- Let me ask you this,
00:00:00.70\00:00:02.03
have you ever felt like
you're impossibly trapped
00:00:02.03\00:00:03.63
in a meaningless existence
00:00:03.63\00:00:05.57
and you feel helpless
to do anything about it?
00:00:05.57\00:00:08.30
Today that's what
we're gonna look at,
00:00:08.30\00:00:09.87
and I really think
you might wanna hear this.
00:00:09.87\00:00:12.81
That's today's Authentic.
00:00:12.81\00:00:14.34
[high-energy music]
00:00:16.21\00:00:19.28
Depending on your situation,
00:00:36.06\00:00:37.27
a lifetime here on planet Earth
00:00:37.27\00:00:38.80
can feel a little bit
like a prison sentence.
00:00:38.80\00:00:41.70
After all, none of us
actually asked to be here.
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This life is involuntary.
00:00:45.47\00:00:47.58
You had no say when it
came to where you'd be born
00:00:47.58\00:00:50.35
or who your parents would be,
00:00:50.35\00:00:51.95
and you've really got no choice
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but to struggle your
way to the finish line,
00:00:53.58\00:00:55.72
where either your body succumbs
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to the harsh reality of aging
00:00:57.25\00:00:59.52
or you're somehow
tragically terminated
00:00:59.52\00:01:01.56
before the insurance actuary
tables say it's your time.
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So what happens
to a lot of people
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once they recognize and
accept their own mortality,
00:01:07.50\00:01:11.33
they just begin
to mark off time,
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counting down the
days to the finish line.
00:01:13.10\00:01:16.14
Ah, sure, we make note
of significant milestones
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like we're checking
off some kind of list.
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We start school, we leave
school, we launch a career,
00:01:21.21\00:01:25.31
we get married, we
have kids, we get old,
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we retire, we have grandkids,
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and then, eventually,
we draw our last breath
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and close our
eyes for the last time.
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And I know I'm sounding
kind of defeatist and cynical,
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but stick with me.
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I mean, I've been in the
preacher business long enough
00:01:39.53\00:01:41.73
to know that
what I just described
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is the daily reality
for an awful lot of people.
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They just spend
the bulk of their days
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counting the
minutes till they die.
00:01:49.54\00:01:52.74
Now, that's not to
say that their lives
00:01:52.74\00:01:54.68
aren't punctuated by some
incredible moments of joy,
00:01:54.68\00:01:57.68
and I'm not
suggesting that these people
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might be
depressed or discouraged.
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Some of them, in
fact, seem to be fine
00:02:01.82\00:02:03.69
with the way
life is playing out,
00:02:03.69\00:02:05.25
and they're happy
to put in their time
00:02:05.25\00:02:07.19
doing the very same
things that other people do,
00:02:07.19\00:02:10.36
which includes
hanging it up in the end zone
00:02:10.36\00:02:12.89
and slipping into your casket.
00:02:12.89\00:02:15.13
Most of us are just
resigned to the reality of life.
00:02:15.13\00:02:19.87
But then, you
find these other people
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who actually get a little angry
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once they realize
how little control
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most of us actually have.
00:02:26.47\00:02:28.54
At a very young age,
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we're told that we can
be anything we wanna be,
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we can do anything we wanna do.
00:02:31.95\00:02:34.75
But then the process of
actually living in this place
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can begin to make those
affirmations seem like a lie.
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We discover unfortunate
things like opportunity cost,
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because life is far too short
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to accomplish
everything on your bucket list.
00:02:47.13\00:02:49.80
I mean, most of us
aren't going to become surgeons
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and lawyers and
authors and political leaders
00:02:53.13\00:02:56.74
and accomplished musicians
00:02:56.74\00:02:58.21
and whatever it else it
was that you wanted to be.
00:02:58.21\00:03:01.48
I mean, there are those few
rare exceptions to the rule,
00:03:01.48\00:03:04.65
those very rare people
who are actual polymaths.
00:03:04.65\00:03:08.55
But for the most of us,
00:03:08.55\00:03:10.09
there's not enough time in
one lifespan to do everything.
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And for some people,
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that discovery can
trigger a little resentment.
00:03:15.06\00:03:19.03
I'm reminded of a
passage from the Bible
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where it tells us
that one short lifetime
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isn't actually enough to
do everything you want to do.
00:03:23.53\00:03:26.23
Ecclesiastes 1:8 says,
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"The eye is not
satisfied with seeing,
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"nor the ear
filled with hearing."
00:03:31.41\00:03:33.91
That's a
statement made by somebody
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who's contemplating
the vanity of life.
00:03:36.18\00:03:39.28
He's bemoaning the fact
that life seems far too short,
00:03:39.28\00:03:42.88
and then, when it's
over far too quickly,
00:03:42.88\00:03:45.52
you'll be powerless to hang
on to your own accomplishments.
00:03:45.52\00:03:49.26
Now, at first reading,
00:03:50.19\00:03:51.63
the Book of Ecclesiastes
00:03:51.63\00:03:53.06
can feel like a
work of dark pessimism.
00:03:53.06\00:03:55.80
But even the most
ironclad Pollyanna
00:03:55.80\00:03:58.07
has to admit that the
author kinda has a point.
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Anything that you and I attempt
to accomplish in this life
00:04:01.24\00:04:05.07
never seems to last.
00:04:05.07\00:04:06.94
The shelf life of your
accomplishments is painfully
00:04:06.94\00:04:11.58
short. I mean, just think
about the 8 billion people
00:04:11.58\00:04:13.72
who live on this
planet right now,
00:04:13.72\00:04:16.08
and suddenly the list
00:04:16.08\00:04:17.89
of historical people we tend
to remember seems pretty small.
00:04:17.89\00:04:22.26
The vast majority
of us live obscure,
00:04:22.26\00:04:24.56
practically invisible lives.
00:04:24.56\00:04:26.66
And even if you do
happen to become famous,
00:04:26.66\00:04:29.50
most folks are only remembered
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for a handful of trivial facts,
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and then only for
a generation or two.
00:04:34.37\00:04:37.11
I mean, just let's consider
the case of Napoleon Bonaparte.
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How much do you
really know about him?
00:04:41.21\00:04:43.45
Most of you know he was French,
00:04:43.45\00:04:44.91
he was ill-tempered and short,
00:04:44.91\00:04:47.12
and you might even remember
00:04:47.12\00:04:48.25
that he had his
hand inside his coat
00:04:48.25\00:04:49.98
when he posed for
an official portrait.
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You likely know
that he invaded Russia
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and got defeated
by the brutal winter,
00:04:54.76\00:04:56.49
and you probably know he
was defeated, ultimately,
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at the Battle of Waterloo,
00:04:59.43\00:05:00.86
and then spent the
rest of his life in exile.
00:05:00.86\00:05:03.63
You might even know the
name of his wife, Josephine.
00:05:03.63\00:05:07.24
But then, if you're
not a history major,
00:05:07.24\00:05:10.24
what else do you know?
00:05:10.24\00:05:12.04
Not much.
00:05:12.04\00:05:13.48
Napoleon is one of
the most infamous names
00:05:13.48\00:05:15.54
in European history,
00:05:15.54\00:05:17.05
and I managed to list off
everything that most people know
00:05:17.05\00:05:20.55
in a few seconds.
00:05:20.55\00:05:22.28
You and I?
00:05:22.28\00:05:23.45
Well, 200 years after I die,
00:05:23.45\00:05:25.89
how much do you think people
are gonna remember about me?
00:05:25.89\00:05:28.72
Pretty much nothing.
00:05:28.72\00:05:30.06
I mean, I don't really know much
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about my great-grandfathers,
00:05:31.36\00:05:33.50
and that's not
even 200 years ago.
00:05:33.50\00:05:35.70
Now, this is a thought that
I've explored with you before,
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and I probably gave
it the broadest treatment
00:05:40.10\00:05:42.27
when we talked
about the 6th century
00:05:42.27\00:05:43.97
Christian philosopher Boethius,
00:05:43.97\00:05:46.57
a very popular
and successful man
00:05:46.57\00:05:48.68
who suddenly found
himself condemned to die
00:05:48.68\00:05:50.81
for crimes he didn't commit.
00:05:50.81\00:05:53.11
They called him a spy.
00:05:53.11\00:05:54.72
And he discovered that
all of his accomplishments
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suddenly meant nothing,
00:05:57.02\00:05:59.32
not when the grim reaper
00:05:59.32\00:06:00.89
is standing
outside your prison cell.
00:06:00.89\00:06:03.86
I mean, let's be honest,
00:06:03.86\00:06:05.79
he's hardly alone.
00:06:05.79\00:06:07.20
As a minister,
I've had the opportunity
00:06:07.20\00:06:09.16
to sit with an
awful lot of dying people.
00:06:09.16\00:06:11.60
And I can tell you that,
00:06:11.60\00:06:12.77
in the last five
minutes of your life,
00:06:12.77\00:06:15.17
all that stuff that seems
00:06:15.17\00:06:16.94
so unbelievably
important to you right now,
00:06:16.94\00:06:20.78
you'd give it all up on the spot
00:06:20.78\00:06:22.88
if it meant you could
buy just a little more time.
00:06:22.88\00:06:25.38
That is, if
you're not suffering.
00:06:25.38\00:06:27.72
And the fact that
most of what you do
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is just going to vanish,
00:06:29.62\00:06:31.42
that's a reality that makes
the practice of marking time
00:06:31.42\00:06:34.56
between your birth and
death all the more fascinating.
00:06:34.56\00:06:38.23
You really need to ask yourself,
00:06:38.23\00:06:40.30
is the way that
you're living now
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really going to matter when
you realize you're out of time?
00:06:42.50\00:06:45.87
Are the things you
prize at this moment
00:06:45.87\00:06:47.84
really going to seem valuable
00:06:47.84\00:06:49.24
when you hit that home stretch?
00:06:49.24\00:06:51.34
Or will most of your activities
00:06:51.34\00:06:52.87
just look like tally marks
on the wall of a prison cell,
00:06:52.87\00:06:56.28
mindlessly marking the days
before death comes to get you?
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I know that, for me,
00:07:01.15\00:07:02.68
some of life's milestones
have been incredibly valuable
00:07:02.68\00:07:05.49
because they help me
define who I am as a person,
00:07:05.49\00:07:08.32
like my marriage to Jean
or the birth of my children.
00:07:08.32\00:07:12.23
Those were such
big game changers
00:07:12.23\00:07:14.56
that I can
hardly begin to describe
00:07:14.56\00:07:16.20
how much value
they added to my life.
00:07:16.20\00:07:19.57
Just those two things,
00:07:19.57\00:07:21.10
or really those three people,
00:07:21.10\00:07:23.00
have infused my life
with a sense of purpose.
00:07:23.00\00:07:25.34
They give me
something to live for.
00:07:25.34\00:07:27.58
And I'm pretty sure you've
got similar things in your life,
00:07:27.58\00:07:30.65
those things that make it
seem like life's pretty good.
00:07:30.65\00:07:34.05
But then, outside of
those few big highlights,
00:07:35.28\00:07:38.15
a lot of people
have this tendency
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to just lurch from
one moment to the next,
00:07:39.75\00:07:42.19
hoping that whatever
comes next will be pretty good.
00:07:42.19\00:07:45.33
When I was back in high school,
00:07:45.33\00:07:47.03
the next thing would be
graduating and going to college.
00:07:47.03\00:07:49.90
And when I
arrived at the university,
00:07:49.90\00:07:51.77
it kind of felt like I
was just checking a box
00:07:51.77\00:07:53.80
on the life list.
00:07:53.80\00:07:55.50
The same thing happened to you.
00:07:55.50\00:07:57.27
Your first job, check.
00:07:57.27\00:07:58.71
Your first
mortgage and house, check.
00:07:58.71\00:08:00.48
Turning 30, check.
00:08:00.48\00:08:01.64
Turning 40, check.
00:08:01.64\00:08:02.84
50, check.
00:08:02.84\00:08:03.81
60, check.
00:08:03.81\00:08:04.98
Eventually, if the Lord sees fit
00:08:04.98\00:08:07.42
and your
finances somehow allow it,
00:08:07.42\00:08:09.08
you get to
retire, another check.
00:08:09.08\00:08:11.12
Maybe take up a hobby, check.
00:08:11.12\00:08:13.46
And then you clutch your chest,
00:08:13.46\00:08:15.12
your heart stops, and you die.
00:08:15.12\00:08:17.33
And that's the final checkmark.
00:08:17.33\00:08:20.06
Now, I don't
know if you do this,
00:08:20.06\00:08:21.76
but given the
inevitability of death,
00:08:21.76\00:08:24.13
I mean, let's be honest, none
of us gets out of here alive,
00:08:24.13\00:08:27.04
sometimes I find
myself trying to imagine
00:08:27.04\00:08:29.14
what my final moments are
actually going to be like.
00:08:29.14\00:08:32.07
Will I be in the hospital,
00:08:32.07\00:08:33.24
surrounded by
friends and family,
00:08:33.24\00:08:35.21
with my wife holding my
hand as I slip into the dark?
00:08:35.21\00:08:38.45
Or will I, God forbid,
00:08:38.45\00:08:39.95
be somewhere by myself in
a hotel room or a work trip,
00:08:39.95\00:08:42.85
or flying over
the ocean in a plane
00:08:42.85\00:08:44.85
that doesn't actually make it?
00:08:44.85\00:08:47.02
As you get older and you start
to feel the aches and pains,
00:08:47.02\00:08:50.33
you begin to wonder,
is this one gonna heal,
00:08:50.33\00:08:52.99
or am I gonna be
stuck with this pain
00:08:52.99\00:08:54.56
for the rest of my life?
00:08:54.56\00:08:56.36
When is a symptom going
to escort me to a doctor
00:08:56.36\00:08:59.37
who tells me I'm
not gonna make it?
00:08:59.37\00:09:02.20
You know it's gonna
happen sometime, somehow.
00:09:02.20\00:09:05.64
Now, to be honest,
00:09:06.51\00:09:07.88
the thought of dying
doesn't actually scare me
00:09:07.88\00:09:09.34
because of what I've
found in the pages of the Bible.
00:09:09.34\00:09:12.18
But that doesn't mean
I don't think about it,
00:09:12.18\00:09:14.15
especially as the calendar keeps
pushing me into the future.
00:09:14.15\00:09:17.39
I mean, in some ways,
00:09:17.39\00:09:18.95
it's just a matter of making
hash marks on the prison wall,
00:09:18.95\00:09:21.96
counting down the days.
00:09:21.96\00:09:23.89
And if you find that kind
of depressing, hang in there
00:09:23.89\00:09:26.33
because it's not as
hopeless as it sounds.
00:09:26.33\00:09:29.33
So you start
counting the seconds right now
00:09:29.33\00:09:31.53
until the break is over,
00:09:31.53\00:09:33.23
and then we'll reconvene
00:09:33.23\00:09:34.50
to think about this
just a little bit more.
00:09:34.50\00:09:36.97
- [Narrator 1] Here
at The Voice of Prophecy,
00:09:41.31\00:09:42.71
we're committed to
creating top-quality programming
00:09:42.71\00:09:45.01
for the whole family.
00:09:45.01\00:09:46.41
Like our audio adventure
series "Discovery Mountain."
00:09:46.41\00:09:49.58
"Discovery Mountain"
is a bible-based program
00:09:49.58\00:09:52.12
for kids of all
ages and backgrounds.
00:09:52.12\00:09:54.49
Your family will enjoy
the faith-building stories
00:09:54.49\00:09:57.23
from this small
mountain summer camp and town.
00:09:57.23\00:10:00.10
With 24 seasonal
episodes every year
00:10:00.10\00:10:02.60
and fresh content every week,
00:10:02.60\00:10:04.70
there's always a new
adventure just on the horizon.
00:10:04.70\00:10:07.97
- Just before the break,
00:10:10.51\00:10:11.64
I mentioned that
the thought of dying
00:10:11.64\00:10:13.27
doesn't actually scare me.
00:10:13.27\00:10:15.01
Now, that doesn't
mean I have a death wish.
00:10:15.01\00:10:17.01
I would like to
put in more time.
00:10:17.01\00:10:19.21
So I don't want to die
00:10:19.21\00:10:20.78
because I find this
world just too wonderful
00:10:20.78\00:10:23.32
and interesting
to check out now.
00:10:23.32\00:10:26.62
But the thought of mortality,
00:10:26.62\00:10:28.89
knowing that I'm not the
one person who isn't gonna die,
00:10:28.89\00:10:32.46
that doesn't scare me.
00:10:32.46\00:10:34.00
And maybe that's
because I already had a scare
00:10:34.00\00:10:36.20
quite a few years ago,
00:10:36.20\00:10:37.77
and I was convinced that
I'd arrived at the finish line.
00:10:37.77\00:10:40.00
And so I guess in some ways,
00:10:40.00\00:10:41.70
I've already dealt
with some of the emotions
00:10:41.70\00:10:43.71
that come from
realizing that time is up.
00:10:43.71\00:10:46.81
But my low sense of fear
00:10:46.81\00:10:48.31
actually comes from a
principle you find in the Bible
00:10:48.31\00:10:51.55
found in Hebrews 2.
00:10:51.55\00:10:53.52
And some of you who
watch the show regularly
00:10:53.52\00:10:55.92
will recognize this
00:10:55.92\00:10:57.25
because I read this
at least once a season.
00:10:57.25\00:10:59.72
It's just that
good of a thought.
00:10:59.72\00:11:01.69
Listen to what this says.
00:11:01.69\00:11:03.02
It's talking about
the incarnation of Christ.
00:11:03.02\00:11:05.76
"Since therefore the children
share in flesh and blood,
00:11:05.76\00:11:08.96
"he himself likewise,
partook of the same things,
00:11:08.96\00:11:12.23
"that through death
he might destroy the one
00:11:12.23\00:11:14.40
"who has the power of
death, that is, the devil,
00:11:14.40\00:11:17.41
"and deliver all those
who through fear of death
00:11:17.41\00:11:20.91
"were subject to
lifelong slavery."
00:11:20.91\00:11:24.18
The author seems to agree
00:11:24.18\00:11:25.68
that a human lifetime can
feel a little like a prison.
00:11:25.68\00:11:28.58
In fact, he goes a step
further and calls it slavery.
00:11:28.58\00:11:32.65
None of us asked to be born,
00:11:32.65\00:11:35.02
and absolutely none of
us, on the day we were born,
00:11:35.02\00:11:38.13
made a voluntary
appointment to die.
00:11:38.13\00:11:41.00
But here we are
with the specter of death
00:11:41.00\00:11:42.90
hanging over every
second of our lives,
00:11:42.90\00:11:45.20
and that profoundly
affects how we live.
00:11:45.20\00:11:48.17
A lot of people panic,
00:11:48.17\00:11:49.40
sensing that
life is far too short,
00:11:49.40\00:11:51.27
and they try to cram in so much
00:11:51.27\00:11:53.27
that they become too busy
to slow down and enjoy life.
00:11:53.27\00:11:57.28
Other people
become paralyzed by fear,
00:11:57.28\00:11:59.55
so they do practically nothing
00:11:59.55\00:12:01.55
and they waste
the time they've got.
00:12:01.55\00:12:04.25
Knowing that you're gonna die
00:12:04.25\00:12:06.35
absolutely changes how you live.
00:12:06.35\00:12:08.99
I mean, what
would you do differently
00:12:08.99\00:12:10.96
if you knew that
life wasn't limited?
00:12:10.96\00:12:13.29
What if you didn't
have to live your whole life
00:12:13.29\00:12:15.50
as if you were wolfing down
a quick sandwich over the sink
00:12:15.50\00:12:17.93
so you could get back to work?
00:12:17.93\00:12:19.87
What if life was
more like slowly relishing
00:12:19.87\00:12:22.77
an expensive four-star dinner?
00:12:22.77\00:12:25.84
What would you do differently
00:12:25.84\00:12:27.48
if you didn't have this sense
00:12:27.48\00:12:28.78
that you were
being carried along
00:12:28.78\00:12:30.31
too quickly to the finish line?
00:12:30.31\00:12:32.51
How many of those
painful regrets that haunt you
00:12:32.51\00:12:35.58
were the result
of hasty decisions
00:12:35.58\00:12:37.49
that came out of
a sense of panic?
00:12:37.49\00:12:39.82
What if life
wasn't a prison sentence,
00:12:39.82\00:12:42.82
but a big opportunity?
00:12:42.82\00:12:44.99
Let me show you something
00:12:44.99\00:12:46.16
that I find
absolutely fascinating,
00:12:46.16\00:12:48.03
and it's the way that Jesus
introduced his public ministry
00:12:48.03\00:12:50.90
to the whole world.
00:12:50.90\00:12:52.23
This took place on Sabbath
00:12:52.23\00:12:53.90
and so, of
course, the Bible tells us
00:12:53.90\00:12:55.80
that Jesus was in the synagogue.
00:12:55.80\00:12:57.61
It tells us that was his custom.
00:12:57.61\00:13:00.21
And by some
remarkable coincidence,
00:13:00.21\00:13:02.44
when it was Jesus'
turn to read scripture,
00:13:02.44\00:13:05.08
they gave him the Isaiah Scroll,
00:13:05.08\00:13:07.65
and here's what he read.
00:13:07.65\00:13:09.52
"The Spirit of
the Lord is upon me,
00:13:09.52\00:13:11.69
"because he has anointed me
00:13:11.69\00:13:12.89
"to proclaim
good news to the poor.
00:13:12.89\00:13:15.09
"He has sent me to
proclaim liberty to the captives
00:13:15.09\00:13:17.76
"and recovering of
sight to the blind,
00:13:17.76\00:13:20.00
"to set at liberty
those who are oppressed,
00:13:20.00\00:13:22.43
"to proclaim the
year of the Lord's favor."
00:13:22.43\00:13:25.80
Now, if I'm reading that right,
00:13:25.80\00:13:27.14
it would seem like God himself
00:13:27.14\00:13:28.80
thinks that a human lifetime
is a bit of a prison sentence,
00:13:28.80\00:13:32.57
at least in a broken world.
00:13:32.57\00:13:34.44
And one of the key promises
of the long awaited Messiah
00:13:34.44\00:13:37.81
was to set us free
from that penitentiary.
00:13:37.81\00:13:40.92
There's no way that Jesus
read that passage by accident.
00:13:42.32\00:13:45.09
It wasn't a coincidence
because he was the anointed one
00:13:45.09\00:13:48.79
Isaiah was predicting when
he wrote it 700 years earlier.
00:13:48.79\00:13:53.86
So let's consider the
magnitude of what Jesus said.
00:13:55.26\00:13:56.80
He is, of course, the most
influential person of all time.
00:13:56.80\00:14:00.60
I mean, there's a good reason
00:14:00.60\00:14:02.17
the whole world
seems to be aware of him.
00:14:02.17\00:14:05.31
The people who
knew Jesus personally
00:14:05.31\00:14:08.01
insist that he
was the Son of God,
00:14:08.01\00:14:09.98
God in human flesh.
00:14:09.98\00:14:12.11
They tell us
that he not only died
00:14:12.11\00:14:14.08
an unimaginably cruel
death on a Roman cross,
00:14:14.08\00:14:17.62
but he actually came back.
00:14:17.62\00:14:18.85
He rose from the dead.
00:14:18.85\00:14:21.42
That's the
person who's telling us
00:14:21.42\00:14:23.63
that he knows how to release you
00:14:23.63\00:14:25.13
from the prison yard of life.
00:14:25.13\00:14:27.46
So try to imagine no
more tally marks on the walls
00:14:27.46\00:14:30.50
marking the days of predictable
drudgery till you're gone.
00:14:30.50\00:14:34.40
Imagine not having to worry
about the briefness of life
00:14:34.40\00:14:37.21
or having to wrestle with
the disappointment that comes
00:14:37.21\00:14:39.87
from not being able to
do everything you wanna do.
00:14:39.87\00:14:42.74
Imagine actually
getting to the finish line
00:14:42.74\00:14:45.45
knowing it's not over,
00:14:45.45\00:14:47.15
knowing that you haven't
just wasted a few decades
00:14:47.15\00:14:49.35
on a meaningless existence.
00:14:49.35\00:14:51.62
Imagine knowing
that someone, in fact,
00:14:51.62\00:14:53.82
the source of all life,
00:14:53.82\00:14:56.46
actually knows your name
and thinks you're significant.
00:14:56.46\00:14:59.96
And imagine being
able to take your regrets,
00:15:01.26\00:15:03.73
those painful moments
when you know you blew it,
00:15:03.73\00:15:06.50
when you know you
left a messy divot
00:15:06.50\00:15:08.34
on the golf course of life,
00:15:08.34\00:15:10.27
imagine being able to
find peace of mind over that.
00:15:10.27\00:15:13.91
I mean, it's not that
God's gonna just take away
00:15:13.91\00:15:15.61
all the consequences
of your bad choices,
00:15:15.61\00:15:17.91
because he doesn't
always do that, trust me.
00:15:17.91\00:15:20.85
I mean, the Bible's
full of examples of people
00:15:20.85\00:15:23.05
who had to live
with what they did.
00:15:23.05\00:15:25.29
King David, for example,
his affair with Bathsheba
00:15:25.29\00:15:28.39
wreaked absolute havoc
on the rest of his family.
00:15:28.39\00:15:31.73
But now instead of being
chained to what you were,
00:15:31.73\00:15:34.46
instead of being trapped
00:15:34.46\00:15:35.70
by what you really
don't like about yourself,
00:15:35.70\00:15:37.83
instead of being locked
in a prison cell of regret,
00:15:37.83\00:15:41.50
try to imagine knowing
00:15:41.50\00:15:42.80
that you are no
longer what you once were.
00:15:42.80\00:15:45.81
Imagine being able to look
00:15:45.81\00:15:47.14
at the mess
you've made of the past
00:15:47.14\00:15:48.81
and you can smile
because you know for sure
00:15:48.81\00:15:52.11
that God's okay with you.
00:15:52.11\00:15:53.58
Instead of living for nothing,
00:15:54.42\00:15:55.92
instead of casting about looking
for some kind of purpose,
00:15:55.92\00:15:58.75
imagine knowing
that your life's agenda
00:15:58.75\00:16:01.26
is actually
starting to harmonize
00:16:01.26\00:16:03.16
with the
priorities of God himself.
00:16:03.16\00:16:05.69
What if you could
wake up every morning
00:16:05.69\00:16:07.36
and know that you're
not gonna waste the day?
00:16:07.36\00:16:09.70
What if every moment,
every single breath you take,
00:16:09.70\00:16:12.03
is saturated with
purpose or even joy?
00:16:12.03\00:16:15.77
Just listen to
this amazing passage
00:16:16.81\00:16:18.81
that Paul wrote to
the church in Galatia.
00:16:18.81\00:16:21.74
He says, "I have been
crucified with Christ.
00:16:21.74\00:16:25.11
"It is no longer I who live,
but Christ who lives in me.
00:16:25.11\00:16:28.45
"And the life I
now live in the flesh
00:16:28.45\00:16:30.39
"I live by faith
in the Son of God,
00:16:30.39\00:16:32.69
"who loved me and
gave himself for me."
00:16:32.69\00:16:36.32
Now, at first glance, that
doesn't sound very attractive,
00:16:36.32\00:16:39.09
because who in the
world wants to be crucified?
00:16:39.09\00:16:41.60
Crucifixion was an incredibly
cruel form of punishment
00:16:41.60\00:16:44.97
and it was humiliating.
00:16:44.97\00:16:46.74
It was the worst thing
the Romans could do to you.
00:16:46.74\00:16:49.74
But this is not
talking about physical death,
00:16:49.74\00:16:52.47
it's talking about taking
your meaningless existence,
00:16:52.47\00:16:55.84
the one that's
racked with pain and regret,
00:16:55.84\00:16:58.61
and exchanging it for
something far more meaningful.
00:16:58.61\00:17:01.68
The old you dies,
00:17:01.68\00:17:03.69
and there's a new,
more authentic you.
00:17:03.69\00:17:05.82
In our natural everyday state,
00:17:06.69\00:17:08.49
you and I really are prisoners.
00:17:08.49\00:17:10.19
We're just marking
time till we disappear.
00:17:10.19\00:17:12.79
We live with pain, with remorse,
00:17:12.79\00:17:15.23
and we're helpless to change it.
00:17:15.23\00:17:17.47
But then we see
this rabbi from Nazareth
00:17:17.47\00:17:19.77
open the Isaiah Scroll,
00:17:19.77\00:17:21.20
and he tells us it
doesn't have to be like this.
00:17:21.20\00:17:23.74
Why?
00:17:23.74\00:17:25.01
Because he's one of us now.
00:17:25.01\00:17:27.31
And now you
suddenly have a choice.
00:17:27.31\00:17:30.51
You live for self,
00:17:30.51\00:17:31.78
which does nothing
but underline the fact
00:17:31.78\00:17:33.78
that we're prisoners,
00:17:33.78\00:17:35.32
or you can crucify that
hopeless, self-centered person
00:17:35.32\00:17:38.85
and start to live differently.
00:17:38.85\00:17:41.09
Nobody who has ever
taken a serious look
00:17:41.09\00:17:43.43
at the biography
and teachings of Christ
00:17:43.43\00:17:45.59
would ever suggest
that he wasted his life.
00:17:45.59\00:17:48.90
I mean, look at the way
he changed the whole world.
00:17:48.90\00:17:51.20
And Paul says
that Christ is willing
00:17:51.20\00:17:53.30
to live that same kind of
profoundly meaningful life
00:17:53.30\00:17:56.30
all over again through you.
00:17:56.30\00:17:59.51
I'll be right back after this.
00:17:59.51\00:18:01.31
- [Narrator 2] Dragons,
beasts, cryptic statues.
00:18:05.21\00:18:09.52
Bible prophecy can be
incredibly vivid and confusing.
00:18:09.52\00:18:14.09
If you've ever read
Daniel or Revelation
00:18:14.09\00:18:16.29
and come away
scratching your head,
00:18:16.29\00:18:18.03
you're not alone.
00:18:18.03\00:18:19.33
Our free "Focus
on Prophecy" guides
00:18:19.33\00:18:21.70
are designed to help you unlock
the mysteries of the Bible
00:18:21.70\00:18:24.50
and deepen your
understanding of God's plan
00:18:24.50\00:18:26.90
for you and our world.
00:18:26.90\00:18:28.57
Study online or
request them by mail
00:18:28.57\00:18:31.01
and start bringing
prophecy into focus today.
00:18:31.01\00:18:34.38
- You know, when
you read John's gospel,
00:18:34.38\00:18:36.14
there's this almost
painful sense of urgency
00:18:36.14\00:18:38.91
in the background of the story.
00:18:38.91\00:18:41.62
The entire
narrative kind of feels
00:18:41.62\00:18:43.52
like you're being
carried along uncontrollably
00:18:43.52\00:18:45.75
toward that moment
when Christ gets murdered.
00:18:45.75\00:18:49.22
The language is
saturated with foreshadowing,
00:18:49.22\00:18:52.09
giving you constant reminders
00:18:52.09\00:18:54.03
that Jesus has this unavoidable
appointment with death.
00:18:54.03\00:18:58.03
I'll give you just one example
00:18:58.03\00:18:59.27
from one of my
favorite stories in John 4,
00:18:59.27\00:19:02.30
where Jesus meets
that woman at the well.
00:19:02.30\00:19:05.11
Here's what it says.
00:19:05.11\00:19:06.41
"So he came to a town
of Samaria called Sychar,
00:19:06.41\00:19:09.78
"near the field that Jacob
had given to his son Joseph.
00:19:09.78\00:19:13.05
"Jacob's well was there;
00:19:13.05\00:19:14.88
"so Jesus, wearied as
he was from his journey,
00:19:14.88\00:19:17.65
"was sitting beside the well.
00:19:17.65\00:19:19.62
"It was about the sixth hour.
00:19:19.62\00:19:21.79
"A woman from
Samaria came to draw water.
00:19:21.79\00:19:23.89
"Jesus said to
her, 'Give me a drink.'"
00:19:23.89\00:19:27.30
The sixth hour of the day
back in biblical times was noon.
00:19:27.30\00:19:30.83
And honestly, most
people didn't draw their water
00:19:30.83\00:19:33.37
that time of day
because it was so hot out,
00:19:33.37\00:19:35.97
and it was a lot more pleasant
first thing in the morning.
00:19:35.97\00:19:39.51
But in this story,
00:19:39.51\00:19:40.74
we're talking
about a woman who lived
00:19:40.74\00:19:42.08
with an awful lot of shame.
00:19:42.08\00:19:43.98
She'd been married five times,
00:19:43.98\00:19:45.75
and now she's shacked up
00:19:45.75\00:19:46.88
with some guy
who's not her husband.
00:19:46.88\00:19:49.08
Chances are she's
the talk of the town,
00:19:49.08\00:19:51.82
the victim of gossip.
00:19:51.82\00:19:53.32
And so the odds are pretty good
00:19:53.32\00:19:54.79
that she's visiting this
well in the heat of the day
00:19:54.79\00:19:57.49
to avoid making
personal contact.
00:19:57.49\00:20:00.23
It's just too painful.
00:20:00.23\00:20:02.06
I think it's a
relatively safe assumption
00:20:02.06\00:20:04.03
because John goes out of his way
00:20:04.03\00:20:06.03
to give us all those
details about her life.
00:20:06.03\00:20:09.20
But then I want you
to notice what Jesus says
00:20:10.41\00:20:12.17
when he meets her at the
sixth hour, right at noon.
00:20:12.17\00:20:15.81
He tells her he's thirsty.
00:20:15.81\00:20:17.88
And those of you who have read
00:20:17.88\00:20:19.11
the rest of John's gospel
00:20:19.11\00:20:20.32
know that Jesus
says the same thing
00:20:20.32\00:20:22.58
when he's hanging on a cross.
00:20:22.58\00:20:24.22
He says, "I thirst."
00:20:24.22\00:20:26.62
And when did Pilate
deliver him to be crucified?
00:20:26.62\00:20:29.22
John 19 tells us
it was the sixth hour,
00:20:29.22\00:20:32.73
the same moment that Jesus
made that statement at the well.
00:20:32.73\00:20:36.90
Now, that's the
kind of foreshadowing
00:20:36.90\00:20:39.13
you find all the way
through the gospel of John.
00:20:39.13\00:20:41.60
There's this dark sense
that the cross is unavoidable,
00:20:41.60\00:20:44.41
that it has to happen,
00:20:44.41\00:20:45.94
and the sand in Jesus' hourglass
is running out very fast.
00:20:45.94\00:20:50.08
And there's
something kind of familiar
00:20:50.08\00:20:51.85
about the pace of the story.
00:20:51.85\00:20:53.72
It reminds me of that
dark sense that you and I have,
00:20:53.72\00:20:56.65
that life is carrying
us along far too quickly,
00:20:56.65\00:20:59.82
taking us to our doom.
00:20:59.82\00:21:01.96
And we can suddenly see
that Jesus really does identify
00:21:01.96\00:21:05.33
with how we feel,
00:21:05.33\00:21:06.26
what it means to live here.
00:21:06.26\00:21:08.60
He also lived under
the shadow of death,
00:21:08.60\00:21:11.37
feeling that same
relentless march to the end,
00:21:11.37\00:21:14.50
the one that
compromises our ability
00:21:14.50\00:21:17.21
to live the way
we wish we could.
00:21:17.21\00:21:19.81
When the Bible says that
Jesus lived a real human life,
00:21:19.81\00:21:22.78
when it says he
became sin for us,
00:21:22.78\00:21:25.78
it also means he experienced
that same dark sense of doom
00:21:25.78\00:21:29.28
that we tend to feel
00:21:29.28\00:21:30.82
when we suddenly realize
that we're not just in prison,
00:21:30.82\00:21:34.29
but on death row,
00:21:34.29\00:21:35.96
and we've run out of appeals.
00:21:35.96\00:21:37.96
I mean, how else do you
explain the cry from the cross,
00:21:37.96\00:21:40.73
"My God, my God, why
have you forsaken me?"
00:21:40.73\00:21:44.47
Jesus was feeling what you feel.
00:21:45.53\00:21:47.67
And in that moment we can see
00:21:47.67\00:21:49.17
that God has not
only noticed our problem,
00:21:49.17\00:21:51.97
he's also felt it,
00:21:51.97\00:21:53.48
and he knows that this is
not the way he created us.
00:21:53.48\00:21:56.58
He did not design this
planet as a prison cell.
00:21:56.58\00:22:00.72
So watch the Son of God
00:22:00.72\00:22:02.32
as he joins us right here
in our miserable existence,
00:22:02.32\00:22:05.92
as he experiences what it means
00:22:05.92\00:22:08.32
to mark those painful moments
00:22:08.32\00:22:10.09
that carry you forward
to that disappointing end.
00:22:10.09\00:22:14.36
"On the evening of that
day," the Bible tells us,
00:22:14.36\00:22:16.80
"the first day of the week,
00:22:16.80\00:22:18.07
"the doors being locked
where the disciples were
00:22:18.07\00:22:20.60
"for fear of the Jews,
00:22:20.60\00:22:22.87
"Jesus came and stood
among them and said to them,
00:22:22.87\00:22:26.07
"'Peace be with you.'"
00:22:26.07\00:22:28.44
You know, sometimes
people tell me that that verse
00:22:28.44\00:22:31.11
is the reason that Christians
changed the Sabbath to Sunday,
00:22:31.11\00:22:34.25
because it mentions
the first day of the week
00:22:34.25\00:22:36.65
and it seems like
it's at worship service.
00:22:36.65\00:22:39.52
But I've discovered it's
really hard to build that case
00:22:39.52\00:22:42.09
because that's
clearly not a worship service.
00:22:42.09\00:22:44.99
The disciples are terrified
that they might be the next ones
00:22:44.99\00:22:47.83
to get nailed to a cross,
00:22:47.83\00:22:49.20
so they're hiding.
00:22:49.20\00:22:51.13
They're marking time,
waiting for the worst,
00:22:51.13\00:22:53.27
which could come at any moment.
00:22:53.27\00:22:56.04
And then, Jesus who experienced
00:22:56.04\00:22:57.71
that same angst we
tend to feel, only worse,
00:22:57.71\00:23:01.54
suddenly appears and tells them
00:23:01.54\00:23:03.65
there's nothing to worry about.
00:23:03.65\00:23:05.38
"Peace be with you," he said.
00:23:05.38\00:23:07.05
So, what does that mean for you?
00:23:08.02\00:23:10.42
That means you're no longer
00:23:10.42\00:23:11.69
on a hopeless
slide to the grave,
00:23:11.69\00:23:13.62
marking the moments
of a meaningless life
00:23:13.62\00:23:15.86
until death comes knocking.
00:23:15.86\00:23:18.03
God took human
form and defeated death,
00:23:18.03\00:23:20.56
and you no longer have
to live in a prison yard,
00:23:20.56\00:23:22.90
captive to fear.
00:23:22.90\00:23:24.60
I mean, you will
have to suffer a little
00:23:24.60\00:23:27.34
as you get to the end.
00:23:27.34\00:23:28.30
We all do.
00:23:28.30\00:23:29.67
But honestly, that
thought no longer bothers me
00:23:29.67\00:23:32.61
like it used to.
00:23:32.61\00:23:34.31
From the Bible's perspective,
00:23:34.31\00:23:35.61
from the
perspective of a risen Christ,
00:23:35.61\00:23:38.11
I can now have what Paul calls,
00:23:38.11\00:23:40.02
"The peace of God, which
surpasses all understanding."
00:23:40.02\00:23:43.75
I'll be right back after this.
00:23:43.75\00:23:46.15
- [Narrator 3] Are
you searching for answers
00:23:51.89\00:23:53.16
to life's toughest questions,
00:23:53.16\00:23:54.86
like, where is
God when we suffer?
00:23:54.86\00:23:57.13
Can I find real happiness?
00:23:57.13\00:23:58.93
Or, is there any hope
for our chaotic world?
00:23:58.93\00:24:02.00
The "Discover Bible" guides
00:24:02.00\00:24:03.44
will help you find the
answers you are looking for.
00:24:03.44\00:24:05.81
Visit us at BibleStudies.com,
00:24:05.81\00:24:08.34
or give us a
call at 888-456-7933
00:24:08.34\00:24:12.65
for your free
"Discover Bible" guides.
00:24:13.75\00:24:16.22
Study online on
our secure website,
00:24:16.22\00:24:19.29
or have the free guides
mailed right to your home.
00:24:19.29\00:24:21.86
There is never a
cost or obligation.
00:24:21.86\00:24:24.53
The "Discover Bible"
guides are our free gift to you.
00:24:24.53\00:24:27.66
Find answers in guides like
00:24:27.66\00:24:28.96
"Does My Life
Really Matter to God?"
00:24:28.96\00:24:31.30
and "A Second Chance at Life."
00:24:31.30\00:24:33.44
You'll find answers to the
things that matter most to you
00:24:33.44\00:24:35.80
in each of the 26
"Discover Bible" guides.
00:24:35.80\00:24:38.44
Visit BibleStudies.com
and begin your journey today
00:24:38.44\00:24:42.54
to discover answers to
life's deepest questions.
00:24:42.54\00:24:46.48
- Right before
we took that break,
00:24:50.02\00:24:51.52
I quoted from the
Book of Philippians,
00:24:51.52\00:24:53.92
where Paul tells us that we
can actually have peace of mind.
00:24:53.92\00:24:58.66
But let me put that statement
00:24:58.66\00:25:00.26
in its proper
context for you now,
00:25:00.26\00:25:02.00
because what Paul promises
is really pretty astonishing.
00:25:02.00\00:25:06.50
And as we read this together,
00:25:06.50\00:25:08.00
I want you to
compare what we're reading
00:25:08.00\00:25:10.17
to that awful sense
that most of us have,
00:25:10.17\00:25:13.61
that we're trapped in
some kind of meaningless life.
00:25:13.61\00:25:17.08
Here's what Paul writes,
00:25:17.08\00:25:18.35
and we're gonna
begin in verse four.
00:25:18.35\00:25:20.38
He says this,
"Rejoice in the Lord always;
00:25:20.38\00:25:24.32
"again I say, rejoice.
00:25:24.32\00:25:26.32
"Let your reasonableness
be known to everyone.
00:25:26.32\00:25:29.29
"The Lord is at hand; do
not be anxious about anything,
00:25:29.29\00:25:33.03
"but in everything by prayer
00:25:33.03\00:25:34.30
"and
supplication with thanksgiving
00:25:34.30\00:25:37.03
"let your requests
be made known to God.
00:25:37.03\00:25:39.77
"And the peace of God, which
surpasses all understanding,
00:25:39.77\00:25:43.94
"will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus."
00:25:43.94\00:25:48.28
Many years ago, Hugh Latimer,
00:25:49.74\00:25:52.51
the one-time chaplain
to King Edward the VI,
00:25:52.51\00:25:55.92
was condemned to die under
the brutal reign of Mary Tudor,
00:25:55.92\00:25:59.49
sometimes called Bloody Mary.
00:25:59.49\00:26:02.02
And as he was
waiting to be executed,
00:26:02.02\00:26:04.13
it got really,
really, really cold
00:26:04.13\00:26:06.39
one night in his jail cell.
00:26:06.39\00:26:08.20
Imagine, it's made
out of stone, it's damp.
00:26:08.20\00:26:10.40
He's freezing.
00:26:10.40\00:26:11.27
So he asked the jailer,
00:26:11.27\00:26:12.80
"Hey, can I have a
fire to warm myself at?"
00:26:12.80\00:26:16.54
The jailer got irritated,
00:26:17.54\00:26:18.61
"No fire for the heretics."
00:26:18.61\00:26:20.74
"Well, but you don't
understand," Latimer told the
00:26:20.74\00:26:23.38
jailer. "If you
don't let me build a fire,
00:26:23.38\00:26:25.31
"I'm gonna die of exposure.
00:26:25.31\00:26:26.98
"And if I die of exposure,
00:26:26.98\00:26:28.88
"you're gonna lose the
chance to burn me at the stake."
00:26:28.88\00:26:31.82
Now, that's funny,
00:26:32.69\00:26:34.46
and it makes me wonder,
00:26:34.46\00:26:35.62
how can somebody
make a joke like that
00:26:35.62\00:26:37.96
under such
horrible circumstances?
00:26:37.96\00:26:39.76
Would you be joking
00:26:39.76\00:26:41.13
if you know they're
gonna burn you at the stake?
00:26:41.13\00:26:43.73
How does he do that?
00:26:43.73\00:26:45.20
It doesn't seem right.
00:26:45.20\00:26:46.67
Unless Latimer had
already been set free
00:26:47.80\00:26:50.91
from the prison of life
00:26:50.91\00:26:52.41
by someone who has suffered
more than any of us has.
00:26:52.41\00:26:56.58
When they finally
burned Latimer at the stake,
00:26:56.58\00:26:58.61
he turned to his
friend Nicholas Ridley,
00:26:58.61\00:27:00.38
who'd also been
condemned for so-called heresy.
00:27:00.38\00:27:03.65
He was tied to the next stake.
00:27:03.65\00:27:05.52
And Latimer shouted
these words, they're famous,
00:27:05.52\00:27:08.39
"Be of good cheer,
Master Ridley, and play the man.
00:27:08.39\00:27:11.39
"We shall this
day, by God's grace,
00:27:11.39\00:27:13.66
"light up such a
candle in England,
00:27:13.66\00:27:15.56
"as I trust will
never be put out."
00:27:15.56\00:27:19.50
Wouldn't you know it?
00:27:19.50\00:27:20.87
That's exactly what happened.
00:27:20.87\00:27:22.60
Their deaths sparked a
revival across the land.
00:27:22.60\00:27:26.57
So try to imagine having
that kind of peace of mind,
00:27:27.84\00:27:31.25
that kind of presence.
00:27:31.25\00:27:32.78
Imagine knowing that
your life is meaningful,
00:27:32.78\00:27:35.25
that you're living for
something bigger than you,
00:27:35.25\00:27:38.19
living for someone who
will not let your lifetime,
00:27:38.19\00:27:41.86
your existence,
just mean nothing.
00:27:41.86\00:27:45.46
I don't know about you,
00:27:45.46\00:27:47.10
but that
thought helps me realize
00:27:47.10\00:27:49.50
I'm gonna make it through
00:27:49.50\00:27:50.77
whatever life
throws in my direction.
00:27:50.77\00:27:53.54
Yeah, life is brutal,
00:27:53.54\00:27:55.00
and reading the
Bible will assure you
00:27:55.00\00:27:57.01
that everybody suffers.
00:27:57.01\00:27:59.37
"But whoever loses his life
for my sake," Jesus promised,
00:27:59.37\00:28:02.91
"will find it."
00:28:02.91\00:28:04.48
Thanks for joining me today.
00:28:04.48\00:28:05.85
I'm Shawn Boonstra, and
this has been "Authentic
00:28:05.85\00:28:09.18
[high-energy music]
00:28:10.79\00:28:13.86