Participants: Pr. John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001212
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00:07 It has stood 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 I'm John Bradshaw. 00:38 Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 00:42 Most people, when they hear the name "Rockefeller," think 00:44 of a very rich American family, or maybe the 00:47 Rockefeller Center in New York City, which is home to 00:50 such famous places as Radio City Music Hall and 00:53 Christie's, the world's largest auction house. 00:56 Yet for many years the name "Rockefeller" was hated and 00:59 despised, it was a symbol of corporate greed where the 01:03 more powerful sweep away the weaker and acquire more and 01:07 more and more for themselves--no matter who got 01:10 crushed along the way. 01:11 No wonder. 01:14 The founder of the dynasty, John D. Rockefeller, 01:16 started in the oil business in Cleveland 01:18 during the 1800s, and--through a series of 01:21 backroom deals-he created the monster monopoly of Standard 01:25 Oil. 01:27 Because it was so large, Standard Oil could cut 01:29 prices, forcing all competitors either to sell to 01:32 it or go bankrupt, in which case Rockefeller would simply 01:36 buy up the ruined company at discount rates. 01:40 Rockefeller would come to his competitors, show them his 01:42 own books, show them the financial behemoth that they 01:47 were up against--and then make them an offer. 01:50 If they refused, he simply put them out of business and 01:53 then get their company anyway. 01:55 He was ruthless. 01:57 He once told his brother Frank, who had been working 01:59 for a competing oil company, that: "We are going to buy 02:03 out all the refiners in Cleveland. 02:05 We will give everyone a chance to come in. 02:07 Those who refuse will be crushed. 02:10 If you don't sell your company to us, it will be 02:12 valueless." 02:14 Frank refused, and John D.--true his word--put his 02:18 own brother's company out of business! 02:21 Now what adds an interesting wrinkle to this sordid 02:24 history is that John D. 02:25 Rockefeller was a church-going man. 02:28 Even worse, he rationalized his business dealings in, of 02:32 all things--the name of Christian charity! 02:35 He had convinced himself that he was actually doing good. 02:39 He said that all these forced acquisitions were the result 02:43 of the most prosperous business concern, his own, 02:46 saying to the smaller and less prosperous ones: "We 02:50 will stand in for the risks and hazards of the refining 02:52 business . 02:53 Come with us and we will do you good. 02:55 We will undertake to save you from the wrecks of the 02:58 refining business." 03:00 What others saw as cutthroat and villainous business 03:04 practices, John D. 03:05 defined as Christian benevolence. 03:08 (1) Now that would be rationalization and 03:11 presumption. 03:12 Now I don't want to judge John D. Rockefeller's 03:14 heart, but how he could justify these nasty 03:17 and vicious business practices in the name of 03:19 Christian charity really makes me wonder This kind of 03:23 thinking reminds me of a scene from a book by Russian 03:25 writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky, in which a man cries out, "God, 03:29 forgive me for Christ's sake!" 03:32 and then cuts his friends throat with a knife and 03:34 steals his watch. 03:36 Today we're going to take a look at the Big Picture, 03:38 really the biggest picture you could imagine. 03:41 It's clear that there's a battle raging on Planet Earth 03:43 - this is what the Bible writer Paul was talking about 03:46 when he said that we are not fighting against flesh and 03:48 blood, but against principalities and powers. 03:52 We're in a spiritual battle, is what he was saying. 03:56 Now let's see what we can learn from Jesus and how he 03:59 dealt with Satan, so that we can do the same thing 04:02 ourselves when faced with similar struggles in this 04:05 great controversy with a supernatural cosmic power 04:08 much greater than we are. 04:10 Now, I can imagine someone saying, Come on, John, a 04:14 "supernatural cosmic battle"? 04:16 Been watching too many Star Wars movies or something? 04:20 No, we're not talking about the kind of journalism found 04:22 in the tabloid headlines, like the one which said, 04:26 "12 U.S. SENATORS ARE SPACE ALIENS." 04:31 (Someone said you can tell that can't be true because 04:32 the number is too low!) You know, scientists working with 04:36 the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence - 04:39 believe that with the billions of galaxies existing 04:42 in the universe, there's a good chance that other life 04:45 might exist out there. 04:47 The scientific term for this is called "astrobiology" and 04:52 it's a serious attempt to seek out life in other parts 04:54 of the universe. 04:56 Now, with all due respect, while these folks are aiming 04:58 their radio telescopes into the sky hoping for something 05:01 from some far-away alien civilization, the Bible 05:05 teaches not only that extra-terrestrial life 05:08 exists, but that some of these beings are HERE, on 05:12 earth, and that some are hostile to us as well. 05:16 Look at these verses, from Revelation 12 and we'll begin 05:20 with verse 7: "And there was war in heaven: Michael and 05:24 his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought 05:27 and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place 05:31 found any more in heaven. 05:33 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called 05:36 the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he 05:39 was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out 05:43 with him" (Revelation 12:7-9, KJV). 05:47 A war in heaven?! 05:49 A war here on earth, that's one thing. 05:51 But in heaven? 05:53 How can that be? 05:54 The short answer comes down to one word. 05:58 Love. 05:59 Because love is the overarching moral principle 06:02 that permeates God's universe, and love demands 06:05 freedom. 06:06 You can't love God, or anyone, if you don't have 06:09 moral freedom. 06:11 You can't have love without freedom any more than you 06:13 could have a triangle without three sides. 06:16 Now in a moment, the man who was married to a robot, and 06:19 why that didn't work out so well. 06:39 It's time for today's Bible question. 06:42 My question is, Is it possible for me 06:46 to stop doing a certain sin that is in my life? 06:49 I have battled it on and off. 06:51 Some people say there's nothing to worry about and 06:54 that as long as I love God I'm okay. 06:57 Others tell me that sins should be stopped. 07:00 What do you think? 07:03 What I think isn't really that important. 07:06 What the Bible says is what's important. 07:09 Now let's think this through. 07:10 You've not told me what the sin is, and that might be 07:12 just as well, and actually, it's irrelevant. 07:15 Here's what the Bible says about sin. 07:18 In Romans 6:1 Paul says, "What shall we say then? 07:21 Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" 07:25 And verse two says, "God forbid! 07:28 How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer 07:31 therein?" 07:32 Paul's position is pretty clear. 07:34 Now you might know that the Bible says that Jesus came to 07:37 this world to save us from our sins. 07:40 Not IN them. 07:42 Paul himself spoke in Romans 7 about a terrible struggle 07:45 he was having with sin. 07:46 He said the things he wanted to do he couldn't do, and the 07:50 things he wanted NOT to do he found himself doing. 07:53 He said, "Oh wretched man that I am. 07:56 Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" 07:59 And then He said, "I thank God though Jesus Christ my 08:03 Lord." 08:04 Paul knew that on the one hand that, yes, it is God's 08:06 will that we put sin out of our lives. 08:10 And he knew, too, that there is power in Jesus to be able 08:13 to do that work in us. 08:15 Now, you don't want to get discouraged by this, 08:19 especially if you're in a very heavy battle. 08:22 If you fall, remember that John wrote. 08:25 "If any one sins, that person has an advocate with the 08:28 Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." 08:31 That's important. 08:32 It's not an excuse for sin, but it is a reality. 08:36 Should we fall, we can be sure of forgiveness when we 08:39 ask for it. 08:40 Now I notice this question did say, "I have battled it 08:44 on and off." 08:45 Now for one thing, sin isn't something you battle "on and 08:48 off." 08:49 And also, rightly understood, sin isn't really something 08:51 YOU battle. 08:53 (Now I know you could argue that, but I want you to see 08:55 what I'm trying to stay here, gain a certain perspective.) 08:58 Sin is something that is overcome through the power of 09:02 the Holy Spirit. 09:04 It's Christ in you doing His work. 09:08 So, yield to him, call on Jesus to do this great work 09:13 in your life, and know that He will do it. 09:16 God can do it. 09:18 He can work this out in your life. 09:19 I've known drunks who have sobered up, and so have you, 09:22 most likely. 09:23 I've known drug users who are now clean, foul-mouthed 09:26 people who now speak pure words... 09:29 Let me tell you this. 09:30 There's nothing that God can't get you over. 09:34 To send us your Bible question, please go to 09:36 ItIsWritten.com. 09:38 If you have a Bible question for pastor John Bradshaw, 09:42 please write to It Is Written, Box O, Thousand 09:44 Oaks, California 91359 or visit our website 09:48 itiswritten.com and send us your questions on-line. 09:54 There was a sci-fi story about a man who, having lost 09:57 his wife to death, got a robot replacement. 10:00 He had everything about her programmed in: looks, 10:04 vocabulary, diction, actions, everything was the same as 10:06 his actual wife. 10:09 From all outward appearances, it was his wife. 10:12 Except that it was robot, a machine, and it did 10:16 everything his wife did, not because it truly loved him, 10:20 but because it was programmed to do so. 10:24 It had no more choice than my computer does to start up 10:27 when I hit the start-up bottom. 10:29 And in the end he got rid of it because the most important 10:32 ingredient was missing, and that was love --which can 10:36 only exist when one has freedom, only when one has 10:39 the option NOT to love. 10:40 And this powerful being, Satan--given free will--chose 10:47 the "not-to-love" option and eventually rebelled against 10:50 God. 10:52 As a result, he and these other rebellious creatures, 10:54 who had free will too, were cast out of heaven and are 10:57 now here on earth. 10:59 Here again is the Bible, Revelation 12. 11:03 "Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in 11:06 them. 11:07 Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! 11:09 for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, 11:13 because he knoweth that he hath but a short time" 11:17 (Revelation 12:12, KJV). 11:19 Woe to us! 11:20 Why? 11:22 Because the devil has come down "unto you" and he is 11:25 full of wrath. 11:27 It's a real mistake to allegorize Satan, to make him 11:29 out to a figment of human imagination, just a symbol of 11:32 our darker side or the like. 11:35 My Bible talks again and again about a literal being 11:38 who is at war with us and with God. 11:42 Look at the following texts and keep in mind two points 11:46 that are found in them: first, the reality of the 11:50 devil; and second, the fact that he is working against 11:53 us. 11:55 Firstly, 1 Peter 5:8, the Bible says: "Be sober, be 12:00 vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a 12:03 roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" 12:14 Ephesians 6:11, KJV "Put on the whole armour of God, that 12:17 ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the 12:19 devil" And 2 Corinthians 2:11, KJV, "Lest Satan should 12:22 get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his 12:26 devices" And before I go further, there's one more 12:31 text I want to look at because it's one of the most 12:33 important ones in all the Bible, one of the most 12:36 important texts that can help us understand the nature and 12:39 the outcome of this great controversy. 12:43 Talking about Jesus, the Bible says in Hebrews 2:14 12:49 that: "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of 12:53 flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of 12:55 the same; that through death he might destroy him that had 13:01 the power of death, that is, the devil" 13:06 (Hebrews 2:14, KJV). 13:06 Notice that He will destroy the one who had the power of 13:08 death, that is "the devil." 13:09 Satan's ultimate fate is to be destroyed. 13:13 We might be in a war, in a battle, in a controversy, but 13:16 we know beforehand that the good side wins, that God 13:20 winsóand, in a nutshell, what God is saying to us in the 13:22 Bible is this: Come on over to the winning side. 13:26 Jesus has won the battle for you, and He offers you the 13:29 fruits, the promise, the guarantee of His victory 13:33 against Satan. 13:35 Talk about an offer! 13:37 I'd like to say, "It's an offer you can't refuse," but 13:39 in God's universe, we all have free choice, and so we 13:43 can refuse. 13:45 The question is, Why would we? 13:49 When God offers us everything and the devil offers us only 13:53 death and destruction, why would we chose anything else? 13:57 If we do, it's because we are allowing Satan to deceive us. 14:01 Remember, the Bible says that he "deceives" the whole 14:05 world. 14:07 But we don't have to be fooled. 14:09 We just don't have to be, as Paul wrote, "ignorant of his 14:12 devices," and one of the ways we can know his devices is 14:16 through studying the temptation in the wilderness, 14:20 and how Satan tried to use his devices on Jesusóand 14:22 failed. 14:25 First, Satan tried to tempt Jesus in the area of 14:28 appetite, telling Jesus to use His power to turn stones 14:31 into bread. 14:33 And how did Jesus respond? 14:35 He used the power of God's Word, saying to Satan: "It is 14:38 written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every 14:44 word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" 14:47 (Matthew 4:4, KJV). 14:50 Jesus didn't argue with Satan, he didn't get into a 14:53 theological debate, and he didn't try to reason with 14:55 him. 14:56 He simply went to the Bible and he quoted the Bible. 15:00 And that was enough to shut the devil down. 15:03 There's an important lesson there, when we struggle with 15:05 temptations. 15:07 We can go to God's Word and claim His promises for 15:09 victory, just as Jesus did. 15:10 So, what happened next in the wilderness? 15:15 That first ploy didn't work, so Satan tried something 15:17 else. 15:19 Here's Matthew's account of the second temptation of 15:22 Jesus: "Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, 15:28 and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto 15:30 him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for 15:34 it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning 15:39 thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at 15:43 any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 15:47 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not 15:51 tempt the Lord thy God" That's Matthew 4:5-7 Look at 15:56 what's going on here. 15:59 Jesus used Scripture against the devil, and so what does 16:02 the devil do? 16:04 He comes back to Jesus and tempts him, this time quoting 16:06 Scripture himself! 16:09 Jesus used the Bible as His means of countering the 16:12 devil's first attack in the wilderness, and so the devil 16:15 tried to meet Jesus on His own ground, quoting Scripture 16:17 back at Him. 16:19 And yet here's an important point. 16:22 Though the devil quotes Scripture, he really 16:25 misquotes it, taking it out of context and trying to get 16:27 it to say something different from what it meant. 16:31 This has been his ploy for millennia now, and often used 16:35 for horrendous purposes too. 16:37 The devil has plenty of folks willing to misquote and 16:40 misuse the Bible for their own ends. 16:43 The difference between presumption and faith. 16:48 That's straight ahead. 16:52 In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God says "It is written 'Man 16:56 shall not live by bread alone but by every word that 16:59 proceeds out of the mouth of God'." 17:01 Every Word is a one minute Bible-based daily devotional 17:04 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed 17:07 especially for busy people like you. 17:10 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch it 17:13 on-line everyday on our website itiswritten.com. 17:17 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 17:19 Watch Every Word. 17:21 You'll be glad you did. 17:22 Here's a sample: A lady walking 17:34 one morning in Manhattan spotted something 17:36 brightly coloured in the trash. 17:38 She said later, "It didn't seem right for any piece of 17:40 art to be discarded like that." 17:43 It turned out to be a painting by Mexican artist 17:45 Rufino Tamayo stolen 20 years before. 17:49 It later sold at auction for more than a million dollars. 17:52 And it had been languishing in the trash. 17:55 The Bible says Jesus was despised and rejected of men. 17:57 John 1:11 says, "He came unto His own, and His own received 18:02 Him not." 18:03 The author of Life had come to give eternal life to the 18:06 world, yet the world took His offer and tossed it in the 18:09 trash. 18:10 It makes no sense to reject Jesus' offer of salvation 18:13 today. 18:14 But you can gladly receive it, and live today knowing 18:17 that He receives you. 18:19 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written. 18:21 Let's live today by Every Word. 18:33 It Is Written is sharing the gospel around the world. 18:36 Part of our mission is to bring the Word of God to some 18:40 of the most remote places on earth. 18:43 Right now we are providing audio Bibles to the people of 18:46 Papua New Guinea. 18:47 We call this audio Bible the Godpod. 18:50 Through this solar powered mp3 player, people can hear 18:54 God's word in their own language. 18:59 If you'd like to help It Is Written share the Word of God 19:01 by providing solar-powered Godpod Bibles, please call 19:04 our toll-free number 1 800 253 3000. 19:08 Call right now. 19:10 Just tell the operator you would like to help with the 19:12 Godpod project. 19:13 You can also participate by sending your gift to It is 19:16 Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, California 91359. 19:22 And for your convenience you can also make a gift on line 19:25 at itiswritten.com. 19:27 This ministry uses every reasonable effort to fund its 19:31 projects as described. 19:32 Should the project become fully funded or should the 19:34 nature of the project change due to unexpected 19:37 circumstances, funds will be directed toward similar, 19:40 worthy projects. 19:41 Our toll-free number is 1 800 253 3000 19:46 and our web address is itiswritten.com 19:52 One of the worst examples of somebody 19:54 misquoting the Bible was when, during a religious war 19:57 in Europe, a commander stood over the city they were about 19:59 to attack and his aide asked him, "How are we going to 20:04 know who is on our side who is the enemy?" 20:07 The commander responded, "Kill'em all"óand then, 20:10 quoting Scripture, or actually misquoting it, added, 20:13 'the Lord knoweth them that are his.'" 20:16 And this is what Satan does here. 20:18 In Matthew 4:6 he says to Jesus, For it is written: 'He 20:23 shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In their 20:25 hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot 20:31 against a stone.'" Now that all sounds nice but the devil 20:35 doesn't quote it in its entirety. 20:37 He just takes a certain part of it, omitting the rest. 20:40 The texts were from Psalm 91 and read like this: "For he 20:46 shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in 20:49 all thy ways. 20:51 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash 20:54 thy foot against a stone" (Psalm 91:11-12, KJV). 20:58 He leaves out the most important part. 21:01 God will give His angels charge over you, "to keep 21:04 thee in all thy ways," that is, in all thy ways and paths 21:09 of righteousness, of obedience of faithfulness. 21:13 That's the crucial qualifier that Satan leaves out, trying 21:15 to give Jesus the idea that it doesn't matter what He 21:19 does, God will protect Him and be with Him. 21:22 But, as we saw, that's not what the texts said. 21:27 The devil misquoted the Scriptures and He certainly 21:30 didn't fool Jesus. 21:31 How did Jesus respond to this temptation? 21:35 Back to Matthew, Ch 4. 21:38 "Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not 21:43 tempt the Lord thy God" (Matthew 4:7, KJV). 21:48 He said "it is written again." 21:51 Jesus went back to the Bible. 21:53 He didn't argue with Satan, and He didn't point out 21:56 Satan's misuse of the Bible, either. 21:58 Jesus just went right to the Word of God and responded 22:02 with a text that rebuked the devil's attempt to lead Him 22:05 into presumption. 22:07 Now I don't know any promises in the Bible which tell me I 22:10 can deviate from obedience and expect God to pour out 22:13 His blessings on me. 22:15 You still might get "blessed," you still might 22:19 have success, but that doesn't mean it's from the 22:23 Lord. 22:24 I find it hard to believe that it was God's will for 22:26 John D. Rockefeller to put all those 22:28 folks out of business and swallow up their companies 22:29 through his shady and greedy practices. 22:32 Just because something is what the world would deem 22:34 "successful," isn't necessarily the same thing as 22:38 being blessed by God. 22:40 Hugh Hefner, by the world's standards, is being 22:42 successful, but who would say that God was blessing him? 22:48 People invoke God's name in all sorts of schemes; people 22:52 will misquote Scripture to justify even the most sordid 22:56 deeds; people will do the most outrageous things, 22:59 believing for whatever reason that God will bless their 23:03 efforts even if those efforts are completely contrary to 23:07 His revealed will. 23:09 This is all presumption, and that is what Jesus refused to 23:13 fall for and we should refuse to fall for it too when we 23:17 are tempted to do things in the name of God that He would 23:20 never sanction. 23:21 Presumption is the counterfeit of faith. 23:25 Faith trusts in God's promises, and brings forth 23:30 the fruits of obedience in response to those promises. 23:33 Presumption, on the other hand, claims those promises 23:38 but then uses them to excuse or justify wrong actions. 23:42 Faith trusts that if we obey God, if we walk in the path 23:46 of obedience, if we comply with the conditions sets 23:51 forth in the Word, then God will bless us according to 23:53 His will. 23:54 Presumption, on the other hand, claims the promises of 23:58 God but ignores or defines the conditions upon which 24:01 they based. 24:04 We are in the midst of a universal battle between 24:07 Christ and Satan. 24:09 And you can be sure that the devil is using every device 24:12 and every scheme he can toward each of us, especially 24:19 if we profess faith in God. 24:21 Presumption is a sin of the believer, not the atheist. 24:25 The atheist doesn't presume on God because he doesn't 24:28 believe in God--though I heard of someone who said, 24:31 "Thank God, I'm still an atheist." 24:34 And there's good news. 24:35 Christ's death on the cross covers even the sin of 24:38 presumption. 24:40 If you have presumed upon God, if you have sought for 24:42 the promises without following the conditions, 24:45 then flee to Jesus and flee to the cross. 24:48 You can repent of your sins, whatever they are, even that 24:51 of presumption, and you can receive Christ's forgiveness. 24:56 And then, in faith and in obedience, you can press on, 24:59 claiming all the promises offered us in His Word. 25:02 And that's not presumption. 25:04 That's faith. 25:08 Let's pray together. 25:10 Father in heaven, I pray that where we have been 25:13 presumptuous you would forgive us and lead us to be 25:16 people of faith. 25:20 I pray that we would never lean on the Bible and use it 25:23 to excuse things we should not be doing. 25:27 I pray the Bible wouldn't be a cloak that somehow conceals 25:30 our sins but that your Word would be powerful enough to 25:34 create in us clean hearts. 25:36 Help us to come clean and have faith-truth faith in 25:40 your word and not to stoop to presumption. 25:45 We thank you that you can be trusted, we thank you that 25:47 your word is perfect, we thank you that your ways are 25:52 right. 25:53 Lead us in them please, I pray in Jesus' name, amen. 26:17 Perhaps our program today has touched your heart and 26:20 impressed you with a personal need for deeper Bible study. 26:23 If you desire to listen to God and follow where he 26:26 leads, we've got a wonderful resource that can help you do 26:29 that in a systemic way, the Discover Bible Guides. 26:32 These study guides will take you through the essential 26:35 truths taught in Scripture. 26:36 They give you the big picture showing how it all fits 26:39 together. 26:40 The Discover Bible Guides are a wonderful way for you to 26:43 become grounded in the Word of God and to see how Jesus 26:45 Christ relates to all the areas of our lives. 26:49 Please call or write us and the Discover Bible Guides 26:53 will be on their way to you. 26:55 If you live in North America, we'll mail these Bible guides 26:57 free of charge. 26:59 Or for even easier and immediate access from 27:01 anywhere around the world, you can get these wonderful 27:04 Bible lessons on our website itiswritten.com. 27:08 Request the Discover Bible Guides by calling our toll 27:12 free number 1 800 253 3000. 27:16 Call right now and tell us the name of today's free 27:19 offer, the Discover Bible Guides. 27:21 You can also request today's offer by writing to It Is 27:24 Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359. 27:29 Thank you for your letters and for your continued 27:32 support. 27:33 Our toll free number is 1 800 253 3000 27:37 and our web address is itiswritten.com 27:42 Thanks for joining me today. 27:43 Look forward to seeing you again next time. 27:46 Until then be sure to remember- It Is Written: man 27:50 shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that 27:54 proceeds from the mouth of God. |
Revised 2015-02-06