Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001332A
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00:12 It has stood the test of time God's Book,
00:18 The bible Still relevant in today's 00:24 complex world It is written 00:29 Sharing hope around The Globe 00:41 ♪♪♪ Music ♪♪♪ One of the strangest characters 00:47 you're ever likely to hear about is the Englishman Jeremy 00:50 Bentham, who was born in 1748 and died in 1832. 00:57 Now just to give you an idea of how, well, different, Mr. 01:01 Bentham was, he willed that his body be stuffed and preserved in 01:07 his everyday clothing and then put on public display for 01:10 posterity. 01:12 And that's what happened! 01:14 You can see him, to this day, in a wooden cabinet at the 01:17 University College in London. 01:19 His head, however, is wax--and that's because in the preserving 01:22 process someone messed up, robbing his real face of most of 01:26 its expressions and leaving it too unattractive for viewing. 01:31 The wax head was therefore substituted for his real one, 01:35 and for years the real head, with two glass eyes he used to 01:39 carry around in his pockets, sat on the floor, between Bentham's 01:42 legs. 01:44 Well you've heard it said that nothing's sacred, and time and 01:47 again the college students would make off with Bentham's head. 01:50 One time, students stole the head and demanded a ransom of 01:53 100 pounds to be paid to some local homeless shelter. 01:56 The college agreed to pay 10 pounds and the head was 01:59 returned. 02:00 On another occasion, the head was again stolen by students, 02:03 was found in a locker at a train station in Scotland. 02:08 But the last straw came when it was discovered being used by 02:12 students for soccer practice! 02:14 After that, the head was safely secured and is no longer on 02:18 display. 02:20 The rest of Mr. Bentham, including his wax head included, 02:22 still is. 02:24 Now Bentham is most famous, though, not for his corpse but 02:27 for his social philosophy. 02:29 He was a leading advocate of utilitarianism: "the greatest 02:33 happiness of the greatest number." 02:36 The idea is this: You try to make laws so that they'll bring 02:39 the greatest amount of happiness to the greatest number of 02:42 people. 02:44 If law x make five million people a little happy, but law y 02:48 make 20 million people very happy, then the government 02:52 should make law y as opposed to law x. 02:58 Mr Bentham even created a mathematical scheme, a calculus, 03:02 that supposedly could determine happiness: and it would be great 03:05 to know what makes people happy, because you could then create 03:09 laws that will bring this happiness. 03:15 At 57-years-old, and still a bachelor, he wrote to a woman he 03:18 hadn't seen in sixteen years and he explained to her why - based 03:33 on the laws and rules that applied to them - they should be 03:36 married. 03:48 Well, surprise of surprises, she wasn't that impressed with his 03:52 laws and mathematics and she turned him down cold. 04:02 He waited 22 years and then gave it another shot, but wouldn't 04:06 you know? 04:07 She turned him down again. 04:09 ou can imagine,. 04:11 Well, darling, I've worked out the numbers and the laws and the 04:13 figures, and it seems that, according to my mathematical 04:15 calculations, we should be in love and get married. 04:20 I'm glad I didn't propose to Melissa that way. 04:22 I reckon I'd still be single! 04:23 See, Bentham lived in a time when humanity truly believed in 04:26 the ability of logic, and law, and reason to answer all human 04:31 needs. 04:32 For many people, law and logic and reason were the sacred keys 04:35 to unlock all truth. 04:37 For many people believe reason and law, natural law, was all 04:41 that was needed. 04:43 Now all through the gospels in the Bible we have stories of 04:48 folks who were also sticklers for the law-at least the law as 04:52 they understood it. 04:54 One account in particular shows what I mean. 04:58 We are going to rewinding about 2000 years. 05:02 When you realize that it was only in the past 250 years that 05:06 doctors figured it would be a good idea to wash their hands 05:11 before surgery, you can only imagine what the medicine must 05:14 have been like in ancient Israel at the time of Jesus. 05:17 In this context we come to the story. 05:20 Jesus and His disciples are walking along and they came 05:23 across a man who had been blind from birth. 05:26 So what did Jesus do? 05:28 The Bible says this, and we read this in the gospels, Jesus 05:32 meeting a blind man. 05:35 What does the Word of God say? 05:38 "He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He 05:42 anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 05:47 And He said to him, 'Go, wash in the pool of Siloam' . 05:51 so he went and washed, and came back seeing" 05:55 John 9:6, 7 NKJV). 05:56 That's Incredible. 06:01 A man, blind from birth, is instantly healed. 06:09 As you can imagine, this caused quite the stir. 06:12 In fact, some people had a hard time believing that this was the 06:15 same man who used to sit around begging. 06:19 After all, how could someone, blind from birth, now suddenly 06:22 see? 06:23 Eventually, they brought him to the religious leaders, who had 06:26 to acknowledge the incredible miracle. 06:30 But there was one problem. 06:31 Jesus had performed this amazing miracle on the Sabbath day, and 06:35 according to their understanding of the law, you weren't supposed 06:39 to do any kind of on the Sabbath. 06:41 Thus they were arguing that Jesus couldn't have been from 06:46 God because He, at least in their thinking, had violated the 06:50 law. 06:52 "So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, 06:59 'Give God the glory! 07:01 We know that this Man is a sinner.'" 07:04 (John 9:24, NKJV) Can you imagine? 07:06 A man blind all his life is healed, instantly, and all that 07:09 the leaders can think about is the fact that it was done in 07:12 violation of a law, at least the law as they understood it. 07:15 Talk about taking the idea of law to an extreme! 07:19 Now don't get me wrong. 07:21 I am not talking against law. 07:22 On the contrary - I would uplift law, especially God's law. 07:27 Laws are supposed to be good things, but sometimes they can 07:31 be terrible, with disastrous effect. 07:35 I'll give you an example of that in just a moment. 07:40 [Music] 07:54 It's time for today's Bible question, and here it is. 07:58 As a kid, I remember going to church about once or twice a 08:01 year with my parents. 08:03 I'm not really into religion, but I don't want to go to hell 08:07 when I die. 08:08 A friend of mine died in a car accident last month and I don't 08:12 know if he is in heaven or hell. 08:14 If I don't want to end up in hell, what do I need to do? 08:18 A serious question you're asking. 08:20 I tell you what, I don't want to go to hell either! 08:24 So what do we do to make sure we don't go there? 08:27 There's a great verse in the Bible. 08:29 It's in the book of first John, chapter 5 and verse 12. 08:32 It says, "He that has the Son has life, he who does not have 08:38 the Son of God does not have life." 08:41 Everlasting life is the gift God wants to give you. 08:44 And the way to receive everlasting life is to possess 08:47 Jesus - to have faith in Him. 08:48 Simply not going to hell isn't going to get a person too 08:53 terribly far, but faith in Jesus will take care of you in the 08:57 world to come, and will bless you in this life. 09:02 If you don't have a whole lot of background with the Bible or 09:04 with faith in God, let me recommend something to you. 09:07 Get a Bible, and start reading in say, the book of John or the 09:11 book of Matthew. 09:12 As you read, look for Jesus. 09:14 And when you come to Jesus, ask yourself, What is this person 09:18 Jesus like? 09:20 And when you get an idea of what Jesus is like, ask yourself, Is 09:24 this the kind of Person I'd like to know? 09:27 Do I want to have this person involved in my life? 09:31 And if your answer to that question is Yes, then tell God 09:34 that. 09:35 Tell him "God, I want Jesus, and I want You in my life." 09:40 And go from there. 09:41 Your focus is going to be on Jesus, and you won't be worrying 09:45 too much about going to hell. 09:47 To get your questions to us at It is Written, please go to or 09:50 website itiswritten.com, click on Questions tab, submit your 09:54 question there and in a future TV program, I'll do my very best 09:58 to answer your Bible question. 10:01 [Music] 10:07 Laws ought to be for the benefit of everyone. 10:10 But that's not often far from the case. 10:12 Here's a painfully familiar example of that. 10:15 At one time in many American states, slavery was legal. 10:19 America's own beloved Constitution made a legal 10:22 provision for it. 10:25 Even closer to our time, many people can remember the Jim Crow 10:28 Laws, the segregation laws in the American south. 10:34 Now let me read some of them to you. 10:36 Let me read you a few: "Nurses: 10:39 No person or corporation shall require any white 10:42 female nurse to nurse in wards or rooms in hospitals, either 10:47 public or private, in which negro men are placed. 10:56 Buses: All passenger stations in this state operated by any motor 11:01 transportation company shall have separate waiting rooms or 11:05 space and separate ticket windows for the white and 11:07 colored races. 11:13 Restaurants: It shall be unlawful to conduct a restaurant 11:17 or other place for the serving of food in the city, at which 11:20 white and colored people are served in the same room, unless 11:23 such white and colored persons are effectually separated by a 11:28 solid partition extending from the floor upward to a distance 11:33 of seven feet or higher, and unless a separate entrance from 11:36 the street is provided for each compartment. 11:47 These laws tell us about the character of the lawgiver, don't 11:50 they? 11:51 The laws reflect the attitude and thinking of the entity that 11:54 has created them, don't they? 11:56 And in these cases, the laws reveal a deep-seated racism and 12:00 bias. 12:02 The laws of a nation can tell us something about the character of 12:05 the law-making power of that nation. 12:08 Now think about this in relation to God's law. 12:11 Just as the laws of a land reveal something about the 12:14 law-makers of that land, God's law reveals something about Him 12:18 as well. 12:20 His law tells us what God is like. 12:24 His law, the Ten Commandments, are a reflection of His 12:28 character. 12:30 Think for a moment about the Ten Commandments and what they tell 12:32 us about God. 12:36 But before we begin, I'd like to dismiss right off the bat the 12:39 idea, sometimes expressed by well-meaning people, that God's 12:43 moral law has been abolished, that Jesus death on the cross 12:47 wiped out our obligation and our need to keep the Ten 12:50 Commandments. 12:52 Look at this text, however. 12:53 It's 1 John 3:4, the Bible says, "Whosoever committeth sin 13:00 transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the 13:07 law" (KJV 1 John 3:4). 13:10 Sin is the transgression of the law. 13:12 Now what law could that be? 13:13 Jim Crow law? 13:14 The law of the scribes and the Pharisees? 13:16 No, it is talking about God's law, the Ten Commandments. 13:19 How do I know? 13:21 Well, it's pretty easy, isn't it?. 13:23 If I steal, which is a violation of one of the Commandments, have 13:27 I sinned? 13:28 If I commit adultery, which is a violation of one of the Ten 13:32 Commandments, have I sinned then? 13:33 What about if I lie, if I lie. 13:34 have I sinned? 13:37 I think in all cases, we know pretty well that the answer is 13:42 yes. 13:44 Yes, if I do any of those things I have violated God's law and I 13:47 have sinned. 13:49 So, it's clear to me that sin is a violation of God's law. 13:54 The apostle James certainly thought so. 13:57 Read what he wrote in the Book of James. 14:00 "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in 14:04 one point, he is guilty of all. 14:07 For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not 14:11 murder." 14:12 Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you 14:16 have become a transgressor of the law." 14:21 (James 2:10,11, NKJV) That text 14:23 just doesn't make sense if the Ten Commandments had been 14:25 abolished, does it? 14:27 Now didn't Jesus say the two greatest commandments were love 14:31 to God and love to others? 14:33 Isn't that the essence of the law? 14:35 Yes, Jesus did say that; and yes, that is the essence of the 14:38 law; and yes, I'm glad you asked because it gets precisely to my 14:42 point, which is that God's law is an expression of His 14:46 character, and love is at the center of God's character, which 14:49 is why love-love for God, and love for others, forms the 14:54 foundation of God's law. 14:57 When asked about the greatest of the commandments, Jesus answered 15:01 this way in Matthew, Chapter 22. 15:06 Jesus said: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, 15:11 and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 15:15 This is the first and great commandment. 15:19 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as 15:23 thyself" That's Matthew 22:37-39. 15:27 Notice - love God, love your neighbor. 15:30 Love is the foundation of God's law, and that's because God 15:34 Himself is love. 15:36 This doesn't negate the Ten Commandments; no, the Ten 15:39 Commandments are the way in which we show our love for God 15:42 and our love for our neighbor. 15:44 The first four commandments, no false gods, no idols, not taking 15:47 the Lord's name in vain, and keeping the Sabbath-these all 15:51 deal with a person's relationship with God. 15:54 Can you imagine someone saying that he loves Jesus, and yet 15:57 every time he mentions the name "Jesus," it's used as a curse? 16:01 Now that's not love. 16:03 And the last six commandments, about honoring your parents, 16:06 about not committing adultery, not stealing, not murdering, not 16:09 lying, not coveting-these all have to do with how we reveal 16:14 our love to others. 16:15 Can you imagine someone telling his neighbor, "Oh, yes, I love 16:18 you!" 16:19 and then stealing from him? 16:21 No, of course not. 16:23 God's moral law was given to us as a means of guiding us in how 16:25 we live, in how we can express love to Him and to others. 16:30 You don't usually think of the law and love together, but don't 16:33 tell that to apostle John. 16:35 Here's what John wrote: "By this we know that we love the 16:40 children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 16:44 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: 16:49 and his commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:2,3:KJV). 16:53 Anyone can say that they love God, but according to John, by 16:59 keeping His commandments we reveal the reality of that love. 17:04 Here's what John said again. 17:07 This is from 2nd John: "And this is love, that we walk after his 17:13 commandments" (2 John 6, KJV). 17:16 Again, love is manifested by obedience to the commandments. 17:19 Here's Jesus Himself: John 14:14, he said, "If you love me, 17:24 keep my commandments" (John 14:15NKJV). 17:28 How much simpler could it be? 17:30 I've heard people say, "Well, the Ten Commandments don't 17:33 matter. 17:34 What matters is that you love others." 17:36 Well, on the surface that sounds nice but if you think about it, 17:39 it makes about as much sense as saying, "Murdering you neighbor 17:42 doesn't matter, just as long as you love him." 17:45 Just as you give your children rules to follow because you love 17:47 them and want what's best for them, God does the same for us, 17:50 and those basic rules are found in the law of God. 17:55 It's that simple. 17:56 In just a moment, The United States, just moments away 18:01 from a military crisis, In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God 18:07 says "It is written 'Man shall not live by bread alone but by 18:11 every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God'." 18:15 Every Word is a one minute Bible-based daily devotional 18:18 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed especially 18:21 for busy people like you. 18:23 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch it on-line 18:27 everyday on our website itiswritten.com. 18:30 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 18:32 Watch Every Word. 18:34 You'll be glad you did. 18:35 Here's a sample. 18:45 Integrity is very important to God. 18:47 In Proverbs 16:8 we read, "Better is little with 18:51 righteousness than great revenues without right." 18:55 The devil tempts people to cheat, cut corners, to rip other 18:57 people off, just to get a little MORE. 19:01 A friend of mine was featured in an article in an international 19:04 magazine for the simple fact that he was an honest mechanic. 19:08 When one shop wanted to charge the writer hundreds of dollars 19:11 for a job, my friend told him he could do it for 25. 19:14 Now, he could have charged more, but his integrity meant 19:17 something to him. 19:18 I once pointed out to a cashier that she hadn't charged me for 19:21 something. 19:22 She said, "Oh, I'd have never known." 19:24 And I said to her, "Yes, but I'd have known." 19:27 Its better to have less and retain your honour, than to 19:30 reach for more... 19:32 and lose your integrity. 19:35 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written. 19:37 Let's live today by Every Word. 19:42 Eyes for India is giving sight to the blind and you can 19:45 be a part of this amazing work that God is doing. 19:49 Fifteen million blind people live in India, more than any 19:52 other country in the world and many of the blind in India 19:55 could see again, if only they could have 19:57 simple cataract surgery. 19:59 It Is Written is making that happen. 20:03 Would you support Eyes for India? 20:06 For just $75 you will be giving the gift of sight 20:09 to someone who desperately wants to see. 20:13 Here's all you need to do. 20:14 Call 1.800.253.3000 to donate and support Eyes for India, 20:21 or you can write to It Is Written, Box O, 20:24 Thousand Oaks, California, 91359. 20:27 You'll also find Eyes for India on-line at 20:31 ItIsWritten.com. 20:35 You know, for decades the United States government kept under 20:38 wraps a secret: at the same time that the United States and the 20:42 former Soviet Union almost went to war over the Cuban Missile 20:46 Crisis, an America U2 spy plane accidentally blundered into 20:50 Soviet airspace, bringing the world dangerously close to 20:53 nuclear war. 20:57 On the night of Oct 27, 1962, a very seasoned American pilot 21:01 named Captain Charles Maultsby was flying on a secret mission 21:05 to the North Pole, where he was to collect radioactive samples 21:10 from Soviet Nuclear tests. 21:12 On his long, seven hour flight, Maultsby was going to rely on 21:16 ancient navigation technique-he would follow the stars, because 21:20 at 70,000 feet in the air, he didn't need to worry about 21:23 clouds. 21:25 After a few hours, though, the sky suddenly filled with 21:28 beautiful bright lights. 21:31 It was the aurora borealis, the Northern Lights, and the air 21:34 outside his cockpit exploded with awesome flashes of orange 21:38 and violet and crimson colors. 21:41 He might have enjoyed the show except for one problem: those 21:45 lights blocked his view of the stars and by the time the light 21:48 show was over, Maultsby knew that something was wrong. 21:53 He wasn't where he should have been. 21:55 What he didn't realize, at least at first, was that he had veered 21:58 into Soviet air space. 22:00 He was more than a thousand miles of course. 22:04 Now, under any circumstances, this would have been dangerous 22:06 enough, but with the Russians and the Americans already in 22:10 each other's hair over over events in Cuba, the situation 22:14 was on a knife edge. 22:16 The Russians had already sent fighters in the air, to try and 22:19 intercept the plane, because for all they knew, this was a bomber 22:23 coming down to attack them! 22:26 Fortunately, in just the nick of time, Maultsby was able to get 22:29 the plane back safely, and the tensions settled down, though 22:34 later the Soviets warned the United States that something 22:37 like this could have pushed them over the edge. 22:41 Charles Maultsby needed something to guide him, and that 22:44 was the stars, and when he lost site of his guide, he veered off 22:48 track. 22:50 It's the same with God's law. 22:52 It's a guide for us; it sets parameters for us; it tells us, 22:56 not to veer this way or that way, because if you get too far 23:01 off course, bad consequences can occur. 23:05 And that's what the law is there for. 23:08 It's not there to save us. 23:09 Keep in mind: trying to be saved by the law is like staring in a 23:13 mirror hoping that the mirror will remove your wrinkles. 23:17 God's law was never meant to bring salvation. 23:20 If we could be saved by keeping the law, Jesus wouldn't have 23:23 come and died for us. 23:25 How it works is if you, like me, have compared your life to 23:29 God's law, you have seen just how short you have fallen. 23:34 Before God's law, we all stand condemned. 23:37 The law is what shows that we are sinners! 23:41 The good news is Jesus. 23:42 He died because we have not kept God's law. 23:47 He paid the penalty for our transgression of the law. 23:51 And by faith in Him, we are forgiven that transgression and 23:55 we can stand perfect before God and under no condemnation for 23:59 our violation of the law. 24:03 Yes, God's law still is in effect. 24:05 It shows us our sin, and that leads us to Jesus, who will 24:09 forgive us for our sin, when we give ourselves to Him and claim 24:15 that forgiveness for ourselves. 24:16 Have you done that? 24:18 Have you given yourself to Jesus? 24:20 And have you claimed his forgiveness for you? 24:22 To not do that leaves you under the condemnation that comes from 24:27 having broken God's law, something we've all done. 24:31 But today you can say, Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. 24:35 I know therefore, that I am condemned because of my sin, but 24:39 I don't want to be condemned. 24:41 Jesus died for me. 24:43 I want to accept that. 24:45 I want to get out from under the death sentence of having 24:48 committed sins and having broken God's law. 24:51 I want to be free. 24:52 I want to be clean. 24:53 I want to be forgiven. 24:55 Are you ready to say that to Jesus today? 24:57 Let's say that together. 24:58 Pray with me. 25:00 Our father in heaven, we thank you today 25:03 for your goodness to us. 25:05 I know there are times, perhaps, that some of us might feel as 25:09 though your will, your way, your law is restrictive. 25:14 But what we know by reading the Bible is that in truth what you 25:17 are wanting to do is to keep us from back harm, to keep us back 25:21 from sin and to keep us close to you and safe under the shadow of 25:25 your wings. 25:26 So please, forgive us for our sins and thank you that through 25:32 Jesus, through accepting him Lord, live in our lives, through 25:35 accepting Jesus we can have not the penalty that comes from 25:41 having sinned but forgiveness and grace and cleanness and 25:48 purity. 25:50 Today we thank you for the gift of eternal life in Jesus and we 25:54 pray grateful in Jesus' name, amen. 26:19 Perhaps our program today has touched your heart and impressed 26:22 you with a personal need for deeper Bible study. 26:25 Do you desire to listen to God and follow where he leads? 26:28 We've got a wonderful resource that can help you do that in a 26:32 systemic way, the Discover Bible Guides. 26:34 These study guides will take you through the essential truths 26:37 taught in Scripture. 26:38 They give you the big picture showing how it all fits 26:41 together. 26:42 The Discover Bible Guides are a wonderful way for you to become 26:45 grounded in the Word of God and to see how Jesus Christ relates 26:49 to all areas of our lives. 26:51 So please call or write us and the Discover Bible Guides will 26:55 be on their way to you and the entire course is 26:58 absolutely free. 26:59 For even easier access, you can obtain these wonderful Bible 27:03 lessons on-line on our website. 27:05 www.itiswritten.com 27:09 You may request today's offer, The Discover Bible Guides, by 27:12 calling our toll free number 1 800 253 3000. 27:16 Call right now. 27:17 The operator needs only your name, address and phone number, 27:19 plus the name of today's offer, The Discover Bible Guides. 27:23 Lines are open 24 hours daily. 27:25 They may be busy so keep trying. 27:26 You may also request today's offer by writing to It Is 27:29 Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359. 27:38 Our free offer is for an address in North America only. 27:41 The Discover Bible Guides are Our toll free number is 1800 253 27:44 3000 and our web address itiswritten.com 27:51 Thanks for joining me today. 27:54 And remember - It Is Written: man shall not live by bread 27:57 alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. |
Revised 2015-06-18