Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001248
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00:07 It has stood the test of time.
00:12 God's book. 00:13 The Bible. 00:17 Still relevant in today s complex world. 00:22 It is written sharing hope around the globe. 00:36 I'm John Bradshaw. 00:38 Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 00:41 Most people, when they hear the name Rockefeller, 00:44 think of a very rich American family, or maybe the 00:48 Rockefeller Center in New York City, which is home to 00:51 such famous places as Radio City Music Hall and 00:53 Christie's, the world's largest auction house. 00:56 Yet for many years the name Rockefeller was hated and 00:59 despised, it was a symbol of corporate greed where the 01:04 more powerful sweep away the weaker and acquire 01:07 more and more and more for themselves--no matter 01:09 who got crushed along the way. 01:13 No wonder. 01:14 The founder of the dynasty, John D. Rockefeller, 01:16 started in the oil business in Cleveland during the 1800s, 01:21 and--through a series of backroom deals he created 01:23 the monster monopoly of Standard Oil. 01:27 Because it was so large, Standard Oil could cut 01:32 prices, forcing all competitors either to sell to 01:34 it or go bankrupt, in which case Rockefeller would simply 01:36 buy up the ruined company at discount rates. 01:39 Rockefeller would come to his competitors, show them his 01:42 own books, show them the financial behemoth that they 01:47 were up against--and then make them an offer. 01:50 If they refused, he simply put them out of business 01:53 and then get their company anyway. 01:55 He was ruthless. 01:56 He once told his brother Frank, who had been working 01:59 for a competing oil company: We are going to buy out all 02:03 the refiners in Cleveland. 02:05 We will give everyone a chance to come in. 02:07 Those who refuse will be crushed. 02:10 If you don t sell your company to us, 02:12 it will be valueless. 02:14 Frank refused, and John D.--true his word--put his 02:18 own brother's company out of business! 02:22 Now what adds an interesting wrinkle to this sordid history 02:24 is that John D. Rockefeller was a church-going man. 02:29 Even worse, he rationalized his business dealings in, 02:32 of all things--the name of Christian charity! 02:35 He had convinced himself that he was actually doing good. 02:40 He said that all these forced acquisitions were the result of 02:44 the most prosperous business concern, his own, saying to 02:47 the smaller and less prosperous ones: 02:49 We will stand in for the risks and hazards of the refining 02:53 business . 02:54 Come with us and we will do you good. 02:56 We will undertake to save you from the wrecks of the 02:59 refining business. 03:00 What others saw as cutthroat and villainous business 03:04 practices, John D. defined as Christian benevolence. 03:08 Now that would be rationalization and 03:10 presumption. 03:12 Well I don t want to judge John D. Rockefeller s 03:14 heart, how he could justify these nasty and vicious 03:17 business practices in the name of Christian charity 03:21 really makes me wonder This kind of thinking reminds me 03:24 of a scene from a book by Russian writer Fyodor 03:27 Dostoyevsky, in which a man cries out, God, forgive me 03:30 for Christ's sake! 03:32 and then cuts his friends throat with a knife and 03:34 steals his watch. 03:36 Today we're going to take a look at the Big Picture, 03:39 really the biggest picture you could imagine. 03:41 It's clear that there's a battle raging on Planet Earth. 03:44 This is what the Bible writer Paul was talking about when 03:46 he said that we are not fighting against flesh and 03:49 blood, but against principalities and powers. 03:52 We're in a spiritual battle, is what he was saying. 03:57 Now let's see what we can learn from Jesus and how he dealt 03:59 with Satan, so that we can do the same thing ourselves 04:02 when faced with similar struggles in this great 04:05 controversy with a supernatural cosmic power much greater 04:08 than we are. 04:10 Now, I can imagine someone saying, Come on, John, a 04:14 supernatural cosmic battle? 04:16 Been watching too many Star Wars movies or something? 04:19 No, we re not talking about the kind of journalism found 04:22 in the tabloid headlines, like the one which said, 04:27 12 U.S. SENATORS ARE SPACE ALIENS. 04:30 (Someone said you can tell that can't be true because 04:32 the number is too low!) You know, scientists working 04:36 with the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence, 04:41 believe that with the billions of galaxies existing 04:44 in the universe, there s a good chance that other life 04:45 might exist out there. 04:47 The scientific term for this is called astrobiology and 04:52 it's a serious attempt to seek out life in 04:54 other parts of the universe. 04:56 Now, with all due respect, while these folks are aiming 04:59 their radio telescopes into the sky hoping for something 05:01 from some far-away alien civilization, the Bible teaches 05:06 not only that extra-terrestrial life exists, but that some of 05:10 these beings are HERE, on earth, and that some are 05:14 hostile to us as well. 05:16 Look at these verses, from Revelation 12 and we ll begin 05:20 with verse 7: And there was war in heaven: Michael and 05:24 his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought 05:27 and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place 05:31 found any more in heaven. 05:33 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called 05:36 the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he 05:39 was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out 05:43 with him (Revelation 12:7-9, KJV). 05:47 A war in heaven?! 05:49 A war here on earth, that s one thing. 05:52 But in heaven? 05:53 How can that be? 05:55 The short answer comes down to one word. 05:58 Love. 05:59 Because love is the overarching moral principle 06:02 that permeates God s universe, and love demands 06:05 freedom. 06:07 You can t love God, or anyone, if you don t have 06:09 moral freedom. 06:11 You can't have love without freedom any more than you 06:13 could have a triangle without three sides. 06:16 Now in a moment, the man who was married to a robot, and 06:20 why that didn't work out so well. 06:23 ♪♪♪♪ Music ♪♪♪♪ It's time for today's Bible 06:41 question and here it is. 06:42 People say that Jesus couldn t have worked miracles such 06:46 as raising the dead and healing the blind as these 06:50 things just aren t possible. 06:53 How can I believe in miracles? 06:56 Good question. 06:58 Let me try to give you a good answer. 07:00 There s a reason we call them miracles, because they re 07:03 extraordinary, they're supernatural, not the sort of 07:05 thing you can explain by ordinary means. 07:08 So, can God do the extraordinary and the 07:11 supernatural? 07:13 Keep in mind - this is GOD we re talking about! 07:16 If you asked me if my own father could have worked 07:18 miracles, I d say no he couldn't. 07:20 Now his ability to read my mind was sometimes pretty 07:22 incredible, but miracles? 07:23 No. 07:25 But this is God! 07:27 The One who framed the universe! 07:29 The One who created the world and made people and created 07:32 water and who made air. 07:35 If He can do that - can t He work miracles? 07:38 All of that was a miracle. 07:40 You might also want to consider this: there are some 07:43 things in our world that are pretty incredible. 07:46 We can t call them miracles because we can explain them 07:48 scientifically, but, for example, even the idea that 07:52 you can pick up a phone, press some buttons, and then 07:55 use it to talk to somebody on the other side 07:58 of the world... 07:59 The idea that these pictures you are looking at right now 08:02 are being transmitted to you. 08:04 Even people can do some pretty incredible stuff. 08:08 Now if you want to put upon God the limitations of 08:11 faulty, frail human beings, and say God can't do what we 08:16 can't do - go ahead and do that. 08:18 But if you believe there is a God at all - the One who gave 08:21 life - you shouldn't be too surprised that He can give 08:25 that life back. 08:26 Surely the One who made eyesight can restore it. 08:30 From a human standpoint, miracles are unlikely, and 08:33 even impossible. 08:34 But God is not a mere human being. 08:38 God is God and he rides high above the limitations of 08:44 humanity. 08:45 And how can you believe in miracles? 08:47 You can believe in miracles and God's miracle working 08:50 power by faith. 08:52 The Bible says they happened, and your faith in the Bible 08:56 as believable and accurate and trustworthy can lead you 09:01 to the place where you can say, If the Bible says it, I 09:03 can believe it. 09:05 People try to limit God sometimes. 09:06 But God isn't small. 09:08 He's big - and He's great. 09:12 Send your Bible questions to us at www.ItIsWritten.com. 09:17 If you have a Bible question for pastor John Bradshaw, 09:20 please write to It Is Written, Box O, Thousand 09:24 Oaks, California 91359 or visit our website 09:28 itiswritten.com and send us your questions on-line. 09:33 It Is Written is dedicated to sharing the gospel around the 09:36 world. 09:37 Our dream is to impact the world for God. 09:39 Our television program is only one aspect of how we try 09:42 to accomplish that. 09:44 To discover more about It is Written, I invite you to 09:47 visit our website itiswritten.com and browse 09:50 the dozens of pages that describe what we do and how 09:52 we do it. 09:54 You will also find an archive of past programs in script 09:57 form, and as a streaming video and audio files, along 10:01 with many other helpful inspirational resources. 10:04 Let's get to know each other a little better. 10:08 Visit our website itiswritten.com today. 10:13 There was a sci-fi story about a man who, having lost 10:16 his wife to death, got a robot replacement. 10:19 He had everything about her programmed in: looks, 10:22 vocabulary, diction, actions, everything was the same as 10:26 his actual wife. 10:27 From all outward appearances, it was his wife. 10:31 Except that it was robot, a machine, and it did 10:35 everything his wife did, not because it truly loved him, 10:38 but because it was programmed to do so. 10:43 It had no more choice than my computer does to start up 10:48 when I hit the start-up bottom. 10:50 And in the end he got rid of it because the most important 10:51 ingredient was missing, and that was love --which can 10:55 only exist when one has freedom, only when one has 11:00 the option NOT to love. 11:02 And this powerful being, Satan--given free will--chose 11:06 the not-to-love option and eventually rebelled against 11:10 God. 11:11 As a result, he and these other rebellious creatures, 11:13 who had free will too, were cast out of heaven and are 11:19 now here on earth. 11:20 Here again is the Bible, Revelation 12. 11:22 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in 11:25 them. 11:26 Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! 11:28 for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, 11:32 because he knoweth that he hath but a short time 11:35 (Revelation 12:12, KJV). 11:38 Woe to us! 11:39 Why? 11:41 Because the devil has come down unto you and he is full 11:44 of wrath. 11:45 It s a real mistake to allegorize Satan, to make him 11:48 out to a figment of human imagination, just a symbol of 11:54 our darker side or the like. 11:55 My Bible talks again and again about a literal being 12:00 who is at war with us and with God. 12:02 Look at the following texts and keep in mind two points 12:05 that are found in them: first, the reality of the 12:08 devil; and second, the fact that he is working against 12:12 us. 12:13 Firstly, 1 Peter 5:8, the Bible says: Be sober, be 12:20 vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a 12:23 roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour 12:29 Ephesians 6:11, KJV Put on the whole armour of God, that 12:35 ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the 12:37 devil And 2 Corinthians 2:11, KJV, Lest Satan should get an 12:41 advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices 12:45 And before I go further, there s one more text I want 12:48 to look at because it's one of the most important ones in 12:52 all the Bible, one of the most important texts that can 12:57 help us understand the nature and the outcome of this great 13:00 controversy. 13:02 Talking about Jesus, the Bible says in Hebrews 2:14 13:03 that: Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of 13:12 flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of 13:14 the same; that through death he might destroy him that had 13:19 the power of death, that is, the devil (Hebrews 2:14, KJV). 13:24 Notice that He will destroy the one who had the power of 13:27 death, that is the devil. 13:28 Satan's ultimate fate is to be destroyed. 13:31 We might be in a war, in a battle, in a controversy, but 13:36 we know beforehand that the good side wins, that God wins 13:39 and, in a nutshell, what God is saying to us in the Bible 13:43 is this: Come on over to the winning side. 13:47 Jesus has won the battle for you, and He offers you the 13:49 fruits, the promise, the guarantee of His victory 13:52 against Satan. 13:54 Talk about an offer! 13:55 I'd like to say, It's an offer you can't refuse, but 13:59 in God s universe, we all have free choice, and so we 14:03 can refuse. 14:05 The question is, Why would we? 14:09 When God offers us everything and the devil offers us only 14:12 death and destruction, why would we chose anything else? 14:15 If we do, it s because we are allowing Satan to deceive us. 14:20 Remember, the Bible says that he deceives the whole world. 14:25 But we don't have to be fooled. 14:27 We just don t have to be, as Paul wrote, ignorant of his 14:31 devices, and one of the ways we can know his devices is 14:35 through studying the temptation in the wilderness, 14:38 and how Satan tried to use his devices on Jesus and 14:42 failed. 14:43 First, Satan tried to tempt Jesus in the area of 14:47 appetite, telling Jesus to use His power to turn stones 14:50 into bread. 14:52 How did Jesus respond? 14:54 He used the power of God's Word, saying to Satan: It is 14:58 written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every 15:03 word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 15:06 (Matthew 4:4, KJV). 15:09 Jesus didn't argue with Satan, he didn't get into a 15:11 theological debate, and he didn't try to reason with him. 15:15 He simply went to the Bible and he quoted the Bible. 15:19 And that was enough to shut the devil down. 15:21 There s an important lesson there, when we struggle with 15:23 temptations. 15:25 We can go to God s Word and claim His promises for 15:28 victory, just as Jesus did. 15:31 So, what happened next in the wilderness? 15:33 That first ploy didn't work, so Satan tried something else. 15:37 Here s Matthew s account of the second temptation of 15:42 Jesus: Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, 15:46 and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto 15:50 him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for 15:54 it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning 15:58 thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at 16:02 any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 16:06 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not 16:11 tempt the Lord thy God That's Matthew 4:5-7 16:16 Look at what s going on here. 16:18 Jesus used Scripture against the devil, and so what does 16:21 the devil do? 16:22 He comes back to Jesus and tempts him, this time quoting 16:26 Scripture himself! 16:27 Jesus used the Bible as His means of countering the 16:30 devil's first attack in the wilderness, and so the devil 16:34 tried to meet Jesus on His own ground, quoting Scripture 16:36 back at Him. 16:38 And yet here's an important point. 16:41 Though the devil quotes Scripture, he really 16:44 misquotes it, taking it out of context and trying to get 16:46 it to say something different from what it meant. 16:50 This has been his ploy for millennia now, and often used 16:53 for horrendous purposes too. 16:56 The devil has plenty of folks willing to misquote and 16:59 misuse the Bible for their own ends. 17:02 The difference between presumption and faith. 17:06 That's straight ahead. 17:11 In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God says It is written Man 17:15 shall not live by bread alone but by every word that 17:18 proceeds out of the mouth of God . 17:21 Every Word is a one minute Bible-based daily devotional 17:23 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed 17:26 especially for busy people like you. 17:29 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch it 17:32 on-line everyday on our website itiswritten.com. 17:36 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 17:38 Watch Every Word. 17:39 You ll be glad you did. 17:41 Here s a sample: In Sequoia National Forest 17:53 recently an ancient sequoia crashed to the ground. 17:56 The fall was caught on video. 17:57 A towering giant let go of its grip on the earth, and 18:01 down it came after standing for fifteen hundred years. 18:04 As majestic as these big trees are - and I've seen 18:07 them right up close - sooner or later (and usually much 18:10 later) they fall. 18:11 Everything does in the end. 18:13 Buildings are demolished, people pass away. 18:15 Is there anything that really lasts? 18:17 One thing. 18:18 Isaiah 40:8 says, The grass withers, the flower fades, 18:21 but the word of our God stands forever. 18:24 God s word never falls. 18:26 It's been attacked but it is still true. 18:28 It's been criticized and derided, demeaned and 18:31 disparaged, but it was true when it was written and it's 18:33 true today. 18:34 It stands. 18:36 When everything about you is giving way, trust the word of 18:38 God. 18:39 It stands forever. 18:40 I m John Bradshaw for It Is Written. 18:42 Let s live today by Every Word. 18:46 Planning for your financial future is a vital aspect of 18:48 Christian Stewardship. 18:50 For this reason, It Is Written is pleased to offer 18:52 free planned giving and estate services. 18:55 For information on how we can help you, please call 18:58 1.800.992.2219. 19:01 To receive additional material on the advantages of 19:04 life-income plans such as a Charitable Gift Annuity, 19:08 which can provide you with tax benefits and income for 19:10 life, call today or visit our special website: HYPERLINK 19:15 "http://www.hislegacy.com You could also write to It Is 19:20 Written, Planned Giving and Trust Services, 19:24 Box O, Thousand Oaks, California 91359. 19:27 Our toll-free number again is 1-800-992-2219 and our web 19:32 address: www.hislegacy.com One of the worst examples of 19:41 somebody misquoting the Bible was when, during a religious 19:45 war in Europe, a commander stood over the city they were 19:48 about to attack and his aide asked him, How are we going 19:52 to know who is on our side who is the enemy? 19:55 The commander responded, Kill em all and then, quoting 19:58 Scripture, or actually misquoting it, added, 20:01 the Lord knoweth them that are his. 20:05 And this is what Satan does here. 20:07 In Matthew 4:6 he says to Jesus, For it is written: He 20:11 shall give His angels charge over you, and, In their hands 20:16 they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a 20:19 stone. 20:21 " Now that all sounds nice but the devil doesn't quote 20:24 it in its entirety. 20:26 He just takes a certain part of it, omitting the rest. 20:28 The texts were from Psalm 91 and read like this: For he 20:34 shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in 20:37 all thy ways. 20:39 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash 20:42 thy foot against a stone (Psalm 91:11-12, KJV). 20:46 He leaves out the most important part. 20:49 God will give His angels charge over you, to keep thee 20:53 in all thy ways, that is, in all thy ways and paths of 20:57 righteousness, of obedience of faithfulness. 21:02 That s the crucial qualifier that Satan leaves out, trying 21:05 to give Jesus the idea that it doesn't matter what He 21:08 does, God will protect Him and be with Him. 21:10 But, as we saw, that s not what the texts said. 21:15 The devil misquoted the Scriptures and He certainly 21:19 didn t fool Jesus. 21:20 How did Jesus respond to this temptation? 21:22 Back to Matthew, Ch 4. 21:26 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not 21:32 tempt the Lord thy God (Matthew 4:7, KJV). 21:36 ' He said it is written again. 21:40 Jesus went back to the Bible. 21:42 He didn t argue with Satan, and He didn t point out 21:45 Satan's misuse of the Bible, either. 21:47 Jesus just went right to the Word of God and responded 21:50 with a text that rebuked the devil s attempt to lead Him 21:53 into presumption. 21:55 Now I don't know any promises in the Bible which tell me I 21:58 can deviate from obedience and expect God to pour out 22:02 His blessings on me. 22:04 You still might get blessed, you still might have success, 22:09 but that doesn't mean it s from the Lord. 22:11 I find it hard to believe that it was God s will for 22:13 John D. 22:14 Rockefeller to put all those folks out of business and 22:16 swallow up their companies through his shady and greedy 22:19 practices. 22:20 Just because something is what the world would deem 22:22 successful, isn't necessarily the same thing as being 22:25 blessed by God. 22:29 Hugh Hefner, by the world s standards, is being 22:32 successful, but who would say that God was blessing him? 22:36 People invoke God s name in all sorts of schemes; people 22:40 will misquote Scripture to justify even the most sordid 22:44 deeds; people will do the most outrageous things, 22:48 believing for whatever reason that God will bless their 22:51 efforts even if those efforts are completely contrary to 22:55 His revealed will. 22:57 This is all presumption, and that is what Jesus refused to 23:01 fall for and we should refuse to fall for it too when we 23:05 are tempted to do things in the name of God that He would 23:10 never sanction. 23:11 Presumption is the counterfeit of faith. 23:13 Faith trusts in God s promises, and brings forth 23:17 the fruits of obedience in response to those promises. 23:21 Presumption, on the other hand, claims those promises 23:24 but then uses them to excuse or justify wrong actions. 23:28 Faith trusts that if we obey God, if we walk in the path 23:34 of obedience, if we comply with the conditions sets 23:37 forth in the Word, then God will bless us according to 23:41 His will. 23:42 Presumption, on the other hand, claims the promises of 23:45 God but ignores or defines the conditions upon which 23:50 they based. 23:52 We are in the midst of a universal battle between 23:56 Christ and Satan. 23:57 And you can be sure that the devil is using every device 24:03 and every scheme he can toward each of us, especially 24:07 if we profess faith in God. 24:10 Presumption is a sin of the believer, not the atheist. 24:13 The atheist doesn't presume on God because he doesn't 24:17 believe in God--though I heard of someone who said, 24:20 Thank God, I'm still an atheist. 24:22 And there's good news. 24:24 Christ s death on the cross covers even the sin of 24:26 presumption. 24:28 If you have presumed upon God, if you have sought for 24:31 the promises without following the conditions, 24:36 then flee to Jesus and flee to the cross. 24:38 You can repent of your sins, whatever they are, even that 24:40 of presumption, and you can receive Christ's forgiveness. 24:44 And then, in faith and in obedience, you can press on, 24:49 claiming all the promises offered us in His Word. 24:52 And that's not presumption. 24:54 That s faith. 24:56 Let s pray together. 24:58 Father in heaven, I pray that where we have been 25:02 presumptuous you would forgive us and lead us to be 25:06 people of faith. 25:08 I pray that we would never lean on the Bible and use it 25:12 to excuse things we should not be doing. 25:15 I pray the Bible wouldn t be a cloak that somehow conceals 25:20 our sins but that your Word would be powerful enough to 25:25 create in us clean hearts. 25:26 Help us to come clean and have faith truth faith in 25:28 your word and not to stoop to presumption. 25:34 We thank you that you can be trusted, we thank you that 25:36 your word is perfect, we thank you that your ways are 25:37 right. 25:38 Lead us in them please, I pray in Jesus'name, amen. 26:05 Today, I want to offer you this special, free book, on 26:08 the subject of God's promises, including some of the very 26:11 promises God makes to us to reassure us that 26:15 He is there for us even when we fall. 26:17 You will find it very encouraging. 26:19 It's called God's Promises. 26:21 Dozens of promises from the Word of God with 26:22 encouragement for you to know God and grow in His grace. 26:26 This is going to help you in your daily walk with Jesus. 26:29 Just call or write and I will send you God's promises. 26:33 There is no cost or obligation. 26:34 It's absolutely free. 26:36 Just call this number, 1 800 253 3000 26:40 and ask for God's Promises. 26:42 You can call 24 hours a day. 26:44 If the lines are busy, please just keep on trying. 26:47 You can also request your free copy of God's promises 26:52 by writing to It Is Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, 26:54 California 91359. 26:57 And we will mail a copy to your address in North America. 27:00 Please note, this free book is limited to the supply on 27:03 hand. 27:04 For immediate access, you can download a free, electronic 27:07 version of this book, God's Promises, from our website, 27:10 It Is Written.com. 27:12 It Is Written is a faith-based ministry made 27:14 possible by viewers like you. 27:15 I want to say Thank you to you for your support of It Is 27:18 Written. 27:19 To support the worldwide outreach of It Is Written, to 27:22 make it possible for people to continue receiving this 27:25 broadcast, your tax deductible gift may be sent 27:27 to the same address, or you can give on-line at It Is 27:30 Written.com. 27:32 Thank you for your continued support. 27:34 Our toll-free number is 1 800 253 3000 and our web address 27:40 is It Is Written.com. 27:43 Thanks for joining me today. 27:44 Look forward to seeing you again next time. 27:46 Until then be sure to remember It Is Written: 27:51 man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that 27:55 proceeds from the mouth of God. |
Revised 2015-02-06