It Is Written

Faith And Failure

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: John Bradshaw

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Series Code: IIW

Program Code: IIW001232


00:07 It has stood the test of time.
00:09 God's book, the Bible.
00:14 Still relevant in today's complex world.
00:22 It Is Written ... sharing hope around the globe.
00:36 I'm John Bradshaw.
00:37 Thanks for joining me on It Is Written.
00:40 In 1903 the Ford Motor Company was born.
00:43 It was founded by a 40-year-old man named Henry Ford,
00:47 who had tried before to get into the automobile
00:49 manufacturing business but without a lot of success.
00:52 This time around, within ten years Ford had introduced the
00:55 assembly line into his manufacturing process and in
00:58 less than twenty years was producing a million
01:01 cars a year.
01:03 Doubling his employees' pay not only meant they were
01:05 better off but there were a whole lot more people
01:08 who could afford to buy Ford vehicles.
01:11 And that helped Henry Ford.
01:13 Ford produced the famous Model T and the Model A and
01:16 sold millions of each.
01:17 ♪ [Music playing] ♪ The first car I ever owned
01:28 was a Ford - a white 1969 Mark 2 Ford Cortina,
01:34 a thing of beauty that I could start with a screwdriver.
01:37 Unfortunately, it ended up in a wrecker's yard after
01:41 I was hit by a drunk driver, but that's another story.
01:44 Thank the Lord, I walked away unhurt.
01:46 Ford bought Lincoln in 1922 and then he brought the Mercury
01:49 brand into the Ford fold in the 1930s, and down through
01:52 the years Ford has produced some classic vehicles,
01:55 like the Thunderbird and the Mustang.
02:00 ♪[Music]♪ There's been the Falcon
02:03 and the Taurus and the Fiesta and the Explorer
02:07 ♪ [music] ♪ and outside the United States
02:09 the Mondeo...
02:12 and...
02:13 And in the 1950s Ford started work on a car it hoped
02:16 would take the automotive world by storm.
02:18 They poured hundreds of millions of dollars into making
02:21 the car a success, and named it in honor of Henry Ford's
02:24 son - Edsel.
02:27 But a success it was not.
02:30 In 1958, the fst year the Edsel went on the market,
02:33 more than 63,000 Edsels sold - which was way short
02:37 of what was hoped for.
02:38 In 1959 that number dropped by about a third.
02:42 In 1960, less than 3,000 Edsels sold.
02:46 Ford lost a boat load of money - about two billion dollars in
02:51 today's value - and the Edsel became synonymous with failure.
02:55 To be honest with you I'm not really sure why.
02:57 It's said that the car failed because of styling,
02:59 engineering and marketing.
03:01 If you ask me the Edsel wasn't the áugliestá car ever,
03:04 it wasn't even the ugliest Ford ever made.
03:07 The Edsel wasn't that different technologically from
03:09 other cars that were a success, and in fact it boasted
03:12 some improvements.
03:13 The failure of the Edsel might even have had something
03:16 to do with the media.
03:17 Whatever the reasons, the Edsel sank like a rock.
03:22 And what was the ultimate fallout
03:24 of that colossal failure?
03:26 Today, Ford is the fifth-largest maker of
03:29 automobiles in the world, second largest
03:33 in the United States.
03:34 The top-selling vehicle in the United States
03:37 is often a Ford.
03:38 No question the failure of the Edsel hurt Ford at the time,
03:41 but over the years the Ford company - like so many others
03:45 - learned to weather failure and turn it around
03:50 and enjoy success.
03:51 Now, I've got another failure story for you.
03:54 I wonder if you can figure out who I'm talking about.
03:58 This is the story of a young man whose life began with
04:00 great promise, but unlike Henry Ford when this man was
04:05 40 years old his life was falling apart.
04:07 (Don't worry - the story has a happy ending.) As a baby he
04:11 narrowly escaped death, then was raised in privilege, a
04:15 member of the Royal Household of a prominent
04:19 Middle-Eastern country.
04:21 He was given a world-class education.
04:24 He was destined to be a high-ranking member
04:26 of the royal family.
04:27 But then one day as a young man with the world at his feet,
04:31 he witnessed an act of injustice that made him so
04:34 angry that he murdered a man.
04:36 He saw slaves being mistreated, and flew into a rage
04:40 so intense that he murdered the man who was mistreating
04:43 the slaves.
04:44 Murder, as you know, is a serious business and he
04:47 realized he had to leave town in order to save his own life.
04:51 So he fled the royal household and spent the next 40 years
04:54 living in an arid wilderness.
04:57 This young man had been bound for great things.
05:00 God had especially set him up to be a high-achiever, to be a
05:04 man of great influence in the world.
05:06 And what did he do?
05:08 He took God's gifts and he threw it all away.
05:12 Even his adoptive father was determined to kill him.
05:15 Imagine that.
05:16 Having it all, and then failing so badly
05:20 you lose it all.
05:22 In place of luxury and wealth this man became a fugitive, a
05:27 criminal with a murder charge on his record, on the run
05:31 in a Middle Eastern desert.
05:33 And how do you think this turned out?
05:35 Or let me ask you this: how do you think it
05:39 SHOULD have turned out?
05:40 He was bound for greatness but murdered a man.
05:42 What do you think he deserved?
05:44 Believe it or not, believe it or not ... that man is in
05:48 heaven right now. I'm serious.
05:51 We've got evidence for it.
05:54 This man who was a colossal failure is in heaven.
05:59 How did that happen?
06:00 I'll tell you more in just a moment.
06:18 Thank you for submitting your Bible questions to us
06:20 at It Is Written.
06:22 Here it is: Was Jesus really in the grave for three
06:26 days and three nights?
06:28 You know, what I've learned about this question over the
06:30 years is that some people can be pretty militant about it,
06:34 so if you disagree with my answer, I hope that you will
06:37 remember that we can still be friends...
06:38 In Matthew 12:40, Jesus said,
06:49 For some people, that proves that Jesus had to be in the
06:52 grave for three whole days and three whole nights.
06:55 72 hours.
06:56 How can it be any other way, right?
06:59 Well, a good principle about the Bible is that in trying to
07:02 answer a Bible question you want to consider as much as
07:05 possible of what the Bible says about a subject.
07:09 For example, in Matthew 27:63 they say, We remember He said
07:13 he would rise "AFTER three days." Well, how long
07:17 after three days?
07:18 After three days could be 4 days, or 6 weeks.
07:22 In another place, Jesus said He would be raised on
07:24 "the third day." That could be LESS than 72 hours.
07:28 Two things to consider.
07:30 One is what some scholars call 'inclusive reckoning', where
07:34 any part of a day is called a day and a night.
07:37 So, Jesus goes into the grave Friday afternoon,
07:40 that's one day.
07:42 He spends the Sabbath in the grave, that's two days
07:44 and two nights.
07:45 He spends Saturday night and part of Sunday morning in the
07:48 grave, and that's three days.
07:49 Three days and three nights.
07:51 (A friend of mine was put in jail for three days.
07:54 He told me he was put in there late one night, and that was
07:57 counted as one day.
07:59 He spent the whole next day in jail, that was two days,
08:01 and at about 12:01 the next morning they let him out.
08:04 Three days.
08:05 Now, consider this from Luke chapter 24.
08:09 Verse 1 tells us clearly that what took place was on the
08:12 first day of the week.
08:13 So what we're talking about happened on the first day of
08:16 the week and that is Sunday.
08:18 Now, verse 21, these men are speaking with Jesus and they
08:23 say, "This is the third day since Jesus was crucified and
08:27 put to death." The third day.
08:30 And it was Sunday.
08:31 So, if Sunday was the third day, the Sabbath would have
08:37 been the second day, and Friday would have
08:39 been the first day.
08:41 It's pretty clear if you look at this Biblically, that Jesus
08:44 was crucified on a Friday.
08:47 And three days and three nights represents Friday,
08:49 Saturday (or the Sabbath) and Sunday.
08:53 Three days and three nights.
08:55 There is simply a variety of ways of expressing
08:58 that same thought.
08:59 If you have a question you'd like answered,
09:01 go to itiswritten.com, click on the questions tab
09:05 and submit your question.
09:06 I hope very sincerely I'll be able to answer your question.
09:14 If you have a Bible question for pastor John Bradshaw,
09:16 please write to It Is Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, CA,
09:19 91359 or visit our website itiswritten.com and send us
09:25 your questions on line.
09:28 Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written.
09:31 I'm John Bradshaw.
09:32 Today, Faith and Failure.
09:35 A young man raised in privilege, a young man with
09:38 the world at his feet, a young man raised in a
09:41 Middle Eastern Royal Family...
09:43 murders someone, and leaves behind his life of privilege
09:46 and flees to live in an arid wilderness.
09:49 A classic example of a man throwing his life away.
09:52 You couldn't call the man much other than a failure.
09:56 Yet the Bible tells us that this man is in heaven while
10:00 we're talking here today. Seriously.
10:02 I'll tell you why that is.
10:03 Because God is able to take our failures and turn
10:08 them into victories.
10:09 It's a terrible thing to fall so far, to lose everything you
10:11 have, everything you've worked for, maybe lose everything
10:14 someone else has worked for for you.
10:17 The shame can be unbearable and the disappointment
10:19 can be crushing.
10:20 But God is able to take our messes and somehow get us
10:23 through them and lead us on to a better tomorrow.
10:27 And how can I be so sure about that?
10:29 Because that's what God did for Moses, our young Middle
10:34 Easterner who was raised in Pharaoh's household but fled
10:37 when he murdered someone.
10:38 Now, no matter which way you measure this thing,
10:41 Moses had made a complete mess of his life.
10:43 He had been given so much but had thrown it away.
10:46 Instead of being the success he was raised to be,
10:48 he was an abject failure.
10:50 But God is in the business of working with failures.
10:53 According to the Bible Moses is in heaven right now -
10:57 he appeared with Jesus when Jesus was transfigured,
11:00 and it says this in the book of Jude verse 9,
11:17 Evidently Moses' body was resurrected and he
11:19 was taken to heaven.
11:21 A murderer.
11:22 A failure.
11:23 Resurrected and taken to heaven!
11:26 You see, that's what God can do with our failures -
11:31 if you'll let him.
11:33 Moses is really the Biblical poster boy for failure.
11:37 God miraculously spared his life, and then not only did he
11:41 murder the Egyptian and then spend 40 years in the
11:44 wilderness, but leading God's people for another 40 years,
11:47 on the borders of the Promised Land, after having seen God
11:50 and spoken with God and having stood at the burning bush and
11:52 after leading Israel through the Red Sea and after seeing
11:55 the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire and after
11:59 eating manna sent from God for four decades -
12:02 he blew it again!
12:04 In a pique of anger he struck the rock to bring out water
12:07 instead of speaking to the rock, and God had to explain
12:10 to Moses that his offense was so serious he couldn't
12:13 enter the Promised Land.
12:15 Two strikes against him.
12:18 And then what?
12:18 Moses was resurrected and taken to the Heavenly
12:23 Promised Land.
12:24 You know, too many people are ready to quit because
12:28 of their failures.
12:29 It happens in everyday life.
12:30 I've heard of people who gambled away
12:33 everything they had - and they killed themselves.
12:38 I know of people who've lost everything due to bad business
12:41 deals or due to a challenging economy, and have ended their
12:44 lives - or have gone nuts on drugs or alcohol and lost
12:46 their family and friends.
12:48 And it happens in church or in a person's relationship
12:50 with God.
12:52 The person will stumble, fall, embarrass themselves or their
12:55 family, and then they feel they aren't worthy of
12:58 God's mercy - which is true, incidentally: we're not worthy
13:01 but God gives it to us anyway - and very often people decide
13:04 to give up on their faith - they give up on God.
13:09 Look: if Moses can murder someone and still be
13:13 commissioned by God to lead the exodus, there has
13:16 to be hope for you.
13:17 If Moses can blow it at the rock and still be resurrected
13:20 and taken to heaven...
13:22 What does that say about the hope we have - even when
13:24 we foul things up?
13:25 Let's think about King David.
13:27 Knowing better, he took another man's wife.
13:31 He deliberately had the woman's husband killed in
13:32 battle, he lied about it, he brought calamity
13:36 upon his family...
13:38 If David can go through all that, and STILL be God's man,
13:41 the leader of God's people, that has to reassure you that
13:45 God is in the busins of using broken people to
13:48 accomplish great good.
13:50 Now I want to be careful about something.
13:52 This is not to say that the sins of Moses and David
13:54 weren't of consequence or weren't serious.
13:57 They were!
13:57 The Bible says in Romans 6:23
14:03 Sin is a serious business!
14:05 But what Moses and David did was they repented - and they
14:09 were accepted by God when they saw the seriousness of their
14:12 sin and asked God to ácleanseá them of their sin.
14:17 Look at David's repentance with me.
14:19 We read about it in Psalm 51.
14:22 Remember what David had done.
14:23 Adultery, murder, dishonesty, he'd disgraced his throne and
14:28 sadly misrepresented his God.
14:30 But he comes to God understanding something.
14:34 He understands that God is the God of the new start.
14:37 David knows that he can rely on God to forgive him
14:41 and let him begin again.
14:45 Psalm 51 is where we will read.
14:47 I want you to think about how encouraging this is if YOU'VE
14:49 ever made mistakes, if you've ever done something
14:51 you're not proud of.
14:52 If you've ever failed, even spectacularly.
14:55 This is what David says,
15:17 Then in verse 7 David says this,
15:27 Hyssop was used at the Passover to sprinkle blood upon the
15:30 doorposts of the homes, and it was used in special
15:33 cleansing ceremonies in the Old Testament.
15:35 David saw his need of cleansing.
15:57 And God DID forgive David, to the extent
15:59 that Jesus was referred to as the "Son of David".
16:02 David is quoted in the New Testament and included among
16:06 the great faithful ones in Hebrews 11.
16:09 So if you've failed, there's hope for you.
16:11 Think of some of the other failures in the Bible, people
16:13 who God then worked with and made new.
16:16 There was the woman taken in adultery.
16:19 A group of men were prepared to stone her,
16:21 but what did Jesus do?
16:22 He said to her, "
16:27 He didn't justify her sin, but he understood her
16:29 repentance and accepted it, and sent her on her way
16:34 forgiven and cleansed.
16:36 There was the woman at the well.
16:37 Jesus said to her,
16:41 Hardly a picture of stability and domestic bliss.
16:44 But Jesus sought her out so he could forgive her and give her
16:48 hope - He didn't seek her out to condemn her.
16:52 Now we're familiar, many of us, with John 3:16, "God so
16:56 loved the world", but not as many people are familiar with
16:59 the next verse, John 3:17.
17:04 Even though it's one of the most hopeful verses in the
17:06 Bible, and it talks about God's plan to lift up the
17:08 fallen, to turn around the lives of those who have failed.
17:11 I'll share that hopeful verse with you in just a moment.
17:17 In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God says ...
17:27 Every Word is a one minute Bible-based daily devotional
17:30 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed
17:33 especially for busy people like you.
17:35 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch it
17:38 on-line everyday on our website itiswritten.com.
17:42 Receive a daily spiritual boost.
17:45 Watch Every Word.
17:47 You'll be glad you did.
17:52 I'm glad you've joined me today.
17:53 I'm John Bradshaw and this is It Is Written.
17:55 Today - Faith and Failure.
17:58 God is so good that even when we fail He is able
18:01 to give us hope.
18:02 I have a good friend who's studying right now
18:05 to be a Christian minister.
18:06 He came to faith in Christ in a jail cell.
18:08 His life was at rock bottom.
18:09 He'd made some terrible errors of judgment, and while he was
18:13 in prison he reached out to God and God lifted Him up.
18:16 Today, very much a free man, his life is dedicated to
18:20 sharing hope with others.
18:22 I've come to know men in prison on murder charges,
18:25 men who have realized that a failure in this world doesn't
18:28 have to mean eternal failure.
18:30 They've learned that God is able to change a life
18:32 and change a heart.
18:33 And while that in no way means that God condones the crimes
18:36 that were committed, there are people in prisons all over the
18:39 world who know that God has given them new life.
18:42 Their spiritual failures have been turned
18:45 into spiritual victory.
18:47 One night Jesus spoke with a man named Nicodemus
18:51 and He said this to him.
18:52 You'll find it in John 3:17.
18:56 Here is what Jesus said to Nicodemus,
19:09 If Jesus wanted to condemn you for your mistakes
19:13 He surely could!
19:13 Paul wrote in Romans 3:23,
19:19 But what God wants to do is forgive, He wants to
19:21 remake, He wants to recreate and transform.
19:24 Think of some of the great failures in the Bible.
19:27 Peter denied Jesus.
19:30 Outright denied Him.
19:32 And what did Jesus do?
19:33 After His resurrection He sent a special message to Peter.
19:37 Remember?
19:38 An angel said to Mary at the tomb in Mark 16:7,
19:56 There was reassurance for Peter.
19:58 "Peter, I'm not done with you.
19:59 You're still special to me.
20:00 I still love you and I've still got a plan for you."
20:04 Imagine how Peter must have felt to get that message
20:07 from Jesus!
20:08 There's no doubt he felt terrible for what he had done,
20:10 and he probably was beating himself up badly.
20:13 But Jesus reassures him.
20:15 "I haven't forgotten you, Peter." Even though
20:18 you failed.
20:19 Think of King Manasseh.
20:21 The Bible says a lot about him - and almost all of it is very
20:25 uncomplimentary.
20:27 It says he sinned more than the heathen nations that the
20:31 Lord destroyed; it says he did abominations, he made Israel
20:33 sin with his idols; he shed innocent blood so that he
20:37 filled Jerusalem from one end to the other.
20:40 That's what the Bible says.
20:41 And what became of Manasseh?
20:43 2 Chronicles 33 tells us he repented and he died
20:48 a saved man.
20:50 Manasseh was a failure, a disgrace.
20:53 He was a despicable individual - but he came back from his
20:57 failures and found faith in the God of heaven.
21:02 There was Solomon had all those wives and concubines -
21:05 hundreds of them - and worshiped pagan gods,
21:08 and yet God forgave him when he repented.
21:10 I think about Abraham lying about Sarah, saying she was
21:13 his sister and not his wife.
21:17 His son Isaac did the same thing, lying about
21:20 Rebekah, his wife.
21:21 saying that Rebekah was his sister
21:23 Both men almost lost their way because they
21:26 were cowardly and lied.
21:28 Yet God forgave their spiritual failures.
21:32 It's a wonder, but it seems their wives forgave them too!
21:34 There was Aaron, the brother of Moses, made an idol of gold
21:39 - a golden calf - when Moses was up on the mountain
21:42 receiving the ten commandments.
21:43 I mean - what was he thinking?!
21:46 And he comes up with a lame excuse saying that, oh, we
21:48 just threw a bunch of gold in the fire and what do you know?
21:51 This calf just came out?
21:54 I mean... that's ridiculous.
21:56 And yet Aaron served God as God's high priest.
22:01 The good news is, Spiritual failure doesn't need to mean
22:06 the end for you and me.
22:07 Now again, I'm not minimizing the danger of sin or of
22:10 dishonoring God.
22:12 There's a high price to pay for that.
22:15 Our spiritual failures may come back and cause us
22:17 trouble in our lives.
22:18 That's true.
22:19 But it is good to know that failing spiritually once,
22:22 or twice, OR over a period of years, doesn't mean that God
22:26 is done with us and can't use us.
22:28 And that we cannot enjoy everlasting life.
22:30 We all need to hear that.
22:32 We all have our issues, some more than others,
22:35 and every day there are people crashing
22:38 and burning spiritually.
22:39 And the devil wants those people to think that God
22:43 is finished with them.
22:45 Well, He isn't.
22:47 Now, I'll mention some other Bible characters.
22:49 Judas. Sold Jesus to His murderers.
22:53 King Saul, just fell apart, really, and lost his way
22:55 spiritually.
22:56 Achan, who stole the gold and the clothing from the enemy
22:59 and died as a result.
23:01 You know, God could have forgiven them.
23:03 God áwould haveá forgiven them, except they never came
23:06 to God to be forgiven.
23:08 They didn't repent.
23:10 And so they owned their failures and weren't forgiven.
23:15 The greatest basketball player to ever play the game was
23:18 Michael Jordan.
23:21 An NBA champion 6 times and won two Olympic gold medals.
23:26 Yet here's what he says.
23:49 And basketball's just a game that doesn't mean a thing in
23:51 the final analysis.
23:53 But that's the attitude of a winner.
23:54 And it's the attitude of a Christian who trusts in Jesus.
23:57 I might have failed over and over again, but I know God
24:01 isn't finished with me and I'm pushing forward.
24:05 I'm hanging on.
24:07 Reminds me of Thomas Edison.
24:08 He said,
24:15 ♪ [Music] ♪ He said,
24:28 I hope you'll remember today that God doesn't cast off
24:31 those who stumble and fall.
24:34 He is not finished with you when you fail, but welcomes
24:38 you back to forgive you and give you a new start.
24:43 In fact, He has promised to do so.
24:46 Today, I want to offer you this special free book on the
24:49 subject of God's promises, including some of the very
24:53 promises God makes to us to reassure us that He is there
24:56 for us even when we fall.
24:58 You'll find it very encouraging.
25:00 It's called, "God's Promises", dozens of promises from the
25:03 word of God with encouragement for you to know God and grow
25:07 in His grace.
25:08 This is going to help you in your daily walk with Jesus.
25:11 Just call or write and I'll send you "God's Promises".
25:14 There's no cost or obligation.
25:15 It's absolutely free.
25:17 Just call 1-800-253-3000, ask for "God's Promises".
25:24 You can call 24 hours a day.
25:26 If the lines are busy, please just keep trying.
25:28 You can also request your free copy of "God's Promises" by
25:31 writing to: It Is Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359,
25:37 and we will mail a copy to your address in North America.
25:41 Please note: this free book is limited to the supply on hand.
25:45 For immediate access, you can download a FREE electronic
25:49 version of this book God's Promises from our website:
25:52 itiswritten.com It Is Written is a faith-based ministry made
25:55 possible by viewers like you.
25:57 I want to say Thank you to you for your support
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26:18 And our web address is: itiswritten.com.
26:24 Today we've talked about faith and failure.
26:26 I imagine if you're anything like me, it's not hard
26:29 to remember your spiritual failures.
26:33 I want to pray with you right now and ask that God will give
26:35 you success in the place of defeat and disappointment.
26:39 Let's pray.
26:42 Our Father in heaven, we thank you that you are the God of
26:45 the new start.
26:46 We thank you that you are able to take a failure and turn
26:50 that person into a spiritual success.
26:52 We thank you that you see beyond our mistakes, beyond
26:55 our shortcomings, beyond our weaknesses, and you see what
26:58 we can be through faith in Christ.
27:01 So at least to day, Lord, let that be in our lives.
27:04 Give us the grace not to repeat our past errors
27:07 and give us the encouragement we need
27:09 that when we are low because of our stumbles and
27:11 falls, to look up and remember that you welcome us into your
27:16 arms and that you will cleanse us and forgive us.
27:19 We thank you today that there is victory in Jesus and we
27:23 pray in Jesus' name, Amen.
27:33 ♪ [Music] ♪
27:46 Thank you for joining me today.
27:48 Until then, remember the Bible says
27:52 It is written, man shall not live by bread alone but by
27:56 every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
28:02 ♪ Theme Music ♪


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Revised 2015-02-06