped up. Come on. Say take it. Look at somebody say take it. It's your God given destiny. Take it. God wants you to have it. Take it, take it, take it. Take it, take it. Yeah. That's it. See, we just want to talk about it. It'd be okay if all it took was talk. But it takes walk, not talk. Hey, you know, I was thinking about it.

I said, what if. What if, uh, the songs we where we used to sing, we don't sing them anymore. But but but what if the truth would be known? We. There's a song called Sweet Hour of Prayer. We don't pray. Five minutes. There's a song. Onward, Christian soldier. We gotta be drafted. And then we go AWOL. Uh, they will be showers of blessing. That's the title of a song. And we don't come to church when it rains. Blessed be the tie that binds. And we take that tie

and try to hang each other with it. Yeah. Serve the Lord with gladness. Yeah. And we gripe about what we do for him. We are marching to Zion. But we don't march to Sunday school and the Wednesday night Bible study. I love to tell the story, but never witness or invite anybody to come to church. When the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there. We're not there when the roll is called down here. Wow. Now here's my point. Get this. If God gave you a promise,

his plan didn't change. It's not a roller coaster. He doesn't capitulate that. We gotta get in there. Hang in there and hold on to what God has promised. He said, I want you to go in there. Don't listen to him. Don't. Why? 470 years, it hasn't changed. It's the same. Write down Jonah one and Jonah three. If you're taking notes, here's what happened. Go to Nineveh, chapter one. So he goes to Tarshish, which is 2000 miles. If he would have

went to Nineveh, it's 500 miles. So he went four times as far to get out of the will of God as he would have done to stay in the will of God. Then he had a fish experience, and that's what many of us need. That's a problem because some people listen. Some people are motivated by a pat on the back, some are only motivated by a foot in their behind. And so that's what it took for Jonah. And come on now, that's what it takes for a whole lot of us. And so God said chapter two

foot in the behind in chapter three. Here's what it says. And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah again. Arise, go to Nineveh and preach. Same words. Plan didn't change, but it took the fish because God's not trying to change the circumstance. He's trying to change our mind and the way we look at it. That's what he's trying to do. So let me finish this up. So why did God have to urge Joshua to respond to his plan? Here it is. Here it is. People past and problems.

Let me drop them. I'm not going to push them. You've been here long enough, number one people. Moses name is prominent and I got some information on that. But I'm going to let that go. I was going to tell you that his name is in this chapter more than three times in the book of Joshua, more than 60 times Moses, Moses, Moses, Moses. Here's what it says. Moses my servant is dead. And so Deuteronomy 31, uh, they're mourning the the death of Moses. It said, they

mourn for 30 days. Here's what God is saying. He is dead, I am alive. Get going. John Wesley's gravestone says this. He's one of the ones that started the Great Awakening. It says God buries his workers, but his work goes on. That's on his tombstone. That's right. And that's what God is telling him. Hey, listen. He's dead. They've been mourning for 30 days. Tell them to get up and get over there and claim that promise. One

monkey don't stop my show. Now get this. Let me give one illustration about three of them just to give you one. Can I give one? Say give one. Okay. Thank you for the permission. Chapter one of Isaiah. Was he a believer? Yes. Was he preaching? Yes. What's he say in chapter six? In the year that King Uzziah died, I also saw the Lord. Now get this. He didn't see the Lord in all of his glory until Uzziah died.

Which means then for five chapters of preaching he's preaching, but not in the fullness of knowing who God is. So what happens? Uzziah had the there's something about Uzziah. I don't have time to tell you about him. You ought to read about him. He was a great king that usurped his vision of God. Now he didn't need to use the word also that preposition. But here's what it means. Here's what it means. He died. And at the same time I saw God. Here's my point I'm

going to make it and move on. What? Uzziah is keeping you from fullness of God. What? Uzziah? You know why I asked you that? Because Uzziah has to die before you see God in his fullness. Well, ask somebody who's your Uzziah Lord? Ask somebody, what's your Uzziah don't have to be a person. And so what happens, man? God says, listen, get people out of the way. You heard about two lines in heaven. You got to tell

you about it. Two lines in heaven, you know. And there was one line, and it was like hundreds of millions of men in that line. The sign said men who were dominated by their wives on earth. Then there was another line with a sign that said men who were never dominated by their wives on earth, and that line where men were dominated by their wives on earth. Pastor Betts was there. I was there. Brother Yarborough was there. The newlywed minister of swims was there. We were all

in that line. Well, then all the men in this church that were married were in there, and there was only one person in the other line. It was Pastor Green. So they said, Pastor Ford, go over there and ask Pastor Green. We all in this line that said everybody was dominated by their wives on earth, and he's the only one over there that that was never dominated by his wife. Go over here and see how it is. He got to be over in that line by himself. I said, Elder Green, the guys want me to ask you,

why are you over here? Elder green said, I don't know, I'm just standing where my wife told me to stand. All I got to say is who has to die before you believe God?

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