It has stood the test of time.
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God's book, the Bible.
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Still relevant in
today's complex world.
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It Is Written ...
sharing hope around the globe.
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I'm John Bradshaw.
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Thanks for joining
me on It Is Written.
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In 1903 the Ford
Motor Company was born.
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It was founded by a 40-year-old
man named Henry Ford,
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who had tried before
to get into the automobile
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manufacturing business
but without a lot of success.
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This time around, within ten
years Ford had introduced the
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assembly line into his
manufacturing process and in
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less than twenty years
was producing a million
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cars a year.
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Doubling his employees'
pay not only meant they were
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better off but there
were a whole lot more people
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who could afford
to buy Ford vehicles.
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And that helped Henry Ford.
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Ford produced the famous
Model T and the Model A and
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sold millions of each.
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? [Music playing] ?
The first car I ever owned
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was a Ford - a white
1969 Mark 2 Ford Cortina,
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a thing of beauty that I
could start with a screwdriver.
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Unfortunately, it ended
up in a wrecker's yard after
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I was hit by a drunk driver,
but that's another story.
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Thank the Lord, I
walked away unhurt.
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Ford bought Lincoln in 1922
and then he brought the Mercury
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brand into the Ford fold
in the 1930s, and down through
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the years Ford has
produced some classic vehicles,
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like the
Thunderbird and the Mustang.
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?[Music]?
There's been the Falcon
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and the Taurus and the
Fiesta and the Explorer
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? [music] ? and
outside the United States
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the Mondeo...
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and...
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And in the 1950s Ford
started work on a car it hoped
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would take the
automotive world by storm.
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They poured hundreds of
millions of dollars into making
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the car a success, and named
it in honor of Henry Ford's
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son - Edsel.
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But a success it was not.
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In 1958, the fst year
the Edsel went on the market,
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more than 63,000 Edsels
sold - which was way short
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of what was hoped for.
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In 1959 that number
dropped by about a third.
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In 1960, less
than 3,000 Edsels sold.
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Ford lost a boat load of money
- about two billion dollars in
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today's value - and the Edsel
became synonymous with failure.
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To be honest with you
I'm not really sure why.
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It's said that the car
failed because of styling,
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engineering and marketing.
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If you ask me the Edsel
wasn't the áugliestá car ever,
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it wasn't even the
ugliest Ford ever made.
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The Edsel wasn't that
different technologically from
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other cars that were a
success, and in fact it boasted
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some improvements.
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The failure of the Edsel
might even have had something
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to do with the media.
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Whatever the reasons,
the Edsel sank like a rock.
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And what was
the ultimate fallout
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of that colossal failure?
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Today, Ford is the
fifth-largest maker of
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automobiles in the
world, second largest
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in the United States.
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The top-selling
vehicle in the United States
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is often a Ford.
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No question the failure of
the Edsel hurt Ford at the time,
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but over the years the Ford
company - like so many others
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- learned to weather
failure and turn it around
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and enjoy success.
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Now, I've got another
failure story for you.
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I wonder if you can figure
out who I'm talking about.
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This is the story of a
young man whose life began with
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great promise, but unlike
Henry Ford when this man was
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40 years old his
life was falling apart.
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(Don't worry - the story has
a happy ending.) As a baby he
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narrowly escaped death,
then was raised in privilege, a
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member of the Royal
Household of a prominent
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Middle-Eastern country.
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He was given a
world-class education.
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He was destined to
be a high-ranking member
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of the royal family.
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But then one day as a young
man with the world at his feet,
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he witnessed an act of
injustice that made him so
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angry that he murdered a man.
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He saw slaves being
mistreated, and flew into a rage
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so intense that he murdered
the man who was mistreating
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the slaves.
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Murder, as you know, is
a serious business and he
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realized he had to leave town
in order to save his own life.
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So he fled the royal household
and spent the next 40 years
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living in an arid wilderness.
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This young man had
been bound for great things.
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God had especially set him up
to be a high-achiever, to be a
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man of great
influence in the world.
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And what did he do?
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He took God's gifts
and he threw it all away.
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Even his adoptive father
was determined to kill him.
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Imagine that.
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Having it all, and
then failing so badly
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you lose it all.
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In place of luxury and wealth
this man became a fugitive, a
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criminal with a murder
charge on his record, on the run
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in a Middle Eastern desert.
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And how do you
think this turned out?
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Or let me ask you
this: how do you think it
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SHOULD have turned out?
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He was bound for
greatness but murdered a man.
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What do you think he deserved?
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Believe it or not, believe
it or not ... that man is in
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heaven right now. I'm serious.
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We've got evidence for it.
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This man who was a
colossal failure is in heaven.
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How did that happen?
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I'll tell you
more in just a moment.
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Thank you for submitting
your Bible questions to us
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at It Is Written.
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Here it is: Was Jesus
really in the grave for three
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days and three nights?
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You know, what I've learned
about this question over the
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years is that some people
can be pretty militant about it,
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so if you disagree with my
answer, I hope that you will
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remember that we
can still be friends...
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In Matthew 12:40, Jesus said,
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For some people, that proves
that Jesus had to be in the
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grave for three whole
days and three whole nights.
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72 hours.
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How can it be
any other way, right?
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Well, a good principle about
the Bible is that in trying to
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answer a Bible question
you want to consider as much as
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possible of what the
Bible says about a subject.
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For example, in Matthew 27:63
they say, We remember He said
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he would rise "AFTER
three days." Well, how long
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after three days?
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After three days
could be 4 days, or 6 weeks.
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In another place, Jesus
said He would be raised on
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"the third day." That
could be LESS than 72 hours.
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Two things to consider.
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One is what some scholars call
'inclusive reckoning', where
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any part of a day is
called a day and a night.
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So, Jesus goes into
the grave Friday afternoon,
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that's one day.
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He spends the Sabbath in
the grave, that's two days
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and two nights.
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He spends Saturday night and
part of Sunday morning in the
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grave, and that's three days.
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Three days and three nights.
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(A friend of mine was
put in jail for three days.
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He told me he was put in there
late one night, and that was
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counted as one day.
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He spent the whole next
day in jail, that was two days,
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and at about 12:01 the
next morning they let him out.
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Three days.
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Now, consider this
from Luke chapter 24.
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Verse 1 tells us clearly
that what took place was on the
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first day of the week.
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So what we're talking about
happened on the first day of
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the week and that is Sunday.
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Now, verse 21, these men
are speaking with Jesus and they
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say, "This is the third day
since Jesus was crucified and
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put to death." The third day.
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And it was Sunday.
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So, if Sunday was the third
day, the Sabbath would have
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been the second day,
and Friday would have
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been the first day.
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It's pretty clear if you look
at this Biblically, that Jesus
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was crucified on a Friday.
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And three days and three
nights represents Friday,
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Saturday (or the
Sabbath) and Sunday.
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Three days and three nights.
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There is simply a
variety of ways of expressing
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that same thought.
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If you have a
question you'd like answered,
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go to itiswritten.com,
click on the questions tab
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and submit your question.
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I hope very sincerely I'll
be able to answer your question.
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If you have a Bible question
for pastor John Bradshaw,
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please write to It Is Written,
Box O, Thousand Oaks, CA,
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91359 or visit our website
itiswritten.com and send us
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your questions on line.
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Thanks for joining me
today on It Is Written.
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I'm John Bradshaw.
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Today, Faith and Failure.
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A young man raised in
privilege, a young man with
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the world at his feet,
a young man raised in a
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Middle Eastern Royal Family...
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murders someone, and leaves
behind his life of privilege
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and flees to live
in an arid wilderness.
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A classic example of a
man throwing his life away.
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You couldn't call the man
much other than a failure.
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Yet the Bible tells us
that this man is in heaven while
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we're talking
here today. Seriously.
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I'll tell you why that is.
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Because God is able to
take our failures and turn
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them into victories.
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It's a terrible thing to fall
so far, to lose everything you
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have, everything you've worked
for, maybe lose everything
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someone else has
worked for for you.
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The shame can be unbearable
and the disappointment
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can be crushing.
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But God is able to take
our messes and somehow get us
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through them and lead
us on to a better tomorrow.
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And how can I be
so sure about that?
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Because that's what God
did for Moses, our young Middle
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Easterner who was raised in
Pharaoh's household but fled
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when he murdered someone.
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Now, no matter which
way you measure this thing,
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Moses had made a
complete mess of his life.
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He had been given so
much but had thrown it away.
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Instead of being the
success he was raised to be,
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he was an abject failure.
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But God is in the business
of working with failures.
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According to the Bible
Moses is in heaven right now -
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he appeared with Jesus
when Jesus was transfigured,
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and it says this in
the book of Jude verse 9,
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Evidently Moses' body
was resurrected and he
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was taken to heaven.
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A murderer.
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A failure.
00:11:22.26\00:11:23.56
Resurrected and taken to heaven!
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You see, that's what God
can do with our failures -
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if you'll let him.
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Moses is really the
Biblical poster boy for failure.
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God miraculously spared his
life, and then not only did he
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murder the Egyptian and
then spend 40 years in the
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wilderness, but leading God's
people for another 40 years,
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on the borders of the Promised
Land, after having seen God
00:11:47.20\00:11:50.33
and spoken with God and having
stood at the burning bush and
00:11:50.33\00:11:52.86
after leading Israel through
the Red Sea and after seeing
00:11:52.86\00:11:55.86
the pillar of cloud and
the pillar of fire and after
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eating manna sent
from God for four decades -
00:11:59.23\00:12:02.93
he blew it again!
00:12:02.93\00:12:04.60
In a pique of anger he struck
the rock to bring out water
00:12:04.60\00:12:07.36
instead of speaking to the
rock, and God had to explain
00:12:07.36\00:12:10.86
to Moses that his offense
was so serious he couldn't
00:12:10.86\00:12:13.96
enter the Promised Land.
00:12:13.96\00:12:15.63
Two strikes against him.
00:12:15.63\00:12:18.13
And then what?
00:12:18.13\00:12:18.93
Moses was resurrected
and taken to the Heavenly
00:12:18.93\00:12:23.10
Promised Land.
00:12:23.10\00:12:24.90
You know, too many
people are ready to quit because
00:12:24.90\00:12:28.73
of their failures.
00:12:28.73\00:12:29.53
It happens in everyday life.
00:12:29.53\00:12:30.83
I've heard of
people who gambled away
00:12:30.83\00:12:33.66
everything they had -
and they killed themselves.
00:12:33.66\00:12:38.20
I know of people who've lost
everything due to bad business
00:12:38.20\00:12:41.06
deals or due to a challenging
economy, and have ended their
00:12:41.06\00:12:44.13
lives - or have gone nuts
on drugs or alcohol and lost
00:12:44.13\00:12:46.60
their family and friends.
00:12:46.60\00:12:48.60
And it happens in church
or in a person's relationship
00:12:48.60\00:12:50.63
with God.
00:12:50.63\00:12:52.00
The person will stumble, fall,
embarrass themselves or their
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family, and then they
feel they aren't worthy of
00:12:55.03\00:12:58.03
God's mercy - which is true,
incidentally: we're not worthy
00:12:58.03\00:13:01.66
but God gives it to us anyway
- and very often people decide
00:13:01.66\00:13:04.80
to give up on their
faith - they give up on God.
00:13:04.80\00:13:09.23
Look: if Moses can
murder someone and still be
00:13:09.23\00:13:13.53
commissioned by God to
lead the exodus, there has
00:13:13.53\00:13:16.00
to be hope for you.
00:13:16.00\00:13:17.93
If Moses can blow it at the
rock and still be resurrected
00:13:17.93\00:13:20.56
and taken to heaven...
00:13:20.56\00:13:22.36
What does that say about
the hope we have - even when
00:13:22.36\00:13:24.46
we foul things up?
00:13:24.46\00:13:25.63
Let's think about King David.
00:13:25.63\00:13:27.76
Knowing better, he
took another man's wife.
00:13:27.76\00:13:31.83
He deliberately had the
woman's husband killed in
00:13:31.83\00:13:32.86
battle, he lied about
it, he brought calamity
00:13:32.86\00:13:36.46
upon his family...
00:13:36.46\00:13:38.26
If David can go through all
that, and STILL be God's man,
00:13:38.26\00:13:41.90
the leader of God's people,
that has to reassure you that
00:13:41.90\00:13:45.80
God is in the busins
of using broken people to
00:13:45.80\00:13:48.53
accomplish great good.
00:13:48.53\00:13:50.16
Now I want to be
careful about something.
00:13:50.16\00:13:52.56
This is not to say that
the sins of Moses and David
00:13:52.56\00:13:54.56
weren't of
consequence or weren't serious.
00:13:54.56\00:13:57.36
They were!
00:13:57.36\00:13:57.86
The Bible says in Romans 6:23
00:13:57.86\00:13:59.93
Sin is a serious business!
00:14:03.93\00:14:05.43
But what Moses and David
did was they repented - and they
00:14:05.43\00:14:09.60
were accepted by God when they
saw the seriousness of their
00:14:09.60\00:14:12.93
sin and asked God to
ácleanseá them of their sin.
00:14:12.93\00:14:17.46
Look at David's
repentance with me.
00:14:17.46\00:14:19.46
We read about it in Psalm 51.
00:14:19.46\00:14:22.10
Remember what David had done.
00:14:22.10\00:14:23.30
Adultery, murder, dishonesty,
he'd disgraced his throne and
00:14:23.30\00:14:28.13
sadly misrepresented his God.
00:14:28.13\00:14:30.06
But he comes to God
understanding something.
00:14:30.06\00:14:34.26
He understands that God
is the God of the new start.
00:14:34.26\00:14:37.83
David knows that he can
rely on God to forgive him
00:14:37.83\00:14:41.00
and let him begin again.
00:14:41.00\00:14:45.03
Psalm 51 is where we will read.
00:14:45.03\00:14:47.23
I want you to think about how
encouraging this is if YOU'VE
00:14:47.23\00:14:49.36
ever made mistakes, if
you've ever done something
00:14:49.36\00:14:51.90
you're not proud of.
00:14:51.90\00:14:52.56
If you've ever
failed, even spectacularly.
00:14:52.56\00:14:55.30
This is what David says,
00:14:55.30\00:14:56.56
Then in verse 7 David says this,
00:15:17.46\00:15:19.80
Hyssop was used at the Passover
to sprinkle blood upon the
00:15:27.43\00:15:30.50
doorposts of the homes,
and it was used in special
00:15:30.50\00:15:33.80
cleansing ceremonies
in the Old Testament.
00:15:33.80\00:15:35.90
David saw his need of cleansing.
00:15:35.90\00:15:38.40
And God DID forgive
David, to the extent
00:15:57.16\00:15:59.50
that Jesus was referred
to as the "Son of David".
00:15:59.50\00:16:02.90
David is quoted in the New
Testament and included among
00:16:02.90\00:16:06.00
the great faithful
ones in Hebrews 11.
00:16:06.00\00:16:09.00
So if you've failed,
there's hope for you.
00:16:09.00\00:16:11.76
Think of some of the other
failures in the Bible, people
00:16:11.76\00:16:13.86
who God then
worked with and made new.
00:16:13.86\00:16:16.86
There was the
woman taken in adultery.
00:16:16.86\00:16:19.33
A group of men were
prepared to stone her,
00:16:19.33\00:16:21.60
but what did Jesus do?
00:16:21.60\00:16:22.80
He said to her, "
00:16:22.80\00:16:24.60
He didn't justify her
sin, but he understood her
00:16:27.60\00:16:29.90
repentance and accepted
it, and sent her on her way
00:16:29.90\00:16:34.46
forgiven and cleansed.
00:16:34.46\00:16:36.10
There was the woman at the well.
00:16:36.10\00:16:37.16
Jesus said to her,
00:16:37.16\00:16:37.83
Hardly a picture of
stability and domestic bliss.
00:16:41.26\00:16:44.16
But Jesus sought her out so he
could forgive her and give her
00:16:44.16\00:16:48.20
hope - He didn't seek
her out to condemn her.
00:16:48.20\00:16:52.50
Now we're familiar, many
of us, with John 3:16, "God so
00:16:52.50\00:16:56.50
loved the world", but not as
many people are familiar with
00:16:56.50\00:16:59.80
the next verse, John 3:17.
00:16:59.80\00:17:04.26
Even though it's one of
the most hopeful verses in the
00:17:04.26\00:17:06.56
Bible, and it talks
about God's plan to lift up the
00:17:06.56\00:17:08.70
fallen, to turn around the
lives of those who have failed.
00:17:08.70\00:17:11.46
I'll share that hopeful
verse with you in just a moment.
00:17:11.46\00:17:17.36
In Matthew 4:4 the
Word of God says ...
00:17:17.36\00:17:20.23
Every Word is a one minute
Bible-based daily devotional
00:17:27.26\00:17:30.26
presented by Pastor
John Bradshaw and designed
00:17:30.26\00:17:33.13
especially for
busy people like you.
00:17:33.13\00:17:35.60
Look for Every Word on
selected networks or watch it
00:17:35.60\00:17:38.66
on-line everyday on our
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00:17:38.66\00:17:42.50
Receive a daily spiritual boost.
00:17:42.50\00:17:45.53
Watch Every Word.
00:17:45.53\00:17:47.66
You'll be glad you did.
00:17:47.66\00:17:52.00
I'm glad you've joined me today.
00:17:52.00\00:17:53.83
I'm John Bradshaw and
this is It Is Written.
00:17:53.83\00:17:55.53
Today - Faith and Failure.
00:17:55.53\00:17:58.36
God is so good that
even when we fail He is able
00:17:58.36\00:18:01.63
to give us hope.
00:18:01.63\00:18:02.90
I have a good friend
who's studying right now
00:18:02.90\00:18:05.03
to be a Christian minister.
00:18:05.03\00:18:06.26
He came to faith in
Christ in a jail cell.
00:18:06.26\00:18:08.76
His life was at rock bottom.
00:18:08.76\00:18:09.96
He'd made some terrible errors
of judgment, and while he was
00:18:09.96\00:18:13.56
in prison he reached out
to God and God lifted Him up.
00:18:13.56\00:18:16.83
Today, very much a free
man, his life is dedicated to
00:18:16.83\00:18:20.06
sharing hope with others.
00:18:20.06\00:18:22.66
I've come to know men in
prison on murder charges,
00:18:22.66\00:18:25.50
men who have realized that a
failure in this world doesn't
00:18:25.50\00:18:28.66
have to mean eternal failure.
00:18:28.66\00:18:30.23
They've learned that
God is able to change a life
00:18:30.23\00:18:32.33
and change a heart.
00:18:32.33\00:18:33.23
And while that in no way means
that God condones the crimes
00:18:33.23\00:18:36.70
that were committed, there are
people in prisons all over the
00:18:36.70\00:18:39.53
world who know that God
has given them new life.
00:18:39.53\00:18:42.90
Their spiritual
failures have been turned
00:18:42.90\00:18:45.66
into spiritual victory.
00:18:45.66\00:18:47.86
One night Jesus spoke
with a man named Nicodemus
00:18:47.86\00:18:51.40
and He said this to him.
00:18:51.40\00:18:52.70
You'll find it in John 3:17.
00:18:52.70\00:18:56.33
Here is what
Jesus said to Nicodemus,
00:18:56.33\00:18:59.53
If Jesus wanted to
condemn you for your mistakes
00:19:09.70\00:19:13.40
He surely could!
00:19:13.40\00:19:13.96
Paul wrote in Romans 3:23,
00:19:13.96\00:19:15.53
But what God wants to
do is forgive, He wants to
00:19:19.33\00:19:21.43
remake, He wants to
recreate and transform.
00:19:21.43\00:19:24.56
Think of some of the
great failures in the Bible.
00:19:24.56\00:19:27.70
Peter denied Jesus.
00:19:27.70\00:19:30.30
Outright denied Him.
00:19:30.30\00:19:32.16
And what did Jesus do?
00:19:32.16\00:19:33.93
After His resurrection He
sent a special message to Peter.
00:19:33.93\00:19:37.13
Remember?
00:19:37.13\00:19:38.70
An angel said to Mary
at the tomb in Mark 16:7,
00:19:38.70\00:19:45.40
There was reassurance for Peter.
00:19:56.90\00:19:58.56
"Peter, I'm not done with you.
00:19:58.56\00:19:59.66
You're still special to me.
00:19:59.66\00:20:00.90
I still love you and I've
still got a plan for you."
00:20:00.90\00:20:04.83
Imagine how Peter must
have felt to get that message
00:20:04.83\00:20:07.03
from Jesus!
00:20:07.03\00:20:08.33
There's no doubt he felt
terrible for what he had done,
00:20:08.33\00:20:10.53
and he probably was
beating himself up badly.
00:20:10.53\00:20:13.20
But Jesus reassures him.
00:20:13.20\00:20:15.03
"I haven't forgotten
you, Peter." Even though
00:20:15.03\00:20:18.73
you failed.
00:20:18.73\00:20:19.66
Think of King Manasseh.
00:20:19.66\00:20:21.06
The Bible says a lot about him
- and almost all of it is very
00:20:21.06\00:20:25.53
uncomplimentary.
00:20:25.53\00:20:27.96
It says he sinned more than
the heathen nations that the
00:20:27.96\00:20:31.20
Lord destroyed; it says he
did abominations, he made Israel
00:20:31.20\00:20:33.90
sin with his idols; he
shed innocent blood so that he
00:20:33.90\00:20:37.66
filled Jerusalem
from one end to the other.
00:20:37.66\00:20:40.90
That's what the Bible says.
00:20:40.90\00:20:41.93
And what became of Manasseh?
00:20:41.93\00:20:43.30
2 Chronicles 33 tells
us he repented and he died
00:20:43.30\00:20:48.96
a saved man.
00:20:48.96\00:20:50.46
Manasseh was a
failure, a disgrace.
00:20:50.46\00:20:53.66
He was a despicable individual
- but he came back from his
00:20:53.66\00:20:57.83
failures and found
faith in the God of heaven.
00:20:57.83\00:21:02.43
There was Solomon had all
those wives and concubines -
00:21:02.43\00:21:05.80
hundreds of them -
and worshiped pagan gods,
00:21:05.80\00:21:08.06
and yet God forgave
him when he repented.
00:21:08.06\00:21:10.33
I think about Abraham lying
about Sarah, saying she was
00:21:10.33\00:21:13.16
his sister and not his wife.
00:21:13.16\00:21:17.40
His son Isaac did the
same thing, lying about
00:21:17.40\00:21:20.93
Rebekah, his wife.
00:21:20.93\00:21:21.56
saying that
Rebekah was his sister
00:21:21.56\00:21:23.66
Both men almost lost
their way because they
00:21:23.66\00:21:26.50
were cowardly and lied.
00:21:26.50\00:21:28.20
Yet God forgave
their spiritual failures.
00:21:28.20\00:21:32.80
It's a wonder, but it seems
their wives forgave them too!
00:21:32.80\00:21:34.96
There was Aaron, the brother
of Moses, made an idol of gold
00:21:34.96\00:21:39.66
- a golden calf - when
Moses was up on the mountain
00:21:39.66\00:21:42.06
receiving the ten commandments.
00:21:42.06\00:21:43.66
I mean - what was he thinking?!
00:21:43.66\00:21:46.60
And he comes up with a
lame excuse saying that, oh, we
00:21:46.60\00:21:48.36
just threw a bunch of gold in
the fire and what do you know?
00:21:48.36\00:21:51.90
This calf just came out?
00:21:51.90\00:21:54.30
I mean... that's ridiculous.
00:21:54.30\00:21:56.06
And yet Aaron served
God as God's high priest.
00:21:56.06\00:22:01.26
The good news is, Spiritual
failure doesn't need to mean
00:22:01.26\00:22:06.26
the end for you and me.
00:22:06.26\00:22:07.46
Now again, I'm not minimizing
the danger of sin or of
00:22:07.46\00:22:10.90
dishonoring God.
00:22:10.90\00:22:12.40
There's a high
price to pay for that.
00:22:12.40\00:22:15.06
Our spiritual failures
may come back and cause us
00:22:15.06\00:22:17.73
trouble in our lives.
00:22:17.73\00:22:18.96
That's true.
00:22:18.96\00:22:19.80
But it is good to know
that failing spiritually once,
00:22:19.80\00:22:22.63
or twice, OR over a period
of years, doesn't mean that God
00:22:22.63\00:22:26.50
is done with us
and can't use us.
00:22:26.50\00:22:28.50
And that we cannot
enjoy everlasting life.
00:22:28.50\00:22:30.56
We all need to hear that.
00:22:30.56\00:22:32.60
We all have our
issues, some more than others,
00:22:32.60\00:22:35.20
and every day
there are people crashing
00:22:35.20\00:22:38.26
and burning spiritually.
00:22:38.26\00:22:39.86
And the devil wants
those people to think that God
00:22:39.86\00:22:43.06
is finished with them.
00:22:43.06\00:22:45.03
Well, He isn't.
00:22:45.03\00:22:47.30
Now, I'll mention some
other Bible characters.
00:22:47.30\00:22:49.36
Judas. Sold
Jesus to His murderers.
00:22:49.36\00:22:53.10
King Saul, just fell
apart, really, and lost his way
00:22:53.10\00:22:55.70
spiritually.
00:22:55.70\00:22:56.60
Achan, who stole the gold
and the clothing from the enemy
00:22:56.60\00:22:59.56
and died as a result.
00:22:59.56\00:23:01.30
You know, God
could have forgiven them.
00:23:01.30\00:23:03.46
God áwould haveá forgiven
them, except they never came
00:23:03.46\00:23:06.43
to God to be forgiven.
00:23:06.43\00:23:08.83
They didn't repent.
00:23:08.83\00:23:10.43
And so they owned their
failures and weren't forgiven.
00:23:10.43\00:23:15.33
The greatest basketball
player to ever play the game was
00:23:15.33\00:23:18.73
Michael Jordan.
00:23:18.73\00:23:21.20
An NBA champion 6 times and
won two Olympic gold medals.
00:23:21.20\00:23:26.13
Yet here's what he says.
00:23:26.13\00:23:27.86
And basketball's just a game
that doesn't mean a thing in
00:23:49.36\00:23:51.26
the final analysis.
00:23:51.26\00:23:53.10
But that's the
attitude of a winner.
00:23:53.10\00:23:54.86
And it's the attitude of a
Christian who trusts in Jesus.
00:23:54.86\00:23:57.76
I might have failed over
and over again, but I know God
00:23:57.76\00:24:01.30
isn't finished with me
and I'm pushing forward.
00:24:01.30\00:24:05.40
I'm hanging on.
00:24:05.40\00:24:07.56
Reminds me of Thomas Edison.
00:24:07.56\00:24:08.26
He said,
00:24:08.26\00:24:09.10
? [Music] ? He said,
00:24:15.06\00:24:21.40
I hope you'll remember
today that God doesn't cast off
00:24:28.90\00:24:31.93
those who stumble and fall.
00:24:31.93\00:24:34.26
He is not finished with
you when you fail, but welcomes
00:24:34.26\00:24:38.56
you back to forgive you
and give you a new start.
00:24:38.56\00:24:43.66
In fact, He has
promised to do so.
00:24:43.66\00:24:46.40
Today, I want to offer you
this special free book on the
00:24:46.40\00:24:49.60
subject of God's promises,
including some of the very
00:24:49.60\00:24:53.23
promises God makes to us to
reassure us that He is there
00:24:53.23\00:24:56.73
for us even when we fall.
00:24:56.73\00:24:58.43
You'll find it very encouraging.
00:24:58.43\00:25:00.83
It's called, "God's Promises",
dozens of promises from the
00:25:00.83\00:25:03.76
word of God with encouragement
for you to know God and grow
00:25:03.76\00:25:07.23
in His grace.
00:25:07.23\00:25:08.50
This is going to help you
in your daily walk with Jesus.
00:25:08.50\00:25:11.10
Just call or write and
I'll send you "God's Promises".
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There's no cost or obligation.
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00:25:15.66\00:25:17.36
Just call 1-800-253-3000,
ask for "God's Promises".
00:25:17.36\00:25:24.86
You can call 24 hours a day.
00:25:24.86\00:25:26.10
If the lines are busy,
please just keep trying.
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You can also request your
free copy of "God's Promises" by
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00:25:31.56\00:25:37.66
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00:25:37.66\00:25:41.20
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itiswritten.com It Is Written
is a faith-based ministry made
00:25:52.60\00:25:55.43
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And our web address
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00:26:18.76\00:26:24.20
Today we've talked
about faith and failure.
00:26:24.20\00:26:26.40
I imagine if you're
anything like me, it's not hard
00:26:26.40\00:26:29.40
to remember your
spiritual failures.
00:26:29.40\00:26:33.03
I want to pray with you right
now and ask that God will give
00:26:33.03\00:26:35.93
you success in the place
of defeat and disappointment.
00:26:35.93\00:26:39.86
Let's pray.
00:26:39.86\00:26:42.56
Our Father in heaven, we thank
you that you are the God of
00:26:42.56\00:26:45.43
the new start.
00:26:45.43\00:26:46.63
We thank you that you are
able to take a failure and turn
00:26:46.63\00:26:50.83
that person into
a spiritual success.
00:26:50.83\00:26:52.73
We thank you that you see
beyond our mistakes, beyond
00:26:52.73\00:26:55.16
our shortcomings, beyond
our weaknesses, and you see what
00:26:55.16\00:26:58.20
we can be
through faith in Christ.
00:26:58.20\00:27:01.20
So at least to day,
Lord, let that be in our lives.
00:27:01.20\00:27:04.16
Give us the grace not
to repeat our past errors
00:27:04.16\00:27:07.13
and give us the
encouragement we need
00:27:07.13\00:27:09.56
that when we are low
because of our stumbles and
00:27:09.56\00:27:11.90
falls, to look up and remember
that you welcome us into your
00:27:11.90\00:27:16.16
arms and that you will
cleanse us and forgive us.
00:27:16.16\00:27:19.23
We thank you today that
there is victory in Jesus and we
00:27:19.23\00:27:23.46
pray in Jesus' name, Amen.
00:27:23.46\00:27:28.13
? [Music] ?
00:27:33.70\00:27:45.30
Thank you for joining me today.
00:27:46.43\00:27:48.43
Until then,
remember the Bible says
00:27:48.43\00:27:52.60
It is written, man shall
not live by bread alone but by
00:27:52.60\00:27:56.40
every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God.
00:27:56.40\00:28:02.60
? Theme Music ?
00:28:02.60\00:28:06.63