It Is Written

When No One is Looking

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: John Bradshaw

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Series Code: IIW

Program Code: IIW001350A


00:11 It has stood the test of time. God4s Book, the Bible.
00:21 Still relevant in today4s complex world.
00:26 It Is Written sharing hope around the glo
00:40 I'm John Bradshaw, thanks for joining me on It Is Written.
00:45 This really happened. A computer glitch caused the
00:47 lights to come on and the doors to open at a major
00:50 supermarket at one o'clock in the morning when the
00:53 supermarket was supposed to be closed.
00:55 It didn't take long and in the people came - about 50
00:58 shoppers altogether. And before long it became
01:01 obvious to the shoppers that there were no staff present.
01:04 They were there alone. 25 people left their shopping
01:08 behind when they realized there was nobody there for
01:10 them to actually pay. Twelve shoppers did pay for
01:13 their groceries by using the self-service check-outs.
01:16 But for a dozen or so people, the allure of free groceries
01:20 (and whatever else they managed to jam into their
01:23 shopping carts) was just too much.
01:26 Knowing full well they were stealing, they made off with
01:28 free groceries - not stopping to think that security
01:31 cameras had recorded everything.
01:33 Now that would be a temptation, wouldn't it?
01:35 Some people probably felt like it was a dream come true
01:39 - alone in an open supermarket and nobody there
01:42 to stop you taking home whatever you wanted.
01:45 The temptation proved to be too strong for them.
01:49 And that's temptation for you.
01:51 It comes in many different ways, and if differing
01:53 degrees of seriousness. The temptation to gossip; the
01:56 temptation to take just one more piece of chocolate cake;
02:00 the temptation to get revenge; the temptation to
02:03 cheat. In 1980 a woman crossed the
02:06 line in the Boston marathon in the impressive time of 2
02:08 hours 31 minutes and 56 seconds - the fastest female
02:12 time in history for the Boston marathon and the third
02:15 fastest marathon ever run by a woman.
02:18 But people noticed she didn't look as tired as someone
02:20 ought to look for having just run 26 miles.
02:23 She didn't look as physically fit as a marathon runner
02:26 should either. Her resting heart rate of 76
02:29 was much higher than your typical marathon runner, and
02:33 her time for the Boston was 25 minutes faster than her
02:37 time in the New York marathon six months earlier - a
02:40 massive improvement. Unbelievable, really.
02:43 And then, two university students said they saw the
02:45 woman emerge from a crowd of spectators half a mile from
02:48 the finish and run only the last half-mile of the race.
02:52 It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what
02:55 happened. She wanted the glory, but she
02:58 was never going to be good enough to win a major
03:00 marathon, so she was tempted to fabricate the whole thing.
03:04 And she yielded to the temptation.
03:06 You know, a similar thing happened in October of 2011
03:09 at the Kielder Marathon in northern England, about 60
03:12 miles from Newcastle. It was eventually discovered
03:15 that the 31 year old man who finished third had actually
03:19 got on a bus at the 20-mile mark, got off the bus just
03:23 before the finish and hidden behind a tree, and then
03:26 jumped out into the race and came in in third place.
03:29 Now I get it and you probably do too.
03:32 After running 20 miles YOU might be tempted to take a
03:34 bus too. Now being tempted, though,
03:37 doesn't mean you'd necessarily do it.
03:39 Being tempted and actually doing a certain thing are two
03:42 very different things. You might be tempted to cheat
03:45 on your taxes, fudge an expense report, say you've
03:49 cleaned your room when you haven't, sneak an extra piece
03:52 of pie, not tell the man at the checkout that he's given
03:55 you too much change... Or cheat on your spouse or
04:00 embezzle money. And you might not do any of
04:03 it, but you may be tempted. But temptation is the doorway
04:07 to sin. It doesn't always lead to
04:09 sin, but it so often does, and the consequences can be
04:12 disastrous. I just read a story about a
04:15 teenage girl who killed a child because she said she
04:20 wanted to know what it felt like to kill.
04:22 Now, you'd think this child has got some pretty intense
04:24 issues, but let's be honest - she's not the first person
04:28 who's thought about taking someone's life.
04:30 I imagine most people who would have that thought ever
04:33 would just brush the thought away and say it4s just an
04:36 episode of crazy thinking and then move on and forget about
04:38 it. But temptation comes - and
04:42 unless you know what to do when it does come, you might
04:45 end up as its victim. Stop and think for a moment
04:49 about the things that tempt you.
04:51 Some of them might be minor irritations - the temptation
04:53 to yell at your neighbors and tell them to turn their music
04:56 down. And you might know that
04:58 you're never actually going to do that, but you're
05:00 tempted to... "I would love to do that".
05:03 But maybe you're tempted to sell drugs to get money to do
05:06 whatever. See, if you're having a hard
05:08 time financially that might be a real temptation that
05:12 eats away at you. "Just do this simple thing
05:14 and you'll have all the money you need..." How does a
05:17 person deal with that? Thankfully, the Bible gives
05:22 us the answers. Today, we're going to look at
05:24 the example of Someone who knew what it was to be
05:27 tempted. That Someone is Jesus.
05:29 Jesus was fiercely tempted - and yet He never sinned, not
05:34 even once - not even by a thought.
05:38 How was He able to resist temptation?
05:40 I want to make something crystal clear right from the
05:43 get-go today. The Bible says that you CAN
05:46 resist temptation. You don't HAVE to fall.
05:50 That's not to say you're suddenly going to learn how
05:52 to always get it right and never make a mistake.
05:55 Remember, that as Christians we GROW.
05:58 But what are we growing into? The idea is to grow to become
06:02 more and more like Jesus. So we want to be resisting
06:06 temptation more and more and falling into it less and
06:10 less. In 1 Corinthians 10:13 the
06:14 Bible says this, No temptation has overtaken you
06:18 except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who
06:23 will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are
06:26 able, but with the temptation will also make the way of
06:30 escape, that you may be able to bear it.
06:34 1 Corinthians 10:13, NKJV That means there is a way
06:36 out, and that way out is through faith in God.
06:40 Through Jesus. Today's program could
06:43 absolutely change your life. We4re about to look at how
06:47 Jesus handled temptation. Don't go away.
06:51 I'll be right In Matthew 4:4, the word of
06:57 God says, It is written, man shall not live by bread
07:00 alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of
07:04 God. Every Word is a one minute
07:06 Bible-based daily devotional presented by Pastor John
07:09 Bradshaw and designed especially for busy people
07:12 like you. Look for Every Word on
07:15 selected networks or watch it on line every day on our
07:18 website: itiswritten.com. Receive a daily spiritual
07:22 boost. Watch Every Word.
07:24 You4ll be glad you did. Here4s a sampl
07:36 Thanks for joining me. I wonder if there's a better
07:38 verse to describe a certain problem that afflicts
07:40 the human family. Proverbs 21:2 says that,
07:43 "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes." This
07:47 affects all of us: people have a tremendous capacity to
07:50 convince themselves that their way is right.
07:53 Which is fine, if it IS right.
07:55 In the Garden of Eden Satan tempted Adam and Eve to do
07:57 what THEY thought was right, even if God's will was
08:00 different. Facing Satan in the
08:02 wilderness, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy and said that
08:04 people ought to live "by every word that proceeds from
08:07 the mouth of GOD." Tis good to have opinions and ideas.
08:10 But remember today we can get in a fix doing that which is
08:14 right in our eyes. What we want, is to know, and
08:17 do, that which is right in GOD'S eyes.
08:21 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written.
08:24 Let's live today by Every Word
08:31 Planning for your financial future is vital aspect of
08:33 Christian stewardship. For this reason, It Is
08:36 Written is pleased to offer free Planned Giving and
08:38 Estate Services. For information on how we can
08:41 help you, please call 1.800.992.2219.
08:47 Call today or visit our special website
08:49 www.hislegacy. Thanks for joining me today
09:00 on It Is Written. I4m John Bradshaw and today
09:03 we're looking at temptation, specifically, how Jesus
09:06 handled temptation. Before the end of the
09:09 program, I am going to offer you a free resource that
09:11 could be a powerful tool to help you in your faith
09:14 journey, something that will help you deal successfully
09:17 with temptation. When Jesus was 30 years old
09:20 He started His public ministry.
09:22 And He was anointed for His ministry by the Holy Spirit
09:24 when He was baptized at the River Jordan by John the
09:27 Baptist. At His baptism, something
09:29 unusual happened. A voice from heaven rang out
09:33 - the voice of God. He said, This is my beloved
09:36 Son, in whom I am well pleased.
09:39 You read that in Matthew 3:17.
09:41 KJV Now, that's significant for many reasons, not the
09:43 least of which is because of what happened next.
09:46 That was at the end of Matthew 3.
09:48 Matthew 4 opens with Jesus being "tempted" by the devil.
09:54 Jesus fasts for almost six weeks.
09:57 You know He's extremely hungry by then - craving
09:59 food, and He's weak, and Satan comes to Him and says,
10:03 this in Matthew 4, "If you are the Son of God, command
10:10 that these stones become bread." Now was that a
10:15 temptation for Jesus? Of course it was!
10:18 He hadn't eaten in 40 days. He was starving!
10:22 But more than that, Satan said to Him, "IF" you're
10:26 really the Son of God." In other words, Satan said
10:28 "Prove who you really are. It isn't just that you're
10:31 hungry, but I'm calling into question who you really are.
10:35 You're not really the Messiah, are you?
10:37 You're not going to believe what your Father said, are
10:40 you?" Satan was tempting Jesus to doubt God.
10:44 In fact, it's a lot like what Satan said to Eve.
10:47 God had said, Eat the fruit and you shall surely die.
10:50 But Satan said, "Has God said you shall surely die?" "God
10:56 didn't really mean that, did He Eve?" "You're not really
10:59 going to believe the word of God, are you?" And he takes
11:01 the same approach with Jesus. "If you're really the Son of
11:05 God..." No doubt, Jesus was tempted.
11:09 So notice what He did. Jesus quoted the word of God.
11:14 In Matthew 4:4, Jesus says this "It Is Written (and
11:19 you've got to like those verses that start It Is
11:21 Written) Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every
11:26 word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Jesus fled to
11:33 God's word. He quoted it and believed it.
11:36 God's word was the strength in Christ's moment of
11:40 temptation. God's word was Jesus' weapon
11:44 against temptation. Remember, Jesus was tempted
11:47 throughout His entire ministry.
11:49 He had people following Him around, goading Him to sin,
11:52 almost every moment of every day, harassing Him, bothering
11:55 Him and Jesus found His strength in God's word.
11:57 When temptation comes to you, you'll be okay if you do what
12:02 Jesus did and run to the word of God.
12:05 That's where the strength is. Let me give you some examples
12:09 of what I'm talking about. When temptation comes, you
12:12 can quote the verse I mentioned before 1
12:15 Corinthians 10:13. Remember, it says this, 1
12:18 Corinthians 10:13, But God is faithful, who will not allow
12:22 you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the
12:25 temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may
12:29 be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV
12:32 That's God promising you that He's going to give you a way
12:35 out of temptation. Whatever that temptation is
12:38 so what temptation comes you can pray and remind God this
12:41 first, and tell Him you are counting on Him to get you away
12:46 out of temptation. would you do it?
12:50 His Word that he would. I'd like to give you an
12:52 example. A young man told me he was
12:54 walking along a narrow street one day, when he looked up
12:56 and saw a woman a little further up the street
12:59 standing in the middle of the street who was - as he said -
13:01 she was dressed to distract. That's the way he put it.
13:05 And he said that knowing himself, he was going to have
13:08 a difficult time keeping his mind where it ought to be.
13:11 So here is what he did. He prayed and asked God to
13:14 keep His promise and make a way of escape.
13:17 He said he didn't know how God could possibly do that
13:19 because there she was and she didn't seem to be going
13:22 anywhere. But when he looked up from
13:24 having said his prayer as he walked...
13:27 the woman was actually walking away and disappeared
13:30 around a corner! God had kept His promise.
13:35 Here's another verse that you will want to remember in your
13:37 battle with temptation. It's Jude 24.
13:40 You'll find it right before the Book of Revelation.
13:45 The Bible says, Now unto him that is able to keep you from
13:49 falling, and to present you faultless before the presence
13:52 of his glory with exceeding joy.
13:56 Jude 1:24, KJV Did you catch that?
13:58 God is able to keep you from falling.
14:01 And when you find yourself in the midst of temptation, if
14:04 you'll bring that promise to Jesus you can be certain He
14:08 will keep it, and that He will keep you from falling.
14:11 You know what a big part of the problem is?
14:14 It isn't just that temptation comes.
14:16 That's simply the price we pay for living in a sinful
14:18 world. It's that we don't have the
14:21 word of God in our minds when temptation comes.
14:24 We can get distracted to the point that we're not getting
14:27 God's word into our mind. And we can be blinded to the
14:32 danger of sin by this world that celebrates sin and has
14:35 normalized in. Remember - the wages of sin
14:39 is death. Sin separates a person from
14:42 God (Isaiah 59:9) We ought to run from temptation as though
14:46 our life depends on it, because - spiritually
14:48 speaking - it does. I'll be back with more about
14:52 how you can resist temptation in just a mome
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16:10 Call 1.800.253.3000 or write to Box O, Thousand Oaks,
16:15 California, 91359. Or visit itiswritten.c
16:25 I'm glad you are with me today on It Is Written
16:27 Today, how can we successfully handle
16:30 temptation? It's everywhere.
16:34 Now, keep this in mind. All Satan can do is tempt you
16:37 to sin. He cannot force you to sin.
16:40 He tempts, you choose. There is always a choice
16:44 available to us to make, and that choice is to go with God
16:48 or go it alone. To say Yes to Jesus, or to
16:49 say Yes to self. When it comes to fending off
16:53 temptation, the best thing we can do is imitate what Jesus
16:57 did when He was tempted in the wilderness.
16:59 Satan tempted Him to turn stones into bread, and to
17:02 doubt His Father. Remember, the Father had told
17:04 Jesus that He was God's Son. Satan says this, he said "If
17:08 you're the Son of God, do this." And Jesus met him with
17:13 that great Bible verse when He said, It is written, 'Man
17:18 shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
17:22 proceeds from the mouth of God.
17:24 Matthew 4:4 I'm going to believe my Father.
17:28 Even if it doesn't look like I'm the Son of God out here
17:30 in the wilderness, I'll believe God's word before I
17:34 believe even appearances." So Satan tried twice more.
17:38 "Jump off this high place, because the angels will catch
17:41 you and you'll be okay!" And Jesus said, It is written
17:45 again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God." Matthew
17:49 4:7, NKJV "Bow down and worship me, and I'll give you
17:53 all the kingdoms of the world," and Jesus said in
17:56 Matthew 4:10, You shall worship the LORD your God,
17:58 and Him only you shall serve. Matthew 4:10 NKJV
18:05 The devil was defeated. Temptation has no power over
18:08 the word of God. The promises of God are
18:11 enough to see off the foe - Satan is no match for the
18:14 weakest sinner armed with simple faith in the promises
18:18 of God's word. Now, before I look at more
18:20 promises with you, let me make a couple of practical
18:23 suggestions. If you want to resist
18:25 temptation, you can start by not putting yourself in its
18:28 way. If lust is a problem, don't
18:31 go down to the beach on a hot summer's day.
18:33 If alcohol is a problem, don't meet a friend at the
18:36 bar. If you get frazzled rushing
18:38 off to work each morning, give yourself more time in
18:41 the morning by getting up a little earlier.
18:43 If you're tempted to eat junk food, stop at a store that
18:46 sells healthy good. Get more sleep.
18:49 Get more exercise. These two things will help
18:52 you feel better and help your brain to function better.
18:55 Now I'm not saying these are the big keys, they're not -
18:58 but they'll help. The big key is claiming the
19:02 promises of God. In fact, you could broaden
19:05 that a little to emphasize how important it is that we
19:08 keep in touch with God. When I became a Christian, I
19:11 knew my life had really changed when one day I hit my
19:15 thumb with a hammer, and instead of saying something I
19:18 would regret I said a prayer. Now, now I don't mean I
19:21 whacked my thumb and then bowed my head and said,
19:23 Father in heaven... I don't mean that.
19:25 I mean, when I hit my thumb, my first instinct was to talk
19:28 to God. And when I reflected on that
19:30 I thought, Wow, God is really working.
19:33 Why was he working? Because I was in touch with
19:36 him and being in touch with Him kept me from sin.
19:39 He gave me strength in the face of temptation.
19:42 If you let your devotional life slip, if you're not
19:45 reading the Bible, if you're not connecting with God in
19:48 prayer, you'll have little power to resist temptation.
19:52 Little or none. The power comes from abiding
19:56 in Christ, by having the power of the Holy Spirit in
19:59 your life. Jesus said to His disciples
20:02 one day, "Watch and pray that you enter not into
20:05 temptation." It will come to you, but you don't have to
20:09 enter into it. If you watch and pray.
20:12 We're told in the Lord's prayer to pray this way:
20:15 "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
20:19 This thing is a part of our daily existence.
20:22 Billy Sunday once said, "Temptation is the devil
20:25 looking through the keyhole. Yielding is opening the door
20:29 and inviting him in." The devil can tempt.
20:32 He will. He knows your weak points,
20:35 and he'll do everything he can to exploit them.
20:38 He'll try to make you late and harried in the morning.
20:41 He'll jab the neighbor's dog to bark at 4.30 in the
20:45 morning so you'll wake up cranky.
20:47 He'll encourage you to think that when your spouse said,
20:49 Hi, honey, how was your day?, that what he or she was
20:51 really thinking was, "I really don't like you very
20:54 much anymore." He'll play mind games with you.
20:56 But if you'll learn to run to God - and lean on His word -
21:00 you'll be okay. If you're tempted to say
21:03 things you shouldn't, take this Bible verse to God.
21:07 Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my
21:10 lips. Psalms 141:3 You're asking
21:14 God to take over when you take that verse to Him -
21:17 you're surrendering to God. And remember what James
21:19 wrote, Submit yourselves therefore to God.
21:24 Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
21:28 James 4:7, KJV You submit, you resist through the Word,
21:34 and the devil flees. It works.
21:37 Hebrews 2:18 says, For in that he himself hath suffered
21:42 being tempted, he is able to aid those that are tempted.
21:45 Hebrews 2:18, KJV See that? Jesus knows what it is like
21:49 to be tempted, and so He's able to help you when you're
21:52 tempted. "Lord, I'm tempted to think
21:55 you've abandoned me!" I will never leave you nor forsake
21:59 you. Hebrews 13:5 NKJV "Lord, I'm
22:01 so weak!" My strength is made perfect in weakness.
22:05 2 Corinthians 12:9 It is God who works in you both to will
22:10 and to do for His good pleasure.
22:13 Philippians 2:13, NKJV The promises of God were Jesus'
22:16 way out of temptation, and they'll deliver you too.
22:19 And one thought I want to make sure I share with you
22:22 today - If you have fallen into temptation, remember
22:25 another one of God's promises.
22:27 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just
22:35 to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
22:39 unrighteousness.1 John 1:9 As much as you don't want to
22:42 fall into temptation, should you do so you can afford to
22:46 remember that God is a forgiving God.
22:58 [Music] What would you do if you found $45,000 that wasn't
23:03 yours - would you be tempted to keep it?
23:07 What if nobody knew, and if nobody could possibly know
23:17 you'd found the money - what if there would be no
23:24 questions asked? When a Utah man named Josh
23:27 Ferrin bought his first house he started looking around in
23:30 the attic, where he found a number of metal boxes [music
23:45 that turned out to be stuffed full with about $45,000.
23:53 [Music.] Here's what he said in the news story.
24:01 "I'm not perfect, and I wish I could say there was never
24:07 any doubt in my mind. We knew we had to give it
24:11 back, but it doesn't mean I didn't think about our car in
24:14 need of repairs, how we would love to adopt a child and
24:17 aren't' able to do that right now, or fix up our outdated
24:21 house that we just bought." He was tempted.
24:26 Strongly. But he said, "But the money
24:30 wasn't ours... and this is a lesson I hope
24:33 to teach my children." He could have caved in to the
24:36 temptation, but he didn't. And you don't have to.
24:40 And I don't have to, as long as we stay connected to
24:44 Jesus, and claim the promises of His word.
24:49 There's something I'd like to offer you this week that I
24:51 believe will be a real blessing to you as you seek
24:54 to live a life of integrity before God.
24:57 "God's Promises" is a little book containing a number of
25:00 the powerful promises of God that will help you be
25:03 successful against temptation.
25:05 Just call or write and I'll send you "God's Promises".
25:08 There's no cost or obligation.
25:10 It's absolutely free. Just call this
25:14 number,1-800-253-3000, ask for "God's Promises".
25:18 You can call 24-hours a day. If the lines are busy, please
25:21 just keep on trying. You can also request your
25:24 free copy of "God's Promises" by writing to: It Is Written,
25:27 Box O, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359, and we will mail a
25:32 copy to your address in North America.
25:35 Please note that this free book is limited to the supply
25:39 on hand. For immediate access, you can
25:41 download a FREE electronic version of the book God's
25:44 Promises from our website: itiswritten.com It Is Written
25:47 is a faith-based ministry made possible by viewers like
25:50 you. I want to say "thank you" to
25:52 you for your support of It Is Written.
25:55 To support the worldwide outreach of It Is Written, to
25:58 make it possible for people to continue receiving this
26:00 broadcast, your tax-deductible gift may be
26:02 sent to the same address. Or you can give online at:
26:06 itiswritten.com. Thank you for your continued
26:09 support. Our toll-free number is:
26:12 1-800-253-3000. And our web address is:
26:15 itiswritten.co Temptations are serious
26:20 business. Understanding how to defeat
26:22 it rather than be defeated by it can revolutionize your
26:25 life. Let's pray together.
26:27 I'd like to ask God to give you victory whenever
26:30 temptation comes. Our Father in heaven, we
26:33 thank you that we serve a Saviour who is victorious and
26:36 who will give us His victory so that we don't need to
26:39 experience defeat. Lord, make us sensible to
26:42 temptation when it comes. Alert us to call to you, to
26:45 trust in you, to claim your word.
26:48 Help us Father to put your word in our mind so that when
26:51 temptation comes our mind will go to you and to the
26:54 promises that are found in the Bible.
26:57 We thank you for a way out of temptation and for victory
26:59 through Christ and we pray in Jesus' name, amen.
27:09 Mu It is Written is dedicated
27:23 to sharing the gospel around the world.
27:26 Our dream is to impact the world for God.
27:28 Our television program is only one aspect of how we try
27:31 to accomplish that. To discover more about It Is
27:33 Written, I invite you to visit our website,
27:36 itiswritten.com, and browse the dozens of pages that
27:40 describe what we do and how we do it.
27:42 Let's get to know each other better.
27:44 Visit our website itiswritten.com today.
27:48 Thanks for joining me today. Look forward to seeing you
27:51 next time. Until then, remember It Is
27:53 Written, man shall not live by bread alone
27:56 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.


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Revised 2015-07-08