Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001314
00:07 It has stood the test of time.
00:11 God's book, the Bible. 00:15 Still relevant in today's complex world. 00:21 It Is Written... sharing hope around the globe. 00:36 Thanks for joining me today. 00:37 Back in 1985 the movie "Back to the Future" 00:42 was the biggest movie of that year. 00:44 It starred Michael J Fox as Marty McFly, and Christopher 00:46 Lloyd as Doctor Emmett Brown. 00:48 Steven Spielberg was one of the executive producers. 00:51 Michael J. Fox's character is accidentally 00:53 sent back in time to 1955, and he comes back to 00:57 the future and goes back to the past getting himself 01:00 into and out of all kinds of various tangles. 01:04 The movie was so popular even President Ronald Reagan quoted 01:07 from it in his State of the Union address in 1986. 01:11 Now the movie's plot was built around a fascinating idea - 01:14 Time Travel. 01:16 The idea that a person might be able to go back - 01:19 and forward - in time and affect the world and alter the way 01:23 that lives play out. 01:25 Of course the idea of Time Travel wasn't 01:27 originated by Hollywood. 01:29 Charles Dickens' 1843 novel 'A Christmas Carol' had 01:33 Ebenezer Scrooge traveling to Christmases in the past 01:36 and in the future. 01:37 And shortly before the turn of the 20th Century, HG Wells 01:40 wrote 'The Time Machine'. 01:42 Not too hard to figure out what that might 01:44 have been about. 01:45 Well - just in case Michael J Fox 01:47 had you convinced, a group of physicists in Hong Kong 01:51 recently stated that they have proven time travel 01:55 is an impossibility. 01:56 In case you missed this, discussion about time travel 02:00 has been significant in various circles for some 02:02 years, with some academics taking the position that time 02:05 travel is POSSIBLE. 02:07 But now, the word is it ISN"T possible. 02:11 So that's that, I guess. 02:13 I know - you're shocked. 02:14 [Music in the background.] There you were thinking that 02:16 one day you might be able to go back to the signing of the 02:18 Declaration of Independence and be part of history, or 02:22 maybe go back to Pearl Harbor in 1941 and prevent the attack 02:25 of December 7 that year. 02:26 But I have to confess that when I read the announcement 02:29 from the Hong Kong scientists that time travel 02:32 is impossible... 02:34 I wasn't surprised. 02:35 But I wonder if this would surprise you. 02:40 There's something that is impossible for God. 02:44 [Music in the background] There's a prayer 02:47 God cannot answer. 02:48 In fact, it's the prayer God doesn't want you 02:53 to pray. Seriously. 02:55 There's a prayer God doesn't want us praying - a prayer 02:59 He cannot answer. 03:01 As impossible as time travel. 03:05 So what's the prayer God doesn't want us to pray? 03:07 I'll tell you in just a moment. 03:12 [Music in the background] In Matthew 4:4, the Word 03:14 of God says, 03:22 Every Word is a one-minute Bible-based daily devotional 03:25 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed 03:27 especially for busy people like you. 03:30 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch it on-line 03:34 everyday on our website, itiswritten.com. 03:37 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 03:40 Watch Every Word. 03:41 You'll be glad you did. 03:43 Here's a sample. 03:53 Just a horrible story. 03:56 A 14 year old boy in Syria was overheard by rebels saying 03:58 something they believed was disrespectful to Mohammed, 04:01 so they grabbed him, beat him, executed him, and dumped his 04:06 body back with his family. 04:07 It says something indescribably awful about 04:10 people who would do something so barbaric. 04:12 But it also speaks about the character of God. 04:15 You can disagree with the God of heaven, and He'll let you 04:18 go right on. 04:19 You can be disrespectful and He will let you live. 04:21 That's not to say you should insult God, but God gave you 04:25 freedom of choice - which means you can reject Him 04:29 should you wish to do so. 04:31 The Bible says in Joshua 24:15, 04:36 Force is not God's way. 04:38 He is gracious enough to allow us to agree to disagree. 04:42 Let's live today by Every Word. 04:46 There are some things in this world that 04:48 shouldn't be attempted. 04:49 I mentioned a moment ago that scientists in Hong Kong 04:52 claimed that they have proof that time travel 04:55 is not possible. 04:56 (Who'da thought?) So that being so, any attempts at 05:00 traveling through time are probably not advisable. 05:02 And there are other things you just shouldn't do: texting 05:05 while driving. 05:06 Not a good idea. 05:08 I read about someone who climbed into the lion's 05:11 enclosure at a zoo. 05:12 Made it out alive, but it's really the sort of thing 05:16 you don't want to do. 05:17 When I saw someone had been killed in his act as a human 05:20 cannonball, I have to confess I thought to myself, "Probably 05:25 wiser not to do that sort of thing..." 05:28 Well, there's a prayer a person should never pray. 05:32 It shouldn't even be attempted. 05:34 God can't possibly answer this prayer in the affirmative, 05:38 and this prayer can ultimately be devastating to 05:41 a person's faith. 05:43 When my son was very young, we were praying together one 05:46 night before he went to sleep, and he prayed the prayer 05:48 a person should never pray. 05:49 It's common for children to pray this prayer, although 05:52 many adults pray this prayer as well and maybe because 05:56 children pray it so much that that's why it is so damaging. 06:00 While my son was praying he prayed the usual things - God 06:02 bless Mommy and Daddy and so on... and then he prayed, 06:07 "And Lord, please help me to be good." And there it was. 06:17 "Please help me to be good." 06:20 And when I heard that, I knew I had to do SOMETHING 06:24 before we had a real problem on our hands. 06:27 So I said to him gently a moment later, "Son, let 06:30 me suggest something. 06:31 When you pray, let's not pray that God would help you to be 06:34 good." Now he knew I wasn't going to suggest maybe he 06:38 should pray that God help him to be bad or help him 06:40 not to be good, so I had his attention. 06:43 So why in the world would a father tell his first-born not 06:47 to pray that God would help him to be good? 06:50 There's a very good, very Biblical reason for that. 06:55 I explained it to him. 06:57 And I knew it was hugely important, because people who 07:00 don't understand this point set themselves up 07:02 for lives of spiritual misery. 07:06 That's why I said to my son, "Son, you don't want to pray 07:08 that God would make you good. 07:10 Because the Bible says there is none that does good. 07:12 There is nobody who is good, except for God. 07:15 You're praying for an impossibility. 07:17 God says that there's no one who is good. 07:19 So when you're praying for God to make you good, you're 07:21 praying that God would do something that according to 07:24 the Bible God has said He's not able to do." Understand 07:28 me clearly here. 07:29 If God has said that there is nobody who is 'good', why in 07:32 the world would I - or you - want to ask God 07:35 to make us good? 07:36 We are sinners. 07:39 Even the most righteous person on earth has sinned 07:41 many times at some time during their lives. 07:44 The Bible says there is none that doeth good. 07:46 Not one. 07:47 As sinful people, we cannot be made INHERENTLY good because 07:52 the fact is we are inherently flawed. 07:55 We do want to be RIGHTEOUS, and that's a different matter. 08:01 You know something? 08:06 I don't recall a single place in the Bible where God tells 08:08 us that we should be good. 08:09 I just don't think it's here. 08:10 Now, He does tell us that we should be HOLY. 08:12 That's for sure. 08:13 But not good. 08:15 Stay with me. 08:16 Remember when the Rich Young Ruler came to Jesus 08:18 and called Him 'Good Master'? 08:19 And what did Jesus say to him? 08:21 "There is none good, except for God." So I said to my son, 08:24 "Son, you don't want to pray that God would help 08:27 you to be good. 08:28 What you want to pray is that Jesus would live 08:32 His life in you. 08:34 That Jesus would dwell in your heart. 08:37 And when He does that, you're certainly not going to be bad. 08:42 You're going to have Jesus' righteousness." See friend 08:45 that's the healthy way to approach it. 08:48 I want you to see the difference here between 08:50 two things. 08:51 Human beings have sinned. 08:52 They have lost their 'goodness', let's say. 08:56 We are sinners - sinful. 08:58 But God wants us to be restored, to be 09:02 at one with Him. 09:03 He wants us to reflect His character. 09:05 But how can we do that when we are fundamentally flawed? 09:08 Certainly not by trying our hardest to be good. 09:13 You know what happens to so many people? 09:15 They have this idea that they're supposed to be good. 09:17 And so they try and try. 09:20 The swearer tries and tries to stop swearing, but realizes in 09:24 the vast majority of cases that he or she cannot stop. 09:28 The smoker tries desperately to quit smoking 09:31 but finds she just can't do it. 09:32 The person with lustful thoughts or a wandering eye 09:35 does all he can to keep his mind pure, but he keeps on 09:38 falling back into the same old habit patterns. 09:42 The sinner wants to go straight, wants to be good, 09:44 but doesn't have the ability to do so. 09:48 So, what does he or she so often do? 09:51 That person prays to God that God would help her or him 09:54 to 'be good.' But is that a reasonable prayer? 09:57 No. 09:58 Listen to what Jeremiah wrote, in Jeremiah 13:23 .. 10:03 Jeremiah 13:23 Let's answer that: 10:06 Can the Ethiopian change his skin? 10:09 Can a black man become a white man? 10:11 I think we know that answer to that question. 10:14 Question for you. 10:16 Did you ever see a leopard trade in his spots and start 10:21 sporting stripes like a zebra? 10:25 That doesn't happen very often, does it? 10:27 So God poses the question to us, and there's only one 10:30 answer: " 10:36 No. 10:37 And then God follows that by saying this, 10:48 Let's get this straight. 10:49 God says it's as possible for someone doing evil to ON HIS 10:54 OR HER OWN start doing good, as it is for a black man to 10:58 change his skin color or a leopard to start 11:01 wearing a new style. 11:03 So if "being good" is an impossibility, why in the 11:07 world would anyone want to ask God to help them to be good? 11:10 You'd be praying an impossible prayer, and asking God to do 11:13 something that He can not do. 11:15 A key point is this: right living, right behavior, 11:20 correct deportment is not something a person 11:24 can produce in themselves. 11:26 People have a problem that is within - sin - 11:28 and they need help from above. 11:30 If there was someone who needed to understand this, 11:35 it was King David. 11:36 [Music playing.] King David messed things up big time. 11:40 He fell into bad sin, stealing a man's wife and 11:43 having the man killed. 11:44 And then, he covered up the whole affair. 11:48 So when he needed to go straight, what did David ask 11:51 God to do? 11:52 Did David ask God to help him to be good? 11:56 No he did not. 11:58 What did David do? 11:59 David prayed a special prayer. 12:02 We'll find out what that is in just a moment. 12:05 [Music in background] 12:23 Time for today's Bible question. 12:25 Could you explain 1 John 5:16 and the sin that leads to death? 12:30 Sure. 12:31 Let's read the passage together. 12:33 "If any man sees his brother sin a sin which is not unto 12:36 death, he shall ask and he shall give him life for them 12:40 that sin not unto death. 12:43 There is a sin unto death. 12:45 I do not say that he shall pray for it." 12:48 So there are sins that lead to death and sins that don't. 12:52 Keep in mind here's what Paul wrote. 12:54 He wrote in Romans 6:23, "The wages of sin is death." 12:59 Sin leads to death and that's not just death by heart attack. 13:03 Paul is talking about the second death, the one you read about 13:06 in Revelation 20. 13:07 Final and forever separation from God. 13:11 But John wrote this, "If we confess our sins, 13:13 he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." 13:17 So who is right? 13:18 The fact is they are both right. 13:20 Sin leads to death. 13:22 But if we genuinely ask for forgiveness, 13:24 God forgives us. 13:25 He cleanses us. 13:27 He justifies us or he treats us as if we had never sinned. 13:32 So if someone sins, but they are repentant, God can restore 13:35 that person. 13:36 On the other hand, there is someone in open 13:38 rebellion against God, sinning, while knowing 13:40 it is wrong, and gladly living a life of separation 13:43 from God, well, that is likely a different 13:46 story. 13:47 Now, John is not staying that certain sins don't matter 13:50 because he says in verse 17: "All unrighteousness is sin" 13:53 He stresses the deadly nature of sin. 13:56 It is dangerous to live a life of separation from God. 13:58 And he isn't saying we shouldn't pray for people who 14:02 are living a sinful life, just that if we do, 14:05 he can hardly guarantee that God will answer prayers 14:08 for people who have deliberately turned from him. 14:11 There is no way of being certain they are ever going 14:14 to turn back. 14:15 So the best idea is this: Cling to God and don't let go. 14:19 There are many more answers to Bible questions 14:22 on our website. 14:23 I invite you to go to studies.itiswritten.com. 14:26 And if you have a question you would like me to answer 14:28 on this program, go to itiswritten.com and ask your 14:31 question there and I will do my best to answer your question 14:35 in a future program. 14:36 [Music in background] 14:43 It Is Written is dedicated to sharing the gospel 14:45 around the world. 14:47 To discover more about It is Written, I invite you to visit 14:49 our website, itiswritten.com and browse the dozens of pages 14:54 that describe what we do and how we do it. 14:56 Let's get to know each other better. 14:58 Visit our website itiswritten.com today. 15:02 Today, we're talking about the prayer you should never pray. 15:06 You know, too many people pray and ask God to help 15:09 them to be good. 15:10 But the Bible says we are as capable of doing good 15:13 as a leopard is of changing its spots. 15:15 No doubt, God wants us to be righteous, he wants us to live 15:19 right but if we don't understand how that can happen 15:22 in our life, we'll end up being very unhappy people. 15:26 King David gave us a correct example in this. 15:29 He had a series of terrible failings where he seriously 15:32 made a mess of his life. 15:34 Guilty of dishonestly, adultery and murder, David 15:38 eventually went to God and pleaded with God to help him 15:41 to get back to where he needed to be. 15:43 And what was his prayer? 15:44 Did David pray, "Lord, help me to be good?" No he didn't. 15:49 David instead prayed the beautiful prayer found in 15:52 Psalm 51. 15:54 Here's what he prayed to God. 16:05 David understood what he needed. 16:07 His own goodness had been powerless to keep him out of 16:09 the mud of shame and sin. 16:11 What He needed was God's presence and power. 16:16 He needed God's Spirit - in his life. 16:19 He goes on to pray, David was saying, 16:28 "What I need is not anything that comes from me, 16:31 what I need is something that comes from you. 16:33 I need YOU living your life in me." That's the way the Bible 16:37 portrays Christian living. 16:39 Paul wrote to the Colossians and he told them that the 16:42 essence of the gospel was 16:46 Not "you being good, the hope of glory." But, 16:48 "Christ in you - Christ living His life in you." With Jesus 16:52 in you, you can hardly be bad! 16:55 If you've never grabbed this, if you've never understood 16:57 this, this concept will revolutionize your life! 17:01 Writing to the Galatians, Paul wrote this, this is 17:03 Galations 2:20. 17:05 Paul said, 17:24 You can see Paul's repeated emphasis. 17:26 What a person needs is Jesus living His life in him or her! 17:30 And that's VERY different from saying, "Lord, help ME 17:34 to do something. 17:35 Help ME to be something. 17:36 Help me to be good." 17:37 The right approach is to be is 'surrendered', made available 17:41 to God, yielded to Him so that God can do the work He wants 17:46 to do in your life. 17:48 And you know what happens when we pray that God would 17:51 help us to be good? 17:53 Discouragement sets in. 17:54 A disabling, destructive, disheartening discouragement. 17:59 I'll tell you why. 18:01 [Music in the background] Let's say you've got 18:03 someone who is... 18:04 I don't know... 18:05 someone who is having issues with anger, let's say. 18:07 A kid has an ager problem and knows that he shouldn't. 18:09 And he's told that he'll be okay if he prays and asks God 18:13 to help him to be good. 18:15 [Child complaining, ... 18:17 "this doesn't work" ... "this better work." 18:24 Angry ... 18:26 "still doesn't work". 18:36 As a teenager he's still angry ... 18:40 [ Voice of younger man... 18:44 "this better work this time" But he's praying harder 18:47 than ever that Jesus would help him to be good. 18:48 He gets older, still praying, but very frustrated. 18:54 [Sound of a the car of a motor turning ... "come on." 19:02 Sound of motor turning. 19:03 Angry, yelling . 19:04 "COME ON !!! 19:05 ..." banging something .. 19:05 " WHY DOESN'T THIS EVER JUST WORK FOR ME !!! 19:06 NOTHING EVER WORKS FOR ME!! 19:09 ARGH, WHY CAN'T THINGS JUST WORK OUT!!! 19:11 NOTHING EVER WORKS!! 19:14 ARGH!!! 19:16 Now, maybe there are now other sins that he's praying God 19:18 would make him good enough to stop committing. 19:22 You know what eventually happens? 19:24 This person gets to the place where he or she says, 19:26 "It just doesn't work. 19:28 I've tried and tried and I've prayed and prayed, and I'm 19:31 still angry," or whatever the sin might be. 19:33 That person will eventually conclude -and they will 19:36 conclude correctly - that God hasn't make him or her 'good.' 19:41 So, he or she either says to him or herself, "I guess I'll 19:44 always be this way" and he stays in church miserable and 19:49 defeated, or says, "This doesn't work. 19:54 I've prayed so long for God to help me to be good. 19:57 It isn't happening and I've prayed and so therefore God 20:02 is a myth, and this whole Bible thing doesn't work." 20:07 Many people have done that. 20:09 That person then turns his back on God. 20:11 And that's a tragedy. 20:15 What God offers us is this. 20:16 God pledges to come into our lives and bring His goodness. 20:21 He brings His righteousness. 20:24 I want to share a Bible verse with you that I am certain can 20:28 absolutely change your life. 20:31 You read it in Philippians 2:13, Philippians 2:13 says, 20:47 Did you catch that? 20:48 And did you see where the focus is? 20:50 "It is God who works in you..." In terms of living a 20:53 life for God, did you see where God puts the emphasis? 20:57 "It is God who works in you." 20:59 So here's the key for successful living - and a key 21:01 for successful praying. 21:04 What God is telling us is that when it comes to working in 21:06 your life - when it comes to getting out of your life what 21:10 shouldn't be in and getting into your life what shouldn't 21:13 be out - GOD will do that work in you. 21:16 That's what is meant when Paul wrote that we: 21:20 We let Christ live His life in us. 21:23 So why is that so radical? 21:25 Because if you're going to try and do the impossible 21:28 in your own strength, you are doomed to fail. 21:31 If you've got an anger issue or a lust problem or a 21:34 substance problem, you might try and try all you care to, 21:38 and you're not going to be able to change because TRUE 21:41 change takes place in the heart. 21:44 [Sound of motor turning.] Young man's voice ... "Come on" 21:47 [Sound of motor turning] And there's not a person 21:51 alive who can change his or her own heart. 21:55 So instead, here's what you do. 21:57 You pray, "Lord, I want to be different, I want to get some 22:01 things straightened out, I want to change, 22:03 but I cannot change myself. 22:07 So I need you to come into my life and do in me what I cannot 22:11 do in myself." When you pray THAT prayer, God can't 22:16 fail to answer. 22:18 What you'll discover is that when you surrender to Him, 22:22 God comes into your life and remakes you. 22:25 As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, ... 22:34 A few years ago I was with a group 22:35 of ministerial workers in training, and I asked 22:38 them a question. 22:40 I said, "Now we know the Bible says that salvation comes by 22:43 grace through faith." "But," I said, "there's another verse 22:48 that says we should strive to enter in - to heaven - through 22:54 the narrow gate." So I asked these ministerial trainees - 22:59 strive to enter in through the narrow gate?" 23:02 Nobody offered an answer. 23:04 But then a 6-year-old boy said spoke up. 23:09 "Daddy," he said, "I think I know." You know, there's 23:14 an old saying that says, "Bradshaws rush in where 23:18 angels fear to tread." 23:21 So there I was hoping my little boy wasn't going 23:23 to embarrass himself too badly. 23:25 "Daddy, I think I know". 23:27 "Okay, what is it, son?" 23:29 I asked him in front of everybody, thinking to myself 23:32 'Oh, This'll be interesting.' "Well," he said. 23:36 "I've been listening to 'Christiana'." (Now I don't 23:38 know if you know this but Christiana is the second part 23:41 of Pilgrim's Progress story, the great book written 23:43 by John Bunyan. 23:44 Christiana was the wife, rather, of Christian, and this 23:49 second book was the story of HER journey 23:51 to the Celestial City. 23:52 My son had been listening to the story on tape or CD or 23:55 something...) "You've been listening to Christiana, 23:58 son..." "Yes, Dad. 23:59 And on her way to the Celestial City she came across all kinds 24:02 of hazards. 24:04 There was Mr. Worldly Wiseman, and the Slough of Despond... 24:07 all sorts of things. 24:09 (I was wondering where this was going.) It could have been 24:12 a disaster, Dad, but she was told she'd be okay, if she kept 24:18 her eyes on the light. 24:22 And Dad, that's what I think Jesus is telling us 24:24 we should do. 24:25 He's saying, We'll be okay, if we strive to 24:29 keep our eyes on the light..." 24:32 And everyone in the room realized that a 6-year-old 24:36 had expertly answered the question that all 24:39 of these students couldn't answer. 24:42 Strive to keep your eyes on the light. 24:46 Striving to be good is a loser's game. 24:49 Jesus said there is none that does good. 24:51 We're broken. 24:52 Goodness isn't what we are. 24:54 But - Jesus can come into your life if you ask Him. 24:59 He will live His life in you, and with Jesus in your life, 25:05 there's nothing to stop Him making you everything 25:08 you want to be. 25:10 Why pray to be good, when you can pray that God would bring 25:14 His goodness into your life and remake you completely? 25:18 When He does that, everything in your life and everything 25:23 about you will be just what God wants it to be. 25:26 Let me pray with you that we'll both experience God's 25:29 goodness in our lives. 25:31 [Music] Our father in heaven, 25:33 we thank you today for Jesus, the one who is good and we 25:37 pray now that you would send your Spirit into our lives 25:40 in a great way. 25:41 Let Christ live in us and bring His goodness into 25:45 our lives so that spiritually speaking we will not be 25:48 failing, we would not be falling, but that we would be 25:52 kept by your power and your grace and that the goodness of 25:55 Jesus will be seen in us and help us, please, 26:00 to strive to keep our eyes on the light. 26:06 And this we pray in Jesus' name, Amen. 26:12 [Music] 26:31 Perhaps our program today has touched your heart 26:33 and impressed you with a personal need for 26:35 deeper Bible study. 26:36 If you desire to listen to God and follow where he leads, 26:40 we've got a wonderful resource that can help you do that in a 26:42 systemic way, the Discover Bible Guides. 26:46 These study guides will take you through the essential 26:48 truths taught in Scripture. 26:49 They give you the big picture showing how it 26:52 all fits together. 26:54 The Discover Bible Guides are a wonderful way for you to 26:56 become grounded in the Word of God and to see how Jesus 27:00 Christ relates to all the areas of our lives. 27:03 Please call or write us and the Discover Bible Guides will 27:06 be on their way to you. 27:07 If you live in North America, we'll mail these Bible guides 27:11 free of charge. 27:12 Or for even easier and immediate access from anywhere 27:15 around the world, you can get these wonderful Bible lessons 27:18 on our website itiswritten.com. 27:22 [Music] Request the Discover Bible Guides by calling our 27:25 toll free number 1 800 253 3000. 27:29 Call right now and tell us the name of today's free offer, 27:32 the Discover Bible Guides. 27:34 Lines are open 24 hours. 27:36 If they are busy when you call, keep trying. 27:38 You can also request today's offer by writing to: 27:40 It Is Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, 27:42 CA 91359. 27:43 Thank you for your letters and for your continued support. 27:48 Thanks for joining me today. 27:49 I look forward to seeing you again next time. 27:52 Until then, remember: It is written, man shall not live by 27:56 bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth 27:59 of God. 28:01 [Music] |
Revised 2015-02-05