Participants:
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW021243S
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00:16 ♪[music ends]♪♪
00:19 >>John Bradshaw: This is It Is Written. 00:21 I'm John Bradshaw. Thanks for joining me. 00:24 It's a great American tragedy, really. 00:28 Maybe the greater part of the tragedy 00:29 is that this story is not entirely unique, 00:32 but this is also the story of redemption, vindication, 00:37 and, ultimately, victory. 00:39 ♪[soft music]♪ 00:40 There are roughly 1.4 million people in prison 00:44 in the United States of America. 00:46 There are another 3/4 of a million in American jails. 00:49 That's well over 2 million people incarcerated. 00:53 One quarter of all the incarcerated people 00:55 in the world are in the United States. 00:58 Now, there's no question people want and deserve 01:01 safe communities. 01:03 Those who fall foul of the law should pay their debt 01:05 to society. Who would argue that? 01:08 But what about those who are wrongfully convicted? 01:11 Those who are sentenced to prison 01:13 when they should not have been? 01:16 Unfortunately, it happens. 01:18 In the 1960s, professional boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter 01:22 was convicted twice of a triple murder 01:26 and spent 19 years in prison. 01:28 But he was innocent. 01:30 Kevin Strickland was imprisoned in 1979 01:32 after being found guilty of a triple murder. 01:35 He was exonerated and freed from prison...in 2021. 01:40 He spent 42 years in prison for a crime 01:43 the justice system says he did not commit. 01:47 Now, that's not to say the justice system 01:49 always gets it wrong. 01:50 That's simply not the case. But it does happen. 01:54 And that it happens is a tragedy. 01:57 ♪[music fades]♪ 01:58 >>Rodney Dunneback: In the beginning, I had no idea 02:00 why Gil was in prison. 02:01 You really don't ask people that, uh, 02:04 while they're in prison. Sometimes they'll volunteer it. 02:06 Uh, I had no idea why he was there 02:09 or how long he was going to be in there. 02:11 But as things unfolded, uh, I learned that he had, 02:14 at 23 years of age, had, uh, been, uh, 02:19 convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. 02:23 >>John: Gil is Gilbert Poole. 02:27 >>Marla Mitchell-Cichon: Mr. Poole was charged with murder 02:30 in 1988. 02:32 In June of 1988, a Oakland County employee was murdered, 02:37 um, after he left a bar, 02:40 and there were a handful of individuals in the bar 02:43 that said he left with an unknown individual. 02:47 They got descriptions from witnesses. 02:49 They put composite drawings in the newspaper. 02:52 They solicited information, interviewed witnesses, um, but, 02:56 um, none of that investigation led to a suspect, um, 02:59 and the case went cold basically in July or August. 03:04 Um, so within a month or two of the murder, 03:06 they had no further leads. 03:08 Mr. Poole was living in Pontiac, Michigan, 03:10 in June of 1988, and he left the state shortly thereafter. 03:14 He moved to North Carolina with his then-girlfriend, 03:18 Connie Cook, and it was Miss Cook 03:20 who then in November of 1988 reached out 03:24 to the North Carolina police and told them that her boyfriend 03:27 had confessed a murder to her that occurred in Pontiac. 03:32 So that's how, um, Mr. Poole became a suspect. 03:36 Um, he was subsequently arrested, 03:38 extradited to Michigan. 03:40 The detectives in the case solicited the assistance 03:44 of a forensic odontologist by the name of Dr. Allan Warnick, 03:48 who took dental impressions of Mr. Poole. 03:51 He compared those impressions 03:53 to what appeared to be a bruise or a bite mark. 03:56 Um, to this day, we don't know for sure 03:57 if it was even a bite mark, 03:59 um, but certainly a mark on the victim's arm. 04:01 Dr. Warnick concluded that the mark on the victim's arm 04:05 was made by Mr. Poole's teeth. 04:07 So that was the second piece of evidence 04:09 that was used against Mr. Poole at trial. 04:12 And then finally, the girlfriend, obviously, 04:14 came to trial, testified, um, about the so-called confession, 04:20 and witnesses in the bar-- who again had never, 04:23 to, to this day, we have no reason to believe 04:26 they've ever seen Mr. Poole in their lives-- 04:28 identified Mr. Poole in court as the individual 04:31 who left the bar with the victim. 04:33 ♪[music ends]♪♪ 04:35 >>John: Gilbert, thanks so much for joining me. 04:37 I really appreciate it. 04:38 >>Gilbert Poole: Uh, you're welcome. Thank ya. 04:39 I'm glad to be here. 04:40 >>John: You were 22 years old. 04:41 You're minding your own business, 04:42 living in North Carolina. You'd been in Michigan. 04:45 There's...a knock at the door of your life. 04:49 You are suspected of the murder of a man you'd never met. 04:54 What does that do to you? 04:55 >>Gilbert: Yeah. It, it takes you aback. 04:58 But, uh, at the time, I had faith in the judicial system 05:02 and figured it's going to be all right 05:04 because the truth will come out and I'll be, uh, released. 05:09 >>John: Yeah, I, I think it's pretty understandable 05:10 you might have had faith in the judicial system, 05:13 uh, which, thankfully, works a lot of the time. 05:15 But here's one of those times it failed spectacularly. 05:18 You, you weren't at the bar 05:19 where the unfortunate man had been. 05:21 You'd, you'd not met him. 05:23 Um, the evidence didn't point to you. 05:26 >>Gilbert: Right. 05:28 >>John: And what goes through your mind when you hear 05:29 the judge say, "Guilty, and we're sentencing you 05:33 to life without the possibility of parole"? 05:37 >>Gilbert: You know, uh... 05:39 it's like the world stopped turning at that point. Um... 05:44 I, I didn't know what to do. Um, tears welled up inside me. 05:49 Um, I did not have anybody in the courtroom--because there was 05:52 no possibility I was going to be convicted. 05:54 So I was standing alone, a long ways away from home. 05:57 And, uh, I, I just couldn't believe it. 06:02 >>John: "There was no possibility 06:04 I was going to be convicted." 06:06 Well, Gilbert Poole couldn't have been more wrong. 06:11 But he did have the right to appeal his conviction, 06:14 and he did. 06:15 So what happened when an innocent man appealed? 06:18 And where was God in all of this? 06:21 I'll tell you in just a moment. 06:24 ♪[music swells and ends]♪♪ 06:33 >>Announcer: There is nothing in this world more precious 06:35 than a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ. 06:38 Today's free offer, "Steps to Christ," 06:40 is one of the best books ever written 06:42 on how to build a successful relationship with Jesus 06:45 that will see you through to eternity. 06:47 To receive your free copy, 06:48 call 800-253-3000 06:51 or visit us online at iiwoffer.com. 06:55 Get "Steps to Christ" today, 06:57 800-253-3000 06:59 or online at iiwoffer.com. 07:03 >>John Bradshaw: Thanks for joining me on It Is Written. 07:06 Charged with a crime he didn't commit, 07:09 Gilbert Poole was sentenced to life in prison 07:11 without the possibility of parole. 07:14 We're going to learn that while he was in prison, 07:16 Mr. Poole had a miraculous conversion experience, 07:18 which ultimately helped change the course of his life. 07:23 But, of course, this was not the end of the story. 07:25 He still had the appeals process to work through. 07:29 >>Gilbert Poole: Well, the appeals process was, 07:31 in my mind, a joke because every step of the way, 07:35 uh, it, it failed. 07:38 Uh, the attorney didn't file an appeal. 07:41 His appeal that he was forced to file afterwards 07:45 was lackluster at best. 07:47 Um, the courts would not address my issues 07:51 that I was presenting, 07:53 uh, specifically as I was--addressed them. 07:56 They should be giving leeway because it's a prisoner 07:59 making his own pleadings at this point. 08:01 But, uh, it just seemed like it, all my points were ignored, 08:06 and, uh, they were using circular logic. 08:10 It, it was just absolutely frustrating, and I don't know 08:13 how anybody can navigate that without an attorney. 08:18 >>John: Marla Mitchell-Cichon was the director 08:20 of the Western Michigan University 08:22 Cooley Law School Innocence Project. 08:25 She spent 20 years working with Gilbert Poole on his case. 08:30 >>Marla Mitchell-Cichon: Mr. Poole wrote to us, um, 08:32 in 2002, about a year after our clinic was started here at, uh, 08:37 Cooley Law School, and our clinic was designed 08:40 to do post-conviction work to assist prisoners 08:42 who are claiming factual innocence. 08:44 Um, and the tool that we used at that time to prove innocence 08:48 was post-conviction DNA testing. 08:50 I've screened probably thousands of cases myself 08:53 to try to hone in on, do these individuals, 08:56 um, meet our criteria? 08:57 Because it's really more about meeting our criteria than it is, 09:00 "Are they factually innocent?" Because we can't help everyone. 09:03 We need to know, is there biological evidence, 09:06 um, that was collected 09:07 that potentially we could find and test? 09:10 And then, more recently, were there forensic practices 09:13 used in the case that we can challenge as unreliable? 09:17 So, in Mr. Poole's case he had both. 09:19 He had biological evidence 09:21 that was collected at the time that, if tested, might identify, 09:25 um, someone other than Mr. Poole, 09:27 who had never been identified through any forensic practice, 09:30 um, in terms of the biological evidence at the crime scene. 09:34 Um, and then later the fact that his case involved 09:36 a bite mark was very important. 09:38 He would have been meeting our criteria, given that, um, 09:41 in this particular case the victim was murdered 09:44 with a small knife, there was a chance that the perpetrator 09:47 would have left his DNA behind at the crime scene, 09:50 and so we would have been, obviously, interested 09:53 in finding that evidence and DNA testing it. 09:56 There's usually not one cause for a wrongful conviction; 09:59 there's usually multiple causes. 10:00 And Mr. Poole's case had a number of factors showing up 10:04 as we gathered case materials that suggested 10:07 that this is a potentially innocent person. 10:11 >>John: Even though DNA evidence wasn't being used 10:13 in trials in 1988, forensic evidence definitely was. 10:19 At the crime scene, where a man lost his life, 10:23 blood was discovered: blood from the victim 10:26 and blood from someone else. 10:28 In 1988 the Michigan State Police Crime Lab 10:31 evaluated those blood samples and identified 10:35 a foreign blood sample--that is, blood that didn't belong 10:39 to the victim of the crime 10:40 and that didn't belong to Gilbert Poole. 10:43 That should settle it, right? 10:46 Not right. 10:47 That crucial evidence was not presented before the jury. 10:51 And as problematic as that was, 10:54 it got even worse for Gilbert Poole. 10:57 >>Marla: So we all know from eighth grade science, right, 11:00 that science is you do an experiment, you get results, 11:03 and you can replicate those results consistently. 11:06 Bite mark comparison in the context that we're discussing 11:10 has never been science. 11:12 Unfortunately, um, bite mark impression comparison 11:17 has been used, um, in probably thousands of cases, 11:21 and it probably wasn't until the mid-2000s 11:26 when the National Academy of Sciences clarified 11:29 that this was not reliable science and should not be used 11:32 for the purpose of identifying a particular person 11:35 or linking a particular person to a crime scene-- 11:38 which is exactly what was done in Mr. Poole's case. 11:41 He essentially told the jury, without a doubt, 11:44 without a human doubt, really, 11:46 those impressions were made by Mr. Poole. 11:49 That type of testimony would not be permitted, um, 11:52 by today's standards. 11:54 And it was in Mr. Poole's case the only evidence 11:58 that tied him to the crime scene. 12:00 This case is a lot about the backstory, 12:03 meaning the key timeframe and where the storyline began 12:06 was in a bar on a Sunday night. 12:09 Um, but what happened happened a few miles away from that, 12:14 um, in a somewhat of an abandoned area, 12:17 and no one witnessed this crime. 12:19 So, the only individual and the only witness that linked 12:23 Mr. Poole definitively to the crime scene was Allan Warnick. 12:27 If you were a juror and you heard that some individuals 12:32 are identifying the man sitting at the counsel table, 12:35 an ex-girlfriend who's saying he admitted this to her, 12:38 a dentist, someone who had a medical education, 12:41 say that without a doubt it was Mr. Poole's teeth marks, 12:44 most jurors would find that evidence very compelling. 12:48 And, um, obviously it was very damaging to Mr. Poole. 12:52 >>John: So describe what it's like inside the mind 12:54 of a young man, a young man who has decided, 12:59 "This system has forsaken me, and I'll never get out." 13:04 How hopeless does a man become? 13:06 >>Gilbert: Well, it's beyond hopeless. 13:10 I mean, I would wake up in the mornings-- 13:13 and before I found God, I would wake up in the mornings 13:17 and have to decide whether or not I want to do this or not. 13:20 Do I want to finish this day? 13:22 Do I want to go out and shake the fence 13:23 till they shoo me off of it? 13:25 It was pretty desperate times, you know. 13:28 >>Rodney Dunneback: When you walk through the yards 13:29 or, or anywhere out there, 13:32 there was not a lot of smiles on the faces. 13:34 It's kind of a, uh, prison atmosphere, shall I say? 13:40 I volunteer for prison ministry because I realize 13:42 the great need there is, uh, for prison ministry. 13:46 Uh, there's tens of thousands of men right here in Michigan-- 13:51 and women--who would love to have someone come in 13:54 and tell them about Jesus. 13:57 >>John: So, you, you were in prison for a crime 13:59 you didn't commit, you knew you didn't commit, 14:01 but then the light started to shine in. 14:04 Tell me what happened 14:05 that started to turn things around for you. 14:07 >>Gilbert: I had to reevaluate how I was living my life, 14:11 even inside prison, because, uh, 14:13 that was not leading me anywhere. 14:14 And at the same time I was being, um, 14:18 asked by other prisoners to do Bible studies. 14:22 But these people had been asking me to do Bible studies 14:25 for 25-30 years, and I've always pushed them away. 14:31 But they've always came back. 14:33 For 30 years they've always came back. 14:36 Well, when I decided to reevaluate how I was living 14:39 my life in the prison, I said, 14:42 "Well, maybe this is something I need to investigate." 14:46 And I got to reading it and seeing the truth in it; 14:50 things started changing. 14:51 I gave up on my case, and I turned it over to God. 14:54 I said, "I'm, I'm done. If You want me out, I'll be out. 14:59 But You can use me in here." 15:01 And I started doing His work, as best I could, in the prison. 15:06 >>John: And right about that same time, 15:09 there were some legal scholars who got involved with your case, 15:11 and the wheels really started to turn. 15:13 >>Gilbert: Things did start to turn around. 15:16 There was a new development, and, uh, 15:20 DNA testing that allowed them to take a closer look 15:23 at the DNA evidence that they had, and we came up with 15:27 new evidence that, that excluded me from the crime. 15:31 We had this, and we were going to file back in court 15:34 and ask to have the case revisited, but we didn't know 15:37 whether that was enough to overturn the conviction, 15:41 that in itself, in isolation. 15:43 But then something else happened. 15:46 The state attorney general's office started 15:48 a conviction integrity unit that covered my county. 15:51 My lawyer submitted the application to them 15:54 with the new evidence that we just got, 15:56 and my case was the first case that they actually vetted, 16:01 and they went through it for an entire year, 16:04 and at the end of that year, 16:07 they decided that I was wrongfully convicted. 16:11 ♪[soft orchestral music]♪ 16:15 >>Marla: When it came to the day to walk him out of prison, 16:18 not only were we so ready [laughs] and, and happy 16:22 and thrilled, but it was a--oh! 16:25 Sorry, I'm getting choked up now, but it was, 16:28 it was a great, it was a great, great day. 16:31 Um, you know, it's like, uh, it's so much hard work. 16:35 There's so many letdowns. 16:37 Um, he's such a good person. 16:40 So the day that he walked out we had everything 16:42 in place for him, and it was a beautiful day. 16:46 >>Rodney: As I watched Gil walk across the grass, uh, 16:49 towards the pavilion, it was a extremely emotional moment 16:54 for me, and, uh, for a lot of people. 16:57 There were a lot of tears flowing at that moment. 17:00 I kind of stood back and let everybody else 17:03 and the media go crazy. 17:05 Uh, I was standing, uh, back four or five feet, 17:08 and Gil finally laid eyes on me. 17:10 And he says, "Rod!" And we embraced. 17:15 >>Gilbert: I was walking on air, 17:17 uh, didn't know what to do, wide eyed, um-- 17:22 if you can imagine, uh, 17:24 going to the amusement park for the first time 17:26 and just seeing all the wonders around you. 17:28 ♪[soft music]♪ 17:29 I didn't know what to do. 17:30 Didn't know how to use a cell phone, 17:32 I'd never seen a cell phone before. 17:34 I'm able to help others by staying involved in the system, 17:37 staying involved with the attorneys, 17:39 staying involved with the state of Michigan 17:41 and their, uh, forensics committees, 17:43 giving my testimony to them so they can help stop 17:45 some of the wrongful convictions. 17:47 Joined a band of other exonerees 17:49 and the National Organization of Exonerees, 17:51 we've, uh, taken up the task of helping others 17:54 that are wrongfully convicted try to get out, 17:56 and once they're out, 17:57 helping them transition into society. 17:59 There's endless work to be done. 18:02 Bad things happen to good people. 18:04 And it could be me; it could be you. 18:07 It could be anybody walking down the street 18:09 that fall a victim to somebody trying to solve a crime. 18:13 >>John: Are you angry about what's happened? 18:16 >>Gilbert: No. It's, uh... 18:18 I, I was mad at the courts, you know, 18:20 when they wouldn't hear my appeals. 18:22 I was mad at my attorneys when they wouldn't come see me 18:25 or wouldn't present the issues that I wanted. 18:28 But I've had a whole different attitude-- 18:32 that I don't want to be angry anymore. 18:35 That's all, that's all behind me. 18:37 I'm tired of being mad. Nobody likes to be mad. 18:40 So, when I wake up in the morning, 18:42 I try to find the good in the day and to find the best things 18:44 I can do today for me and the people around me. 18:48 But really, it's not about me; 18:49 it's about the people around me and what I can leave behind. 18:51 ♪[music ends]♪♪ 18:53 >>John: Now, you could say that there are more people 18:54 stuck in prison than we realize, 18:57 and this affects you and everyone you know. 19:02 We'll look at that in just a moment. 19:04 ♪[music swells and ends]♪♪ 19:14 >>Announcer: There is nothing in this world more precious 19:16 than a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ. 19:19 Today's free offer, "Steps to Christ," 19:21 is one of the best books ever written 19:23 on how to build a successful relationship with Jesus 19:26 that will see you through to eternity. 19:28 To receive your free copy, 19:29 call 800-253-3000 19:32 or visit us online at iiwoffer.com. 19:35 Get "Steps to Christ" today, 19:37 800-253-3000 19:40 or online at iiwoffer.com. 19:44 >>John Bradshaw: The prophet Daniel writes authoritatively 19:47 about the rise and fall of kingdoms, the fate of nations, 19:51 and the soon return of Jesus. 19:53 Join me for "Kingdom Come." 19:56 We'll witness the rise and fall of global powers. 20:00 We'll understand symbols found in the writings of the prophets. 20:04 And we'll learn how Bible prophecy applies 20:06 to our current reality. 20:09 Waiting for the world to get better seems futile. 20:12 We exist in the midst of global confusion, 20:15 in a world wrestling with the devastating effects 20:18 of sickness, war, and death. 20:21 Yet God encourages us: "The dream is certain." 20:26 The interpretation can be trusted. 20:29 Jesus is coming back soon. The best is yet to come. 20:35 Don't miss "Kingdom Come" 20:37 as we explore the book of Daniel. 20:39 "Kingdom Come" 20:40 on It Is Written TV. ♪[music ends]♪♪ 20:44 >>John Bradshaw: A man celebrates his birthday 20:46 at a bar half an hour northwest of Detroit, Michigan. 20:49 Forty-eight hours or so later, his lifeless body is found 20:53 by people out jogging. 20:55 Two days after Christmas-- 20:56 that's more than six months after the tragic murder-- 21:00 Gilbert Poole was arrested 21:01 after his then-girlfriend went to police. 21:04 After being extradited to Michigan, tried, 21:07 and convicted of murder, he was sentenced to life in prison 21:12 without the possibility of parole. 21:15 What sealed his fate was expert testimony from a dentist, 21:18 who claimed it was a virtual certainty that Mr. Poole 21:22 left a bite mark of some kind on the victim's body. 21:27 The science the dentist used is no longer admissible 21:30 in a court of law. It's what you'd call "junk science." 21:36 But it was enough to put Gilbert Poole away 21:38 for what turned out to be more than half his life. 21:42 The Innocence Project at the Western Michigan University 21:44 Cooley Law School took up Mr. Poole's case, 21:47 and with DNA testing having become available, 21:50 and with the state of Michigan 21:51 having recently established a conviction integrity unit, 21:55 which investigates claims of innocence, 21:58 it was discovered that what Mr. Poole had maintained all along 22:02 was true. 22:04 Gilbert Poole had nothing whatsoever to do 22:08 with that terrible crime committed in 1988. 22:11 He spent 32 years in prison for nothing, 22:15 while whoever committed the crime 22:18 has never been brought to justice. 22:21 So Gilbert Poole was exonerated. 22:23 The state of Michigan admitted it had got it wrong. 22:27 The justice system failed, spectacularly. 22:31 But then it worked. 22:33 And we can be glad that an innocent man went free. 22:37 But what about guilty people going free? 22:40 That's where you fit right into this picture. 22:44 The Bible tells us that 22:45 "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." 22:48 That's you, me, your neighbors--all have sinned. 22:55 The consequence of that? 22:56 Well, the same book says that "the wages of sin is death." 23:00 That's more than a life sentence; 23:02 that's an eternal sentence. 23:05 After the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, 23:07 death came to the world as a consequence of their sin. 23:11 Sin separates from God, and it brought death to the world. 23:17 And there's no way back from that. 23:19 Science cannot help you. Money cannot help you. 23:23 Ingenuity can't come to your aid. 23:26 Sin leads to spiritual death, eternal death, 23:30 and everyone has sinned. 23:32 We're all guilty. 23:35 But there's hope in one place. 23:39 "For God so loved the world, 23:40 "that He gave His only begotten Son, 23:42 "that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, 23:46 but have everlasting life." 23:48 John 3:16. 23:49 The Bible says that Jesus "is the propitiation for our sins: 23:54 "and not for ours only, 23:56 but also for the sins of the whole world." 24:00 The propitiation, the atoning sacrifice-- 24:04 God pardons the guilty. God forgives sin. 24:10 Sinners are nothing like the Gilbert Poole 24:13 of this tragic tale. 24:15 He was an innocent man. He did not commit the crime. 24:19 He was released from prison. 24:21 Sinners did commit the crime 24:24 and are released from the prison house of sin. 24:28 The apostles were released from prison in Acts 5. 24:30 Peter was escorted from prison by an angel in Acts 12. 24:34 The prison cell that Paul and Silas were detained in 24:36 miraculously opened in Acts, chapter 16. 24:40 God's telling you something. 24:42 He's in the business of setting people free, 24:45 liberating people from the prison of sin. 24:48 Your guilt isn't the question. That's beyond question. 24:52 But God forgives the guilty, declares them innocent, 24:57 and frees everyone who believes, frees them from sin. 25:04 That's God's will for you. 25:07 You'd rather be free, wouldn't you? 25:09 In an earthly court we try the accused, sentence the guilty, 25:13 and free the innocent. 25:15 Before God, we're all guilty. 25:19 And for those who place their faith and trust in Jesus 25:22 and believe in His death, Jesus is the way out. 25:25 He's the only way out of sin. 25:28 And He offers you everlasting life. 25:31 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us 25:35 our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 25:39 Gilbert Poole was released from prison because he was innocent. 25:44 You are not. 25:45 You're guilty, guilty of sin. 25:49 But God says He will forgive us freely. 25:52 No matter the life you've lived or are living, 25:55 no matter the mistakes you've made, 25:57 when Jesus comes into your life, 26:00 God looks at you and says, "Not guilty." 26:06 >>John: Thank you for remembering that It Is Written 26:08 exists because of the kindness of people just like you. 26:12 To support this international life-changing ministry, 26:15 please call us now at 800-253-3000. 26:19 You can send your tax-deductible gift 26:21 to the address on your screen, 26:22 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 26:26 Thank you for your prayers and for your financial support. 26:29 Our number again is 800-253-3000, 26:33 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 26:37 >>John: Let me pray with you now. 26:39 Our Father in heaven, the reality is we have sinned. 26:42 We have "come short of the glory of God." 26:44 We chose to go astray. 26:46 We chose to sin. 26:48 You chose to allow Your Son Jesus to come to this world 26:52 to bear our sin and assure our pardon and salvation. 26:56 Friend, as we pray, ask yourself this question: 27:00 Are you free? 27:01 If you're free, you will say, "Thank You, Jesus." 27:03 If you're not, if you're stuck in sin, 27:06 if you look at yourself and say, "Yes, I'm guilty," 27:08 would you look to heaven now? 27:10 Would you look beyond your present circumstances 27:12 and this world into the world to come and say, 27:16 "I want that, this everlasting life offered to me in Jesus"? 27:20 Would you claim it now? Would you claim it? 27:21 Let's pray that prayer. 27:23 Lord, we claim salvation through Jesus. 27:25 We are not worthy. 27:27 We are not deserving. 27:28 But Jesus grants us His righteousness, 27:32 and we accept it. 27:33 We thank You that we may be free in Jesus. 27:37 We claim it now, we believe it now, 27:39 and we thank You for it right now. 27:42 In Jesus' name we pray, 27:45 amen. 27:47 Thank you so much for joining me. 27:48 Looking forward to seeing you again next time. 27:50 Until then, remember: 27:52 "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, 27:56 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 28:01 ♪[dramatic theme music]♪ 28:25 ♪[music ends]♪♪ |
Revised 2022-01-19