Participants:
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW019204A
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00:19 >>John Bradshaw: This is It Is Written.
00:21 I'm John Bradshaw. Thanks for joining me. 00:24 ♪[soft instrumental music]♪ 00:25 The desert is a stark, harsh landscape. 00:29 It's a beautiful yet an extreme environment. 00:32 It's not the sort of place you want to get lost. 00:35 There's never a lot of water, 00:37 and there are plenty of creatures 00:39 you want to be wary of encountering. 00:42 It's here in the desert, 00:44 in our series "The Prequel of the Bible," 00:46 that we investigate an important story. 00:49 It's not a well-known story, but it's a vital story. 00:52 It was written over a period of 1,500 years, 00:56 and it's not a story that fits together neatly. 00:58 It's one you have to piece together. 01:01 But unscrambling this story is essential 01:04 if we're going to understand 01:05 some of the most important questions 01:07 that you could ever ask about our world and about God. 01:14 This backstory of the Bible gives us 01:16 critically important information. 01:18 It tells us what happened to God's original creation. 01:22 The Bible says that this planet was intentionally 01:25 and systematically created. 01:28 God was so enthusiastic about it that in Genesis 1:31, 01:31 He said that it was "very good." 01:34 This was a world that reflected God's character. 01:38 That perfect earth had lovingkindness 01:41 as its organizing principle. 01:43 Nothing hurt. Nothing destroyed. Nothing killed. 01:48 The system upon which the earth was based 01:50 was one of mutual giving, mutual blessing. 01:54 Everything blessed and benefited everything else. 01:59 It's a system so foreign to what we see today 02:02 it's just about impossible to imagine. 02:05 The system we know, the one that we're surrounded by 02:08 and immersed in, is one where taking, or selfishness, 02:13 is the organizing principle. 02:15 Look around. 02:16 Just about every living creature in our world 02:19 and virtually everything that we human beings do 02:23 demonstrates this system. 02:25 Consider the scorpion. It's an incredible thing. 02:29 It stalks its prey and then grabs it with powerful claws 02:32 and delivers an excruciating, deadly venom with the stinger 02:37 on the tip of its tail. 02:39 Its prey dies in agony. 02:41 The venom is so powerful that some types of scorpion 02:45 are capable of killing humans. 02:47 And whether you are fascinated or revulsed by scorpions, 02:50 I think we can agree they don't reflect the loving, 02:54 giving, selfless character of God as described in the Bible. 02:59 In fact, a careful reading of the Bible tells us 03:03 that God did not create this cunningly 03:05 and intentionally designed creature as we now see it. 03:09 And that raises some hugely important questions. 03:13 And one of those questions is, 03:15 if God did not create the earth and all of its lifeforms 03:18 with selfishness as its organizing principle, 03:22 then how did the world come to be overtaken by this system? 03:26 And what does the existence of this creature say about God, 03:30 whom the Bible describes as all-powerful? 03:33 If in the beginning He created this world to be kind and gentle 03:36 and only blessing, how did He allow it to become so twisted? 03:42 To find out, we go to the prequel of the Bible. 03:44 We'll start a little more than halfway through the Bible 03:47 in the book of Ezekiel. 03:48 ♪[soft music]♪ 03:49 In Ezekiel 28 we find the beginning of a story 03:52 about a high-ranking angel who was beautiful and full of wisdom 03:57 and who led an extraordinary life. 03:59 This angel was evidently adorned with the most beautiful jewels 04:03 and gold. 04:04 And as we're told in verse 14, 04:06 he was the anointed covering cherub 04:10 who was in attendance to God. 04:14 Now, this was a very highly ranked angel, 04:16 perhaps the highest ranking of all of the angels in heaven, 04:20 first in authority and responsibility 04:22 in God's government. 04:25 ♪[soft music]♪ 04:26 The God of heaven is the Ruler and the Lord of this universe, 04:31 and His administration is an organized system. 04:35 Ephesians chapter 3 makes clear that God wants us to understand 04:39 how that administration functions. 04:42 He wants us to understand and appreciate 04:44 how the universe operates. 04:46 And He wants us to understand that even more clearly 04:49 when we look at the life and the ministry and the death of Jesus. 04:54 What's taking place here on the earth 04:57 is very important to heaven. 04:59 I'll have more in just a moment. 05:01 ♪[music]♪ 05:10 >>Announcer: For thousands of years, 05:12 humanity has spoken of a paradise called heaven. 05:15 But what does the Bible say about heaven? 05:17 Where is it? How do we get there? 05:19 And once we're there, what comes next? 05:21 Find out by getting today's free offer, 05:24 "As Good As It Gets." 05:26 To receive this free guide, 05:27 call 800-253-3000 05:30 or visit us online at iiwoffer.com. 05:34 Learn what God's Word actually says about heaven. 05:37 Call 800-253-3000. 05:41 >>John Bradshaw: Thanks for joining me on It Is Written. 05:43 I'm John Bradshaw. 05:44 The earth was created perfect. 05:47 There was no crime, no violence, there was no selfishness, 05:51 there were no thorns, and there was no venom. 05:54 Way back then, there was a perfect angel. 05:59 But he rebelled against God, against God's character, 06:03 and ultimately against God's creation. 06:07 ♪[soft guitar music]♪ 06:08 Ezekiel tells us all about it in Ezekiel chapter 28 06:12 and verse 15, where he says that the angel was perfect 06:15 in all of his ways until "iniquity was found in you." 06:20 Now, there was no excuse for his sin, 06:22 no reason for his rebellion. 06:25 There was no cause for his grievance against God. 06:29 Verse 17 says that he became proud in his heart 06:32 because of his beauty and that he corrupted his wisdom 06:37 for the sake of his splendor. 06:40 The story continues when we get to Isaiah chapter 14, 06:44 verses 12 through 14. 06:46 Here the rebellious angel is named. 06:48 His name is Lucifer. 06:51 And we get some real insights 06:52 into what he's doing and thinking. 06:55 ♪[ominous music]♪ 06:56 It says, speaking of Lucifer, 06:58 "You have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, 07:02 I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; 07:06 I will also sit on the mount of the congregation 07:09 on the farthest sides of the north; 07:12 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, 07:15 I will be like the Most High.'" 07:20 So Lucifer set in motion a plan to take God's place 07:24 and usurp God's authority. 07:27 It wasn't enough for Lucifer to occupy an important place 07:30 in the government of heaven. 07:31 He wanted to be the emperor. 07:35 The story continues in the last book of the Bible, Revelation, 07:38 and in chapter 12, what we find is absolutely riveting. 07:43 Satan launches an attack, 07:46 Satan rebels against the government of God, 07:50 and he convinces other angels to follow him. 07:53 According to verses 3 and 4, 07:55 1/3 of the angels of heaven are recruited by Satan 07:59 to stand on his side in the rebellion. 08:02 Now, of course, when it comes to recruiting angels, 08:04 Satan has something of an advantage 08:06 by dint of his authority 08:09 and the respect that he has among the angels. 08:12 But even so, you have to wonder what he could have said 08:17 to convince the angels to follow him. 08:20 They were in heaven, after all. 08:22 And they were rebelling against God. 08:25 But something he said convinced a third of the angels of heaven 08:30 to stand against God and with Lucifer. 08:34 The picture becomes clearer in verse 7, where it says, 08:37 "And war broke out in heaven: 08:39 Michael and His angels fought with the dragon; 08:42 and the dragon and his angels fought." 08:45 So there was a war in heaven. 08:48 Now, not a war with weapons, as we understand them. 08:51 In the original Greek language, the word translated as "war" 08:55 is the word "polemos," 08:57 from which we also get the words "polemics" and "politics," 09:00 which are contests of ideas. 09:03 There's also the idea of bustle and commotion 09:06 attached to that word. 09:07 So when we read about war in heaven, 09:10 what we're reading about 09:11 is an intense and passionate war of ideas. 09:16 ♪[music]♪ 09:19 Now, I mentioned to you that there are some creatures 09:21 you want to be wary of encountering in the wild. 09:25 And this is one of them. 09:26 Well, it is, and it isn't. 09:29 That is, the beaded lizard isn't found in the United States, 09:32 so, if you're in the US, you have nothing to worry about. 09:36 He's found in Mexico and throughout Central America, 09:39 but even then you don't have much to worry about. 09:42 They're not likely to tangle with you 09:44 unless you get tangled up with them. 09:47 They are venomous, 09:48 but they don't really deliver that venom very easily. 09:51 You've got to give them a really good reason 09:53 to want to deliver the venom, and even then, 09:56 he does so with some considerable effort. 09:59 Beautiful creatures! 10:00 They're called beaded lizards because they're covered 10:03 in these amazing beads. 10:05 Now, we'd agree that toxic venom probably was not 10:08 God's "Plan A" for creatures. 10:11 Except even today, the toxic venom has properties 10:15 that are used in pharmaceuticals. 10:19 So, the venom, while it's a negative, 10:22 is also a real positive and benefits human beings. 10:26 ♪[soft solemn music]♪ 10:27 So the question, of course, is, 10:29 does this creature reflect the character of God? 10:34 Does it reflect lovingkindness, peace, and mercy? 10:40 Does the creature fundamentally give 10:43 as the basis for its existence? 10:45 Does it pass on a blessing to every other creature 10:48 it interacts with? 10:49 Well, if it doesn't, why does it not do that? 10:54 Obviously, with a creature like this, we can see real positives, 10:59 and we can see some things that we might say, 11:01 hmm, probably wasn't intended to be this way in the beginning 11:05 at the creation. 11:07 So to really answer this question, 11:10 to try to decipher this riddle, we've got to go back, 11:14 back to the prequel of the Bible. 11:17 We go back to the story of Lucifer. 11:23 What Lucifer did was attack the government of God 11:27 on a political level. 11:29 He ran history's first ever political campaign. 11:33 And if it was anything like the political campaigns 11:35 that we're familiar with, 11:37 he no doubt smeared the character of God 11:40 while taking the opportunity to present his own character 11:44 in the best possible light. 11:46 While attacking the government of God, 11:48 he was attacking the character of God, 11:50 because the government of God was set up to run on principles 11:53 consistent with God's character. 11:56 Now, political campaigns don't stop 11:58 with simply character smears and misrepresentation. 12:02 There's always some kind of platform. 12:05 Lucifer wanted to be like God. He wanted to be above God. 12:09 Essentially, he was running for the position 12:12 of the administrator of the universe. 12:15 He was saying to the angels in heaven, 12:18 "I have a better organizing principle for the universe 12:22 than that which God has." 12:24 He couldn't simply say, 12:26 "I'm a good guy, and my opponent isn't. Join me." 12:29 He offered a better way forward for the universe. 12:33 So what was Satan's better way? 12:36 I'll tell you in just a moment. 12:37 ♪[music]♪ 12:46 >>Announcer: For thousands of years, 12:48 humanity has spoken of a paradise called heaven. 12:51 But what does the Bible say about heaven? 12:53 Where is it? How do we get there? 12:55 And once we're there, what comes next? 12:58 Find out by getting today's free offer, 13:00 "As Good As It Gets." 13:02 To receive this free guide, 13:03 call 800-253-3000 13:06 or visit us online at iiwoffer.com. 13:10 Learn what God's Word actually says about heaven. 13:13 Call 800-253-3000. 13:17 >>John Bradshaw: You see them in the sky 13:19 all over the world. 13:20 Most people see vapor trails, 13:22 the condensation that often appears when a plane flies 13:25 high in the sky. 13:27 But other people see chemtrails, chemical trails 13:30 that are the secret work of shadowy figures 13:32 causing enormous harm to the world. 13:35 Whatever you make of this conspiracy, 13:36 there's a greater conspiracy 13:38 playing out right in front of you. 13:40 Don't miss "Chemtrails," 13:42 part 2 of the It Is Written series 13:45 "Conspiracy, More Than Just a Theory." 13:48 You'll hear from an aviation expert, 13:50 and we'll go into the Bible and learn about the rise of evil 13:54 and the conspiracy playing out right before our eyes, 13:57 a conspiracy of eternal importance, 13:59 a conspiracy most people are missing. 14:02 Don't be unaware of the greatest conspiracy of them all, 14:05 involving you and those you love. 14:07 Watch "Chemtrails" 14:08 from the series "Conspiracy, More Than Just a Theory" 14:12 on It Is Written TV. 14:18 [snake rattles tail] 14:20 >>John Bradshaw: Thanks for joining me on It Is Written. 14:23 Rattlesnakes are found across North America, 14:26 and you know you've found one when you hear one. 14:30 [snake rattles tail] 14:35 That distinctive rattle sound is well-known. 14:39 Now, they're especially common here in the desert, 14:41 and they're venomous. 14:43 So if you come across one, you don't want to tangle with it. 14:47 It's best to show them respect and then leave well alone. 14:57 Dr. William Hayes is a professor of biology 14:59 at Loma Linda University in southern California. 15:03 He's an expert on these creatures. 15:05 He knows just how dangerous they are 15:07 and why human beings are so terrified of them. 15:11 >>Dr. William Hayes: Why are so many people terrified of snakes? 15:14 That's a real good question. 15:15 Some of that is going to be a history of interacting 15:18 with snakes that, um-- 15:20 it's probably been built into our genes 15:23 where we recognize this is something dangerous. 15:27 We see this in primates, for example, 15:28 in areas where there's venomous snakes, 15:31 they are instinctively fearful. 15:33 In areas where they don't have venomous snakes around, 15:36 they're not so frightened. 15:37 So there's probably some genetic basis to this, 15:40 an instinctive basis in humans. 15:42 But, um, to a larger extent, 15:44 I think there's a lot of conditioned fear. 15:46 We're taught to fear them when we're young. 15:48 A lot of times that fear is inappropriate. 15:52 So these are designed to kill. 15:54 You know, they've, they've got the triangular head that has-- 15:58 they have a large gland on each side, a venom gland. 16:01 >>John: Yep. 16:02 >>Dr. Hayes: And, uh, they've got a pair of fangs, 16:04 and, uh, those are going to inject the venom into their prey 16:07 or, when they're defensive, into an antagonist or a predator. 16:11 So they're really effectively designed to kill. 16:13 When it comes to us, uh, 16:15 for the most part, they have no desire to do that. 16:17 They don't want to be around us. 16:19 They're frightened by us. 16:20 Their heart rate will actually start beating really rapidly 16:23 when they encounter us. 16:24 The only time they would come our direction 16:26 is when they have a place of retreat that's behind us 16:30 that they're trying to get to. 16:31 If we just let them go their way, um, 16:34 they're not going to chase us down; 16:35 they're not going to harm us. 16:37 >>John: You sure? 16:38 >>Dr. Hayes: I am positive. 16:40 So when you see a snake in the wild, uh, 16:42 I always recommend: 16:43 Leave the animal alone; admire it from a safe distance. 16:47 For something venomous, 16:49 that should be two or three steps away or more. 16:52 But, uh, we certainly can admire the beauty. 16:55 I mean, God didn't make junk. 16:57 And, uh, uh, but we don't need to kill it. 17:01 Uh, that animal has a place in God's creation. 17:04 [snake rattling tail] 17:05 >>John: Should we be worried that he's, uh, rattling? 17:07 >>Dr. Hayes: No, we're okay. 17:08 >>John: Oh really? 17:09 >>Dr. Hayes: This one's a pussycat. [chuckles] 17:11 I could probably put him around my neck, 17:12 which I would never do. 17:13 But this one's very gentle. 17:14 [snake rattling tail] 17:15 >>John: But knowing this snake as well as you know it-- 17:18 you describe him as a "pussycat"-- 17:20 knowing how to handle snakes as well as you handle them, 17:22 you'd never take a risk? 17:23 >>Dr. Hayes: No, I don't want to get bit. [chuckles] 17:25 A bite is really, really dangerous. 17:28 >>John: But even though you might know the guy, 17:29 and you're saying, "Ah, he'd be fine," 17:31 you'd still, you just wouldn't push your luck then? 17:32 >>Dr. Hayes: Nope. My odds of survival are very good. 17:35 In the U.S. it's going to be 99, about 999 out of 1,000. 17:40 Uh, there's only about five deaths a year in 5,000 bites. 17:43 But I could run up a half-million-dollar 17:45 hospital bill, and I might wish I was dead. 17:47 >>John: Yep, yep. 17:49 >>Dr. Hayes: So, uh, here at Loma Linda, 17:51 we find that 80 percent of the bites are to males, 17:55 like you and me. 17:56 Forty-five percent of the time they're interacting 17:59 with the snake, they're playing for it; 18:00 they're asking to get bit. 18:02 Twenty percent of the time there's alcohol involved. 18:04 >>John: Oh really? 18:05 >>Dr. Hayes: So, yeah, snake bites are associated 18:07 with the two most dangerous chemicals in the world-- 18:10 testosterone and alcohol. 18:11 >>John: Hmmmmmm. [Dr. Hayes chuckles] 18:13 >>Dr. Hayes: Now, even though these guys are designed to kill, 18:16 their venom can be used by humans to save human lives. 18:20 There are a number of medications that are, 18:22 are designed from their venom, 18:24 and there's research actually showing that if you inject 18:27 the venom into somebody several days before their surgery, 18:32 they should have less bleeding during the surgery, 18:34 because the venom provokes bleeding; 18:37 the body tries to stop that bleeding. 18:39 >>John: Mmm. 18:40 >>Dr. Hayes: So during surgery, 18:41 you've got that reduction of bleeding that, uh, 18:44 is a benefit from the venom. 18:47 We can rest assured that these animals were very different 18:49 before sin came into the world. 18:51 Uh, the best understanding we probably have 18:55 is looking at Isaiah where we're told what snakes will be like 18:58 in heaven, where, uh, a child can sit 19:01 next to the nest of a cobra, and a child does not have to fear. 19:05 So we know they weren't harmful. 19:08 There's been a lot of change that's happened 19:09 since the creation. 19:11 Uh, I would say that's God creating in life 19:15 the ability to change, 19:17 the ability to adapt to a, uh, a sinful world 19:21 where there's death. 19:22 And, um, and it's led to amazing biodiversity where animals 19:26 become uniquely adapted to many different environments. 19:30 The, the richness of different lifeforms that we see-- 19:33 it's extraordinary. 19:35 The years that I've spent studying these snakes 19:37 has given me a lot of insight into the natural world, 19:40 a, a better understanding of, uh, I would say, 19:44 God's concern about, uh, the natural environments. 19:48 I think that, uh, snakes have a special place in nature. 19:53 God's kept them there, 19:55 and, um, it's taught me to be a lot more respectful. 19:58 I don't want to be one that goes out and injures nature. 20:01 And, um, it's also because of the, the danger to humans, 20:06 which is sometimes overstated, but, but very real. 20:10 Um, I, I've, I've gained a better recognition of the fact 20:13 that healthy humans need healthy environments. 20:16 We can't just go removing this species or that species 20:19 to make it a safer place for us, because it's all working 20:22 together in an amazing way that God has put together, 20:25 and we've been given responsibility 20:27 to take care of it, even the snakes. 20:30 ♪[soft guitar music]♪ 20:33 >>John: Now let's continue to follow our story. 20:35 Lucifer is in open rebellion, 20:38 and at this point God changes his name to Satan, 20:42 meaning "enemy" or "adversary" or, fittingly, "opponent." 20:47 In Revelation 12:7 and 8, we're told that Satan and his angels 20:50 lost the war in heaven, 20:52 and they were evicted from heaven and cast to the earth. 20:56 So Satan is on the earth, having lost the war in heaven, 21:00 but he hasn't given up his claims against God. 21:03 He attacks God by attacking what was created in the image of God. 21:08 He attacked humanity: Adam and Eve. 21:11 Satan approached Eve using a snake as a medium. 21:15 And he stuck to the message he disseminated in heaven. 21:18 Look at what he says to Eve, 21:21 and it'll give you an idea of what he said 21:22 to the angels in heaven. 21:25 In Genesis 3:1-3, the serpent "said to the woman, 21:28 'Has God indeed said, 21:30 "You shall not eat of every tree of the garden"?' 21:33 And the woman said to the serpent, 21:35 'We may eat [of] the fruit of the trees of the garden; 21:37 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst 21:40 of the garden, God has said, 21:41 "You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die."'" 21:46 Now, look at what Satan says in verses 4 and 5: 21:49 "Then the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die. 21:54 For God knows that in the day you eat of it 21:57 your eyes will be opened, 21:58 and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'" 22:03 Now, did you notice that? Satan called God a liar. 22:07 God said that they would die if they disobeyed, 22:10 and Satan said, "You will not surely die." 22:14 Then he said that if they ate the fruit, 22:16 they would become like God, 22:18 which meant that God was selfish and was keeping blessings 22:21 from them, and that the way to become like God 22:24 was through unbridled self-interest. 22:27 Satan said that God's system was designed to keep power 22:30 and achievement away from people. 22:33 A third of the angels believed the lie, 22:37 and so did Adam and Eve. 22:39 Satan won the second battle, 22:41 and the consequences were not only enormous and immediate, 22:45 but they continue to impact you and me daily. 22:49 One of the terrible consequences of Adam and Eve's sin 22:52 was a change in the management of the earth. 22:56 God had given Adam and Eve dominion over the earth, 22:59 but when Satan conquered them, 23:02 he took what was theirs as the spoils of war. 23:05 Revelation 12:9 says that Satan and his angels were cast down 23:10 to the earth. 23:11 The earth was not given to them. 23:14 But when we next see Satan in the book of Job, 23:16 he's attending a meeting of the sons of God, and he's there, 23:19 evidently, as the representative of this earth. 23:24 Jesus in John 12 and John 14 23:27 referred to Satan as "the prince of this world." 23:31 But the really critical thing is what Satan did 23:34 once he usurped our dominion. 23:37 This fallen angel, incredibly powerful, 23:40 stunningly intelligent, immediately began to twist 23:44 the earth and everything in it into a system that was based 23:49 on his organizing principle, the system of selfishness. 23:54 And the end result is the earth in which we live. 24:00 This is a world where God and His system based on love 24:05 is pitted against Satan and his system based on selfishness. 24:10 So why did God let Satan continue to exist 24:13 after his rebellion in heaven? 24:15 And why would He let Satan pervert the earth 24:17 and put his system of selfishness in place? 24:20 How does this campaign end? 24:23 And how does all of this relate to Jesus? 24:26 What we're going to see more and more clearly 24:28 is that selfishness is a terrible, terrible system 24:33 for running the earth. 24:34 We see the evidence for that in the world all around us. 24:38 ♪[soft guitar music]♪ 24:40 So what do we do, 24:41 living in a world that's full of selfishness and sin? 24:45 We can't get out. 24:46 So what can we do while we're here? 24:49 Paul made an interesting statement in Romans 6 24:51 in verse 16 when he said, 24:53 "Know ye not, that to whom [you] yield yourselves 24:58 servants to obey, his servants [you] are to whom [you] obey; 25:03 whether of sin unto death, 25:05 or of obedience unto righteousness?" 25:09 In this world of sin, we get to choose who we're going to serve. 25:12 If you wish, you can choose to serve sin, 25:16 and you know who you'd be serving if you did that. 25:19 Or you can choose to serve God, to serve obedience, 25:22 to serve righteousness. 25:24 The right choice to make is obvious, 25:26 but it might not be easy, and that's because our heart, 25:30 affected by sin, leans in the direction of sin. 25:34 We can war with ourselves, but you can make the choice 25:38 and invite the God who made a perfect earth, 25:41 and who is one day going to remake this sin-affected earth, 25:45 to remake your heart today. 25:48 After a disastrous fall into sin, 25:50 David prayed and said to God, "Create in me a clean heart, 25:54 O God; and renew a right spirit within me." 25:57 That's Psalm 51 in verse 10. 26:00 And God did. 26:01 And what God did for David, He'll do for you. 26:05 And that means, even though this world has been hijacked, 26:08 even though the government of the universe 26:09 has been dramatically impacted, you can have peace, 26:13 and you can know that eternal life is yours. 26:19 >>John Bradshaw: Thank you for remembering that It Is Written 26:21 exists because of the kindness of people just like you. 26:24 To support this international life-changing ministry, 26:27 please call us now at 800-253-3000. 26:31 You can send your tax-deductible gift 26:33 to the address on your screen, 26:34 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 26:38 Thank you for your prayers and for your financial support. 26:41 Our number again is 800-253-3000, 26:45 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 26:50 >>John Bradshaw: Let's pray together now. 26:52 Our Father in heaven, 26:53 ♪[soft music]♪ in Jesus' name we thank You 26:55 that though we live in a sin-affected world, 26:57 there is a way of escape; His name is Jesus. 27:00 That though Your government has been so dramatically impacted, 27:03 though the world has been hijacked, 27:07 we are grateful to know 27:09 that there is an eternal future for us 27:12 as our lives are surrendered to You. 27:13 We can choose You in the midst of the madness. 27:16 We can choose You in the midst of the confusion and the chaos, 27:19 and so we do. 27:20 Friend, would you choose God now? 27:22 Would you do that now? 27:23 Would you say, "Lord, I choose Your way. 27:26 I choose Your plan for my life"? 27:29 And as you do and as you surrender your heart to God, 27:32 you can know that you're a child of God 27:35 looking forward to a bright eternal future. 27:37 Father, we thank You today; 27:39 we trust You in spite of what we see around us. 27:42 We trust You; we love You; we thank You. 27:45 And we pray in Jesus' name. 27:48 Amen. 27:49 Thanks so much for joining me. 27:51 I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time. 27:53 Until then, remember: 27:54 "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, 27:58 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 28:03 ♪[theme music]♪ |
Revised 2019-11-14