>>John Bradshaw:
This is It Is Written.
00:00:19.15\00:00:21.42
I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me.
00:00:21.45\00:00:24.09
Few transformations
in American history
00:00:24.12\00:00:26.29
have been quite as dramatic,
00:00:26.32\00:00:28.86
and like so many great
changes in people's lives,
00:00:28.89\00:00:31.33
this one was
brought about by tragedy,
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by the brutal interruption
of a hard-hearted life's
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chosen course.
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It was May the 15th in 1972.
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He was running for the
president of the United States.
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On that day, Governor
George Wallace of Alabama
00:00:44.97\00:00:47.21
was permanently
paralyzed from the waist down.
00:00:47.24\00:00:49.81
This happened following
an assassination attempt
00:00:49.84\00:00:52.01
in a shopping
center in Laurel, Maryland.
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He was shot five times.
One bullet lodged in his spine.
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His life would
never be the same again.
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His spirit was broken.
00:01:00.52\00:01:02.09
His confident
self-assurance was gone.
00:01:02.12\00:01:05.13
And until the day of
his death 26 years later,
00:01:05.16\00:01:07.96
he would never experience
another day without pain.
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Governor Wallace had established
himself in American politics
00:01:12.27\00:01:15.04
as an unabashed
defender of racial segregation.
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His first inaugural
address as governor of Alabama
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was delivered during the heart
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of the American
civil rights movement.
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And it's best
remembered for his defiant cry:
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>>George Wallace: And
I say segregation now,
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segregation tomorrow,
and segregation forever!
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[Cheering and applause]
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>>John: But a paralyzed
man confined to a wheelchair
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for the rest of his days
has a tough time being defiant.
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It seemed that God finally
got through to Governor Wallace.
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Not long afterwards, he wheeled
himself down the center aisle
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of the Dexter Avenue
Baptist Church, just 500 feet,
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one block away from the Alabama
state capital in Montgomery.
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This was the very
church once pastored
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a quarter of a century
before by Martin Luther King Jr.
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Turning his wheelchair around,
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the governor spoke
to a hushed congregation
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in words no one
present could forget.
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He said, "I have
learned what suffering means.
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In a way that was impossible,"
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before the
assassination attempt,
00:02:22.44\00:02:24.67
"I think I can
understand some of the pain
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black people
have come to endure.
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I know I
contributed to that pain,
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and I can only
ask your forgiveness."
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One sharecropper
from Selma, Alabama,
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who had marched
with Martin Luther King,
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compared the governor's
transformation to the conversion
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of Saul of Tarsus.
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George Wallace, in
the sharecropper's words,
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"was struck down and
then got up to do good."
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Now, as you might expect,
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not everyone was completely
accepting of Wallace's apology.
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He's been referred to as
one of the great villains
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of the civil rights era.
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And his actions caused
many, many people real hurt.
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But following
Wallace's death in 1998,
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African-American
Congressman John Lewis,
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a giant in the civil rights
movement since the early 1960s,
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wrote an editorial
in the New York Times,
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in which he said,
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"The George Wallace who sent
troops to intimidate peaceful,
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orderly marchers in Selma
in 1965 was not the same man
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who died this week.
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With all his failings,
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Mr. Wallace deserves recognition
for seeking redemption
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for his mistakes,
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for his willingness to
change and to set things right
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with those he
harmed and with his God."
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You know, no experience speaks
more decisively to the power
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of Christianity than a
radical change of heart.
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And we're gonna focus on this
experience today in this episode
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of our ongoing series,
"Great Chapters of the Bible."
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The chapter we're going to
be studying is the fifth chapter
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of the Gospel of Matthew.
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It's the opening chapter
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in Jesus' famous
Sermon on the Mount,
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that great cornerstone
of the Christian faith
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that Jesus delivered at
the very start of His ministry.
00:04:13.31\00:04:17.15
Matthew 5 is truly one
of the richest chapters
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in the four Gospels.
00:04:20.19\00:04:21.19
It contains a lot
of important material.
00:04:21.22\00:04:24.16
The chapter starts
with the Beatitudes--
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"blessed are
the poor in spirit";
00:04:26.39\00:04:27.83
"blessed are the meek";
"blessed are they that mourn."
00:04:27.86\00:04:30.97
But we're gonna
jump over the Beatitudes
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because we'll look
at them another time.
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Instead, we'll start
in Matthew 5, verse 20.
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We'll see this chapter
focuses on a radical change
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of the human heart.
00:04:41.41\00:04:42.58
Jesus says some things
that absolutely shock the people
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He's speaking to.
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He said, "For I say unto you,
that unless your righteousness
00:04:47.52\00:04:52.49
exceeds the righteousness
of the scribes and Pharisees,
00:04:52.52\00:04:56.96
you will by no means
enter the kingdom of heaven."
00:04:56.99\00:05:00.56
Now, that was a
stunning statement.
00:05:00.60\00:05:04.00
The Pharisees were considered
real religious leaders.
00:05:04.03\00:05:06.80
They were the spiritual elite.
00:05:06.84\00:05:09.17
They were rigorous in
their obedience and very careful
00:05:09.20\00:05:12.01
to be seen to be religious
and holy and in God's favor.
00:05:12.04\00:05:16.71
Jesus went on to identify
what was so terribly wrong
00:05:16.75\00:05:20.75
with the professed righteousness
of the scribes and Pharisees.
00:05:20.78\00:05:24.65
In some of the strongest
words of His entire ministry,
00:05:24.69\00:05:28.42
Jesus revealed what was wrong
with the Pharisees' approach:
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outwardly, religious; inwardly,
it was a different story.
00:05:31.53\00:05:37.33
"Woe to you, scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites!
00:05:38.33\00:05:41.97
For you cleanse the
outside of the cup and dish,
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but inside they are full of
extortion and self-indulgence.
00:05:45.01\00:05:49.48
Blind Pharisees, first cleanse
the inside of the cup and dish,
00:05:49.51\00:05:54.22
that the outside of
them may be clean also.
00:05:54.25\00:05:56.99
Woe to you, scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites!
00:05:57.02\00:06:00.96
For you are like
whitewashed tombs
00:06:00.99\00:06:03.22
which indeed appear
beautiful outwardly,
00:06:03.26\00:06:05.66
but inside are full of dead
men's bones and all uncleanness.
00:06:05.69\00:06:09.40
Even so you also outwardly
appear righteous to men,
00:06:09.43\00:06:12.73
but inside you are full of
hypocrisy and lawlessness."
00:06:12.77\00:06:17.64
That's Matthew 23:25-28.
00:06:17.67\00:06:20.71
So this is the righteousness
of the scribes and Pharisees
00:06:20.74\00:06:23.81
that Jesus was talking about.
00:06:23.85\00:06:25.91
The kind of behavior that
can't qualify anybody for heaven
00:06:25.95\00:06:30.25
because it's all on the
outside and not on the inside.
00:06:30.29\00:06:34.06
Now, you might have
met people like that.
00:06:34.09\00:06:36.22
You might even be like that.
00:06:36.26\00:06:38.43
This surface religion
that Jesus was warning against
00:06:38.46\00:06:40.70
was something the Old
Testament prophets had warned
00:06:40.73\00:06:43.40
the people of Israel
against for hundreds of years.
00:06:43.43\00:06:47.04
A thousand years
before the time of Christ,
00:06:47.07\00:06:49.04
the prophet Samuel warned
King Saul about this very thing:
00:06:49.07\00:06:52.41
"Has the Lord as great
delight in burnt offerings
00:06:52.44\00:06:55.04
and sacrifices, as in
obeying the voice of the Lord?
00:06:55.08\00:06:58.55
Behold, to obey is
better than sacrifice,
00:06:58.58\00:07:02.22
and to heed than
the fat of rams."
00:07:02.25\00:07:05.12
First Samuel 15:22.
00:07:05.15\00:07:07.82
As Jesus speaks more about
this, He talks about hatred,
00:07:07.86\00:07:12.83
adultery, and one of
the greatest evidences
00:07:12.86\00:07:15.86
for the power of God.
00:07:15.90\00:07:17.33
So what would be one
of the greatest evidences
00:07:17.37\00:07:20.07
for the power of God?
00:07:20.10\00:07:21.54
I'll have that in just a moment.
00:07:21.57\00:07:24.31
¤[Music]¤
00:07:24.34\00:07:31.35
>>John:
Temptation is a fact of life.
00:07:33.35\00:07:35.68
But you can be successful
in the face of temptation.
00:07:35.72\00:07:39.19
Be sure you get
today's free offer,
00:07:39.22\00:07:41.22
"When the Lion Roars,"
00:07:41.26\00:07:43.63
and find out how you can
successfully defeat temptation
00:07:43.66\00:07:47.66
instead of
being defeated by sin.
00:07:47.66\00:07:50.10
To get your free copy
of "When the Lion Roars,"
00:07:50.13\00:07:52.83
call us on 800-253-3000.
00:07:52.87\00:07:56.10
You can write to the
address on your screen
00:07:56.14\00:07:57.84
or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:07:57.87\00:08:01.51
>>John: Don't miss
"The Dangers of Technology"
00:08:03.51\00:08:06.18
from It Is Written.
00:08:06.21\00:08:07.75
This electronic age presents
our planet with opportunities
00:08:07.78\00:08:11.12
that were unimaginable
just a few years ago.
00:08:11.15\00:08:13.52
But it also brings
some real challenges--
00:08:13.56\00:08:15.99
among them,
spiritual challenges.
00:08:16.02\00:08:18.26
In "The Dangers of Technology,"
00:08:18.29\00:08:19.86
you'll learn how you can protect
yourself from trouble online,
00:08:19.89\00:08:22.80
how you can
safeguard your children,
00:08:22.83\00:08:24.43
and simple steps you can take
to avoid some common pitfalls.
00:08:24.47\00:08:27.74
You'll learn from people
with real-world experience--
00:08:27.77\00:08:30.44
>>Kyla
Steinkraus: Those companies,
00:08:30.47\00:08:31.81
those child predators
are hunting these kids.
00:08:31.84\00:08:33.98
>>John: ...and with
expertise in online security.
00:08:34.01\00:08:36.51
>>Michael Dinkins:
Once it's out there,
00:08:36.54\00:08:37.71
it's out there, and it's
out there probably forever.
00:08:37.75\00:08:40.05
>>John: Email, texting, social
media, the World Wide Web--
00:08:40.08\00:08:43.55
it's hard to imagine
a world without them,
00:08:43.59\00:08:45.32
but years ago it was impossible
to imagine the dangers
00:08:45.35\00:08:47.96
they would present.
00:08:47.99\00:08:49.02
"The Dangers of Technology."
00:08:49.06\00:08:50.63
Simple solutions to safeguarding
you and your family online.
00:08:50.66\00:08:54.00
Don't miss "The
Dangers of Technology"
00:08:54.03\00:08:56.16
on It Is Written TV.
00:08:56.20\00:08:57.93
Watch online at
www.itiswritten.tv.
00:08:57.97\00:09:02.67
>>John Bradshaw:
Thanks for joining me today
00:09:03.67\00:09:05.14
on It Is Written.
00:09:05.17\00:09:06.07
I'm John Bradshaw.
00:09:06.11\00:09:07.84
A major problem
facing the world today
00:09:07.88\00:09:09.84
is the lack of heart religion.
00:09:09.88\00:09:12.51
You know, it's easy to
call yourself a believer,
00:09:12.55\00:09:15.32
but it's another thing
altogether to be one, genuinely.
00:09:15.35\00:09:19.19
As we look today at a
great chapter of the Bible,
00:09:19.22\00:09:21.16
we're looking at Matthew 5,
00:09:21.19\00:09:22.66
and we see that God speaks
very clearly to this issue,
00:09:22.69\00:09:26.13
really to the
problem of surface religion.
00:09:26.16\00:09:30.23
There was a lot of
it around in Jesus' day.
00:09:30.27\00:09:31.93
In fact, 700 or so
years before Jesus was born,
00:09:31.97\00:09:35.87
Isaiah the prophet wrote this:
00:09:35.90\00:09:37.97
"'To what
purpose is the multitude
00:09:38.01\00:09:40.14
of your sacrifices
to me?' says the Lord.
00:09:40.18\00:09:42.81
'I have had enough of
burnt offerings of rams
00:09:42.84\00:09:45.95
and the fat of fed cattle.
00:09:45.98\00:09:47.58
I do not delight in the blood
of bulls, or of lambs or goats.
00:09:47.62\00:09:51.92
When you spread out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
00:09:51.95\00:09:56.02
even though you make
many prayers, I will not hear.
00:09:56.06\00:09:59.46
Your hands are full of blood.
00:09:59.49\00:10:01.46
Wash yourselves,
make yourselves clean;
00:10:01.50\00:10:05.10
put away the evil of your
doing from before [mine] eyes.
00:10:05.13\00:10:08.30
Cease to do evil, learn
to do good; seek justice,
00:10:08.34\00:10:12.64
[reprove] the oppressor;
00:10:12.67\00:10:14.14
defend the fatherless,
plead for the widow.'"
00:10:14.18\00:10:17.65
Isaiah 1:11 and 15-17.
00:10:17.68\00:10:21.35
And then, as always, God
assures His people of His power
00:10:21.38\00:10:24.02
to change them from the
inside out so that the reform
00:10:24.05\00:10:27.59
of their lives won't be only
a surface matter any longer.
00:10:27.62\00:10:31.49
"'Come now and let us
reason together,' says the Lord,
00:10:31.53\00:10:34.56
'though your
sins are like scarlet,
00:10:34.60\00:10:37.10
they shall be white as snow;
00:10:37.13\00:10:39.47
though they are
red like crimson,
00:10:39.50\00:10:41.40
they shall be as wool.'"
00:10:41.44\00:10:42.70
Isaiah 1:18.
00:10:42.74\00:10:44.47
Another of the Old Testament
prophets, the prophet Micah,
00:10:44.51\00:10:47.64
makes a similar appeal in
Micah 6, starting in verse 6:
00:10:47.68\00:10:53.31
"With what shall I
come before the Lord,
00:10:53.35\00:10:55.12
and bow myself
before the High God?
00:10:55.15\00:10:57.32
Shall I come before
Him with burnt offerings,
00:10:57.35\00:10:59.39
with calves a year old?
00:10:59.42\00:11:01.16
Will the Lord be
pleased with thousands of rams,
00:11:01.19\00:11:03.63
[or] ten thousand rivers of oil?
00:11:03.66\00:11:05.66
He has shown you,
O man, what is good;
00:11:05.69\00:11:08.60
and what does the Lord
require of you but to do justly,
00:11:08.63\00:11:12.50
to love mercy, and to
walk humbly with your God?"
00:11:12.53\00:11:16.37
Micah 6:6-8.
00:11:16.40\00:11:19.71
The Sermon on the Mount
in Matthew chapter 5 speaks
00:11:19.74\00:11:22.61
of a genuine inward faith.
00:11:22.64\00:11:25.95
God wants for us
something better than hypocrisy,
00:11:25.98\00:11:29.28
something better
than a surface religion,
00:11:29.32\00:11:31.82
something better
than outward show.
00:11:31.85\00:11:34.72
You can fool people,
you can impress people,
00:11:34.76\00:11:38.16
but God sees the heart.
00:11:38.19\00:11:41.00
Right after Jesus
warns His audience
00:11:41.50\00:11:43.63
against the surface
righteousness practiced
00:11:43.67\00:11:45.50
by the religious
leaders of His day,
00:11:45.53\00:11:48.50
He points to two of the
Ten Commandments as examples
00:11:48.54\00:11:51.77
of how obedience goes
all the way to the heart.
00:11:51.81\00:11:56.08
He starts with
the sixth commandment,
00:11:56.11\00:11:58.71
and He says in verses 21 and 22,
00:11:58.75\00:12:01.22
"You have heard that it
was said to those of old,
00:12:01.25\00:12:04.32
'You shall not murder,
00:12:04.35\00:12:05.89
and whoever murders will
be in danger of the judgment.'
00:12:05.92\00:12:08.79
But I say to you that whoever
is angry with his brother
00:12:08.82\00:12:11.86
without a cause shall be
in danger of the judgment."
00:12:11.89\00:12:15.63
The Apostle John said
something very similar--
00:12:15.66\00:12:17.83
1 John 3, verse 15:
00:12:17.87\00:12:20.57
"Whoever hates his
brother is a murderer,
00:12:20.60\00:12:23.94
and you know that no
murderer has eternal life
00:12:23.97\00:12:26.81
abiding in him."
00:12:26.84\00:12:28.31
Now, we
understand not murdering,
00:12:28.34\00:12:31.08
but Jesus takes it much further,
and He says, "Don't hate."
00:12:31.11\00:12:35.55
He gets to the heart of
the matter: "Don't hate."
00:12:35.58\00:12:38.22
He says maybe you
won't murder someone,
00:12:38.25\00:12:40.62
but it's not right for
you even to hate that person.
00:12:40.66\00:12:45.13
Jesus continues on this
theme in Matthew 5 when He turns
00:12:45.16\00:12:48.13
to the seventh commandment,
the one forbidding adultery.
00:12:48.16\00:12:51.63
He says this in
verses 27 and 28:
00:12:51.67\00:12:54.14
"You have heard that it
was said to those of old,
00:12:54.17\00:12:57.14
'You shall not commit adultery.'
00:12:57.17\00:12:59.61
But I say to you that whoever
looks at a woman to lust for her
00:12:59.64\00:13:03.78
has already committed
adultery with her in his heart."
00:13:03.81\00:13:07.32
Jesus lays out for us the depth
of what obedience actually means
00:13:07.35\00:13:11.85
and the extent to which God
will go to change a human heart.
00:13:11.89\00:13:14.82
No adultery.
00:13:14.86\00:13:15.92
Now, that's one thing,
00:13:15.96\00:13:17.19
but then He goes so far as to
say that lust isn't acceptable,
00:13:17.23\00:13:20.66
which might just seem a
little bit old-fashioned today.
00:13:20.70\00:13:24.27
But we both know that if society
just took this simple injunction
00:13:24.30\00:13:27.94
just a little more seriously,
00:13:27.97\00:13:31.14
the entire world would
be a very different place.
00:13:31.17\00:13:34.48
Jesus says it's one
thing not to commit the act,
00:13:34.51\00:13:37.88
but what He wants to
do is change the heart,
00:13:37.91\00:13:41.32
even change the desires.
00:13:41.35\00:13:44.49
Now, if the people listening
to Jesus had just gone back
00:13:44.52\00:13:48.32
and read the language
of the Ten Commandments
00:13:48.36\00:13:50.39
as they were first written,
00:13:50.43\00:13:52.46
they would have seen how
what Jesus was talking about
00:13:52.49\00:13:54.86
was nothing new.
00:13:54.93\00:13:56.20
The tenth commandment,
the one that forbids coveting,
00:13:56.23\00:13:59.30
includes the words "you shall
not covet your neighbor's wife,"
00:13:59.33\00:14:02.90
Exodus 20, verse 17.
00:14:02.94\00:14:04.97
In other words, God
declared when the commandments
00:14:05.01\00:14:07.91
were first proclaimed on Sinai
00:14:07.94\00:14:11.45
that the reach of these divine
commands extended directly
00:14:11.48\00:14:14.68
to the intentions of the heart.
00:14:14.72\00:14:17.29
This is what the Apostle Paul
was talking about when he said
00:14:17.32\00:14:19.95
he wouldn't have understood
the true depth of God's law
00:14:19.99\00:14:23.22
except for the command that
said, "You shall not covet."
00:14:23.26\00:14:26.76
He wrote that in
Romans 7 and verse 7.
00:14:26.80\00:14:30.30
Now, this is a bridge
too far for many people.
00:14:30.33\00:14:33.44
Too much, too demanding.
00:14:33.47\00:14:35.67
Who can even do that?
The intents of the heart?
00:14:35.70\00:14:40.81
Well, there's one
person who can do that,
00:14:40.84\00:14:43.91
and that's Jesus, and He'll
do it when He lives in you.
00:14:43.95\00:14:49.65
You know, the scribes and
the Pharisees of Jesus' day
00:14:49.68\00:14:51.69
were ignoring all this.
00:14:51.72\00:14:53.32
They'd forgotten
all the admonitions
00:14:53.36\00:14:55.06
of the Old Testament prophets,
00:14:55.09\00:14:56.93
from Samuel and Solomon to
Isaiah and Micah and others.
00:14:56.96\00:15:01.90
They saw righteousness
as something on the outside,
00:15:01.93\00:15:05.80
while the inside
remained unchanged.
00:15:05.83\00:15:09.87
In this way,
they'd become no different
00:15:09.90\00:15:11.57
from the heathen
nations around them.
00:15:11.61\00:15:14.81
You can't help but see the stark
contrast between this attitude
00:15:14.84\00:15:19.65
and the word of the
Lord to the prophet Samuel
00:15:19.68\00:15:21.32
in the Old Testament:
00:15:21.35\00:15:22.98
"Man looks at the
outward appearance,
00:15:23.02\00:15:26.19
but the Lord
looks at the heart."
00:15:26.22\00:15:29.56
First Samuel 16, verse 7.
00:15:29.59\00:15:32.53
In other words, in
their practice of religion,
00:15:32.56\00:15:35.63
God's people in Jesus'
time had become incredibly
00:15:35.66\00:15:38.43
like the heathen--who
they despised, ironically.
00:15:38.47\00:15:42.94
What was on the surface mattered
more than what was in the heart.
00:15:42.97\00:15:46.37
It was the purpose of
Jesus to draw the chosen nation
00:15:46.41\00:15:49.61
back to the principles spelled
out in the Old Testament,
00:15:49.64\00:15:53.52
and away from the religion for
show which had taken the place
00:15:53.55\00:15:57.22
of the transformed heart.
00:15:57.25\00:15:59.49
It's this religion of the heart
that true conversion brings,
00:15:59.52\00:16:03.12
and it makes possible
what Jesus urged next.
00:16:03.16\00:16:07.40
You see, Christianity
isn't just about what you do
00:16:07.46\00:16:09.93
on the outside.
00:16:09.96\00:16:11.40
You can sing in the choir or
shout "amen!" or look the part,
00:16:11.43\00:16:15.00
and you can say
all the right things,
00:16:15.04\00:16:17.64
but God wants His
children to be transformed.
00:16:17.67\00:16:21.88
As Paul wrote in
Romans 12, verse 2,
00:16:21.91\00:16:24.28
"And do not be
conformed to this world,
00:16:24.31\00:16:27.15
but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind,
00:16:27.18\00:16:30.82
that you may prove what
is that good and acceptable
00:16:30.85\00:16:34.59
and perfect will of God."
00:16:34.62\00:16:36.49
Jesus spoke to
Nicodemus-- and interestingly,
00:16:36.52\00:16:39.29
he was a Pharisee, a
member of that very group
00:16:39.33\00:16:41.70
Jesus was
correcting so strongly.
00:16:41.73\00:16:43.80
And Jesus said to him,
"You must be born again."
00:16:43.83\00:16:47.44
Nicodemus had it all
going right on the outside,
00:16:47.47\00:16:50.31
but inwardly he was empty.
00:16:50.34\00:16:52.94
He was failing
spiritually when he wanted to be
00:16:52.97\00:16:55.78
spiritually successful.
00:16:55.81\00:16:57.48
And this is where a lot of
people find themselves today.
00:16:57.51\00:17:00.65
From sea to shining sea
there are people you would think
00:17:00.68\00:17:04.19
were doing great spiritually,
00:17:04.22\00:17:05.95
but on the inside they're
dying, and they're failing.
00:17:05.99\00:17:09.82
And they realize
their Christian experience
00:17:09.86\00:17:11.83
is not nearly what
they want it to be.
00:17:11.86\00:17:14.56
Maybe you've been there.
00:17:14.56\00:17:16.40
You might be having an
experience where you know
00:17:16.43\00:17:18.40
what God wants.
00:17:18.43\00:17:20.04
You know what Jesus
wants your life to be like.
00:17:20.07\00:17:22.64
But you just can't deliver it.
00:17:22.67\00:17:24.84
Well, God has a
solution for you, a way forward,
00:17:24.87\00:17:28.78
and that's what
Matthew 5 is all about.
00:17:28.81\00:17:32.28
More in just a moment.
00:17:32.31\00:17:33.75
¤[Music]¤
00:17:33.78\00:17:41.69
>>John: Thank
you for remembering
00:17:42.69\00:17:43.89
that It Is Written exists
00:17:43.93\00:17:45.43
because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:17:45.46\00:17:48.13
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:17:48.16\00:17:51.43
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:17:51.47\00:17:55.57
You can send your
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00:17:55.60\00:17:57.17
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00:17:57.21\00:17:58.64
or you can visit us
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00:17:58.67\00:18:02.48
Thank you for your prayers
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00:18:02.51\00:18:05.31
Our number
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00:18:05.35\00:18:09.55
or you can visit us
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00:18:09.58\00:18:12.52
¤[Music]¤
00:18:13.02\00:18:14.16
>>Man 1: What does the
Bible say about astrology?
00:18:17.86\00:18:20.53
>>Man 2: Why do bad
things happen to good people?
00:18:24.83\00:18:27.84
>>Girl: What color is Jesus?
00:18:33.07\00:18:35.81
>>John Bradshaw: If
you have a question,
00:18:35.84\00:18:37.15
we'd love to find an
answer for you from the Bible.
00:18:37.18\00:18:39.75
Line Upon Line
00:18:39.78\00:18:40.68
from It Is Written TV.
00:18:40.72\00:18:42.25
>>John Bradshaw: In Matthew
5, verses 23 and 24 Jesus says,
00:18:43.35\00:18:46.65
"Therefore if you
bring your gift to the altar,
00:18:46.69\00:18:49.86
and there
remember that your brother
00:18:49.89\00:18:51.09
has something against you,
00:18:51.13\00:18:52.39
leave your gift there before
the altar, and go your way."
00:18:52.43\00:18:56.23
He says, "First be
reconciled to your brother,
00:18:56.26\00:18:58.87
and then come
and offer your gift."
00:18:58.90\00:19:01.80
Clear up matters.
Don't hang on to old scores.
00:19:01.84\00:19:05.67
Work things out.
00:19:05.71\00:19:07.81
Reconciliation, unity,
00:19:07.84\00:19:10.88
no grudges separating
you from your neighbor.
00:19:10.91\00:19:14.82
And then this, the kind
of statement that helps us
00:19:14.85\00:19:17.85
to see that in God's eyes,
Christianity is the real thing.
00:19:17.89\00:19:22.66
The gospel is a living
force that can change your life.
00:19:22.69\00:19:27.83
See, nobody feels good
about themselves when they know
00:19:27.86\00:19:30.87
God wants them to live a certain
life, but they can't do it.
00:19:30.90\00:19:35.57
Too many people today
are living a double life:
00:19:35.60\00:19:38.71
Christ on the outside
but the devil on the inside.
00:19:38.74\00:19:44.48
All profession of
Christ, no possession of Christ.
00:19:44.51\00:19:49.48
And this is one of the
things that gives Christianity
00:19:49.52\00:19:51.29
a bad name.
00:19:51.32\00:19:52.25
People call
themselves Christian,
00:19:52.29\00:19:53.52
but you would never know looking
at the way they live their life.
00:19:53.56\00:19:56.06
No power.
00:19:56.09\00:19:57.33
I'm not talking
about people who stumble,
00:19:57.36\00:19:58.93
people who make mistakes.
00:19:58.96\00:20:00.46
That's going to happen
as you grow as a believer.
00:20:00.50\00:20:04.90
It's just not necessary to live
a life where you claim to be
00:20:04.93\00:20:07.94
a follower of Jesus, but
your heart hasn't been changed.
00:20:07.97\00:20:12.07
Because the Christ of
the Bible is in the business
00:20:12.11\00:20:15.61
of changing hearts,
and He'll change yours.
00:20:15.64\00:20:19.65
Look at what Jesus
said, starting in verse 38:
00:20:19.68\00:20:22.82
"You have heard
that it was said,
00:20:22.85\00:20:24.55
'An eye for an eye
and a tooth for a tooth.'
00:20:24.59\00:20:28.12
But I tell you not to
resist an evil person.
00:20:28.16\00:20:31.23
But whoever slaps
you on your right cheek,
00:20:31.26\00:20:34.50
turn the other to him also.
00:20:34.56\00:20:36.46
If anyone wants to sue
you and take away your tunic,
00:20:36.50\00:20:39.90
let him have your cloak also.
00:20:39.93\00:20:41.77
And whoever compels you to
go one mile, go with him two.
00:20:41.80\00:20:46.31
Give to him who asks you,
00:20:46.34\00:20:48.58
and from him who wants to borrow
from you do not turn away."
00:20:48.61\00:20:53.38
You know what Jesus is saying.
00:20:53.42\00:20:55.75
Instead of fighting fire
with fire, fight fire with love.
00:20:55.78\00:21:01.09
If someone mistreats
you, love them anyway.
00:21:01.12\00:21:03.16
They want something?
Give them that and more.
00:21:03.19\00:21:05.36
Someone takes? Give.
00:21:05.39\00:21:07.13
Someone wants to borrow? Lend.
00:21:07.20\00:21:09.06
Jesus isn't talking about
what you do on the outside now,
00:21:09.10\00:21:13.30
He's talking about His ability
to change a heart so radically
00:21:13.34\00:21:17.37
that when someone curses you,
you'll bless them in return.
00:21:17.41\00:21:22.08
In fact, He frames this
in a really graphic way:
00:21:22.11\00:21:26.55
"You have heard
that it was said,
00:21:26.58\00:21:28.15
'You [should] love your
neighbor and hate your enemy.'
00:21:28.18\00:21:31.59
But I say to you,
love your enemies,
00:21:31.62\00:21:34.69
bless those who curse you,
do good to those who hate you,
00:21:34.72\00:21:38.56
and pray for those
who spitefully use you
00:21:38.59\00:21:41.40
and persecute you."
00:21:41.43\00:21:43.06
That's Matthew 5:43-44.
00:21:43.10\00:21:45.63
Evidently, it was
the belief in Jesus' day
00:21:45.67\00:21:47.44
that you should love those
close to you, your neighbor,
00:21:47.47\00:21:50.41
while it was okay, even
desirable, to hate other people.
00:21:50.44\00:21:55.21
Now, that
certainly isn't God's way.
00:21:55.24\00:21:57.21
Christians are supposed
to show their love to others,
00:21:57.25\00:22:00.65
even their enemies.
00:22:00.68\00:22:02.22
Now, I know that's
tough. That's not easy.
00:22:02.25\00:22:04.32
John, you have no idea
how these people wind me up,
00:22:04.35\00:22:06.92
how hard it is to show kindness.
00:22:06.96\00:22:09.22
Hard for you,
sure. But hard for God?
00:22:09.26\00:22:11.83
No, it's not.
00:22:11.86\00:22:13.09
You see, God can do
that in a person's life.
00:22:13.13\00:22:16.33
He can do it in your life.
00:22:16.36\00:22:17.73
Love your enemy? Yes, you can.
00:22:17.77\00:22:19.97
What was it that Paul wrote?
00:22:20.00\00:22:21.54
"I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me."
00:22:21.57\00:22:25.37
That's
Philippians 4 and verse 13.
00:22:25.41\00:22:28.14
This is where Christianity shows
us what it's really all about.
00:22:28.18\00:22:31.95
Nothing gives the world
more evidence that the Bible
00:22:31.98\00:22:34.68
has changed a person's life
as when hatred turns to love.
00:22:34.72\00:22:40.22
This is why Jesus
said in John 13:35,
00:22:40.26\00:22:43.83
"By this all will know
that you are my disciples,
00:22:43.86\00:22:47.66
if you have love
for one another."
00:22:47.66\00:22:50.97
Too many Christians seem to have
a hard time remembering that.
00:22:51.00\00:22:54.44
Holding grudges is
common, even in the church,
00:22:54.47\00:22:56.94
and it's poisonous.
00:22:56.97\00:22:58.81
Refusing to forgive is common,
00:22:58.84\00:23:00.68
even though Jesus made
clear in Matthew chapter 6
00:23:00.71\00:23:04.28
that people who
refuse to forgive others
00:23:04.31\00:23:06.98
won't be forgiven by God.
00:23:07.02\00:23:08.95
You'll find husbands and
wives, brothers and sisters,
00:23:08.98\00:23:11.22
bosses and employees, teammates,
students, and teachers
00:23:11.25\00:23:15.46
holding on to grievances
for years, even decades.
00:23:15.49\00:23:20.83
When Jesus said that our
righteousness must exceed
00:23:20.86\00:23:23.97
that of the
scribes and Pharisees,
00:23:24.00\00:23:26.53
He was saying that
the righteousness we have
00:23:26.57\00:23:29.54
has to come
from a changed heart.
00:23:29.57\00:23:32.31
It ought to be
evidence of a changed life.
00:23:32.34\00:23:35.61
Of course, a person
could look at someone
00:23:35.64\00:23:37.08
like Governor George Wallace,
00:23:37.11\00:23:38.45
who made a career out of hating
people and encouraging others
00:23:38.48\00:23:41.35
to do the same, and find it
hard to manifest forgiveness,
00:23:41.38\00:23:45.35
or to feel anything
other than bitterness.
00:23:45.39\00:23:48.49
But to look at a person
and that person's misdeeds--
00:23:48.52\00:23:52.66
now, that's a dangerous thing.
00:23:52.69\00:23:54.96
The more important question
is the one that addresses
00:23:55.00\00:23:57.47
what's going on in your
heart, not someone else's.
00:23:57.50\00:24:03.04
The message of Matthew 5 is
that God can change any heart,
00:24:03.07\00:24:08.41
if you'll let Him.
00:24:08.44\00:24:10.41
He can still give us the grace
to love and forgive our enemies.
00:24:10.45\00:24:15.55
Historians still debate whether
George Wallace was sincere
00:24:15.58\00:24:19.75
in his request for forgiveness
00:24:19.79\00:24:21.09
from those he'd
wronged so terribly.
00:24:21.12\00:24:24.16
And that's understandable.
00:24:24.19\00:24:26.46
Was he sincere,
do you think? Was he?
00:24:26.49\00:24:29.53
Let's let God decide that.
00:24:29.56\00:24:32.27
Author Dan Carter, who wrote
a biography on George Wallace,
00:24:32.30\00:24:35.60
quoted an
English writer who said,
00:24:35.64\00:24:39.14
"Men's hearts are concealed,
00:24:39.17\00:24:42.18
but their actions
are open to scrutiny."
00:24:42.21\00:24:46.15
Although human hearts
are very much concealed,
00:24:46.18\00:24:49.15
the Bible assures
us, speaking of God:
00:24:49.18\00:24:52.02
"[You, You only] know the
hearts of all the sons of men."
00:24:52.05\00:24:57.29
First Kings 8:39.
00:24:57.33\00:24:59.83
And the same God who
alone can read our hearts
00:24:59.86\00:25:03.97
is the One who alone possesses
the power to change them.
00:25:04.00\00:25:09.34
¤[Music]¤
00:25:10.34\00:25:12.47
>>Announcer: Planning
for your financial future
00:25:12.51\00:25:14.41
is a vital aspect of
Christian stewardship.
00:25:14.44\00:25:17.81
For this reason,
00:25:17.85\00:25:19.31
It Is Written
is pleased to offer
00:25:19.35\00:25:21.02
free planned giving
00:25:21.05\00:25:22.28
and estate services.
00:25:22.32\00:25:23.95
For information on
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00:25:23.99\00:25:26.15
please call 800-992-2219.
00:25:26.19\00:25:31.03
Call today
00:25:31.06\00:25:31.89
or visit our
website: hislegacy.com.
00:25:31.93\00:25:34.76
Call 800-992-2219.
00:25:35.43\00:25:40.17
>>John Bradshaw:
Temptation is a fact of life,
00:25:40.84\00:25:43.17
but you can be successful
in the face of temptation.
00:25:43.20\00:25:46.54
Be sure you get
today's free offer,
00:25:46.57\00:25:48.68
"When the Lion Roars,"
00:25:48.71\00:25:50.95
and find out how you can
successfully defeat temptation
00:25:50.98\00:25:55.28
instead of
being defeated by sin.
00:25:55.32\00:25:57.32
To get your free copy
of "When the Lion Roars,"
00:25:57.35\00:26:00.32
call us on 800-253-3000.
00:26:00.36\00:26:03.63
You can write to the
address on your screen
00:26:03.66\00:26:05.36
or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:26:05.39\00:26:09.66
>>John Bradshaw: Let
me pray with you now.
00:26:11.17\00:26:13.13
Our Father in heaven, we
thank You in the name of Jesus
00:26:13.17\00:26:15.47
that You are able
to change our heart.
00:26:15.50\00:26:17.51
¤[Music]¤
00:26:17.54\00:26:18.77
And we don't want to be the type
of person who outwardly puts on
00:26:18.81\00:26:22.48
a good show of
being a Christian,
00:26:22.51\00:26:24.95
demonstrates religiosity,
00:26:24.98\00:26:27.28
while on the inside we're
corrupt and full of malice,
00:26:27.32\00:26:31.62
and we're sick,
and we are failing.
00:26:31.65\00:26:35.46
Lord, we know it is Your
intention to change us inwardly
00:26:35.49\00:26:39.53
and outwardly, to do a
thorough, complete job,
00:26:39.56\00:26:42.80
to convert us that we might
be, as Jesus said to Nicodemus,
00:26:42.83\00:26:47.07
born again.
00:26:47.10\00:26:49.87
Friend, as you look into
your heart, what do you see?
00:26:49.90\00:26:52.57
Do you see a heart that's
at one with the heart of God?
00:26:52.61\00:26:56.21
Do you see a heart
that is united with Jesus?
00:26:56.24\00:26:58.38
If so, then I want you
to say, "Thank You, Lord."
00:26:58.41\00:27:01.82
But if you don't,
00:27:01.85\00:27:03.32
if you look on the
inside and you see a hypocrite,
00:27:03.35\00:27:06.79
if you look on the
inside and you see someone
00:27:06.82\00:27:08.76
who's just playing a game
or going through the motions,
00:27:08.79\00:27:12.49
whose practice doesn't
meet with his or her profession,
00:27:12.53\00:27:17.20
then right now I'd
like you to ask Jesus
00:27:17.23\00:27:18.93
to give you a new heart.
00:27:18.97\00:27:20.00
Father, would You do
that for me, for each of us?
00:27:20.04\00:27:24.47
Give us a new heart, a new mind,
00:27:24.51\00:27:27.11
that our profession
might be demonstrated by a life
00:27:27.14\00:27:33.55
that reveals to others
that there is a Savior.
00:27:33.58\00:27:37.65
We thank You, and
we pray in Jesus' name.
00:27:38.65\00:27:43.43
Amen.
00:27:43.46\00:27:44.76
Thank you so
much for joining me.
00:27:44.79\00:27:46.06
I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:46.09\00:27:48.50
Until then, remember:
00:27:48.53\00:27:50.63
"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:27:50.67\00:27:55.37
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:27:55.40\00:28:00.21
¤[Theme music]¤
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