¤ [Dramatic Theme Music] ¤
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Announcer :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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JB: This is It Is
Written. I'm John Bradshaw,
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thanks for joining
me. ¤ [Whimsical Music] ¤
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In 2011 a man named Josh Ferrin
was exploring the home in Utah
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he and his family
had just moved into...
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when he found an old ammo
box in a sort of attic space.
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He opened it up and
he said he freaked out.
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There was $45,000 in there.
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So what did he do? Well,
he contacted the children
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of the man who
had owned the house.
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That man was no longer living.
And he gave them the money--
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$45,000.00. Now,
some people thought
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he was crazy, but he said it was
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a great opportunity to teach his
children to do the right thing.
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Now, he did think of car
payments and house payments--
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who wouldn't? But he
said, "I feel so lucky
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that I was the guy
that found the treasure."
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And he gave it back.
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Now, there's a story in
the Bible, told by Jesus,
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where somebody finds
treasure. And he does something
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just a little
different. It's a short story;
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it's found in Matthew
chapter 13 and verse 44.
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"Again, the kingdom of heaven is
like treasure hidden in a field,
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which a man found and hid.
And for joy over it, he goes and
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sells all that he
has and buys that field."
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Now, there's a second,
similar parable that follows
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right after this
one. We'll get to that
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in just a moment.
Parables are interesting things.
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Jesus used them to teach lessons
and to get people to think.
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Jesus used
illustrations or object lessons
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from the natural world to
teach spiritual realities.
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People were familiar with seed
sowing or flowers or lost sheep.
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And so by using the known and
the understood, Jesus could open
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up minds and
hearts to understand deep
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and important spiritual
truths. And they were lessons
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that would
stick. When Jesus said,
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consider the lilies,
every time somebody saw
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a beautiful flower, that
lesson could be remembered.
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A sower went forth to sow.
Now, in that agrarian society,
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people saw farmers sowing seed
all the time, so this lesson
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would come to
mind again and again.
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And instead of just telling
people everything plainly,
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Jesus taught in such a way
as to engage a person's thought
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processes, to get a person to
really, to really ask questions
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and to look for answers.
Parables were an effective way
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of teaching. And
Jesus could say in parables,
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teaching things that He wasn't
able to say and teach openly.
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The Bible tells us there were
spies sent out to follow Jesus
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and to try to trap Him in
His words-- to find something
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incriminating in what He said so
that the authorities could find
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an excuse to get
Jesus in deep trouble.
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Parables gave Jesus the
opportunity to say a lot
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without saying too much.
Those who wanted to know more
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would be drawn to ask
more. Those who didn't want to
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shrugged their shoulders
and moved on, and that's what
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they wanted to do. Now
today we start an occasional
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series of programs based on some
of the parables Jesus taught.
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I'm calling this
series "Lessons for All Time."
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Now, let's look at
Matthew 13 verse 44 again.
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"Again, the kingdom of heaven is
like treasure hidden in a field,
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which a man found and hid,
and for joy over it he goes and
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sells all that he
has and buys that field."
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Now, we might wrestle with the
ethics of some of that, but in
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Jesus' day there really wasn't
any moral dilemma involved.
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There weren't banks
then, like there are today,
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and if common people wanted
to keep their valuables safe,
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they'd do something like
somebody did in this case.
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They might take their treasure
and hide it where it wasn't
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likely to be found. Now,
by the time this treasure
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was found, it could have
been hundreds of years later,
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after it had been hidden.
Not even the owner of the field
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knew about it. But we
do know it wasn't illegal
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or, at that time, unethical for
a person to do what the man in
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this story did. A
field worker, maybe he was a
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hired servant. He's
out in the field plowing
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when the plow strikes
something hard in the ground.
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He investigates. He
realizes what he's found.
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And life's about to get
interesting for the man.
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So let's consider this
parable. First, two thoughts.
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Two thoughts we'll
look at right away.
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To begin with, someone had a
field that contained something
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incredibly
valuable and didn't know.
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Now, that's how it can be with
a lot of people, and the Bible,
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this book, this
book is life itself.
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The Bible contains
the only accurate picture
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of who God really is.
It tells the story of how
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God created a perfect world,
how sin entered the world,
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how God has done
everything He can to save us,
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after we've fallen into
sin. The Bible tells us that
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in the beginning God created us,
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and everything
else. And then when
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we went off the rails,
God went to extreme measures
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to win us back to
Himself. Now, it's true,
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you get people--
many people, tragically--
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who dismiss the Bible.
And that's their right.
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People are free to do with
the Bible whatever they want.
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But I think people like that
are like the man who sold the
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field-- presuming it was a man.
They don't know the value of
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what they have, and maybe
that's simply because they've
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never really checked it out.
If you've never really checked
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out the Bible, if you've never
read the Bible for yourself,
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I encourage you to do so. A
man in Italy bought a couple
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of paintings in 1975
from a police auction.
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He and another man both bid
on the paintings until he bought
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them for the grand
sum of right around $32.
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He took them home and hung them
on his kitchen wall, where these
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two paintings hung
for almost 40 years,
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until his son-- who was
taking an art appreciation class
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in school-- noticed
something about the paintings.
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The boy discovered that one
of them was by a painter named
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Pierre Bonnard and the
other was by Paul Gaugin.
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They were both
originals, worth $50 million.
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They'd been stolen in
London years before, and because
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the original owners had claimed
insurance money for them,
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the paintings now
belonged to the Italian man.
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He had $50 million
hanging on his wall
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for almost four decades.
Didn't have a clue what he had.
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Often it's like
that with the Bible.
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A lot of people have the Bible
within their reach, and they
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don't have a clue about the
treasure that's really theirs.
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Now, there's another thought
I'd like to consider with you in
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this short
parable, and that is this:
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When the man found out
that there was treasure
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in the field, he
sold all that he had
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and bought the field.
We'll look at that more
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in just a moment.
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¤ [Gentle Melody]
¤ >: In Matthew 4:4,
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the Word of God
says, "It is written,
00:08:03.11\00:08:05.21
man shall not
live by bread alone
00:08:05.21\00:08:07.62
but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God."
00:08:07.62\00:08:11.19
"Every Word" is a
one-minute, Bible-based daily
00:08:11.19\00:08:14.49
devotional presented
by Pastor John Bradshaw,
00:08:14.49\00:08:16.69
and designed especially
for busy people like you.
00:08:16.69\00:08:19.53
Look for "Every
Word" on selected networks
00:08:19.53\00:08:22.23
or watch it online
every day on our website,
00:08:22.23\00:08:24.80
ItIsWritten.com.
Receive a daily spiritual boost:
00:08:24.80\00:08:28.80
Watch "Every Word."
You'll be glad you did.
00:08:28.80\00:08:33.71
¤ [Rythmic Melody]  ¤
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JB: A red Ferrari
recently sold at auction for
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27 and a half million
dollars. A car. Not an aircraft,
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not an ocean liner, a car.
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Can any car be worth that
much? Careful how you answer.
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You could say no, no car is
worth almost 30 million dollars.
00:08:53.86\00:08:57.87
But if someone's willing to
pay that much, then that's what
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that car is worth,
at least to that person.
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Long ago, God allowed His
Son to come to this earth to
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redeem a planet of lost
sinners. And what did He pay?
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First Peter 1, 18 and 19:
"For as much as ye know that
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you were not redeemed with
corruptible things, but with
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the precious blood of Christ."
Jesus gave His life for that
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criminal, for the
drunk in the gutter.
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For you. Too much?
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In God's eyes, that's
how much you're worth.
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¤ [Every Word Theme] ¤
Don't forget, you are valuable.
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Especially to
God. I'm John Bradshaw
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for It Is Written. Let's
live today by every word.
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JB: This is It Is
Written. I'm John Bradshaw.
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Thanks for joining me.
Today, two parables taught by
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Jesus that ask a
searching question:
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How much are you willing
to give for eternal life?
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Now, something to remember about
a parable is that not every part
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of the parable is always used by
Jesus to make a spiritual point.
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They're stories, after
all. Some parts of the parables
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are just a part of the story.
The key points are the ones
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you want to look for.
Jesus shared a parable about
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a man working a field when
he found treasure hidden there.
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He sold everything he
had, bought the field,
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and got the treasure.
And here's a key point
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in the story: The
man perceived that
00:10:16.58\00:10:19.01
the field had value.
So he gave all that he had
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in order to get it. And
that's a strong reference
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to the value a person
ought to place on salvation.
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Jesus is simply saying to
His listeners, if you found
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a treasure hidden in a field,
you'd do everything in your
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power to get that field
and obtain the treasure.
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Are you willing to do
the same for God's kingdom
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of eternal glory? You
could only imagine what it
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might have been like for someone
experiencing what Jesus was
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talking about in this story.
Here you have a poor laborer,
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plowing the field
for a wealthy landowner.
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Suddenly the plow strikes a
rock buried beneath the soil.
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He stops the oxen,
reaches down to dig up the rock.
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And his life is about to change.
It had to have been like when
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the archeologist Howard Carter
found the tomb of Tutankhamen.
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He said out loud,
"Gold. Everywhere,
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the glint of gold."
Very few archeologists ever
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find anything remotely
like what Carter found,
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even after years of searching.
What Jesus described in this
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parable of the hidden treasure
was something which probably
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didn't happen to ordinary
people in that day very often.
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So the laborer in Jesus'
day finds the hidden treasure,
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then he hides it again.
Jesus doesn't give many details,
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but we can imagine the man
seeking out the owner of the
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field, asking if he could
buy the field or at least that
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portion of the field
where the treasure was found.
00:11:39.26\00:11:42.03
The owner gives him a
price, evidently quite high.
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Because after all, Jesus said
the man had to sell everything
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that he had in order to buy it.
No doubt the man kept secret the
00:11:47.87\00:11:52.47
fact that he'd found
the valuable treasure.
00:11:52.47\00:11:56.08
Now, he starts
selling his possessions.
00:11:56.08\00:11:57.38
Jesus said, everything. He
doesn't tell his family and
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his friends any details but
that he plans to buy the field.
00:12:00.25\00:12:04.59
They think he's crazy.
But he knows what he's doing,
00:12:04.59\00:12:07.69
and he won't let
anything stop him.
00:12:07.69\00:12:10.93
Eventually he gathers
enough funds to buy the field,
00:12:10.93\00:12:14.23
and when he does he
walks away a very rich man.
00:12:14.23\00:12:19.23
He says it was worth it. In
our world today, there aren't
00:12:19.23\00:12:23.51
many who understand the real
value of the gospel treasure.
00:12:23.51\00:12:27.41
It's amazing when you
stop and think about it.
00:12:27.41\00:12:29.51
We'll work hard to get stuff--
not necessarily bad stuff--
00:12:29.51\00:12:33.52
houses and cars and
whatever else, without realizing
00:12:33.52\00:12:37.39
what is truly important.
Jesus asked this question,
00:12:37.39\00:12:41.52
in Mathew
chapter 16 and verse 26:
00:12:41.52\00:12:45.16
"For what is a man profited
if he gains the whole world
00:12:45.16\00:12:49.63
and loses his own
soul? Or what will a man give
00:12:49.63\00:12:53.60
in exchange for his
soul?" In other words,
00:12:53.60\00:12:57.41
what's truly valuable?
Nothing wrong with stuff,
00:12:57.41\00:13:01.01
but you've got to have
the right stuff for life
00:13:01.01\00:13:03.81
to really be worth anything.
Now, the second story Jesus
00:13:03.81\00:13:07.35
told, about the sacrifice of
all in exchange for His kingdom,
00:13:07.35\00:13:11.99
is found right after the
story of the hidden treasure.
00:13:11.99\00:13:14.69
Again, the kingdom is like a
merchant man seeking beautiful
00:13:14.69\00:13:18.83
pearls who, when he had
found one pearl of great price,
00:13:18.83\00:13:23.60
went and sold all
that he had and bought it.
00:13:23.60\00:13:27.40
That's Matthew
13, verses 45 and 46.
00:13:27.40\00:13:30.27
Ocean pearls were considered
a great treasure in the days of
00:13:30.27\00:13:33.01
Jesus. Here's
one interesting story
00:13:33.01\00:13:35.24
about pearls. It's
from the general time frame
00:13:35.24\00:13:37.58
in which Jesus lived.
It comes from the life
00:13:37.58\00:13:40.22
of Julius Caesar. Now,
in his youth Caesar was
00:13:40.22\00:13:42.85
captured by pirates in the
Aegean Sea, and he was forced to
00:13:42.85\00:13:45.92
spend a number of months with
them before the Roman Senate
00:13:45.92\00:13:49.36
could raise enough
money for his ransom.
00:13:49.36\00:13:51.83
After the ransom was paid,
Caesar was set free, and he
00:13:51.83\00:13:55.33
returned some months later and
took the pirates and all their
00:13:55.33\00:14:00.34
treasure into his custody.
But then, in a gesture similar
00:14:00.34\00:14:05.44
to what we find in the
story from the life of Abraham
00:14:05.44\00:14:07.74
in the Bible,
Caesar gave nearly all
00:14:07.74\00:14:10.55
the captured treasure to those
city-states and others in their
00:14:10.55\00:14:13.88
vicinity whose wealth the
pirates had originally stolen.
00:14:13.88\00:14:18.35
For himself, Caesar only kept a
few choice pearls, some of which
00:14:18.35\00:14:22.79
were the color of strawberries.
It is said that those pearls
00:14:22.79\00:14:26.49
were priceless, and in the
coming years Caesar even gave
00:14:26.49\00:14:30.30
those to certain
of his close friends.
00:14:30.30\00:14:33.90
It's easy to imagine that
the pearl of great price in the
00:14:33.90\00:14:36.74
story told by Jesus was pretty
comparable to one of those
00:14:36.74\00:14:40.01
pearls chosen by Caesar.
The lesson in both of these
00:14:40.01\00:14:44.35
short stories is the
same. God's kingdom is worth
00:14:44.35\00:14:48.62
everything. The
gospel and its promise
00:14:48.62\00:14:52.95
embrace eternal realities.
What we have on this earth
00:14:52.95\00:14:56.83
passes with our
days, and when we die,
00:14:56.83\00:15:00.60
we can't take it with
us. Now, think about this:
00:15:00.60\00:15:04.50
This parable about
the pearl is interesting.
00:15:04.50\00:15:07.17
Now, we know that
salvation is a free gift.
00:15:07.17\00:15:10.51
You can't earn it,
you'll never deserve it.
00:15:10.51\00:15:13.24
It can only be
received one way--
00:15:13.24\00:15:15.71
that's as a gift.
But in this story the man
00:15:15.71\00:15:20.22
buys the pearl. It
isn't given to him.
00:15:20.22\00:15:23.92
Now why is that? It's
true, salvation is free.
00:15:23.92\00:15:28.22
But at the same time,
salvation costs you everything.
00:15:28.22\00:15:33.46
Everything. And not
simply in the sense of
00:15:33.46\00:15:36.10
everything that you
have, but in the sense of
00:15:36.10\00:15:38.80
everything that you
are. More in just a moment.
00:15:38.80\00:15:42.97
[Suspensful Melody]
00:15:44.24\00:15:47.78
JB: "But ye shall receive power.
After that the Holy Ghost is
00:15:52.68\00:15:56.08
come upon you, and ye
shall be witnesses unto me,
00:15:56.08\00:15:59.19
both in Jerusalem and in
all Judea and in Samaria,
00:15:59.19\00:16:02.86
and unto the
uttermost part of the earth."
00:16:02.86\00:16:07.96
The uttermost part of the earth
seems like an appropriate way to
00:16:07.96\00:16:11.70
describe Mongolia, sandwiched
between China and Siberia.
00:16:11.70\00:16:18.41
About 2.5 percent of
Mongolians are Christians,
00:16:18.41\00:16:22.78
or to put it another
way, Mongolia is 97.5 percent
00:16:22.78\00:16:28.88
non-Christian.
00:16:28.88\00:16:31.39
There's simply very little
knowledge of Christianity.
00:16:31.65\00:16:35.79
The Church hasn't
made real inroads here,
00:16:35.79\00:16:39.29
and according to the
Bible, somehow or other,
00:16:39.29\00:16:42.66
Mongolians will all be given
an opportunity to know Jesus.
00:16:42.66\00:16:48.40
It Is Written's
"Mission Mongolia"
00:16:48.40\00:16:50.64
is bringing the
good news of Jesus Christ
00:16:50.64\00:16:53.27
to the people of
Mongolia. People are having
00:16:53.27\00:16:56.48
their health needs met.
Those who need clothing to
00:16:56.48\00:16:59.28
protect themselves
against the brutally cold winter
00:16:59.28\00:17:02.62
are being helped also.
Your support of Mission Mongolia
00:17:02.62\00:17:06.35
will make it possible for
It Is Written to send teams of
00:17:06.35\00:17:09.22
missionaries to
Mongolia, to share the gospel
00:17:09.22\00:17:11.96
of Jesus Christ.
Bibles are needed in the
00:17:11.96\00:17:15.16
Mongolian languages, and your
help will make it possible for
00:17:15.16\00:17:18.50
people to own their very
own Bible for the first time,
00:17:18.50\00:17:22.30
and learn of Jesus.
Other humanitarian needs will
00:17:22.30\00:17:25.91
also be met, as Mission Mongolia
provides for many people who are
00:17:25.91\00:17:30.81
being left behind by a society
relentlessly rushing forward.
00:17:30.81\00:17:35.85
Don't leave
Mongolians in the dark.
00:17:35.85\00:17:39.15
Your help will make it
possible for Mission Mongolia
00:17:39.15\00:17:42.66
to introduce people to
Jesus. Call now, (800) 253-3000.
00:17:42.66\00:17:49.70
That's (800) 253-3000 to
support Mission Mongolia.
00:17:49.70\00:17:56.50
Or visit us online
at www.ItIsWritten.com.
00:17:56.50\00:18:01.74
Or you can support this
work or learn more about it
00:18:01.74\00:18:04.61
by writing to It Is
Written, P.O. Box 6,
00:18:04.61\00:18:08.88
Chattanooga, TN 37401.
00:18:08.88\00:18:12.45
JB: This is It Is
Written. Thanks for joining me.
00:18:13.12\00:18:16.52
For someone to truly come
to Jesus, that person comes to
00:18:16.52\00:18:20.00
Christ and lays his or her
entire life down at His feet.
00:18:20.00\00:18:25.40
And that's where a
lot of people stumble.
00:18:25.40\00:18:27.57
They want to be a follower
of Jesus, but they don't want to
00:18:27.57\00:18:30.57
surrender their whole
life to Him necessarily.
00:18:30.57\00:18:33.64
They'll take the benefits
of Christianity-- eternal life,
00:18:33.64\00:18:36.95
mansions in
heaven, streets of gold,
00:18:36.95\00:18:39.08
even being thought of as
a good person in society--
00:18:39.08\00:18:42.58
but they don't want to let
God be God of their entire life.
00:18:42.58\00:18:46.65
Now, you cannot really
come to God in half measures.
00:18:46.65\00:18:50.19
You might have hard it
said, God isn't God at all
00:18:50.19\00:18:53.43
unless He's God of all.
Now, when Jesus enters your
00:18:53.43\00:18:57.00
life, He
becomes Savior and Lord.
00:18:57.00\00:19:00.34
And that is an
indescribable blessing.
00:19:00.34\00:19:04.44
The sacrifice of
self-- that is the sacrifice
00:19:04.44\00:19:07.78
of our wants, or our
habits of self-indulgence,
00:19:07.78\00:19:10.88
even sometimes the sacrifice of
practical necessities when they
00:19:10.88\00:19:14.65
clash with the greater good.
It's almost entirely unheard
00:19:14.65\00:19:17.89
of in our pleasure-driven,
self-focused world.
00:19:17.89\00:19:21.19
Now, think of how much men and
women in past ages have given
00:19:21.19\00:19:23.79
for faith in Jesus and the
joy of total surrender to Jesus.
00:19:23.79\00:19:28.26
Think of martyrs who gave
their lives for Christ because
00:19:28.26\00:19:32.27
continuing to live meant giving
up their spiritual integrity.
00:19:32.27\00:19:35.94
Now, it's true today,
Jesus isn't really calling
00:19:35.94\00:19:38.21
very many to die for Him.
But it's very true that Jesus is
00:19:38.21\00:19:42.24
calling
everyone to live for Him.
00:19:42.24\00:19:46.92
And do we truly understand what
it means to surrender everything
00:19:46.92\00:19:50.42
for Christ's sake. A
lot of people can't imagine
00:19:50.42\00:19:53.79
what it would be like to give
up a secret glass of alcohol.
00:19:53.79\00:19:56.39
Some refuse to turn away from
videos on the computer which
00:19:56.39\00:19:59.93
press all the wrong buttons.
You know, there are a thousand
00:19:59.93\00:20:03.16
things people do knowing
that when they do those things
00:20:03.16\00:20:06.43
God is dishonored.
But the question has to be
00:20:06.43\00:20:09.20
asked: How
important is heaven to you?
00:20:09.20\00:20:12.87
Or, to put it another way,
how important is it to you for
00:20:12.87\00:20:16.95
God to come first in your life?
It probably pays to remember
00:20:16.95\00:20:21.65
that if sin is so precious that
the claims of Christ are turned
00:20:21.65\00:20:26.29
aside, when times come
which demand total sacrifice
00:20:26.29\00:20:30.63
we won't have a chance.
We'll give in so fast the sin
00:20:30.63\00:20:33.60
and temptation will
surprise even ourselves.
00:20:33.60\00:20:36.36
And when we do give in,
everything will be lost,
00:20:36.36\00:20:39.57
including eternal life.
You see, it's right now that
00:20:39.57\00:20:43.27
we have to prepare
for the great trials,
00:20:43.27\00:20:45.41
the future is going to bring.
Small tests, small trials in our
00:20:45.41\00:20:48.78
walk with God, are
designed by God to prepare us
00:20:48.78\00:20:51.35
for the ultimate
surrender of everything.
00:20:51.35\00:20:54.28
It's like, well,
school coursework.
00:20:54.28\00:20:56.79
Or Olympic athletes, training.
Or somebody training to be a
00:20:56.79\00:20:59.65
Navy SEAL. The
small challenges get us
00:20:59.65\00:21:03.22
ready for the bigger challenges.
When someone works out
00:21:03.22\00:21:06.63
at the gym they don't
try bench-pressing 300 pounds
00:21:06.63\00:21:09.30
right from the word go.
You work up to something like
00:21:09.30\00:21:12.70
that a little bit at a time,
lifting more and more until
00:21:12.70\00:21:15.44
you've got enough strength
and muscle tone to get the 300
00:21:15.44\00:21:18.97
pounds lifted successfully.
That's how God leads us in the
00:21:18.97\00:21:23.08
development of a real Christian,
surrendered Christian,
00:21:23.08\00:21:26.98
character. It's
one step at a time.
00:21:26.98\00:21:29.48
At each step the heart is tested
and tried just a little more
00:21:29.48\00:21:33.62
closely. And as
we learn to cooperate
00:21:33.62\00:21:36.16
with God and surrender to God,
we'll be prepared for the final
00:21:36.16\00:21:39.56
test of the last days and
we'll become then part of that
00:21:39.56\00:21:42.93
glorious company who surround
God's throne for eternity.
00:21:42.93\00:21:47.40
The principal of total sacrifice
is what Jesus was talking
00:21:47.40\00:21:50.04
about in these
parables when He spoke about
00:21:50.04\00:21:52.71
the need to give up everything
in exchange for salvation.
00:21:52.71\00:21:56.51
Now, let me head something off.
I've learned that when you start
00:21:56.51\00:22:00.85
to talk about living a
really committed life for God,
00:22:00.85\00:22:03.89
that someone is ready
to talk about legalism.
00:22:03.89\00:22:06.82
No! As long as I
have faith in God,
00:22:06.82\00:22:10.03
that's all that
matters. Well, you can't really
00:22:10.03\00:22:13.09
argue with that,
because that's a true statement.
00:22:13.09\00:22:15.20
But here's what
faith in God does:
00:22:15.20\00:22:18.07
Faith in God looks at
Jesus hanging on the cross.
00:22:18.07\00:22:22.14
Faith in God remembers that
God is love and gave everything
00:22:22.14\00:22:26.24
in the gift of
Jesus for this world.
00:22:26.24\00:22:28.78
Faith in God realizes that
God is truly good, and that what
00:22:28.78\00:22:33.38
He offers to us is the
best possible way in life.
00:22:33.38\00:22:37.49
Faith in God does not ask
how much do I have to give;
00:22:37.49\00:22:41.22
it asks how much may I
give. The Bible says we love God
00:22:41.22\00:22:45.83
because He first loved
us. Faith in God rejoices
00:22:45.83\00:22:49.80
in being committed to God.
It chooses to do things God's
00:22:49.80\00:22:52.47
way, and doesn't fight against
the leading of the Holy Spirit.
00:22:52.47\00:22:56.71
The Bible shows that we
give ourselves to Christ to live
00:22:56.71\00:23:01.28
our lives connected to Him.
And when you're connected to
00:23:01.28\00:23:05.58
Christ, you're going to
want the will of God worked out
00:23:05.58\00:23:08.58
in your life.
Heaven's power produces
00:23:08.58\00:23:11.82
obedience in your life,
and you'll love to obey.
00:23:11.82\00:23:15.06
The man who bought the
pearl, he was happy to give
00:23:15.06\00:23:17.79
everything because he
knew what he was getting.
00:23:17.79\00:23:20.70
When you give everything for
Jesus, when you lay down your
00:23:20.70\00:23:23.06
life totally for Him, now
that, that'll bring you joy.
00:23:23.06\00:23:28.54
Jesus emphasized this when
He told the story of the Good
00:23:28.54\00:23:31.11
Samaritan to a lawyer one
day. The lawyer asked Jesus,
00:23:31.11\00:23:34.81
"What shall I do to
inherit eternal life?"
00:23:34.81\00:23:37.85
And here's what Jesus
said when he responded.
00:23:37.85\00:23:40.55
"What is written in the law?
What is your reading of it?"
00:23:40.55\00:23:44.82
Now the lawyer
answered and said,
00:23:44.82\00:23:46.62
"You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart,
00:23:46.62\00:23:50.46
with all your soul,
and with all your strength,
00:23:50.46\00:23:53.96
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself."
00:23:53.96\00:23:58.20
And He, Christ, said to
him: "You have answered rightly.
00:23:58.20\00:24:01.84
Do this, and you will live."
That's Luke 10, verses 25 to 28.
00:24:01.84\00:24:06.51
Now, really, this is just
too radical for a lot of people.
00:24:06.51\00:24:10.25
The people in Jesus' day
wanted to wear the crown,
00:24:10.25\00:24:12.65
but the cross was too
heavy for almost all of them.
00:24:12.65\00:24:15.48
Everything we have.
Our talents, our material
00:24:15.48\00:24:19.12
resources, our intelligence,
our physical and mental energy,
00:24:19.12\00:24:22.59
everything should be
consecrated to God's service.
00:24:22.59\00:24:26.96
When give ourselves totally
to Jesus, Jesus gives Himself
00:24:26.96\00:24:31.00
totally to us. And
it's then that we obtain the
00:24:31.00\00:24:35.10
pearl of great price. ¤
[heartfelt underscore] ¤
00:24:35.10\00:24:38.37
How much are you prepared
to give in exchange for eternal
00:24:38.37\00:24:40.51
life with Jesus? How
much are you prepared to
00:24:40.51\00:24:43.78
surrender for eternal
joy in God's presence?
00:24:43.78\00:24:48.42
The glitter, the luster,
the pleasure of this world
00:24:48.42\00:24:51.39
may satisfy for a
while, but it won't last.
00:24:51.39\00:24:56.09
Eventually, like Solomon says,
the evil days come and we have
00:24:56.09\00:25:00.46
pleasure no longer. But
God's kingdom of selfless
00:25:00.46\00:25:04.33
love and service for
others will bring joy forever.
00:25:04.33\00:25:09.10
And that's worth
the price of everything.
00:25:09.10\00:25:13.21
Now, there's something
I'd like to offer you today.
00:25:13.64\00:25:15.34
I've got a special, free offer
that I really hope you will get.
00:25:15.34\00:25:19.51
It's a brand-new
resource from It Is Written.
00:25:19.51\00:25:22.72
It's this study
called "As Good As It Gets."
00:25:22.72\00:25:27.22
And I'd like to
send it to you free.
00:25:27.22\00:25:29.66
Here's all you
do in order to get
00:25:29.66\00:25:31.49
"As Good As It Gets."
Call us now at (800) 253-3000.
00:25:31.49\00:25:37.33
That's 1 (800) 253-3000.
If you're not successful in
00:25:37.33\00:25:42.94
getting through the first time
you call, please do call again.
00:25:42.94\00:25:46.24
(800) 253-3000.
Or, write to us at
00:25:46.24\00:25:51.21
It Is Written, Box 6,
Chattanooga, TN 37401,
00:25:51.21\00:25:58.79
and I'll be sure to send
you a brand-new resource,
00:25:58.79\00:26:02.02
"As Good As It Gets" right away.
00:26:02.02\00:26:05.26
This resource will
show you the value of
00:26:05.26\00:26:07.93
the pearl of great price.
It'll discuss really that hidden
00:26:07.93\00:26:11.13
treasure, and you'll want to get
it, and this study guide will
00:26:11.13\00:26:14.64
encourage you in that way.
So do call (800) 253-3000 or
00:26:14.64\00:26:20.08
write to It Is Written,
Box 6, Chattanooga, TN 37401
00:26:20.08\00:26:24.25
And there's something else
I'd like to share with you,
00:26:24.25\00:26:25.78
and that is this: You
know that It Is Written
00:26:25.78\00:26:28.02
is a faith-based ministry.
We rely on the kindness,
00:26:28.02\00:26:31.65
on the gracious gifts of
people just like you to keep
00:26:31.65\00:26:35.02
It Is Written in ministry.
If you give to support It Is
00:26:35.02\00:26:38.53
Written; to support the
work of sharing Jesus around the
00:26:38.53\00:26:41.63
world-- this broadcast goes
around the world-- to keep It Is
00:26:41.63\00:26:45.53
Written on the front lines,
lifting up Jesus in ministry,
00:26:45.53\00:26:48.34
sharing Christ and the gift of
salvation, please call that same
00:26:48.34\00:26:52.14
number or write
to that same address.
00:26:52.14\00:26:55.21
And I'd appreciate that greatly.
I'm glad you've joined me today.
00:26:55.21\00:26:59.21
Before we go I'd
like to pray with you.
00:26:59.21\00:27:01.15
Let's pray together
now. Our Father in heaven,
00:27:01.15\00:27:04.69
I thank You today
for that treasure, Jesus.
00:27:04.69\00:27:08.19
For the Pearl of Great
Price, our Savior and our Lord.
00:27:08.19\00:27:11.49
And we realize together that
in order to have a successful
00:27:11.49\00:27:14.40
relationship with Jesus, we must
give our entire lives to you.
00:27:14.40\00:27:18.10
Please take our lives, and allow
us to live in a truly committed
00:27:18.10\00:27:21.80
way. Right now
there's somebody who
00:27:21.80\00:27:24.94
realizes now is the
time to surrender to You.
00:27:24.94\00:27:27.94
Come close to that one.
Give that person the assurance
00:27:27.94\00:27:30.95
of eternal life and the
experience of surrender to You.
00:27:30.95\00:27:34.78
We thank You today,
and we pray in Jesus' name.
00:27:34.78\00:27:38.09
Amen. ¤ [Musical Interlude] ¤
00:27:38.09\00:27:43.59
¤ [Theme music]  ¤ JB:
Thanks for joining me today.
00:27:52.67\00:27:54.24
I look forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:54.24\00:27:56.37
Until then,
remember, It Is Written:
00:27:56.37\00:27:59.44
Man shall not
live by bread alone,
00:27:59.44\00:28:02.01
but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God.
00:28:02.01\00:28:05.78
¤ Theme Music Swells] ¤
00:28:05.78\00:28:08.45