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
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the assembly line into
his manufacturing process
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and in 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 better
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off but there were a
whole lot more people who could
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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
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and sold millions of each.
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? [Music playing]
? [old time car horn]
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The first car I ever
owned was a Ford - a white 1969
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Mark 2 Ford Cortina,
a thing of beauty that I
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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
proced some classic vehicles,
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like the
Thunderbird [Big V8 rumble/purr]
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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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[Many car horns] ? [music] ?
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and outside the United
States the Mondeo... 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 first 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
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in 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 "ugliest"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 automobiles
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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
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at the time, but over
the years the Ford company
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- like so many others -
learned to weather failure
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and turn it
around 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 great
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promise, but unlike
Henry Ford when this man
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was 40 years old his
life was falling apart.
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(Don't worry - the story
has a happy ending.) As a baby
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he narrowly escaped death,
then was raised in privilege,
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a 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
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so 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,
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to be a 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,
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a 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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In Matthew 4:4
the word of God says,
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It is written, man
shall not live by bread
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alone but by every word
that proceeds from the mouth
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of God.
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Every Word is a one-minute
Bible-based daily devotional
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presented by Pastor
John Bradshaw and designed
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especially for
busy people like you.
00:06:20.43\00:06:22.36
Look for Every Word on
selected networks or watch it
00:06:22.36\00:06:25.63
on-line everyday on our website,
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itiswritten.com.
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Receive a daily spiritual boost.
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Watch Every Word.
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You'll be glad you did.
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Here's a sample:
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Go into any major
bookstore and you'll
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find plenty of books on the
subject of raising children,
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and some of those books
might even contain some useful
00:06:50.16\00:06:51.76
advice.
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But perhaps e best thing
you can do for a child is
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mentioned in 2 Timothy 3:15.
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Paul says to the
young church leader Timothy,
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"From childhood you have
known the Holy Scriptures,
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which are able to make
you wise for salvation through
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faith which is in Christ Jesus."
00:07:05.80\00:07:08.40
When a mind is young,
you want to put the very best
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into it, and the best
you can put into a mind
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is God's word.
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You can give your kids advice
and model the best and most
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virtuous behavior, but
the best thing for a child
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is to be connected to God,
and to know the word of God.
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If there are
children in your life,
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do the very best for them
and encourage them to know
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God's word for themselves.
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I'm John Bradshaw
for It Is Written.
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Let's live today by Every Word.
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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
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a 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.
00:08:02.03\00:08:06.73
Yet the Bible tells us that this
man is in heaven while we're
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talking here today.
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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. The shame can be
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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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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.
00:08:58.76\00:09:00.30
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 was taken
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to heaven. A murderer.
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A failure.
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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
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he 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
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and spoken with God and
having stood at the burning bush
00:10:00.33\00:10:02.86
and after leading Israel through
the Red Sea and after seeing
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the pillar of cloud and
the pillar of fire and after
00:10:05.86\00:10:09.23
eating manna sent
from God for four decades -
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he blew it again!
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In a pique of anger he struck
the rock to bring out water
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instead of speaking to the
rock, and God had to explain
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to Moses that his offense
was so serious he couldn't
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enter the Promised Land.
00:10:23.90\00:10:25.56
Two strikes against him.
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And then what?
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Moses was resurrected
and taken to the Heavenly
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Promised Land.
00:10:34.53\00:10:36.06
You know, too many
people are ready to quit because
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of their failures.
00:10:37.33\00:10:37.96
It happens in everyday life.
00:10:37.96\00:10:39.80
I've heard of
people who gambled away
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everything they
had - [Police siren]
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and they killed themselves.
00:10:43.56\00:10:45.96
I know of people who've lost
everything due to bad business
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deals or due to a challenging
economy, and have ended their
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lives - or have gone nuts
on drugs or alcohol and lost
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their family and friends.
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And it happens in church
or in a person's relationship
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with God.
00:11:00.63\00:11:02.00
The person will stumble, fall,
embarrass themselves or their
00:11:02.00\00:11:05.03
family, and then they
feel they aren't worthy
00:11:05.03\00:11:08.03
of God's mercy - which is true,
incidentally: we're not worthy
00:11:08.03\00:11:11.60
but God gives it to us anyway
- and very often people decide
00:11:11.60\00:11:15.23
to give up on their
faith - they give up on God.
00:11:15.23\00:11:18.50
[Single sharp pistol
shot] Look: if Moses can murder
00:11:18.50\00:11:22.16
someone and still
be commissioned by God
00:11:22.16\00:11:24.66
to lead the exodus,
there has to be hope for you.
00:11:24.66\00:11:27.86
If Moses can blow it at the
rock and still be resurrected
00:11:27.86\00:11:30.50
and taken to heaven...
00:11:30.50\00:11:32.30
What does that say
about the hope we have -
00:11:32.30\00:11:34.40
even when we foul things up?
00:11:34.40\00:11:35.56
Let's think about King David.
00:11:35.56\00:11:37.70
Knowing better, he
took another man's wife.
00:11:37.70\00:11:41.76
He deliberately had the
woman's husband killed in
00:11:41.76\00:11:42.80
battle, he lied about
it, he brought calamity
00:11:42.80\00:11:46.40
upon his family...
00:11:46.40\00:11:48.20
If David can go through all
that, and STILL be God's man,
00:11:48.20\00:11:51.83
the leader of God's people,
that has to reassure you that
00:11:51.83\00:11:55.73
God is in the business
of using broken people to
00:11:55.73\00:11:58.46
accomplish great good.
00:11:58.46\00:12:00.16
Now I want to be
careful about something.
00:12:00.16\00:12:02.56
This is not to say
that the sins of Moses
00:12:02.56\00:12:04.56
and David weren't of
consequence or weren't serious.
00:12:04.56\00:12:07.36
They were!
00:12:07.36\00:12:07.86
The Bible says in Romans 6:23
00:12:07.86\00:12:09.93
Sin is a serious business!
00:12:13.86\00:12:15.36
But what Moses and David
did was they repented - and they
00:12:15.36\00:12:19.53
were accepted by God when they
saw the seriousness of their sin
00:12:19.53\00:12:22.46
and asked God to
"cleanse" them of their sin.
00:12:22.46\00:12:27.40
Look at David's
repentance with me.
00:12:27.40\00:12:29.40
We read about it in Psalm 51.
00:12:29.40\00:12:32.03
Remember what David had done.
00:12:32.03\00:12:33.23
Adultery, murder, dishonesty,
he'd disgraced his throne
00:12:33.23\00:12:38.06
and sadly
misrepresented his God.
00:12:38.06\00:12:40.23
But he comes to God
understanding something.
00:12:40.23\00:12:44.20
He understands that God
is the God of the new start.
00:12:44.20\00:12:47.76
David knows that he can
rely on God to forgive him
00:12:47.76\00:12:50.93
and let him begin again.
00:12:50.93\00:12:54.96
Psalm 51 is where we will read.
00:12:54.96\00:12:57.16
I want you to think about how
encouraging this is if YOU'VE
00:12:57.16\00:12:59.30
ever made mistakes, if
you've ever done something
00:12:59.30\00:13:01.90
you're not proud of.
00:13:01.90\00:13:02.56
If you've ever
failed, even spectacularly.
00:13:02.56\00:13:05.30
This is what David says,
00:13:05.30\00:13:06.56
Then in verse 7 David says this,
00:13:27.40\00:13:29.73
Hyssop was used at the
Passover to sprinkle blood upon
00:13:37.36\00:13:40.43
the doorposts of the homes,
and it was used in special
00:13:40.43\00:13:43.73
cleansing ceremonies
in the Old Testament.
00:13:43.73\00:13:45.83
David saw his need of cleansing.
00:13:45.83\00:13:47.83
And God DID forgive
David, to the extent that Jesus
00:14:07.16\00:14:09.50
was referred to as
the "Son of David".
00:14:09.50\00:14:12.83
David is quoted in the New
Testament and included among
00:14:12.83\00:14:15.93
the great faithful
ones in Hebrews 11.
00:14:15.93\00:14:18.93
So if you've failed,
there's hope for you.
00:14:18.93\00:14:21.70
Think of some of the other
failures in the Bible, people
00:14:21.70\00:14:23.80
who God then
worked with and made new.
00:14:23.80\00:14:26.80
There was the
woman taken in adultery.
00:14:26.80\00:14:29.26
A group of men were
prepared to stone her,
00:14:29.26\00:14:31.53
but what did Jesus do?
00:14:31.53\00:14:32.73
He said to her, "
00:14:32.73\00:14:34.53
He didn't justify her
sin, but he understood her
00:14:37.53\00:14:39.83
repentance and accepted
it, and sent her on her way
00:14:39.83\00:14:44.40
forgiven and cleansed.
00:14:44.40\00:14:46.03
There was the woman at the well.
00:14:46.03\00:14:47.10
Jesus said to her,
00:14:47.10\00:14:47.76
Hardly a picture of
stability and domestic bliss.
00:14:51.20\00:14:54.10
But Jesus sought her out so he
could forgive her and give her
00:14:54.10\00:14:58.13
hope - He didn't seek
her out to condemn her.
00:14:58.13\00:15:02.50
Now we're familiar,
many of us, with John 3:16,
00:15:02.50\00:15:06.50
"God so loved the
world", but not as many people
00:15:06.50\00:15:08.40
are familiar with the
next verse, John 3:17.
00:15:08.40\00:15:14.20
Even though it's one of the most
hopeful verses in the Bible,
00:15:14.20\00:15:16.50
and it talks about God's
plan to lift up the fallen,
00:15:16.50\00:15:18.63
to turn around the lives
of those who have failed.
00:15:18.63\00:15:22.03
I'll share that hopeful
verse with you in just a moment.
00:15:22.03\00:15:24.73
[Music]
00:15:25.93\00:15:32.20
Time for today's Bible question.
00:15:41.33\00:15:42.90
Here it is: When Cain was driven
out after he killed his brother,
00:15:42.90\00:15:46.40
it is said he dwelt in the
land of Nod and then the record
00:15:46.40\00:15:50.10
says that "Cain knew his wife".
00:15:50.10\00:15:51.90
But the world had
just been created,
00:15:51.90\00:15:53.90
where did the other
people come from since according
00:15:53.90\00:15:56.00
to the written word, only
Adam and Eve and their two
00:15:56.00\00:15:58.40
children would have
been the inhabitants.
00:15:58.40\00:16:00.96
In other words, where
did Cain's wife come from?
00:16:00.96\00:16:04.43
Now, don't be shocked
at what I am about to say
00:16:04.43\00:16:07.76
but the fact is that
Cain married his sister.
00:16:07.76\00:16:11.03
Now we don't know how old Cain
was at the time or how old she
00:16:11.03\00:16:13.73
was or if they grew up
together or perhaps if they
00:16:13.73\00:16:15.90
didn't even know each other
for the majority of their life
00:16:15.90\00:16:18.80
until they met later on.
00:16:18.80\00:16:19.66
See, Adam and Eve
lived to be very old
00:16:19.66\00:16:21.86
and it seems that Eve
had many children over a long
00:16:21.86\00:16:24.06
period of time.
00:16:24.06\00:16:25.86
Adam was 130 years when he
fathered Seth who came after
00:16:25.86\00:16:28.66
Cain and Abel.
00:16:28.66\00:16:29.96
Seth was 105
when he fathered Enos.
00:16:29.96\00:16:34.16
Now Cain did certainly
did not get married at 22,
00:16:34.16\00:16:35.96
or 20, or 19 or 18 years old.
00:16:35.96\00:16:36.96
He was older.
00:16:36.96\00:16:38.66
By then, he would have had
a sister who was old enough
00:16:38.66\00:16:41.63
to be his wife.
00:16:41.63\00:16:43.76
As distasteful as this sounds,
keep in mind that we have got
00:16:43.76\00:16:47.06
examples in the Bible
where similar things happened.
00:16:47.06\00:16:51.06
Abraham married his
half sister, for example.
00:16:51.06\00:16:53.96
Now later, God strictly forbade,
00:16:53.96\00:16:56.86
he strictly prohibited
this, but early on there weren't
00:16:56.86\00:16:59.80
the genetic issues that
we face today that would
00:16:59.80\00:17:01.53
make this sort of
marriage a problem based
00:17:01.53\00:17:03.63
on health grounds.
00:17:03.63\00:17:05.56
So Cain married his sister ...
00:17:05.56\00:17:07.33
a little creepy, perhaps,
but we are talking about
00:17:07.33\00:17:09.33
thousands of years
ago and really, really,
00:17:09.33\00:17:11.63
it could not have
been any other way.
00:17:11.63\00:17:14.20
If you would like me to
answer your Bible question,
00:17:14.20\00:17:15.76
please go to itiswritten.com,
you'll see the link and you
00:17:15.76\00:17:18.20
could submit your question
there and I might be able
00:17:18.20\00:17:20.53
to answer your Bible
question in a future program.
00:17:20.53\00:17:24.43
Planning for your financial
future is a vital aspect
00:17:26.46\00:17:29.30
of Christian stewardship.
00:17:29.30\00:17:30.73
For this reason, It
Is Written is pleased
00:17:30.73\00:17:32.33
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00:17:32.33\00:17:35.70
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Call today or visit
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00:17:44.50\00:17:48.66
I'm glad you've joined me today.
00:17:52.96\00:17:54.26
I'm John Bradshaw and
this is It Is Written.
00:17:54.26\00:17:56.46
Today - Faith and Failure.
00:17:56.46\00:17:59.30
God is so good that
even when we fail He is able
00:17:59.30\00:18:02.56
to give us hope.
00:18:02.56\00:18:03.83
I have a good friend
who's studying right now
00:18:03.83\00:18:05.96
to be a Christian minister.
00:18:05.96\00:18:07.20
He came to faith in
Christ in a jail cell.
00:18:07.20\00:18:09.70
His life was at rock bottom.
00:18:09.70\00:18:10.90
He'd made some terrible errors
of judgment, and while he was
00:18:10.90\00:18:14.50
in prison he reached out
to God and God lifted Him up.
00:18:14.50\00:18:17.76
Today, very much a free man,
his life is dedicated to sharing
00:18:17.76\00:18:21.00
hope with others.
00:18:21.00\00:18:23.60
I've come to know men in
prison on murder charges,
00:18:23.60\00:18:26.43
men who have realized
that a failure in this world
00:18:26.43\00:18:28.00
doesn't have to
mean eternal failure.
00:18:28.00\00:18:31.16
They've learned that
God is able to change a life
00:18:31.16\00:18:33.26
and change a heart.
00:18:33.26\00:18:34.16
And while that in no way means
that God condones the crimes
00:18:34.16\00:18:37.63
that were committed, there
are people in prisons all over
00:18:37.63\00:18:40.46
the world who know that
God has given them new life.
00:18:40.46\00:18:43.83
Their spiritual
failures have been turned
00:18:43.83\00:18:46.60
into spiritual victory.
00:18:46.60\00:18:48.80
One night Jesus spoke
with a man named Nicodemus
00:18:48.80\00:18:52.33
and He said this to him.
00:18:52.33\00:18:53.63
You'll find it in John 3:17.
00:18:53.63\00:18:57.26
Here is what
Jesus said to Nicodemus,
00:18:57.26\00:19:00.53
If Jesus wanted to
condemn you for your mistakes
00:19:10.63\00:19:14.33
He surely could!
00:19:14.33\00:19:14.90
Paul wrote in Romans 3:23,
00:19:14.90\00:19:16.46
But what God wants to
do is forgive, He wants
00:19:20.26\00:19:22.36
to remake, He wants to
recreate and transform.
00:19:22.36\00:19:25.50
Think of some of the
great failures in the Bible.
00:19:25.50\00:19:28.63
Peter denied Jesus.
00:19:28.63\00:19:31.23
Outright denied Him.
00:19:31.23\00:19:33.10
And what did Jesus do?
00:19:33.10\00:19:34.86
After His resurrection He
sent a special message to Peter.
00:19:34.86\00:19:38.06
Remember?
00:19:38.06\00:19:39.63
An angel said to Mary
at the tomb in Mark 16:7,
00:19:39.63\00:19:46.33
There was reassurance for Peter.
00:19:57.83\00:19:59.50
"Peter, I'm not done with you.
00:19:59.50\00:20:00.60
You're still special to me.
00:20:00.60\00:20:01.83
I still love you and I've
still got a plan for you."
00:20:01.83\00:20:05.76
Imagine how Peter must
have felt to get that message
00:20:05.76\00:20:07.96
from Jesus!
00:20:07.96\00:20:09.26
There's no doubt he felt
terrible for what he had done,
00:20:09.26\00:20:11.46
and he probably was
beating himself up badly.
00:20:11.46\00:20:14.13
But Jesus reassures him.
00:20:14.13\00:20:15.96
"I haven't forgotten
you, Peter." Even though
00:20:15.96\00:20:19.66
you failed.
00:20:19.66\00:20:20.60
Think of King Manasseh.
00:20:20.60\00:20:22.00
The Bible says a lot about him
- and almost all of it is very
00:20:22.00\00:20:26.46
uncomplimentary.
00:20:26.46\00:20:28.90
It says he sinned more
than the heathen nations
00:20:28.90\00:20:31.03
that the Lord destroyed;
it says he did abominations,
00:20:31.03\00:20:33.86
he made Israel sin
with his idols; he shed
00:20:33.86\00:20:37.16
innocent blood so that he
filled Jerusalem from one end
00:20:37.16\00:20:40.00
to the other.
00:20:40.00\00:20:41.83
That's what the Bible says.
00:20:41.83\00:20:42.86
And what became of Manasseh?
00:20:42.86\00:20:44.23
2 Chronicles 33 tells
us he repented and he died
00:20:44.23\00:20:49.90
a saved man.
00:20:49.90\00:20:51.40
Manasseh was a
failure, a disgrace.
00:20:51.40\00:20:54.60
He was a despicable individual
- but he came back from his
00:20:54.60\00:20:58.76
failures and found
faith in the God of heaven.
00:20:58.76\00:21:03.36
There was Solomon had all
those wives and concubines -
00:21:03.36\00:21:06.73
hundreds of them -
and worshiped pagan gods,
00:21:06.73\00:21:09.00
and yet God forgave
him when he repented.
00:21:09.00\00:21:11.26
I think about Abraham lying
about Sarah, saying she was
00:21:11.26\00:21:14.10
his sister and not his wife.
00:21:14.10\00:21:18.33
His son Isaac did the
same thing, lying about
00:21:18.33\00:21:21.86
Rebekah, his wife.
00:21:21.86\00:21:22.50
saying that
Rebekah was his sister
00:21:22.50\00:21:24.60
Both men almost lost their
way because they were cowardly
00:21:24.60\00:21:27.43
and lied.
00:21:27.43\00:21:29.13
Yet God forgave
their spiritual failures.
00:21:29.13\00:21:33.73
It's a wonder, but it seems
their wives forgave them too!
00:21:33.73\00:21:35.90
There was Aaron, the brother
of Moses, made an idol of gold
00:21:35.90\00:21:40.60
- a golden calf - when
Moses was up on the mountain
00:21:40.60\00:21:43.00
receiving the ten commandments.
00:21:43.00\00:21:44.60
I mean - what was he thinking?!
00:21:44.60\00:21:47.53
And he comes up with a
lame excuse saying that, oh,
00:21:47.53\00:21:49.30
we just threw a bunch of
gold in the fire and what do
00:21:49.30\00:21:50.63
you know?
00:21:50.63\00:21:52.83
This calf just came out?
00:21:52.83\00:21:55.23
I mean... that's ridiculous.
00:21:55.23\00:21:57.00
And yet Aaron served
God as God's high priest.
00:21:57.00\00:22:02.20
The good news is, Spiritual
failure doesn't need to mean
00:22:02.20\00:22:07.20
the end for you and me.
00:22:07.20\00:22:08.40
Now again, I'm not
minimizing the danger of sin
00:22:08.40\00:22:11.83
or of dishonoring God.
00:22:11.83\00:22:13.33
There's a high
price to pay for that.
00:22:13.33\00:22:16.00
Our spiritual failures
may come back and cause us
00:22:16.00\00:22:18.66
trouble in our lives.
00:22:18.66\00:22:19.90
That's true.
00:22:19.90\00:22:20.73
But it is good to know
that failing spiritually once,
00:22:20.73\00:22:23.56
or twice, OR over a period
of years, doesn't mean that God
00:22:23.56\00:22:27.43
is done with us
and can't use us.
00:22:27.43\00:22:29.43
And that we cannot
enjoy everlasting life.
00:22:29.43\00:22:31.50
We all need to hear that.
00:22:31.50\00:22:33.53
We all have our
issues, some more than others,
00:22:33.53\00:22:36.13
and every day there are
people crashing and burning
00:22:36.13\00:22:39.20
spiritually.
00:22:39.20\00:22:40.80
And the devil wants
those people to think that God
00:22:40.80\00:22:44.00
is finished with them.
00:22:44.00\00:22:45.96
Well, He isn't.
00:22:45.96\00:22:48.23
Now, I'll mention some
other Bible characters.
00:22:48.23\00:22:50.30
Judas. Sold
Jesus to His murderers.
00:22:50.30\00:22:54.03
King Saul, just fell
apart, really, and lost his way
00:22:54.03\00:22:56.63
spiritually.
00:22:56.63\00:22:57.53
Achan, who stole the gold
and the clothing from the enemy
00:22:57.53\00:23:00.56
and died as a result.
00:23:00.56\00:23:02.23
You know, God
could have forgiven them.
00:23:02.23\00:23:04.40
God "would have" forgiven
them, except they never came
00:23:04.40\00:23:07.36
to God to be forgiven.
00:23:07.36\00:23:09.76
They didn't repent.
00:23:09.76\00:23:11.36
And so they owned their
failures and weren't forgiven.
00:23:11.36\00:23:16.26
The greatest basketball
player to ever play the game
00:23:16.26\00:23:19.66
was Michael Jordan.
00:23:19.66\00:23:22.13
An NBA champion 6 times and
won two Olympic gold medals.
00:23:22.13\00:23:27.06
Yet here's what he says.
00:23:27.06\00:23:28.80
And basketball's just a
game that doesn't mean a thing
00:23:50.30\00:23:52.20
in the final analysis.
00:23:52.20\00:23:54.03
But that's the
attitude of a winner.
00:23:54.03\00:23:55.80
And it's the attitude
of a Christian who trusts
00:23:55.80\00:23:56.80
in Jesus.
00:23:56.80\00:23:58.70
I might have failed over
and over again, but I know God
00:23:58.70\00:24:02.23
isn't finished with me
and I'm pushing forward.
00:24:02.23\00:24:06.33
I'm hanging on.
00:24:06.33\00:24:08.50
Reminds me of Thomas Edison.
00:24:08.50\00:24:09.20
He said,
00:24:09.20\00:24:10.03
? [Music] ? He said,
00:24:16.00\00:24:22.33
I hope you'll remember
today that God doesn't cast off
00:24:29.83\00:24:32.86
those who stumble and fall.
00:24:32.86\00:24:35.20
He is not finished with
you when you fail, but welcomes
00:24:35.20\00:24:39.50
you back to forgive you
and give you a new start.
00:24:39.50\00:24:44.60
In fact, He has
promised to do so.
00:24:44.60\00:24:47.33
Today, I want to offer
you this special free book on
00:24:47.33\00:24:50.53
the subject of God's promises,
including some of the very
00:24:50.53\00:24:54.16
promises God makes to us to
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00:24:54.16\00:24:57.66
for us even when we fall.
00:24:57.66\00:24:59.36
You'll find it very encouraging.
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It's called, "God's Promises",
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00:25:01.76\00:25:04.70
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00:25:04.70\00:25:08.16
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itiswritten.com It Is Written
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00:25:53.53\00:25:56.36
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00:25:56.36\00:25:58.46
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00:25:58.46\00:26:01.26
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00:26:19.70\00:26:25.13
Today we've talked
about faith and failure.
00:26:25.13\00:26:27.33
I imagine if you're
anything like me, it's not hard
00:26:27.33\00:26:30.33
to remember your
spiritual failures.
00:26:30.33\00:26:33.96
I want to pray with you right
now and ask that God will give
00:26:33.96\00:26:36.86
you success in the place
of defeat and disappointment.
00:26:36.86\00:26:40.80
Let's pray.
00:26:40.80\00:26:43.50
Our Father in heaven, we
thank you that you are the God
00:26:43.50\00:26:46.36
of the new start.
00:26:46.36\00:26:47.56
We thank you that you are
able to take a failure and turn
00:26:47.56\00:26:51.76
that person into
a spiritual success.
00:26:51.76\00:26:53.66
We thank you that you see
beyond our mistakes, beyond
00:26:53.66\00:26:56.10
our shortcomings, beyond
our weaknesses, and you see
00:26:56.10\00:26:59.13
what we can be
through faith in Christ.
00:26:59.13\00:27:02.13
So at least to day,
Lord, let that be in our lives.
00:27:02.13\00:27:05.10
Give us the grace
not to repeat our past
00:27:05.10\00:27:08.06
errors and give us
the encouragement we need
00:27:08.06\00:27:10.50
that when we are low
because of our stumbles
00:27:10.50\00:27:12.13
and falls, to look up and
remember that you welcome us
00:27:12.13\00:27:15.33
into your arms and
that you will cleanse us
00:27:15.33\00:27:18.96
and forgive us.
00:27:18.96\00:27:20.16
We thank you today that
there is victory in Jesus and we
00:27:20.16\00:27:24.40
pray in Jesus' name, Amen.
00:27:24.40\00:27:31.03
? [Music] ?
00:27:34.63\00:27:39.63
Thank you for joining me today.
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I look forward to
seeing you next time.
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Until then,
remember the Bible says
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It is written, man shall
not live by bread alone but by
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every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God.
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? Theme Music ?
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