>>John Bradshaw:
This is It Is Written.
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I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me.
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Few places on earth
have represented evil
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more than Auschwitz-Birkenau.
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¤[Sad music]¤ Located in Poland,
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which was occupied
during World War II by Germany,
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torture and death had
become a science there.
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So many people died, many
from the deadly gas Zyklon B,
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many others from starvation,
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and there were other
reasons besides, so many.
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But on January the 27th, 1945,
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the 7,000-plus inmates
still alive in the camp
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could hear the
distant thunder of artillery.
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Some of the prisoners said
later that they didn't even mind
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getting hit by the
shrapnel coming down on the camp
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from across the Vistula River.
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They knew the booming sounds
they heard were the sounds
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of their liberation.
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The nearer the
liberators got to the camp,
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the louder the
thundering became.
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It was a thunder that brought
joy to the heart of every person
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being held captive behind those
menacing rows of barbed wire.
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That's because it was the,
the thunder of their freedom.
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Three thousand
five hundred years ago,
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God's chosen people,
and the world beyond,
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heard the thunder of a
freedom even more glorious
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than the thundering
artillery of a liberating army.
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The Bible describes this
freedom-heralding thunder
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in the chapter we're going
to consider in this episode
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of our ongoing series,
"Great Chapters of the Bible."
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We're going to look
at Exodus chapter 20.
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It's one of two places
in the Bible where God's
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Ten Commandments are listed.
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And what's unique about the
Ten Commandments in Exodus 20
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is that it is God
Himself who speaks.
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In Deuteronomy chapter 5, where
the commandments are recited
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a second time to
Israel, it's Moses speaking.
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But in Exodus 20, it's God
Himself who declares His will
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for you and me.
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So let's turn to
Exodus chapter 20,
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and let's begin in verse 1:
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"And God spoke all these words,
saying: 'I am the Lord your God,
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who brought you out
of the land of Egypt,
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out of the house of bondage.
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You shall have no
other gods before me.
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You shall not make for
yourself [any] carved image--
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[or] any likeness of anything
that is in heaven above,
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or that is in the earth beneath,
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or that is in the
water under the earth;
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you shall not bow down
to them nor serve them.
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For I, the Lord your God,
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am a jealous God, visiting
the iniquity of the fathers
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on the children to the
third and fourth generations
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of those who hate me,
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but showing mercy to thousands,
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to those who love me
and keep my commandments.
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You shall not take the name
of the Lord your God in vain,
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for the Lord will
not hold him guiltless
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who takes His name in vain.
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Remember the Sabbath
day, to keep it holy.
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Six days you shall
labor and do all your work,
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but the seventh day is the
Sabbath of the Lord your God.
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In it you shall do no work:
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you, nor your
son, nor your daughter,
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nor your [man] servant,
nor your [maid] servant,
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nor your cattle,
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nor your stranger
who is within your gates.
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For in six days the Lord
made the heavens and the earth,
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the sea, and
all that is in them,
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and rested the seventh day.
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Therefore the Lord blessed
the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
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Honor your
father and your mother,
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that your days may
be long upon the land
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which the Lord your
God is giving you.'"
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Now we're down to
commandment number six:
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"You shall not murder."
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Number seven: "You
shall not commit adultery."
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Commandment eight:
"You shall not steal."
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The ninth commandment:
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"You shall not bear false
witness against your neighbor."
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And the tenth commandment:
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"You shall not covet
your neighbor's house;
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you shall not covet
your neighbor's wife,
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nor his [man] servant,
nor his [maid] servant,
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nor his ox, nor his donkey,
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nor anything that
is your neighbor's."
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Those are the first 17
verses of Exodus chapter 20.
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At the time the
commandments were given,
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Israel was encamped
at the base of Mt. Sinai.
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Moses went up to the top
of the mountain to receive
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the Ten Commandments from God.
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And as God
spoke, as God thundered,
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the people were afraid.
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"Now all the people
witnessed the thunderings,
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the lightning flashes,
the sound of the trumpet,
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and the mountain smoking;
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and when the people saw it, they
trembled and stood afar off.
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Then they said to
Moses, 'You speak with us,
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and we will hear;
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but let not God speak
with us, lest we die.'
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And Moses said to
the people, 'Do not fear;
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for God has come to test you,
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and that His fear
[might] be before you,
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so that you may not sin.'
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So the people stood afar off,
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but Moses drew near the
thick darkness where God was."
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Exodus 20:18-21.
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As frightening as it
may have seemed at the time,
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the Ten Commandments
were, and still are,
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the gateway to
freedom, to happiness.
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The people of
Israel didn't know it yet,
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but long and hard
experience would teach them
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that to follow God's way,
follow God's commandments,
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would spare them an
awful lot of trouble.
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So if God gave the
Ten Commandments to Moses
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on Mt. Sinai,
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did the Ten Commandments
exist before God gave them
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on Mt. Sinai?
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Well, of course,
the argument is "yes,"
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unless you can imagine
a time when God was okay
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with people
living in disobedience.
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When Cain killed his
brother Abel in Genesis 4,
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God confronted
him, and He asked,
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"What have you done?
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The voice of your
brother's blood cries out to me
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from the ground.
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So now are you
cursed from the earth,
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which has opened its mouth
to receive your brother's blood
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from your hand."
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Genesis 4:10 and 11.
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Now, obviously Cain's act of
murdering his brother was a sin,
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and Cain knew that.
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The same is true with
honoring your parents.
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The sad story of Jacob and his
mother Rebekah deceiving Isaac
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in order to get the birthright
for Jacob shows us that--
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before the giving
of the Ten Commandments
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on Mt. Sinai.
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Idolatry as well-- Genesis 35.
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You read of a great
revival in Jacob's family,
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which included
putting away false gods.
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And adultery--when Joseph
was tempted by Potiphar's wife,
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he asked her this question:
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"How then can I do
this great wickedness,
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and sin against God?"
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The Sabbath, in
the fourth commandment,
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also existed
before the time of Moses.
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From what we read in Genesis,
it was probably the first one
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of the Ten Commandments
that Adam and Eve knew about.
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This is Genesis chapter 2,
and we'll start in verse 1:
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"Thus the heavens and the
earth, and all the host of them,
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were finished.
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And on the seventh
day God ended His work
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which He had done,
00:07:02.45\00:07:03.52
and He rested on the
seventh day from all His work
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which He had done.
00:07:05.99\00:07:07.36
Then God blessed the
seventh day and sanctified it,
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because in it He
rested from all His work
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which God had created and made."
00:07:13.63\00:07:16.40
And you see that
again in Exodus chapter 16--
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before the Ten Commandments
were written on tables of stone.
00:07:19.30\00:07:22.74
Speaking of the manna, God said,
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"'Six days you
shall gather it'"--
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that's the manna--
"'but on the seventh day,
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the Sabbath,
there will be none.'
00:07:28.94\00:07:32.18
Now it happened that
some of the people went out
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on the seventh day to
gather, but they found none.
00:07:33.92\00:07:36.02
And the Lord said to Moses,
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'How long do you refuse to keep
my commandments and my laws?'
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So the people
rested on the seventh day."
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Exodus 16:26-28 and verse 30.
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So we know--it's
clear from the Bible--
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the Ten Commandments
existed and were important
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before God wrote them on stone.
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Now, when God
wrote them on stone,
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who did He
intend them to be for?
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I'll have that in just a moment.
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¤[Music]¤
00:08:03.45\00:08:10.52
¤[Music]¤
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>>John: Many things
in life are here today
00:08:13.02\00:08:15.19
and gone tomorrow.
00:08:15.22\00:08:17.19
But some things
are built to last.
00:08:17.23\00:08:20.00
From the time He
put the earth in place,
00:08:20.03\00:08:21.90
God gave us a sign of His
love that will last eternally.
00:08:21.93\00:08:26.50
I've written a small
book about that sign,
00:08:26.53\00:08:28.47
and I'd like to
send it to you free.
00:08:28.50\00:08:31.27
It's called
"God's Eternal Sign."
00:08:31.31\00:08:34.24
All you need to do
is call 800-253-3000
00:08:34.28\00:08:38.38
and ask for
"God's Eternal Sign."
00:08:38.41\00:08:41.12
>>John: When a
2,000-ton span on a bridge
00:08:42.55\00:08:45.89
in Melbourne, Australia,
collapsed during construction,
00:08:45.92\00:08:49.26
the damage and loss
of life were devastating.
00:08:49.29\00:08:52.69
When a bridge collapsed
in Tasmania five years later,
00:08:52.73\00:08:55.56
it was another catastrophe that
caused disruption and death.
00:08:55.60\00:08:59.17
So what happens when you
fall? When sin takes you down?
00:08:59.20\00:09:03.77
When failure shakes
your experience with God?
00:09:03.81\00:09:06.78
Don't miss "Free Fall," brought
to you by It Is Written TV.
00:09:06.81\00:09:11.45
Find out what you can do
when you've fallen again.
00:09:11.48\00:09:14.58
And find out how God
treats those who have strayed,
00:09:14.62\00:09:17.69
wandered, failed, fallen.
00:09:17.72\00:09:21.32
There is hope
when you've messed up.
00:09:21.36\00:09:23.63
There's a future when life
isn't going like it should.
00:09:23.66\00:09:26.56
There's a way forward
00:09:26.59\00:09:27.86
when you feel like you've
failed God or failed others.
00:09:27.93\00:09:31.83
"Free Fall," filmed
on location in Australia.
00:09:31.87\00:09:35.84
Don't miss "Free
Fall" on It Is Written TV.
00:09:35.87\00:09:40.91
>>John Bradshaw:
Thanks for joining me today
00:09:42.91\00:09:44.35
on It Is Written.
00:09:44.38\00:09:45.21
I'm John Bradshaw.
00:09:45.25\00:09:46.58
Today, another great
chapter of the Bible,
00:09:46.61\00:09:49.48
and we're looking at Exodus 20,
00:09:49.52\00:09:51.85
where God spoke
the Ten Commandments
00:09:51.89\00:09:53.82
and wrote them on tables
of stone with His own finger.
00:09:53.86\00:09:58.16
There's no doubt that God
gave the Ten Commandments,
00:09:58.19\00:10:01.23
but who did He give them to?
00:10:01.26\00:10:03.53
It's interesting--you'll
find people who believe
00:10:03.57\00:10:05.30
that the Ten Commandments
were designed by God
00:10:05.33\00:10:07.67
only for the Jewish nation.
00:10:07.70\00:10:09.84
"After all," some will say,
00:10:09.87\00:10:11.27
"I wasn't brought
out of bondage in Egypt,
00:10:11.31\00:10:13.14
like the second verse
of Exodus chapter 20 says."
00:10:13.17\00:10:16.01
So how can you know
that the Ten Commandments
00:10:16.04\00:10:17.71
were intended
for the entire world?
00:10:17.75\00:10:20.82
Well, in the
book of Ecclesiastes,
00:10:20.85\00:10:22.82
which was
written by King Solomon,
00:10:22.85\00:10:24.72
the wisest man
that had ever lived,
00:10:24.75\00:10:27.42
Solomon wrote these
words, Ecclesiastes chapter 12:
00:10:27.46\00:10:30.93
"Let us hear the
conclusion of the whole matter:
00:10:30.96\00:10:34.10
Fear God, and
keep His commandments:
00:10:34.10\00:10:36.77
for this is the
whole duty of man.
00:10:36.80\00:10:38.67
For God will bring
every work into judgment,
00:10:38.70\00:10:41.17
including every secret thing,
00:10:41.20\00:10:43.10
whether [it is] good
[or whether it's] evil."
00:10:43.14\00:10:45.74
Now, notice that Solomon
says to "fear God and keep
00:10:45.77\00:10:49.21
His commandments" is
"the whole duty of man."
00:10:49.24\00:10:52.55
He doesn't say "the
whole duty of a good Israelite"
00:10:52.58\00:10:55.08
or even "the whole
duty of God's people."
00:10:55.12\00:10:57.49
All of
humankind, not just Israel,
00:10:57.52\00:10:59.82
is addressed in this statement.
00:10:59.85\00:11:01.59
And Solomon wrote
that the Ten Commandments
00:11:01.62\00:11:03.29
have a role to
play in the judgment.
00:11:03.32\00:11:06.70
One of the reasons God urges
us to keep the commandments
00:11:06.73\00:11:09.63
is that everything we do is
going to be brought before God
00:11:09.66\00:11:13.54
in judgment.
00:11:13.57\00:11:14.90
The Apostle Paul
quotes these words of Solomon
00:11:14.94\00:11:17.47
in the Second Epistle to
the Corinthians when he says,
00:11:17.51\00:11:19.81
"For we must all appear before
the judgment seat of Christ,
00:11:19.84\00:11:23.11
that each one may
receive the things
00:11:23.14\00:11:24.91
done in the body,
00:11:24.95\00:11:26.05
according to what he has
done, whether good or bad."
00:11:26.08\00:11:29.48
Second Corinthians 5:10.
00:11:29.52\00:11:31.42
The Apostle
James is even clearer.
00:11:31.45\00:11:33.86
Let's look at James
chapter 2, starting in verse 10:
00:11:33.89\00:11:38.79
"For whoever shall
keep the whole law,
00:11:38.83\00:11:41.63
and yet stumble in one
point, he's guilty of all.
00:11:41.66\00:11:45.17
For He who said,
00:11:45.20\00:11:46.03
'Do not commit
adultery,' also said,
00:11:46.07\00:11:48.04
'Do not murder.'
00:11:48.07\00:11:49.74
Now if you do not commit
adultery, but you do murder,
00:11:49.77\00:11:52.87
you've become a
transgressor of the law.
00:11:52.91\00:11:55.74
So speak and so do as
those who will be judged
00:11:55.78\00:12:00.08
by the law of liberty."
00:12:00.12\00:12:02.55
Now, here's an
important distinction,
00:12:02.58\00:12:04.79
because the minute you
talk about the commandments
00:12:04.82\00:12:06.39
being binding,
being important today,
00:12:06.42\00:12:08.86
someone is gonna
make the accusation
00:12:08.89\00:12:10.33
that you're
promoting salvation by works.
00:12:10.36\00:12:13.09
So let's agree that we're gonna
be really clear about this.
00:12:13.13\00:12:15.56
The Bible makes very,
very clear--it's clear:
00:12:15.60\00:12:18.73
A person is saved; a person
passes from death to life;
00:12:18.77\00:12:22.94
that a person has
his or her sins forgiven
00:12:22.97\00:12:25.21
and receives new life from God.
00:12:25.24\00:12:27.18
How does that happen?
00:12:27.21\00:12:28.68
By faith.
00:12:28.71\00:12:30.11
Ephesians 2, verse 8 is
a verse we love to quote
00:12:30.15\00:12:32.51
because it tells us that we are
saved by grace through faith.
00:12:32.55\00:12:36.79
And that's clear.
00:12:36.82\00:12:38.22
And then in Romans chapter
4, it speaks about Abraham,
00:12:38.25\00:12:41.29
and it says, "He did not
waver at the promise of God
00:12:41.32\00:12:44.76
through unbelief, but
[he] was strengthened in faith,
00:12:44.79\00:12:48.23
giving glory to God,
00:12:48.26\00:12:49.53
and being fully convinced
that what He had promised
00:12:49.56\00:12:52.47
He was also able to perform.
00:12:52.50\00:12:54.27
And therefore 'it was accounted
to him for righteousness.'"
00:12:54.30\00:12:58.64
Romans 4:20-22.
00:12:58.67\00:13:00.78
We believe, and we
receive forgiveness.
00:13:00.81\00:13:03.11
We have faith in what
Jesus has done for us,
00:13:03.14\00:13:05.78
and so we have salvation.
00:13:05.81\00:13:07.18
So when we talk
about the Ten Commandments,
00:13:07.22\00:13:09.78
we are not
suggesting for a moment
00:13:09.82\00:13:11.52
that a person is saved by
works, saved by obedience.
00:13:11.55\00:13:15.36
There's a distinction.
00:13:15.39\00:13:17.39
Let me ask you two questions.
First, how are we saved?
00:13:17.43\00:13:21.16
The answer is, by
faith in Jesus Christ.
00:13:21.20\00:13:24.73
Now, the second question
that follows from the first:
00:13:24.77\00:13:27.90
How should a saved person live?
00:13:27.94\00:13:31.17
The answer is, in
obedience to God--
00:13:31.21\00:13:34.41
not to get salvation, but
because you've been saved.
00:13:34.44\00:13:39.05
In fact, when a person
surrenders his or her life
00:13:39.08\00:13:41.55
to Jesus, obedience
becomes an inevitability.
00:13:41.58\00:13:45.25
The Spirit of
God enters your life.
00:13:45.29\00:13:47.02
Jesus begins to
live His life in you,
00:13:47.06\00:13:49.89
and your life is now the
outworking of the will of God.
00:13:49.92\00:13:53.40
And what is God's will?
00:13:53.43\00:13:54.73
It's certainly not disobedience.
00:13:54.73\00:13:56.87
Salvation is free,
and it changes a person;
00:13:56.90\00:14:00.17
it makes a person new.
00:14:00.20\00:14:01.60
That's why Paul
was able to write,
00:14:01.64\00:14:03.84
"Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation;
00:14:03.87\00:14:08.98
old things have passed away;
00:14:09.01\00:14:11.25
behold, all
things have become new."
00:14:11.28\00:14:13.92
That's 2 Corinthians
chapter 5 and verse 17.
00:14:13.95\00:14:16.42
So, back to James.
00:14:16.45\00:14:18.22
It's clear that
James is referring
00:14:18.25\00:14:19.89
to the Ten Commandments
when he speaks of the law
00:14:19.92\00:14:22.59
being the
standard of God's judgment.
00:14:22.62\00:14:25.09
He mentions the commandments not
to kill or to commit adultery.
00:14:25.13\00:14:28.56
That's the Ten Commandment law,
00:14:28.60\00:14:29.73
and it's called by
James "the law of liberty."
00:14:29.76\00:14:34.90
Now, this is the freedom
that sounded from divine thunder
00:14:34.94\00:14:38.97
on the slopes of Mt. Sinai.
00:14:39.01\00:14:42.14
Have you ever thought how
much simpler life would be
00:14:42.18\00:14:45.85
if everyone would
keep the Ten Commandments?
00:14:45.88\00:14:48.88
We wouldn't need the police.
00:14:48.92\00:14:50.29
We wouldn't need to
lock our doors at night.
00:14:50.32\00:14:53.22
There wouldn't be
any marital infidelity.
00:14:53.25\00:14:55.16
There'd be no divorce.
00:14:55.19\00:14:56.86
There wouldn't be any thieves.
00:14:56.89\00:14:59.36
People wouldn't tell
lies and confuse the facts.
00:14:59.39\00:15:01.63
We could go on and on.
00:15:01.66\00:15:03.20
Life would be simpler.
00:15:03.23\00:15:05.17
There'd be no hate, no
murder, no terrorism, no racism.
00:15:05.20\00:15:10.87
We have problems
in the world today
00:15:10.91\00:15:12.34
that it seems we can't resolve.
00:15:12.37\00:15:14.21
The truth is, they were all
resolved thousands of years ago
00:15:14.24\00:15:19.51
on Mt. Sinai.
00:15:19.55\00:15:21.82
Jesus Himself made it
clear that saved people
00:15:21.85\00:15:25.32
will live in obedience to God.
00:15:25.35\00:15:27.89
In the story of
the rich young ruler,
00:15:27.92\00:15:29.96
a man comes to Jesus
and asks about salvation.
00:15:29.99\00:15:33.66
And he says this to Jesus--
it's in Matthew chapter 19--
00:15:33.70\00:15:37.67
he says, "'Good Teacher,
what good thing shall I do
00:15:37.70\00:15:41.74
that I may have eternal life?'
00:15:41.77\00:15:44.24
So He [Jesus] said
to him [the young man],
00:15:44.27\00:15:46.78
'Why do you call me good?
00:15:46.81\00:15:48.74
No one is good
but One, that is, God.
00:15:48.78\00:15:51.85
But if you want
to enter into life,
00:15:51.88\00:15:53.65
keep the commandments.'
00:15:53.68\00:15:55.62
He said to Him, 'Which ones?'
00:15:55.65\00:15:57.19
Jesus said, '"You
shall not murder,"
00:15:57.22\00:15:59.45
"You shall not commit adultery,"
"You shall not steal,"
00:15:59.49\00:16:02.29
"You shall not
bear false witness,"
00:16:02.32\00:16:04.39
"Honor your
father and your mother,"
00:16:04.43\00:16:05.99
and, "You shall love
your neighbor as yourself."'"
00:16:06.03\00:16:08.66
Matthew 19:16-19.
00:16:08.70\00:16:12.03
The young man, of
course, went on to tell Jesus
00:16:12.07\00:16:14.37
he had been observing
all of those commandments,
00:16:14.40\00:16:18.24
and so he asked Jesus,
"What do I still lack?"
00:16:18.27\00:16:23.48
Jesus went on to tell
him that his material wealth
00:16:23.51\00:16:26.05
had become his god.
00:16:26.08\00:16:28.05
So he was there for already
breaking the first commandment
00:16:28.08\00:16:30.59
that says, "You shall
have no other gods before me."
00:16:30.62\00:16:33.39
Jesus told the young man--
now, now, He told him straight.
00:16:33.42\00:16:36.59
He told him he'd need
to sell his possessions
00:16:36.62\00:16:38.69
and give to the poor in
order to be right with God.
00:16:38.73\00:16:42.46
Now, it wasn't a matter
of there being anything wrong
00:16:42.50\00:16:44.73
with wealth or possessions.
00:16:44.77\00:16:46.70
It's just that in this case, the
man's goods had become his god.
00:16:46.74\00:16:52.37
And sadly...have
you thought about this?
00:16:52.41\00:16:56.11
Jesus told the man
exactly what he needed to do
00:16:56.14\00:17:00.35
in order to be in the
right relationship with God.
00:17:00.38\00:17:02.32
Jesus said, "You do
this, and you're good."
00:17:02.35\00:17:05.25
And still the young man refused.
00:17:05.29\00:17:09.29
So how can we make sure
that when we're obeying God,
00:17:09.32\00:17:12.49
we don't descend into legalism?
00:17:12.53\00:17:15.26
It's important. I'll
tell you that straight ahead.
00:17:15.30\00:17:18.20
¤[Music]¤
00:17:18.23\00:17:26.24
>>John: Thank
you for remembering
00:17:27.24\00:17:28.34
that It Is Written exists
00:17:28.38\00:17:29.88
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00:17:29.91\00:17:32.68
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00:17:32.71\00:17:35.95
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00:17:35.98\00:17:40.19
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00:17:41.72\00:17:43.16
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00:17:43.19\00:17:46.96
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00:17:47.00\00:17:49.76
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00:17:49.80\00:17:53.94
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00:17:53.97\00:17:57.07
¤[Music]¤
00:17:57.57\00:18:02.04
>>Man 1: What does the
Bible say about astrology?
00:18:02.08\00:18:05.08
>>Man 2: Why do bad
things happen to good people?
00:18:09.15\00:18:12.55
>>Girl: What color is Jesus?
00:18:17.93\00:18:20.23
>>John Bradshaw: If
you have a question,
00:18:20.26\00:18:21.63
we'd love to find an
answer for you from the Bible.
00:18:21.66\00:18:24.27
Line Upon Line
from It Is Written TV.
00:18:24.30\00:18:26.97
>>John Bradshaw: Thanks for
joining me on It Is Written.
00:18:27.80\00:18:30.27
The story of the rich young
ruler really helps us to see
00:18:30.31\00:18:33.68
the difference between legalism
00:18:33.71\00:18:35.81
and obedience which
comes from the heart.
00:18:35.84\00:18:39.01
See, legalism is
a surface religion.
00:18:39.05\00:18:41.58
It doesn't go any
deeper than outward conformity
00:18:41.62\00:18:44.32
to what is right.
00:18:44.35\00:18:45.79
When the young ruler told Jesus
he kept all the commandments
00:18:45.82\00:18:48.46
from his youth, he was
more than likely thinking,
00:18:48.49\00:18:49.96
"Well, I haven't killed anyone.
00:18:49.99\00:18:51.86
I've only got one wife,
not two or three or four.
00:18:51.89\00:18:54.13
I didn't acquire my
wealth by dishonest means.
00:18:54.20\00:18:57.07
I've been
respectful towards my parents."
00:18:57.10\00:18:59.83
But Jesus wanted the young
man to understand that anything
00:18:59.87\00:19:02.97
in his life that he
thought was more important
00:19:03.00\00:19:06.37
than a complete surrender to God
00:19:06.41\00:19:09.28
would keep him
out of God's kingdom.
00:19:09.31\00:19:12.15
And when the
young man walked away,
00:19:12.18\00:19:13.62
Jesus' disciples
were obviously perplexed.
00:19:13.65\00:19:15.88
They asked the Lord,
"Who then can be saved?"
00:19:15.92\00:19:18.85
And that is a fair question.
00:19:18.89\00:19:21.89
Have you ever
looked into your heart
00:19:22.66\00:19:23.89
and thought that you
don't like what you see?
00:19:23.93\00:19:26.23
Have you ever tried to do
the right thing and failed?
00:19:26.26\00:19:29.36
Paul wrote about
this in Romans chapter 7.
00:19:29.40\00:19:31.93
He talked about that experience
where you try to do good,
00:19:31.97\00:19:35.14
but you can't do the
good that you want to do.
00:19:35.17\00:19:37.21
He talked about
wanting not to do evil
00:19:37.24\00:19:39.14
but finding it
impossible to do what's right.
00:19:39.17\00:19:42.08
And he expressed it in the most
desperate terms in Romans 7:24--
00:19:42.11\00:19:46.18
"O wretched man that I am!
00:19:46.21\00:19:48.78
Who will deliver me
from this body of death?"
00:19:48.82\00:19:52.19
And then came the
answer, the incredible answer:
00:19:52.22\00:19:55.26
"I thank God--through
Jesus Christ our Lord!"
00:19:55.29\00:19:59.76
He was saying, "I can't do
it, but God can do it in me."
00:19:59.79\00:20:03.77
You see, there's hope
for a believer today--
00:20:03.80\00:20:05.70
a faulty, sinful believer--
00:20:05.73\00:20:08.27
because God can do in you
what you can't do in yourself.
00:20:08.30\00:20:12.54
As Jesus answered His disciples,
00:20:12.57\00:20:14.44
"With men this is impossible;
00:20:14.48\00:20:16.95
but with God all
things are possible."
00:20:16.98\00:20:20.55
Jesus said in John chapter 15,
00:20:20.58\00:20:22.52
"Without me you can do nothing."
00:20:22.55\00:20:25.69
God spoke on Mt.
Sinai, and He said,
00:20:25.72\00:20:28.16
"Thou shalt" and
"Thou shalt not,"
00:20:28.19\00:20:30.56
and He meant it.
00:20:30.59\00:20:32.89
Now, the problem we have today
isn't with the commandments.
00:20:32.93\00:20:36.33
Many people would like
to see them done away with.
00:20:36.36\00:20:38.37
And why might that be?
00:20:38.40\00:20:39.43
Because they could
then go on breaking them
00:20:39.47\00:20:42.04
and feel better
about themselves.
00:20:42.07\00:20:43.37
The man living a double life?
00:20:43.41\00:20:45.47
He wants there to be
no seventh commandment
00:20:45.51\00:20:47.34
because "Thou shalt not
commit adultery" condemns him.
00:20:47.38\00:20:50.55
The preacher who says God's
law has been done away with
00:20:50.58\00:20:53.08
becomes this
man's favorite preacher.
00:20:53.11\00:20:55.38
You don't want to believe it's
wrong to covet if you're greedy.
00:20:55.42\00:20:59.02
You want to believe God doesn't
have an issue with stealing
00:20:59.05\00:21:01.56
if you're a thief.
00:21:01.59\00:21:03.59
But here's the thing, instead
of changing the commandments,
00:21:03.63\00:21:07.46
God's commandments, how about
changing the heart instead?
00:21:07.50\00:21:11.97
"But, John, I
can't change my heart.
00:21:12.00\00:21:13.47
I've tried, and I've failed."
00:21:13.50\00:21:15.07
Amen to that.
00:21:15.10\00:21:16.97
So you surrender
your heart to Jesus,
00:21:17.01\00:21:18.81
and you let Him change it.
00:21:18.84\00:21:21.54
And He will--
from the inside out.
00:21:21.58\00:21:25.11
It's what He does.
00:21:25.15\00:21:27.32
Anyone trying to live a godly
life without the power of God
00:21:27.35\00:21:30.32
is attempting an impossibility.
00:21:30.35\00:21:32.59
You might be
able to put on a show,
00:21:32.62\00:21:33.99
but sooner or later,
like that rich young man,
00:21:34.02\00:21:36.69
you'll find
yourself falling short.
00:21:36.73\00:21:39.69
You might have good motivation.
00:21:39.73\00:21:41.53
Obey the seventh commandment
and protect your marriage.
00:21:41.56\00:21:43.73
That's good.
00:21:43.77\00:21:44.77
Obey the sixth
commandment to keep out of jail.
00:21:44.80\00:21:47.20
Now, that's good, too.
00:21:47.24\00:21:48.44
Obey the second commandment
because your family and friends
00:21:48.47\00:21:50.77
would think that you are crazy
bowing down before an idol.
00:21:50.81\00:21:53.98
Yeah, but those
aren't good enough reasons.
00:21:54.01\00:21:56.68
The greatest motivation
you can have for obeying God,
00:21:56.71\00:22:00.35
the only motivation
that will really work,
00:22:00.38\00:22:03.45
is love for God.
00:22:03.49\00:22:05.89
Look at Calvary.
See Jesus on the cross.
00:22:05.92\00:22:10.29
Know that He
suffered and died for you.
00:22:10.33\00:22:13.40
Know that the God of
heaven so loved the world.
00:22:13.43\00:22:15.86
Remember that there's
a God with a perfect plan
00:22:15.90\00:22:18.33
for you and your family.
00:22:18.37\00:22:20.57
You keep those things in mind,
and the grace of God will work
00:22:20.60\00:22:23.24
in your heart, make a
whole new person out of you.
00:22:23.27\00:22:27.98
You see the
wrong approach clearly
00:22:28.01\00:22:30.21
in the experience of Israel.
00:22:30.25\00:22:32.18
When they were at
Sinai, God asked them
00:22:32.21\00:22:33.78
if they would serve
Him and be His people,
00:22:33.82\00:22:35.68
and they answered by saying,
00:22:35.72\00:22:37.52
"All that the Lord
has spoken we will do."
00:22:37.55\00:22:40.52
Exodus 19:8.
00:22:40.56\00:22:42.12
Just before the
Ten Commandments.
00:22:42.16\00:22:44.13
Now, that's admirable, right?
00:22:44.16\00:22:45.56
"All the Lord
has said we will do."
00:22:45.59\00:22:46.90
Good?
00:22:46.93\00:22:48.20
No! No, it might
sound like the right answer,
00:22:48.23\00:22:50.43
but it's catastrophic.
00:22:50.47\00:22:52.27
They didn't understand the
sinfulness of their own hearts.
00:22:52.30\00:22:55.30
They didn't understand
what Jeremiah would write
00:22:55.34\00:22:57.47
years later:
00:22:57.51\00:22:58.51
"The heart is
deceitful above all things,
00:22:58.54\00:23:00.78
and desperately
wicked; who can know it?"
00:23:00.81\00:23:03.14
Jeremiah 17:9.
00:23:03.18\00:23:05.45
They didn't realize that
without God's converting power
00:23:05.48\00:23:07.95
in their lives, it was
impossible for them to obey.
00:23:07.98\00:23:11.29
Their vow of
obedience lasted just 40 days.
00:23:11.32\00:23:14.86
When Moses came
down from the mountain
00:23:14.89\00:23:16.86
carrying the Ten Commandments
written by God on stone
00:23:16.89\00:23:20.36
with God's own finger,
00:23:20.40\00:23:21.86
he found God's people
dancing around a golden calf,
00:23:21.90\00:23:25.83
and his brother
Aaron was leading the way.
00:23:25.87\00:23:29.07
Now, we can't be
too hard on Israel.
00:23:29.10\00:23:30.74
Forty days is a lot longer
00:23:30.77\00:23:31.87
than many New
Year's resolutions last.
00:23:31.91\00:23:34.74
But 40 days after they had
heard the thunder of freedom,
00:23:34.78\00:23:38.61
40 days after they had vowed
to do all the Lord had spoken,
00:23:38.65\00:23:42.95
God looked down and
found them dancing naked
00:23:42.98\00:23:45.75
around a golden calf.
00:23:45.79\00:23:48.46
This pattern of promising to
obey God and then falling short
00:23:50.13\00:23:55.20
was repeated throughout
Israel's entire history.
00:23:55.23\00:23:58.50
You might even be
able to relate to that.
00:23:58.53\00:24:01.00
Whenever you trust your
own strength to serve God,
00:24:01.04\00:24:03.47
you are going to
fail, plain and simple.
00:24:03.51\00:24:07.51
This is why the
old covenant failed.
00:24:07.54\00:24:09.51
It didn't fail because God's
commandments were the problem;
00:24:09.54\00:24:11.75
it failed because the
people were the problem.
00:24:11.78\00:24:15.45
So the book of Hebrews
takes us back to the words
00:24:15.48\00:24:18.19
of the prophet Jeremiah,
who spoke of a new covenant,
00:24:18.22\00:24:21.36
in which motives
would be transformed,
00:24:21.39\00:24:24.06
and a life of faithfulness
to God would be made possible:
00:24:24.09\00:24:26.93
"For if that first
covenant had been faultless,
00:24:27.60\00:24:30.73
then no place would have
been sought for a second.
00:24:30.77\00:24:34.17
Because finding
fault with them, He says:
00:24:34.20\00:24:36.67
'For this is the
covenant that I will make
00:24:36.71\00:24:38.97
with the house of Israel
after those days, says the Lord:
00:24:39.01\00:24:42.31
I will put my laws in their mind
and write them on their hearts;
00:24:42.34\00:24:46.78
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.'"
00:24:46.82\00:24:50.65
That's in Hebrews 8.
00:24:50.69\00:24:52.59
Years ago, God wrote
His law on tables of stone.
00:24:52.62\00:24:57.03
Today, He wants to
write it in your heart,
00:24:57.06\00:25:01.36
and when He does,
you'll experience victory;
00:25:01.40\00:25:04.40
you'll experience
peace and freedom.
00:25:04.43\00:25:08.04
If the principles of God's
character stay on the surface,
00:25:08.07\00:25:11.57
the best you can
do is put on a show,
00:25:11.61\00:25:12.94
and that show
won't even last long.
00:25:12.97\00:25:15.78
When we ignore what
God gave us in Exodus 20,
00:25:15.81\00:25:18.18
we don't only break His law;
00:25:18.21\00:25:20.98
the truth is we break His heart.
00:25:21.02\00:25:24.72
With God's help, we can
live as God wants us to live.
00:25:24.75\00:25:28.22
You wouldn't
want it any other way.
00:25:28.26\00:25:30.59
Jesus can change
you from the inside out.
00:25:30.63\00:25:33.46
So, is that happening?
00:25:33.50\00:25:36.50
Are you experiencing
that kind of conversion,
00:25:36.53\00:25:39.00
that kind of transformation?
00:25:39.03\00:25:41.54
Or is life a life of
succeed and then fail?
00:25:41.57\00:25:45.34
Try and then fall?
00:25:45.37\00:25:47.08
Do my best, but
it's not good enough, so,
00:25:47.11\00:25:49.24
so then I'll, I'll do my new
best, and I'll try even harder?
00:25:49.28\00:25:53.21
No, that's no way to live.
00:25:53.25\00:25:54.65
You want God to write
His law in your heart.
00:25:54.68\00:25:58.72
When God gave Exodus chapter 20
00:25:58.75\00:26:02.39
and delivered in this
great chapter of the Bible
00:26:02.42\00:26:06.16
the Ten Commandment
law to His people, He said,
00:26:06.19\00:26:08.80
"This is a law of protection.
This is a law of freedom.
00:26:08.83\00:26:13.60
This is because I love you.
00:26:13.64\00:26:15.70
And when it's
written in your heart,
00:26:15.74\00:26:18.64
this is what your life will
look like because you love me."
00:26:18.67\00:26:23.24
¤[Music]¤
00:26:24.38\00:26:25.31
>>John: Many things
in life are here today
00:26:25.35\00:26:27.58
and gone tomorrow.
00:26:27.62\00:26:29.58
But some things
are built to last.
00:26:29.62\00:26:32.39
From the time He
put the earth in place,
00:26:32.42\00:26:34.32
God gave us a sign of His
love that will last eternally.
00:26:34.36\00:26:38.89
I've written a small
book about that sign,
00:26:38.93\00:26:40.90
and I'd like to
send it to you free.
00:26:40.93\00:26:43.63
It's called
"God's Eternal Sign."
00:26:43.67\00:26:46.60
All you need to do
is call 800-253-3000
00:26:46.63\00:26:50.77
and ask for
"God's Eternal Sign."
00:26:50.81\00:26:53.51
>>John Bradshaw: Let's
pray together now, shall we?
00:26:55.64\00:26:57.88
Our Father in
heaven, we're grateful today
00:26:57.91\00:26:59.41
for this great chapter of
the Bible, Exodus chapter 20.
00:26:59.45\00:27:02.82
You're a God who loves us
enough to give us guidance,
00:27:02.85\00:27:05.15
who loves us
enough to make us whole,
00:27:05.19\00:27:07.12
who loves us
enough that when we fail,
00:27:07.16\00:27:09.82
You will forgive us and then
enter our life and live in us
00:27:09.86\00:27:13.66
to bring us to
spiritual success and victory.
00:27:13.70\00:27:16.36
Friend, would you
like that victory?
00:27:16.40\00:27:17.97
Would you say to Jesus now,
"Lord, give me that victory.
00:27:18.00\00:27:20.10
Give me new life.
00:27:20.14\00:27:21.50
Write Your law in my heart.
00:27:21.54\00:27:23.07
Uh, Jesus, live in me so
that my life can be everything
00:27:23.10\00:27:26.11
You want it to be"?
00:27:26.14\00:27:27.98
Father, that's our prayer.
00:27:28.01\00:27:29.68
We believe You'll do it;
we believe You've done it.
00:27:29.71\00:27:32.61
Take our hearts now.
Friend, offer God your heart.
00:27:32.65\00:27:35.68
Take our heart, make it Yours,
00:27:35.72\00:27:36.99
and we believe
salvation is ours.
00:27:37.02\00:27:40.42
And we believe,
praying in Jesus' name.
00:27:40.46\00:27:46.16
Amen.
00:27:46.19\00:27:47.86
Thank you so
much for joining me.
00:27:47.93\00:27:49.60
I'm looking forward
to seeing you next time.
00:27:49.63\00:27:51.27
Until then, remember:
00:27:51.30\00:27:53.20
"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:27:53.23\00:27:57.11
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:27:57.14\00:28:02.48
¤[Theme music]¤
00:28:02.51\00:28:12.52