It has stood the test
of t 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 glo
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I'm John Bradshaw,
and this is It Is Written.
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Thanks for joining me
today. This is Gettysburg,
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Pennsylvania, the site of
the Battle of Gettysburg, the
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most famous battle of
the American Civil War.
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Today, the old battlefields
of Gettysburg look a whole
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lot like they did a
century and a half ago.
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A lot of effort has
been taken to keeping the
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Gettysburg battlefields
in condition as original as
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possible. The
American Civil War lasted
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four years, from 1861 to 1865.
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Thousands of people perished
during the American Civil
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War, 700,000 is the number
that is often quoted today
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and several thousand
individuals died here at
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Gettysburg. Today,
we refer to the war as
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the American Civil War.
But down through time, it has
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been called a
number of different things.
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It was called the
war between the states.
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The South referred to it
as the war of succession.
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Immediately after the war,
the North called it the war
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of rebellion.
There's a lot of controversy
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over what actually
brought about the start of the
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American Civil War,
but the facts are these.
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Eleven southern states
declared their succession
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from the United States and
began to call themselves the
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Confederated States of
America or, The Confederacy.
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The remaining 25 states
remained loyal to the United
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States Government, and
they became known as The Union.
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After this split,
really, fighting was simply
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inevitable. One
fact most people will
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agree on is that slavery
was a central issue in the Civil
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War. The controversy became so
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intense, so hot, that it
brought about the end of some
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political parties, including
the Wigs and the No Nothing
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party. And it
caused the Democratic
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party to be split in
two, between the North and the
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South. But the violence wasn't
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contained only
to the battlefield.
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In fact, on the floor of
the US Senate, a South Carolina
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Congressman by the name
of Preston Brooks, violently
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assaulted a Republican
politician by the name of
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Charles Sumner. He
beat him so badly that he
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beat him almost to death.
The reason for this violent
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assault is that Sumner
insulted Southern slave
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owners and one of Brooks'
own relatives as referring to
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them as pimps for slavery.
At the start of the Civil
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War, there were 9 million
people living in the American
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South. Four million of them were
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slaves, almost
50% of the population.
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Slavery was a dark episode
in the history of the United
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States. Slavery has existed for
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thousands of years.
The Bible not only mentions
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slavery but it provides
guidelines as to how slaves
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should be treated.
And if a man smite his
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servant, his slave, or
his maid with a rod and he die
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under his hand, he shall
be surely punished and if he
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smite out his manservant's
tooth, or his maidservant's
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tooth, he shall let him
go free for his tooth's sake.
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That's Exodus 21: 26, 27.
Now let's not be confused by
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this and think that because
the Bible says that that God
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somehow approves of
slavery. God certainly does not.
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In fact, it says
this in Acts 17:24-26.
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God that made the world
and all things therein seeing
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that he is Lord of heaven
and earth, dwelleth not in
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temples made with hands,
neither is worshipped with
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men's hands as though he
needed anything, seeing he
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giveth life to all, and
breath and all things, and
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hath made of one blood all
nations of men for to dwell
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on all the face of the earth
and hath determined the times
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before appointed and the
bounds of their habitation.
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In fact, it was Jesus who
said in Luke 6:27-31, love
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your enemies, do good to
them which hate you, bless them
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that curse you and pray
for them which despitefully use
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you and unto him that smiteth
thee on the one cheek, offer
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also the other. And
him that taketh away thy
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cloak forbid not to
take your coat also.
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Give to every man that
asketh of thee, and of him that
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taketh away thy
goods, ask them not again.
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And as ye would that men
should do to you, do ye also
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to them likewise.
Unfortunately, many people
00:05:03.16\00:05:07.14
during the Civil War
didn't see it that way.
00:05:07.14\00:05:09.27
What's tragic is that
religious slave holders
00:05:09.27\00:05:13.07
professed Christians used
the slavery guidelines found in
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the book of Exodus to say
that God actually supported
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slavery. President
Abraham Lincoln saw
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this for what it really was.
In a letter that he wrote to
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Reverend Dr. Ide, dated
May 30, 1864, he said this:
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"Those professedly holy men
of the South met in semblance
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of prayer and devotion and
in the name of Him who said 'as
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you would all men should do
unto you, do ye even so unto
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them', appealed to the
Christian world to aid them
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in doing to a whole race of
men as they would have no man
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do unto themselves. To
my thinking they contemned
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and insulted God and his
church, far more than did
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Satan when he tempted the
Saviour with the Kingdoms of
00:06:03.09\00:06:06.39
the Earth." We can
thank God that slavery
00:06:06.39\00:06:09.33
has been abolished.
Mauritania was the last
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country in the world to
abolish slavery and did so in
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1981. However,
because sin is what
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sin is, slavery still
exists. They say that because of
00:06:17.61\00:06:21.08
human trafficking, there
are more slaves in the world now
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than at any other
time in human history.
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I'm here in Gettysburg, in
a store, a shop, that houses
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many Civil War artifacts,
including implements that we
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used in slavery. These
two items here that you
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see are collars worn
around the necks of slaves.
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They are genuine
and they were used.
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The protruding spikes are
there to discourage slaves
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from trying to escape.
If they tried to escape, the
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spikes would get caught
in underbrush or growth or
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branches or so on and
would lead to the slaves being
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recaptured which, of
course, would not be pretty.
00:06:59.08\00:07:05.12
The LORD looked down from
heaven upon the children of
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men, to see if there were any
that did understand, and seek
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God. They are
all gone aside, they
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are all together become
filthy: there is none that
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doeth good, no,
not one. Psalms 14:2-3.
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[M It's time for today's
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Bible question. A
friend of mine says we need
00:07:42.96\00:07:46.29
to keep the 10 commandments
in order to go to heaven.
00:07:46.29\00:07:50.10
But my preacher says that
the law was nailed to the cross
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and because of Jesus, we no
longer need to keep the law.
00:07:53.40\00:07:58.01
He said something about the
law being an old covenant and
00:07:58.01\00:08:00.84
now since the cross,
all we need is grace.
00:08:00.84\00:08:04.35
Now wouldn't
that be a funny thing!
00:08:04.35\00:08:06.65
Jesus telling people that
it's okay to disobey him now.
00:08:06.65\00:08:10.05
Can you imagine that?
Jesus saying it's okay to
00:08:10.05\00:08:13.02
commit adultery?
It's okay to steal.
00:08:13.02\00:08:15.32
It's okay to kill because
we are under a new covenant.
00:08:15.32\00:08:19.59
If grace is a ticket for
people to live spiritually
00:08:19.59\00:08:22.56
irresponsible lives, than
grace is something we could
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do without. Let's be clear.
00:08:25.50\00:08:28.64
Salvation is given
by grace through faith.
00:08:28.64\00:08:31.77
It's free. It's a gift.
00:08:31.77\00:08:33.74
We cannot earn it by our
obedience or anything else.
00:08:33.74\00:08:38.15
The gift of salvation is
not conferred based upon our
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performance. But
let's balance that.
00:08:40.85\00:08:43.69
Lookn the other
side of the coin.
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What about once a person
has come to Jesus and has
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received salvation.
How should they live then?
00:08:48.52\00:08:52.39
Jesus said this in John 14:15.
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If you love me,
keep my commandments.
00:08:54.66\00:08:59.07
Saved people will obey God
which isn't to say they will
00:08:59.07\00:09:02.70
never make mistakes,
but their life is one
00:09:02.70\00:09:05.24
characterized by obedience
and growing in obedience.
00:09:05.24\00:09:09.04
Love for God brings
obedience into a person's life.
00:09:09.04\00:09:12.98
Revelation 14:12 describes
the saved when it says: "Here
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are they that keep the
commandments of God and the
00:09:16.55\00:09:19.65
faith of Jesus.
It isn't that their
00:09:19.65\00:09:22.09
commandment keeping earned
them salvation but because
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Jesus had come into
their lives, their lives became
00:09:25.59\00:09:28.80
lives of obedience,
lives of honoring God.
00:09:28.80\00:09:32.33
When you love someone, you
want to please that someone
00:09:32.33\00:09:34.64
and it pleases God that
we obey him, that we keep his
00:09:34.64\00:09:38.47
commandments. Look in the Bible.
00:09:38.47\00:09:41.08
It does not teach us that
grace means we are free to
00:09:41.08\00:09:44.15
run off and sin. It's
because of grace that we
00:09:44.15\00:09:47.58
don't want to do that
because we know it hurts God.
00:09:47.58\00:09:52.15
If you have a question
that you would like answered, go
00:09:52.15\00:09:54.19
to our website:
itiswritten.com and click on
00:09:54.19\00:09:56.96
the "Questions" tab.
Submit your question and in a
00:09:56.96\00:10:00.63
future program, we might
be able to answer your Bible
00:10:00.63\00:10:03.47
ques Eyes for India is giving
00:10:03.47\00:10:09.40
sight to the blind and you
can be a part of this amazing
00:10:09.40\00:10:13.17
work that God is doing.
15 million blind people live
00:10:13.17\00:10:16.51
in India, more than any
other country in the world.
00:10:16.51\00:10:19.68
And many of the blind in
India could see again, if
00:10:19.68\00:10:22.88
only they could have
simple cataract surgery.
00:10:22.88\00:10:25.95
It Is Written is
making that happen.
00:10:25.95\00:10:28.92
Would you
support Eyes for India?
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For just $75 you'll be giving
the gift of sight to someone
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who desperately wants to
see. Here is all you need to do.
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Call 1.800.253.3000 to donate
and support Eyes for India.
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Or, you can write to It
Is Written, Box O, Thousand
00:10:47.11\00:10:50.58
Oaks, California, 91359.
You'll also find Eyes for
00:10:50.58\00:10:55.22
India online at itiswritten.co
00:10:55.22\00:10:58.65
You can't really have the
discussion about slavery in
00:11:02.02\00:11:04.19
the United States of America
without mentioning the name
00:11:04.19\00:11:07.03
Frederick Douglas.
Frederick Douglas was born
00:11:07.03\00:11:10.13
a slave in Talbot
County, Maryland in 1818.
00:11:10.13\00:11:14.10
Now because slave
mothers weren't allowed to raise
00:11:14.10\00:11:16.50
their own children, he
never did know the exact date of
00:11:16.50\00:11:19.04
his birthday. When
he was about 12 years
00:11:19.04\00:11:22.08
old, his owners' wife
began to teach him the alphabet,
00:11:22.08\00:11:26.21
despite the fact it was
illegal to teach slaves how
00:11:26.21\00:11:28.95
to read. Frederick Douglas would
00:11:28.95\00:11:30.99
describe her as a kind woman.
She said that she treated him
00:11:30.99\00:11:35.02
the way one human
being ought to treat another.
00:11:35.02\00:11:37.93
Now, when the slave master
found out what was going on,
00:11:37.93\00:11:40.56
he strongly disapproved.
He said this must not happen.
00:11:40.56\00:11:44.20
Frederick must not learn
how to read because should a
00:11:44.20\00:11:46.80
slave learn to read, why
then a slave would want to learn
00:11:46.80\00:11:49.67
to write. And
should a slave learn how
00:11:49.67\00:11:51.84
to right, then a slave would
be wanting his own freedom.
00:11:51.84\00:11:57.21
Later, Douglas described
these words as the first
00:11:57.21\00:12:00.88
decidedly antislavery
lecture that he would ever hear.
00:12:00.88\00:12:05.62
In spite of his owner's
discouragement, Frederick
00:12:05.62\00:12:08.02
Douglas did learn to
read. He learned from white
00:12:08.02\00:12:11.09
children living in his
neighborhood and by looking
00:12:11.09\00:12:13.90
at the written materials
owned by the men with whom he
00:12:13.90\00:12:16.40
worked and then Douglas escaped.
00:12:16.40\00:12:20.14
He fled to New York and
he became an advocate for the
00:12:20.14\00:12:22.87
abolitionist movement and
once a free man, Frederick
00:12:22.87\00:12:26.98
Douglas had some very
interesting things to say
00:12:26.98\00:12:30.35
about slavery. "From my earliest
00:12:30.35\00:12:33.72
recollection, I date
the entertainment of a deep
00:12:33.72\00:12:37.39
conviction that slavery would
not always be able to hold me
00:12:37.39\00:12:41.02
within its foul embrace.
And in the darkest hours of
00:12:41.02\00:12:45.16
my career in slavery,
this living word of faith and
00:12:45.16\00:12:49.00
spirit of hope departed
not from me but remained like
00:12:49.00\00:12:53.13
ministering angels to
cheer me through the gloom.
00:12:53.13\00:12:57.61
It was as though Frederick
Douglas, even though he had
00:12:57.61\00:12:59.81
been raised to believe
that he was nothing more than
00:12:59.81\00:13:02.18
cattle, always suspected
that slavery was wrong.
00:13:02.18\00:13:05.51
It was something it seems
in the back of his mind that
00:13:05.51\00:13:08.15
always told him
that that was the case.
00:13:08.15\00:13:10.42
And do you think that
Douglas' case was unique or
00:13:10.42\00:13:13.09
did the other
slaves feel the same way?
00:13:13.09\00:13:15.89
Of course they did.
They had the reminders around
00:13:15.89\00:13:18.19
them all of the time as
to what their true condition
00:13:18.19\00:13:20.43
really was. They
were owned by somebody
00:13:20.43\00:13:23.00
else. They often
had irons weighing
00:13:23.00\00:13:25.10
them down. They
often felt whips cutting
00:13:25.10\00:13:28.00
into their backs and
they heard the cruel words of
00:13:28.00\00:13:30.27
their masters. They
recognized that they
00:13:30.27\00:13:32.94
were slaves because those
reminders were around them
00:13:32.94\00:13:36.08
all of the time.
Their lives told them what
00:13:36.08\00:13:38.88
they really were. But
you might be surprised to
00:13:38.88\00:13:42.58
know that there are
many people today who don't
00:13:42.58\00:13:44.65
realize that
they are in bondage.
00:13:44.65\00:13:47.16
In fact, you
might be one of them.
00:13:47.16\00:13:50.99
Find out more in just a moment.
00:13:50.99\00:13:56.77
In Matthew 4:4, the Word of
God says, It is written, man
00:13:56.77\00:14:00.74
shall not live by bread
alone but by every word that
00:14:00.74\00:14:04.41
proceeds from the mouth of God.
00:14:04.41\00:14:06.54
Every word is a one minute
Bible-based daily devotional
00:14:06.54\00:14:09.71
presented by pastor
John Bradshaw and designed
00:14:09.71\00:14:12.61
especially for
busy people like you.
00:14:12.61\00:14:15.92
Look for Every Word on
selected networks or watch it
00:14:15.92\00:14:18.69
on-line everyday on our
website, itiswritten.com.
00:14:18.69\00:14:22.42
Receive a daily spiritual boost.
00:14:22.42\00:14:24.99
Watch Every Word.
You'll be glad you did.
00:14:24.99\00:14:27.56
Here's a sampl Back in 1988
00:14:27.56\00:14:39.27
Presidential Candidate George
H W Bush addressed a large
00:14:39.27\00:14:42.64
audience at his party's
National Convention and said,
00:14:42.64\00:14:45.98
"Read my lips, no new taxes."
That was a promise, and he
00:14:45.98\00:14:52.09
meant it. But
promises can be hard to
00:14:52.09\00:14:54.62
keep, and even politicians
find that on occasions their
00:14:54.62\00:14:57.59
promises can be harder to
keep than they thought when
00:14:57.59\00:15:00.50
they made them.
Later, President Bush wanted
00:15:00.50\00:15:03.00
to reduce the budget deficit
and so some taxes were raised
00:15:03.00\00:15:07.14
- and the one-term President
Bush wasn't reelected - the
00:15:07.14\00:15:10.31
broken promise, many way, was
a a key factor in his defeat.
00:15:10.31\00:15:14.14
Many people make promises
to God and find they can't keep
00:15:14.14\00:15:17.15
them. "I'll do
better, I won't do
00:15:17.15\00:15:19.28
that again, I'll
never commit that sin ....
00:15:19.28\00:15:22.58
Ever again..." -
all promises that sound
00:15:22.58\00:15:24.65
good but are
actually doomed to fail.
00:15:24.65\00:15:27.39
In Philippians 3:9 Paul
wrote, "and be found in Him,
00:15:27.39\00:15:31.79
not having my own
righteousness, which is from
00:15:31.79\00:15:34.00
the law, but that which is
through faith in Christ, the
00:15:34.00\00:15:38.00
righteousness which
is from God by faith."
00:15:38.00\00:15:41.20
Philippians 3:9, NKJV Our
righteousness doesn't come
00:15:41.20\00:15:43.61
from us trying to do better.
Paul knew the righteousness
00:15:43.61\00:15:46.84
he needed was Christ's
righteousness, the only
00:15:46.84\00:15:49.94
righteousness that can
open the gates of heaven to us.
00:15:49.94\00:15:53.11
And Paul makes clear that
the only way he could get that
00:15:53.11\00:15:55.48
righteousness was
through faith, and not by trying
00:15:55.48\00:15:58.99
harder. I'm not
saying there's no
00:15:58.99\00:16:01.16
effort involved in being
a Christian, because there
00:16:01.16\00:16:03.16
certainly is. But
the greatest effort we
00:16:03.16\00:16:05.16
can make in our Christian
experience is the effort to
00:16:05.16\00:16:08.60
surrender to God, and
allow Him to make our heart His
00:16:08.60\00:16:12.33
own. If we can learn to yield to
00:16:12.33\00:16:14.37
God, to surrender, He'll
give us His righteousness - the
00:16:14.37\00:16:17.41
only kind of righteousness
that will do us any good.
00:16:17.41\00:16:20.58
You can make promises to
God, but it's better to believe
00:16:20.58\00:16:23.85
God's promises to
you. I'm John Bradshaw for
00:16:23.85\00:16:26.31
It Is Written.
Let's live today by Every
00:16:26.31\00:16:29.72
Frederick Douglas has said
that the pathway from slavery
00:16:31.85\00:16:34.56
to freedom is knowledge.
And he was absolutely right.
00:16:34.56\00:16:39.13
You know, there are so
many people in this world today
00:16:39.13\00:16:41.23
who are slaves but they
are unaware of their true
00:16:41.23\00:16:43.67
condition. They
are born into bondage
00:16:43.67\00:16:47.40
and unless the truth
reaches them, they will never be
00:16:47.40\00:16:50.81
free. Well, what
kind of slaves am
00:16:50.81\00:16:53.31
I talking about?
Jesus said this in John 8:34
00:16:53.31\00:16:57.48
to 36, Most assuredly I
say to you, whoever commits sin
00:16:57.48\00:17:04.15
is a slave of sin. And
a slave does not abide in
00:17:04.15\00:17:07.92
the house forever
but a son abides forever.
00:17:07.92\00:17:11.86
Therefore, if the Son makes
you free, you shall be free
00:17:11.86\00:17:15.20
indeed. Whoever
commits sin is the
00:17:15.20\00:17:19.03
servant or the slave of
sin. If we have sinned then we
00:17:19.03\00:17:24.34
have become slaves and
the Bible says that all have
00:17:24.34\00:17:27.48
sinned and have come
short of the glory of God.
00:17:27.48\00:17:31.05
But, here is the
thing. While most people would
00:17:31.05\00:17:33.48
recognize I have made a
mistake or two, most people
00:17:33.48\00:17:35.68
would not go that step
further and say that as a
00:17:35.68\00:17:38.25
sinner, I have become
enslaved, I am in bondage, I
00:17:38.25\00:17:41.29
am in chains. As a
sinner, I am the servant
00:17:41.29\00:17:45.69
or the slave of sin.
And the most dangerous thing
00:17:45.69\00:17:49.16
about this is that people
might be born into a world of
00:17:49.16\00:17:51.90
sin and think
that they are okay.
00:17:51.90\00:17:55.10
Yes, I stumble. Yes, I do this.
00:17:55.10\00:17:57.11
Yes, I err. I am faulty.
00:17:57.11\00:17:59.27
But I am okay.
When perhaps they are
00:17:59.27\00:18:03.71
anything but okay. We
have been talking about
00:18:03.71\00:18:07.48
the social climate in the
1800's that brought about the
00:18:07.48\00:18:10.22
conditions whereby people
accepted slavery and I know
00:18:10.22\00:18:14.12
many people that I have
spoken to have shaken their
00:18:14.12\00:18:16.42
head and they have said,
"how could people accept such an
00:18:16.42\00:18:19.63
atrocity as though it's okay."
00:18:19.63\00:18:22.30
Well, I'll tell you
this during the 1860's, the
00:18:22.30\00:18:25.83
churches of the South
signed a document stating their
00:18:25.83\00:18:30.01
support for slavery.
In an open letter to the
00:18:30.01\00:18:32.97
Christians of the world,
the leaders of the churches of
00:18:32.97\00:18:36.14
the confederacy wrote a
letter in which they said
00:18:36.14\00:18:38.65
this: "And we testify in
the sight of God, that the
00:18:38.65\00:18:42.92
relation of master and
slave among us, however we may
00:18:42.92\00:18:46.96
deplore abuses in this as
in other relations of mankind,
00:18:46.96\00:18:51.09
is not incompatible
with our wholly Christianity.
00:18:51.09\00:18:54.73
And that the presence of
the Africans of our land is an
00:18:54.73\00:18:57.27
occasion of gratitude
on their behalf before God.
00:18:57.27\00:19:02.17
Seeing that thereby Divine
providence has brought them
00:19:02.17\00:19:05.14
where missionaries of the
cross may freely proclaim to
00:19:05.14\00:19:08.21
them the word of
salvation and the work is not
00:19:08.21\00:19:11.41
interrupted by
agitating fanaticism.
00:19:11.41\00:19:14.48
The South has done more
than any people on earth for the
00:19:14.48\00:19:18.85
Christianization
of the African race."
00:19:18.85\00:19:21.86
Now this statement was not
made by some obscure group of
00:19:21.86\00:19:25.09
believers. This
was written and signed
00:19:25.09\00:19:28.83
by the leaders of the
Baptist, Methodist Episcopal,
00:19:28.83\00:19:32.37
Methodist Protestant,
Presbyterian, Lutheran and
00:19:32.37\00:19:36.47
German Reformed
Churches just to name a few.
00:19:36.47\00:19:40.68
Now in contrast to
this, listen to what Frederick
00:19:40.68\00:19:42.81
Douglas had to say
about Christian slave-owners.
00:19:42.81\00:19:46.95
I assert most unhesitatingly
that the religion of the South
00:19:46.95\00:19:50.52
is a mere covering for
the most horrid crimes,
00:19:50.52\00:19:54.26
a justifier of the
most appalling barbarity.
00:19:54.26\00:19:57.29
A sanctifier of the most
hateful frauds and a dark
00:19:57.29\00:20:00.56
shelter under which the
darkest, grossest and most
00:20:00.56\00:20:04.67
infernal deeds of
slaveholders find the strongest
00:20:04.67\00:20:06.94
protection, I should regard
being the slave of a religious
00:20:06.94\00:20:10.51
master the greatest
calamity that could befall me,
00:20:10.51\00:20:14.14
for all of the slaveholders
with whom I have ever met,
00:20:14.14\00:20:17.31
religious
slaveholders are the worst.
00:20:17.31\00:20:22.88
Now, let me make
something abundantly clear.
00:20:22.88\00:20:24.95
I'm not bringing any of this
up to be critical of anybody.
00:20:24.95\00:20:27.76
I am not trying to criticize
any religious groups and I
00:20:27.76\00:20:30.89
certainly am not trying
to throw the South under the
00:20:30.89\00:20:34.66
bus. But here's the point.
00:20:34.66\00:20:37.07
Here's what we really
have got to understand.
00:20:37.07\00:20:40.10
Without the power of God in
our lives, left to ourselves,
00:20:40.10\00:20:45.44
left in a state of being
the captives, the slaves of sin,
00:20:45.44\00:20:50.91
all we've got to look forward
to is lives of sin and anger
00:20:50.91\00:20:55.28
and malice and lust
and ....and slavery.
00:20:55.28\00:21:00.56
I know it's easy to look
back on the past and wag our
00:21:00.56\00:21:03.02
finger at those who come
before us and criticize them
00:21:03.02\00:21:05.76
for their ignorance,
and say "how could they?"
00:21:05.76\00:21:07.76
But the truth is
this. With a heart of stone.
00:21:07.76\00:21:11.23
Without the regenerating
power of the Holy Spirit in
00:21:11.23\00:21:13.87
our lives that's
what we are all like.
00:21:13.87\00:21:16.84
The bible says all have
sinned and have come short of
00:21:16.84\00:21:20.04
the glory of God.
But there is a way out.
00:21:20.04\00:21:23.81
No, it's not will-power.
No amount of will-power is
00:21:23.81\00:21:26.48
going to break the
chains that bind you in sin.
00:21:26.48\00:21:28.95
No pledge, no promise,
no accountability partner.
00:21:28.95\00:21:32.52
No, that's not
what gets the job done.
00:21:32.52\00:21:35.62
There's one way to get
out of the shackles of sin and
00:21:35.62\00:21:38.49
that's through Jesus.
Remember that verse we looked
00:21:38.49\00:21:41.16
at before, from John 8.
Therefore, if the Son of God
00:21:41.16\00:21:44.47
shall make you free,
you shall be free indeed.
00:21:44.47\00:21:47.64
Isaiah 43:11 says this:
"I, even I am the Lord, and
00:21:47.64\00:21:53.11
beside me, there is no other."
00:21:53.11\00:21:55.84
So, what do you do when
you find yourself living a life
00:21:55.84\00:21:57.88
where you say "There's no
power and I'm stuck in a rut,
00:21:57.88\00:22:00.22
I'm stuck in an old way,
I'm stuck someplace I don't want
00:22:00.22\00:22:03.65
to be." What do you do?
00:22:03.65\00:22:05.69
There's one thing to do.
When you find that sin has
00:22:05.69\00:22:09.06
the mastery over
you, call out to Jesus.
00:22:09.06\00:22:12.53
You can do that. No,
God is not some cosmic
00:22:12.53\00:22:15.43
cop with a big stick looking
to punish you or looking to
00:22:15.43\00:22:18.20
send you off to hell, if
that's what he was all about,
00:22:18.20\00:22:21.00
he could have
done that long ago.
00:22:21.00\00:22:23.04
Instead, the Bible says this
in John 3, not verse 16, but
00:22:23.04\00:22:26.47
verse 17. It says
this: For God did not
00:22:26.47\00:22:30.05
send his Son into the
world to condemn the world, but
00:22:30.05\00:22:33.11
that the world
through him might be saved.
00:22:33.11\00:22:36.92
Paul wrote to Timothy, and
he said in 1 Timothy 1:15 that
00:22:36.92\00:22:40.92
Jesus Christ came into
the world to save sinners.
00:22:40.92\00:22:45.96
The writer of the book
of Hebrews said in Hebrews 7
00:22:45.96\00:22:48.56
that Jesus is able to save
to the uttermost those who come
00:22:48.56\00:22:52.67
to God through Him because
he lives to make intercession
00:22:52.67\00:22:55.50
for us. If you
desire a new life,
00:22:55.50\00:22:59.64
freedom from the old ways,
freedom from the old habits,
00:22:59.64\00:23:02.34
if you want that power that
comes from Jesus Christ, all
00:23:02.34\00:23:05.31
you need do is ask Jesus
to come into your life and he
00:23:05.31\00:23:09.22
will. It's as simple as that.
00:23:09.22\00:23:11.25
And then, when you are
tempted to put somebody else
00:23:11.25\00:23:13.86
down, when you are
tempted to engage injustice or
00:23:13.86\00:23:17.53
oppression, when you are
tempted to be drawn into that
00:23:17.53\00:23:21.43
old life again,
here's what you do.
00:23:21.43\00:23:23.63
You turn your eyes upon Jesus.
00:23:23.63\00:23:25.57
And the old song says "look
full in his wonderful face"
00:23:25.57\00:23:29.47
and when you do, you'll
experience a newness in our
00:23:29.47\00:23:32.71
life, a power in
your life. It's real.
00:23:32.71\00:23:35.91
You can experience it today.
Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians
00:23:35.91\00:23:39.65
5:17, if anybody is in
Christ, that person becomes a
00:23:39.65\00:23:44.12
new creature. Old
things are past away.
00:23:44.12\00:23:47.66
Behold, all things become new.
00:23:47.66\00:23:51.99
What do you want to be
made new in your life today?
00:23:51.99\00:23:54.83
Well, let me put
it another way ...
00:23:54.83\00:23:56.80
what are you a slave to?
What is keeping you down?
00:23:56.80\00:23:59.80
What is holding you
back? Is there something?
00:23:59.80\00:24:03.00
You can invite Jesus to take
that away and replace it with
00:24:03.00\00:24:05.57
the power of his presence
today, now, and he will do it
00:24:05.57\00:24:09.48
for you. Years
after Frederick Douglas
00:24:09.48\00:24:12.48
found his freedom, he
wrote these words: I have often
00:24:12.48\00:24:16.65
been asked how I felt when
first I found myself on free
00:24:16.65\00:24:20.46
soil and my readers may
share the same curiosity.
00:24:20.46\00:24:25.66
There was scarcely anything
in my experience about which
00:24:25.66\00:24:28.60
I could not give a
more satisfactory answer.
00:24:28.60\00:24:32.07
A new world had opened upon me.
00:24:32.07\00:24:34.84
If life is more than breath
and a quick round of blood, I
00:24:34.84\00:24:38.67
lived more in one day than
in a year of my slave-life.
00:24:38.67\00:24:43.11
It was a time of joyous
excitement, which words can
00:24:43.11\00:24:45.55
but tamely describe in a
letter written to a friend
00:24:45.55\00:24:49.08
soon after reaching New York,
I said, I felt as one might
00:24:49.08\00:24:52.55
feel upon escape from
a den of hungry lions.
00:24:52.55\00:24:56.09
Anguish and grief, like
darkness and rain, may be
00:24:56.09\00:24:59.43
depicted but gladness and
joy, like the rainbow, defy
00:24:59.43\00:25:05.00
the skill of pen or pencil.
Frederick Douglas experienced
00:25:05.00\00:25:09.20
freedom from slavery and
you can experience freedom from
00:25:09.20\00:25:14.14
the slavery of sin through
Jesus when you accept him
00:25:14.14\00:25:17.68
into your life.
Would you do that now?
00:25:17.68\00:25:20.95
Let's pray together.
Our Father in heaven, we
00:25:20.95\00:25:23.95
thank you today
for freedom in Jesus.
00:25:23.95\00:25:27.26
We thank you, Lord, that
through Christ, we can true
00:25:27.26\00:25:30.66
freedom, no longer the
servants or the slaves of sin
00:25:30.66\00:25:34.23
but the servants
only of the God of heaven.
00:25:34.23\00:25:37.03
We thank you for new
life. We accept it gratefully.
00:25:37.03\00:25:41.44
Lord, let your son Jesus
live his life in us and we pray
00:25:41.44\00:25:46.37
with thanks today
for freedom in you.
00:25:46.37\00:25:49.64
In Jesus' name, Amen [M
00:25:49.64\00:26:04.29
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Thank you for your
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suppor Thanks
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00:27:28.74\00:27:33.58
Look forward to
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00:27:33.58\00:27:35.58
Until then, remember, It
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