April 14, 2025 • 24 mins
On the next Treasured Truth, we’ll continue to look at Jesus’ journey to Calvary, and what He had to endure for our salvation, Pastor Ford will help us understand the blessings in a beatdown. He’ll remind us that we have to realize that it’s better to walk with God in the darkness than to walk alone in the light. That’s what Jesus wanted us to know. Through the example of His life, we can see that He alwasy put God first, especially in His suffering. To learn more from Pastor Ford about the blessings we find in Chrit’s sacrifice on the cross, join us for the next Treasured Truth.
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Episode Transcript
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S1 (00:00):
You have to know that it's better to walk with
God in the darkness than to walk alone in the light.
That's what he wants us to know. Jesus always put
God first, even and especially in his suffering.
S2 (00:24):
Welcome to Treasure Truth with pastor and author James Ford,
junior senior pastor of the Christ Bible Church in Chicago.
I'm Steve Hiller. Glad you're with us today as we
continue a message called The Blessings in a beatdown. And
for those of you who do feel like you have
been beaten down in this life, and I think many
of us may resonate with that, or at least at
(00:45):
some point in our life. We certainly do. I hope
that you've been able to hold on to that truth
that Pastor Ford just shared with us. It's better to
walk with God in darkness than walk alone in the light.
But I think that all comes down to whether or
not we truly believe God is sovereign. You know, if
we're not convinced of that, it can be real easy
(01:06):
for us to become frustrated, to give up hope, to
think we're going to turn to another solution to our
problems and our pain. But when we're convinced that God
is sovereign, that he is in control, and that we
can look to him in the midst of our pain,
knowing that he's not letting anything impact us that doesn't
(01:27):
pass through his hands. First, it helps us walk through
that difficult situation. And there's also nothing wrong with asking
God why he may not answer you. In fact, the
answer may simply be what we've been talking about, that
he is sovereign and that he is enough. Well, that's
what we're looking at today from the book of Isaiah.
(01:48):
We're in chapter 50, so I hope you'll open your
Bible and join us there as we continue the message,
the blessings in a beatdown. Here is Pastor Ford.
S1 (01:57):
And so now this third song out of these five
is the song of his tribulation. Now watch the song.
Now what's the song? Imma get to it, Imma get
to it. But I'm going to teach you a little
bit if you don't mind. When I retire, I'm going
back to college and teach. Teach probably at Moody Man
or Trinity. That's what I like to do anyway. Yeah,
(02:20):
I matter of fact I was at a convocation and
it was a holiness convocation. I was I was their
keynote speaker for the first night, and I and I
and I told them, I said, now if you're looking
for hooping, you won't get it. You'll get teaching. And
when I came out, lady said, nice lecture, pastor. Yep.
And the guy who invited me said, one day we're
going to teach you how to preach, though, okay? I said, well. Yeah, yeah.
(02:51):
And so here it is now, the song, this song
we're studying has four stanzas. You know, what it stands
is right. It was a verse. And then the refrain, uh,
or the chorus. Now here's the difference. This one starts
off with the refrain or the chorus first. See, we
usually sing the stanza, then the chorus. Everybody still with me? Choir.
(03:13):
I at least get an amen out of y'all. Anyway.
So watch this. Now watch this. Come on, follow along.
Follow along with me. Follow along. Watch this here. Here
is the first chorus. The Lord God. Now the stanza.
All the way down to verse five. Second refrain or chorus.
(03:34):
The Lord God. Then all the way down to verse.
You still with me. Verse seven. For the Lord God.
And then down to verse nine. For behold the Lord God.
See the chorus is the Lord God. The Lord God.
The Lord God. Guess what he's trying to emphasize. The
(03:55):
Lord God. So he gives the he gives the, the
the stanza. And then he says, I want you to
understand something. Let's start off with the Lord God. Why?
Because we're always going to put the sovereignty of God first.
That this song is about the suffering servant who obeys
God despite the fact that he's going through hell. Yeah. Mm.
(04:24):
And so I'm just going to tell you, uh, what
our Lord did, and I trust that we will follow suit.
You say? What do you mean? How do you get
blessings in a beat down? Uh, notice it's the sovereignty
(04:45):
of God over your life. When you're going through a
beat down, the first thing you need is that chorus.
The sovereignty of God over your life. Here's the second thing.
The sovereignty of God in your learning. Here's the third thing.
The sovereignty of God in your listening. Here's the fourth thing.
(05:07):
The sovereignty of God in your lashings. Now y'all know
why I said lashings instead of beating and suffering? Because
it starts with L. I'm not going to, uh. I
am not not going to alliterate. And then the sovereignty
of God in your liberty. Let's walk through these real quick,
and let me show you the example that Jesus leaves
for you and I. He's on his way to die
(05:29):
for our sins. And he had joy in the midst
of his sorrow because, number one, the sovereignty of God
over his life. So notice again, the Lord God hath
given me the tongue of the learned, that I should
know how to speak a word in season to him
(05:50):
that is weary. Notice what happens. He says, you know,
let me give you the bottom line of everybody who's suffering,
who says, you know what, I don't want to do this.
I don't want to do I don't want to go
through this. And that would be all of us at
one point or another. Here's what he's trying to teach us.
You have to know that it's better to walk with
(06:12):
God in the darkness than to walk alone in the light. Amen.
That's what he wants us to know. Jesus always put
God first, even and especially in his suffering. He obeyed
God in everything. See, he wants us to know something.
He obeyed God and everything, that God's purpose was more
(06:36):
important than his pleasure, that God's purpose was more important
than his pain. Alright. Yes. In the Garden of Gethsemane.
What did he say? Not my will, but thy will
be done. How many times did he say it? Three times. Jesus!
(06:58):
What are you doing? I'm letting people know that as
the suffering servant, if you're going to be obedient, first
thing you gotta do is you gotta have the sovereign
God over your entire life, your blessings and your beatings,
but especially your beatings. Uh, why did my business have
(07:19):
to go bankrupt? Why did my husband or wife have
to break my heart? Uh, why did God allow me
to have the sickness but heal that person on the
other pew? I happen to see what they put in.
They don't even tithe, I tithe. Why did God heal
that person and not me? Why did Big Mama have
to die? Why why why why why? There's nothing wrong
(07:40):
with asking why. But here's what he wants to teach us.
Sometimes the answer is because I am sovereign. Because I
made you. And you didn't make me. Because I saved
you and you didn't save me. We can't deal with that,
(08:00):
can we? Now, now, now we'll do it with our children.
We'll do it with our children. Mama! Daddy! Why do
I have to do this? Everybody all together? Because I
said so. I brought you into this world, and I'll
take you out. And we can say. Because I said so.
(08:21):
How many bosses on your job? Oh, we ain't got any.
We gotta get some businesses in here, then. You know,
how many business people do we have that own your
own business? Nice and high. Amen. Do you go to
your employees and say you know when you feel like it?
(08:42):
I really would appreciate it. I hope I don't offend
you by asking you this. No. Hey, this is what
I want done. Get that done. Now, you may throw
a please in there, but you want it done. On. Why?
Because you are in charge. Jesus says, When God is
(09:07):
in charge of your life, he can do whatever he
wants to do now. Matthew 14. We studied it before,
but here it is. Matthew 14. What happened in Matthew 14?
It says, Jesus told the disciples, get in that boat
and go to the other side. Here's what I love Jesus.
Do you know there's a storm coming? Yes. Then why
are you sending them into the storm? Because I already
(09:31):
told them we're going to the other side. You see,
I didn't say go to the middle of the Sea
of Galilee and drown. I said, get in the boat
and go to the other side. See, you need to
understand that I sent them there because I'm sovereign over
their lives. I can tell them what to do and
get this. Here. Put this in your theological pipe and
(09:51):
smoke it. They obeyed, yet they still suffered. Now I
can I can go along with, you know, whenever I
do something wrong and God, God is spanking me. I
don't know if you like me. Sometimes I do wrong.
I look up in the sky for the bolt of
lightning when it don't hit me. I thank God for
his mercy. Amen. Amen. But I tell you, I don't
(10:14):
like it when I'm doing everything I'm supposed to do.
Given like I should give. Serve like I should serve.
Worshiping like I should worship. Witnessing like I should witness.
And then something happens that tears me up. I'm tore
up from the floor up. And I look up and
I say, just like you. Why? Yes. And God says
you're asking the wrong question. The question is not why.
(10:37):
The question is what? Here's the question. Can you trust
God's heart when you can't trace God's hand? Jesus did.
What's going on here? Because and here's here's what I
like about Matthew 14 two. Let me let me say this. I, I,
I gotta come back to this. It says they were
(10:57):
rowing and they had been rowing for nine hours, but
it only takes six hours to get across the Sea
of Galilee in good weather. So they're rowing nine hours
against the wind, and it says they're only halfway. Now,
I submit to you, most of would have said, let
(11:19):
that wind blow us on back. I ain't fighting that.
They wanted God's sovereignty in their life so much that
they fought against the wind to keep going in the
direction that God told them. And God told you to
wait for a godly man or a godly woman, and
(11:39):
instead of you waiting for Mr. Right or Miss Right,
you settle for Mr. Right now. Then you find out
you knew his last name was right. You didn't know
his first name was always. God told you what he
wanted you to do. He wanted you to have your
(12:00):
own business, but it's so difficult. And now you want
to go work for somebody else. It's a doctor filled moment.
How some of this stuff working for you?
S2 (12:11):
It's a good question. Even if it's coming from Doctor Phil.
You're listening to Treasure Truth with Pastor Ford and a
message called The Blessings in a beatdown. And we're going
to get back to this message in just one moment.
You know, if you ever miss a broadcast or part
of a broadcast or you just want to listen to
it again, come to our website. It's treasure truth. Org.
You can stream programs, download mp3's, or order copies of
(12:34):
this broadcast on CD. Again our website address treasure truth radio.org.
Back to the message. Once again here is Pastor Ford.
S1 (12:44):
See what's going on in this darkness. I was reading
about the nightingale and and and the nightingale was a
fantastic bird. It's one of the sweetest songs in nature.
As a matter of fact. But it doesn't sing anything
in the daylight. It only sings at night. Ergo, the
name Nightingale. Listen to what, uh, Wikipedia said about Nightingale.
(13:09):
The song of the Nightingale has been described as one
of the most beautiful sounds in all of nature inspiring songs,
fairy tales, opera books and a great deal of poetry. Look.
Look at this, look at this. This bird waits till
the blackness of night to give the sweetest song. Isn't
(13:32):
that what Jesus is doing on Calvary? Jesus is doing
his best work on Calvary when things are at their worst.
And that should be our example. You say, hey man,
come on, Pastor Ford. I like what Thomas Watson said.
When reason cannot wade, faith swims. Look at the people
(13:57):
who accomplish some things of which we are aware. Look
at the fact that John Bunyan. It was not until
John Bunyan was in Bedford Prison that his mind broke
free to etch upon the pages of history A Pilgrim's Progress.
Let me quote the Harvard Hooper. And it wasn't until J.S.
Bach was stone blind that he was able to see
(14:19):
how to write the B minor mass. It wasn't until
Rembrandt was flat broke that he made the world rich
with his art. It wasn't until Beethoven was deaf in
both ears that he heard the Ninth Symphony and wrote
it down. How bad? Anybody remember what he did? Come on,
holler it out. What did he do? He couldn't hear.
So how did he finish it? He cut the legs
(14:41):
off the piano and played it on the floor and
felt the vibrations. All right. Mm. Yeah. It wasn't until
George Frideric Handel was paralyzed on the right side that
he was able to pull up with his left hand
and pull down the Hallelujah chorus. Out of the clouds.
(15:02):
It wasn't until the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr.
Was jailed in 1963 that he became eligible for the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. It wasn't until Fanny Cosby
was blind that she could see to write. Jesus, keep
me near the cross. Savior. More than life to me.
(15:22):
Blessed assurance Jesus is mine. Pass me not, O gentle Savior.
And almost 3000 more gospel hymns that we sing. She
wrote them while she was blind. See? Flowers must be
crushed to yield the sweet fragrance of a perfume. Grain
(15:43):
must be threshed. And then ground, and then kneaded and
beat into flour. And then put in the oven before
it can become toast. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Metal must submit
itself to the fire before it becomes bling bling. Blink. Yeah. Yeah.
A diamond. You know what it is? It's just coal
that yielded to, uh, 600 degrees of heat. £5,000 of
(16:08):
pressure over a long period of time. You know what
a pearl is? Irritation in an oyster. Oyster gets sands
in it. Then it secretes sand, and the sand gets
around it to ease the irritation. Then more sand gets
in and more irritation and more sand gets in. And
finally you got a pearl. Something that we value came
(16:29):
out of the tribulation of an oyster. Amen. The sovereignty
of Yahweh God. Over. Here's the second one. Notice the
second one. What kind of blessing do we have in
the beatdown? The first one is you learn the sovereignty
of Yahweh God over your life. The second one is
you learn the sovereignty of Yahweh God over your learning.
(16:50):
Listen to verse four A the Lord hath given me
the tongue of the. Learn that I should know how
to speak a word in season to him that is weary.
And so here it is. Jesus learns something in suffering. That's. Oh,
I wish I could get us to understand that. That
we learn. You going all off and and being tore
up from the floor up. And you fail to realize.
(17:13):
I just want to get out. Just get me out
of it. I need know God is trying to do
something in the midst of what you're going through. Jesus
is the obedient servant. Here's what it says. Hebrews five eight.
He learned from the things that he suffered. Alright, if
Jesus needed to learn from his suffering, you don't think
that we need to learn from our suffering? See, there's
(17:38):
some things you learn in the dark. You don't learn
in the light. I wish I could get some help,
I wish I could get some help that you learned
how to love Jesus in the dark when you had
nobody else, and you was a gang enforcer, and you
(17:59):
had hit rock bottom when you was in the light
and everything was going well. You weren't looking for Jesus.
But whenever you got down and out and you said, oh,
what am I going to do? You begin to look
up for your redemption draweth nigh, and you can let
somebody know you can be gangbanging all you want, and
God can take you from a gangbanger to an elder. Amen.
(18:22):
Some of you know, see, Mother Teresa said it this way.
You will never know that Jesus is all you need
until Jesus is all you have. And what did Paul say?
I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to
be content. I won't keep you much longer. I'm going
to hasten it. But. But it's getting exciting to me now.
(18:44):
I I'm really I feel my help coming on. Oh, oh,
oh it's a it's a TV moment. Uh, I'm getting
ready to get in the flow. What does that mean? No, no.
What are you talking about? I mean, it's like you
don't know what God wants to do until you allow
(19:04):
him to teach you something in the rough times. My brethren,
count it all joy when you fall into divers temptation,
knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work, that you may
be complete and entire, lacking nothing. Tribulation worketh patience in
the world you shall have tribulation. But be of good cheer.
I have overcome the world. Jesus teaching us, listen, I'm
(19:27):
on my way to Calvary and you need to understand something.
You can see things in the darkness that you can't
see in the light. Guess what? The stars are out.
If you could look through these windows up here, you
don't see any. But how many people from the country.
I mean, real country folk. Okay. We have 3 or
4 who are willing to admit it. I'm from the country.
(19:50):
Let me tell you what I know. You can see
the stars in the day. Now, how many of you
know know how that can happen? I'm not going to
call on you, but I just want to see how
many know you from the country where I'm a country folk.
Here's how you can see the stars in the daytime.
Any day when you go back south to Big Mama's house.
(20:12):
And that old whale that she used to have and
get water from. But now she's got running water. Take
a ladder. Put it down in that well, get on
that ladder. Go down in that well and look up,
and you will be able to see the stars in
the daytime. You want to know why, say why? Because
the well is pitch black so that it becomes the
(20:36):
lens through which you are viewing and not the sun,
so that you can see the stars in the daylight
when you're in the depths of a dark well. I
came to tell somebody, look, and this is what he says.
Listen what he says. He said, well, no, I'm not.
(20:58):
I can't pass it up. I can't pass it up.
Because what did. What did Joseph say? You meant it
for evil. God meant it for good. What was he saying?
Now we talk about it all the time. He understood
God had a purpose and that his purpose was greater
than his need to have freedom from pain. He knew
that his purpose was greater than his need to be
(21:20):
free from the pit. He knew that his purpose was
greater than him being free from Potiphar's. He knew his
purpose was greater than his need to be free from prison.
And it wasn't even about the palace, even though that's
it was about Psalm 105 106. Here's what it says.
He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who they
(21:41):
bound in fetters, and they hurt him. His pain was
for God's purpose.
S2 (21:53):
You know, if you're facing trials today, maybe experiencing a
season of pain, then take hope in the fact that
God does have a plan. You're listening to Treasure Truth
with Pastor James Ford Jr. And today's message called the
blessings in a beat down. You know, of course, some
pain just seems too great. It threatens to even overwhelm
our faith. And maybe that's what you're feeling today. And
(22:15):
you're wondering, why does the Bible even true? Can I
trust the promises that seem to be in there? Well,
in the book Why Believe the Bible? Doctor John MacArthur
provides compelling answers to questions like this and shows that
the Bible is not only reliable, it's God's primary means
of speaking to us, even in the midst of the
most difficult situations. So when you give a gift of
(22:36):
any amount to this ministry, we're going to send you
a copy of doctor MacArthur's book. Again, it's called Why
Believe the Bible? Just call us at 888644 7660 or
go online to Treasure Truth radio.org. If you prefer to
write and send a check in the mail, our address
is Treasure Truth, 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 606 ten.
(23:01):
You know why believe the Bible isn't just a book
for people who are struggling. It's also a powerful tool
that will equip you to explain your faith to friends
or family members who ask why you trust such an
old book like the Bible. So read doctor MacArthur's book
for yourself and get a good grip on what you believe,
and then pass this book on to another person and
(23:21):
you can discuss what it says. Just give a donation
to support, treasure, truth and request. Why believe the Bible again?
Our phone number is 888644 7660. And our website is
Treasure Truth radio.org. I'm Steve Hiller. Our producer is Amy Rios.
Join us again tomorrow for the conclusion of the series.
The blessings in the beatdown. Treasure truth with Pastor Ford
(23:45):
is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody
Bible Institute.
You have to know that it's better to walk with
God in the darkness than to walk alone in the light.
That's what he wants us to know. Jesus always put
God first, even and especially in his suffering.
S2 (00:24):
Welcome to Treasure Truth with pastor and author James Ford,
junior senior pastor of the Christ Bible Church in Chicago.
I'm Steve Hiller. Glad you're with us today as we
continue a message called The Blessings in a beatdown. And
for those of you who do feel like you have
been beaten down in this life, and I think many
of us may resonate with that, or at least at
(00:45):
some point in our life. We certainly do. I hope
that you've been able to hold on to that truth
that Pastor Ford just shared with us. It's better to
walk with God in darkness than walk alone in the light.
But I think that all comes down to whether or
not we truly believe God is sovereign. You know, if
we're not convinced of that, it can be real easy
(01:06):
for us to become frustrated, to give up hope, to
think we're going to turn to another solution to our
problems and our pain. But when we're convinced that God
is sovereign, that he is in control, and that we
can look to him in the midst of our pain,
knowing that he's not letting anything impact us that doesn't
(01:27):
pass through his hands. First, it helps us walk through
that difficult situation. And there's also nothing wrong with asking
God why he may not answer you. In fact, the
answer may simply be what we've been talking about, that
he is sovereign and that he is enough. Well, that's
what we're looking at today from the book of Isaiah.
(01:48):
We're in chapter 50, so I hope you'll open your
Bible and join us there as we continue the message,
the blessings in a beatdown. Here is Pastor Ford.
S1 (01:57):
And so now this third song out of these five
is the song of his tribulation. Now watch the song.
Now what's the song? Imma get to it, Imma get
to it. But I'm going to teach you a little
bit if you don't mind. When I retire, I'm going
back to college and teach. Teach probably at Moody Man
or Trinity. That's what I like to do anyway. Yeah,
(02:20):
I matter of fact I was at a convocation and
it was a holiness convocation. I was I was their
keynote speaker for the first night, and I and I
and I told them, I said, now if you're looking
for hooping, you won't get it. You'll get teaching. And
when I came out, lady said, nice lecture, pastor. Yep.
And the guy who invited me said, one day we're
going to teach you how to preach, though, okay? I said, well. Yeah, yeah.
(02:51):
And so here it is now, the song, this song
we're studying has four stanzas. You know, what it stands
is right. It was a verse. And then the refrain, uh,
or the chorus. Now here's the difference. This one starts
off with the refrain or the chorus first. See, we
usually sing the stanza, then the chorus. Everybody still with me? Choir.
(03:13):
I at least get an amen out of y'all. Anyway.
So watch this. Now watch this. Come on, follow along.
Follow along with me. Follow along. Watch this here. Here
is the first chorus. The Lord God. Now the stanza.
All the way down to verse five. Second refrain or chorus.
(03:34):
The Lord God. Then all the way down to verse.
You still with me. Verse seven. For the Lord God.
And then down to verse nine. For behold the Lord God.
See the chorus is the Lord God. The Lord God.
The Lord God. Guess what he's trying to emphasize. The
(03:55):
Lord God. So he gives the he gives the, the
the stanza. And then he says, I want you to
understand something. Let's start off with the Lord God. Why?
Because we're always going to put the sovereignty of God first.
That this song is about the suffering servant who obeys
God despite the fact that he's going through hell. Yeah. Mm.
(04:24):
And so I'm just going to tell you, uh, what
our Lord did, and I trust that we will follow suit.
You say? What do you mean? How do you get
blessings in a beat down? Uh, notice it's the sovereignty
(04:45):
of God over your life. When you're going through a
beat down, the first thing you need is that chorus.
The sovereignty of God over your life. Here's the second thing.
The sovereignty of God in your learning. Here's the third thing.
The sovereignty of God in your listening. Here's the fourth thing.
(05:07):
The sovereignty of God in your lashings. Now y'all know
why I said lashings instead of beating and suffering? Because
it starts with L. I'm not going to, uh. I
am not not going to alliterate. And then the sovereignty
of God in your liberty. Let's walk through these real quick,
and let me show you the example that Jesus leaves
for you and I. He's on his way to die
(05:29):
for our sins. And he had joy in the midst
of his sorrow because, number one, the sovereignty of God
over his life. So notice again, the Lord God hath
given me the tongue of the learned, that I should
know how to speak a word in season to him
(05:50):
that is weary. Notice what happens. He says, you know,
let me give you the bottom line of everybody who's suffering,
who says, you know what, I don't want to do this.
I don't want to do I don't want to go
through this. And that would be all of us at
one point or another. Here's what he's trying to teach us.
You have to know that it's better to walk with
(06:12):
God in the darkness than to walk alone in the light. Amen.
That's what he wants us to know. Jesus always put
God first, even and especially in his suffering. He obeyed
God in everything. See, he wants us to know something.
He obeyed God and everything, that God's purpose was more
(06:36):
important than his pleasure, that God's purpose was more important
than his pain. Alright. Yes. In the Garden of Gethsemane.
What did he say? Not my will, but thy will
be done. How many times did he say it? Three times. Jesus!
(06:58):
What are you doing? I'm letting people know that as
the suffering servant, if you're going to be obedient, first
thing you gotta do is you gotta have the sovereign
God over your entire life, your blessings and your beatings,
but especially your beatings. Uh, why did my business have
(07:19):
to go bankrupt? Why did my husband or wife have
to break my heart? Uh, why did God allow me
to have the sickness but heal that person on the
other pew? I happen to see what they put in.
They don't even tithe, I tithe. Why did God heal
that person and not me? Why did Big Mama have
to die? Why why why why why? There's nothing wrong
(07:40):
with asking why. But here's what he wants to teach us.
Sometimes the answer is because I am sovereign. Because I
made you. And you didn't make me. Because I saved
you and you didn't save me. We can't deal with that,
(08:00):
can we? Now, now, now we'll do it with our children.
We'll do it with our children. Mama! Daddy! Why do
I have to do this? Everybody all together? Because I
said so. I brought you into this world, and I'll
take you out. And we can say. Because I said so.
(08:21):
How many bosses on your job? Oh, we ain't got any.
We gotta get some businesses in here, then. You know,
how many business people do we have that own your
own business? Nice and high. Amen. Do you go to
your employees and say you know when you feel like it?
(08:42):
I really would appreciate it. I hope I don't offend
you by asking you this. No. Hey, this is what
I want done. Get that done. Now, you may throw
a please in there, but you want it done. On. Why?
Because you are in charge. Jesus says, When God is
(09:07):
in charge of your life, he can do whatever he
wants to do now. Matthew 14. We studied it before,
but here it is. Matthew 14. What happened in Matthew 14?
It says, Jesus told the disciples, get in that boat
and go to the other side. Here's what I love Jesus.
Do you know there's a storm coming? Yes. Then why
are you sending them into the storm? Because I already
(09:31):
told them we're going to the other side. You see,
I didn't say go to the middle of the Sea
of Galilee and drown. I said, get in the boat
and go to the other side. See, you need to
understand that I sent them there because I'm sovereign over
their lives. I can tell them what to do and
get this. Here. Put this in your theological pipe and
(09:51):
smoke it. They obeyed, yet they still suffered. Now I
can I can go along with, you know, whenever I
do something wrong and God, God is spanking me. I
don't know if you like me. Sometimes I do wrong.
I look up in the sky for the bolt of
lightning when it don't hit me. I thank God for
his mercy. Amen. Amen. But I tell you, I don't
(10:14):
like it when I'm doing everything I'm supposed to do.
Given like I should give. Serve like I should serve.
Worshiping like I should worship. Witnessing like I should witness.
And then something happens that tears me up. I'm tore
up from the floor up. And I look up and
I say, just like you. Why? Yes. And God says
you're asking the wrong question. The question is not why.
(10:37):
The question is what? Here's the question. Can you trust
God's heart when you can't trace God's hand? Jesus did.
What's going on here? Because and here's here's what I
like about Matthew 14 two. Let me let me say this. I, I,
I gotta come back to this. It says they were
(10:57):
rowing and they had been rowing for nine hours, but
it only takes six hours to get across the Sea
of Galilee in good weather. So they're rowing nine hours
against the wind, and it says they're only halfway. Now,
I submit to you, most of would have said, let
(11:19):
that wind blow us on back. I ain't fighting that.
They wanted God's sovereignty in their life so much that
they fought against the wind to keep going in the
direction that God told them. And God told you to
wait for a godly man or a godly woman, and
(11:39):
instead of you waiting for Mr. Right or Miss Right,
you settle for Mr. Right now. Then you find out
you knew his last name was right. You didn't know
his first name was always. God told you what he
wanted you to do. He wanted you to have your
(12:00):
own business, but it's so difficult. And now you want
to go work for somebody else. It's a doctor filled moment.
How some of this stuff working for you?
S2 (12:11):
It's a good question. Even if it's coming from Doctor Phil.
You're listening to Treasure Truth with Pastor Ford and a
message called The Blessings in a beatdown. And we're going
to get back to this message in just one moment.
You know, if you ever miss a broadcast or part
of a broadcast or you just want to listen to
it again, come to our website. It's treasure truth. Org.
You can stream programs, download mp3's, or order copies of
(12:34):
this broadcast on CD. Again our website address treasure truth radio.org.
Back to the message. Once again here is Pastor Ford.
S1 (12:44):
See what's going on in this darkness. I was reading
about the nightingale and and and the nightingale was a
fantastic bird. It's one of the sweetest songs in nature.
As a matter of fact. But it doesn't sing anything
in the daylight. It only sings at night. Ergo, the
name Nightingale. Listen to what, uh, Wikipedia said about Nightingale.
(13:09):
The song of the Nightingale has been described as one
of the most beautiful sounds in all of nature inspiring songs,
fairy tales, opera books and a great deal of poetry. Look.
Look at this, look at this. This bird waits till
the blackness of night to give the sweetest song. Isn't
(13:32):
that what Jesus is doing on Calvary? Jesus is doing
his best work on Calvary when things are at their worst.
And that should be our example. You say, hey man,
come on, Pastor Ford. I like what Thomas Watson said.
When reason cannot wade, faith swims. Look at the people
(13:57):
who accomplish some things of which we are aware. Look
at the fact that John Bunyan. It was not until
John Bunyan was in Bedford Prison that his mind broke
free to etch upon the pages of history A Pilgrim's Progress.
Let me quote the Harvard Hooper. And it wasn't until J.S.
Bach was stone blind that he was able to see
(14:19):
how to write the B minor mass. It wasn't until
Rembrandt was flat broke that he made the world rich
with his art. It wasn't until Beethoven was deaf in
both ears that he heard the Ninth Symphony and wrote
it down. How bad? Anybody remember what he did? Come on,
holler it out. What did he do? He couldn't hear.
So how did he finish it? He cut the legs
(14:41):
off the piano and played it on the floor and
felt the vibrations. All right. Mm. Yeah. It wasn't until
George Frideric Handel was paralyzed on the right side that
he was able to pull up with his left hand
and pull down the Hallelujah chorus. Out of the clouds.
(15:02):
It wasn't until the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr.
Was jailed in 1963 that he became eligible for the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. It wasn't until Fanny Cosby
was blind that she could see to write. Jesus, keep
me near the cross. Savior. More than life to me.
(15:22):
Blessed assurance Jesus is mine. Pass me not, O gentle Savior.
And almost 3000 more gospel hymns that we sing. She
wrote them while she was blind. See? Flowers must be
crushed to yield the sweet fragrance of a perfume. Grain
(15:43):
must be threshed. And then ground, and then kneaded and
beat into flour. And then put in the oven before
it can become toast. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Metal must submit
itself to the fire before it becomes bling bling. Blink. Yeah. Yeah.
A diamond. You know what it is? It's just coal
that yielded to, uh, 600 degrees of heat. £5,000 of
(16:08):
pressure over a long period of time. You know what
a pearl is? Irritation in an oyster. Oyster gets sands
in it. Then it secretes sand, and the sand gets
around it to ease the irritation. Then more sand gets
in and more irritation and more sand gets in. And
finally you got a pearl. Something that we value came
(16:29):
out of the tribulation of an oyster. Amen. The sovereignty
of Yahweh God. Over. Here's the second one. Notice the
second one. What kind of blessing do we have in
the beatdown? The first one is you learn the sovereignty
of Yahweh God over your life. The second one is
you learn the sovereignty of Yahweh God over your learning.
(16:50):
Listen to verse four A the Lord hath given me
the tongue of the. Learn that I should know how
to speak a word in season to him that is weary.
And so here it is. Jesus learns something in suffering. That's. Oh,
I wish I could get us to understand that. That
we learn. You going all off and and being tore
up from the floor up. And you fail to realize.
(17:13):
I just want to get out. Just get me out
of it. I need know God is trying to do
something in the midst of what you're going through. Jesus
is the obedient servant. Here's what it says. Hebrews five eight.
He learned from the things that he suffered. Alright, if
Jesus needed to learn from his suffering, you don't think
that we need to learn from our suffering? See, there's
(17:38):
some things you learn in the dark. You don't learn
in the light. I wish I could get some help,
I wish I could get some help that you learned
how to love Jesus in the dark when you had
nobody else, and you was a gang enforcer, and you
(17:59):
had hit rock bottom when you was in the light
and everything was going well. You weren't looking for Jesus.
But whenever you got down and out and you said, oh,
what am I going to do? You begin to look
up for your redemption draweth nigh, and you can let
somebody know you can be gangbanging all you want, and
God can take you from a gangbanger to an elder. Amen.
(18:22):
Some of you know, see, Mother Teresa said it this way.
You will never know that Jesus is all you need
until Jesus is all you have. And what did Paul say?
I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to
be content. I won't keep you much longer. I'm going
to hasten it. But. But it's getting exciting to me now.
(18:44):
I I'm really I feel my help coming on. Oh, oh,
oh it's a it's a TV moment. Uh, I'm getting
ready to get in the flow. What does that mean? No, no.
What are you talking about? I mean, it's like you
don't know what God wants to do until you allow
(19:04):
him to teach you something in the rough times. My brethren,
count it all joy when you fall into divers temptation,
knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work, that you may
be complete and entire, lacking nothing. Tribulation worketh patience in
the world you shall have tribulation. But be of good cheer.
I have overcome the world. Jesus teaching us, listen, I'm
(19:27):
on my way to Calvary and you need to understand something.
You can see things in the darkness that you can't
see in the light. Guess what? The stars are out.
If you could look through these windows up here, you
don't see any. But how many people from the country.
I mean, real country folk. Okay. We have 3 or
4 who are willing to admit it. I'm from the country.
(19:50):
Let me tell you what I know. You can see
the stars in the day. Now, how many of you
know know how that can happen? I'm not going to
call on you, but I just want to see how
many know you from the country where I'm a country folk.
Here's how you can see the stars in the daytime.
Any day when you go back south to Big Mama's house.
(20:12):
And that old whale that she used to have and
get water from. But now she's got running water. Take
a ladder. Put it down in that well, get on
that ladder. Go down in that well and look up,
and you will be able to see the stars in
the daytime. You want to know why, say why? Because
the well is pitch black so that it becomes the
(20:36):
lens through which you are viewing and not the sun,
so that you can see the stars in the daylight
when you're in the depths of a dark well. I
came to tell somebody, look, and this is what he says.
Listen what he says. He said, well, no, I'm not.
(20:58):
I can't pass it up. I can't pass it up.
Because what did. What did Joseph say? You meant it
for evil. God meant it for good. What was he saying?
Now we talk about it all the time. He understood
God had a purpose and that his purpose was greater
than his need to have freedom from pain. He knew
that his purpose was greater than his need to be
(21:20):
free from the pit. He knew that his purpose was
greater than him being free from Potiphar's. He knew his
purpose was greater than his need to be free from prison.
And it wasn't even about the palace, even though that's
it was about Psalm 105 106. Here's what it says.
He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who they
(21:41):
bound in fetters, and they hurt him. His pain was
for God's purpose.
S2 (21:53):
You know, if you're facing trials today, maybe experiencing a
season of pain, then take hope in the fact that
God does have a plan. You're listening to Treasure Truth
with Pastor James Ford Jr. And today's message called the
blessings in a beat down. You know, of course, some
pain just seems too great. It threatens to even overwhelm
our faith. And maybe that's what you're feeling today. And
(22:15):
you're wondering, why does the Bible even true? Can I
trust the promises that seem to be in there? Well,
in the book Why Believe the Bible? Doctor John MacArthur
provides compelling answers to questions like this and shows that
the Bible is not only reliable, it's God's primary means
of speaking to us, even in the midst of the
most difficult situations. So when you give a gift of
(22:36):
any amount to this ministry, we're going to send you
a copy of doctor MacArthur's book. Again, it's called Why
Believe the Bible? Just call us at 888644 7660 or
go online to Treasure Truth radio.org. If you prefer to
write and send a check in the mail, our address
is Treasure Truth, 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 606 ten.
(23:01):
You know why believe the Bible isn't just a book
for people who are struggling. It's also a powerful tool
that will equip you to explain your faith to friends
or family members who ask why you trust such an
old book like the Bible. So read doctor MacArthur's book
for yourself and get a good grip on what you believe,
and then pass this book on to another person and
(23:21):
you can discuss what it says. Just give a donation
to support, treasure, truth and request. Why believe the Bible again?
Our phone number is 888644 7660. And our website is
Treasure Truth radio.org. I'm Steve Hiller. Our producer is Amy Rios.
Join us again tomorrow for the conclusion of the series.
The blessings in the beatdown. Treasure truth with Pastor Ford
(23:45):
is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody
Bible Institute.
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