Participants:
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW021230S
|
00:15 ♪[music ends]♪
00:19 >>John Bradshaw: This is It Is Written. 00:20 I'm John Bradshaw. Thanks for joining me. 00:23 Now, to call her "immortal" is, is slightly inaccurate, 00:28 slightly. 00:29 But even though she died in 1951 at the age of just 31, 00:34 to call her anything but "immortal" 00:37 wouldn't be entirely accurate either. 00:39 It's a truly remarkable story. 00:42 It's a story of historic proportions. 00:45 If you haven't heard it, you're going to wonder why 00:48 you didn't know about the woman who has had a greater impact 00:51 on human health than practically any other woman in history. 00:56 Scientists all over the world are grateful for her. 00:59 She's offered hope to people in every country on every continent 01:05 on the entire planet-- people who in many cases 01:08 would have had little or no hope at all. 01:12 To show you how influential she's been, 01:15 let's try a little, uh, word association here, 01:18 or maybe, maybe name association. 01:20 Now, when I say "polio vaccine," you say...who? 01:25 Right. You say Jonas Salk, the scientist from New York City. 01:29 You know, it's interesting that Salk chose not to profit 01:32 from his work on the polio vaccine 01:34 so that it could be distributed as widely as possible. 01:38 Within 25 years, transmission of polio had been eliminated 01:42 in the United States because of Jo-- 01:44 oh, wait a minute. 01:45 Wait a minute, not because of Jonas Salk only, 01:48 because Jonas Salk had help. 01:51 And you'll likely have never heard of the woman 01:54 who really ought to get a lot of the credit for what Salk did 01:59 and certainly the credit for what she did. 02:01 Now, if I say "measles," what do you think of? Or who? 02:06 How about mumps? Or, or HIV? 02:09 Who are you thinking of now? 02:11 Are you thinking of a humble woman born and raised 02:14 in the South who died in obscurity? 02:17 Probably not. 02:19 And, of course, we want to look at the story 02:21 because it has direct spiritual parallels. 02:24 Immortality, everlasting life, 02:27 is promised to everyone who believes in Jesus 02:30 and accepts Him into his or her life. 02:33 It's the burden of the most well-known verse 02:35 of the 31,000-plus verses in the Bible, John 3:16. 02:40 It says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave 02:44 "His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him 02:48 should not perish, but have everlasting life." 02:52 The Bible begins with the account of Creation, 02:54 then the fall into sin, then Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Israel, 02:59 Israel and Judah, the prophets, 03:01 Jesus, the early church, 03:04 and then the final chapters of the Bible 03:07 dealing with the return of Jesus, the removal of sin, 03:10 heaven, the earth made new, 03:12 and God's people finally living with Him forever. 03:17 So let me tell you about "the immortal woman." 03:21 Loretta Pleasant was born on August the 1st, 1920, 03:27 in Roanoke, Virginia. 03:28 She was one of 10 children. 03:30 Her mother died giving birth to that 10th child. 03:33 So Loretta, who along the way became known as Henrietta, 03:37 went to live with her grandfather in tiny Clover, 03:41 Virginia, where her ancestors had worked as slaves. 03:44 She was raised in a small cabin that had once been 03:46 slave quarters. 03:48 She married, had children, and moved with her husband 03:51 and children to Baltimore, Maryland. 03:53 The massive steel mill at Sparrows Point employed 03:56 thousands of men. 03:58 And although the work was hard and even unsafe, 04:01 it meant a steady paycheck for Henrietta's husband, David, 04:04 or, or "Day," as he was known. 04:06 And life was, well, pretty good-- 04:09 until Henrietta became ill. 04:13 She knew she had problems before they left Virginia, 04:16 but things got so bad she ended up 04:18 at Johns Hopkins medical center in Baltimore. 04:22 Now, keep in mind, it was 1951 by now, 04:24 the Lacks might have lived in Maryland, 04:27 but like African-Americans all over the country, 04:30 they lived deep in the heart of Jim Crow. 04:33 Even Johns Hopkins was segregated, 04:35 with Blacks-only bathrooms and Blacks-only drinking fountains. 04:39 Black patients were kept in Blacks-only wards. 04:42 But Johns Hopkins accepted black patients, 04:46 and it was the only major hospital anywhere nearby 04:49 that did. 04:50 So Day drove Henrietta to Hopkins, 04:53 where it was found that Henrietta had cervical cancer. 04:57 Now, there were treatment options, 04:59 and Henrietta received good treatment, 05:01 according to the treatment protocols of the day. 05:04 But the cancer was aggressive, 05:07 and within a year Henrietta Lacks was dead. 05:11 But along the way an interesting thing happened. 05:16 I'll give you some background. 05:17 At that time, cervical cancer killed 15,000 women a year 05:22 in the United States. 05:23 Now, for some context, the population of the United States 05:27 is now more than double what it was then, 05:30 and yet deaths from cervical cancer have fallen 05:33 to a little over 4,000 a year. 05:36 So there was a lot of work to do in understanding 05:39 and treating cancer. 05:41 And there was a lot of controversy, a lot of debate, 05:45 about how to best treat cervical cancer. 05:47 Doctors and scientists everywhere were conducting 05:50 research, but in 1951, well, that was the Stone Age 05:55 for cancer research compared to modern science today. 05:59 People were trying to understand the biology of the human cell. 06:02 And keep in mind, cancers begin with a single cell gone wrong. 06:07 The key to getting a grip on cervical cancer 06:09 and so many other cancers, and so many other diseases, 06:13 was working with cells to understand them 06:16 and to understand disease much better. 06:20 But the challenge with researching cancer cells in 1951 06:25 was that cells would die outside the human body. 06:29 Human cells will typically divide and then divide again. 06:32 In fact, they divide around 50 times, and then they die. 06:35 And no one had ever kept cells alive indefinitely in a lab. 06:40 But here's the interesting thing, 06:42 that history-altering thing. 06:44 During her treatment, cells from Henrietta Lacks' body 06:48 were brought into a lab and cultured. 06:50 A physician named Dr. George Gey had spent 30 years 06:54 trying to grow cancerous cells outside the human body, 06:58 but without success. 07:00 Now, another physician, knowing about Gey's obsession, 07:03 began collecting cancer cells and giving them to Dr. Gey. 07:07 There was no shortage of patients at Johns Hopkins. 07:11 And the ethics of taking cells from the public patients 07:14 that came through wasn't a question for anyone concerned 07:17 in that day. 07:19 Henrietta's cells were accepted by an assistant, 07:22 who wrote "HeLa" on the samples, shorthand for Henrietta Lacks. 07:28 By now no one was expecting anything to be different 07:32 from any of the other samples that had been taken. 07:35 It was expected they'd survive a while, then die, 07:39 and that would be that. 07:41 But something strange happened, something for which to this day 07:45 there's not really a good explanation. 07:48 The cells taken from Henrietta Lacks began to divide rapidly, 07:54 and they didn't stop dividing. 07:57 Before long, Dr. Gey had millions and millions 08:00 and millions of cancer cells dividing and dividing 08:04 and dividing--and not dying. 08:07 It was a first, a massive scientific breakthrough. 08:11 And it meant that although she was dead, 08:13 Henrietta Lacks was still living! 08:17 The world had its first immortal woman. 08:21 I'll be right back. 08:22 ♪[music swells and ends]♪ 08:31 >>Female Announcer: For thousands of years, 08:33 humanity has spoken of a paradise called heaven. 08:36 But what does the Bible say about heaven? 08:38 Where is it? How do we get there? 08:40 And once we're there, what comes next? 08:42 Find out by getting today's free offer, 08:45 "As Good as It Gets." 08:46 To receive this free guide, 08:48 call 800-253-3000 08:51 or visit us online at iiwoffer.com. 08:55 Learn what God's Word actually says about heaven. 08:58 Call 800-253-3000. 09:02 >>John Bradshaw: Thanks for joining me today 09:03 on It Is Written. 09:05 When Dr. George Gey realized he had succeeded 09:08 in growing human cells outside a human body, 09:13 and that the cells taken from Henrietta Lacks were not dying, 09:18 the research potential became obvious, 09:20 and Gey began enthusiastically giving the cells to researchers 09:24 who wanted to use them. 09:25 It was a seriously big deal. 09:29 And this is where, even after her death, 09:32 Henrietta Lacks, the immortal woman, 09:35 continued to impact and benefit the world. 09:38 HeLa cells allowed Jonas Salk to test his polio vaccine. 09:43 They've been used to study measles and mumps and Ebola, 09:47 to develop treatments for AIDs, 09:50 and to develop chemotherapy and radiation treatments. 09:53 Henrietta Lacks' cells have even traveled to outer space. 09:57 Now, there are limitations as to what can and can't be achieved 10:00 using HeLa cells, but there's no question 10:03 that Henrietta Lacks' cells have advanced science 10:07 and benefited all of humanity. 10:10 As you might imagine, there are ethical questions that persist. 10:14 Henrietta wasn't told that her cells would be used 10:17 for scientific purposes. 10:18 But that was normal in the 1950s. 10:21 Informing a patient or relatives about the use of samples 10:24 obtained through medical procedures 10:26 wasn't required in 1951. 10:28 In fact, it's not required today. 10:31 And Henrietta's case shines a light on those ethical issues. 10:36 But here's what you've got: 10:37 a woman who's been dead since 1951, 10:41 whose cells have been living on in laboratories around the world 10:45 for 70 years. 10:48 Researchers believe they've figured out why the HeLa cells 10:51 continue to live when others do not. 10:53 But it's, it's an exception. 10:56 It's, it's one of those things that you accept happens, 11:00 even if you don't really fully understand 11:03 the reasons why or how. 11:05 And here's where we see the strong and obvious 11:07 spiritual parallel. 11:09 The Bible makes these interesting statements 11:11 in the book of 1 Timothy. 11:13 It speaks of "our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing, 11:16 "which He will manifest in His own time, 11:19 "He who is the blessed and only Potentate, 11:22 "the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, 11:24 who alone has immortality." 11:27 In chapter 1 of the same book, it says: 11:29 "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, 11:34 "to God who alone is wise, 11:35 be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." 11:38 The Bible says that we "seek for glory, 11:42 honor, and immortality," in Romans 2 in verse 7. 11:46 Immortality is not something human beings inherently have. 11:52 Since sin entered the world, we humans have had a problem, 11:56 and that is, we die, and life after death isn't assured. 12:03 In fact, everlasting life is out of our grasp. 12:08 There are only three people in the world who have immortality: 12:13 the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 12:18 And for about as long as we can remember, 12:21 human beings have been trying to solve aging. 12:24 They've been trying to fight back against death. 12:28 The Tower of Babel was an attempt by humans 12:30 to reach heaven under their own steam. 12:33 And right down to our day, that obsession hasn't stopped. 12:37 In September 2013, Calico was created, 12:41 the California Life Company, backed by Google. 12:44 It's now a subsidiary of Alphabet. 12:47 Its mission is to find out what it takes to live longer 12:51 and get people on that track. 12:53 But can, can Google crack the code of life and end aging? 12:57 A Google engineer thinks so. 12:59 He spoke of "computers the size of blood cells, 13:02 little robotic devices that can go through our bloodstream," 13:05 and those little devices, he said, 13:07 will be "[connected] to the cloud." 13:08 Now, if you're wondering when this is going to happen, 13:11 it was said that it'll be reality by 2030. 13:15 The same Google engineer, Ray Kurzweil, said that by 2045, 13:20 our brains will be connected to the internet, 13:23 and human beings will be able to live forever. 13:27 Well? 13:29 No. 13:30 In 2014, a Silicon Valley hedge fund manager 13:33 offered a $1 million prize challenging scientists 13:37 to hack the code of life 13:39 and push human life span past 120 years. 13:42 You see, that seems to be our limit. 13:44 More and more people are living longer. 13:46 More people are living to 100 than ever before, 13:48 at least in modern times. 13:50 But the very oldest human beings still seem to die at around 115. 13:56 Joon Yun, the hedge fund manager, 13:59 believes it's possible for scientists to solve aging. 14:04 This is really just a modern iteration of the legend 14:06 of Juan Ponce de León, whose search for the fountain of youth 14:10 led him to Florida in the year 1513. 14:13 Forever is a very long time, but it is possible to live forever. 14:20 We really need to understand how. 14:22 To do so, let's go right back to the very beginning. 14:27 Genesis 1, verse 1: 14:29 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." 14:34 Then on day 6 of Creation week, God created people. 14:38 "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, 14:41 "and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; 14:44 and man became a living being." 14:47 So, where did life come from? 14:50 Life came from God. 14:53 Look at Nehemiah 9, verse 6: 14:54 "You alone are the Lord. You have made the heavens, 14:58 "the heaven of heavens with all their host, 15:01 "the earth and all that is on it, 15:02 "the seas and all that is in them, 15:05 "You give life to all of them 15:07 and the heavenly host bows down before you." 15:10 It's God who gives life. 15:11 This is Psalm 36, verse 9: 15:13 "For with You is the fountain of life; 15:16 in Your light we see light." 15:18 So where is life? Life is in God. 15:21 In the beginning God originated life. 15:24 When sin came into the world, death entered the world, 15:27 because human beings surrendered their connection with God. 15:31 It was as though Adam and Eve drank poison when they sinned. 15:35 But instead of standing by and watching them die, 15:37 God intervened. 15:39 Jesus took their sin, and yours and mine, 15:42 and offers us His purity, His righteousness. 15:47 He offers us His, His life. 15:52 This is 1 John 5, verse 12: 15:54 "He"--or she, for that matter-- "who has the Son has life; 15:58 he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." 16:02 Everlasting life. 16:04 So now let me bring it home to you. 16:07 Can you have everlasting life? 16:10 And what do you tell someone 16:11 if they ask you if they can have everlasting life? 16:15 I'll tell you that in just a moment. 16:17 ♪[music swells and ends]♪ 16:26 >>Female Announcer: For thousands of years, 16:27 humanity has spoken of a paradise called heaven. 16:30 But what does the Bible say about heaven? 16:33 Where is it? How do we get there? 16:35 And once we're there, what comes next? 16:37 Find out by getting today's free offer, 16:39 "As Good as It Gets." 16:41 To receive this free guide, 16:43 call 800-253-3000 16:45 or visit us online at iiwoffer.com. 16:49 Learn what God's Word actually says about heaven. 16:52 Call 800-253-3000. 16:57 >>John Bradshaw: Racism is a serious issue 16:59 that challenges societies around the world. 17:03 In the United States, racism has again come to the fore. 17:07 Tensions have escalated. 17:10 The Bible speaks directly to the question of racism. 17:14 An unlikely New Testament story shows how God feels about racism 17:20 and demonstrates that love and unity can be accomplished 17:25 when the Holy Spirit is allowed to change hearts. 17:29 Don't miss "Jesus and Racism." 17:32 And see that division is not inevitable 17:36 and that unity is achievable through the power of the gospel. 17:41 "Jesus and Racism," 17:43 addressing an important subject affecting today's world 17:47 and offering hope through the Word of God. 17:50 Don't miss "Jesus and Racism," 17:52 brought to you by It Is Written TV. 17:57 >>John Bradshaw: When Henrietta Lacks died at the age of 31, 18:01 cells that had been taken from her body did not; they lived on. 18:06 They still live, even though she died so many years ago. 18:10 Which leads us to questions about immortality. 18:14 That's ultimately the goal of every believer: 18:17 everlasting life, 18:19 that eternal life granted to believers in Jesus. 18:23 So let me ask you this: 18:25 Why is it only believers in Jesus 18:28 that receive everlasting life? 18:30 You might wanna know why there are plenty 18:31 of otherwise perfectly decent people 18:34 who won't receive everlasting life. 18:37 And you might wonder why that's the case 18:39 simply because they never believed in Jesus. 18:41 Does that make God unfair? 18:44 Unfair? Wait. 18:46 Let's say there's someone in deep water, 18:48 and they're going to drown. What do you throw them? 18:50 You throw them a life preserver. 18:51 In some countries you'd call that a life buoy. 18:54 Right? That's what you'd throw them. 18:55 Would you throw them... a brick? A rock? 18:59 Would you offer a drowning person an anchor? 19:02 No, you would not, because that cannot save them. 19:06 When it comes to a sinner, and, and we're all sinners, 19:09 that sinner needs something that will save her, save him. 19:12 You don't throw morality, 19:14 because morality cannot save a sinner. 19:16 You don't throw that person a self-help book 19:19 or the sayings of some wise person, 19:21 because none of those things remedy the sin problem, 19:24 which is another way of describing alienation from God. 19:27 Look, humans have turned their backs on God. 19:30 And God sent Jesus into the world to try to convince us 19:34 that God is good, that God loves us, 19:36 that God wants the very best for us. 19:39 So, the sinner needs Jesus, 19:42 just like a drowning person needs a life preserver. 19:46 And there's a second part to this. 19:48 What if you throw the drowning person a life preserver, 19:52 and that person refuses to take hold of it? 19:55 Sounds crazy, but you know it happens. 19:57 You have a chance to be saved right now. 20:01 And Jesus will save you. 20:03 You have a chance to receive life, eternal life, 20:07 everlasting life. 20:09 You know what the Bible says? 20:10 First Thessalonians, chapter 4: 20:12 "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven 20:15 "with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, 20:18 "and with the trump of God: 20:19 "and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 20:23 "then we which are alive and remain 20:24 "shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, 20:27 "to meet the Lord in the air: 20:28 and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 20:32 In other words, and so will we be with the Lord forever. 20:37 And this isn't small stuff. 20:40 Eternity isn't about sitting around doing nothing. 20:43 First Corinthians 2 and verse 9 has often been quoted 20:45 to describe life after life. 20:48 It says, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, 20:51 "nor have entered into the heart of man the things 20:54 which God has prepared for those who love Him." 20:57 We can't even imagine how good it's going to be. 21:02 But think of the alternative, death, 21:05 or you can have everlasting life. 21:07 This is the no-brainerest no-brainer 21:11 that you've ever encountered. 21:13 It's a wonder to me that God has to try to convince people 21:16 that this is a good idea. 21:18 Why wouldn't you want eternal life? 21:21 God wants it for you, 21:23 so much so, that He had Jesus come to this world 21:25 to die for you and to show you what God is really like, 21:30 to demonstrate the love of God. 21:31 Think of that. 21:33 When Jesus was here on earth, He healed people, blessed people, 21:37 fed people, taught people, cast demons out of people. 21:41 He forgave people. He loved people. 21:44 He raised people from the dead. 21:46 And all of this was so that you could see 21:49 what God is really like. 21:52 As He said, "He that [has] seen me [has] seen the Father." 21:57 God has done so much for us. 21:59 A verse in Isaiah, chapter 5 sums this up, where God said, 22:03 "What more could have been done to my vineyard 22:06 that I have not done in it?" 22:08 He's done all He can...for you. 22:13 And if you think it's selfishness 22:14 that inspires a person to want to live forever, 22:17 let me tell you otherwise. 22:18 It's God's will that you live forever. 22:21 That's how God set this thing up. 22:23 We have eternity to look forward to. 22:26 That's why the return of Jesus is referred to as 22:29 the "blessed hope," 22:30 because once Jesus returns, eternity. 22:34 I mean, think about this. 22:35 Without eternal life, you're going to get what? 22:38 India, average life span: 70 years; 22:40 Jamaica, almost 75; 22:42 Puerto Rico, 80; 22:44 Japan, 85. 22:46 And yet God offers you eternity. 22:49 Seventy, 75, 80, 85 years? You're just getting started. 22:54 Life is really a bit of a cruel joke 22:57 if this world is all you have. 23:00 But it isn't. 23:01 God offers you everlasting life in a perfect world 23:05 with no sin or pollution or injustice or illness. 23:10 So how can a person receive everlasting life? 23:14 It's easy. 23:15 Jesus spoke to a group of people once and He said, 23:18 "But you are not willing to come to me that you may have life." 23:22 That's John 5, verse 40. 23:23 You just come to Jesus. 23:25 He described Himself as "the bread of life." 23:28 He said, "He who comes to me shall never hunger, 23:30 and he who believes in me shall never thirst." 23:33 John 6:35. 23:35 If you can make room in your life for a God of love-- 23:38 don't worry about hypocritical Christians who drive you crazy. 23:42 Don't worry about how weak you are. 23:44 You don't come to Jesus once you beat your addiction 23:46 or clean up your act. 23:48 You let Him into your life because there are some things 23:50 that you just cannot do on your own. 23:53 Can you believe that there's a God? 23:55 Sure you can. 23:56 Can you believe His Son Jesus came into the world? 23:59 You can believe that, too. 24:00 If you have any doubt at all, read the Bible. 24:04 I spoke with a man recently who told me there was a time 24:07 in his life that he wasn't sure about faith in God. 24:10 So he started reading the Bible. 24:12 He wanted to check it out for himself. 24:15 He said that by the time he got to the Kings, 24:17 he was convinced. 24:18 The Word of God just got hold of him. 24:21 So if you've never given the Bible a real chance, 24:24 you wanna do so. Read it. Check it out. 24:27 And then you ask yourself, Is this a good idea? 24:30 Weigh it up. 24:31 You get 80 years here, if you're fortunate. 24:35 Or you could have eternity there, 24:38 without humidity in the summer, 24:40 without shoveling snow in the winter. 24:42 You get to be with the One who made you 24:45 and who loved you enough to give His life for you, 24:49 eternal life that just doesn't end. 24:53 It's wonderful that Henrietta Lacks' cells have done so much 24:57 for so many people. 24:58 In her death she's a modern-day hero, 25:02 enabling science and scientists to go 25:05 where they couldn't have gone without her. 25:08 She didn't benefit, and her family hasn't benefited 25:11 from her contribution to science, 25:14 but there's a little part of Henrietta Lacks 25:16 that lives today. 25:18 Those cells, they're small; they're tiny. 25:21 You're not gonna see one without a microscope. 25:24 But those small cells taken from a courageous woman 25:27 with a big heart have done so much. 25:31 Think, then, of the value of you, all of you, 25:36 throughout eternity. 25:38 We're talking about something truly amazing: 25:41 a life lived forever, without end, without interruption. 25:46 This is what God offers you now, 25:50 in spite of your past, in spite of your present, 25:54 in spite of your troubles, your problems, your weaknesses. 25:58 God says, "I want to give you eternal life." 26:03 Will you accept that gift today? 26:05 Everlasting life-- why would you be without it? 26:10 >>John: Thank you for remembering that It Is Written 26:12 exists because of the kindness of people just like you. 26:16 To support this international life-changing ministry, 26:19 please call us now at 800-253-3000. 26:23 You can send your tax-deductible gift 26:24 to the address on your screen, 26:26 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 26:30 Thank you for your prayers and for your financial support. 26:33 Our number again is 800-253-3000, 26:37 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 26:41 >>John Bradshaw: Let me pray for you now. Let's pray together. 26:44 Our Father in heaven, in Jesus' name we come to You, 26:46 grateful now for the gift of everlasting life. 26:50 We see the remarkable things that You have done 26:52 through the cells, these cells that live on, 26:55 cells from a remarkable woman, who lived and died 26:59 not knowing that she had blessed all of humanity. 27:02 And so I pray right now with thanks for Jesus, 27:07 for life, for eternity. 27:10 And, friend, as we pray, I speak to your heart. 27:14 Have you said to the God of heaven, 27:16 "I want, I choose, I accept from You everlasting life"? 27:21 If that's your prayer, pray it now. Say with me: 27:24 God of heaven, 27:25 we accept the gift of everlasting life in Jesus. 27:30 Let Him live His life in us. 27:32 We thank You that we look beyond this world to an eternal world. 27:38 Save us there at last, we pray. 27:41 We thank You for the assurance we have today in Jesus. 27:45 And we pray in Jesus' name, 27:47 amen. 27:48 Thank you so much for joining me. 27:49 I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time. 27:52 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.'" 28:02 ♪[dramatic theme music]♪ 28:25 ♪[music ends]♪ |
Revised 2021-02-23