Participants: Pr. John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001207
00:07 It has stood the test of time God's Book,
00:13 The bible Still relevant in today's 00:19 complex world It is written 00:25 Sharing hope around The Globe 00:36 ♪♪♪ Music ♪♪♪ One of the strangest characters 00:42 you're ever likely to hear about is the Englishman Jeremy 00:45 Bentham, who was born in 1748 and died in 1832. 00:52 Now just to give you an idea of how, well, different, Mr. 00:56 Bentham was, he willed that his body be stuffed and preserved in 01:02 his everyday clothing and then put on public display for 01:05 posterity. 01:08 And that's what happened! 01:09 You can see him, to this day, in a wooden cabinet at the 01:12 University College in London. 01:14 His head, however, is wax--and that's because in the preserving 01:18 process someone messed up, robbing his real face of most of 01:21 its expressions and leaving it too unattractive for viewing. 01:26 The wax head was therefore substituted for his real one, 01:30 and for years the real head, with two glass eyes he used to 01:34 carry around in his pockets, sat on the floor, between Bentham's 01:37 legs. 01:39 Well you've heard it said that nothing's sacred, and time and 01:42 again the college students would make off with Bentham's head. 01:45 One time, students stole the head and demanded a ransom of 01:48 100 pounds to be paid to some local homeless shelter. 01:52 The college agreed to pay 10 pounds and the head was 01:54 returned. 01:55 On another occasion, the head was again stolen by students, 01:58 was found in a locker at a train station in Scotland. 02:03 But the last straw came when it was discovered being used by 02:07 students for soccer practice! 02:09 After that, the head was safely secured and is no longer on 02:13 display. 02:15 The rest of Mr. Bentham, including his wax head included, 02:18 still is. 02:19 Now Bentham is most famous, though, not for his corpse but 02:22 for his social philosophy. 02:24 He was a leading advocate of utilitarianism: "the greatest 02:28 happiness of the greatest number." 02:31 The idea is this: You try to make laws so that they'll bring 02:34 the greatest amount of happiness to the greatest number of 02:38 people. 02:39 If law x make five million people a little happy, but law y 02:43 make 20 million people very happy, then the government 02:47 should make law y as opposed to law x. 02:53 Mr Bentham even created a mathematical scheme, a calculus, 02:57 that supposedly could determine happiness: and it would be great 03:01 to know what makes people happy, because you could then create 03:04 laws that will bring this happiness. 03:10 At 57-years-old, and still a bachelor, he wrote to a woman he 03:13 hadn't seen in sixteen years and he explained to her why - based 03:28 on the laws and rules that applied to them - they should be 03:31 married. 03:43 Well, surprise of surprises, she wasn't that impressed with his 03:47 laws and mathematics and she turned him down cold. 03:57 He waited 22 years and then gave it another shot, but wouldn't 04:01 you know? 04:02 She turned him down again. 04:04 You can imagine, can't you.... 04:06 Well, darling, I've worked out the numbers and the laws and the 04:08 figures, and it seems that, according to my mathematical 04:11 calculations, we should be in love and get married. 04:15 I'm glad I didn't propose to Melissa that way. 04:17 I reckon I'd still be single! 04:18 See, Bentham lived in a time when humanity truly believed in 04:21 the ability of logic, and law, and reason to answer all human 04:26 needs. 04:27 For many people, law and logic and reason were the sacred keys 04:31 to unlock all truth. 04:32 For many people believe reason and law, natural law, was all 04:36 that was needed. 04:39 Now all through the gospels in the Bible we have stories of 04:43 folks who were also sticklers for the law-at least the law as 04:47 they understood it. 04:49 One account in particular shows what I mean. 04:53 We are going to rewinding about 2000 years. 04:57 When you realize that it was only in the past 250 years that 05:01 doctors figured it would be a good idea to wash their hands 05:06 before surgery, you can only imagine what the medicine must 05:09 have been like in ancient Israel at the time of Jesus. 05:12 In this context we come to the story. 05:15 Jesus and His disciples are walking along and they came 05:18 across a man who had been blind from birth. 05:21 So what did Jesus do? 05:23 The Bible says this, and we read this in the gospels, Jesus 05:27 meeting a blind man. 05:30 What does the Word of God say? 05:33 "He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He 05:37 anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 05:42 And He said to him, 'Go, wash in the pool of Siloam' . 05:46 so he went and washed, and came back seeing" 05:50 John 9:6, 7 NKJV). 05:52 That's Incredible. 05:56 A man, blind from birth, is instantly healed. 06:05 As you can imagine, this caused quite the stir. 06:07 In fact, some people had a hard time believing that this was the 06:11 same man who used to sit around begging. 06:14 After all, how could someone, blind from birth, now suddenly 06:17 see? 06:19 Eventually, they brought him to the religious leaders, who had 06:22 to acknowledge the incredible miracle. 06:25 But there was one problem. 06:26 Jesus had performed this amazing miracle on the Sabbath day, and 06:30 according to their understanding of the law, you weren't supposed 06:34 to do any kind of on the Sabbath. 06:36 Thus they were arguing that Jesus couldn't have been from 06:41 God because He, at least in their thinking, had violated the 06:45 law. 06:47 "So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, 06:54 'Give God the glory! 06:56 We know that this Man is a sinner.'" 06:59 (John 9:24, NKJV) Can you imagine? 07:01 A man blind all his life is healed, instantly, and all that 07:05 the leaders can think about is the fact that it was done in 07:07 violation of a law, at least the law as they understood it. 07:11 Talk about taking the idea of law to an extreme! 07:14 Now don't get me wrong. 07:16 I am not talking against law. 07:17 On the contrary - I would uplift law, especially God's law. 07:23 Laws are supposed to be good things, but sometimes they can 07:26 be terrible, with disastrous effect. 07:30 I'll give you an example of that in just a moment. 07:49 It's time for today's Bible question, and here it is. 07:54 As a kid, I remember going to church about once or twice a 07:56 year with my parents. 07:58 I'm not really into religion, but I don't want to go to hell 08:02 when I die. 08:04 A friend of mine died in a car accident last month and I don't 08:07 know if he is in heaven or hell. 08:09 If I don't want to end up in hell, what do I need to do? 08:13 A serious question you're asking. 08:15 I tell you what, I don't want to go to hell either! 08:19 So what do we do to make sure we don't go there? 08:22 There's a great verse in the Bible. 08:25 It's in the book of first John, chapter 5 and verse 12. 08:27 It says, "He that has the Son has life, he who does not have 08:33 the Son of God do 08:36 Everlasting life is the gift God wants to give you. 08:39 And the way to receive everlasting life is to possess 08:42 Jesus - to have faith in Him. 08:43 Simply not going to hell isn't going to get a person too 08:48 terribly far, but faith in Jesus will take care of you in the 08:52 world to come, and will bless you in this life. 08:57 If you don't have a whole lot of background with the Bible or 09:00 with faith in God, let me recommend something to you. 09:03 Get a Bible, and start reading in say, the book of John or the 09:06 book of Matthew. 09:07 As you read, look for Jesus. 09:09 And when you come to Jesus, ask yourself, What is this person 09:13 Jesus like? 09:15 And when you get an idea of what Jesus is like, ask yourself, Is 09:19 this the kind of Person I'd like to know? 09:22 Do I want to have this person involved in my life? 09:26 And if your answer to that question is Yes, then tell God 09:30 that. 09:31 Tell him "God, I want Jesus, and I want You in my life." 09:35 And go from there. 09:37 Your focus is going to be on Jesus, and you won't be worrying 09:40 too much about going to hell. 09:42 To get your questions to us at It is Written, please go to or 09:45 website itiswritten.com, click on Questions tab, submit your 09:49 question there and in a future TV program, I'll do my very best 09:53 to answer your Bible question. 09:57 If you have a Bible question for pastor John Bradshaw, please 10:00 write to It Is Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, California 91359 10:06 or visit our website itiswritten.com and send us your 10:09 questions on-line. 10:12 Laws ought to be for the benefit of everyone. 10:15 But that's not often far from the case. 10:17 Here's a painfully familiar example of that. 10:20 At one time in many American states, slavery was legal. 10:24 America's own beloved Constitution made a legal 10:28 provision for it. 10:30 Even closer to our time, many people can remember the Jim Crow 10:33 Laws, the segregation laws in the American south. 10:39 Now let me read some of them to you. 10:41 Let me read you a few: "Nurses: 10:44 No person or corporation shall require any white 10:47 female nurse to nurse in wards or rooms in hospitals, either 10:52 public or private, in which negro men are placed. 11:01 Buses: All passenger stations in this state operated by any motor 11:07 transportation company shall have separate waiting rooms or 11:10 space and separate ticket windows for the white and 11:12 colored races. 11:18 Restaurants: It shall be unlawful to conduct a restaurant 11:22 or other place for the serving of food in the city, at which 11:25 white and colored people are served in the same room, unless 11:29 such white and colored persons are effectually separated by a 11:33 solid partition extending from the floor upward to a distance 11:38 of seven feet or higher, and unless a separate entrance from 11:42 the street is provided for each compartment. 11:52 These laws tell us about the character of the lawgiver, don't 11:55 they? 11:56 The laws reflect the attitude and thinking of the entity that 11:59 has created them, don't they? 12:01 And in these cases, the laws reveal a deep-seated racism and 12:06 bias. 12:07 The laws of a nation can tell us something about the character of 12:10 the law-making power of that nation. 12:13 Now think about this in relation to God's law. 12:17 Just as the laws of a land reveal something about the 12:19 law-makers of that land, God's law reveals something about Him 12:23 as well. 12:25 His law tells us what God is like. 12:29 His law, the Ten Commandments, are a reflection of His 12:33 character. 12:35 Think for a moment about the Ten Commandments and what they tell 12:37 us about God. 12:41 But before we begin, I'd like to dismiss right off the bat the 12:44 idea, sometimes expressed by well-meaning people, that God's 12:48 moral law has been abolished, that Jesus death on the cross 12:52 wiped out our obligation and our need to keep the Ten 12:55 Commandments. 12:57 Look at this text, however. 12:58 It's 1 John 3:4, the Bible says, "Whosoever committeth sin 13:06 transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the 13:12 law" (KJV 1 John 3:4). 13:15 Sin is the transgression of the law. 13:17 Now what law could that be? 13:18 Jim Crow law? 13:19 The law of the scribes and the Pharisees? 13:21 No, it is talking about God's law, the Ten Commandments. 13:24 How do I know? 13:26 Well, it's pretty easy, isn't it?. 13:28 If I steal, which is a violation of one of the Commandments, have 13:32 I sinned? 13:33 If I commit adultery, which is a violation of one of the Ten 13:37 Commandments, have I sinned then? 13:38 What about if I lie, if I lie. 13:40 have I sinned? 13:42 I think in all cases, we know pretty well that the answer is 13:47 yes. 13:49 Yes, if I do any of those things I have violated God's law and I 13:52 have sinned. 13:54 So, it's clear to me that sin is a violation of God's law. 13:59 The apostle James certainly thought so. 14:02 Read what he wrote in the Book of James. 14:06 "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in 14:10 one point, he is guilty of all. 14:12 For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not 14:16 murder." 14:17 Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you 14:21 have become a transgressor of the law." 14:26 (James 2:10,11, NKJV) That text 14:28 just doesn't make sense if the Ten Commandments had been 14:30 abolished, does it? 14:32 Now didn't Jesus say the two greatest commandments were love 14:36 to God and love to others? 14:38 Isn't that the essence of the law? 14:40 Yes, Jesus did say that; and yes, that is the essence of the 14:43 law; and yes, I'm glad you asked because it gets precisely to my 14:47 point, which is that God's law is an expression of His 14:51 character, and love is at the center of God's character, which 14:55 is why love-love for God, and love for others, forms the 14:59 foundation of God's law. 15:02 When asked about the greatest of the commandments, Jesus answered 15:06 this way in Matthew, Chapter 22. 15:11 Jesus said: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, 15:17 and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 15:20 This is the first and great commandment. 15:24 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as 15:28 thyself" That's Matthew 22:37-39. 15:32 Notice - love God, love your neighbor. 15:35 Love is the foundation of God's law, and that's because God 15:40 Himself is love. 15:41 This doesn't negate the Ten Commandments; no, the Ten 15:44 Commandments are the way in which we show our love for God 15:47 and our love for our neighbor. 15:49 The first four commandments, no false gods, no idols, not taking 15:53 the Lord's name in vain, and keeping the Sabbath-these all 15:56 deal with a person's relationship with God. 15:59 Can you imagine someone saying that he loves Jesus, and yet 16:03 every time he mentions the name "Jesus," it's used as a curse? 16:06 Now that's not love. 16:08 And the last six commandments, about honoring your parents, 16:12 about not committing adultery, not stealing, not murdering, not 16:15 lying, not coveting-these all have to do with how we reveal 16:19 our love to others. 16:20 Can you imagine someone telling his neighbor, "Oh, yes, I love 16:23 you!" 16:24 and then stealing from him? 16:26 No, of course not. 16:28 God's moral law was given to us as a means of guiding us in how 16:30 we live, in how we can express love to Him and to others. 16:35 You don't usually think of the law and love together, but don't 16:38 tell that to apostle John. 16:41 Here's what John wrote: "By this we know that we love the 16:45 children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 16:50 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: 16:54 and his commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:2,3:KJV). 16:58 Anyone can say that they love God, but according to John, by 17:04 keeping His commandments we reveal the reality of that love. 17:09 Here's what John said again. 17:12 This is from 2nd John: "And this is love, that we walk after his 17:19 commandments" (2 John 6, KJV). 17:21 Again, love is manifested by obedience to the commandments. 17:24 Here's Jesus Himself: John 14:14, he said, "If you love me, 17:29 keep my commandments" (John 14:15NKJV). 17:33 How much simpler could it be? 17:35 I've heard people say, "Well, the Ten Commandments don't 17:38 matter. 17:39 What matters is that you love others." 17:41 Well, on the surface that sounds nice but if you think about it, 17:44 it makes about as much sense as saying, "Murdering you neighbor 17:48 doesn't matter, just as long as you love him." 17:50 Just as you give your children rules to follow because you love 17:53 them and want what's best for them, God does the same for us, 17:55 and those basic rules are found in the law of God. 18:00 It's that simple. 18:01 In just a moment, The United States, just moments away 18:06 from a military crisis, In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God 18:12 says "It is written 'Man shall not live by bread alone but by 18:16 every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God'." 18:20 Every Word is a one minute Bible-based daily devotional 18:23 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed especially 18:27 for busy people like you. 18:28 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch it on-line 18:32 everyday on our website itiswritten.com. 18:35 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 18:38 Watch Every Word. 18:39 You'll be glad you did. 18:41 Here's a sample. 18:50 Integrity is very important to God. 18:53 In Proverbs 16:8 we read, "Better is little with 18:56 righteousness than great revenues without right." 19:00 The devil tempts people to cheat, cut corners, to rip other 19:03 people off, just to get a little MORE. 19:06 A friend of mine was featured in an article in an international 19:09 magazine for the simple fact that he was an honest mechanic. 19:13 When one shop wanted to charge the writer hundreds of dollars 19:16 for a job, my friend told him he could do it for 25. 19:19 Now, he could have charged more, but his integrity meant 19:22 something to him. 19:24 I once pointed out to a cashier that she hadn't charged me for 19:26 something. 19:27 She said, "Oh, I'd have never known." 19:29 And I said to her, "Yes, but I'd have known." 19:32 Its better to have less and retain your honour, than to 19:35 reach for more... 19:37 and lose your integrity. 19:40 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written. 19:42 Let's live today by Every Word. 19:45 Perhaps something in today's program has sparked your 19:47 interest in greater Bible study. 19:49 We invite you to visit our website itiswritten.com where 19:53 you will find a host of inspirational resources 19:56 including free Bible study guides, there's also a complete 19:59 archive of past television programs and special video 20:02 seminars that you can view on-line or download. 20:05 Discover more at itiswritten.com You know, for decades the United 20:11 States government kept under wraps a secret: at the same time 20:16 that the United States and the former Soviet Union almost went 20:19 to war over the Cuban Missile Crisis, an America U2 spy plane 20:23 accidentally blundered into Soviet airspace, bringing the 20:27 world dangerously close to nuclear war. 20:31 On the night of Oct 27, 1962, a very seasoned American pilot 20:35 named Captain Charles Maultsby was flying on a secret mission 20:39 to the North Pole, where he was to collect radioactive samples 20:44 from Soviet Nuclear tests. 20:46 On his long, seven hour flight, Maultsby was going to rely on 20:50 ancient navigation technique-he would follow the stars, because 20:54 at 70,000 feet in the air, he didn't need to worry about 20:57 clouds. 20:59 After a few hours, though, the sky suddenly filled with 21:03 beautiful bright lights. 21:05 It was the aurora borealis, the Northern Lights, and the air 21:08 outside his cockpit exploded with awesome flashes of orange 21:12 and violet and crimson colors. 21:15 He might have enjoyed the show except for one problem: those 21:19 lights blocked his view of the stars and by the time the light 21:22 show was over, Maultsby knew that something was wrong. 21:27 He wasn't where he should have been. 21:29 What he didn't realize, at least at first, was that he had veered 21:32 into Soviet air space. 21:34 He was more than a thousand miles of course. 21:38 Now, under any circumstances, this would have been dangerous 21:41 enough, but with the Russians and the Americans already in 21:44 each other's hair over over events in Cuba, the situation 21:48 was on a knife edge. 21:50 The Russians had already sent fighters in the air, to try and 21:53 intercept the plane, because for all they knew, this was a bomber 21:57 coming down to attack them Fortunately, in just the nick of 22:02 time, Maultsby was able to get the plane back safely, and the 22:05 tensions settled down, though later the Soviets warned the 22:10 United States that something like this could have pushed them 22:12 over the edge. 22:15 Charles Maultsby needed something to guide him, and that 22:18 was the stars, and when he lost site of his guide, he veered off 22:22 track. 22:24 It's the same with God's law. 22:26 It's a guide for us; it sets parameters for us; it tells us, 22:31 not to veer this way or that way, because if you get too far 22:35 off course, bad consequences can occur. 22:39 And that's what the law is there for. 22:42 It's not there to save us. 22:43 Keep in mind: trying to be saved by the law is like staring in a 22:47 mirror hoping that the mirror will remove your wrinkles. 22:51 God's law was never meant to bring salvation. 22:54 If we could be saved by keeping the law, Jesus wouldn't have 22:57 come and died for us. 22:59 How it works is if you, like me, have compared your life to 23:03 God's law, you have seen just how short you have fallen. 23:08 Before God's law, we all stand condemned. 23:11 The law is what shows that we are sinners! 23:15 The good news is Jesus. 23:16 He died because we have not kept God's law. 23:21 He paid the penalty for our transgression of the law. 23:25 And by faith in Him, we are forgiven that transgression and 23:29 we can stand perfect before God and under no condemnation for 23:33 our violation of the law. 23:37 Yes, God's law still is in effect. 23:39 It shows us our sin, and that leads us to Jesus, who will 23:43 forgive us for our sin, when we give ourselves to Him and claim 23:49 that forgiveness for ourselves. 23:50 Have you done that? 23:52 Have you given yourself to Jesus? 23:54 And have you claimed his forgiveness for you? 23:57 To not do that leaves you under the condemnation that comes from 24:01 having broken God's law, something we've all done. 24:05 But today you can say, Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. 24:09 I know therefore, that I am condemned because of my sin, but 24:13 I don't want to be condemned. 24:15 Jesus died for me. 24:17 I want to accept that. 24:19 I want to get out from under the death sentence of having 24:22 committed sins and having broken God's law. 24:25 I want to be free. 24:26 I want to be clean. 24:27 I want to be forgiven. 24:29 Are you ready to say that to Jesus today? 24:31 Let's say that together. 24:33 Pray with me. 24:34 Our father in heaven, we thank you today 24:37 for your goodness to us. 24:39 I know there are times, perhaps, that some of us might feel as 24:43 though your will, your way, your law is restrictive. 24:48 But what we know by reading the Bible is that in truth what you 24:51 are wanting to do is to keep us from back harm, to keep us back 24:55 from sin and to keep us close to you and safe under the shadow of 24:59 your wings. 25:00 So please, forgive us for our sins and thank you that through 25:06 Jesus, through accepting him Lord, live in our lives, through 25:09 accepting Jesus we can have not the penalty that comes from 25:15 having sinned but forgiveness and grace and cleanness and 25:23 purity. 25:24 Today we thank you for the gift of eternal life in Jesus and we 25:28 pray grateful in Jesus' name, amen. 25:53 Perhaps our program today has touched your heart and impressed 25:56 you with a personal need for deeper Bible study. 25:59 Do you desire to listen to God and follow where he leads? 26:03 We've got a wonderful resource that can help you do that in a 26:06 systemic way, the Discover Bible Guides. 26:09 These study guides will take you through the essential truths 26:11 taught in Scripture. 26:12 They give you the big picture showing how it all fits 26:15 together. 26:16 The Discover Bible Guides are a wonderful way for you to become 26:19 grounded in the Word of God and to see how Jesus Christ relates 26:23 to all areas of our lives. 26:25 So please call or write us and the Discover Bible Guides will 26:29 be on their way to you and the entire course is 26:32 absolutely free. 26:33 For even easier access, you can obtain these wonderful Bible 26:36 lessons on-line on our website. 26:38 Here's the information you need. 26:43 You may request today's offer, The Discover Bible Guides, by 26:46 calling our toll free number 1 800 253 3000. 26:50 Call right now. 26:51 The operator needs only your name, address and phone number, 26:53 plus the name of today's offer, The Discover Bible Guides. 26:57 Lines are open 24 hours daily. 26:58 They may be busy so keep trying. 27:01 You may also request today's offer by writing to It Is 27:04 Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359. 27:08 Our free offer is for an address in North America only. 27:12 The Discover Bible Guides are also available on the Internet. 27:15 Just visit our website itiswritten.com. 27:17 Also on line is a complete script of today's program. 27:21 If you wish to help the worldwide outreach of It is 27:24 Written, your tax deductible gift may be sent to the same 27:26 address or you may make a gift on 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Revised 2015-02-06