It Is Written

Legal Matters: The Law Of God

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Pr. John Bradshaw

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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 line at itiswritten.com Thank
27:32 you for your letters and continued support.
27:34 Our toll free number is 1800 253 3000 and our web address
27:38 itiswritten.com Thanks for joining me today.
27:46 And remember - It Is Written: man shall not live by bread
27:52 alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.


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Revised 2015-02-06