It Is Written

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants:

Series Code: IIW

01:30 ♪[Theme music]♪
01:40 ♪[Theme music]♪
01:48 >>John Bradshaw: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw.
01:51 Thanks for joining me.
01:52 In his book “Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking,”
01:58 author Malcolm Gladwell shares a fascinating story.
02:00 In 1985, the J. Paul Getty Museum
02:04 in Los Angeles spent $10 million buying a kouros,
02:08 a Greek statue of a young man.
02:09 Of course, before you spend $10 million on a piece of art,
02:13 you want to make sure you're not buying a fake.
02:14 And so the Getty had a team of scientists
02:17 and lawyers check out the statue.
02:19 They said they believed the statue was real.
02:22 It was an original.
02:24 After buying it, the Getty then showed it to art experts
02:28 and historians, and one of them immediately said,
02:30 “It's a fake.”
02:33 One group of experts were so convinced,
02:35 they okayed the museum to spend $10 million.
02:36 In 2018, that's the equivalent of almost $25 million.
02:42 And it turned out to be a phoney.
02:47 How does a museum and its team of experts get taken by a fake?
02:52 Well, it's not always easy to tell something fake
02:56 from something genuine.
02:58 It's one thing to misread a work of art,
03:00 but there are times that people turned out to be
03:03 other than what they claimed.
03:04 Hannah Snell was an English woman in the 18th century who
03:07 faked that she was a man so that she could become a soldier.
03:12 She served three years in the military without anyone ever
03:14 discovering that she was a woman and not a man.
03:18 Women faked being men on occasion
03:20 to fight in the American Civil War.
03:24 In the late 1980s, a German music producer
03:27 named Frank Farian put together a new pop band.
03:31 He hired two dancers named Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan
03:35 to front the band.
03:37 Rob and Fab looked like pop stars,
03:40 and the band, Milli Vanilli, sold millions of records.
03:45 In 1980 they won the Grammy award for Best New Artist.
03:48 Rob and Fab, however,
03:50 didn't sing on any of the band's recordings.
03:52 They didn't even sing at the Grammy awards.
03:54 They mimed everything,
03:57 while other musicians did the real work in the studio.
04:01 Milli Vanilli was not Milli Vanilli.
04:04 It was one of the most notorious cases
04:07 of lip-syncing in pop music history.
04:10 So why is it that nobody noticed?
04:12 Simple answer:
04:14 it's just not that easy.
04:16 Sometimes it's hard to know who's fake and who's genuine,
04:20 or what's fake and what's genuine.
04:24 Jesus spoke to this
04:25 in the parable of the wheat and the tares.
04:26 We look at this today as part of our ongoing series,
04:30 “Lessons for All Time.”
04:31 Let's take our Bibles, let's look at the parable.
04:34 It's found in Matthew, chapter 13,
04:36 and the parable begins in verse 24:
04:40 "Another parable He put forth to them, saying:
04:44 'The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed
04:47 good seed in his field;
04:49 but while men slept,
04:50 his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat
04:53 and went his way.
04:55 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop,
04:59 then the tares also appeared.
05:02 So the servants of the owner came and said to him,
05:04 "Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?
05:09 How then does it have tares?"
05:11 He said to them, "An enemy has done this."
05:15 The servants said to him,
05:16 "Do you want us to go and gather them up?"
05:19 But he said, "No, lest while you gather up the tares
05:23 you also uproot the wheat with them.
05:26 Let both grow together until the harvest,
05:30 and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers,
05:32 'First gather together the tares
05:34 and bind them in bundles to burn them,
05:37 but gather the wheat into my barn.'"'"
05:41 Now, this is something that used to happen in Jesus' day.
05:44 Someone would have a field of wheat growing,
05:46 and an enemy, wanting to cause problems,
05:48 might sneak in a spread the seed of weeds.
05:52 The weeds would grow and choke the good seed
05:54 and cause all kinds of problems for the landowner.
05:56 It's thought that the tare, or the weed,
06:00 mentioned in this parable is darnel, lolium temulentum,
06:04 sometimes referred to as "false wheat,"
06:07 which can be fatal if it's eaten.
06:10 So let's take a look at the story, this parable.
06:12 And remember what a parable is:
06:14 it's a short story used to teach a moral or religious lesson.
06:19 Not everything in a parable has a parallel or a meaning.
06:23 But many of the details of a parable are shared so that they
06:26 might convey some important spiritual truth.
06:29 Now, what are the spiritual truths
06:31 that Jesus is teaching in this parable?
06:34 Now, keep in mind, earlier in Matthew, chapter 13,
06:37 there's another parable dealing with seed.
06:40 It's the parable of the sower who went forth to sow.
06:43 Here, the kingdom of God, now,
06:45 that's the kingdom of divine grace on earth;
06:47 you could call it God's work of salvation on behalf of humanity.
06:51 The kingdom of God is compared to a man who sowed seed.
06:56 In that parable,
06:57 the seed fell on four different types of ground:
06:59 first the wayside, then on stony ground,
07:02 then there was some seed that was choked by thorns,
07:04 and then there was the good ground,
07:06 where the seed flourished.
07:09 Now, in the parable of the wheat and the tares,
07:11 the seed is compromised by weeds
07:14 that threaten it in a variety of ways.
07:17 Let's look at it now.
07:18 We read that a man sowed good seed in his field.
07:22 So do we know who that is?
07:24 Well, we do know who that is, because this is one of those
07:26 very helpful parables where Jesus explains
07:29 what the various things mean.
07:31 His disciples come to Him in verse 36 and they say,
07:34 “...explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
07:38 And so He told them that He is the sower.
07:41 He went on to say, “The field is the world,
07:44 the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom,
07:47 but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.
07:50 The enemy who sowed them is the devil,
07:53 the harvest is the end of the age,
07:55 and the reapers are the angels.” That's Matthew 13:38 and 39.
08:00 Now, this is a lesson in which Jesus talks about
08:02 an attack by an enemy, where Satan introduces into
08:06 the church people who are not converted.
08:10 Then Jesus points to the end of the age
08:12 when angels will separate the true followers of God from,
08:16 from the pretenders,
08:17 from the Milli Vanilli Christians.
08:20 So Jesus says this: here's the reality.
08:23 I sow good seed,
08:25 but the enemy comes and sows weeds in my field.
08:28 And the challenge is, when the wheat appears,
08:32 and then the tares grow among the wheat,
08:34 you can't necessarily tell the two apart very easily.
08:38 Now, this is a commentary on what we experience in church.
08:40 Have you ever noticed that?
08:41 In the church you get the good Christians,
08:45 and then the hypocrites,
08:47 those who aren't really genuine believers.
08:50 Here's what's interesting; let me ask you a question.
08:53 Which one are you?
08:55 Now, must of us are going to say,
08:57 “I'm the real thing.”
08:57 We might humbly suggest that, well,
08:59 we do have our faults, and well,
09:01 we could do better, but we like to think that we are wheat,
09:04 while the other ones, some of them at least, are tares.
09:09 Natural enough, I guess.
09:11 And what does Jesus say here?
09:13 Someone says, “Let us pull up the tares
09:15 so they don't damage the wheat,”
09:16 which seems like a good idea.
09:18 If there are phonies there,
09:21 why not uproot them and get rid of them?
09:24 But there's more to the story, much more.
09:27 I'll be right back.
09:28 ♪[Music]♪
09:36 >>Announcer: The greatest event in all of history.
09:39 The Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
09:41 What does the Bible say that will be like?
09:44 Find out by getting today's free offer,
09:46 “The Second Coming of Jesus.”
09:47 To receive this free DVD,
09:49 call 800-253-3000,
09:52 or visit us online at iiwoffer.com.
09:56 Find out what the Bible says
09:57 about the Seconed Coming of Jesus.
09:59 Get the free DVD.
10:01 800-253-3000.
10:03 iiwoffer.com.
10:07 >>John: Thanks for joining me on It Is Written.
10:09 In the parable of the wheat and the tares,
10:12 the servants of a wheat farmer tell him that there are weeds
10:16 growing in his wheat field.
10:18 They suggest pulling them up.
10:20 He says, “No, don't do that, because if you attempt to pull
10:23 up the tares you'll likely pull up wheat with it.”
10:25 And that's a real thing.
10:28 This man knew that just as it isn't easy
10:30 to tell the difference between wheat and weeds,
10:33 especially darnel,
10:34 which is indistinguishable from wheat when it's young,
10:37 it isn't always easy to tell the difference between a
10:40 genuine believer in God and someone who is not genuine.
10:44 And it's true that there's plenty that goes on
10:47 in Christianity that doesn't represent
10:49 the principles of Christ.
10:50 A number of media outlets reported that a church meeting
10:53 in Macon, Georgia, being held to discuss the pastor's future,
10:57 got way out of control.
11:00 As people were preparing to vote at the meeting,
11:02 voices were raised; people were pushed;
11:04 chairs were toppled; punches were thrown.
11:07 It was pandemonium,
11:09 even though there were sheriff's deputies there at the meeting.
11:12 Bad behavior in church?
11:14 Yes, unfortunately, it happens.
11:18 A church treasurer stole $415,000 from a church
11:23 in Knoxville, Tennessee.
11:24 A pastor and his wife in Alexandria, Virginia,
11:27 were convicted of operating a $2 million fraud scheme
11:31 which allegedly bilked business investors and church members.
11:35 And we're not surprised when those who profess Christ
11:38 act as though they don't possess Christ.
11:41 For one thing, people are faulty.
11:43 Now, it ought to be remembered that God isn't faulty.
11:46 Jude, verse 24, says that God
11:48 “is able to keep you from falling.”
11:50 But if we allow ourselves to drift,
11:53 if we fail to maintain a real connection with God,
11:56 in a moment of weakness or temptation,
11:58 if we don't turn to God, or if we run from God,
12:02 we're going to get people, even church members,
12:05 people who know better, making poor choices.
12:10 In the Bible, you've got Ananias and Sapphira
12:12 lying about a pledge they made to God,
12:14 stealing from God.
12:15 Malachi wrote about people who robbed God
12:18 by failing to return tithes and offerings.
12:20 Simon Magus tried to buy the gift of the Holy Spirit
12:23 in Acts, chapter 8.
12:24 Judas was a disciple of Jesus who ultimately betrayed Jesus,
12:28 while even Peter denied his Lord and Savior.
12:33 So there's no shortage of faulty believers.
12:36 So why is Jesus saying, “Don't try to pull up the tares,
12:39 because you'll likely pull up
12:40 some of the wheat along with it”?
12:42 Well, for one thing,
12:44 it is biblical to take a stand against sin,
12:47 where there's open sin,
12:49 open rebellion against God in the church,
12:51 it's sometimes appropriate, in fact,
12:54 you could say often appropriate,
12:55 to take action against the sinner.
12:56 That's true.
12:57 But here, Jesus is saying that in many cases
13:01 you can't really tell who's who, who's genuine and who's not.
13:04 And the danger is that if you try to play God,
13:08 try to decide who the real Christians are,
13:11 you could end up doing some real lasting damage.
13:15 Often happens.
13:17 Often what people need is to be helped up,
13:19 rather than helped out.
13:21 A person has a problem with pride,
13:23 or has some type of substance issue,
13:25 or maybe just doesn't appear to be as Christian
13:28 as some other people wish.
13:29 You know, the person on the fringes,
13:31 maybe one who's inconsistent in coming to church.
13:35 Too often there's somebody
13:36 looking down their nose at that person,
13:37 ready to declare that that person isn't as good a Christian
13:41 as he or she should be.
13:43 A little like the parable of the two men praying in the temple.
13:46 One recites his virtues as he sees them,
13:50 and he thanks God that he's not like the other guy.
13:52 The other one, a publican, a tax collector,
13:55 simply prays and says,
13:57 “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
14:00 That's Luke 18:13.
14:01 And then Jesus says, in the next verse,
14:04 “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified
14:08 rather than the other.”
14:10 It seems sometimes that there's no shortage
14:12 of judgmental people in the church,
14:15 and that's not what you characterize the church.
14:18 It should be that people feel safe in the church.
14:20 Church should be a place where people can, can grow.
14:24 If Jesus came into the world to save sinners,
14:26 sinners ought to be welcome in church.
14:30 You know, the Bible talks about a woman out of whom Jesus
14:32 had cast seven demons.
14:34 Imagine if Jesus gave up on her to begin with.
14:38 One woman was taken in adultery and brought to Jesus,
14:40 and there were men there ready to stone her.
14:43 But Jesus says in John 8 and verse 11,
14:47 “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
14:52 You know, one of the wonderful things about God
14:54 is that God is not in a hurry to condemn.
14:58 I think that's the complete opposite of the picture
15:00 that many people have of God.
15:02 That's what God is really like.
15:04 Psalm 103, verse 8, says,
15:07 “The Lord is merciful and gracious,
15:09 slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.”
15:12 In one psalm alone,
15:14 Psalm 136, it says, “His mercy endures forever,”
15:20 twenty-six times.
15:23 And that ought to tell us something.
15:26 Now, that's not to say that God is all mercy and no judgment.
15:28 The parable ends with some serious judgment.
15:32 But God is saying,
15:33 “You humans can't always tell who is genuine and who isn't.
15:37 So don't try to.
15:39 Leave the judging with Me.”
15:40 And that is really good advice.
15:43 A friend of mine tells the story of going to a revival meeting
15:46 when he was young, looking rough,
15:48 and people thought, as he found out later,
15:51 there was no way in the world somebody like him
15:54 could ever become a Christian.
15:56 And, of course, he did.
15:57 He became a minister of the gospel,
15:59 showing again that people only know so much about
16:01 what's really going on inside somebody's heart.
16:05 The time I showed up in church for the first time,
16:08 you would not have thought I was going to stay.
16:10 I looked like somebody who was lost
16:12 and had only stepped inside the church to shelter from the cold.
16:15 But you know what happened?
16:17 No one judged me.
16:18 No one quizzed me.
16:20 There was no 20 questions.
16:22 No one made me feel unwelcome.
16:23 Instead, I was loved into the church,
16:26 and loved into the arms of God.
16:29 Remember that kouros that Getty purchased in the 1980s?
16:32 Ten million dollars at the time,
16:35 and the best judgment of a group of experts
16:37 was that it was original.
16:38 Genuine.
16:39 When in actuality it was a fake.
16:43 Jesus says, "let both grow together until the harvest."
16:47 Don't waste your time trying to determine
16:49 what's going in someone's heart.
16:52 And keep this in mind:
16:53 there are probably a lot of people in the church
16:56 that you and I think are model Christians,
16:58 but, perhaps underneath, that's not the case.
17:01 My expectation is that you had met the pastor
17:03 of that little church in Irvington, Indiana,
17:06 you'd have thought he was a fine man.
17:07 And even if you didn't,
17:09 I doubt that you'd have suspected him of being
17:10 the kingpin of a multi-million-dollar
17:13 synthetic drug ring that manufactured ten tons of drugs.
17:17 We can't tell.
17:19 In trying to do so, we do a lot of damage.
17:22 Now, again, there are times that the church
17:24 has to take a stand about various things.
17:25 Your treasurer embezzles $415,000,
17:29 that's one thing.
17:31 But trying to figure out who's genuine and who's not,
17:33 who belongs, who should be cast out?
17:35 I'll tell you this:
17:37 if the congregation is doing the work that God
17:39 has given them to do, ministering in the community,
17:42 making a difference in people's lives,
17:44 sharing Jesus with others, sharing the gospel,
17:47 if the congregation is doing those things,
17:49 there won't be time for judging.
17:52 People who are doing God's work
17:53 typically don't waste their time being small-minded.
17:57 So does that mean there'll be less than perfect
17:59 people in the church?
18:01 Well, if you're in the church,
18:02 you already know that there are less-than-perfect
18:03 people in the church,
18:04 because you are in it.
18:06 But what the parable tells us is that beyond the imperfect,
18:10 “growing slowly but surely” people in church,
18:13 Satan loves to crowd unconverted people into the church,
18:16 because it makes the church look bad.
18:18 It reflects negatively on Christ,
18:20 causes people to say, “If that's what Christians are like,
18:23 then I don't want to be one.”
18:25 That's too bad.
18:26 Of course, there's some weakness in that thinking.
18:28 In fact, there's considerable weakness in that thinking.
18:32 I'll share more in just a moment.
18:34 ♪[Music]♪
18:42 ♪[Theme music]♪
18:44 >>Announcer: In Matthew 4:4, the Word of God says,
18:46 “It is Written,
18:47 ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
18:49 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'”
18:53 “Every Word”
18:54 is a one -minute, Bible-based daily devotional
18:56 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw,
18:58 and designed especially for busy people like you.
19:01 Look for Every Word on selected networks,
19:04 or watch it online every day on our website,
19:07 itiswritten.com.
19:09 Receive a daily spiritual boost.
19:11 Watch “Every Word.”
19:12 You'll be glad you did.
19:18 >>Girl: My mom woke up at 11:45, and she smelled smoke.
19:24 >>Man: About maybe 1:30 in the morning,
19:26 the, uh, my wife got a phone call,
19:30 and I could hear the voice on the other end of the line,
19:32 and she was basically screaming,
19:35 “There's a fire. It's massive.
19:36 It's headed your way.
19:38 You need to get out and get out now.”
19:40 >>Woman: After I hear fire,
19:41 I hear in the background,
19:43 the fire is two to four blocks away from your house.
19:46 And I panicked.
19:47 We started praying.
19:48 Our prayers didn't last long.
19:50 They were desperate, they were, they were rushed.
19:54 There was a need; it was urgent;
19:56 it was very, very urgent.
19:57 I said, please save my children.
20:03 >>John: Where was God when the fires burned?
20:04 Where was God as people suffered?
20:06 Where was God while people were dying?
20:09 Where was God in the midst of the devastation?
20:19 >>John: Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written.
20:20 I'm John Bradshaw.
20:22 In the parable of the wheat and the tares,
20:24 an enemy plants weeds in a man's wheat field.
20:28 And because you can't tell the difference
20:30 between wheat and darnel,
20:31 the field owner can't weed out the tares
20:34 without jeopardizing the actual wheat.
20:37 There's a danger that in pulling up the weeds,
20:39 you'll pull up a good amount of the wheat.
20:41 And I think it's important we notice something here.
20:44 Jesus isn't saying that the weeds can't be dealt with.
20:47 He's simply saying there's a wrong time and a right time.
20:51 He says He will leave it to angels to finally separate
20:54 the genuine from the phony.
20:55 But I'll tell you this:
20:57 it's important to notice that Jesus is very clear
21:01 when He says the wheat and the tares
21:03 will definitely be separated.
21:06 Now, notice what Jesus said.
21:08 Jesus said this in Matthew, chapter 13.
21:11 He said, “Let both grow together until the harvest,
21:15 and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers,
21:18 ‘First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles
21:22 to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.'”
21:26 That's Matthew 13, verse 30.
21:28 This is where it gets serious.
21:31 Notice this: while Jesus says we shouldn't judge,
21:33 while we shouldn't try to do the work of the Holy Spirit
21:36 and decide who's a true Christian and who's not,
21:39 He tells us just as plainly that there's coming a time
21:41 of separation, a time of gathering as well.
21:45 There's coming a time when there will be no more
21:47 opportunity to repent.
21:49 The tares will be tares, and that's that.
21:53 You know, the gospel's so wonderful.
21:54 You can be the worst sinner,
21:56 and God is willing to forgive you.
21:58 More than willing.
21:58 God really wants to forgive you.
22:02 God wants to see you come to Him in faith.
22:04 Jesus said in Luke 19 and verse 10,
22:07 “For the Son of Man is come to seek
22:09 and to save that which was lost.”
22:11 Isn't that outstanding?
22:13 And so what does God do?
22:14 He calls you; He reveals His love to you;
22:18 He blesses you.
22:19 He says, “If you're carrying guilt,
22:21 shame, sin, if you're carrying condemnation,
22:25 give it to Me.”
22:26 God says, “Jesus died for you.”
22:29 God tells you that He wants you to be saved.
22:33 But that separation-it's final.
22:36 Today we can repent.
22:38 Tomorrow might well be too late.
22:41 One of those tomorrows, one soon tomorrow,
22:44 I believe, it's going to be too late for everyone.
22:48 In Revelation chapter 22, verses 11 and 12,
22:51 Jesus put it this way:
22:53 “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still:
22:57 and he which is filthy,
22:58 let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous,
23:02 let him be righteous still: and he that is holy,
23:05 let him be holy still.
23:07 And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me,
23:12 to give every man according as his work shall be.”
23:16 Now, that's not a fear thing.
23:19 That's just reality.
23:22 One day there's going to be a harvest,
23:24 spiritually speaking.
23:26 Today, the lost have the opportunity to repent.
23:29 On that day, they won't.
23:31 So let me ask you, how is it with you?
23:36 You know what the devil does.
23:37 You know, there are tons of people in the world today who
23:39 are living entirely without reference to God.
23:43 Not necessarily bad people; they're just not saved people.
23:47 They're just busy with life, with work,
23:50 with sport, with doing their own thing.
23:53 Culturally they were never Christians,
23:55 and they just never found a reason to be.
23:58 But then there's another group of people
23:59 who know something about God.
24:01 They're not willing to let God into their heart.
24:04 They might pray occasionally; they might agree that the Bible,
24:09 might even tell you the Bible is a good book.
24:10 They might even say God's book.
24:13 They might go to church.
24:15 And then, or even often, they might go to church
24:18 but they've not surrendered their lives to Jesus.
24:21 Is that you?
24:23 If you haven't, when will you do so?
24:28 Friend, God loves you.
24:29 More than anything, God wants you to be saved,
24:31 to be with Him forever.
24:33 There'll be a harvest one day.
24:35 The lost, lost forever.
24:38 What's going to happen is this:
24:39 between now and the return of Jesus,
24:42 the world is going to plunge deeper and deeper
24:44 and deeper into dysfunction.
24:45 And that separation between right and wrong
24:47 is going to become more pronounced.
24:49 There'll be a shifting.
24:53 Where are you being shifting?
24:55 The good news is that the wheat is going to be gathered
24:58 into His barn, Jesus said.
25:02 One day soon, we'll be safe from sin.
25:04 One day soon we'll be out of the reach of temptation.
25:07 One day soon we'll be in a place with no rejection
25:10 or marginalization or mistreatment
25:12 or injustice or indignity.
25:15 One day soon, the wheat will be with Jesus.
25:18 The saved will be with Jesus.
25:20 One day soon.
25:23 You choose Jesus today,
25:25 and you can believe that you'll be with Him then.
25:28 Be with Him now, and you'll be with Him forever.
25:32 What does Jesus tell us in this parable?
25:35 Don't do His work of judging.
25:36 Don't worry about that.
25:39 God will take care of that.
25:41 But He will take care of that.
25:43 One day, finally, sinners and saints will be separated.
25:47 You'll be either on one side or the other.
25:49 What side are you on?
25:50 Can we settle it?
25:52 Jesus is on the side of the saved.
25:56 Jesus is with the redeemed.
25:57 Jesus is on the side of eternity.
25:59 And Jesus is on your side.
26:01 That's why He came from heaven to earth.
26:03 He came for you, to call you, to reach out to you,
26:06 to show you in His life what God was like to convince you that
26:10 He'd taken care of your sins, and to invite you to choose Him,
26:15 to team up with Him,
26:16 to welcome Him into your heart.
26:18 Can you do that now?
26:20 One day this world ends.
26:22 One day Jesus comes back.
26:23 One day there's no tomorrow.
26:25 On that day, you can be safe with Jesus,
26:30 by being safe with Jesus now.
26:34 ♪[Music]♪
26:44 >>John: The greatest event in all of history.
26:46 The Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
26:48 What does the Bible say that will be like?
26:51 Find out by getting today's free offer,
26:53 “The Second Coming of Jesus.”
26:55 To receive this free DVD,
26:57 call 800-253-3000,
27:00 or visit us online at iiwoffer.com.
27:04 Find out what the Bible says
27:05 about the Second Coming of Jesus.
27:07 Get the free DVD.
27:08 800-253-3000,
27:10 iiwoffer.com.
27:14 >>John: Thank you for remembering that It Is Written
27:16 exists because of the kindness of people just like you.
27:19 To support this international life-changing ministry,
27:23 please call us now at 800-253-3000.
27:27 You can send your tax-deductible gift
27:28 to the address on your screen,
27:30 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com.
27:34 Thank you for your prayers and for your financial support.
27:36 Our number again is 800-253-3000.
27:41 Or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com.
27:45 >>John: Let me pray with you now.
27:46 Our Father in Heaven,
27:48 we thank You that one day
27:50 You're going to gather all those that are Yours,
27:52 and nevermore will they be touched by sin
27:54 or temptation or trial or discouragement.
27:57 And so we want to choose Jesus today,
28:01 so we can know now that we are Yours,
28:03 You are ours, and we can know that throughout eternity
28:06 we'll be with You where You are.
28:08 For now we are in this world, this world tainted by sin.
28:12 In the parable, Jesus taught us an enemy has done this.
28:17 The reason for sin in the world is the enemy has done it.
28:21 The reason for people who are separated from You,
28:23 an enemy has done it.
28:24 The reason for sin and death and sickness and sadness,
28:27 an enemy has done it.
28:31 You present us with a choice between the enemy and You,
28:36 the one who loves this world immeasurably.
28:39 Friend, could you choose Jesus now?
28:40 Would you do that?
28:42 Will you say in your heart, or even out loud,
28:44 wherever you are,
28:45 Jesus, I choose You as my Lord and Savior.
28:48 I want You in my heart.
28:49 Live Your life in me.
28:53 That's our prayer, friend, and as we pray it,
28:55 know that you are a child of God.
28:57 God wants you to grow with Him forever and ever.
29:02 We thank You, Father.
29:03 We trust in You, we believe in You,
29:05 and we give our lives to You again.
29:07 In Jesus' name,
29:09 Amen.
29:11 Thanks for joining me today.
29:12 I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time.
29:15 Until then, remember:
29:15 "It is written:
29:17 'Man shall not live by bread alone,
29:20 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"
29:24 ♪[Theme music]♪

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Revised 2018-02-23