Participants:
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW020226S
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00:18 >>John Bradshaw: This is It Is Written.
00:20 I'm John Bradshaw. Thanks for joining me. 00:23 Less than 20 miles from Leicester and a little less 00:26 from Coventry is the English town of Lutterworth, 00:29 which is in the county of Leicestershire. 00:31 It's the town where Frank Whittle carried out 00:34 much of the development of the very first turbojet engine 00:38 ever created, 00:39 basically singlehandedly invented by Whittle. 00:42 In Lutterworth there's a prominent memorial 00:44 to Frank Whittle, and there's a road named after him. 00:47 Whittle even made the list of the 100 greatest Britons 00:51 of all time, at number 42, way ahead of Tim Berners-Lee, 00:56 the man who invented the internet, 00:57 and far ahead of David Livingston, 00:59 the famous missionary. 01:00 But there's another notable Lutterworth resident 01:04 who didn't make the list, and you might think he should have. 01:08 John Wycliffe was the minister at St. Mary's Church 01:12 in Lutterworth, and it was there in Lutterworth that Wycliffe, 01:15 and likely some assistants, 01:18 completed the first translation of the Bible into English. 01:23 His work was absolutely groundbreaking. 01:26 And although the printing press hadn't been invented 01:28 and just few people could access the Bible, 01:31 Wycliffe was a reformer before the Reformation began 01:35 in the 1500s. 01:36 He died in 1384, and he inspired the Lollard movement, 01:41 which was a reform movement in England. 01:44 Wycliffe has been called the Morning Star of the Reformation. 01:48 He heralded the Reformation, really. 01:50 He was a massive influence on John Hus, 01:53 the Czech or the Bohemian reformer. 01:56 Wycliffe campaigned against abuses and false teachings 01:59 in the church, and he was a precursor of what was to come 02:04 when Martin Luther stood up for the teachings of the Bible 02:07 two and a half centuries or so later. 02:10 We're continuing our series, "Great Characters of the Bible," 02:15 and we're looking at one of the great influential personalities 02:19 of the Bible, someone who, like Wycliffe from Lutterworth, 02:24 was a forerunner. 02:26 This man was the herald of the Messiah Himself. 02:30 John the Baptist came into the world via a miracle birth. 02:35 He met with a tragic death. 02:37 In between times, he lit up the world as he prepared the way 02:41 for Jesus' ministry. 02:43 His life was a life of faithfulness and an example 02:47 of faithfulness to God. 02:49 John the Baptist was the son of a priest, Zachariah, 02:53 and his mother, Elizabeth, 02:55 was related to Mary, the mother of Jesus. 02:57 The Bible says that Zachariah and Elizabeth 03:00 "were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments 03:05 "and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 03:08 "...they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, 03:11 and they were both well advanced in years." 03:14 While Zachariah was ministering in the temple, 03:16 an angel appeared to him. 03:19 The angel said to him, 03:20 "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; 03:25 "and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, 03:28 and you shall call his name John." 03:31 The angel said, "He will be great in the sight of the Lord, 03:35 "and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. 03:38 "He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, 03:40 "even from his mother's womb. 03:42 "And he will turn many of the children of Israel 03:44 to the Lord their God." 03:46 This child was set apart by God for a special mission. 03:50 Zachariah and Elizabeth took that seriously. 03:53 They raised him a certain way. 03:55 They raised him to avoid some of the destructive 03:57 lifestyle practices that are so common today. 04:01 One of the lessons is, if you want your child to do something 04:04 great for God, raise them as though you intend for them 04:07 to do something great for God. 04:08 Raise them as though the service of God is paramount, 04:12 as though nothing could be more important. 04:15 Raise them knowing that God has called them, 04:17 that they're set apart for something special. 04:21 Few people just stumble into greatness. 04:24 Now, the other thing I want you to notice 04:26 is the prophetic fulfillment in John the Baptist's ministry. 04:30 Notice Luke 1, verse 17: 04:32 "He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 04:37 "'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' 04:40 "and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, 04:43 to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." 04:46 This is a fulfillment of Malachi 4, verse 5, 04:49 the last prophecy of the Old Testament: 04:52 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet 04:55 "before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: 04:58 "and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, 05:02 "and the heart of the children to [the] fathers, 05:05 lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." 05:08 Just as the prophet Elijah turned the hearts 05:11 of the people of Israel back towards God--remember? 05:14 How long are you gonna flip-flop back and forth 05:16 "between two opinions? 05:18 If [God] is God, follow Him," Elijah said. 05:21 John the Baptist would turn the hearts of the people 05:23 towards the heart of the God of heaven. 05:26 John the Baptist was a modern Elijah, 05:29 coming in the spirit and power of Elijah, 05:32 bearing Elijah's message of faithfulness to God. 05:36 Jesus even referred to him as such, telling His disciples, 05:40 "Elijah [is] already come." 05:43 Now, that was John that He was talking about. 05:46 A special child raised for a special purpose. 05:50 Mary spent three months staying with Elizabeth and Zachariah. 05:54 "And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, 05:58 "that the babe leaped in her womb; 06:01 and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." 06:04 Elizabeth said that the baby "leaped...for joy." 06:07 She then said those now famous but often misused words. 06:12 To Mary she said, 06:13 "Blessed are you among women, 06:15 and blessed is the fruit of your womb!" 06:18 The Messiah and the forerunner of the Messiah were together 06:22 those three months in that Judean town 06:24 before Mary went home again. 06:26 When John's father named the boy, 06:28 "fear came on all who dwelt around them; 06:32 "and all these sayings were discussed throughout 06:34 "all the hill country of Judea. 06:36 "And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, 06:38 "saying, 'What kind of child will this be?' 06:42 And the hand of the Lord was with him." 06:44 Luke 1 is the longest chapter in the New Testament, 06:48 and it deals almost entirely with John the Baptist. 06:52 It concludes with Zachariah saying these words: 06:55 "'And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; 06:59 "'for you will go before the face of the Lord 07:01 "'to prepare His ways, 07:03 "'to give knowledge of salvation to His people 07:05 "'by the remission of their sins, 07:07 "'through the tender mercy of our God, 07:09 "'with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; 07:12 "'to give light to those who sit in darkness 07:15 "'and [in] the shadow of death, 07:16 "to guide our feet into the way of peace.' 07:19 "So the child grew and became strong in spirit, 07:22 "and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation 07:25 to Israel." 07:26 And what a manifestation it was. 07:29 This is the one who would say, 07:31 "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away 07:35 the sins of the world!" 07:36 We'll look at the ministry of this remarkable Bible character 07:39 when I return. 07:40 ♪[music swells and ends]♪ 07:49 ♪[music, water splashing]♪ 07:50 >>Announcer: Baptism is a well-known symbol 07:52 of dying to self, burying the old life 07:55 and rising to a new life in Christ. 07:58 This new life can be yours. 08:00 Our free offer today is "Buried Alive?" 08:03 To receive this free guide, 08:04 call 800-253-3000 08:07 or visit us online at iiwoffer.com. 08:11 Learn what the Bible says about baptism. 08:13 Call 800-253-3000 08:16 or visit iiwoffer.com. 08:20 >>John Bradshaw: Thanks for joining me on It Is Written. 08:22 We're continuing our series, "Great Characters of the Bible," 08:26 and we're looking at the life and ministry 08:28 of John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah. 08:32 His was a miracle birth, born to a woman 08:36 the Bible describes as barren, 08:38 with both parents being well advanced in years. 08:42 He was born to call the attention of the people 08:44 to the advent of the Messiah. 08:47 Starting in Matthew 3, verse 1, we read, 08:49 "In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness 08:53 "of Judea, and saying, 08:55 "'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!' 08:58 "For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, 09:01 "saying: 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 09:04 "Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight."'" 09:09 John announced the Messiah would soon be revealed, 09:13 and he made an impression. 09:15 "Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, 09:19 "with a leather belt around his waist; 09:21 and his food was locusts and wild honey." 09:25 Now, what about these locusts? 09:27 Locusts, the insect, weren't unclean. 09:30 So it wouldn't have been a problem for John as a Jew 09:33 to eat locusts. 09:35 But looking at the Greek word used there, 09:38 this could have been carob pods; that's pods from the carob tree. 09:43 Whatever it was exactly, probably wasn't insects, 09:47 we know that John ate simply. 09:49 His lifestyle was not extravagant. 09:52 And we also know that we are glad that he didn't ask us 09:55 over for dinner. 09:56 But his message is more vital than his lifestyle, 09:59 although without one he probably wouldn't have had the other. 10:02 The Bible says, 10:03 "Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan 10:08 "went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, 10:11 "confessing their sins. 10:13 "But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming 10:16 "to his baptism, he said to them, 'Brood of vipers! 10:20 "'Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 10:23 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance.'" 10:28 And this is where the ministry and message of John the Baptist 10:32 starts to get a little pointed and very relevant for us today. 10:39 John the Baptist was a reformer leading a revival in Israel. 10:44 Crowds flocked to the river to be baptized. 10:47 People came from near and far, 10:50 and John called the people to repentance. 10:55 The religious leaders had come to John, 10:58 but it was clear to John that they were there for appearances, 11:02 and that repentance wasn't their prime objective. 11:06 John makes something clear here that a lot of modern revivals 11:10 seem to almost ignore. 11:12 When a person comes to Christ, 11:14 that person comes in a spirit of repentance, 11:17 not merely to be filled with the Holy Spirit, 11:20 not just to shout and celebrate, not only for the healing, 11:23 not only to sing or praise or to enjoy the praise team. 11:27 God calls a person to repentance. 11:30 This was Jesus' message. 11:32 He started his ministry by saying, 11:34 "Repent, for the kingdom of [God] is at hand!" 11:37 And John was saying it isn't enough to just look the part; 11:41 it isn't enough to just go through the motions. 11:44 You know, the privilege of a believer is to repent, 11:48 to experience sorrow for sin, and to turn away from sin. 11:53 Back in Luke, John got specific. 11:55 He told them not to say, "'We have Abraham as our father.' 12:00 "For I say to you that God is able to raise up children 12:02 to Abraham from these stones," he said. 12:06 Many people there, especially among the leadership, 12:08 felt that their Jewishness somehow qualified them as holy. 12:13 Their genealogy, their birth certificate, 12:16 that somehow that was enough. 12:19 And it was proof in and of itself that they were 12:21 God's true people. 12:23 That's just like saying today, 12:25 "I'm a church member, and so, therefore, 12:27 I'm a genuine Christian." 12:29 John said that "every tree which does not bear good fruit 12:33 is cut down and thrown into the fire." 12:37 It's important that the life of a believer manifests 12:41 the fruit of faith. 12:43 "So the people asked him, saying, 'What shall we do then?' 12:46 "[And John] answered..., 'He who has two tunics, 12:48 "'let him give to him who has none; 12:50 and he who has food, let him do likewise.'" 12:53 To the tax collectors, he said, 12:55 "Collect no more than what is appointed for you." 12:58 He told the soldiers, 12:59 "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, 13:02 and be content with your wages." 13:05 This is what revival looks like. 13:09 John the Baptist was flipping the script on these folks. 13:12 Tax collectors were cheats. 13:14 Soldiers were rough. 13:16 John was calling people to reorder their lives in a way 13:19 that measured with the will of Almighty God. 13:22 Now, it's true: God accepts you as you are. Amen! 13:27 He accepts the worst sinner. 13:29 He welcomes all the prodigal sons 13:32 and all the prodigal daughters. 13:34 In the Bible, Jesus accepted the immoral, the demon-possessed, 13:38 the wasteful, the irresponsible. 13:41 He accepted people of His race and people of other races. 13:45 But what happened next was that Jesus shone light on the pathway 13:50 they were walking, and did two things. 13:52 He urged them to live new lives, 13:55 and He empowered them to live new lives. 13:59 The first chapter of the New Testament says that Jesus came 14:02 into the world to "save His people from their sins." 14:06 Not just from the penalty of those sins, 14:10 but also from the power of those sins. 14:14 Jesus came into the world 14:15 so that sin does not have to rule you. 14:19 That message is all the way through the New Testament. 14:21 "Sin shall not have dominion over you." 14:24 Romans 6:14. 14:26 "Put off...the old man...and... put on...the new man... 14:28 in true righteousness and holiness." 14:30 Ephesians, chapter 4. 14:32 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, 14:34 "he is a new creation; old things have passed away; 14:38 behold, all things have become new." 14:40 That's 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 17. 14:42 We can't forgot this: 14:44 "The wages of sin is death." 14:48 Sin separates a person from God. 14:52 Christianity isn't a cover for your sinful heart. 14:56 It's the remedy for your sinful heart. 14:59 And that's liberating. 15:02 Most people really don't want to live in sin. 15:05 Most people don't want to go on acting the fool in their lives, 15:08 letting other people down, 15:10 embarrassing themselves and their family, 15:13 hurting other people. 15:15 Yet anyone with any experience at all in church 15:17 realizes there's a lot of sin hidden away even in church. 15:24 There's a lot that's not hidden. 15:26 Now, there's a balance. 15:27 God welcomes the sinner, but once you come to Christ, 15:31 there's some growing to do. 15:33 The religious leaders John was addressing 15:35 weren't inexperienced baby Christians; 15:39 they were hypocrites who knew better, 15:42 but they were using their religion to enrich themselves 15:45 and to lift themselves up at the expense of others. 15:49 John the Baptist was a reformer, 15:51 and inherent in his call to be made new by God 15:56 is the promise that God can make any person new. 16:01 He's one of the great characters of the Bible, 16:03 John the Baptist. 16:05 Unfortunately, he had one of the most unfortunate ends. 16:10 More on John the Baptist in just a moment. 16:13 ♪[music swells and ends]♪ 16:22 ♪[music, water splashing]♪ 16:23 >>Announcer: Baptism is a well-known symbol 16:25 of dying to self, burying the old life 16:27 and rising to a new life in Christ. 16:30 This new life can be yours. 16:32 Our free offer today is "Buried Alive?" 16:35 To receive this free guide, 16:36 call 800-253-3000 16:40 or visit us online at iiwoffer.com. 16:43 Learn what the Bible says about baptism. 16:46 Call 800-253-3000 16:49 or visit iiwoffer.com. 16:52 ♪[somber music]♪ 16:54 >>John: The Bible is filled with stories of people 16:57 who took a leap of faith. 17:00 Gideon was asked by God to lead an army of just 300 17:04 against an innumerable foe. 17:07 And he did, and he was triumphant. 17:10 Noah was asked by God to build an ark, a boat, 17:13 so he and his family could ride out a storm 17:15 in a world where rain had never before fallen. 17:18 And he did, and he and his family and the world was saved. 17:23 ♪[soft music]♪ 17:24 Life can be like that. 17:27 Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith. 17:31 ♪[dramatic music]♪ 17:32 After you've received all the necessary instructions, 17:36 after the equipment has been checked, 17:39 you take a leap of faith. 17:41 Grow your faith in God and in His Word. 17:45 Don't miss "The Leap of Faith," 17:48 brought to you by It Is Written TV. 17:53 >>John Bradshaw: Jesus said that John the Baptist 17:55 was more than a prophet. 17:57 He asked one day, 17:58 "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? 18:01 A reed shaken by the wind?" 18:04 The tall reeds that grew on the banks of the Jordan River 18:07 would bend in the direction of the wind. 18:09 John the Baptist wasn't like that. 18:12 He wasn't like the politician who finds the will of the people 18:15 and yields to that, even if it isn't the right course. 18:19 John the Baptist was true to principle, 18:22 and that conviction was what ultimately cost him his life. 18:26 Herod Antipas was familiar with John. 18:29 Herod ruled over Galilee for Rome. 18:33 He'd likely heard John preach. 18:35 John had said to him, 18:37 "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." 18:40 Herod seemed to have been able to tolerate John's directness, 18:44 but his wife, actually his brother Philip's wife-- 18:47 at least in the first place--was livid. 18:51 Both of them, that's Herod and Herodias, 18:54 had divorced their spouses. 18:57 Their living arrangement was well and truly 19:00 against Jewish law. 19:02 John rebuked the king, but the king's wife was furious. 19:07 While "Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just 19:11 "and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, 19:14 "he did many things, and heard his gladly. 19:18 Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him." 19:23 John the Baptist was imprisoned. 19:25 And it's interesting to see that doubt even crept 19:27 into the experience of John the Baptist. 19:29 Luke 7:19. 19:30 "And John, calling two of his disciples to him, 19:33 "sent them to Jesus, saying, 'Are You the Coming One, 19:36 or do we look for another?'" 19:37 But instead of sitting them down and helping them to see 19:40 how Jesus was the fulfillment of prophecy, 19:43 Jesus simply let His actions speak. 19:46 "He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; 19:50 and to many blind He gave sight." 19:52 And then Jesus told them to go and tell John 19:55 what they had seen and heard. 19:58 And that was enough for John. 20:01 One day Herod threw himself a big birthday party 20:04 and invited a who's who of Galilee to attend. 20:09 Herodias' daughter was brought in to dance for the gathering, 20:13 and Herod made the first of a series of colossal mistakes. 20:20 He promised to give her whatever she wanted, 20:23 "up to half [of] my kingdom," he said. 20:25 Now, that was a seriously rash promise. 20:28 Herod the big talker, showing off in front of his friends. 20:33 Now, the young lady did what any young woman would do. 20:35 When given the opportunity to acquire a fortune, 20:37 she asked her mother. 20:39 College tuition, Mother? 20:41 A nice new car? Land? 20:43 A home? Homes? 20:44 What should I ask for? 20:46 This was her big opportunity. 20:48 She could set herself up for life. 20:52 She was shocked to hear her mother's reply, 20:56 but not as shocked as Herod. 20:58 And here's where he made another mistake. 21:00 When the girl said, 21:02 "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist 21:05 on a platter," 21:06 Herod should have said, "Oh, no, I didn't mean that." 21:09 Everyone at the party would have understood. 21:11 They'd have said, "Oh, for sure, you can't go asking 21:13 for something like that, no way." 21:16 But Herod was a coward. 21:19 The Bible says he "was exceedingly sorry," 21:23 but he dispatched an executioner just the same, 21:25 and John's head was brought on a plate. 21:30 Do you think silencing the voice of John 21:32 settled Herod's heart any? 21:35 Guilt would have eaten away at him. 21:38 That's what guilt does. 21:40 That's why you need to make your peace with God. 21:43 A man in California who was involved in the death 21:45 of a 19-year-old man, 25 years before, 21:49 went to a television station and confessed what he had done. 21:52 He said that since that time he felt absolutely horrible 21:56 every day. 21:57 "Every minute of every day has been a nightmare." 22:00 He said that the 19-year-old who died 22:02 "never even got to have a life, and neither did I." 22:07 That's what guilt will do. 22:08 Do you think you get away with it? 22:10 It'll eat you up. 22:11 In 2016, a 91-year-old man in Canada confessed to murdering 22:17 a young woman in London, England, 70 years before, 22:21 in 1946. 22:23 He didn't even know the young woman's name. 22:25 But a newspaper reported that he wrestled with his conscience 22:29 and wanted to clear his conscience before he died. 22:33 No confession had ever come so long after a crime 22:36 in British legal history. 22:38 That's what guilt does. It's hard to live with. 22:42 It's important to settle things with God. 22:45 And you know what God says: 22:47 "Let the wicked forsake his way, 22:49 "and the unrighteous man his thoughts; 22:52 "let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; 22:55 and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." 22:59 Isaiah 55 and verse 7. 23:01 Now, you might wonder why Jesus didn't intervene 23:04 to deliver John. 23:06 Jesus knew that John would come through, 23:09 and He knew that John's example would be an encouragement 23:11 for thousands upon thousands who would walk the same road 23:16 in later years. 23:18 It had to be a comfort to John Hus as he languished 23:21 in a prison cell in Constance, in what's now Germany; 23:25 to William Tyndale, the great Bible translator, 23:28 who was executed for his faith just outside of Brussels 23:31 in Belgium in 1536. 23:34 John's example was a, a comfort to Ridley and Latimer, 23:37 who were martyred in Oxford, England. 23:39 It's said that Latimer said to Ridley, 23:41 "Play the man, Master Ridley: 23:43 "we shall this day light such a candle by God's grace 23:46 in England, as, I trust, shall never be put out." 23:50 They were going where John had already been. 23:53 Patrick Hamilton, who was burned at the stake 23:55 in St. Andrews, Scotland. 23:57 The martyrs' memorials you see around the world, 24:00 they commemorate that people really gave their lives 24:03 for their faithfulness to Jesus, 24:06 and the experience of John the Baptist would have encouraged 24:10 every one of them. 24:12 John the Baptist's experience shows us that sometimes, 24:15 well, sometimes it just doesn't work out in this world 24:18 as we would like it to work out, or as we think it should. 24:22 John the Baptist accepted the call to herald the Messiah. 24:26 He did just that. 24:28 Was it a disappointment that he died? 24:30 Of course. 24:32 But God never leads you anywhere that you wouldn't choose to go 24:36 if you could see the end from the beginning. 24:39 His was a lonely life. 24:41 His was "the voice of one crying in the wilderness." 24:44 He never filled a hall or a stadium, 24:46 didn't write a best-selling book. 24:49 He didn't see the blind receive their sight. 24:51 He didn't see the, the dead raised to life. 24:54 But he was an example of what a life of faithfulness looks like. 24:58 John the Baptist was committed to God. 25:01 God was honored by his life. 25:04 And if you embrace God's special call for your life, 25:07 whatever that is, wherever you are, 25:11 your life can be a life of faithfulness, 25:14 carrying out God's purposes for you. 25:17 John approached life with a certain attitude. 25:20 You might remember that John once said, speaking of Jesus, 25:25 "He must increase, but I must decrease." 25:29 John the Baptist came to lift Jesus up, 25:32 to direct people to Jesus. 25:34 Now, how is it with you? 25:36 Have you reached out to that same Jesus? 25:40 Have you surrendered your life to Him? 25:42 Oh, no, don't think that Jesus wants to take anything 25:45 away from you. 25:46 He wants to add: 25:48 peace, real happiness, confidence, eternity. 25:54 He wants to forgive you and give you everlasting life. 25:58 Jesus said that there was none "greater than John the Baptist." 26:03 One day you'll get to meet him for yourself, 26:05 if you'll take hold of Jesus and believe that God's grace 26:10 is for you today. 26:13 >>John: Thank you for remembering that It Is Written 26:15 exists because of the kindness of people just like you. 26:19 To support this international life-changing ministry, 26:22 please call us now at 800-253-3000. 26:26 You can send your tax-deductible gift 26:28 to the address on your screen, 26:29 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 26:33 Thank you for your prayers and for your financial support. 26:36 Our number again is 800-253-3000, 26:40 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 26:44 >>John Bradshaw: Let's pray together now. 26:46 Our Father in heaven, the life of John the Baptist 26:48 stands as an example, 26:51 a life cut short, tragically, 26:53 but a life dedicated to You. 26:55 We learn from John the Baptist. 26:57 We learn from his doubt; 26:59 we learn from Your patience with him 27:01 that God knows that sometimes our faith gets shaken. 27:05 But as long as we trust in the living Christ, 27:08 things will be okay. 27:10 We learn from the message of John the Baptist, 27:13 who called people to repent of their sin 27:16 and to live lives of faithfulness. 27:19 Friend, let me ask you today, how is it with you and the Lord? 27:22 How are things between you and God? 27:24 If they're not great, why don't you pray a prayer right now 27:27 that says, "Lord, let's fix things." 27:29 If you aren't standing in the right relationship with God, 27:32 how about we say to God right now, 27:34 "Lord, save me, change me, 27:35 "pick me up, transform me, 27:37 give me a repentant spirit." 27:38 Lord, we pray for those things now. 27:40 And we can go from this place, from this moment, 27:42 knowing that You hear us, that You would change us, 27:45 that eternity is ours through faith in Jesus Christ. 27:48 In Jesus' name we pray, 27:50 amen. 27:51 Thanks so much for joining me. 27:53 Looking forward to seeing you again next time. 27:55 Until then, remember: 27:57 "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, 28:01 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 28:05 ♪[dramatic theme music]♪ |
Revised 2020-11-20