Participants: Pr. John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001201
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00:00 ♪♪Commanding Music♪♪ It has stood
00:08 the test of time. 00:12 God's book. 00:13 The Bible. 00:17 Still relevant in today's complex world. 00:22 It Is Written, sharing hope around the globe. 00:36 Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 00:38 I'm John Bradshaw, and today we're going to look at a subject 00:42 that is absolutely vital for everyone. 00:46 One thing I love to do is to gaze at the night sky. 00:48 But I found out back in 1986 I'm not much of an astronomer. 00:53 I spent some time one evening peering into the heavens trying 00:56 to locate Halley's comet, and I was so excited when 00:59 I discovered this little white dot traveling along with a 01:02 tail jutting out behind it... 01:04 until I looked in another part of the sky and saw something 01:07 else that looked exactly the same. 01:09 And then in another part, and then in another part and before 01:12 I knew it the whole sky was filled with millions of 01:16 Halley's Comets. 01:18 I thought maybe I'll have better luck seeing it when it comes 01:21 back next time - in 2061. 01:24 I'll probably use an app to help me identify exactly 01:28 what I'm looking at. 01:30 It seems to me that there's something about the night sky 01:32 that you just cannot argue with. 01:35 While you're living in your own little corner of Planet Earth 01:38 and then look up and see millions of stars, a full moon 01:42 with human footprints on its surface... 01:45 You think of the sun and all those brilliant stars and the 01:48 other planets out there... 01:49 We're part of an incredibly vast universe. 01:54 Our Milky Way galaxy is 100,000 light years across. 01:58 Now that means if you could travel 186,000 miles a second - 02:01 300,000 kilometres a second - and if you traveled that fast 02:07 for 100,000 years, that's how long it would take to get 02:11 across our galaxy. 02:13 They tell us there are probably 200 billion galaxies out there - 02:18 maybe as many as 500 billion. 02:22 And that's just mind-boggling. 02:24 So we look up and maybe we wonder. 02:27 Where did all those galaxies come from? 02:36 Where did our Earth come from? 02:43 And where did WE come from? 02:55 Back in 2001, NASA partnered with Princeton University and 02:59 launched the Wilkinson Probe, which spent a year observing 03:03 the universe from its orbit a million miles from Planet Earth. 03:07 Almost two years later NASA shared the probe's stunningly 03:10 detailed composite photos with the world, calling them 03:13 the best "baby pictures" ever taken of the universe. 03:18 Dr. Charles L. Bennett, the mission's principal 03:21 investigator said this. 03:22 "We've captured the infant universe in sharp focus, and 03:26 from this portrait we can now describe the universe with 03:29 unprecedented accuracy," "The data are solid - 03:33 a real gold mine." 03:36 The new portrait, NASA said, pegged the age of the universe 03:40 at 13.7 billion years old, with a remarkably small 03:45 1 percent margin of error. 03:47 Many scientists felt that the data returned by the Wilkinson 03:50 Probe provided strong confirming evidence for the so-called 03:54 Big Bang-the theory that the universe began 03:58 billions of years ago in a single colossal explosion. 04:04 Proponents of the Big Bang idea say fragments of that massive 04:07 explosion eventually cooled and became billions of spinning 04:10 galaxies made up of even more billions of suns and planets. 04:16 And as the eons of time passed, on at least one of those 04:19 planets, life appeared and evolved into a nearly 04:22 incomprehensible variety of forms-plants, sea life, insects, 04:28 animals, and finally, man. 04:31 So that's how we got here! 04:34 We're the result of an explosion 04:36 out of nothingness! 04:37 But that idea would make human life essentially meaningless! 04:43 Following its own rules, the investigations of science have 04:45 led to a theory of how the universe began-but that very 04:50 theory supports the obvious conclusion that the beginning 04:53 itself HAD TO HAVE A CAUSE. 04:58 Something never comes from nothing. 05:01 So the results of the very best in scientific inquiry provide 05:05 one of the most compelling evidences that the created 05:09 universe had to have a Creator. 05:13 And that's just what the Bible tells us in its very first 05:16 sentence in Genesis chapter 1:1, "In the beginning God created 05:24 the heavens and the earth." 05:26 (Genesis 1:1) So: is there really a Creator? 05:30 Does God really exist? 05:33 If you've never been certain that there is a God, or if you'd 05:36 like to know how you can tell others that God really exists, 05:39 then in just a moment I'm going to give you several reasons why 05:43 you can be certain that there really is a God, 05:47 and why you can trust the Bible as the word of God. 05:50 Back in a moment. 05:53 ♪♪Music to think by♪♪ 06:08 And now it's time for today's Bible question. 06:11 I believe in the God and read my Bible, but I haven't found a 06:17 church I really like going to. 06:20 Do I need to go to church in order to be saved? 06:24 I get more out of reading my Bible then listening 06:27 to preachers, and that includes those on TV. 06:33 I'm hopeful you're not including It Is Written in that... 06:36 Now there isn't a verse in the Bible that says explicitly, 06:40 Thou shalt go to church. 06:43 It doesn't say that. 06:45 Now, does a person need to go to church to be saved? 06:49 No, of course not. 06:50 You can accept Jesus on a boat, in a forest or in a coal mine. 06:55 I accepted Jesus and salvation in a bath tub. 06:59 But that's not really the question. 07:01 The question is, What do you do once you're are saved? 07:05 And the Bible is pretty clear about that. 07:07 The Biblical model is to worship together 07:09 with believers of like faith. 07:12 All the way back in the Old Testament the temple 07:14 services gave people the opportunity to do that. 07:17 Corporate worship was the Biblical manner. 07:21 Even Jesus attended church - every week in fact. 07:24 Luke 4:16 says, "As his custom was, he went into the synagogue 07:29 on the Sabbath day..." 07:31 The early Christian church had churches. 07:34 With congregations. 07:36 And they were organized. 07:37 I believe the Bible is clear, God wants people in church. 07:41 And not just for worship. 07:42 Because the church is like a place where you come not just 07:45 for common worship but also for common MISSION. 07:48 Rightly understood, the church is the training center that 07:51 God's people come to in order to be fed, filled, commissioned, 07:56 and then sent forth into the field as workers for Jesus. 07:59 If all we did was stay home and do what sort of felt right as we 08:02 believed God led us, Christianity and the spread 08:06 of the gospel would be in a sorry state. 08:10 I can't think of any significant organization that flourishes 08:13 without organization. 08:17 Now if you're not getting anything out of the churches 08:19 you have attended, here's what I'd recommend. 08:21 Go to your Bible, find the truth-the message of the Bible. 08:27 And then find a church that is teaching that truth - as much 08:30 truth as you can possibly find. 08:33 You might even have to move on to another place as you grow 08:35 and learn more. 08:37 But God will lead you to the church that is right for you, 08:40 where you can grow, and help others to do the same. 08:45 If you have a question you'd like answered, please go to our 08:47 website - www.ItIsWritten.com and click on the questions tab. 08:51 Submit your questions or question, and in a future 08:55 program you may discover the answer to your question. 08:58 If you have a Bible question for pastor John Bradshaw, please 09:02 write to It Is Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359 09:08 or visit our website ItIsWritten.com and 09:10 send us your questions online. 09:13 I told you a moment ago that I'd share with you some solid 09:16 reasons as to why you can believe there really is a God, 09:20 and why you can be certain the Bible is the word of God. 09:24 This gargantuan universe had to come from somewhere. 09:28 It had to have a cause. 09:30 And its reasonable and logical to believe that the ultimate 09:34 first cause of the universe was an all-powerful Creator-God. 09:39 Here's why. 09:41 The universe gives evidence of order and complex design - 09:44 the most obvious example of that being the human body. 09:48 And if creation suggests a Creator, then design 09:52 suggests a Designer. 09:54 You know, a friend of mine was at a university studying science 09:58 when the professor announced to the class this...he said 10:02 "If you go way back there was nothing at all, 10:05 except a few specks of dust. 10:08 Then he said, one day those specks of dust exploded in the 10:12 Big Bang, and the universe was the result." 10:16 Now what he did next was interesting. 10:17 He paused. He looked at the class very sternly, 10:21 wagged his finger, and said, "Now don't you ever 10:24 ask me where those specks of dust came from..." 10:29 You know, I just don't think that kind of thinking cuts it, 10:33 and honestly I'm surprised anyone would go for it. 10:37 The world around us suggests it didn't get here by itself, and 10:41 the complexity of design in so much of what we see suggests 10:45 there had to be a designer. 10:48 Now, consider this with me. 10:50 The Book of Acts starts like this: Acts 1:1 10:56 "The former treatise have I made, 10:58 O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach. 11:02 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that He through 11:06 the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the 11:09 apostles whom He had chosen." 11:11 (Acts 1:1, 2) Now notice what he says 11:13 in the next verse. 11:14 "To whom also He showed Himself after his passion, 11:18 that is, after His death - "by many infallible proofs." 11:23 (Acts 1:3) Luke, who wrote the 11:25 book of Acts, says you can believe in Jesus because He 11:28 demonstrated He was back from the dead by 11:31 "many infallible proofs." 11:34 He says, "You just can't argue with the fact that Jesus is the 11:37 Messiah because He proved it - by MANY infallible proofs." 11:42 His thinking is that if Jesus really came back from the dead, 11:46 that would establish Him as the Messiah, who of course would 11:49 then be the Son of God, and so therefore 11:52 there's very clearly a God. 11:55 "Many infallible proofs," Luke says. 11:58 And what were they? 11:59 Well, He was seen by the Marys at the tomb after His 12:01 resurrection from the dead. 12:03 That's one. 12:04 Then He was seen in the Upper Room, that4s another. 12:07 Then He taught, He was seen by others, He made the disciples 12:11 breakfast one morning down on the lake shore... 12:14 However you stack it, He was very definitely dead after dying 12:17 on the cross, and He was very definitely alive from the dead 12:22 and He spent about 6 weeks with His friends to prove it. 12:25 Even Doubting Thomas had to admit, He's back from the dead. 12:29 This would validate the Bible story. 12:31 And keep in mind - Dr. Luke has been called by some one of the 12:36 most accurate historians you could ever read. 12:40 The people who were there at the time testified that 12:42 Jesus was the Messiah. 12:45 In Acts 2. 12:46 Peter - preaching at Pentecost - said, "This Jesus 12:49 hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses." 12:54 (Acts 2:32). 12:56 Then in Acts 3, Peter spoke of Jesus as the One "whom God 12:59 hath raised from the dead." 13:01 Now, I hear somebody saying, What does that prove? 13:05 Well let me tell you what it proves. 13:07 The eyewitnesses said He worked miracles, the eyewitnesses said 13:11 He healed people, they said He died on the cross, that He rose 13:14 from the dead, that He ascended to heaven, the eyewitnesses were 13:18 certain He was the Son of God. 13:20 Now someone's going to say, "Well, I don't believe 13:23 these eye-witnesses! 13:24 That's all a lie." 13:26 Okay, fine. 13:27 So let's transfer that line of thinking into another part 13:30 of a person's life. 13:31 "Mr. Smith, you have cancer. 13:33 I'm the oncologist, and I've seen the evidence." 13:36 You know, you're probably going to believe the oncologist, even 13:40 though you've never seen the cancer yourself. 13:44 If the people who say that they've seen your cancer say 13:47 you've got cancer, there's not a very big chance you're going to 13:51 argue the point, is there? 13:52 You're going to take their word for it, even though 13:54 you've never seen it yourself. 13:56 And a friend says to Mr, Smith, "How do you know 13:59 you've got cancer? 14:00 Have you seen it?" 14:01 And he says, "No, I have not seen it but the experts have 14:04 seen it, and I'm taking their word for it." 14:07 But the minute someone says, "I was there, and I saw Jesus 14:10 after He rose from the dead," someone else says, "Oh, 14:13 I could never believe that." 14:15 What? 14:17 You were driving through town without a GPS, you got lost, and 14:20 so you asked a perfect stranger, "Hey, where's Main Street?" 14:25 And he says, "Second right!" 14:26 and you say, "Thanks!" 14:28 and you go on your way without even questioning whether you're 14:31 going in the wrong direction. 14:34 "She lives here, why would she lie to me?" 14:36 is what you're thinking. 14:38 You mean a person would trust somebody just like that? 14:41 You do it all the time. 14:44 But you can't trust someone who said, "I was there when 14:47 Jesus appeared after His death. 14:48 It's true - He really is the Messiah!" 14:51 You can't trust that? 14:53 Well John, a lot of experts say the Bible isn't true. 14:58 You know, it isn't always smart to blindly trust the experts. 15:03 CNN.com reported about a woman who was told her baby 15:06 boy needed hearing aids. 15:08 Now she didn't really think so, but she went along with it. 15:11 She then noticed that her child was uncomfortable with the 15:16 hearing aids - it was like everything was too loud for him. 15:19 The doctors told her she was in denial and said she ought to 15:22 stick with the hearing aids. 15:24 So she got a second opinion and was told that she should remove 15:27 those hearing aids immediately before they totally destroyed 15:32 her son's hearing. 15:35 Now when someone makes a claim that is IMPORTANT - dealing with 15:38 your safety, or the health of your kids, or especially with 15:43 your eternal life - you owe it to yourself to investigate those 15:47 claims intelligently, and then act on what is true 15:52 and what is right. 15:53 When someone like Dr Luke writes that Jesus demonstrated He was 15:57 the divine Son of God, you owe it to yourself to check that 16:01 out, not to just dismiss the claim as if it were a hoax. 16:06 And I'm certain that if you DO check, you'll be satisfied 16:10 the Bible is absolutely true. 16:13 Now when we return in just a moment, an unforgettable story 16:18 that will help you be certain that Bible really is the 16:22 reliable word of God. 16:25 In Matthew 4:4, the Word of God says 16:29 "It is written, man shall not live by bread alone but by 16:33 every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." 16:36 Every Word is a one-minute Bible-based daily devotional 16:39 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed especially 16:43 for busy people like you. 16:44 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch it online 16:48 every day on our website ItIsWritten.com 16:52 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 16:54 Watch Every Word. 16:55 You'll be glad you did. 17:01 I told you a moment ago that I'd share with you an unforgettable 17:03 story that demonstrates that the Bible really is the word of God. 17:08 But first, let me give you two other reasons you can have 17:11 confidence in God, and in the Bible. 17:15 Until the nineteenth century, very little was known about the 17:18 ancient past except for the biblical record. 17:21 History seemed locked forever behind strange picture-writings, 17:25 such as the hieroglyphics of Egypt. 17:27 There was not a person in Egypt, or anyone else in the world, 17:30 who had been able to decipher the markings 17:33 of the ancient language. 17:34 In 1799, one of Napoleon's soldiers unearthed what became 17:38 known as the Rosetta Stone, which you can now see in the 17:42 British Museum in London. 17:44 In 1822, a brilliant young Frenchman by the name 17:47 of Jean François Champollion cracked that ancient code. 17:52 Scholars were now able to verify biblical passages dating back 17:55 farther than any for which historical corroboration had 17:58 existed before. 17:59 Then came the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, very old 18:04 scrolls which contained portions of every book 18:07 of the Old Testament, except for the book of Esther. 18:10 The Isaiah scroll was complete from the first verse 18:13 to the last. 18:15 An extraordinary find, the Dead Sea Scrolls were a thousand 18:18 years older than any complete biblical Hebrew manuscripts 18:22 in existence. 18:24 Scholars around the world were amazed to learn that the Old 18:27 Testament has come down to us through the centuries 18:31 practically unchanged! 18:34 Evidently dead men do tell tales. 18:37 So, Archaeology CONFIRMS the accuracy and the reliability 18:42 of God's Word. 18:44 A SECOND compelling evidence that the Bible is 18:47 God's inspired Word is the Book's ability to 18:51 foretell the future. 18:52 Look at this description in the book of Isaiah. 18:55 "I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end 18:59 from the beginning, and from ancient times 19:03 things that are not yet done." 19:06 That's Isaiah 46:9, 10. 19:08 Before the ancient kingdom of Babylon reached the height of 19:11 its power, God's Book foretold its fall, in Isaiah 13:19. 19:17 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, The beauty of the 19:20 Chaldeans' pride, Will be as when God overthrew 19:24 Sodom and Gomorrah. 19:26 (Isaiah 13:19) In the book of Jeremiah, 19:29 the Bible identified ahead of time the power that 19:31 would overthrow Babylon. 19:33 And the Bible gets even more specific! 19:35 The name of the man who would lead the armies against Babylon 19:38 was prophesied 150 years before his birth, as was the very way 19:43 he would do it: "Thus says the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, 19:49 whose right hand I have held, [I will] open before him 19:52 the double doors." 19:55 (Isaiah 45:1) I don't know about you, 19:57 but I'm impressed by that. 19:59 When I was a teenager a friend of mine told me he thought the 20:01 Bible was on the same standing as the tooth fairy. 20:05 Now the minute the tooth fairy starts accurately 20:07 predicting the future, be sure to let me know... 20:11 I wish I had time to talk about the fulfilled prophecies in the 20:14 Bible but we'll go deeper into that another time. 20:17 The third and perhaps greatest evidence that the Bible is what 20:21 it claims to be is the power of the Bible to change lives. 20:27 Listen to this incredible true story. 20:35 Sam Tannyhill spent his early life in and out of prison. 20:40 Then two weeks after one five-year stint, he robbed a 20:43 small restaurant in Ohio, forced a waitress into his car 20:46 and fled town. 20:48 Her badly beaten body was discovered the next day. 20:58 Eventually Sam was captured and sentenced to die 21:00 in the electric chair. 21:07 But he was visited by several Christians, 21:09 and was given a Bible. 21:16 He opened it eventually out of sheer boredom. 21:22 Soon, he became absorbed. 21:24 His own words reveal his spiritual journey: 21:28 "I found a place where a man named Jesus 21:31 sent some of His gang to bring Him a mule. 21:35 For this I thought Him a horse thief. 21:40 Then I ran across a place where He made wine. 21:43 For this I called Him a bootlegger. 21:46 Then I found a place where He raised the dead, healed all 21:49 manner of sickness, and cast out evil. 21:53 Now I wondered, What manner of man is this? 22:01 "So I started at Matthew, and I read all the part called 22:06 the New Testament. 22:08 By that time I found Him, not a horse thief or bootlegger, 22:13 but the Son of God. 22:15 I knew of people who prayed and served that God and who lived up 22:18 to His law, but that wasn't me. 22:21 I was a convict on death row, a murderer, but I read where 22:25 people in the Bible were also outside of the law. 22:29 Then I was troubled; I wanted that peace of mind this God was 22:34 giving away, but how could I get word to Him? 22:37 Can He really hear you when you pray? 22:40 And will He answer a man who has never heard of Him?" 22:52 Sam prayed long and earnestly for forgiveness of his sins, 22:56 and finally found peace with His God. 23:00 Shortly before his execution at the Ohio State Penitentiary 23:03 in 1956, he wrote these words: "There are just four of us on 23:09 death row at present, but I am glad to tell 23:12 you that three of us are under the blood of Christ. 23:16 Please pray that we will be able to get the fourth one 23:18 before it is too late." 23:23 His last audible prayer was, "Lord, don't hold against these 23:30 guards what they are about to do tonight. 23:34 It is what I have done has forced them to do 23:36 what they are about to do. 23:40 And if it is a sin, Lord, then please charge it to my account, 23:49 and forgive them as You have forgiven 23:51 all the rest of my sins. 23:54 Amen." 24:01 Never has there been a Book that could so dramatically change the 24:04 lives of men and women. 24:07 How is it with you friend? 24:09 Have you given the Bible the opportunity to demonstrate to 24:12 you whether or not it is really the word of God? 24:16 Sam's life was completely changed. 24:20 I believe yours will be too. 24:22 Why don't you take the time to read what the Bible says - 24:25 to take it seriously - and to ask God to show you 24:28 His love and His plan for your life. 24:33 Let's ask him right now, please pray with me, 24:35 would you? Let's pray. 24:38 Father in heaven, we thank you today that you truly are and 24:43 that your Word, the Holy Bible, truly is what you say it is. 24:50 And I pray that in our lives right now it would have power, 24:55 it would be gracious and blessed and that you, through your Word 25:00 and through faith in your Word, would make us what 25:04 you want us to be: saved, secure, confident children 25:09 of the Most High God of heaven. 25:12 We thank you and we believe today, trusting in you and 25:16 praying in Jesus' name, Amen. 25:52 Perhaps our program today has touched your heart and impressed 25:56 you with a personal need for deeper Bible study. 25:58 Do you desire to listen to God and follow where he leads? 26:02 We've got a wonderful resource that can help you do that in a 26:05 systemic way, the Discover Bible Guides. 26:08 These study guides will take you through the essential truths 26:11 taught in Scripture. 26:12 They give you the big picture showing how it 26:14 all fits together. 26:16 The Discover Bible Guides are a wonderful way for you to become 26:19 grounded in the Word of God and to see how Jesus Christ relates 26:22 to all areas of our lives. 26:25 So please call or write us and the Discover Bible Guides will 26:28 be on their way to you and the entire course 26:31 is absolutely free. 26:32 For even easier access, you can obtain these wonderful Bible 26:35 lessons on-line on our website. 26:37 Here's the information you need. 26:43 You may request today's offer, The Discover Bible Guides, 26:45 by calling our toll free number 1 800 253 3000. 26:49 Call right now. 26:50 The operator needs only your name, address and phone number, 26:52 plus the name of today's offer, The Discover Bible Guides. 26:55 Lines are open 24 hours daily. 26:58 They may be busy so keep trying. 27:00 You may also request today's offer by writing to It Is 27:03 Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359. 27:07 Our free offer is for an address in North America only. 27:11 The Discover Bible Guides are also available on the Internet. 27:14 Just visit our website itiswritten.com. 27:17 Also on line is a complete script of today's program. 27:21 If you wish to help the worldwide outreach of 27:23 It is Written, your tax deductible 27:24 gift may be sent to the same address or you may make a gift 27:28 on line at ItIsWritten.com Thank you for your letters 27:32 and continued support. 27:33 Our toll free number is 1800 253 3000 27:37 and our web address ItIsWritten..com 27:44 Thanks for joining me. 27:45 I look forward to seeing you next time. 27:47 Until then, remember...It is written, man shall not live 27:52 by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds 27:55 from the mouth of God. |
Revised 2015-02-06