It has stood the test of
time. God's book, the Bible.
00:00:07.07\00:00:14.04
Still relevant in
today's complex world.
00:00:14.04\00:00:22.32
It Is Written ...
sharing hope around the globe.
00:00:22.32\00:00:29.62
I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me
00:00:36.87\00:00:38.67
on It Is Written.
In 1903 the Ford Motor
00:00:38.67\00:00:42.04
Company was born. It
was founded by a 40-year-old
00:00:42.04\00:00:45.21
man named Henry Ford,
who had tried before to
00:00:45.21\00:00:48.21
get into the automobile
manufacturing business
00:00:48.21\00:00:50.41
but without a lot of success.
This time around, within ten
00:00:50.41\00:00:53.52
years Ford had introduced
the assembly line into his
00:00:53.52\00:00:56.72
manufacturing process
and in less than twenty years
00:00:56.72\00:00:59.75
was producing a
million cars a year.
00:00:59.75\00:01:02.92
Doubling his employees' pay
not only meant they were better
00:01:02.92\00:01:05.23
off but there were a
whole lot more people who could
00:01:05.23\00:01:08.03
afford to buy Ford vehicles.
And that helped Henry Ford.
00:01:08.03\00:01:13.70
Ford produced the
famous Model T and the Model A
00:01:13.70\00:01:16.37
and sold millions of each.
00:01:16.37\00:01:18.37
¤ [Music playing]
¤ [old time car horn]
00:01:18.37\00:01:27.52
The first car I ever
owned was a Ford - a white 1969
00:01:27.52\00:01:31.75
Mark 2 Ford Cortina,
a thing of beauty that I
00:01:31.75\00:01:35.79
could start with a screwdriver.
Unfortunately, it ended up
00:01:35.79\00:01:39.49
in a wrecker's yard after
I was hit by a drunk driver,
00:01:39.49\00:01:42.63
but that's another
story. Thank the Lord,
00:01:42.63\00:01:45.07
I walked away unhurt.
Ford bought Lincoln in 1922
00:01:45.07\00:01:47.67
and then he brought the
Mercury brand into the Ford fold
00:01:47.67\00:01:51.01
in the 1930s, and down through
the years Ford has produced
00:01:51.01\00:01:54.51
some classic
vehicles, like the Thunderbird
00:01:54.51\00:01:56.28
[Big V8
rumble/purr] and the Mustang.
00:01:56.28\00:02:00.22
¤[Music]¤
There's been the Falcon
00:02:00.22\00:02:03.05
and the Taurus and the
Fiesta and the Explorer
00:02:03.05\00:02:06.86
[Many car horns] ¤ [music] ¤
00:02:06.86\00:02:08.66
and outside the United
States the Mondeo... and...
00:02:08.66\00:02:13.33
And in the 1950s Ford
started work on a car it hoped
00:02:13.33\00:02:16.16
would take the
automotive world by storm.
00:02:16.16\00:02:18.90
They poured hundreds of
millions of dollars into making
00:02:18.90\00:02:21.14
the car a success, and named
it in honor of Henry Ford's
00:02:21.14\00:02:24.27
son - Edsel. But a
success it was not.
00:02:24.27\00:02:30.88
In 1958, the first year
the Edsel went on the market,
00:02:30.88\00:02:33.75
more than 63,000 Edsels
sold - which was way short
00:02:33.75\00:02:37.22
of what was hoped
for. In 1959 that number
00:02:37.22\00:02:40.36
dropped by about a
third. In 1960, less than
00:02:40.36\00:02:44.23
3,000 Edsels sold. Ford
lost a boat load of money
00:02:44.23\00:02:49.20
- about two billion dollars
in today's value - and the Edsel
00:02:49.20\00:02:52.80
became synonymous with
failure. To be honest with you
00:02:52.80\00:02:56.71
I'm not really sure
why. It's said that the car
00:02:56.71\00:02:58.77
failed because of styling,
engineering and marketing.
00:02:58.77\00:03:01.44
If you ask me the Edsel
wasn't the "ugliest"car ever,
00:03:01.44\00:03:04.18
it wasn't even the
ugliest Ford ever made.
00:03:04.18\00:03:07.08
The Edsel wasn't that
different technologically from
00:03:07.08\00:03:09.75
other cars that were a
success, and in fact it boasted
00:03:09.75\00:03:12.45
some improvements. The
failure of the Edsel might
00:03:12.45\00:03:15.12
even have had
something to do with the media.
00:03:15.12\00:03:17.56
Whatever the reasons,
the Edsel sank like a rock.
00:03:17.56\00:03:22.66
And what was
the ultimate fallout
00:03:22.66\00:03:24.87
of that colossal failure?
Today, Ford is the fifth-largest
00:03:24.87\00:03:28.30
maker of
automobiles in the world,
00:03:28.30\00:03:31.54
second largest in
the United States.
00:03:31.54\00:03:34.28
The top-selling
vehicle in the United States
00:03:34.28\00:03:37.25
is often a Ford. No
question the failure
00:03:37.25\00:03:38.61
of the Edsel hurt Ford at
the time, but over the years
00:03:38.61\00:03:41.82
the Ford company -
like so many others
00:03:41.82\00:03:45.72
- learned to weather
failure and turn it around
00:03:45.72\00:03:50.83
and enjoy success.
Now, I've got another
00:03:50.83\00:03:53.23
failure story for you.
I wonder if you can figure
00:03:53.23\00:03:56.36
out who I'm talking about.
This is the story of a young
00:03:56.36\00:03:59.33
man whose lfe began with great
promise, but unlike Henry Ford
00:03:59.33\00:04:02.84
when this man was
40 years old his life
00:04:02.84\00:04:06.61
was falling apart.
(Don't worry - the story has
00:04:06.61\00:04:09.54
a happy ending.) As a
baby he narrowly escaped death,
00:04:09.54\00:04:13.42
then was raised in privilege,
a member of the Royal Household
00:04:13.42\00:04:18.25
of a prominent
Middle-Eastern country.
00:04:18.25\00:04:21.59
He was given a
world-class education.
00:04:21.59\00:04:24.26
He was destined to
be a high-ranking member
00:04:24.26\00:04:26.70
of the royal family. But
then one day as a young man
00:04:26.70\00:04:29.23
with the world at his
feet, he witnessed an act
00:04:29.23\00:04:33.20
of injustice that made him
so angry that he murdered a man.
00:04:33.20\00:04:36.81
He saw slaves being
mistreated, and flew into a rage
00:04:36.81\00:04:40.61
so intense that he murdered
the man who was mistreating
00:04:40.61\00:04:43.58
the slaves. Murder, as you know,
00:04:43.58\00:04:46.35
is a serious business and he
realized he had to leave town
00:04:46.35\00:04:49.45
in order to save his own life.
So he fled the royal household
00:04:49.45\00:04:52.92
and spent the next 40 years
living in an arid wilderness.
00:04:52.92\00:04:57.59
This young man had
been bound for great things.
00:04:57.59\00:05:00.70
God had especially set
him up to be a high-achiever,
00:05:00.70\00:05:04.17
to be a man of great
influence in the world.
00:05:04.17\00:05:07.10
And what did he
do? He took God's gifts
00:05:07.10\00:05:10.47
and he threw it all
away. Even his adoptive father
00:05:10.47\00:05:13.84
was determined to
kill him. Imagine that.
00:05:13.84\00:05:16.88
Having it all, and
then failing so badly
00:05:16.88\00:05:20.48
you lose it all. In
place of luxury and wealth
00:05:20.48\00:05:24.35
this man became a fugitive,
a criminal with a murder charge
00:05:24.35\00:05:28.86
on his record, on the run
in a Middle Eastern desert.
00:05:28.86\00:05:33.66
And how do you
think this turned out?
00:05:33.66\00:05:35.56
Or let me ask you
this: how do you think it
00:05:35.56\00:05:39.23
SHOULD have turned out?
He was bound for greatness
00:05:39.23\00:05:41.70
but murdered a man. What
do you think he deserved?
00:05:41.70\00:05:44.94
Believe it or not, believe
it or not ... that man is in
00:05:44.94\00:05:49.04
heaven right now. I'm serious.
We've got evidence for it.
00:05:49.04\00:05:54.75
This man who was a
colossal failure is in heaven.
00:05:54.75\00:05:59.25
How did that happen?
I'll tell you more in just
00:05:59.25\00:06:01.09
a moment.
00:06:01.09\00:06:02.69
[Music]
00:06:02.96\00:06:06.36
If you could just go
back in time and do things
00:06:08.33\00:06:11.07
differently. Perhaps
you've struggled with
00:06:11.07\00:06:13.80
regret and the
added weight of guilt.
00:06:13.80\00:06:16.14
And while there's no way to
undo the past, God offers us a
00:06:16.14\00:06:19.31
forgiveness so
complete that it comes with a
00:06:19.31\00:06:21.88
promise of a life
that will never end.
00:06:21.88\00:06:24.65
Sound too good to be true?
Well, see what the Bible says.
00:06:24.65\00:06:27.88
Our booklet, "Hope
for a Planet in Crisis,"
00:06:27.88\00:06:30.89
will walk you through
the Bible's teachings about
00:06:30.89\00:06:32.99
sin and forgiveness and
show you how a new start
00:06:32.99\00:06:35.72
can be yours. Just
call (800) 253-3000 and
00:06:35.72\00:06:41.30
request your free copy of
"Hope for a Planet in Crisis."
00:06:41.30\00:06:45.30
If the line's busy please
do keep on trying, or write to
00:06:45.30\00:06:48.40
It Is Written, P.O. Box
6, Chattanooga, TN 37401.
00:06:48.40\00:06:54.18
We'll mail a free copy to
your address in North America.
00:06:54.18\00:06:57.48
Again, our toll-free number
is (800) 253-3000, and our web
00:06:57.48\00:07:02.98
address is ItIsWritten.com.
00:07:02.98\00:07:06.52
Thanks for joining me
today on It Is Written.
00:07:08.82\00:07:11.23
I'm John Bradshaw.
Today, Faith and Failure.
00:07:11.23\00:07:15.36
A young man raised in
privilege, a young man with
00:07:15.36\00:07:18.87
the world at his
feet, a young man raised in
00:07:18.87\00:07:21.60
a Middle Eastern Royal Family...
murders someone, and leaves
00:07:21.60\00:07:25.27
behind his life of
privilege and flees to live
00:07:25.27\00:07:28.28
in an arid
wilderness. A classic example
00:07:28.28\00:07:30.91
of a man throwing his life
away. You couldn't call the man
00:07:30.91\00:07:34.02
much other than a failure.
Yet the Bible tells us that this
00:07:34.02\00:07:38.49
man is in heaven while
we're talking here today.
00:07:38.49\00:07:41.66
Seriously. I'll
tell you why that is.
00:07:41.66\00:07:44.13
Because God is able to
take our failures and turn
00:07:44.13\00:07:48.93
them into victories.
It's a terrible thing to fall
00:07:48.93\00:07:50.83
so far, to lose everything you
have, everything you've worked
00:07:50.83\00:07:53.17
for, maybe lose everything
someone else has worked
00:07:53.17\00:07:55.80
for for you. The
shame can be unbearable
00:07:55.80\00:07:58.61
and the
disappointment can be crushing.
00:07:58.61\00:08:00.64
But God is able to take
our messes and somehow get us
00:08:00.64\00:08:04.08
through them and lead
us on to a better tomorrow.
00:08:04.08\00:08:07.88
And how can I be
so sure about that?
00:08:07.88\00:08:09.75
Because that's what God
did for Moses, our young Middle
00:08:09.75\00:08:14.72
Easterner who was raised in
Pharaoh's household but fled
00:08:14.72\00:08:17.43
when he murdered someone.
Now, no matter which way
00:08:17.43\00:08:20.66
you measure this thing,
Moses had made a complete mess
00:08:20.66\00:08:22.96
of his life. He
had been given so much
00:08:22.96\00:08:25.27
but had thrown it away.
Instead of being the success
00:08:25.27\00:08:27.97
he was raised to be,
he was an abject failure.
00:08:27.97\00:08:30.44
But God is in the business
of working with failures.
00:08:30.44\00:08:33.38
According to the Bible
Moses is in heaven right now -
00:08:33.38\00:08:37.48
he appeared with Jesus
when Jesus was transfigured,
00:08:37.48\00:08:40.42
and it says this in
the book of Jude verse 9,
00:08:40.42\00:08:43.59
Evidently Moses' body was
resurrected and he was taken
00:08:57.77\00:08:59.57
to heaven. A
murderer. A failure.
00:08:59.57\00:09:03.77
Resurrected and taken to heaven!
00:09:03.77\00:09:06.41
You see, that's what God
can do with our failures -
00:09:06.41\00:09:11.31
if you'll let him.
Moses is really the Biblical
00:09:11.31\00:09:14.98
poster boy for failure.
God miraculously spared his
00:09:14.98\00:09:19.85
life, and then not only did
he murder the Egyptian and then
00:09:19.85\00:09:22.82
spend 40 years in the
wilderness, but leading God's
00:09:22.82\00:09:25.93
people for another 40 years,
on the borders of the Promised
00:09:25.93\00:09:28.76
Land, after having seen God
and spoken with God and having
00:09:28.76\00:09:31.60
stood at the burning bush
and after leading Israel through
00:09:31.60\00:09:34.80
the Red Sea and after
seeing the pillar of cloud
00:09:34.80\00:09:38.01
and the pillar of fire and
after eating manna sent from
00:09:38.01\00:09:40.54
God for four
decades - he blew it again!
00:09:40.54\00:09:44.81
In a pique of anger he struck
the rock to bring out water
00:09:44.81\00:09:47.58
instead of speaking to the
rock, and God had to explain
00:09:47.58\00:09:51.09
to Moses that his offense
was so serious he couldn't
00:09:51.09\00:09:54.19
enter the Promised
Land. Two strikes against him.
00:09:54.19\00:09:58.36
And then what?
Moses was resurrected
00:09:58.36\00:10:01.20
and taken to the
Heavenly Promised Land.
00:10:01.20\00:10:06.33
You know, too many
people are ready to quit because
00:10:06.33\00:10:07.60
of their failures. It
happens in everyday life.
00:10:07.60\00:10:10.07
I've heard of
people who gambled away
00:10:10.07\00:10:11.61
everything they
had - [Police siren]
00:10:11.61\00:10:13.84
and they killed themselves.
00:10:13.84\00:10:16.21
I know of people who've lost
everything due to bad business
00:10:17.78\00:10:20.62
deals or due to a challenging
economy, and have ended their
00:10:20.62\00:10:24.35
lives - or have gone nuts
on drugs or alcohol and lost
00:10:24.35\00:10:26.82
their family and friends.
And it happens in church
00:10:26.82\00:10:29.82
or in a person's
relationship with God.
00:10:29.82\00:10:32.29
The person will stumble, fall,
embarrass themselves or their
00:10:32.29\00:10:35.30
family, and then they
feel they aren't worthy
00:10:35.30\00:10:38.30
of God's mercy - which is true,
incidentally: we're not worthy
00:10:38.30\00:10:41.87
but God gives it to us anyway
- and very often people decide
00:10:41.87\00:10:45.51
to give up on their
faith - they give up on God.
00:10:45.51\00:10:48.78
[Single sharp pistol
shot] Look: if Moses can murder
00:10:48.78\00:10:52.45
someone and still
be commissioned by God
00:10:52.45\00:10:54.95
to lead the exodus,
there has to be hope for you.
00:10:54.95\00:10:58.15
If Moses can blow it at the
rock and still be resurrected
00:10:58.15\00:11:00.86
and taken to
heaven... What does that say
00:11:00.86\00:11:03.53
about the hope we have -
even when we foul things up?
00:11:03.53\00:11:05.93
Let's think about King
David. Knowing better, he took
00:11:05.93\00:11:09.66
another man's wife.
He deliberately had the
00:11:09.66\00:11:12.60
woman's husband killed
in battle, he lied about it,
00:11:12.60\00:11:14.74
he brought
calamity upon his family...
00:11:14.74\00:11:18.54
If David can go through all
that, and STILL be God's man,
00:11:18.54\00:11:22.18
the leader of God's people,
that has to reassure you that
00:11:22.18\00:11:26.08
God is in the business
of using broken people to
00:11:26.08\00:11:28.82
accomplish great good.
Now I want to be careful
00:11:28.82\00:11:31.65
about something.
This is not to say
00:11:31.65\00:11:33.96
that the sins of Moses and
David weren't of consequence
00:11:33.96\00:11:35.92
or weren't serious. They were!
00:11:35.92\00:11:38.23
The Bible says in Romans 6:23
00:11:38.23\00:11:40.26
Sin is a serious business!
But what Moses and David did
00:11:44.20\00:11:47.07
was they repented - and they
were accepted by God when they
00:11:47.07\00:11:52.17
saw the seriousness of their
sin and asked God to "cleanse"
00:11:52.17\00:11:54.58
them of their
sin. Look at David's
00:11:54.58\00:11:58.71
repentance with me. We
read about it in Psalm 51.
00:11:58.71\00:12:02.45
Remember what David had done.
Adultery, murder, dishonesty,
00:12:02.45\00:12:05.95
he'd disgraced his
throne and sadly misrepresented
00:12:05.95\00:12:10.43
his God. But he comes to God
00:12:10.43\00:12:12.33
understanding something.
He understands that God
00:12:12.33\00:12:15.86
is the God of the new start.
David knows that he can rely
00:12:15.86\00:12:19.63
on God to forgive him
and let him begin again.
00:12:19.63\00:12:25.37
Psalm 51 is where we will read.
00:12:25.37\00:12:27.58
I want you to think about how
encouraging this is if YOU'VE
00:12:27.58\00:12:29.71
ever made mistakes, if
you've ever done something
00:12:29.71\00:12:32.31
you're not proud of.
If you've ever failed,
00:12:32.31\00:12:34.38
even spectacularly.
This is what David says,
00:12:34.38\00:12:36.95
Then in verse 7 David says this,
00:12:57.81\00:13:00.18
Hyssop was used at the
Passover to sprinkle blood upon
00:13:07.85\00:13:10.92
the doorposts of the homes,
and it was used in special
00:13:10.92\00:13:14.22
cleansing ceremonies
in the Old Testament.
00:13:14.22\00:13:16.32
David saw his need of cleansing.
00:13:16.32\00:13:18.29
And God DID forgive
David, to the extent that Jesus
00:13:37.65\00:13:39.98
was referred to as
the "Son of David".
00:13:39.98\00:13:43.32
David is quoted in the New
Testament and included among
00:13:43.32\00:13:46.42
the great faithful
ones in Hebrews 11.
00:13:46.42\00:13:49.42
So if you've failed,
there's hope for you.
00:13:49.42\00:13:52.19
Think of some of the other
failures in the Bible, people
00:13:52.19\00:13:54.30
who God then
worked with and made new.
00:13:54.30\00:13:57.27
There was the
woman taken in adultery.
00:13:57.27\00:13:59.73
A group of men were
prepared to stone her,
00:13:59.73\00:14:02.07
but what did Jesus
do? He said to her, "
00:14:02.07\00:14:05.04
He didn't justify her
sin, but he understood her
00:14:08.08\00:14:10.38
repentance and accepted
it, and sent her on her way
00:14:10.38\00:14:14.95
forgiven and
cleansed. There was the woman
00:14:14.95\00:14:17.02
at the well. Jesus said to her,
00:14:17.02\00:14:18.29
Hardly a picture of
stability and domestic bliss.
00:14:21.76\00:14:24.66
But Jesus sought her out so he
could forgive her and give her
00:14:24.66\00:14:28.66
hope - He didn't seek
her out to condemn her.
00:14:28.66\00:14:33.03
Now we're familiar,
many of us, with John 3:16,
00:14:33.03\00:14:37.04
"God so loved the
world", but not as many people
00:14:37.04\00:14:38.94
are familiar with the
next verse, John 3:17.
00:14:38.94\00:14:44.75
Even though it's one of the most
hopeful verses in the Bible,
00:14:44.75\00:14:47.05
and it talks about God's
plan to lift up the fallen,
00:14:47.05\00:14:49.18
to turn around the lives
of those who have failed.
00:14:49.18\00:14:52.59
I'll share that hopeful
verse with you in just a moment.
00:14:52.59\00:14:55.26
[Music]
00:14:56.49\00:15:02.76
Time for today's Bible question.
Here it is: When Cain was driven
00:15:11.94\00:15:15.61
out after he killed his brother,
it is said he dwelt in the land
00:15:15.61\00:15:18.71
of Nod and then the record
says that "Cain knew his wife".
00:15:18.71\00:15:22.52
But the world had
just been created,
00:15:22.52\00:15:24.52
where did the other
people come from since according
00:15:24.52\00:15:26.62
to the written word, only
Adam and Eve and their two
00:15:26.62\00:15:29.02
children would have
been the inhabitants.
00:15:29.02\00:15:31.59
In other words, where
did Cain's wife come from?
00:15:31.59\00:15:35.03
Now, don't be shocked
at what I am about to say
00:15:35.03\00:15:38.37
but the fact is that
Cain married his sister.
00:15:38.37\00:15:41.64
Now we don't know how old Cain
was at the time or how old she
00:15:41.64\00:15:44.34
was or if they grew up
together or perhaps if they
00:15:44.34\00:15:46.51
didn't even know each other
for the majority of their life
00:15:46.51\00:15:49.41
until they met later
on. See, Adam and Eve
00:15:49.41\00:15:51.48
lived to be very old
and it seems that Eve
00:15:51.48\00:15:53.31
had many children
over a long period of time.
00:15:53.31\00:15:56.48
Adam was 130 years when he
fathered Seth who came after
00:15:56.48\00:15:59.29
Cain and Abel. Seth
was 105 when he fathered
00:15:59.29\00:16:03.56
Enos. Now Cain did certainly
00:16:03.56\00:16:05.89
did not get married at 22,
or 20, or 19 or 18 years old.
00:16:05.89\00:16:07.66
He was older. By
then, he would have had
00:16:07.66\00:16:11.10
a sister who was old
enough to be his wife.
00:16:11.10\00:16:14.44
As distasteful as this sounds,
keep in mind that we have got
00:16:14.44\00:16:17.74
examples in the Bible
where similar things happened.
00:16:17.74\00:16:21.74
Abraham married his
half sister, for example.
00:16:21.74\00:16:24.65
Now later, God strictly forbade,
00:16:24.65\00:16:27.55
he strictly prohibited
this, but early on there weren't
00:16:27.55\00:16:30.49
the genetic issues that
we face today that would
00:16:30.49\00:16:32.22
make this sort of
marriage a problem based
00:16:32.22\00:16:34.32
on health grounds. So
Cain married his sister ...
00:16:34.32\00:16:38.03
a little creepy, perhaps,
but we are talking about
00:16:38.03\00:16:40.03
thousands of years
ago and really, really,
00:16:40.03\00:16:42.30
it could not have
been any other way.
00:16:42.30\00:16:44.87
If you would like me to
answer your Bible question,
00:16:44.87\00:16:46.43
please go to itiswritten.com,
you'll see the link and you
00:16:46.43\00:16:48.87
could submit your question
there and I might be able
00:16:48.87\00:16:51.21
to answer your Bible
question in a future program.
00:16:51.21\00:16:54.51
[Music] Every
Word is a one-minute
00:16:55.98\00:17:02.28
Bible-based daily devotional
presented by Pastor John
00:17:02.28\00:17:05.65
Bradshaw and designed
especially for busy people
00:17:05.65\00:17:08.16
like you. Receive a
daily spiritual boost.
00:17:08.16\00:17:11.46
Watch Every Word. [Music]
00:17:11.46\00:17:21.00
He was a "couldn't miss" college
baseball prospect, but when he
00:17:21.00\00:17:24.71
dived head-first into a
base during a college game Corey
00:17:24.71\00:17:28.08
Hahn broke his
neck and was paralyzed.
00:17:28.08\00:17:31.41
His playing days were over.
But in the baseball draft the
00:17:31.41\00:17:35.65
Arizona
Diamondbacks drafted him.
00:17:35.65\00:17:38.15
He became a member of
a professional baseball
00:17:38.15\00:17:39.92
organization. He won't
play, but even with his
00:17:39.92\00:17:43.16
disability they
selected him for the team.
00:17:43.16\00:17:45.86
It's a story of
compassion and kindness.
00:17:45.86\00:17:47.96
And I see a parallel.
Even though we've been injured
00:17:47.96\00:17:50.77
by sin - disabled by sin - out
of His incredible kindness and
00:17:50.77\00:17:54.60
grace God drafts
us onto His team.
00:17:54.60\00:17:57.81
God says in Isaiah 41:9, "You
are My servant, I have chosen
00:17:57.81\00:18:01.84
you and have not cast you away."
If anyone asks what team you
00:18:01.84\00:18:06.48
play for, you can tell
them in spite of your lack,
00:18:06.48\00:18:09.12
God has chosen
you to be on His team.
00:18:09.12\00:18:11.49
Let's live today by Every Word.
00:18:11.49\00:18:14.02
I'm glad you've joined me today.
00:18:14.52\00:18:15.82
I'm John Bradshaw and
this is It Is Written.
00:18:15.82\00:18:18.03
Today - Faith and Failure.
God is so good that even
00:18:18.03\00:18:22.43
when we fail He is
able to give us hope.
00:18:22.43\00:18:25.30
I have a good friend
who's studying right now
00:18:25.30\00:18:27.44
to be a Christian
minister. He came to faith
00:18:27.44\00:18:29.97
in Christ in a jail cell.
His life was at rock bottom.
00:18:29.97\00:18:32.37
He'd made some terrible errors
of judgment, and while he was
00:18:32.37\00:18:35.98
in prison he reached out
to God and God lifted Him up.
00:18:35.98\00:18:39.25
Today, very much a free man,
his life is dedicated to sharing
00:18:39.25\00:18:42.48
hope with others.
I've come to know men
00:18:42.48\00:18:46.29
in prison on murder
charges, men who have realized
00:18:46.29\00:18:48.39
that a failure in this
world doesn't have to mean
00:18:48.39\00:18:51.09
eternal failure.
They've learned that God
00:18:51.09\00:18:53.90
is able to change a
life and change a heart.
00:18:53.90\00:18:55.63
And while that in no way means
that God condones the crimes
00:18:55.63\00:18:59.10
that were committed, there
are people in prisons all over
00:18:59.10\00:19:02.00
the world who know that
God has given them new life.
00:19:02.00\00:19:05.37
Their spiritual
failures have been turned
00:19:05.37\00:19:08.14
into spiritual
victory. One night Jesus spoke
00:19:08.14\00:19:12.61
with a man named Nicodemus
and He said this to him.
00:19:12.61\00:19:15.18
You'll find it in John
3:17. Here is what Jesus said
00:19:15.18\00:19:19.99
to Nicodemus,
00:19:19.99\00:19:21.99
If Jesus wanted to
condemn you for your mistakes
00:19:32.17\00:19:35.87
He surely could!
Paul wrote in Romans 3:23,
00:19:35.87\00:19:37.97
But what God wants to
do is forgive, He wants
00:19:41.81\00:19:43.91
to remake, He wants to
recreate and transform.
00:19:43.91\00:19:47.05
Think of some of the
great failures in the Bible.
00:19:47.05\00:19:50.19
Peter denied Jesus.
Outright denied Him.
00:19:50.19\00:19:54.66
And what did Jesus do?
After His resurrection He sent
00:19:54.66\00:19:57.59
a special message
to Peter. Remember?
00:19:57.59\00:20:01.16
An angel said to Mary
at the tomb in Mark 16:7,
00:20:01.16\00:20:07.84
There was reassurance for Peter.
"Peter, I'm not done with you.
00:20:19.38\00:20:22.15
You're still special to me.
I still love you and I've still
00:20:22.15\00:20:25.09
got a plan for you."
Imagine how Peter must have
00:20:25.09\00:20:28.06
felt to get that
message from Jesus!
00:20:28.06\00:20:30.83
There's no doubt he felt
terrible for what he had done,
00:20:30.83\00:20:33.09
and he probably was
beating himself up badly.
00:20:33.09\00:20:35.73
But Jesus reassures him.
"I haven't forgotten you,
00:20:35.73\00:20:39.90
Peter." Even though you failed.
00:20:39.90\00:20:42.20
Think of King Manasseh.
The Bible says a lot about him
00:20:42.20\00:20:45.41
- and almost all of it
is very uncomplimentary.
00:20:45.41\00:20:50.51
It says he sinned more
than the heathen nations
00:20:50.51\00:20:52.65
that the Lord destroyed;
it says he did abominations,
00:20:52.65\00:20:55.48
he made Israel sin
with his idols; he shed
00:20:55.48\00:20:58.79
innocent blood so that he
filled Jerusalem from one end
00:20:58.79\00:21:01.69
to the other.
That's what the Bible says.
00:21:01.69\00:21:04.56
And what became of Manasseh?
2 Chronicles 33 tells us he
00:21:04.56\00:21:09.00
repented and he
died a saved man.
00:21:09.00\00:21:13.07
Manasseh was a
failure, a disgrace.
00:21:13.07\00:21:16.27
He was a despicable individual
- but he came back from his
00:21:16.27\00:21:20.44
failures and found
faith in the God of heaven.
00:21:20.44\00:21:24.98
There was Solomon had all
those wives and concubines -
00:21:24.98\00:21:28.35
hundreds of them -
and worshiped pagan gods,
00:21:28.35\00:21:30.62
and yet God forgave
him when he repented.
00:21:30.62\00:21:32.95
I think about Abraham lying
about Sarah, saying she was
00:21:32.95\00:21:35.79
his sister and not his
wife. His son Isaac did the same
00:21:35.79\00:21:42.93
thing, lying
about Rebekah, his wife.
00:21:42.93\00:21:44.17
saying that
Rebekah was his sister
00:21:44.17\00:21:46.27
Both men almost lost their
way because they were cowardly
00:21:46.27\00:21:49.10
and lied. Yet God
forgave their spiritual
00:21:49.10\00:21:53.17
failures. It's a
wonder, but it seems
00:21:53.17\00:21:56.48
their wives forgave them too!
There was Aaron, the brother
00:21:56.48\00:22:00.18
of Moses, made an idol of gold
- a golden calf - when Moses
00:22:00.18\00:22:03.95
was up on the mountain
receiving the ten commandments.
00:22:03.95\00:22:06.35
I mean - what was he thinking?!
And he comes up with a lame
00:22:06.35\00:22:10.23
excuse saying that, oh,
we just threw a bunch of gold
00:22:10.23\00:22:11.66
in the fire and
what do you know?
00:22:11.66\00:22:14.56
This calf just came out?
I mean... that's ridiculous.
00:22:14.56\00:22:18.73
And yet Aaron served
God as God's high priest.
00:22:18.73\00:22:23.87
The good news is, Spiritual
failure doesn't need to mean
00:22:23.87\00:22:28.88
the end for you and me.
Now again, I'm not minimizing
00:22:28.88\00:22:32.08
the danger of sin
or of dishonoring God.
00:22:32.08\00:22:35.08
There's a high
price to pay for that.
00:22:35.08\00:22:37.75
Our spiritual failures
may come back and cause us
00:22:37.75\00:22:40.42
trouble in our
lives. That's true.
00:22:40.42\00:22:42.49
But it is good to know
that failing spiritually once,
00:22:42.49\00:22:45.33
or twice, OR over a period
of years, doesn't mean that God
00:22:45.33\00:22:49.16
is done with us
and can't use us.
00:22:49.16\00:22:51.17
And that we cannot
enjoy everlasting life.
00:22:51.17\00:22:53.23
We all need to hear
that. We all have our issues,
00:22:53.23\00:22:56.34
some more than others,
and every day there are people
00:22:56.34\00:22:59.71
crashing and
burning spiritually.
00:22:59.71\00:23:02.61
And the devil wants
those people to think that God
00:23:02.61\00:23:05.81
is finished with
them. Well, He isn't.
00:23:05.81\00:23:10.05
Now, I'll mention some
other Bible characters.
00:23:10.05\00:23:12.12
Judas. Sold
Jesus to His murderers.
00:23:12.12\00:23:15.86
King Saul, just fell
apart, really, and lost his way
00:23:15.86\00:23:18.46
spiritually.
Achan, who stole the gold
00:23:18.46\00:23:21.00
and the clothing from the
enemy and died as a result.
00:23:21.00\00:23:23.97
You know, God
could have forgiven them.
00:23:23.97\00:23:26.13
God "would have" forgiven
them, except they never came
00:23:26.13\00:23:29.10
to God to be
forgiven. They didn't repent.
00:23:29.10\00:23:33.17
And so they owned their
failures and weren't forgiven.
00:23:33.17\00:23:38.08
The greatest basketball
player to ever play the game
00:23:38.08\00:23:41.48
was Michael Jordan.
An NBA champion 6 times
00:23:41.48\00:23:47.06
and won two Olympic gold
medals. Yet here's what he says.
00:23:47.06\00:23:50.59
And basketball's just a
game that doesn't mean a thing
00:24:12.18\00:24:14.08
in the final analysis.
But that's the attitude
00:24:14.08\00:24:16.52
of a winner. And
it's the attitude
00:24:16.52\00:24:18.15
of a Christian
who trusts in Jesus.
00:24:18.15\00:24:20.59
I might have failed over
and over again, but I know God
00:24:20.59\00:24:24.06
isn't finished with me
and I'm pushing forward.
00:24:24.06\00:24:28.13
I'm hanging on.
Reminds me of Thomas Edison.
00:24:28.13\00:24:31.00
He said,
00:24:31.00\00:24:31.87
¤ [Music] ¤ He said,
00:24:37.87\00:24:44.18
I hope you'll remember
today that God doesn't cast off
00:24:51.72\00:24:54.76
those who stumble and fall.
He is not finished with you
00:24:54.76\00:24:58.89
when you fail, but
welcomes you back to forgive you
00:24:58.89\00:25:04.40
and give you a new
start. In fact, He has promised
00:25:04.40\00:25:07.67
to do so. [Music]
00:25:07.67\00:25:10.87
Our booklet, "Hope
for a Planet in Crisis,"
00:25:10.87\00:25:13.48
will walk you through
the Bible's teachings about
00:25:13.48\00:25:15.51
sin and forgiveness and
show you how a new start
00:25:15.51\00:25:18.21
can be yours. Just
call (800) 253-3000 and
00:25:18.21\00:25:23.42
request your free copy of
"Hope for a Planet in Crisis."
00:25:23.42\00:25:27.62
If the line's busy please
do keep on trying, or write to
00:25:27.62\00:25:30.73
It Is Written, P.O. Box
6, Chattanooga, TN 37401.
00:25:30.73\00:25:36.73
We'll mail a free copy to
your address in North America.
00:25:36.73\00:25:40.24
It Is Written is a faith-based
ministry, and your support
00:25:40.24\00:25:43.64
makes it possible for
us to share God's good
00:25:43.64\00:25:45.97
news with the world. Your
tax deductible gift can be
00:25:45.97\00:25:49.38
sent to the address on
your screen, or through our
00:25:49.38\00:25:51.75
website at ItIsWritten.com.
Thank you for your continued
00:25:51.75\00:25:55.48
prayerful support.
Again, our toll-free number is
00:25:55.48\00:25:58.85
(800) 253-3000, and our
web address is ItIsWritten.com.
00:25:58.85\00:26:05.43
Planning for your financial
future is a vital aspect of
00:26:07.96\00:26:10.57
Christian stewardship. For
this reason It Is Written is
00:26:10.57\00:26:14.07
pleased to offer FREE planned
giving and estate services.
00:26:14.07\00:26:17.61
For information on how
we can help you, please call
00:26:17.61\00:26:20.41
1-800-992-2219 call today,
or visit our special website:
00:26:20.41\00:26:26.75
www.HisLegacy.com
00:26:26.75\00:26:32.29
Today we've talked
about faith and failure.
00:26:33.76\00:26:35.96
I imagine if you're
anything like me, it's not hard
00:26:35.96\00:26:38.96
to remember your
spiritual failures.
00:26:38.96\00:26:42.56
I want to pray with you right
now and ask that God will give
00:26:42.56\00:26:45.47
you success in the place
of defeat and disappointment.
00:26:45.47\00:26:49.40
Let's pray. Our
Father in heaven, we thank
00:26:49.40\00:26:53.84
you that you are the
God of the new start.
00:26:53.84\00:26:56.18
We thank you that you are
able to take a failure and turn
00:26:56.18\00:27:00.45
that person into
a spiritual success.
00:27:00.45\00:27:02.35
We thank you that you see
beyond our mistakes, beyond
00:27:02.35\00:27:04.79
our shortcomings, beyond
our weaknesses, and you see
00:27:04.79\00:27:07.82
what we can be
through faith in Christ.
00:27:07.82\00:27:10.76
So please today, Lord,
let that be in our lives.
00:27:10.76\00:27:13.73
Give us the grace
not to repeat our past
00:27:13.73\00:27:16.67
errors and give us
the encouragement we need
00:27:16.67\00:27:19.10
that when we are low
because of our stumbles
00:27:19.10\00:27:20.74
and falls, to look up and
remember that you welcome us
00:27:20.74\00:27:23.94
into your arms and
that you will cleanse us
00:27:23.94\00:27:27.58
and forgive us. We
thank you today that there
00:27:27.58\00:27:31.21
is victory in Jesus
and we pray in Jesus' name,
00:27:31.21\00:27:34.78
Amen.
00:27:34.78\00:27:39.69
[Music]
00:27:43.32\00:27:48.26
Thank you for joining me today.
00:27:51.40\00:27:52.93
I look forward to
seeing you next time.
00:27:52.93\00:27:55.07
Until then,
remember the Bible says
00:27:55.07\00:27:57.11
It is written, man shall
not live by bread alone but by
00:27:57.11\00:28:01.61
every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God.
00:28:01.61\00:28:07.22
¤ Theme Music ¤
00:28:09.88\00:28:15.99