Jesus is talking with
His disciples one day and
00:00:07.56\00:00:09.83
He says to Philip, "He who
has seen Me has seen the Father.
00:00:09.83\00:00:13.03
That's John 14:9.
00:00:13.03\00:00:14.90
On Father's Day - Happy
Father's Day, Dads - some
00:00:14.90\00:00:18.13
people reflect on the fact
that they didn't have a great
00:00:18.13\00:00:20.33
father while they grew up.
00:00:20.33\00:00:21.70
Gone too much, to angry,
violent, abusive... Tragic.
00:00:21.70\00:00:25.43
But there's a Father you can
love, and even if your earthly
00:00:25.43\00:00:28.66
father didn't give you
a perfect picture of what
00:00:28.66\00:00:30.73
a Dad should be, Jesus said
that if you want to know what
00:00:30.73\00:00:33.63
God the Father is
like, just look at Jesus.
00:00:33.63\00:00:36.33
Jesus reveals what our
Heavenly Father is really
00:00:36.33\00:00:39.23
like.
00:00:39.23\00:00:40.23
He4s kind, patient,
merciful, forgiving, accepting,
00:00:40.23\00:00:44.06
healing, uplifting...
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If you want to know what
the Father is like, look at
00:00:46.30\00:00:48.93
Jesus.
00:00:48.93\00:00:49.93
And when you do that,
you'll agree that you DO have a
00:00:49.93\00:00:52.73
Father you can love and trust.
00:00:52.73\00:00:55.06
I'm John Bradshaw
for It Is Written.
00:00:55.06\00:00:57.20
Let's live today by Every Word.
00:00:57.20\00:01:00.40
[music] It has
stood the test of time.
00:01:11.26\00:01:14.80
God's book, the Bible.
00:01:16.10\00:01:20.66
Still relevant in
today's complex world.
00:01:20.66\00:01:28.56
It Is Written sharing
hope around the globe.
00:01:28.56\00:01:40.56
Imagine growing up thinking
you were someone, and then
00:01:40.56\00:01:43.13
discovering you
were someone else.
00:01:43.13\00:01:46.40
And imagine if you found out
your own godfather was one of
00:01:46.40\00:01:48.93
the monsters of history.
00:01:48.93\00:01:50.46
Guntram Weber was a
63-year-old teacher living in
00:01:50.46\00:01:53.63
Berlin, West Germany.
00:01:53.63\00:01:54.83
Like many Germans his age,
he never knew his father, and
00:01:54.83\00:01:59.30
that was because his dad
was killed during the war.
00:01:59.30\00:02:01.73
Or, at least that's
what his mother told him.
00:02:01.73\00:02:04.30
"Guntram, your dad
was a truck driver for the
00:02:04.30\00:02:06.86
Luftwaffe in Croatia and
he died in the fighting." And
00:02:06.86\00:02:10.00
that's all she told him.
00:02:10.00\00:02:11.70
For much of his life, Guntram
remained skeptical about what
00:02:11.70\00:02:14.60
his mother had said
regarding his father.
00:02:14.60\00:02:17.00
He could never quite bring
himself to believe her story.
00:02:17.00\00:02:20.30
It always bothered him
that she never talked about his
00:02:20.30\00:02:22.36
father, and when he
asked questions, she would say
00:02:22.36\00:02:24.73
something quickly and
then change the subject.
00:02:24.73\00:02:27.30
And to make things seem
even more suspicious, there were
00:02:27.30\00:02:29.36
never any photos of his
dad around the house, and he
00:02:29.36\00:02:32.23
couldn't find any documentation.
00:02:32.23\00:02:34.50
Then one day, following a
hint his stepfather gave him,
00:02:34.50\00:02:37.63
Guntram did a little digging
his shock he found the truth.
00:02:37.63\00:02:43.73
Guntram was what they called
a Lebensborn baby, a term the
00:02:43.73\00:02:47.40
Nazis used to describe
their plan to use selective
00:02:47.40\00:02:50.33
breeding to create a
Master Aryan race that would
00:02:50.33\00:02:54.16
eventually rule the world.
00:02:54.16\00:02:55.96
They'd pick out what
they considered to be the most
00:02:55.96\00:02:58.03
Aryan-looking and racially
pure men and women, and under
00:02:58.03\00:03:01.73
the direction of the SS and
Heinrich Himmler, they ran a
00:03:01.73\00:03:05.00
special program where those
people were essentially sent
00:03:05.00\00:03:07.90
to breeding farms
around Europe to give birth to
00:03:07.90\00:03:10.70
supposedly
racially pure children.
00:03:10.70\00:03:13.70
And when Guntram went to
find the truth about his dad,
00:03:13.70\00:03:16.90
that's what he discovered.
00:03:16.90\00:03:18.56
His dad wasn't a lorry
driver killed in Croatia.
00:03:18.56\00:03:21.50
He was a Major-General in
the SS who had a wife and three
00:03:21.50\00:03:24.90
children of his own
when he got Guntram's mother
00:03:24.90\00:03:27.23
pregnant.
00:03:27.23\00:03:28.76
His mother then went to one
of the "Lebensborn" clinics,
00:03:28.76\00:03:31.83
and thus Guntram
came into the world.
00:03:31.83\00:03:34.73
His real father was deemed
a war criminal and had to flee
00:03:34.73\00:03:37.23
to Argentina after the
war, where he lived until his
00:03:37.23\00:03:40.43
death in 1970.
00:03:40.43\00:03:42.63
But as bad as that was, it
wasn't the only dark secret
00:03:42.63\00:03:45.93
in his life.
00:03:45.93\00:03:46.93
He discovered, to his horror,
that Heinrich Himmler, the
00:03:46.93\00:03:50.36
infamous director of
the death camps, was his
00:03:50.36\00:03:53.26
godfather.
00:03:53.26\00:03:54.90
Imagine: thinking one thing
about your origins all your
00:03:54.90\00:03:57.96
life, and then discovering
the horrible truth: your
00:03:57.96\00:04:02.43
birth was a part of a
systematic eugenics program.
00:04:02.43\00:04:06.73
Thousands of Germans, after
the war, suffered the trauma
00:04:06.73\00:04:09.90
of making that very discovery.
00:04:09.90\00:04:13.33
[Music] Some of the most
basic questions people ask
00:04:13.33\00:04:15.33
during the course of their
lifetime are things like "Who
00:04:15.33\00:04:17.73
am I?", and "Why am I here?"
00:04:17.73\00:04:19.90
Anybody who lives long
enough and gives life even a few
00:04:25.63\00:04:28.23
moments of serious thought
is going to ask those kinds of
00:04:28.23\00:04:31.13
questions.
00:04:31.13\00:04:32.13
[music] ...
00:04:32.13\00:04:33.13
In his book Anna
Karenina, Leo Tolstoy presents a
00:04:33.13\00:04:35.13
Russian aristocrat by the
name of Konstantin Levin who
00:04:35.13\00:04:50.10
asks three essential
questions: (1) What am I?
00:04:50.10\00:04:53.63
(2) Where am I?,
and (3) Why am I here?
00:04:53.63\00:04:58.73
As the story goes, Konstantin
was looking at his estate
00:05:03.36\00:05:06.16
when he suddenly
wonders: what does it all mean?
00:05:06.16\00:05:10.13
"When these people are
all dead, and I'm dead, too -
00:05:10.13\00:05:13.00
what will all of this mean?"
00:05:13.00\00:05:15.73
I had a conversation once
with a philophosy professor
00:05:15.73\00:05:18.36
in London, England once
told me that philosophers still
00:05:18.36\00:05:21.13
wrestle with the big questions.
00:05:21.13\00:05:23.13
I said "Michael, what are
those big questions?" And he
00:05:23.13\00:05:25.13
told me: "Here are the
big questions we are trying to
00:05:25.13\00:05:27.43
get to the bottom of.
00:05:27.43\00:05:28.86
Who am I?
00:05:28.86\00:05:30.23
Why am I here?
00:05:30.23\00:05:32.36
There's something in
the human heart that cries
00:05:32.36\00:05:34.86
desperately to know
what life is all about.
00:05:34.86\00:05:37.66
What a waste to live here
without knowing why you're
00:05:37.66\00:05:41.33
here and how you're
supposed to spend your time.
00:05:41.33\00:05:44.83
Most people wander through
life not knowing what their
00:05:44.83\00:05:48.43
life really means.
00:05:48.43\00:05:50.03
And then, when it's too late
they discover what they could
00:05:50.03\00:05:55.06
have done.
00:05:55.06\00:05:56.06
So let me ask you: how,
exactly, are you supposed to
00:05:56.06\00:05:59.93
live your life if you don't
know why you're here or where
00:05:59.93\00:06:03.30
you come from?
00:06:03.30\00:06:05.30
Richard Dawkins, the famous
Oxford zoologist and atheist,
00:06:05.30\00:06:08.60
believes quite strongly
that he's got the answer.
00:06:08.60\00:06:11.66
He says that we are cosmic
accidents created by chance
00:06:11.66\00:06:15.63
through the unconscious
mechanism of random mutation
00:06:15.63\00:06:18.90
and natural selection.
00:06:18.90\00:06:20.36
In other words, more
conscious thought and purpose
00:06:20.36\00:06:23.40
went into somebody scribbling
some graffiti under a bridge
00:06:23.40\00:06:26.90
than went into the creation
of you and me - or the whole
00:06:26.90\00:06:29.83
universe even.
00:06:29.83\00:06:30.76
But look at the world around
you: everything seems to have
00:06:30.76\00:06:34.46
a purpose.
00:06:34.46\00:06:35.83
Ears have purpose, the brain
of a dolphin has a purpose,
00:06:35.83\00:06:39.06
the sun has a purpose, the
DNA of a flower has purpose,
00:06:39.06\00:06:43.53
and yet we're being asked
to believe that everything
00:06:43.53\00:06:46.36
around us is an accident
and has no purpose at all?
00:06:46.36\00:06:51.03
After more than a century
of evolutionary theory being
00:06:51.03\00:06:53.63
taught in the classroom,
millions and millions of
00:06:53.63\00:06:57.33
Americans still
don't believe it.
00:06:57.33\00:07:00.83
Most of us still believe that
God purposely created us - in
00:07:00.83\00:07:04.10
His image.
00:07:04.10\00:07:05.46
All the hypotheses and
speculations out there about
00:07:05.46\00:07:08.60
there being a "the
selfish gene," or about "natural
00:07:08.60\00:07:12.13
selection," or about
primordial soup - just don't
00:07:12.13\00:07:15.60
make the same kind of sense
found in the first words of
00:07:15.60\00:07:18.56
the Bible: Genesis 1:1 says,
"n the beginning God created
00:07:18.56\00:07:25.66
the heavens and the earth"
You know, in those few words,
00:07:25.66\00:07:29.70
we have a radically different
perspective on the question
00:07:29.70\00:07:33.33
of life than the stuff
we learned in high school
00:07:33.33\00:07:36.00
biology.
00:07:36.00\00:07:37.10
Are we really just the chance
product of cold cosmic forces
00:07:37.10\00:07:40.26
who never even saw us coming?
00:07:40.26\00:07:42.60
Or are we the purposeful
creation of a loving God who
00:07:42.60\00:07:46.23
made us, as the Bible
says, in His own image?
00:07:46.23\00:07:50.86
There's quite a stark
contrast between those two
00:07:50.86\00:07:53.33
views.
00:07:53.33\00:07:54.56
Guntram Weber thought he
had it pretty bad, having
00:07:54.56\00:07:58.10
Heinrich Himmler
as his godfather.
00:07:58.10\00:08:00.56
But at least his life had
some sort of misguided design
00:08:00.56\00:08:03.66
to it.
00:08:03.66\00:08:04.76
As bad as the picture was,
I think it's even worse to be
00:08:04.76\00:08:07.20
told that your
great-great-great-great-grand
00:08:07.20\00:08:09.50
father was a single-celled
organism coming out of a
00:08:09.50\00:08:13.50
primordial soup.
00:08:13.50\00:08:15.36
Suddenly, your life has
got no kind of meaning at all.
00:08:15.36\00:08:21.20
Now let me ask you this
question: Can a painting of a
00:08:21.20\00:08:24.40
water lily suddenly
become an actual water lily?
00:08:24.40\00:08:30.20
Are you sure you know
the answer to that question?
00:08:30.20\00:08:32.96
I'll bring that answer
to you in just a moment.
00:08:32.96\00:08:36.13
[Music] Time for today's
Bible question and thanks for
00:08:52.76\00:08:54.83
submitting Bible questions
to us at It Is Written.
00:08:54.83\00:08:57.66
How can a person really
believe the Bible is true?
00:08:57.66\00:09:02.40
It was written years ago,
it has been copied so many
00:09:02.40\00:09:04.93
times, it was written by a
lot of different people and
00:09:04.93\00:09:07.23
those people wrote
different parts of the Bible at
00:09:07.23\00:09:10.73
different times.
00:09:10.73\00:09:12.33
Help me believe the
Bible is believable.
00:09:12.33\00:09:15.86
Great question.
00:09:15.86\00:09:16.86
Thank you.
00:09:16.86\00:09:17.86
I'll do my best.
00:09:17.86\00:09:18.86
You know what's funny?
00:09:18.86\00:09:20.26
There are historical books
that not many people question
00:09:20.26\00:09:23.76
when it comes to authenticity.
00:09:23.76\00:09:25.76
Let me explain this a bit.
00:09:25.76\00:09:27.60
A historian named Tacitus
wrote The Annals of Imperial
00:09:27.60\00:09:30.70
Rome.
00:09:30.70\00:09:31.70
Few people question its
accuracy or its veracity,
00:09:31.70\00:09:34.86
even though what is available
today comes from a copy and
00:09:34.86\00:09:39.20
doesn't NEARLY date
back to the original.
00:09:39.20\00:09:41.70
Now I'm not knocking Tacitus
at all - just pointing out
00:09:41.70\00:09:46.66
that there's a bit of a
double standard when it comes
00:09:46.66\00:09:48.66
to considering the
accuracy of the Bible.
00:09:48.66\00:09:51.23
Now there are several
reasons you can trust the Bible.
00:09:51.23\00:09:54.03
I'll name just a few.
00:09:54.03\00:09:55.10
Historically it stands up.
00:09:55.10\00:09:57.20
Luke, who wrote Luke and
the Book of Acts, is a very
00:09:57.20\00:10:00.66
accurate historian, and
the historical details found in
00:10:00.66\00:10:03.70
what he wrote stand the
test of thorough scrutiny.
00:10:03.70\00:10:07.93
Archaeology has validated
the Bible again and again.
00:10:07.93\00:10:11.40
On numerous occasions it
has been said that portions of
00:10:11.40\00:10:13.93
the Bible couldn't be
trusted because they couldn't be
00:10:13.93\00:10:16.40
validated by the
archaeological record.
00:10:16.40\00:10:18.76
But again and again
archaeologists have found
00:10:18.76\00:10:21.96
records of cities or other
evidences that show the Bible
00:10:21.96\00:10:26.56
record was accurate after all.
00:10:26.56\00:10:29.36
It has happened
many, many times.
00:10:29.36\00:10:32.06
Then there are the manuscripts.
00:10:32.06\00:10:34.33
There are hundreds of old
manuscripts or portions of
00:10:34.33\00:10:37.16
manuscripts that show us
that what has come down to us
00:10:37.16\00:10:40.13
today is consistent with
what was written hundreds and
00:10:40.13\00:10:43.50
hundreds of years ago.
00:10:43.50\00:10:45.26
Tthe Dead Sea Scrolls,
discovered in the late 1940s
00:10:45.26\00:10:48.46
and early 1950s are
compelling evidence that the
00:10:48.46\00:10:51.20
Bible is legitimate.
00:10:51.20\00:10:52.76
They date back as far back as
00:10:52.76\00:10:58.76
before the time of Christ,
and they show us that the
00:11:01.70\00:11:04.86
Bible we read today is
fundamentally the same as
00:11:04.86\00:11:07.50
what was written way back then.
00:11:07.50\00:11:09.96
Now the 'differences'
that exist in manuscripts are
00:11:09.96\00:11:11.96
generally so small that
they're just irrelevant.
00:11:11.96\00:11:13.96
You don't find a manuscript
where Jesus says He is not
00:11:13.96\00:11:16.80
the Son of God, or where
Christ is teaching something
00:11:16.80\00:11:19.70
bizarre.
00:11:19.70\00:11:20.70
And consider prophecy.
00:11:20.70\00:11:21.70
Many prophecies of the Bible
are being fulfilled and this
00:11:21.70\00:11:23.76
demonstrates I think,
conclusively, that the Bible
00:11:23.76\00:11:25.80
can be trusted.
00:11:25.80\00:11:26.80
When you've got predictions
made that name a king before
00:11:26.80\00:11:29.60
he is born or that name a
certain invader or conquerer
00:11:29.60\00:11:32.73
before he is born and then
these things come to pass...
00:11:32.73\00:11:35.90
When you have got all those
prophecies about Jesus coming
00:11:35.90\00:11:39.43
to the world one saying He
would be crucified, another
00:11:39.43\00:11:41.93
saying not a bone would
be broken, another saying He
00:11:41.93\00:11:44.50
would be born in Bethlehem,
another saying He would die
00:11:44.50\00:11:47.16
in dishonour, another saying
He would be rejected by the
00:11:47.16\00:11:50.13
ones He came to
save, and on and on...
00:11:50.13\00:11:53.83
You've got a real problem if
you want to argue against the
00:11:53.83\00:11:57.20
inspiration of the Bible.
00:11:57.20\00:11:58.83
What are you going to
do with all that evidence?
00:11:58.83\00:12:02.30
But you know what?
00:12:02.30\00:12:03.66
At the end of the day we
accept the Bible by faith.
00:12:03.66\00:12:07.30
The Bible's critics do
raise fair questions at times -
00:12:07.30\00:12:10.20
sometimes questions
aren't very easy to answer,
00:12:10.20\00:12:12.70
especially to
everybody's satisfaction.
00:12:12.70\00:12:14.86
But there's enough
clear - what I would call -
00:12:14.86\00:12:18.40
"evidence" for us to know
that the Bible really is the
00:12:18.40\00:12:22.10
word of God.
00:12:22.10\00:12:23.10
You can accept it by faith.
00:12:23.10\00:12:24.50
Not blind faith, but
reasonable, studied faith.
00:12:24.50\00:12:28.80
There are many, many good
reasons to trust the Bible.
00:12:28.80\00:12:31.43
So many I"m not sure
how someone can really be
00:12:31.43\00:12:35.56
confident in
rejecting the Bible.
00:12:35.56\00:12:39.06
If there's a question you
would like answered, pleae
00:12:39.06\00:12:41.06
send it to me
at ItIsWritten.com.
00:12:41.06\00:12:43.06
I'll do my very best to
get your question answered.
00:12:43.06\00:12:48.53
If you have a question for
pastor John Bradshaw, please
00:12:48.53\00:12:51.73
write to It Is Written, Box
O, Thousand Oaks, California
00:12:51.73\00:12:55.46
91359 or visit our website,
ItIsWritten.com t Is Written
00:12:55.46\00:13:01.00
is dedicated to sharing
the gospel around the world.
00:13:01.00\00:13:03.26
To discover more about It
Is Written, I invite you to
00:13:03.26\00:13:05.26
visit our website:
itiswritten.com and browse
00:13:05.26\00:13:12.96
the dozens of pages that
describe what we do and how
00:13:12.96\00:13:15.80
we do it.
00:13:15.80\00:13:16.80
Let' get to know
each other better.
00:13:16.80\00:13:19.36
Visit our website
itiswritten.com today.
00:13:19.36\00:13:23.03
You know, one of the great
puzzles of modern science is
00:13:23.03\00:13:26.06
the question of life itself:
where, exactly, did it come
00:13:26.06\00:13:30.03
from?
00:13:30.03\00:13:30.96
How did these chemical
products - water, carbon, and
00:13:30.96\00:13:34.53
proteinhow did they make
the jump from being - well,
00:13:34.53\00:13:38.66
water, carbon, and
protein - to a living thing?
00:13:38.66\00:13:42.43
The idea of a painting of a
water lily suddenly becoming
00:13:42.43\00:13:45.90
a real water
lily seems impossible.
00:13:45.90\00:13:49.03
How would the painting
make that kind of jump?
00:13:49.03\00:13:52.06
It's not just a small
tweak here and there and then
00:13:52.06\00:13:54.40
suddenly the
painting comes to life!
00:13:54.40\00:13:56.53
It just doesn't seem feasible.
00:13:56.53\00:13:58.93
But the old, old story
you find the Bible DOES seem
00:13:58.93\00:14:02.86
feasible.
00:14:02.86\00:14:03.93
God CREATED life with purpose
and design - and with human
00:14:03.93\00:14:09.13
beings, He took special
steps to make something very
00:14:09.13\00:14:12.56
special.
00:14:12.56\00:14:13.76
Listen to what the Bible
says, in Genesis 2:7 "and the
00:14:13.76\00:14:19.16
LORD God formed man of
the dust of the ground, and
00:14:19.16\00:14:22.53
breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life; and man
00:14:22.53\00:14:26.60
became a living
soul" (Genesis 2:7).
00:14:26.60\00:14:30.16
I want you to notice
the intimacy: it says God
00:14:30.16\00:14:33.06
breathed into our
nostrils the breath of life.
00:14:33.06\00:14:35.83
According to the
Biblical account, it wasn't an
00:14:35.83\00:14:38.40
accident.
00:14:38.40\00:14:39.40
Someone who cares deeply
about our existence put us
00:14:39.40\00:14:42.13
here on purpose, for a reason.
00:14:42.13\00:14:45.63
Now take that version of
human origins and contrast it
00:14:45.63\00:14:48.53
with what the late
paleontologist Stephen Jay
00:14:48.53\00:14:52.10
Gould said about human
origins: He said, "We are
00:14:52.10\00:14:56.40
here because one odd group
of fishes had a peculiar fin
00:14:56.40\00:15:00.93
anatomy that could transform
into legs for terrestrial
00:15:00.93\00:15:04.90
creatures; because the earth
never froze entirely during
00:15:04.90\00:15:09.06
the ice age; because a small
and tenuous species, arising
00:15:09.06\00:15:14.06
in Africa a quarter of
a million years ago, has
00:15:14.06\00:15:17.26
managed, so far, to
survive by hook and by crook.
00:15:17.26\00:15:22.40
We múy yearn for a 'higher'
answer - but none exists." I
00:15:22.40\00:15:27.73
can't imagine anything more
hopeless - and when it comes
00:15:29.96\00:15:33.66
to the really important
questions in life, it just
00:15:33.66\00:15:36.70
doesn't bring any
lasting satisfaction.
00:15:36.70\00:15:39.43
And with all due respect,
how could Dr. Gould be so
00:15:39.43\00:15:42.53
certain?
00:15:42.53\00:15:43.53
He just wasn't there
when it supposedly happened.
00:15:43.53\00:15:46.26
He didn't see any of
his hypothesis take place.
00:15:46.26\00:15:49.96
Instead, he took a few bits
of scattered data - a little
00:15:49.96\00:15:53.86
piece here, a little piece
there - and then building on
00:15:53.86\00:15:57.33
a whole bunch of unproven
assumptions, he cooked up a
00:15:57.33\00:16:00.50
theory of human origins
that just doesn't really make
00:16:00.50\00:16:03.50
sense.
00:16:03.50\00:16:04.93
When I listen to people
like Dawkins and Gould, and all
00:16:04.93\00:16:07.46
these other people who
seem to insist that life is an
00:16:07.46\00:16:10.20
accident, it reminds me of
a passage in the book of Job
00:16:10.20\00:16:14.63
where God asks some
pretty tough questions.
00:16:14.63\00:16:18.43
I'm turning to the book of
Job, Chapter 38 and verse 4,
00:16:18.43\00:16:22.90
Job 38:4 and it says
this, Where were you when I laid
00:16:22.90\00:16:28.83
the foundations of the earth?
00:16:28.83\00:16:30.93
Tell Me, if you
have understanding.
00:16:30.93\00:16:33.90
Who determined its measurements?
00:16:33.90\00:16:36.06
Surely you know or who
stretched the line upon it?
00:16:36.06\00:16:41.80
Just try to imagine standing
in front of God, attempting
00:16:41.80\00:16:45.16
to answer questions like this.
00:16:45.16\00:16:47.76
And the rest of the chapter
has a lot more questions.
00:16:47.76\00:16:50.50
The point of it is
really pretty simple: none of us
00:16:50.50\00:16:53.13
were there.
00:16:53.13\00:16:54.20
We're building a theory of
human origins from scratch,
00:16:54.20\00:16:57.56
based on a tiny bits of
information and a whole lot
00:16:57.56\00:17:01.60
of human arrogance.
00:17:01.60\00:17:03.43
You know, I've heard
people say that it's arrogant to
00:17:03.43\00:17:05.50
suggest that human life is
special, and that Christians
00:17:05.50\00:17:09.30
are arrogant to suggest
that people have a special place
00:17:09.30\00:17:12.00
on planet earth, but
sometimes I really have to
00:17:12.00\00:17:15.23
wonder: when we want to be
smart enough to think that we
00:17:15.23\00:17:19.20
think we hold the key to the
universe, and we're too proud
00:17:19.20\00:17:22.46
to think that Someone
might just have a claim on our
00:17:22.46\00:17:25.40
lives, where does
the real arrogance lie?
00:17:25.40\00:17:30.83
And in the view offered by
Dawkins and Darwin and Gould,
00:17:30.83\00:17:34.80
the universe doesn't last.
00:17:34.80\00:17:36.63
Follow these guys' theories
to their logical conclusion,
00:17:36.63\00:17:39.86
and you get a
pretty hopeless picture.
00:17:39.86\00:17:42.36
Eventually, the universe just
collapses - and nothing will
00:17:42.36\00:17:46.46
have meant anything.
00:17:46.46\00:17:48.13
But the story given in
the Bible bubbless with hope.
00:17:48.13\00:17:52.06
It admits the sad condition
of our planet, it explains
00:17:52.06\00:17:56.06
the pain and suffering we're
living with, and it holds out
00:17:56.06\00:17:59.13
a promise that answers
the toughest questions we can
00:17:59.13\00:18:02.46
ask.
00:18:02.46\00:18:03.56
To put it simply,
God offers us a future.
00:18:03.56\00:18:07.66
Listen to His promise, it's
found at the end of the book
00:18:07.66\00:18:09.90
of Isaiah: For, behold, I
create new heavens and a new
00:18:09.90\00:18:15.33
earth: and the former shall
not be remembered, nor come
00:18:15.33\00:18:19.13
into mind" (Isaiah 65:17).
00:18:19.13\00:18:20.76
If life were really
meaningless, I don't think so
00:18:20.76\00:18:23.26
many people - for so many
years - would have asked so
00:18:23.26\00:18:26.80
many questions.
00:18:26.80\00:18:28.16
If you and I are just
machines that fell together
00:18:28.16\00:18:30.50
by accident, why would we
even care about the meaning
00:18:30.50\00:18:34.03
of life.
00:18:34.03\00:18:35.26
But if our lives are the
creation of a loving, caring
00:18:35.26\00:18:38.16
God, who has our best in
mind, the questions you've
00:18:38.16\00:18:41.96
got about life
begin to make sense.
00:18:41.96\00:18:45.80
They're kind of a homing
beacon, steering you back
00:18:45.80\00:18:47.83
into a relationship with God.
00:18:47.83\00:18:50.23
Now in the book of Ephesians,
the Bible says, Ephesians 1,
00:18:50.23\00:18:54.86
He chose us in Him before
the foundation of the world,
00:18:54.86\00:18:58.76
that we should be holy and
without blame before Him...."
00:18:58.76\00:19:02.70
(Eph.
00:19:02.70\00:19:03.70
1:4) You didn't just
happen: you were chosen, and you
00:19:03.70\00:19:07.53
still are.
00:19:07.53\00:19:09.06
Because of what God did for
you at the cross of Calvary,
00:19:09.06\00:19:11.80
you are free to answer
the call in your heart and
00:19:11.80\00:19:14.76
rediscover your
original purpose.
00:19:14.76\00:19:17.36
Here's another passage found
in 2 Timothy 1:9, where the
00:19:17.36\00:19:21.13
Bible tells us that you
and I have been called, with a
00:19:21.13\00:19:26.33
holy calling, not according
to our works, but according
00:19:26.33\00:19:30.40
to His own purpose and
grace which was given to us in
00:19:30.40\00:19:34.00
Christ Jesus before time
began." Over and over again,
00:19:34.00\00:19:38.96
the Bible says that you
were chosen, you were called
00:19:38.96\00:19:42.40
before the
creation of the world.
00:19:42.40\00:19:44.86
There's a reason you
wonder about the meaning of your
00:19:44.86\00:19:47.00
life.
00:19:47.00\00:19:48.00
Dig a little deeper into
your past, and you're going to
00:19:48.00\00:19:50.93
make a remarkable discovery:
your life really does have
00:19:50.93\00:19:55.66
purpose.
00:19:55.66\00:19:56.96
You were put here
intentionally, and there are
00:19:56.96\00:19:59.53
forces at work in this
universe to keep you from
00:19:59.53\00:20:02.96
discovering the truth.
00:20:02.96\00:20:05.30
In a moment, an incredible
story about two men who found
00:20:05.30\00:20:09.03
out who they really were.
00:20:09.03\00:20:11.13
Planning for your financial
future is a vital aspect of
00:20:14.96\00:20:17.76
Christian Stewardship.
00:20:17.76\00:20:19.23
For this reason, It Is
Written is pleased to offer
00:20:19.23\00:20:21.46
free planned giving
and estate services.
00:20:21.46\00:20:24.50
For information on how
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1.800.992.2219.
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To receive additional
material on the advantages of
00:20:30.03\00:20:32.50
life-income plans such as
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00:20:32.50\00:20:35.63
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00:20:35.63\00:20:39.53
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00:20:42.50\00:20:46.60
You could also write to It
Is Written, Planned Giving and
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00:20:49.56\00:20:53.03
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Our toll-free number again
is 1-800-992-2219 and our web
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address: www.hislegacy.com
00:21:01.03\00:21:03.16
Somebody doesn't want you
to know who you really are.
00:21:09.30\00:21:13.23
You know, a little while
ago, I came across a remarkable
00:21:13.23\00:21:15.40
story.
00:21:15.40\00:21:16.60
In the state of Maine, there
were two men - Gary and Randy
00:21:16.60\00:21:19.63
- working at the
same furniture company.
00:21:19.63\00:21:21.76
Customers and coworkers alike
couldn't help but notice that
00:21:21.76\00:21:24.63
they two guys
looked a lot alike.
00:21:24.63\00:21:26.70
Both of them had light
hair, both of them had stocky
00:21:26.70\00:21:29.00
builds, and both of them
wore baseball caps and had
00:21:29.00\00:21:32.13
goatees.
00:21:32.13\00:21:33.40
Their mannerisms and
appearance were so much alike
00:21:33.40\00:21:35.43
that people used to
ask if they were brothers.
00:21:35.43\00:21:37.66
But of course, they
weren't - because if they were
00:21:37.66\00:21:40.20
brothers, they would
have grown up together, right?
00:21:40.20\00:21:43.10
Then one day Randy asked
Gary if he knew the names of his
00:21:43.10\00:21:45.96
biological parents, and to
his surprise, they were the
00:21:45.96\00:21:49.93
same as his biological parents.
00:21:49.93\00:21:52.30
And the fact that they
were both adopted really started
00:21:52.30\00:21:54.96
raising some
important questions.
00:21:54.96\00:21:57.20
Randy knew that he had a
brother out there somewhere,
00:21:57.20\00:22:00.83
and so he asked Gary
what his birthday was.
00:22:00.83\00:22:03.53
It was June 10, 1974 -
the same year that his brother
00:22:03.53\00:22:07.43
had been born.
00:22:07.43\00:22:08.96
Now think about this very
carefully: what are theodds
00:22:08.96\00:22:12.26
that two brothers actually
worked together in the same
00:22:12.26\00:22:15.66
company all those years, and
didn't realize that they were
00:22:15.66\00:22:19.53
brothers?
00:22:19.53\00:22:20.73
What twists of fate had
to happen to bring them both
00:22:20.73\00:22:23.76
together on the same payroll
- and how many days - weeks -
00:22:23.76\00:22:28.73
years , had actually been
wasted because they didn't
00:22:28.73\00:22:32.26
realize just how close
their family really was?
00:22:32.26\00:22:36.10
And now think about
yourself here on planet earth.
00:22:36.10\00:22:39.36
Your heart tells you
that your life is important.
00:22:44.33\00:22:47.33
You've got this overwhelming
sense that you were put here
00:22:47.33\00:22:49.86
for a reason.
00:22:49.86\00:22:51.46
You might struggle to know
what that reason is, but you
00:22:51.46\00:22:55.06
just can't shake the feeling.
00:22:55.06\00:22:57.06
Maybe at night, you look
up at the stars, wondering if
00:22:59.36\00:23:01.56
Somebody is really out there.
00:23:01.56\00:23:05.90
Maybe, in the quiet moments
of your life life, you find
00:23:05.90\00:23:08.20
yourself wanting to talk
to Someone - wanting to have a
00:23:08.20\00:23:11.80
relationship.
00:23:11.80\00:23:14.36
In every human heart, there's
this feeling that we've been
00:23:14.36\00:23:16.63
disconnected - that
we're missing out on the most
00:23:16.63\00:23:19.33
important
relationship in the world.
00:23:19.33\00:23:22.06
Some people describe it as
feeling a little bit homesick
00:23:22.06\00:23:25.73
- as if we recognize that we
really belong somewhere else,
00:23:25.73\00:23:28.86
in a different
set of circumstances.
00:23:28.86\00:23:31.46
That feeling, according
to the Bible, is universal.
00:23:31.46\00:23:34.33
In Ecclesiastes 3:11, the
Bible says that God has put
00:23:34.33\00:23:39.83
eternity in the heart. In
the last century and a half,
00:23:39.83\00:23:42.23
there have been a lot of
voices telling us that our
00:23:42.23\00:23:49.96
existence doesn't mean anything.
00:23:49.96\00:23:53.26
But after all this time,
they're failing to convince
00:23:53.26\00:23:56.23
us.
00:23:56.23\00:23:57.23
The call in your
heart just won't go away.
00:23:57.23\00:23:59.46
New theories of human origins
have failed to kill the cry
00:23:59.46\00:24:02.83
of our hearts to
know who we really are.
00:24:02.83\00:24:05.53
And who are we?
00:24:05.53\00:24:07.86
We are beings purposefully
made in the image of God, who
00:24:07.86\00:24:12.80
promised us eternal life
with Him long before the world
00:24:12.80\00:24:16.40
even began.
00:24:16.40\00:24:18.43
So right now, only one
more question remains: Are you
00:24:18.43\00:24:22.30
going to claim your
meaningful life with God?
00:24:22.30\00:24:26.63
According to the Bible,
it's yours for the asking - and
00:24:26.63\00:24:29.86
when you ask, you're going
to discover that He's been there
00:24:29.86\00:24:33.23
all along.
00:24:33.23\00:24:35.13
It's just that maybe
you didn't recognize Him.
00:24:35.13\00:24:38.56
But will you
recognize Him right now?
00:24:38.56\00:24:41.03
Let's pray.
00:24:41.03\00:24:42.03
We will thank God that
he made us for a purpose.
00:24:42.03\00:24:45.86
He made us in his image
and he made both you and me so
00:24:45.86\00:24:50.56
that we might
spend eternity with him.
00:24:50.56\00:24:54.23
Our Father in heaven, we
thank you that we are not
00:24:55.46\00:24:57.46
just accidents.
00:24:57.46\00:24:58.46
We thank you that life is
not meaningless, but that it is
00:24:58.46\00:25:02.60
full of purpose.
00:25:02.60\00:25:03.76
And we pray claiming your
purpose for our life right
00:25:03.76\00:25:07.70
now.
00:25:07.70\00:25:08.70
You made us and not just to
live and die, but you made us
00:25:08.70\00:25:13.63
to live on this earth
and then die or not, live
00:25:13.63\00:25:17.96
eternally with you forever
in the place where it is good
00:25:17.96\00:25:21.46
where the flowers don't
ever fade and when we will enjoy
00:25:21.46\00:25:25.66
and where we will enjoy
meaning and purpose beyond
00:25:25.66\00:25:29.70
our ability right now to
comprehend and so we thank
00:25:29.70\00:25:33.16
you that you are our
father and that we are yours.
00:25:33.16\00:25:36.30
We belong to you and we
are glad and we pray in Jesus'
00:25:36.30\00:25:41.83
name, amen.
00:25:41.83\00:25:47.83
Perhaps our program today
has touched your heart and
00:26:11.76\00:26:14.03
impressed you with a personal
need for deeper Bible study.
00:26:14.03\00:26:17.53
If you desire to listen
to God and follow where he
00:26:17.53\00:26:19.86
leads, we've got a wonderful
resource that can help you do
00:26:19.86\00:26:22.83
that in a systemic way,
the Discover Bible Guides.
00:26:22.83\00:26:27.10
These study guides will
take you through the essential
00:26:27.10\00:26:29.26
truths taught in Scripture.
00:26:29.26\00:26:30.23
They give you the big
picture showing how it all fits
00:26:30.23\00:26:33.73
together.
00:26:33.73\00:26:34.73
The Discover Bible Guides
are a wonderful way for you to
00:26:34.73\00:26:37.53
become grounded in the
Word of God and to see how Jesus
00:26:37.53\00:26:40.83
Christ relates to all
the areas of our lives.
00:26:40.83\00:26:44.33
Please call or write us
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00:26:44.33\00:26:47.13
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00:26:47.13\00:26:49.20
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Or for even easier
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anywhere around the world,
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00:26:55.20\00:26:57.90
Bible lessons on our
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00:26:57.90\00:27:02.16
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00:27:26.30\00:27:31.33
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00:27:34.56\00:27:35.56
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is itiswritten.com
Thanks for joining me today.
00:27:41.00\00:27:47.53
And remember It Is Written:
man shall not live by bread
00:27:47.53\00:27:52.33
alone, but by every word
that proceeds from the mouth of
00:27:52.33\00:27:56.36
God.
00:27:56.36\00:27:58.36