[melodic symphony]
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JB: This is It Is
Written. I'm John Bradshaw.
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Thanks for joining me.
And welcome to New Zealand.
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New Zealand, in the
South Pacific Ocean,
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down near the
bottom of the world.
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The original inhabitants of this
country, the New Zealand Maori,
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named it Aotearoa,
the Land of the Long
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White Cloud. It's
famous for Kiwi and kiwi -
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and even the people
are referred to as Kiwis.
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People here might
greet you by saying "G'day,"
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your friend is your "mate,"
something good is "sweet as,"
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people wear jandals or
gumboots depending on the
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season (or maybe not),
the national sport is rugby
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(the All Blacks are the world
champions, the best team in
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the world), and the national
religion, well, that's rugby
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too. New Zealand
is known for movie
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directors, musicians,
actors, sportspeople, and a New
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Zealander was the first
person to split the atom.
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New Zealand is the world
leader in the dairy industry.
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New Zealanders breed magnificent
horses, and tourists flock to
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New Zealand from
around the world.
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And why do they come?
Because the country is
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beautiful.
Breathtakingly beautiful.
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So I'm bringing you
with me to New Zealand.
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And you might expect that I'd
take you to see the beautiful
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Bay of Islands up
north, or incredible Queenstown
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down south. Or Milford Sound.
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Or the thermal activity
in Rotorua, or the beaches
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of the Coromandel,
or the surfing beaches,
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or the wilderness
getaways. [upbeat guitar music]
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Or, as they say
here, 'Yeah, nah.'
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I'd like you to join me
in my hometown, Ngaruawahia.
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Ngaruawahia. Spelled
N-G-A-R-U-A-W-A-H-I-A.
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To spell it like a local
all you have to remember is,
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Nine Girls Are Running
Under A Wharf And Here I Am.
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It's surrounded by
richly productive dairy land,
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the Hakarimata Ranges
mark the northern edge of town,
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and a meat works was
the backbone of the town
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for decades. So what
can I tell you about it?
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Five thousand
people. Culturally diverse.
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A few churches. Oddly
enough, a number of the
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streets here are
named after astronomers.
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Galileo Street. Kepler Street.
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Ellery Street. Russell Avenue.
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Herschel Street. Newton Street.
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A couple of the streets here are
named after opera singers who
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came from this town.
But you know, when you think
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Ngaruawahia, you don't
typically think astronomers and
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opera singers. Since
the meat works employs a
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lot less people than it used to,
the town isn't as economically
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sound as it once was.
In the old days there was a
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men's outfitters, two
women's clothing stores, a movie
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theater, a busy post office
a department store, a pretty
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high-end restaurant.
But, you know, times change.
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But I love it. It's
beautiful and it's home.
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Home! There's something about
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being home. There
were several things about
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this town growing up here that
really affected my upbringing.
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Touchstones, I guess they were.
One of those was the river.
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I grew up in the Waikato River.
Waikato means "flowing water,"
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which wouldn't surprise
you. Another, the bush -
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the Hakarimata.
Profoundly beautiful,
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peaceful...it's a jewel.
The marae, New Zealand's largest
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marae, and while I'm not Maori,
growing up here, it can become
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part of you. The
rugby league club, where I
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played as a kid for
about eight seasons.
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My high school - five
years there and I never once got
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the cane. Not bad going.
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And, of course, my
church, and my church school.
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St. Paul's Church and
St. Paul's primary school.
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It was a small school, never
a sporting powerhouse because we
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didn't have very many kids,
but a good school with a great
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reputation. Four
classrooms when I was going
00:05:00.83\00:05:04.00
to school here, four teachers,
and two of them were nuns who
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lived in a beautiful old home
across the street before, well,
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before progress,
some might call it.
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And my memories of going
to school here are great.
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Well, good. Well, mostly good.
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You know how that
goes. [soft piano music]
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My family was in
church every week.
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Dad was especially faithful,
made sure we were in church
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with him, and I
just never missed church.
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In fact, as an altar boy, there
was a time I went to church
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every day for about
three and a half years.
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And, in fact, from here, up in
the Hakarimata Ranges, I think
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we can just about see the church
I attended growing up here in
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this town. We had great priests,
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good people, not a
negative word to say
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about any of them, not
from me or anybody else,
00:05:55.05\00:05:58.55
for that matter. Now,
I do remember one priest
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who used to spend an awful
lot of time in one of the local
00:06:01.16\00:06:03.53
pubs, and there were
times early in the morning,
00:06:03.53\00:06:06.36
I'd have to go to his
house because a crowd of us had
00:06:06.36\00:06:08.76
gathered at church,
and there was no priest,
00:06:08.76\00:06:11.73
and we were locked
outside and couldn't get in,
00:06:11.73\00:06:13.94
and so I was nominated to go
to his house, knock on the door,
00:06:13.94\00:06:17.51
"Father, Father!"
Knock on the door.
00:06:17.51\00:06:20.18
Call out again.
Eventually he'd stir, I'd go
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back to the church with the
good news, he'd saunter over,
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say Mass, go right
on, like nothing had ever
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happened. Those were the days.
00:06:30.12\00:06:34.32
A lot of my
formative experiences surround
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the church. When I
was 7 years old or so,
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I made my first confession and
then my first holy communion,
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as you do.
Later I was confirmed.
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I attended primary or elementary
school here from the age of 5 to
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the age of 12, when I
left and went to high school.
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And this is where
I learned about God.
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God was present in pretty
well every part of our lives.
00:07:02.88\00:07:06.29
We prayed before we ate.
I prayed every night before
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I went to sleep. At
church school, of course,
00:07:09.32\00:07:12.09
God is front and
center. I never once doubted the
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existence of God. I
never doubted the love of God.
00:07:15.23\00:07:18.63
But en you're raised in a
certain church or raised with
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certain values or with a certain
belief system, there must come a
00:07:22.27\00:07:25.67
time that you step back and
you say, "Is this really true?"
00:07:25.67\00:07:31.65
And as I was growing
up, just as sure as night
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follows day,
questions started to arise.
00:07:34.18\00:07:38.52
[Music] For example, if you're a
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believer in God, then the
question of sin is very real.
00:07:46.63\00:07:50.57
And then what to
do about those sins.
00:07:50.57\00:07:53.44
In the tradition in which I
was raised, an important part of
00:07:53.44\00:07:56.67
that was confession. As
a little child I made my
00:07:56.67\00:08:00.41
first confession,
known as the ' Sacrament of
00:08:00.41\00:08:04.15
Reconciliation', or
the 'Sacrament of Penance.'
00:08:04.15\00:08:06.38
And in confession the penitent,
the sinner, would go and
00:08:06.38\00:08:10.82
see the priest. He or
she would confess his or
00:08:10.82\00:08:13.79
her sins, and the
priest, in behalf of God, would
00:08:13.79\00:08:18.16
grant absolution to the
sinner, and would declare -
00:08:18.16\00:08:22.43
I think almost always
- that the penitent had
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been forgiven. And
then because you'd been
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forgiven you had
to do some penance.
00:08:27.50\00:08:30.44
Ordinarily for me it was
the Lord's Prayer, to say that a
00:08:30.44\00:08:34.51
couple of times, and
along with the Lord's Prayer,
00:08:34.51\00:08:36.78
maybe two or three Hail Mary's.
00:08:36.78\00:08:39.71
And by the time we knew how to
pray those prayers, all of that
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penance would take approximately
one minute to get through.
00:08:43.02\00:08:46.05
We'd get up off our
knees and we'd go out the door,
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and we were forgiven. [Music]
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But if you're a thinking person,
you've got to at least have to
00:08:55.00\00:08:58.43
ask yourself if that's the
way forgiveness should come.
00:08:58.43\00:09:02.57
Confess your sins to a man? A
man who the night before might
00:09:02.57\00:09:07.28
have been propping up a
bar? Well, I started to read
00:09:07.28\00:09:11.41
the Bible. And
when you read the Bible,
00:09:11.41\00:09:14.08
that's when things can happen.
I'll be back with more in just
00:09:14.08\00:09:18.29
a moment. [Music]
00:09:18.29\00:09:26.13
If you're looking for
the security of salvation,
00:09:26.13\00:09:28.70
let me suggest that you call
and request today's free book,
00:09:28.70\00:09:31.47
"Steps to Christ." This
book will help you in your
00:09:31.47\00:09:34.64
daily walk with Jesus.
Please call or write us, and
00:09:34.64\00:09:38.91
"Steps to Christ"
will be on its way to you.
00:09:38.91\00:09:41.91
There's no cost
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00:09:41.91\00:09:44.38
It's our free gift to
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00:09:44.38\00:09:49.78
and ask for the
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00:09:49.78\00:09:52.85
The operator needs only
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00:09:55.06\00:09:57.06
Lines are open 24 hours daily.
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00:10:07.24\00:10:10.67
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00:10:18.08\00:10:22.55
It Is Written is a faith-based
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00:10:48.84\00:10:52.21
[Music] Here's
today's Bible question:
00:10:53.75\00:11:11.53
I accepted Jesus into
my life over 20 years ago,
00:11:11.53\00:11:14.70
but after a time I fell
into sins of a moral or immoral
00:11:14.70\00:11:18.31
nature. I've
asked over many years
00:11:18.31\00:11:20.61
for forgiveness. But
what I read in the Bible
00:11:20.61\00:11:23.11
about those who do what I have
done says that they're not able
00:11:23.11\00:11:26.41
to enter into God's kingdom.
I committed these sins after
00:11:26.41\00:11:29.35
I became a Christian.
Will God ever forgive me for
00:11:29.35\00:11:32.65
these awful sins? I ask
God nearly every day for
00:11:32.65\00:11:36.29
these sins to be forgiven.
That's a meaningful question.
00:11:36.29\00:11:40.43
Please listen very carefully
to this very simple answer.
00:11:40.43\00:11:43.16
Here's what the Bible
says; I'll give you two verses.
00:11:43.16\00:11:46.13
Write down these Bible
references if you need to,
00:11:46.13\00:11:48.70
and never forget
them. First John 1:9, and
00:11:48.70\00:11:52.44
Matthew 12:31.
Firstly, Matthew 12:31.
00:11:52.44\00:11:55.68
It says, and this is Jesus
speaking, "All manner of sin and
00:11:55.68\00:12:00.15
blasphemy shall be
forgiven unto men."
00:12:00.15\00:12:04.02
He goes on to say that the sin
against the Holy Spirit won't be
00:12:04.02\00:12:06.49
forgiven, but that's not what
you've committed, don't worry
00:12:06.49\00:12:09.06
about that. But I
hope you got that.
00:12:09.06\00:12:11.26
"All manner of sin and
blasphemy shall be forgiven."
00:12:11.26\00:12:14.23
And that would
include what you have done.
00:12:14.23\00:12:16.20
Shall be forgiven. First
John 1:9 says, and I want
00:12:16.20\00:12:19.10
you to mark this down and
memorize it, it says this:
00:12:19.10\00:12:21.77
"If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us
00:12:21.77\00:12:26.44
our sins, and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness."
00:12:26.44\00:12:30.85
You've sinned. Yes, you have.
00:12:30.85\00:12:34.52
But you have
confessed sincerely.
00:12:34.52\00:12:36.92
And based on God's own word, we
know that He has forgiven you.
00:12:36.92\00:12:40.59
My advice to you is to
stop asking God to forgive these
00:12:40.59\00:12:44.39
sins, because He
has already done so.
00:12:44.39\00:12:46.73
Instead, thank Him
that He has forgiven you.
00:12:46.73\00:12:50.43
And ask him to keep you clean.
Remember, Paul wrote that,
00:12:50.43\00:12:53.37
"where sin abounds,
grace does much more abound."
00:12:53.37\00:12:57.21
It's right to feel bad
about what you've done.
00:12:57.21\00:12:59.24
You should. But you
should also rejoice that
00:12:59.24\00:13:01.84
you are forgiven. Don't
worry about this for even
00:13:01.84\00:13:04.61
another moment.
You've been forgiven, friend,
00:13:04.61\00:13:06.75
and that is good news. If
you'd like me to answer your
00:13:06.75\00:13:09.52
Bible question on this
program, go to ItIsWritten.com,
00:13:09.52\00:13:12.32
send me a question,
I'll do my best to answer it
00:13:12.32\00:13:15.06
on this program.
00:13:15.06\00:13:17.23
[Piano music]
00:13:23.80\00:13:32.11
This is It Is
Written. I'm John Bradshaw.
00:13:36.48\00:13:39.88
Thanks for joining me in
my hometown of Ngaruawahia,
00:13:39.88\00:13:44.35
New Zealand. It's
been a long time since
00:13:44.35\00:13:46.82
I lived here, but
this is where I grew up.
00:13:46.82\00:13:49.49
And I've got great memories
of living here for 20 years.
00:13:49.49\00:13:53.09
[Music] And an enormous part of
00:13:53.09\00:13:59.63
my life here
was my local church.
00:13:59.63\00:14:02.64
I was baptized here -
well, christened, actually -
00:14:02.64\00:14:05.71
when I was just a few days old.
This is where I came to church,
00:14:05.71\00:14:09.34
and I never missed
Mass on Sunday, not ever.
00:14:09.34\00:14:13.72
I kept up my streak for
years and years and years.
00:14:13.72\00:14:17.05
See, to miss Mass voluntarily,
or of your own volition, was
00:14:17.05\00:14:22.19
considered to be a mortal
sin, one that would condemn you
00:14:22.19\00:14:25.39
to hell. So that
was a pretty powerful
00:14:25.39\00:14:27.83
motivator to come
to church every week.
00:14:27.83\00:14:30.77
At least, it was for me.
Now, one of the first things you
00:14:30.77\00:14:34.14
do growing up in a church like
this - that is, when you get
00:14:34.14\00:14:36.84
to about 7 or 8 years
old - is you make your first
00:14:36.84\00:14:39.51
confession, after
which you're free to go
00:14:39.51\00:14:42.78
and confess your sins to a
priest and receive absolution
00:14:42.78\00:14:46.75
for your sins. And
so, that's what we grew up
00:14:46.75\00:14:49.78
doing. We'd come to church here,
00:14:49.78\00:14:51.62
sit in the back couple of
rows, and when it was your turn,
00:14:51.62\00:14:54.39
you slipped into the
confessional, a little booth,
00:14:54.39\00:14:56.99
behind a gauze-covered screen,
and confessed your sins to
00:14:56.99\00:15:01.66
the priest. I
would begin by saying,
00:15:01.66\00:15:04.63
"Bless me,
Father, for I have sinned.
00:15:04.63\00:15:07.00
It has been, oh, let's say, two
weeks since my last confession.
00:15:07.00\00:15:10.47
Here are my sins." Now,
by that time the priests
00:15:10.47\00:15:14.01
were speaking in English.
But some of them still slipped a
00:15:14.01\00:15:16.54
little Latin into what
they did. And at the end of the
00:15:16.54\00:15:19.48
confessional service the priest
would say, "Ego te absolovo."
00:15:19.48\00:15:24.95
"I absolve you."
00:15:24.95\00:15:28.79
[Music] Now, no
matter how you cut it,
00:15:30.49\00:15:37.30
what you have is a situation
where a human being is being
00:15:37.30\00:15:40.74
inserted into a transaction
that should be between God
00:15:40.74\00:15:44.67
and the sinner alone. In
the Word of God we have some
00:15:44.67\00:15:48.14
pretty clear instruction
about how confession of sin and
00:15:48.14\00:15:51.71
forgiveness of
sin ought to operate.
00:15:51.71\00:15:54.82
Let's think of at
least two examples.
00:15:54.82\00:15:57.22
In one, a woman taken in sin
is brought to the feet of Jesus.
00:15:57.22\00:16:02.02
She is repentant.
And Jesus says to her,
00:16:02.02\00:16:04.93
"Neither do I condemn
thee. Go and sin no more."
00:16:04.93\00:16:09.90
No mention of an earthly
priest being brought into that
00:16:09.90\00:16:12.97
situation. In a
parable Jesus taught,
00:16:12.97\00:16:16.10
two men are
praying in the temple.
00:16:16.10\00:16:18.17
One has issues
of spiritual pride.
00:16:18.17\00:16:20.91
The other strikes his breast and
he says, "God be merciful to me,
00:16:20.91\00:16:26.72
a sinner." And the
Bible says that man went
00:16:26.72\00:16:29.42
down to his house justified
or, in other words, forgiven.
00:16:29.42\00:16:34.02
No earthly priest required;
this was between the sinner
00:16:34.02\00:16:37.49
and God alone.
First John 1:9 says,
00:16:37.49\00:16:41.10
"If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just
00:16:41.10\00:16:44.13
to forgive us our
sins and to cleanse us from
00:16:44.13\00:16:46.97
all unrighteousness."
First Timothy 2:5 makes
00:16:46.97\00:16:50.37
it clear: "There is one mediator
00:16:50.37\00:16:52.67
between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus."
00:16:52.67\00:16:57.08
If you search the Bible, and if
the Bible is your standard, will
00:16:57.08\00:17:02.32
you find any mention of the need
for an earthly priest in this
00:17:02.32\00:17:07.92
dispensation, to be involved
in the sin issue between a
00:17:07.92\00:17:12.59
human being and
God? No, you won't.
00:17:12.59\00:17:15.43
You won't find
that anywhere at all.
00:17:15.43\00:17:18.13
Now, that's clear, isn't it?
One mediator, and that's Jesus.
00:17:18.13\00:17:23.24
So from a biblical perspective,
is there anything to suggest
00:17:23.24\00:17:27.21
that God's will is that
we have a human mediator?
00:17:27.21\00:17:32.08
Well, no, there isn't.
Now, in the Bible you do read
00:17:32.08\00:17:35.72
about an earthly priesthood,
and that's appropriate.
00:17:35.72\00:17:39.29
That's in the Old Testament, in
the sacrificial system, where it
00:17:39.29\00:17:42.59
was necessary to have a priest
interceding between God and men.
00:17:42.59\00:17:47.20
But once that sacrificial system
was made obsolete, the only
00:17:47.20\00:17:51.37
priesthood that you read about
in the Bible concerning people
00:17:51.37\00:17:54.50
on earth is the
priesthood of all believers.
00:17:54.50\00:17:58.44
And all believers in Christ are
to be part of that priesthood.
00:17:58.44\00:18:01.31
In fact, the writer to the
Hebrews in the book of Hebrews
00:18:01.31\00:18:05.38
made it very clear that our
priest today is a heavenly high
00:18:05.38\00:18:08.68
priest, and that he is Jesus,
and that anybody, no matter
00:18:08.68\00:18:16.62
how sinful, no matter how weak,
no matter how big a failure,
00:18:16.62\00:18:20.16
can come to God
through faith in Jesus,
00:18:20.16\00:18:22.46
and directly find
forgiveness for his or her sins.
00:18:22.46\00:18:26.53
There are some
incredible promises in the Bible
00:18:26.53\00:18:28.60
talking about this.
I'll look at them with you in
00:18:28.60\00:18:30.87
just a moment. [male narrator]
00:18:30.87\00:18:33.51
"Every Word" is a one-minute,
Bible-based, daily devotional
00:18:33.51\00:18:36.04
presented by Pastor John
Bradshaw and designed especially
00:18:36.04\00:18:38.95
for busy people like
you. Look for "Every Word" on
00:18:38.95\00:18:42.82
selected networks, or watch it
online every day on our website,
00:18:42.82\00:18:46.09
ItIsWritten.com. [upbeat music]
00:18:46.09\00:18:55.83
JB: The day before Thanksgiving
in 1971, a man who became
00:18:55.83\00:18:58.33
known as D. B. Cooper
hijacked a plane in Seattle
00:18:58.33\00:19:01.07
and demanded $200,000. He
disappeared with the money
00:19:01.07\00:19:04.91
when he parachuted from the
plane at 10,000 feet, and he
00:19:04.91\00:19:08.14
was never seen again. To
this day, the FBI doesn't
00:19:08.14\00:19:10.98
know who D. B. Cooper was.
But several years ago the FBI
00:19:10.98\00:19:14.65
reopened the case, hoping they'd
get it worked out finally.
00:19:14.65\00:19:18.75
And you know, the Bible is like
that D. B. Cooper case for many
00:19:18.75\00:19:22.39
people: a mystery.
But it really doesn't have
00:19:22.39\00:19:25.59
to be. Jesus
said in John 8:31-32,
00:19:25.59\00:19:28.66
"If you continue in my
word, then are you my disciples
00:19:28.66\00:19:31.33
indeed. And ye
shall know the truth, and
00:19:31.33\00:19:33.44
the truth shall make you
free." You shall know the truth.
00:19:33.44\00:19:37.01
God wants to guide you in
your understanding of the Bible.
00:19:37.01\00:19:39.67
If it's a mystery to
you, continue in God's Word
00:19:39.67\00:19:42.38
and He'll show you
what you need to know.
00:19:42.38\00:19:44.75
I'm John Bradshaw
for It Is Written.
00:19:44.75\00:19:46.55
Let's live today by every
word. [driving piano solo]
00:19:46.55\00:20:07.94
Thanks for joining me today
on It Is Written in my hometown
00:20:07.94\00:20:10.37
of Ngaruawahia, New Zealand.
Growing up here, faith in God
00:20:10.37\00:20:14.34
was very important
to me, to my family.
00:20:14.34\00:20:17.31
And, of course, anything
involving faith in God has to
00:20:17.31\00:20:20.52
have something to do
with what to do when you sin.
00:20:20.52\00:20:22.75
You confess your sins;
everybody's taught that.
00:20:22.75\00:20:26.19
And I was taught to confess
my sins to God through a priest.
00:20:26.19\00:20:30.99
The priest had been authorized
by the church to dispense the
00:20:30.99\00:20:33.83
grace of God via the
sacrament of reconciliation.
00:20:33.83\00:20:37.47
And so the priest had an awful
lot to do, everything to do
00:20:37.47\00:20:41.87
with me getting right with God.
Well, when I got a little bit
00:20:41.87\00:20:46.27
older, I started
to read the Bible.
00:20:46.27\00:20:49.21
And I discovered that the Bible
doesn't support such a thing.
00:20:49.21\00:20:54.52
Instead, when you read the
book of Hebrews, you discover
00:20:54.52\00:20:57.22
several things.
Number one: Jesus is divine.
00:20:57.22\00:21:00.72
Number two: Jesus is
man. In addition to that,
00:21:00.72\00:21:05.03
you discover that
Jesus, even though He wasn't
00:21:05.03\00:21:07.40
from the tribe of
Levi, is qualified to be a
00:21:07.40\00:21:10.30
priest. And
then, Hebrews tells us,
00:21:10.30\00:21:13.44
Jesus is our High Priest
in the heavenly sanctuary.
00:21:13.44\00:21:18.01
Listen to this: Hebrews 4:15-16.
"For we have not an High Priest
00:21:18.01\00:21:22.98
which cannot be touched with the
feelings of our infirmities, but
00:21:22.98\00:21:27.02
was in all points tempted like
as we are, yet without sin."
00:21:27.02\00:21:34.09
Jesus lived on Earth as a man,
He understands our battle with
00:21:34.09\00:21:38.53
sin, He was tempted in all
points just like we are tempted,
00:21:38.53\00:21:43.50
and yet He did
not sin. Now verse 16.
00:21:43.50\00:21:46.63
The book has been saying Jesus
is our High Priest, and then it
00:21:46.63\00:21:50.57
says, "Let us therefore come
boldly to the throne of grace,
00:21:50.57\00:21:54.58
that we may obtain mercy, and
grace to help in time of need."
00:21:54.58\00:22:01.62
No matter who you are, no
matter what you've been through,
00:22:01.62\00:22:05.79
no matter what sort of
past mistakes you've made,
00:22:05.79\00:22:08.52
no matter how bad you've
been, you can come confidently
00:22:08.52\00:22:14.03
to Jesus. We're
invited to come to His
00:22:14.03\00:22:17.10
throne, and notice the Bible
calls it a throne of grace.
00:22:17.10\00:22:22.00
And what do we find
there? We find mercy and grace
00:22:22.00\00:22:26.84
to help us. It's
just a phenomenal thought.
00:22:26.84\00:22:30.15
Sin brings separation
from God. Sin brings death.
00:22:30.15\00:22:34.68
Sin caused the
death of God's own Son.
00:22:34.68\00:22:37.85
And yet God says you
can come directly to Him.
00:22:37.85\00:22:40.76
He's willing to hear from you.
He will forgive you and He will
00:22:40.76\00:22:43.86
cleanse you and He
will make things right.
00:22:43.86\00:22:46.06
You can go straight to God
and know that He welcomes you to
00:22:46.06\00:22:49.40
do so. It's
important we get this
00:22:49.40\00:22:51.87
right. If we
don't, we're going to find
00:22:51.87\00:22:54.90
ourselves slightly off track,
that is, with the Bible and
00:22:54.90\00:22:59.77
in our
experience with God. [Music]
00:22:59.77\00:23:10.75
You know, a lot has changed
in the 40 years since I used
00:23:10.75\00:23:13.56
to come here, climb these
very trees, swim right here
00:23:13.56\00:23:17.16
in the river right behind
me. A lot has changed between
00:23:17.16\00:23:19.76
now and then. But some
things haven't changed,
00:23:19.76\00:23:23.50
including the need for the human
heart to be reconciled to God.
00:23:23.50\00:23:29.20
And God knows that.
Which is why He invites us to
00:23:29.20\00:23:32.31
come to Him directly
through faith in Jesus Christ.
00:23:32.31\00:23:36.91
And you can come; you don't need
a human intermediary, but come
00:23:36.91\00:23:40.95
to God in the name of Jesus.
And come to Him right away.
00:23:40.95\00:23:44.25
Think of some of the people
in the Bible who came to God in
00:23:44.25\00:23:47.29
repentance: Manassas.
With a history like his,
00:23:47.29\00:23:51.03
you might have thought
Manassas didn't have a chance,
00:23:51.03\00:23:53.06
but he came to God
in repentance, and God
00:23:53.06\00:23:55.03
forgave him. Solomon,
who drifted so far away
00:23:55.03\00:23:58.80
from God. What did God do?
00:23:58.80\00:24:01.64
He welcomed Solomon
back and reestablished him.
00:24:01.64\00:24:05.41
David, with all of
his profound problems.
00:24:05.41\00:24:07.68
Saul, who became Paul.
Each one of these came from the
00:24:07.68\00:24:12.21
position of wickedness and
sin back to faith in God, and
00:24:12.21\00:24:17.92
they did so directly.
Now, think of the invitations
00:24:17.92\00:24:20.96
given us in the
Bible. Isaiah 1:18 says,
00:24:20.96\00:24:24.69
"Though your sins are as
scarlet, they shall be as
00:24:24.69\00:24:27.83
white as snow. Though
they be red like crimson,
00:24:27.83\00:24:31.47
they shall be as wool."
Psalm 86:5 says, "You, Lord,
00:24:31.47\00:24:36.50
are good and ready to forgive."
He's ready to forgive you;
00:24:36.50\00:24:41.41
He'll do it now. It
doesn't cost you anything.
00:24:41.41\00:24:44.05
It's not hard work. Just
be willing to accept Jesus
00:24:44.05\00:24:47.55
Christ into your
life. God will forgive you.
00:24:47.55\00:24:50.79
Jesus will live in you.
He'll not only forgive you, but
00:24:50.79\00:24:54.29
He'll also cleanse you from your
sins, and bring a power into
00:24:54.29\00:24:58.26
your life so that you don't
have to go back to your own ways
00:24:58.26\00:25:01.16
ever again. Let's
pray together - I'd love
00:25:01.16\00:25:04.70
to pray for you. Our
Father in Heaven, thank you
00:25:04.70\00:25:07.44
that we can come to you
through faith in Jesus Christ.
00:25:07.44\00:25:10.27
Thank you that you
are willing to forgive.
00:25:10.27\00:25:12.71
Thank you that you're
good, that you are a God who is
00:25:12.71\00:25:15.64
gracious and kind and loving.
Right now, I know that there are
00:25:15.64\00:25:19.85
some - many - who need to make
things right with you, that is,
00:25:19.85\00:25:23.45
they need to throw off the
weight of guilt that they carry
00:25:23.45\00:25:27.02
around, and accept freedom
and pardon and forgiveness
00:25:27.02\00:25:30.86
in its place. I pray
that as you invite us to
00:25:30.86\00:25:33.63
lay our burdens at
your feet, we will do so.
00:25:33.63\00:25:36.06
Thank you that Jesus
would live His life in us.
00:25:36.06\00:25:38.37
Thank you that we can go from
this moment of prayer forgiven,
00:25:38.37\00:25:40.70
and one with you. We
thank you, we praise you, and
00:25:40.70\00:25:46.54
we pray in Jesus'
name, Amen. [Music]
00:25:46.54\00:26:14.04
What does it mean to be saved?
00:26:24.38\00:26:26.25
The answer can be
found in a little book called
00:26:26.25\00:26:28.28
"Steps to Christ."
It's our free book offer
00:26:28.28\00:26:30.95
for today. This book
will help you in your
00:26:30.95\00:26:33.52
daily walk with Jesus.
Please call or write us and
00:26:33.52\00:26:37.83
"Steps to Christ"
will be on its way to you.
00:26:37.83\00:26:40.70
There's no cost
and no obligation.
00:26:40.70\00:26:43.16
It's our free gift to you.
Just call 1-800-253-3000 and ask
00:26:43.16\00:26:49.04
for the book "Steps to Christ."
Lines are open 24 hours daily.
00:26:49.04\00:26:54.04
They may be busy, so
please do keep trying.
00:26:54.04\00:26:56.81
You may also request
this free book by writing to
00:26:56.81\00:26:59.68
It Is Written, P O Box 6,
Chattanooga, Tennessee, 37401,
00:26:59.68\00:27:05.55
and we'll mail a copy to
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00:27:05.55\00:27:09.12
For immediate access, you
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00:27:09.12\00:27:12.16
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00:27:12.16\00:27:14.13
website, ItIsWritten.com.
It Is Written is a faith-based
00:27:14.13\00:27:19.80
ministry made
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00:27:19.80\00:27:23.54
If you wish to help
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00:27:23.54\00:27:25.91
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00:27:28.78\00:27:32.11
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Thank you for your
00:27:32.11\00:27:36.05
correspondence and for
your continued support.
00:27:36.05\00:27:39.82
Thanks for joining me today.
I look forward to seeing you
00:27:47.93\00:27:49.30
again next time.
Until then remember,
00:27:49.30\00:27:51.83
it is written: Man shall
not live by bread alone but by
00:27:51.83\00:27:56.37
every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God.
00:27:56.37\00:28:00.64
[Music]
00:28:00.64\00:28:15.66