Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001421A
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00:07 It has stood the test of time. 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. Thanks for joining me 00:38 on It Is Written. In 1903 the Ford Motor 00:42 Company was born. It was founded by a 40-year-old 00:45 man named Henry Ford, who had tried before to 00:48 get into the automobile manufacturing business 00:50 but without a lot of success. This time around, within ten 00:53 years Ford had introduced the assembly line into his 00:56 manufacturing process and in less than twenty years 00:59 was producing a million cars a year. 01:02 Doubling his employees' pay not only meant they were better 01:05 off but there were a whole lot more people who could 01:08 afford to buy Ford vehicles. And that helped Henry Ford. 01:13 Ford produced the famous Model T and the Model A 01:16 and sold millions of each. 01:18 ♪ [Music playing] ♪ [old time car horn] 01:27 The first car I ever owned was a Ford - a white 1969 01:31 Mark 2 Ford Cortina, a thing of beauty that I 01:35 could start with a screwdriver. Unfortunately, it ended up 01:39 in a wrecker's yard after I was hit by a drunk driver, 01:42 but that's another story. Thank the Lord, 01:45 I walked away unhurt. Ford bought Lincoln in 1922 01:47 and then he brought the Mercury brand into the Ford fold 01:51 in the 1930s, and down through the years Ford has produced 01:54 some classic vehicles, like the Thunderbird 01:56 [Big V8 rumble/purr] and the Mustang. 02:00 ♪[Music]♪ There's been the Falcon 02:03 and the Taurus and the Fiesta and the Explorer 02:06 [Many car horns] ♪ [music] ♪ 02:08 and outside the United States the Mondeo... 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. But a success it was not. 02:30 In 1958, the first 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. In 1959 that number 02:40 dropped by about a third. In 1960, less than 02:44 3,000 Edsels sold. Ford lost a boat load of money 02:49 - about two billion dollars in today's value - and the Edsel 02:52 became synonymous with failure. To be honest with you 02:56 I'm not really sure why. It's said that the car 02:58 failed because of styling, engineering and marketing. 03:01 If you ask me the Edsel wasn't the "ugliest"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. The failure of the Edsel might 03:15 even have had something 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? Today, Ford is the fifth-largest 03:28 maker of automobiles in the world, 03:31 second largest in the United States. 03:34 The top-selling vehicle in the United States 03:37 is often a Ford. No question the failure 03:38 of the Edsel hurt Ford at the time, but over the years 03:41 the Ford company - like so many others 03:45 - learned to weather failure and turn it around 03:50 and enjoy success. Now, I've got another 03:53 failure story for you. I wonder if you can figure 03:56 out who I'm talking about. This is the story of a young 03:59 man whose lfe began with great promise, but unlike Henry Ford 04:02 when this man was 40 years old his life 04:06 was falling apart. (Don't worry - the story has 04:09 a happy ending.) As a baby he narrowly escaped death, 04:13 then was raised in privilege, a member of the Royal Household 04:18 of a prominent 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. But then one day as a young man 04:29 with the world at his feet, he witnessed an act 04:33 of injustice that made him so 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. Murder, as you know, 04:46 is a serious business and he realized he had to leave town 04:49 in order to save his own life. So he fled the royal household 04:52 and spent the next 40 years 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, 05:04 to be a man of great influence in the world. 05:07 And what did he do? He took God's gifts 05:10 and he threw it all away. Even his adoptive father 05:13 was determined to kill him. Imagine that. 05:16 Having it all, and then failing so badly 05:20 you lose it all. In place of luxury and wealth 05:24 this man became a fugitive, a criminal with a murder charge 05:28 on his record, on the run 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? He was bound for greatness 05:41 but murdered a man. What do you think he deserved? 05:44 Believe it or not, believe it or not ... that man is in 05:49 heaven right now. I'm serious. We've got evidence for it. 05:54 This man who was a colossal failure is in heaven. 05:59 How did that happen? I'll tell you more in just 06:01 a moment. 06:02 [Music] 06:08 If you could just go back in time and do things 06:11 differently. Perhaps you've struggled with 06:13 regret and the added weight of guilt. 06:16 And while there's no way to undo the past, God offers us a 06:19 forgiveness so complete that it comes with a 06:21 promise of a life that will never end. 06:24 Sound too good to be true? Well, see what the Bible says. 06:27 Our booklet, "Hope for a Planet in Crisis," 06:30 will walk you through the Bible's teachings about 06:32 sin and forgiveness and show you how a new start 06:35 can be yours. Just call (800) 253-3000 and 06:41 request your free copy of "Hope for a Planet in Crisis." 06:45 If the line's busy please do keep on trying, or write to 06:48 It Is Written, P.O. Box 6, Chattanooga, TN 37401. 06:54 We'll mail a free copy to your address in North America. 06:57 Again, our toll-free number is (800) 253-3000, and our web 07:02 address is ItIsWritten.com. 07:08 Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 07:11 I'm John Bradshaw. Today, Faith and Failure. 07:15 A young man raised in privilege, a young man with 07:18 the world at his feet, a young man raised in 07:21 a Middle Eastern Royal Family... murders someone, and leaves 07:25 behind his life of privilege and flees to live 07:28 in an arid wilderness. A classic example 07:30 of a man throwing his life away. You couldn't call the man 07:34 much other than a failure. Yet the Bible tells us that this 07:38 man is in heaven while we're talking here today. 07:41 Seriously. I'll tell you why that is. 07:44 Because God is able to take our failures and turn 07:48 them into victories. It's a terrible thing to fall 07:50 so far, to lose everything you have, everything you've worked 07:53 for, maybe lose everything someone else has worked 07:55 for for you. The shame can be unbearable 07:58 and the disappointment can be crushing. 08:00 But God is able to take our messes and somehow get us 08:04 through them and lead us on to a better tomorrow. 08:07 And how can I be so sure about that? 08:09 Because that's what God did for Moses, our young Middle 08:14 Easterner who was raised in Pharaoh's household but fled 08:17 when he murdered someone. Now, no matter which way 08:20 you measure this thing, Moses had made a complete mess 08:22 of his life. He had been given so much 08:25 but had thrown it away. Instead of being the success 08:27 he was raised to be, he was an abject failure. 08:30 But God is in the business of working with failures. 08:33 According to the Bible Moses is in heaven right now - 08:37 he appeared with Jesus when Jesus was transfigured, 08:40 and it says this in the book of Jude verse 9, 08:57 Evidently Moses' body was resurrected and he was taken 08:59 to heaven. A murderer. A failure. 09:03 Resurrected and taken to heaven! 09:06 You see, that's what God can do with our failures - 09:11 if you'll let him. Moses is really the Biblical 09:14 poster boy for failure. God miraculously spared his 09:19 life, and then not only did he murder the Egyptian and then 09:22 spend 40 years in the wilderness, but leading God's 09:25 people for another 40 years, on the borders of the Promised 09:28 Land, after having seen God and spoken with God and having 09:31 stood at the burning bush and after leading Israel through 09:34 the Red Sea and after seeing the pillar of cloud 09:38 and the pillar of fire and after eating manna sent from 09:40 God for four decades - he blew it again! 09:44 In a pique of anger he struck the rock to bring out water 09:47 instead of speaking to the rock, and God had to explain 09:51 to Moses that his offense was so serious he couldn't 09:54 enter the Promised Land. Two strikes against him. 09:58 And then what? Moses was resurrected 10:01 and taken to the Heavenly Promised Land. 10:06 You know, too many people are ready to quit because 10:07 of their failures. It happens in everyday life. 10:10 I've heard of people who gambled away 10:11 everything they had - [Police siren] 10:13 and they killed themselves. 10:17 I know of people who've lost everything due to bad business 10:20 deals or due to a challenging economy, and have ended their 10:24 lives - or have gone nuts on drugs or alcohol and lost 10:26 their family and friends. And it happens in church 10:29 or in a person's relationship with God. 10:32 The person will stumble, fall, embarrass themselves or their 10:35 family, and then they feel they aren't worthy 10:38 of God's mercy - which is true, incidentally: we're not worthy 10:41 but God gives it to us anyway - and very often people decide 10:45 to give up on their faith - they give up on God. 10:48 [Single sharp pistol shot] Look: if Moses can murder 10:52 someone and still be commissioned by God 10:54 to lead the exodus, there has to be hope for you. 10:58 If Moses can blow it at the rock and still be resurrected 11:00 and taken to heaven... What does that say 11:03 about the hope we have - even when we foul things up? 11:05 Let's think about King David. Knowing better, he took 11:09 another man's wife. He deliberately had the 11:12 woman's husband killed in battle, he lied about it, 11:14 he brought calamity upon his family... 11:18 If David can go through all that, and STILL be God's man, 11:22 the leader of God's people, that has to reassure you that 11:26 God is in the business of using broken people to 11:28 accomplish great good. Now I want to be careful 11:31 about something. This is not to say 11:33 that the sins of Moses and David weren't of consequence 11:35 or weren't serious. They were! 11:38 The Bible says in Romans 6:23 11:44 Sin is a serious business! But what Moses and David did 11:47 was they repented - and they were accepted by God when they 11:52 saw the seriousness of their sin and asked God to "cleanse" 11:54 them of their sin. Look at David's 11:58 repentance with me. We read about it in Psalm 51. 12:02 Remember what David had done. Adultery, murder, dishonesty, 12:05 he'd disgraced his throne and sadly misrepresented 12:10 his God. But he comes to God 12:12 understanding something. He understands that God 12:15 is the God of the new start. David knows that he can rely 12:19 on God to forgive him and let him begin again. 12:25 Psalm 51 is where we will read. 12:27 I want you to think about how encouraging this is if YOU'VE 12:29 ever made mistakes, if you've ever done something 12:32 you're not proud of. If you've ever failed, 12:34 even spectacularly. This is what David says, 12:57 Then in verse 7 David says this, 13:07 Hyssop was used at the Passover to sprinkle blood upon 13:10 the doorposts of the homes, and it was used in special 13:14 cleansing ceremonies in the Old Testament. 13:16 David saw his need of cleansing. 13:37 And God DID forgive David, to the extent that Jesus 13:39 was referred to as the "Son of David". 13:43 David is quoted in the New Testament and included among 13:46 the great faithful ones in Hebrews 11. 13:49 So if you've failed, there's hope for you. 13:52 Think of some of the other failures in the Bible, people 13:54 who God then worked with and made new. 13:57 There was the woman taken in adultery. 13:59 A group of men were prepared to stone her, 14:02 but what did Jesus do? He said to her, " 14:08 He didn't justify her sin, but he understood her 14:10 repentance and accepted it, and sent her on her way 14:14 forgiven and cleansed. There was the woman 14:17 at the well. Jesus said to her, 14:21 Hardly a picture of stability and domestic bliss. 14:24 But Jesus sought her out so he could forgive her and give her 14:28 hope - He didn't seek her out to condemn her. 14:33 Now we're familiar, many of us, with John 3:16, 14:37 "God so loved the world", but not as many people 14:38 are familiar with the next verse, John 3:17. 14:44 Even though it's one of the most hopeful verses in the Bible, 14:47 and it talks about God's plan to lift up the fallen, 14:49 to turn around the lives of those who have failed. 14:52 I'll share that hopeful verse with you in just a moment. 14:56 [Music] 15:11 Time for today's Bible question. Here it is: When Cain was driven 15:15 out after he killed his brother, it is said he dwelt in the land 15:18 of Nod and then the record says that "Cain knew his wife". 15:22 But the world had just been created, 15:24 where did the other people come from since according 15:26 to the written word, only Adam and Eve and their two 15:29 children would have been the inhabitants. 15:31 In other words, where did Cain's wife come from? 15:35 Now, don't be shocked at what I am about to say 15:38 but the fact is that Cain married his sister. 15:41 Now we don't know how old Cain was at the time or how old she 15:44 was or if they grew up together or perhaps if they 15:46 didn't even know each other for the majority of their life 15:49 until they met later on. See, Adam and Eve 15:51 lived to be very old and it seems that Eve 15:53 had many children over a long period of time. 15:56 Adam was 130 years when he fathered Seth who came after 15:59 Cain and Abel. Seth was 105 when he fathered 16:03 Enos. Now Cain did certainly 16:05 did not get married at 22, or 20, or 19 or 18 years old. 16:07 He was older. By then, he would have had 16:11 a sister who was old enough to be his wife. 16:14 As distasteful as this sounds, keep in mind that we have got 16:17 examples in the Bible where similar things happened. 16:21 Abraham married his half sister, for example. 16:24 Now later, God strictly forbade, 16:27 he strictly prohibited this, but early on there weren't 16:30 the genetic issues that we face today that would 16:32 make this sort of marriage a problem based 16:34 on health grounds. So Cain married his sister ... 16:38 a little creepy, perhaps, but we are talking about 16:40 thousands of years ago and really, really, 16:42 it could not have been any other way. 16:44 If you would like me to answer your Bible question, 16:46 please go to itiswritten.com, you'll see the link and you 16:48 could submit your question there and I might be able 16:51 to answer your Bible question in a future program. 16:55 [Music] Every Word is a one-minute 17:02 Bible-based daily devotional presented by Pastor John 17:05 Bradshaw and designed especially for busy people 17:08 like you. Receive a daily spiritual boost. 17:11 Watch Every Word. [Music] 17:21 He was a "couldn't miss" college baseball prospect, but when he 17:24 dived head-first into a base during a college game Corey 17:28 Hahn broke his neck and was paralyzed. 17:31 His playing days were over. But in the baseball draft the 17:35 Arizona Diamondbacks drafted him. 17:38 He became a member of a professional baseball 17:39 organization. He won't play, but even with his 17:43 disability they selected him for the team. 17:45 It's a story of compassion and kindness. 17:47 And I see a parallel. Even though we've been injured 17:50 by sin - disabled by sin - out of His incredible kindness and 17:54 grace God drafts us onto His team. 17:57 God says in Isaiah 41:9, "You are My servant, I have chosen 18:01 you and have not cast you away." If anyone asks what team you 18:06 play for, you can tell them in spite of your lack, 18:09 God has chosen you to be on His team. 18:11 Let's live today by Every Word. 18:14 I'm glad you've joined me today. 18:15 I'm John Bradshaw and this is It Is Written. 18:18 Today - Faith and Failure. God is so good that even 18:22 when we fail He is able to give us hope. 18:25 I have a good friend who's studying right now 18:27 to be a Christian minister. He came to faith 18:29 in Christ in a jail cell. His life was at rock bottom. 18:32 He'd made some terrible errors of judgment, and while he was 18:35 in prison he reached out to God and God lifted Him up. 18:39 Today, very much a free man, his life is dedicated to sharing 18:42 hope with others. I've come to know men 18:46 in prison on murder charges, men who have realized 18:48 that a failure in this world doesn't have to mean 18:51 eternal failure. They've learned that God 18:53 is able to change a life and change a heart. 18:55 And while that in no way means that God condones the crimes 18:59 that were committed, there are people in prisons all over 19:02 the world who know that God has given them new life. 19:05 Their spiritual failures have been turned 19:08 into spiritual victory. One night Jesus spoke 19:12 with a man named Nicodemus and He said this to him. 19:15 You'll find it in John 3:17. Here is what Jesus said 19:19 to Nicodemus, 19:32 If Jesus wanted to condemn you for your mistakes 19:35 He surely could! Paul wrote in Romans 3:23, 19:41 But what God wants to do is forgive, He wants 19:43 to remake, He wants to recreate and transform. 19:47 Think of some of the great failures in the Bible. 19:50 Peter denied Jesus. Outright denied Him. 19:54 And what did Jesus do? After His resurrection He sent 19:57 a special message to Peter. Remember? 20:01 An angel said to Mary at the tomb in Mark 16:7, 20:19 There was reassurance for Peter. "Peter, I'm not done with you. 20:22 You're still special to me. I still love you and I've still 20:25 got a plan for you." Imagine how Peter must have 20:28 felt to get that message from Jesus! 20:30 There's no doubt he felt terrible for what he had done, 20:33 and he probably was beating himself up badly. 20:35 But Jesus reassures him. "I haven't forgotten you, 20:39 Peter." Even though you failed. 20:42 Think of King Manasseh. The Bible says a lot about him 20:45 - and almost all of it is very uncomplimentary. 20:50 It says he sinned more than the heathen nations 20:52 that the Lord destroyed; it says he did abominations, 20:55 he made Israel sin with his idols; he shed 20:58 innocent blood so that he filled Jerusalem from one end 21:01 to the other. That's what the Bible says. 21:04 And what became of Manasseh? 2 Chronicles 33 tells us he 21:09 repented and he died a saved man. 21:13 Manasseh was a failure, a disgrace. 21:16 He was a despicable individual - but he came back from his 21:20 failures and found faith in the God of heaven. 21:24 There was Solomon had all those wives and concubines - 21:28 hundreds of them - and worshiped pagan gods, 21:30 and yet God forgave him when he repented. 21:32 I think about Abraham lying about Sarah, saying she was 21:35 his sister and not his wife. His son Isaac did the same 21:42 thing, lying about Rebekah, his wife. 21:44 saying that Rebekah was his sister 21:46 Both men almost lost their way because they were cowardly 21:49 and lied. Yet God forgave their spiritual 21:53 failures. It's a wonder, but it seems 21:56 their wives forgave them too! There was Aaron, the brother 22:00 of Moses, made an idol of gold - a golden calf - when Moses 22:03 was up on the mountain receiving the ten commandments. 22:06 I mean - what was he thinking?! And he comes up with a lame 22:10 excuse saying that, oh, we just threw a bunch of gold 22:11 in the fire and what do you know? 22:14 This calf just came out? I mean... that's ridiculous. 22:18 And yet Aaron served God as God's high priest. 22:23 The good news is, Spiritual failure doesn't need to mean 22:28 the end for you and me. Now again, I'm not minimizing 22:32 the danger of sin or of dishonoring God. 22:35 There's a high price to pay for that. 22:37 Our spiritual failures may come back and cause us 22:40 trouble in our lives. That's true. 22:42 But it is good to know that failing spiritually once, 22:45 or twice, OR over a period of years, doesn't mean that God 22:49 is done with us and can't use us. 22:51 And that we cannot enjoy everlasting life. 22:53 We all need to hear that. We all have our issues, 22:56 some more than others, and every day there are people 22:59 crashing and burning spiritually. 23:02 And the devil wants those people to think that God 23:05 is finished with them. Well, He isn't. 23:10 Now, I'll mention some other Bible characters. 23:12 Judas. Sold Jesus to His murderers. 23:15 King Saul, just fell apart, really, and lost his way 23:18 spiritually. Achan, who stole the gold 23:21 and the clothing from the enemy and died as a result. 23:23 You know, God could have forgiven them. 23:26 God "would have" forgiven them, except they never came 23:29 to God to be forgiven. They didn't repent. 23:33 And so they owned their failures and weren't forgiven. 23:38 The greatest basketball player to ever play the game 23:41 was Michael Jordan. An NBA champion 6 times 23:47 and won two Olympic gold medals. Yet here's what he says. 24:12 And basketball's just a game that doesn't mean a thing 24:14 in the final analysis. But that's the attitude 24:16 of a winner. And it's the attitude 24:18 of a Christian who trusts in Jesus. 24:20 I might have failed over and over again, but I know God 24:24 isn't finished with me and I'm pushing forward. 24:28 I'm hanging on. Reminds me of Thomas Edison. 24:31 He said, 24:37 ♪ [Music] ♪ He said, 24:51 I hope you'll remember today that God doesn't cast off 24:54 those who stumble and fall. He is not finished with you 24:58 when you fail, but welcomes you back to forgive you 25:04 and give you a new start. In fact, He has promised 25:07 to do so. [Music] 25:10 Our booklet, "Hope for a Planet in Crisis," 25:13 will walk you through the Bible's teachings about 25:15 sin and forgiveness and show you how a new start 25:18 can be yours. Just call (800) 253-3000 and 25:23 request your free copy of "Hope for a Planet in Crisis." 25:27 If the line's busy please do keep on trying, or write to 25:30 It Is Written, P.O. Box 6, Chattanooga, TN 37401. 25:36 We'll mail a free copy to your address in North America. 25:40 It Is Written is a faith-based ministry, and your support 25:43 makes it possible for us to share God's good 25:45 news with the world. Your tax deductible gift can be 25:49 sent to the address on your screen, or through our 25:51 website at ItIsWritten.com. Thank you for your continued 25:55 prayerful support. Again, our toll-free number is 25:58 (800) 253-3000, and our web address is ItIsWritten.com. 26:07 Planning for your financial future is a vital aspect of 26:10 Christian stewardship. For this reason It Is Written is 26:14 pleased to offer FREE planned giving and estate services. 26:17 For information on how we can help you, please call 26:20 1-800-992-2219 call today, or visit our special website: 26:26 www.HisLegacy.com 26:33 Today we've talked about faith and failure. 26:35 I imagine if you're anything like me, it's not hard 26:38 to remember your spiritual failures. 26:42 I want to pray with you right now and ask that God will give 26:45 you success in the place of defeat and disappointment. 26:49 Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank 26:53 you that you are the God of the new start. 26:56 We thank you that you are able to take a failure and turn 27:00 that person into a spiritual success. 27:02 We thank you that you see beyond our mistakes, beyond 27:04 our shortcomings, beyond our weaknesses, and you see 27:07 what we can be through faith in Christ. 27:10 So please today, Lord, let that be in our lives. 27:13 Give us the grace not to repeat our past 27:16 errors and give us the encouragement we need 27:19 that when we are low because of our stumbles 27:20 and falls, to look up and remember that you welcome us 27:23 into your arms and that you will cleanse us 27:27 and forgive us. We thank you today that there 27:31 is victory in Jesus and we pray in Jesus' name, 27:34 Amen. 27:43 [Music] 27:51 Thank you for joining me today. 27:52 I look forward to seeing you next time. 27:55 Until then, remember the Bible says 27:57 It is written, man shall not live by bread alone but by 28:01 every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 28:09 ♪ Theme Music ♪ |
Revised 2016-07-25