Participants: Pr. John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001222
00:07 It has stood the test of time, God's book, the Bible.
00:17 Still relevant in today's complex world. 00:22 It Is Written, sharing hope around the globe. 00:36 In 1981 the writer William Saroyan said something that I 00:40 believe most everybody can relate to. 00:44 Saroyan had cancer and knew that it wouldn't be long 00:47 before he died. 00:49 In an interview with an associated press he said this, 00:51 he said, 'Everybody's got to die, but I always believed that 00:56 an exception would be made in my case.' And then he said, 01:01 'now what?' Now, there's a question when it comes to death, 01:07 Now what? 01:09 You know the Bible says that people would live three score 01:12 and ten and that we know is about 70 years. 01:15 These days a lot of people do a little better than that. 01:18 In Japan, average life expectancy is about 01:23 82 and 1/2 years. 01:24 Now, statistics vary depending on whose statistics you read. 01:27 The list might be a little bit different but it's generally 01:30 accepted that your pan has the longest life expectancy than any 01:32 country in the world. 01:34 Eighty-two and a half years or there abouts. 01:37 In Spain or Sweden average life expectancy is 81. 01:40 In Singapore, you can expect to live about 80 years old. 01:45 Now in Wanuatu in the South Pacific that number changes. 01:49 Average life expectancy there 70. 01:52 In Ghana, West Africa, life expectancy is 60. 01:58 In Cameroon is 50. 02:00 And in Swaziland the average life expectancy is almost 40. 02:07 But no matter how long you are going to live or expect to live, 02:11 there is always that question that is going to have to be 02:15 answered one day. 02:16 After death, Now what? 02:20 You know, when God created Adam and Even in the Garden of Eden, 02:23 he didn't create them to die. 02:24 He created them to live forever. 02:28 And even after sin came into the world and brought death with it, 02:31 Adam still managed to live to be 930 years old. 02:36 Now his son Seth lived to be 912. 02:39 Seth's son Enos lived to be 905. 02:43 Methuselah died in the year of the flood in Noah's day, lived 02:48 to be 969 years old. 02:51 That's almost a thousand years. 02:53 A millennium. 02:54 But even Methuselah had to answer the question, 'Now 02:58 what?' I am sure you've heard that old saying that says 03:03 that in this world there are only two sure things, 03:05 'death' and 'Taxes'. 03:07 Now, a lot of people has managed to cheat on their taxes, but 03:11 unless your name is Elijah or Enoch, there is no way in this 03:16 world you are going to be able to cheat 'death'. 03:21 I'm here at Mount Hope Cemetery in College Place 03:24 Washington. 03:25 It's a beautiful place. 03:27 I've been here many, many times. 03:29 When I lived in College Place Washington, I would often come 03:32 to Mount Hope Cemetery just to, to walk around. 03:36 As a church pastor in this area, I officiated many, many 03:39 funerals. 03:41 A lot of which ended up here at Mount Hope Cemetery. 03:45 Usually in a poignant gathering around somebody's final, very 03:49 peaceful resting spot. 03:52 This is a serene place. 03:55 It's a calm place. 03:58 It's a place to remember, a place to think. 04:02 Like cemeteries everywhere, Mount Hope Cemetery tells a lot 04:07 of stories, a lot of very interesting stories. 04:11 Now really, in all reality, the stories told here are usually 04:15 very brief. 04:17 On the average grave marker you will find the decease's name 04:22 and someway there, a year of birth and then a year of death. 04:27 Sometimes a brief comment, and that's about it. 04:31 In fact, the stories usually contained in that hyphen, 04:34 that's between the year of birth and the year of death. 04:39 If you look around a cemetery like this one, you will see that 04:41 many people lived a good long time. 04:43 A lot of people here lived to be one hundred years old or longer. 04:49 And as you look around you'll find who died in their nineties 04:52 and in their eighties. 04:53 Good long lives. 04:55 And there are those who died in their seventies. 04:57 That is less than the average U.S. 05:00 life expectancy of Seventy eight point six. 05:04 There are those who died in their sixties and fifties. 05:06 We would agree that's just too early. 05:08 Some they died in their forties. 05:11 Some in their thirties, in their twenties, and then there are 05:15 those who died even younger. 05:18 In fact, there are graves scattered throughout this place 05:21 and, just over here is a cluster of graves where infants, small 05:26 children rest, just days or weeks old. 05:32 And that's always a tragedy. 05:36 No matter how long a person lives, there is that question 05:40 that waits to be answered. 05:42 After death, 'Now what?' So how can we find a satisfactory 05:48 answer to that question? 05:51 How can we face with confidence the inevitability, which is 05:57 death? 05:59 I'll talk with you about that, just a moment. 06:04 Perhaps something in today's program has sparked your 06:07 interest in greater Bible study. 06:08 We invite you to visit our website, It Is Written.com. 06:12 where you will find a host of inspirational resources 06:15 including free bible study guides. 06:17 There is also a complete archive of past television programs and 06:20 some special video seminars that you can view on line or 06:23 download. 06:24 Discover more at It Is Written dot com. 06:29 Death is an invader. 06:31 The Bible calls it an enemy. 06:34 And nobody is immune to it. 06:36 No matter what your standing or your accomplishments in this 06:39 life. 06:40 Elvis Presley died at the age of forty two. 06:43 President John F. 06:44 Kennedy was forty-six when he died. 06:47 Fame and fortune couldn't prevent death when coming to 06:49 John Lennon died at the age of forty. 06:52 Princess Diana was only thirty-six years old when she 06:55 died. 06:56 Death is no respecter of persons. 06:59 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was thirty-nine years old when he 07:01 was gunned down in a motel in Memphis, Tennessee. 07:06 Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, all were only 27 when 07:10 they died. 07:12 You can be a president or a pauper, famous or infamous. 07:17 A saint or a sinner, and death is going to come. 07:23 And then the question is asked, 'Now what?' Some Australian 07:28 aboriginals believe that when a person dies, the spirit goes off 07:31 to a spirit world, that person goes to the spirit world and the 07:35 spirit comes back to guide the living through life in this 07:38 world. 07:39 New Zealand Maori mythology teaches that when a person dies, 07:43 the spirit goes to the northern most part of that country 07:46 therefore departing from there and returning to their ancestral 07:50 homeland. 07:51 I had a conversation with a lady from India who told me that in 07:54 her culture, death is viewed as merely an extension of life. 07:59 The next stage as it were. 08:02 Look at the tombs of ancient Egypt. 08:04 And you will see that they testify the ancient Egyptians 08:08 put a lot of care, put a lot of thought into what happened after 08:12 a person died. 08:15 Greek mythology taught that the souls of the dead, some of them 08:19 at least would ferried across the River Styx in or two Hades. 08:25 In the ancient Norse believed a variety of things might happen 08:28 when a person died. 08:29 Among them that those who were killed in combat might go on and 08:33 inhabit Valhalla, the hole of the slain. 08:38 But one thing we know is certain. 08:41 They can't all be right. 08:43 But what all these cultures have in common is that they all 08:47 believe 'death' is not the end. 08:51 They all believe something happens beyond one's final 08:55 breath. 08:56 William Saroyan's 'Now What?' question gets answered. 09:01 The late actress Marlene Dietrich said once, 'when 09:05 you're dead, you're dead. 09:07 That's it.' But that's not what most cultures and peoples 09:11 have taught down through the ages. 09:13 It seems as though as if most people an innate sense, that 09:16 there is something beyond one's final breath. 09:21 Does the Bible teach us what happens after a person dies? 09:23 Yes it does. 09:25 And to clearly understand where the Bible is coming from on 09:27 this, let's look at a well know case study. 09:30 Lazarus was a dear friend of Jesus. 09:33 He was the brother of Mary and Martha. 09:37 They, who were also friends of Jesus. 09:40 They lived in Bethany, about 2 miles outside Jerusalem, and 09:42 Lazarus died. 09:44 Four days after Lazarus died, Jesus came to Bethany. 09:49 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming to town, got up and ran 09:52 to meet Jesus. 09:55 And when she saw Jesus she said, 'Lord, if you had been here, 09:59 my brother would have not died.' You see, she had great 10:02 faith of Jesus ability to bless and to heal. 10:06 And she had an idea that death need not be the end for her 10:10 brother. 10:12 She said to Jesus, 'Even now, I believe whatever you ask of 10:15 God, God will give it to you.' It was, it was a prayer if you 10:20 like. 10:22 And Jesus said this to Martha; he agreed with her that death 10:28 was not the end. 10:31 He said, 'Martha, your brother shall rise again.' You see, 10:36 Jesus told very clearly that after death, there would be a 10:40 resurrection. 10:41 As a matter of fact, Jesus told in the bible that there would be 10:45 two resurrections. 10:46 I want you to know something, only one of them you want to be 10:52 part of. 10:53 I'll tell you more about that in a moment. 10:56 In Matthew 4:4 the world of God says, It Is Written, 'Man 11:03 shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds 11:05 from the mouth of God.' Every Word is a one minute bible base 11:08 daily devotional presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and 11:13 designed specially for busy people like you. 11:15 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch it on line 11:19 every day on our website, It Is Written dot com. 11:24 Receive a daily spiritual boost, watch Every Word, you'll be 11:28 glad you did. 11:29 Here is a sample. 11:38 I heard about some professional football players who went out to 11:40 dinner at a restaurant in Texas and ran up a bill of would you 11:45 believe it, fifty five thousand dollars. 11:48 Even if the entire 53 men had eaten and they didn't, that 11:53 would had been more than a thousand dollars a person. 11:55 In anyone's language, that's a waste of money. 11:57 God knows we waste our money, he says in Isaiah 55:2 why do you 12:01 spend money for what is not bread and your wages for what 12:05 does not satisfy? 12:07 So often we pursue things that a little or no value. 12:10 What are you spending your money on? 12:12 Or your time on? 12:14 If an audit was done in your life right now, would you be 12:16 satisfied with what you are investing your life in? 12:19 This verse talks to us about priorities. 12:22 What's most important to you? 12:23 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written; let's live today by 12:27 Every Word. 12:33 Cemeteries like this are usually peaceful places. 12:35 For some people cemeteries are painful places, because they 12:38 represent love ones lost, life gone. 12:43 Something precious that has been taken away. 12:48 Not long ago I officiated in a funeral service for a 12 year 12:50 old boy who was laid to rest here in this cemetery. 12:54 He died after a rather tragic turn of events. 12:58 And you can imagine, it was a very, very said affair. 13:00 However, I can tell you this. 13:01 That funeral services was colored by hope. 13:05 Very real hope. 13:10 Because it was known that one day is going to be a 13:12 resurrection. 13:13 Now, Jesus comment on this directly. 13:14 Speaking to a crowd of people one day he said this words which 13:17 are recorded in John chapter 5, verses 28 and 29. 13:22 Jesus said, 'Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in 13:26 the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and 13:29 shall come forth. 13:32 They that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and 13:36 they that have done evil unto the resurrection of 13:40 damnation.' Two resurrections, one you want to be in. 13:47 that's the resurrection to life, the other, the 13:52 resurrection of damnation. 13:54 Now, without going into all of the details about the 13:56 resurrection of damnation just now, it's pretty obvious that 14:00 that's not a resurrection that you or I would want to be in. 14:04 two resurrections. 14:06 And there we have the answer to the 'Now what?' question. 14:11 There is going to be a resurrection one day. 14:17 Now, let's go back to the story of Lazarus. 14:19 Jesus had told Martha, Your brother, Lazarus, shall rise 14:24 again. 14:26 Now, Jesus and Martha are joined by Mary outside Bethany. 14:30 And Jesus says to them, 'I am the resurrection and the life. 14:38 He who believes in me, even though that person was dead, 14:40 that person shall live again. 14:43 Jesus gave them very real hope. 14:44 That there'll no only be a resurrection one day, but a 14:48 resurrection that anybody who chooses to accept God's great 14:57 gift can participate in. 15:00 Jesus then says, take me and show me where Lazarus is laid, 15:03 where he is buried. 15:05 So they went to Lazarus's graveside. 15:07 Now, Lazarus wasn't buried in a cemetery like this. 15:10 He was buried in the equivalent of that age. 15:15 In fact, when they go to Lazarus grave they discovered Lazarus 15:19 was buried unsurprisingly in a cave, in a tomb. 15:22 And in front of that cave, a large stone had been rolled for 15:24 what I think pretty obvious reasons. 15:26 Jesus then made a radical request. 15:30 He said, take away the stone from in front of the grave. 15:33 The people protested, oh, you don't really want us to do 15:36 that. 15:38 Now, I can understand why they protested for experience. 15:42 I attended a funeral service for a man who had been dead like 15:44 Lazarus for four days. 15:46 This was in a place where embalming was not practiced. 15:49 Let's just say it wasn't pretty. 15:54 I can understand why they did not want to stone rolled away. 15:56 But Jesus was insistent, take away the stone. 15:59 And they did. 16:03 And then Jesus to the amazement of everybody around addressed 16:11 Lazarus, he cried out and he said, Lazarus, Come forth! 16:14 Have you ever wonder what the people in that group that day 16:16 were thinking? 16:17 He's asking to get up and walk out of a cave? 16:20 What's he thinking? 16:21 Jesus said, Lazarus, come forth. 16:23 And then to the amazement of everybody who looked on, clad in 16:30 gave cloths, Lazarus walked out of that tomb. 16:33 They took the grave cloth off him and Lazarus who had been 16:37 dead was very much alive. 16:38 Now, we don't know how long Lazarus lived after that 16:45 resurrection whether short of long, the bible doesn't say. 16:48 But we know he lived. 16:49 And we can be certain he was glad to have his life given back 16:53 to him. 16:54 We can be certain that his family was glad to receive him 16:59 again. 17:02 And we can be 100 percent certain that the people looking 17:04 on were absolutely amazed. 17:06 Lazarus had been raised from the dead. 17:09 This was a foreshadowing of what will happen one day. 17:14 Jesus said in John 5 there'd be two resurrections. 17:18 The one we want to be in is the resurrection to life. 17:23 How can we be certain that we can have a place in the 17:26 resurrection to life. 17:28 I'll tell you how in just a moment. 17:31 It is written is dedicated to sharing the gospel around the 17:34 world. 17:36 To discover more about It Is Written, I invite you to visit 17:38 our web site, It Is Written dot com. 17:40 And browse a dozen of pages that describe what we do and how we 17:44 do it. 17:45 Let's get to know each other better. 17:51 Visit out website It Is Written dot com, today. 17:53 One of the most difficult things a person can be called upon to 17:56 experience is the death of a love one. 17:58 Extremely difficult. 18:00 But even in the midst of that, God does not leave us without 18:03 hope. 18:05 God offers us very real hope that one day there will be a 18:09 resurrection. 18:11 In the Bible we have the story of Lazarus, the dear friend of 18:14 Jesus. 18:15 The brother of Mary and Martha, who after he'd been dead for 18:18 four days, was raised from the dead when Jesus called out to 18:21 him and said, 'Lazarus, come forth!' There are many other 18:25 stories in the bible dealing with resurrections as well. 18:28 In the world of God we have the widow of Nain who had her son 18:33 given back to her from the dead through the power of Jesus. 18:40 Then there is the twelve-year-old daughter of a 18:43 man named Jairus. 18:45 Again, Jesus intervened, turned death back into life. 18:50 And the man was able to receive his beloved daughter again. 18:54 Also in the bible in the book of Acts, there is the story of a 18:57 man named Eutychus who fell asleep and fell out of a third 19:00 floor window down to the ground and he died. 19:06 Now, he didn't fall asleep because the preacher Paul was a 19:10 boring preacher. 19:12 He fell asleep because it'd been a long day and he was 19:14 simply tired. 19:15 But the preacher Paul went down to the ground where Eutychus 19:19 laid and God worked through Paul. 19:21 The power of God worked through the great apostle and Eutychus 19:25 came back from the dead. 19:27 And then there is a remarkable story. 19:29 You read about this in the book of 2 kings and chapter 13. 19:33 A man was on his way of being buried. 19:36 And that, because there was an invasion taking place a roaring 19:40 army approaching town, his family just very hurriedly just 19:44 put his body in the nearest available tomb. 19:47 It happened to be the tomb of Elisha. 19:49 And this man's body went into that tomb, and then touch the 19:54 bones, it was put so close to the bones of Elisha, I guess 19:58 touching the bones of Elisha, and because he touched the bones 20:03 of the dead prophet, this man came back to life. 20:06 Can you imagine the surprise of the family; in fact can you 20:08 imagine the surprise of the dead man coming back to life, 20:12 discovering he was in a tomb. 20:14 Just one of many. 20:16 There are other stories besides in the world of God. 20:19 I am not suggesting for a moment I don't want you to 20:22 misunderstand me. 20:24 I am not suggesting for a moment that these people are raised to 20:26 immortality. 20:27 They weren't. 20:28 They were raised to life, and they lived again, presumably, we 20:31 expect, they died again. 20:33 So they are called upon to experience being resurrected 20:38 twice. 20:40 God says there is going to be a resurrection. 20:44 Ttwo resurrections, one the resurrection of damnation. 20:48 But the one that we are most interested today, the one we 20:50 want to be a part of, should not we be alive when Jesus returns 20:53 to this earth is the first resurrection, the resurrection 20:57 to life. 20:58 Okay, so how can you be certain that you can participate in the 21:03 resurrection to life? 21:06 It's this simple. 21:08 1 John 5: 12 says, 'he, or she that have the Son, have life.' 21:15 It goes on to say that he or she who have not the Son of God, 21:19 hath not life. 21:21 If you posses Jesus Christ by faith, if you believe in Him as 21:25 your personal Savior, as your Lord, if you would yield your 21:30 life to Him and invite Jesus to live his life in you, then you 21:37 have the Son. 21:37 And the world of God says that if you have the Son, you have 21:40 life. 21:42 That's life in this world and should you die, life in the 21:46 world to come. 21:50 Because you would have faith in the One the bible calls the 21:53 resurrection and the life. 21:54 You can live in hope today. 21:55 You don't have to fear death. 21:57 I don't know too many people that embrace death gladly, I am 22:00 not say we are to do that. 22:01 But you don't have to fear death, because there is hope 22:02 beyond death. 22:03 I've spoke to people who've looked death straight in the 22:05 eye, knowing that they were going to die with peace in their 22:13 hearts. 22:14 Why were they able to do that? 22:15 Is not that they were glad to be leaving, of course they were 22:18 going to miss their family and their love ones. 22:20 But here is what they knew. 22:23 They knew that one day there would be a resurrection. 22:25 The resurrection to life. 22:28 And they knew that because they had faith in Jesus Christ, they 22:33 would participate in that very resurrection. 22:37 They were able to die in faith; they were able to die in peace. 22:42 I read a story just the other day about a man in South Africa 22:45 who apparently died. 22:47 He had I think a terrible asthma attack. 22:50 His family presume that he was dead and they took him to the 22:53 local mortuary. 22:54 He was put in the refrigerator drawer in the mortuary. 22:58 About 21 hours later, mortuary staff was horrified and in fact 23:02 they were terrified. 23:04 They were panic stricken. 23:06 From a drawer in a mortuary they heard yelling, and shouting and 23:11 screaming. 23:12 It was loud. 23:13 And they panicked. 23:14 They fled, they bolted out of the mortuary and out into the 23:18 streets. 23:19 They went and found the local police and said you need to come 23:22 down to the mortuary where there is something strange going on 23:24 there. 23:25 I feel sorry for the police how sometimes they get the rough 23:27 jobs. 23:28 They were brought to the mortuary to investigate this 23:29 terrible happening. 23:31 Screaming and yelling coming from a drawer where there should 23:36 have been absolute silence. 23:38 They went to the mortuary, opened up the drawer and found 23:42 the dead man very much alive. 23:46 Now, he was dehydrated, he was suffering from hypothermia, but 23:49 he was very much alive. 23:50 He was brought out of there, he was treated, and he was given 23:53 back to his family and he recuperated and he did well. 24:00 Of course the man wasn't really dead. 24:03 We could say back from the dead because he was presumed dead. 24:06 The truth is a mistake had been made, and he'd been alive all 24:10 along. 24:11 Well, one day, Jesus is going to come back to this earth, and 24:16 those who were really dead and died in faith in Christ, died 24:20 with Jesus as their Savior, are going to participate in the 24:24 resurrection of life. 24:26 Cemeteries like this one all over the world are going to be 24:30 scenes of intense activity. 24:33 As grapes open up and as the bible says, the dead in Christ 24:36 rise. 24:38 Should you pass away before Jesus returns to this earth, you 24:41 can have very real hope today. 24:43 Because one day there is going to be a resurrection. 24:48 A resurrection of the just, a resurrection to life. 24:50 You can be part of that resurrection by knowing now that 24:53 Jesus truly is yours and that you truly are His. 24:57 Let's pray. 25:01 And tell Christ today that we want to be His. 25:05 Our Father in heaven, we thank you today that you don't leave 25:08 us without hope in this world, that there is hope in Jesus, and 25:13 we thank you today that death doesn't remove our hope. 25:16 We are grateful that we can know that one day there is going to 25:20 be a resurrection and that those who have chosen to accept your 25:23 gift of life and have chosen to accept your Son Jesus as Lord 25:27 and Savior, are going to participate in the resurrection 25:30 of life. 25:32 Lord if is not your plan that Jesus comes back while we are 25:35 still alive on this earth, then we want to tell you right now 25:38 that we want to be in the resurrection to life. 25:41 We want to be with you throughout all eternity. 25:43 And so today we choose Jesus and we choose life, and we thank you 25:46 for future assurance that we can experience here now. 25:53 We thank you in Jesus name, amen. 26:10 Perhaps our program today has touched your heart and impressed 26:12 you with a personal need for deeper bible study. 26:15 If you decide to listen to God and follow where he leads, we 26:19 have a wonderful resource that can help you do that in a 26:21 systematic way. 26:22 The discover bible guides. 26:25 These study guides will take you through the essential truths 26:27 taught in Scripture. 26:27 They give you the big picture. 26:31 Show you how all fits together. 26:32 The discover bible guides are a wonderful way for you to become 26:36 grounded in the Word of God, and to see how Jesus Christ relates 26:37 to all the areas of our lives. 26:38 Please call or write us and the discover bible guides will be on 26:41 their way to you. 26:46 If you live in North America, we'll mail these bible guides 26:51 free of charge or for easier and immediate access from anywhere 26:54 around the world, you can get this wonderful lessons on our 26:57 website, It Is Written dot come. 27:05 Request the discover bible guides by calling our toll free 27:07 number 1-800-253-3000. 27:12 Call right now and tell us the name of today's free offer. 27:14 The discover bible guides. 27:15 Lines are open 24 hours. 27:18 If they are busy when you call, keep trying. 27:21 You can also request this offer by writing to: It Is Written Box 27:26 O, Thousand Oaks California 91359. 27:30 Thank you for your letters and your continue support. 27:33 Our toll free number is 1-800-253-3000 27:38 and our web address is It Is Written dot com. 27:44 Thank you for joining me today. 27:45 I am looking forward to seeing you next time. 27:47 And until then, please remember, It Is Written, man shall not 27:53 live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the 27:56 mouth of God. |
Revised 2015-02-06