It Is Written

Seeing the Voice of God

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: John Bradshaw

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Series Code: IIW

Program Code: IIW001274


00:00 (Music and forest sounds) The great American, George
00:18 Washington Carver, once said: "Reading about nature is fine.
00:23 But if a person walks in the woods and listens
00:25 carefully he can learn about more than what's in books
00:28 because the woods speak with the voice of God."
00:32 [Music] Psalm 19:1 says
00:42 "the heavens declare the glory of God
00:44 and the firmament shows his handiwork."
00:47 Today on It Is Written, let's consider what David
00:56 meant when he wrote those words.
01:07 It has stood the test of time,
01:12 God's book, the Bible, still relevant in today's
01:19 complex world.
01:20 It Is Written, sharing hope around the globe.
01:39 [Sounds ... piano] There is little doubt nature
01:45 speaks about the God of nature, the Creator God.
01:55 The Bible opens with the words "In the beginning God made
01:58 the heaven and the earth."
02:02 And the nature we see speaks to us of the God we don't see.
02:12 I've come to Costa Rica, truly one of the most beautiful
02:16 countries on the face of the earth.
02:25 Costa Rica has the greatest density of animal species
02:28 anywhere on the planet, all compressed into an area
02:32 about the size of the state of West Virginia.
02:36 Every year millions of people come from all over the world
02:42 to enjoy the natural beauty of this land.
02:48 Costa Rica's natural beauty is truly breathtaking.
02:52 Remarkable animals, spectacular beaches,
03:02 volcanoes and rain forests.
03:13 Costa Rica is home to nearly 500,000 animal species,
03:16 an estimated four percent of the total found worldwide.
03:25 The lush expanse of Costa Rica4s rain forest is hard to imagine
03:29 if you have not been here.
03:32 Well over 1200 species of butterflies are found
03:35 in these forests, along with over 8000 species
03:39 of moths.
03:40 Perhaps there is no better place to speak of the God of nature
03:44 and to delve deeper into the lessons the natural world
03:48 offers those who seek to know him.
03:57 Nature is often referred to as God4s second book.
04:01 Inasmuch as nature reveals to us so much about the character
04:04 of God, it4s our privilege to be able to behold much of
04:08 the wonders and the workings of God in our natural
04:11 environment.
04:12 In fact, by studying nature you can learn much about the plan
04:16 of salvation, about the blessings of patience
04:18 and hard work and about the results of sin
04:21 in this world.
04:23 Throughout the Bible, many stories and illustrations
04:26 draw their lessons from the natural world.
04:29 Jesus often referred to nature in order to make spiritual
04:34 points clear to us.
04:35 The Bible presents God as both the Designer and the Ruler
04:41 of the world of nature, something that sets the religion
04:45 of the Bible totally apart from the other religions
04:47 of the world.
04:50 Most religions throughout history,
04:53 particularly those at the time the Bible was written,
04:56 worshipped Gods who were themselves products of nature.
05:02 Sun gods, moon gods, sea gods, weather gods, fertility gods ...
05:08 all of these were not only part of the natural world but were
05:14 part of religious systems which sought to fit human beings
05:17 into the rhythm and balance of nature.
05:21 The gods of most ancient peoples worked through the cycles
05:24 and the elemental forces found in the natural world.
05:27 They weren't seen by their worshippers as independent
05:31 of these forces.
05:32 But the God of heaven often showed himself
05:36 to be in control of nature, sovereign over the elements,
05:40 the One who is in ultimate control of the environment.
05:44 In the Bible we read the story of the prophet Elijah.
05:48 Through the prophet Elijah God told Israel4s King Ahab
05:52 that there would be neither dew nor rain in the land
05:55 until God said otherwise.
05:58 In the New Testament you read that Elijah actually prayed
06:01 to God that this would happen so that the people, recognizing
06:05 that God was sovereign over everything,
06:08 would be brought to repentance.
06:11 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours and he
06:13 prayed earnestly that it would not rain
06:15 and it did not rain on the land for three years
06:19 and six months.
06:20 And he prayed again and the heavens gave rain
06:24 and the earth produced its fruit.
06:28 This is one of countless times in human history
06:31 when God demonstrated who in fact has power over
06:34 the forces of nature.
06:35 The worshippers of the pagan gods
06:38 Baal and Ashtoreth, which were being
06:41 worshipped in Israel during the time of Elijah believed
06:44 that these pagan gods controlled the changing
06:48 of the seasons, the climate, the sun
06:50 and the rain.
06:52 But in God4s dealing with Israel during Elijah4s time,
06:56 he demonstrated clearly who is the one that has power
07:01 over nature.
07:03 By shutting up the heavens and causing the rain to not fall
07:06 those three and a half years, God was in effect saying
07:09 to those pagan gods "so you think you
07:11 control nature?"
07:12 "You think you can make the sun shine and the rain fall?
07:15 Now is your chance to prove it."
07:23 In Matthew 4:4, the Word of God says, "It is written, man shall
07:27 not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds
07:31 from the mouth of God."
07:32 Every Word is a one-minute Bible-based daily
07:35 devotional presented by pastor John Bradshaw
07:37 and designed especially for busy people like you.
07:42 Look for Every Word on selected networks, or watch it on-line
07:45 everyday on our website, itiswritten.com.
07:48 Receive a daily spiritual boost.
07:50 Watch Every Word.
07:51 You'll be glad you did.
07:53 Here's a sample:
08:04 Have you ever noticed how songs get stuck in your
08:07 mind and sometimes you can't get rid of them, now matter
08:10 how hard you try.
08:11 There are times I'll hear a song I have not heard in 30 years
08:14 and I can still remember every word, every key change,
08:17 every harmony as though I had been studying this song
08:20 the day before.
08:21 God understood this which is why He said in 1 Chronicles 16:9,
08:25 "sing to Him.
08:26 Sing Psalms to him.
08:27 Talk of all His wondrous works.
08:30 Here is something that will help you get God's word
08:33 into your mind.
08:34 If you will sing hymns or songs of praise or learn Scripture
08:37 songs, that's Bible verses put to music, they will stay
08:40 in your mind and you will never forget them.
08:42 If you fill your mind with the songs of the world,
08:45 you will be blessed if you reprogram your
08:48 mind with the songs of God.
08:50 Let the power of music work for you.
08:52 Let's live today by Every Word.
08:57 It Is Written is dedicated to sharing the gospel
08:59 around the world.
09:00 To discover more about It Is Written, I invite you to visit
09:03 our website: itiswritten.com, and browse the dozens of pages
09:08 that describe what we do and how we do it.
09:10 Let's get to know each other better.
09:12 Visit our website itiswritten.com, today.
09:19 God's supremacy over nature is absolute control
09:23 over nature's forces and nature's laws
09:25 is one of the very first messages contained in the Bible.
09:32 It's what the creation story is all about.
09:35 "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
09:41 Nature is not God, according to Scripture.
09:45 God is the one who brought nature
09:47 into existence.
09:48 It is interesting that in the Genesis creation story,
09:52 the sun and the moon are not named.
09:55 This was undoubtedly because these heavenly bodies
09:58 were considered divine in the ancient world and Moses,
10:03 who wrote the Book of Genesis, is saying that these
10:05 created objects are not in any sense divine.
10:12 Describing the creation of these bodies,
10:14 the Bible simply states: "Then God made two great lights;
10:18 the greater light to rule the day
10:21 and the lesser light to rule the night."
10:23 By refusing even to name these objects in the creation
10:29 account while simply declaring them to be great lights,
10:33 which God made, the Bible is denying to these bodies
10:37 any right to reverence or worship.
10:43 This is one reason why the theory
10:45 of evolution is unacceptable both to God and to
10:49 the message of the Bible.
10:51 God didn't need evolution to bring His creatures
10:56 into existence.
10:57 He spoke them into existence.
10:59 The Bible makes clear that God is the Sovereign
11:02 and the Master of all of creation.
11:05 In fact, the Bible says this: "By the Word of the Lord
11:10 the heavens were made and all the host of them
11:13 by the breath of His mouth, for He spoke and it was done.
11:18 He commanded, and it stood fast."
11:21 In other words, God didn't just oversee the process
11:26 of bringing nature into being.
11:28 God spoke into being.
11:30 The power that gives life to this world is not inherent
11:34 in nature itself rather its' the gift of the all-knowing,
11:39 all-powerful Creator God.
11:41 As we look around our world, we are reminded
11:48 pretty well everywhere we turn that this world cannot
11:50 be nearly as beautiful as was the Garden of Eden but in spite
11:53 of the scars that sin has left on our planet,
11:56 all is not ruined and ugliness in the world of nature.
12:02 The rising and the setting sun still warm the soul.
12:06 The flowers of spring and the freshness after the rain
12:09 still remind us of the rebirth and transformation promised
12:12 by the Gospel.
12:14 One author designed the season of spring as the theater
12:18 of resurrection, the bursting forth of life
12:22 following the cold and death of winter is perhaps one
12:25 of the loveliest metaphors of Christ's own resurrection
12:28 from the dead.
12:29 In the wake of Calvary's unspeakable agony
12:32 and the dashing of hope inflicted by Christ's
12:36 dying on so many hearts the complexity of the natural
12:40 world is probably one of the strongest proofs
12:43 of God's creator-ship.
12:44 Think of the intricacies of just a single human cell.
12:50 Biology textbooks only a few years ago were able to produce
12:54 material two inches thick just on the subject on the cell.
12:59 Now they can produce books that thick on the individual
13:02 parts of the cell.
13:03 It can be hard to see how anyone can view the complexities
13:07 of nature and not be persuaded that God put
13:12 all this together.
13:14 Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, God declares
13:17 of his creation: For thus says the Lord,
13:20 who created the heavens, who was God, who formed
13:24 the earth and made it, who has established it,
13:28 who did not create it in vain, who formed it to be inhabited.
13:33 I am the Lord and there is no other.
13:37 According to God's word, nature doesn't exist to glorify
13:42 itself, rather it exists to glorify its Maker.
13:48 We read this message over and over again in the Psalms.
13:52 The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows
13:57 his handiwork.
13:59 Day unto day utters speech and night unto night reveals
14:04 knowledge.
14:05 There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.
14:10 Their line has gone out through all the earth and their words
14:15 to the end of the world.
14:17 In another passage we read "those who go down to the sea
14:21 in ships, who do business on great waters, they see the works
14:26 of the Lord and his wonders in the deep.
14:30 For He commands and raises the stormy wind which lifts up
14:35 the waves of the sea.
14:37 They mount up to the heavens.
14:40 They go down again to the depths.
14:42 Their soul melts because of trouble.
14:46 They cry out to the Lord in their trouble.
14:48 He brings them out of their distresses.
14:51 He calms the storm so that its waves are still.
14:58 This Psalm was literally fulfilled in
15:01 the earthly ministry of Jesus.
15:02 One night, Jesus and his disciples were on
15:05 the Lake of Galilee and a tremendous storm rose.
15:08 The Gospel of Mark takes it from there.
15:11 And a great wind storm arose and the waves beat into the boat
15:17 so that it was already filling, but he was in the stern,
15:22 asleep on a pillow and they awoke him
15:24 and said to him "Teacher, do you not care that we
15:28 are perishing?"
15:29 They he arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea
15:33 "Peace, be still."
15:35 And the wind ceased and there was a great calm
15:40 and they feared exceedingly and said to one
15:44 another: Who can this be that even the wind
15:48 and the sea obey him?
15:52 Again and again Jesus demonstrated that nature
15:54 is under his control.
15:56 So many times Jesus healed diseases and vanquished
15:59 afflictions for which there was no natural or medical
16:02 remedy then or now.
16:04 Paralyzed limbs were restored to health and vigor.
16:07 Blind eyes were made to see again.
16:10 Even the dead were brought back to life.
16:12 And perhaps greatest of all, Jesus' own resurrection
16:16 demonstrates that God is above nature.
16:21 The decay, the eventual oblivion that has become part of our life
16:25 because of what sin has done are not the final word.
16:29 God has the final say.
16:31 When he chooses to do so, God is able to interrupt
16:35 the rhythm, balance and the inevitability of nature
16:38 and its laws.
16:40 The wind and the sea still obey God's voice, even today.
16:45 The God of Scripture is still the God of nature.
16:49 I especially enjoy the stories of faith concerning
16:51 that Christian giant, George Mueller.
16:54 One story has it George Mueller was traveling
16:58 across the Atlantic Ocean to a speaking appointment
17:01 in Quebec, Canada, when the ship was socked in by fog
17:06 and the captain announced that he had to slow the ship
17:08 down for the safety of everybody involved.
17:11 Mueller explained to the captain that this would not do.
17:14 Surely, he would now miss his speaking appointment,
17:16 so could he please go to the ship's chart room
17:19 to pray that God would lift the fog.
17:21 Accompanied by the captain, Mueller went to that room
17:24 and he prayed that God would take the fog away.
17:27 The captain began to pray too but during the captain's prayer,
17:31 Mueller interrupted him.
17:32 He said, why don't we go up now and see if God
17:35 has answered our prayer because I think he has.
17:39 When the two men went up to the bridge,
17:41 the fog was completely gone.
17:44 God is still the God of nature and the captain became
17:50 a Christian soon after.
17:55 In Costa Rica there are 894 species of birds,
18:01 more than in the United States and Canada combined.
18:04 The beauty of the scarlet McCaw or the Quetzal is perhaps
18:08 unrivaled anywhere on earth.
18:10 Birds in Costa Rica range in size from tiny
18:13 humming birds barely two inches across
18:16 to huge birds with a wingspan of up to nine feet.
18:21 It isn't hard to imagine that God cares
18:23 for creatures who display such beauty.
18:26 But on one occasion, the Lord took notice of the little
18:30 sparrows and stated: Not one of them is forgotten before God.
18:35 If it had been one of these spectacular birds like the ones
18:39 here in Costa Rica that Jesus was talking about his audience
18:43 might have understood better but Jesus was reminding
18:46 his hearers that even such apparently insignificant
18:49 creatures as the little sparrows command the attention
18:53 of our loving God.
18:54 He then went on to say "do not fear therefore, you are of more
19:00 value than many sparrows."
19:04 Here in Costa Rica, stewardship for the land
19:07 is taken very seriously.
19:09 Costa Rica's "pura vida" image has been carefully cultivated
19:13 and is known and appreciated around the world.
19:17 But stewardship for the land is actually
19:20 a very biblical idea.
19:21 You go to the Bible, you read in Genesis 2:15 that In
19:25 the beginning, God took the man and put him into
19:29 the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it
19:32 and at the other end of the Bible,
19:35 in Revelation 11:18, it tells us that when Jesus
19:38 returns and the final judgment of humanity is complete,
19:43 God will destroy those who destroy the earth.
19:48 Some years ago a prominent government official in
19:51 the United States, a Christian, said that he
19:54 believed that it really didn't matter how we treated
19:56 the environment because, after all,
19:59 Jesus was coming back soon.
20:01 Well, I don't know.
20:02 Nature itself has suffered under the weight
20:07 of the sins of humanity.
20:08 Not only do God's people look forward to the return of Jesus,
20:14 but nature itself look forward to the time
20:17 the sin problem is going to be brought to a conclusion.
20:22 Consider these words written by the Apostle Paul.
20:26 For the earnest expectation of the Creation eagerly
20:29 waits for the revealing of the sons of God.
20:31 For the creation was subject to futility not willingly
20:36 but because of him who subjected it in hope
20:39 because the creation itself also will be delivered
20:43 from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty
20:47 of the children of God.
20:48 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors
20:53 with birth pangs together until now and not only they
20:57 but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit,
21:00 even we ourselves groan within ourselves
21:05 eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption
21:08 of our body.
21:10 Even nature wants Jesus to come again soon.
21:14 This sin ravaged world will experience its final death
21:17 agonies when Jesus returns to this earth.
21:21 This is what Peter wrote: "But the day of the Lord
21:24 will come as a thief in the night in which
21:26 the heavens will pass away with a great noise
21:29 and the elements will melt with fervent heat both
21:34 the earth and the works that are in it
21:37 will be burned up."
21:38 The Book of Revelation also describes this moment:
21:42 "And there were noises and thunderings and lightenings
21:45 and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty
21:50 and great earthquake as had not occurred since
21:52 men were on the earth.
21:53 Then every island fled away and the mountains
21:59 were not found.
22:01 But that isn4t the end of the story.
22:04 After you read about the millennium of Revelation 20
22:07 you then read about what God is going to do to this
22:11 sin-damaged earth, how he is going to
22:14 re-make his Creation.
22:16 Restoring the glory and the beauty
22:19 of a lost Eden.
22:21 Revelation contains this fantastic promise: "And I saw
22:26 a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven
22:29 and the first earth had passed away and there was no more sea
22:34 and I heard a loud voice from heaven saying:
22:37 "Behold the Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell
22:40 with them and they shall be his people and God himself
22:47 will be with them and be their God.
22:51 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
22:55 There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying
22:59 and there shall be no more pain for the former things
23:03 have passed away.
23:05 Then he who sat on the throne said: "Behold.
23:09 I make all things new."
23:11 And then this chapter goes on to tell us about
23:15 the glorious city that God is preparing for his people.
23:19 And the City had no need of the sun or of the moon
23:25 to shine in it for the glory of God illuminated it
23:28 and the Lamb is its lights.
23:31 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day.
23:36 There shall be no night there.
23:38 At last, God and nature will be fully reconciled.
23:45 All of creation will be restored to Eden beauty.
23:48 God's people will live in full harmony with nature and with
23:53 the God of nature for all eternity.
23:56 George Washington Carver once said: "I love to think
24:00 of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station
24:04 through which God speaks to us every hour
24:08 if we will only listen."
24:11 If we'll only listen.
24:13 Are you listening today?
24:15 I want to encourage you to see evidences of a loving God
24:19 in the created world around you.
24:21 When you look at nature, look beyond the nature that you see
24:25 and let nature remind you that God is good and God is love.
24:47 One of the most serious subjects in the Bible is the subject
24:49 of hell and it is one of the least understood.
24:52 What does the Bible really say about hell?
24:55 Is there a hell and if there is, how long will it burn?
24:58 You don't want to miss today's free offer: "Understanding Hell
25:02 - Separating Fact from Fiction."
25:05 It's a practical, biblical look at a subject that has puzzled
25:08 a lot of people.
25:09 You'll be thrilled to understand just what God's word says about
25:13 hell and what Jesus himself says on the subject.
25:16 Just call or write and I'll send you this free book
25:20 "Understanding Hell."
25:21 You really ought to have this book and there
25:23 is absolutely no cost to you and there is no obligation.
25:26 Just call 1.800.253.3000 and ask for the book
25:32 "Understanding Hell."
25:34 You can call anytime day or night.
25:36 If the line is busy, just keep trying.
25:39 You can also get this free book by writing to It Is Written,
25:41 Box O, Thousand Oaks, California 91359.
25:45 We will mail a copy to your address in North America and you
25:49 can download a free electronic version of this book
25:54 Understanding Hell from our website, itiswritten.com.
25:58 Understanding Hell will not only take the mystery out
26:01 of the subject of hell but it will help you understand
26:04 hell biblically and in a way that increases your faith
26:07 in God.
26:08 Contact us right away to get your copy
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26:14 without a doubt one of the most important books
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26:46 I4d like to pray with you now.
26:47 Would you pray with me?
26:49 Let's take a moment to do that.
26:51 Our father in heaven, thank you that you are the God of nature.
26:53 Thank you that you made this fabulous world and the beauty
26:57 we see in it.
27:00 I thank you that one day soon you will recreate this earth,
27:03 that the blight of sin and the curse will never
27:05 be seen again and that we will live with you
27:07 eternally in a land that is only pristine and beauty.
27:13 Lord, as you have made this earth
27:15 and will remake it I pray that you will remake us
27:19 and bless us with the presence of Jesus and the beauty
27:23 of his character.
27:25 We thank you today and we pray in Jesus' name, amen.
27:46 Thanks for joining me today in Costa Rica, I look forward
27:50 to seeing you again next time until then, Remember,
27:52 It Is Written, Man shall not live by bread alone
27:57 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.


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Revised 2015-02-06