>>John Bradshaw:
This is It Is Written.
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I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me.
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"I can't breathe."
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"Black lives matter."
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"No justice, no peace."
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Racism has become a big,
global issue in recent times.
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But, of course,
racism isn't a new issue.
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We're going to look together
at some of what the Bible says
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about racism.
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We'll see that God has
plenty to say on the subject.
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In fact, there's a well-known
Bible story that speaks directly
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to the subject of racism.
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Now, it's usually told to
make another point altogether,
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but we'll look at it, and we'll
see what God wants us to see.
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The deaths of African-Americans
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during interactions with
law enforcement officials
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have shone a bright light
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on the much larger and
wider problem of racism.
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In the United States,
racism goes back a long way,
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as do protests about racism.
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In the early 1990s, Los
Angeles erupted in riots
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after the acquittal of
four white police officers
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who'd been caught on film
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beating a black
motorist named Rodney King.
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But of course, we can go
back much further than that.
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The discussion about racism
is much larger than incidents
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involving law
enforcement officials.
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Jim Crow laws were local and
state statutes that enshrined
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racist practices in law,
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and they existed
in the United States
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all the way up to the 1960s.
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African-Americans
were prevented from voting,
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from staying at or eating
in certain establishments.
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There were
separate drinking fountains,
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separate waiting
rooms, separate dining rooms,
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and so much more.
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Even churches practiced
that kind of discrimination.
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Rosa Parks took a stand
against racism when she refused
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to stand and give up her
seat on a segregated bus.
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Groups like the Ku Klux Klan
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have flourished
in the United States.
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Simply a racist terror
group, trafficking in fear,
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injury, and death.
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Now, we must be careful
not to think that racism
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is only confined
to black-white issues.
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Immigrants from
Ireland, Poland, and Italy
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were frequently the targets
of bitter racism in America.
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Racist episodes concerning
Jews continue to occur.
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The treatment
of Native Americans
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was monumentally racist.
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The Trail of Tears was
just one example of this:
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the forced removal of thousands
of Indians, who were taken
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off their ancestral
homelands in the Southeast
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and marched almost a
thousand miles to Oklahoma.
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Slavery stands out
as the national sin
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for the United States,
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the high-water mark
for hate and racism.
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The vast majority
of the racial problems
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in the United States today
stem back to the sin of slavery,
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which existed in this
country for hundreds of years
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until the ratification of
the 13th Amendment in 1865.
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In the grand scheme of things,
that's not very long ago.
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But let's look a
little more broadly.
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Slavery existed in Great
Britain for hundreds of years,
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up until the 12th century.
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And Britain was deeply involved
in the international slave trade
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from around 1640 to 1807.
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Around 3 million slaves
were trafficked by Britain.
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While exact numbers
aren't easy to find,
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it's generally believed
that between almost 400,000
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and 600,000 Africans were
enslaved in the United States.
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Brazil had slavery
for hundreds of years
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before the
practice was ended in 1888.
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By then, it's said that
close to 5 million people
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had been enslaved in Brazil,
by far the greatest number
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of slaves that
came to the Americas.
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The German Nazi government
endeavored to eliminate
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an entire race of people.
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Millions perished.
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Australia's handling of
its aboriginal peoples was,
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for many years,
shockingly racist.
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But what's less
often mentioned is that
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the Australian government had an
official White Australia policy
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that didn't come
to an end until 1973.
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It aimed to do just what
it sounds like it would do:
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keep non-whites from
emigrating to Australia.
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Slavery was practiced
by native New Zealanders
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before white settlers arrived--
who confiscated native lands
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and themselves practiced
various forms of discrimination.
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In Fiji, there have been such
tensions between native Fijians
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and immigrants from India
that political coups were staged
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in an attempt to
counter Indian influence.
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And, of course, this is
just the tip of the iceberg.
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Look back even further.
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Slavery existed during
the time of the Roman Empire.
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Passages of the Bible
reflect that slavery was common
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during Bible times.
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And racism continues today.
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Search for a
definition of racism online
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and you'll find
something like this:
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"prejudice, discrimination,
or antagonism directed against
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"a person or people on
the basis of their membership
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"of a particular
racial or ethnic group,
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typically one that is a
minority or marginalized."
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Now, in Jesus' day,
there was a lot of racism,
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and it was deep,
and it was bitter.
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Jesus was surrounded by racists
during His time on earth.
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There was deep
racial hatred in His country
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and in His community.
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Some of His closest friends,
those in His inner circle,
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were deeply racist.
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It wouldn't be an exaggeration
to say that the 12 disciples
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of Jesus could easily have
been called the 12 racists.
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There was an entire
people group that they loathed.
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Now, my guess is that someone's
going to say that this was
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merely religious discrimination,
but it was much more than that.
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Let's look at this together.
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We'll start in Luke
9, and this is verse 51:
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"Now it came to pass,
when the time had come
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"for Him to be received up,
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"that He steadfastly set
His face to go to Jerusalem,
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"and sent
messengers before His face.
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"And as they went, they entered
a village of the Samaritans,
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to prepare for Him."
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Jesus was
traveling from Galilee,
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where He'd been born and raised,
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to Jerusalem.
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He would die on the
cross in about six months.
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Jews traveling from Galilee
to Jerusalem would often go
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the long way around.
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They'd travel east and
then go south towards Jerusalem
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on the far side
of the Jordan River.
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It was a lot of extra traveling,
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but that way they would avoid
the Samaritans, who they hated.
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The Samaritans may have
been descendants of the 10
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northern tribes which went
into captivity around 722 B.C.
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They claimed to
worship the true God.
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But there'd always been
animosity between the Samaritans
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and the Jews.
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The Samaritans had built their
own temple on Mount Gerizim.
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So when James and John
arrive in a Samaritan village,
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you might not
expect things to go well.
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They didn't.
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I'll show you
that in just a moment.
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¤[music swells and ends]¤
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>>John Bradshaw:
Thanks for joining me today
00:08:18.19\00:08:19.56
on It Is Written.
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We're talking
about Jesus and racism.
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Jesus was traveling
from Galilee to Jerusalem.
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If He was going to
travel by the direct route,
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He'd have to travel
through the heart of Samaria,
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and the Jews and
Samaritans were sworn enemies.
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He sent James and John
up ahead to prepare things.
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Luke 9:53,
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"But they did not receive Him,
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"because His face was set
for the journey to Jerusalem.
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"And when His disciples
James and John saw this,
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"they said, 'Lord, do You want
us to command fire to come down
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from heaven and consume
them, just as Elijah did?'"
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Now, it's worth taking our time
to make sure we really get this.
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There was James--and John,
who wrote the Gospel of John;
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First, Second, and Third John;
and the book of Revelation.
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He's described in the Bible
as the disciple Jesus loved.
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And these two, two of
the three closest to Jesus,
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ask Jesus if He wants them
to call fire down from heaven
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and burn up everyone
in the Samaritan village.
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No wonder James and John were
called "the Sons of Thunder."
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The Samaritans didn't want
Jesus and His followers around
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simply because they were Jews
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and they were going
to worship in Jerusalem.
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This was sectarian hatred,
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like Northern
Ireland during the Troubles
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or like rival street
gangs in a major city.
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"Let's burn them up!"
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Now, think about that.
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But Jesus
"turned and rebuked them,
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"and said, 'You do not know
what manner of spirt you are of.
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"'For the Son of Man did
not come to destroy men's lives
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but to save them.' And
they went to another village."
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"You know not what
manner of spirit you are of."
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The spirt that
promotes hatred based on race
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is the spirit of the devil.
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Jesus was clear.
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And we're going to
see this get even clearer.
00:10:16.28\00:10:19.35
In Luke 10, the
very next chapter,
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Jesus shares a
parable, saying in verse 30,
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"A certain man went down
from Jerusalem to Jericho,
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"and fell among thieves, who
stripped him of his clothing,
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[wounding] him, and departed,
leaving him half dead."
00:10:30.59\00:10:34.13
Both a priest and a
Levite passed the man by
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and failed to help
him, refused to help him.
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He was Jewish.
00:10:39.30\00:10:41.17
The priest and the
Levite wouldn't even help
00:10:41.20\00:10:43.87
one of their own.
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But then, Jesus
said, "a certain Samaritan,
00:10:45.27\00:10:49.34
"as he journeyed,
came where he was.
00:10:49.38\00:10:51.68
"And when he saw
him, he had compassion.
00:10:51.71\00:10:54.28
"So he went to him
and bandaged his wounds,
00:10:54.32\00:10:57.92
"pouring on oil and wine; and
he set him on his own animal,
00:10:57.95\00:11:02.26
brought him to an
inn, and took care of him."
00:11:02.29\00:11:05.69
Now, this was a big deal:
00:11:05.73\00:11:08.73
a Samaritan helping a
Jew, going so far as to say,
00:11:08.76\00:11:13.34
"Take care of him; and
whatever more you spend,
00:11:13.37\00:11:16.60
when I come
again, I will repay you."
00:11:16.64\00:11:20.11
Jesus was
impressing on His followers:
00:11:20.14\00:11:23.01
Accept all people.
Everyone is your neighbor.
00:11:23.04\00:11:28.35
In some of His very
last words to His disciples,
00:11:28.38\00:11:31.45
after His death,
in fact, Jesus said,
00:11:31.49\00:11:34.56
"But you shall receive power
00:11:34.59\00:11:36.56
"when the Holy
Spirit has come upon you;
00:11:36.59\00:11:38.66
and you shall be
witnesses to me in Jerusalem,
00:11:38.69\00:11:41.80
and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the end of the earth."
00:11:41.83\00:11:45.67
Notice that?
00:11:45.70\00:11:46.90
Take the gospel to Jerusalem,
and all Judea, and Samaria.
00:11:46.94\00:11:52.97
No nationalistic distinctions.
00:11:53.01\00:11:55.34
Racism in their hearts would
have made it impossible for them
00:11:55.38\00:11:58.31
to share salvation with
people different to themselves.
00:11:58.35\00:12:01.78
When it came time to
share the gospel with the world,
00:12:01.82\00:12:05.02
well, the disciples were going
to have a major impediment.
00:12:05.05\00:12:08.22
That impediment was racism.
00:12:08.26\00:12:11.26
So Jesus gave a spectacular
vision for the singular purpose
00:12:11.29\00:12:16.40
of rooting racism out of
the hearts of His followers.
00:12:16.43\00:12:20.44
It seems that most
people miss the real meaning
00:12:20.47\00:12:23.84
of this teaching.
00:12:23.87\00:12:24.97
It's very often misinterpreted.
00:12:25.01\00:12:26.94
So let's look at this.
00:12:26.98\00:12:28.34
It's crystal clear,
and it's the racism-killer.
00:12:28.38\00:12:34.28
The men Jesus left to lead the
Christian church were racist.
00:12:34.32\00:12:39.25
That group included Peter, and
Peter was a tough nut to crack.
00:12:39.29\00:12:43.93
You'll remember that
Peter once cut a man's ear off.
00:12:43.96\00:12:47.96
Now, you might say,
00:12:47.96\00:12:49.10
"He was simply a
product of his generation."
00:12:49.13\00:12:51.63
You might say that his attitudes
were simply environmental.
00:12:51.67\00:12:55.10
Now, you can make
any excuse you want,
00:12:55.14\00:12:56.71
but the fact is
Peter was a racist.
00:12:56.74\00:12:59.74
Now, that was
normal in that society,
00:12:59.77\00:13:01.81
and it was
culturally acceptable.
00:13:01.84\00:13:04.41
But it wasn't acceptable to God.
00:13:04.45\00:13:07.45
Let's look at how
God got through to Peter
00:13:07.48\00:13:10.62
and to the rest of the
early church to convince them
00:13:10.65\00:13:13.66
that racism should not be a
part of their modus operandi.
00:13:13.69\00:13:18.03
We'll look in Acts 10
at a passage of the Bible
00:13:18.06\00:13:20.70
that is often misinterpreted.
00:13:20.73\00:13:24.20
"There was a...man in
Caesarea called Cornelius,
00:13:24.23\00:13:27.14
"a centurion of what was
called the Italian Regiment,
00:13:27.17\00:13:30.94
"a devout man and one who feared
God with all his household,
00:13:30.97\00:13:34.94
"who gave alms
generously to the people,
00:13:34.98\00:13:37.28
and prayed to God always."
00:13:37.31\00:13:40.42
Even one of this man's soldiers
is described as "devout."
00:13:40.45\00:13:44.02
But, Cornelius was a gentile.
00:13:44.05\00:13:48.82
He was a Roman
citizen, not a Jew.
00:13:48.86\00:13:51.43
So in the eyes of people
like Peter, he was the enemy,
00:13:51.46\00:13:55.10
an outsider; in fact, Cornelius
was considered unclean.
00:13:55.13\00:14:00.24
Verse 3:
00:14:00.27\00:14:01.44
"About the ninth hour of the
day he saw clearly in a vision
00:14:01.47\00:14:05.77
"an angel of God coming in
and saying to him, 'Cornelius!'
00:14:05.81\00:14:10.15
"And when he observed
him, he was afraid, and said,
00:14:10.18\00:14:12.91
"'What is it, lord?'
00:14:12.95\00:14:14.22
"So he said to him,
'Your prayers and your alms
00:14:14.25\00:14:17.12
"'have come up for
a memorial before God.
00:14:17.15\00:14:19.99
"'Now send men to Joppa,
00:14:20.02\00:14:22.36
"'and send for Simon
whose surname is Peter.
00:14:22.39\00:14:25.73
"'He is lodging
with Simon, a tanner,
00:14:25.76\00:14:27.76
"'whose house is by the sea.
00:14:27.76\00:14:29.76
He will tell you
what you must do.'"
00:14:29.80\00:14:32.07
Cornelius was a
sincere follower of God.
00:14:32.10\00:14:35.30
But there were some
real gaps in his knowledge
00:14:35.34\00:14:37.31
and in his experience.
00:14:37.34\00:14:38.94
He needed to know more,
00:14:38.97\00:14:40.48
and Peter was just
the man to tell him.
00:14:40.51\00:14:43.71
But Peter, a Jew,
00:14:43.75\00:14:46.21
no way would Peter ever go
and tell a gentile about Jesus--
00:14:46.25\00:14:50.55
or about anything else.
00:14:50.59\00:14:52.22
And you've got to have a
pretty hard edge about you
00:14:52.25\00:14:54.16
to have such
animosity towards someone
00:14:54.19\00:14:56.46
that you wouldn't
even tell him about Jesus.
00:14:56.49\00:14:59.03
So Cornelius sends two
servants and a soldier,
00:14:59.06\00:15:02.13
and they set out to find
Peter, who was about 35 miles
00:15:02.16\00:15:05.10
south of them, straight
down the Mediterranean coast.
00:15:05.13\00:15:08.47
When they arrived in
Joppa, it was around lunchtime,
00:15:08.50\00:15:11.31
and Peter was praying
up on the roof of the home.
00:15:11.34\00:15:15.68
The Bible says
that he was very hungry,
00:15:15.71\00:15:17.98
and that while the
meal was being prepared,
00:15:18.01\00:15:20.02
"he fell into a
trance," and he had a vision.
00:15:20.05\00:15:24.99
So what did this
have to do with racism?
00:15:25.02\00:15:28.52
Well, the answer to
that is...everything.
00:15:28.56\00:15:31.53
And that's coming up.
00:15:31.56\00:15:32.79
¤[music swells and ends]¤
00:15:32.83\00:15:39.83
>>John: It's the challenge that
confronts every human heart:
00:15:42.00\00:15:44.81
evil.
00:15:44.84\00:15:46.11
How can you be kept from sin?
00:15:46.14\00:15:48.14
And why do everyday people
commit truly despicable acts?
00:15:48.18\00:15:52.45
Get the free offer,
00:15:52.48\00:15:53.68
"Evil: The Challenge
of the Sinful Heart."
00:15:53.72\00:15:56.18
Simply call now: 800-253-3000,
00:15:56.22\00:15:59.45
800-253-3000.
00:15:59.49\00:16:01.66
It's yours free.
00:16:01.69\00:16:03.69
Visit us online at iiwoffer.com.
00:16:03.73\00:16:07.46
Call 800-253-3000.
00:16:07.50\00:16:10.47
>>John: The Trail of
Tears: entire people groups
00:16:12.93\00:16:16.50
forcibly removed from
their ancestral homelands
00:16:16.54\00:16:20.64
and marched hundreds and
hundreds of miles to a new land,
00:16:20.68\00:16:26.41
thousands of people
uprooted and relocated,
00:16:26.45\00:16:30.45
thousands of people dead.
00:16:30.49\00:16:33.72
The Trail of Tears.
00:16:33.76\00:16:35.72
The land that would become the
United States was already home
00:16:35.76\00:16:39.29
to millions of native
peoples when Europeans arrived,
00:16:39.33\00:16:43.53
real people with real lives, who
over the next several centuries
00:16:43.57\00:16:48.04
would endure real suffering.
00:16:48.07\00:16:50.87
Join me for
"The Trail of Tears."
00:16:50.91\00:16:53.84
We'll visit the places
where the Trail of Tears began.
00:16:53.88\00:16:57.15
And we'll look forward to
a day when God will wipe away
00:16:57.18\00:17:00.92
all of our tears.
00:17:00.95\00:17:03.08
"The Trail of Tears,"
00:17:03.12\00:17:05.05
brought to you
by It Is Written TV.
00:17:05.09\00:17:07.92
¤[somber music]¤
00:17:07.96\00:17:10.13
>>John Bradshaw: God
wanted to root racism
00:17:12.79\00:17:15.30
out of the early church.
00:17:15.33\00:17:17.47
To do so, He
gave a vision to Peter
00:17:17.50\00:17:20.37
that would
radically change the church.
00:17:20.40\00:17:22.84
Peter "saw heaven opened
and an object like a great sheet
00:17:22.87\00:17:28.01
"bound at the four corners,
00:17:28.04\00:17:29.78
"descending to him
and let down to the earth.
00:17:29.81\00:17:32.71
"In it were all kinds of four-
footed animals of the earth,
00:17:32.75\00:17:35.85
"wild beasts, creeping
things, and birds of the air.
00:17:35.88\00:17:39.79
And a voice came to him,
'Rise, Peter; kill and eat.'"
00:17:39.82\00:17:45.43
Now, this was
shocking for Peter.
00:17:45.46\00:17:47.30
As a Jew, there was no way
he would eat an unclean animal.
00:17:47.36\00:17:50.77
Now, the Passover
lamb was considered clean,
00:17:50.80\00:17:53.50
but pigs and camels and
horses and rabbits and tigers
00:17:53.54\00:17:57.57
and elephants and
hippopotami, and so on--
00:17:57.61\00:17:59.77
no way, never.
00:17:59.81\00:18:01.71
They were unclean.
00:18:01.74\00:18:03.81
Peter wouldn't eat a frog or
an oyster or an eel or a possum
00:18:03.85\00:18:08.22
or a crab or a
catfish for the same reason.
00:18:08.25\00:18:12.42
But here's God telling him to
rise, kill the unclean animals,
00:18:12.45\00:18:18.06
and eat them.
00:18:18.09\00:18:20.53
"But Peter said, 'Not so, Lord!
00:18:20.56\00:18:23.03
"For I have never eaten
anything common or unclean.'
00:18:23.06\00:18:27.10
"And a voice spoke to
him again the second time,
00:18:27.14\00:18:29.77
"'What God has cleansed
you must not call common.'
00:18:29.80\00:18:33.81
"This was done three times.
00:18:33.84\00:18:35.58
And the object was
taken up into heaven again."
00:18:35.61\00:18:39.81
Peter didn't understand
why God would tell him
00:18:39.85\00:18:42.22
to eat unclean animals.
00:18:42.25\00:18:44.05
Verse 17 says,
00:18:44.09\00:18:45.45
"Now while Peter wondered
within himself what this vision
00:18:45.49\00:18:49.16
"which he had seen meant,
behold, the men who had been
00:18:49.19\00:18:52.23
"sent from Cornelius had
made inquiry for Simon's house,
00:18:52.26\00:18:56.53
"and stood before the gate.
00:18:56.56\00:18:57.60
"And they called
and asked whether Simon,
00:18:57.63\00:18:59.83
"whose surname was
Peter, was lodging there.
00:18:59.87\00:19:02.64
"While Peter thought about the
vision, the Spirit said to him,
00:19:02.67\00:19:06.04
"'Behold, three
men are seeking you.
00:19:06.07\00:19:09.14
"'Arise therefore, go down and
go with them, doubting nothing;
00:19:09.18\00:19:14.42
for I have sent them.'"
00:19:14.45\00:19:16.08
Now, notice, the vision
was given to Peter three times,
00:19:16.12\00:19:19.35
and that's because three
men were there to see him.
00:19:19.39\00:19:22.99
God was using this
vision to tell Peter it was okay
00:19:23.02\00:19:27.03
to go with the three gentiles.
00:19:27.03\00:19:30.20
When he got to
the home of Cornelius,
00:19:30.23\00:19:31.67
Peter interpreted
this whole thing for us
00:19:31.70\00:19:33.50
when he said in verse 28,
00:19:33.54\00:19:35.60
"You know how
unlawful it is for a Jewish man
00:19:35.64\00:19:39.44
"to keep company with or
go to one of another nation.
00:19:39.47\00:19:44.61
"But God has shown me
that I should not call any man
00:19:44.65\00:19:49.32
common or unclean."
00:19:49.35\00:19:52.12
Now, we saw that together.
00:19:52.15\00:19:53.89
Often, all you hear about
this passage is that God said
00:19:53.92\00:19:56.22
it was okay to
eat pork and lobster.
00:19:56.26\00:19:58.93
But that's not what
God's saying here at all.
00:19:58.96\00:20:01.63
"I should not call
any man," Peter said,
00:20:01.66\00:20:04.87
"common or unclean."
00:20:04.90\00:20:06.50
If you're not sure about that,
just look six verses later:
00:20:06.53\00:20:10.64
"Then Peter opened
his mouth and said:
00:20:10.67\00:20:13.68
"'In truth I perceive
that God shows no partiality.
00:20:13.71\00:20:18.61
"'But in every
nation whoever fears Him
00:20:18.65\00:20:21.72
and works righteousness
is accepted by Him.'"
00:20:21.75\00:20:25.65
Now, this passage has nothing
whatsoever to do with food.
00:20:25.69\00:20:28.42
It has to do with racism.
00:20:28.46\00:20:31.56
Don't think that
this wasn't huge.
00:20:31.59\00:20:33.83
The next chapter,
Acts 11, starts by saying,
00:20:33.86\00:20:37.33
"Now the apostles and
brethren who were in Judea heard
00:20:37.37\00:20:40.30
"that the Gentiles had
also received the word of God.
00:20:40.34\00:20:43.00
"And when Peter
came up to Jerusalem,
00:20:43.04\00:20:45.01
"those of the circumcision
contended with him, saying,
00:20:45.04\00:20:48.28
'You went in to uncircumcised
men and ate with them!'"
00:20:48.31\00:20:52.08
Peter was in trouble.
00:20:52.11\00:20:54.55
So he told them about the
vision he received three times,
00:20:54.58\00:20:57.72
how three men were
at the door for him,
00:20:57.75\00:20:59.79
how he went with them,
how Cornelius and others spoke
00:20:59.82\00:21:03.32
with other tongues as the
Holy Spirit descended upon them.
00:21:03.36\00:21:07.23
"When they heard these
things they became silent;
00:21:07.30\00:21:10.17
"and they glorified God, saying,
00:21:10.20\00:21:13.00
"'Then God has also
granted to the Gentiles
00:21:13.03\00:21:16.67
repentance to life.'"
00:21:16.71\00:21:18.74
And in chapter 15,
00:21:18.77\00:21:19.94
Peter refers to this thing
again at the Jerusalem Council,
00:21:19.97\00:21:23.91
where the church officially
recognized that gentiles
00:21:23.95\00:21:26.88
may receive the gospel
and be part of the church.
00:21:26.92\00:21:31.25
We've come a long way
since then, haven't we?
00:21:31.29\00:21:34.22
Have we?
00:21:35.22\00:21:36.62
In Acts 17, Paul said that
God "has made from one blood
00:21:36.66\00:21:41.80
every nation of men to dwell
on all the face of the earth."
00:21:41.83\00:21:46.13
That person that
you're tempted to despise,
00:21:46.17\00:21:47.94
owing to the color of their
skin or the shape of their eyes
00:21:47.97\00:21:51.91
or the accent
that they speak with,
00:21:51.94\00:21:54.41
you're related to that person.
00:21:54.44\00:21:56.31
We're all the
descendants of Adam--
00:21:56.34\00:21:59.18
actually, of Noah.
00:21:59.21\00:22:01.62
Humanity is one.
00:22:01.65\00:22:04.45
Hatred on racial grounds is--
00:22:04.49\00:22:07.69
it's senseless,
and it isn't Christian.
00:22:07.72\00:22:11.19
Jesus said, "You shall
love your neighbor as yourself."
00:22:11.23\00:22:17.03
And look at what John wrote.
00:22:17.07\00:22:18.93
Remember, this is the man
who wanted to burn up a village
00:22:18.97\00:22:21.67
full of people.
00:22:21.70\00:22:22.84
First John 2, verse 11:
00:22:22.87\00:22:24.84
"But he who hates his
brother is in darkness
00:22:24.87\00:22:28.98
"and walks in darkness, and
does not know where he is going,
00:22:29.01\00:22:33.35
because the darkness
has blinded his eyes."
00:22:33.38\00:22:37.22
Chapter 3, verse 15:
00:22:37.25\00:22:39.05
"Whoever hates his
brother is a murderer,
00:22:39.09\00:22:42.76
"and you know that no murderer
00:22:42.79\00:22:44.59
has eternal
life abiding in him."
00:22:44.63\00:22:48.13
Jesus one day met
a woman at a well.
00:22:49.50\00:22:53.44
She had
a...colorful sort of past.
00:22:53.47\00:22:58.77
As Jesus talked
with her, she said,
00:22:58.81\00:23:01.14
"'How is it that You, being
a Jew, ask a drink from me,
00:23:01.18\00:23:07.15
a Samaritan woman?'
00:23:07.18\00:23:09.38
For Jews have no
dealings with [the] Samaritans."
00:23:09.42\00:23:13.29
But after she realizes that
she has encountered the Messiah,
00:23:13.32\00:23:17.93
she runs to the
city, and she says,
00:23:17.96\00:23:20.56
"Come, see a Man who told
me all things that I ever did.
00:23:20.60\00:23:26.50
Could this be the Christ?"
00:23:26.53\00:23:29.17
When she met Him,
Jesus was "a Jew."
00:23:29.20\00:23:33.41
When her heart had been
changed, He was "a Man."
00:23:33.44\00:23:38.18
Racial distinction
didn't matter to her anymore.
00:23:38.21\00:23:42.98
So how is it with you?
00:23:43.02\00:23:44.92
If there's prejudice in
your heart towards others
00:23:44.95\00:23:47.39
based on race, God wants
to work with you on that.
00:23:47.42\00:23:52.39
When Jesus comes into
your heart, racism disappears.
00:23:52.43\00:23:57.00
If racism hasn't disappeared,
00:23:57.03\00:23:58.70
then this is a
spiritual problem for you.
00:23:58.73\00:24:02.70
The history of the world
is littered with examples
00:24:02.74\00:24:04.94
of hate and injustice
carried out in the name of race.
00:24:04.97\00:24:09.84
But that's not God's way.
00:24:09.88\00:24:13.18
Can I ask you to ask
God to search your heart
00:24:13.21\00:24:18.92
and work in your
life and remove anything
00:24:18.95\00:24:23.12
that shouldn't be there?
00:24:23.16\00:24:25.09
Racism is a spiritual
issue, a spiritual problem.
00:24:25.13\00:24:29.00
The solution
for racism is Jesus.
00:24:29.03\00:24:33.10
Jesus died on the cross to
give you and me a new heart.
00:24:33.13\00:24:38.01
You know that "God so
loved the world, that He gave
00:24:38.04\00:24:41.01
His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in Him"--
00:24:41.04\00:24:45.08
black, white, brown,
and everything in between--
00:24:45.11\00:24:50.52
"should not perish,
but have everlasting life."
00:24:50.55\00:24:54.92
Jesus said this:
00:24:54.96\00:24:57.06
"By this all will know
that you are my disciples,
00:24:57.09\00:25:01.73
if you have love
for one another."
00:25:01.76\00:25:04.80
That's John 13:35.
00:25:04.83\00:25:07.10
And when He said
"for one another,"
00:25:07.14\00:25:10.11
He meant "for everyone."
00:25:10.14\00:25:13.71
Jesus died for
you. He died for all.
00:25:13.74\00:25:17.21
And He died to make
you new and give you hope.
00:25:17.25\00:25:21.28
Do you have hope
in Jesus right now?
00:25:21.32\00:25:23.55
You know, He can
change the hardest heart.
00:25:23.59\00:25:26.35
He can remove
the heaviest guilt.
00:25:26.39\00:25:29.02
He can remake the
most broken heart.
00:25:29.06\00:25:32.63
If you've never done
so, give it all to God.
00:25:32.66\00:25:36.50
Give Him your heart.
00:25:36.53\00:25:38.23
Let Him lift you up.
00:25:38.27\00:25:40.64
And on that day
when Jesus returns,
00:25:40.67\00:25:42.94
He will take you up
to be with Him forever.
00:25:42.97\00:25:48.81
>>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
00:25:48.84\00:25:50.81
exists because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:25:50.85\00:25:54.25
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:25:54.28\00:25:57.52
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:25:57.55\00:26:01.66
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:26:01.69\00:26:03.29
to the address on your screen
00:26:03.32\00:26:04.73
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:26:04.76\00:26:08.50
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
00:26:08.53\00:26:11.33
Our number
again is 800-253-3000,
00:26:11.37\00:26:15.50
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:26:15.54\00:26:18.54
>>John Bradshaw:
Let's pray together now.
00:26:19.74\00:26:21.71
Our Father in
heaven, today we turn to You
00:26:21.74\00:26:24.15
and ask You to
remove out of our hearts
00:26:24.18\00:26:26.25
anything that
should not be there.
00:26:26.28\00:26:28.58
And we thank You that
Your Spirit is so powerful
00:26:28.62\00:26:30.92
that You can do just that.
00:26:30.95\00:26:33.46
Today as we have
discussed Jesus and racism,
00:26:33.49\00:26:36.46
we might have been reminded that
it is within every one of us
00:26:36.49\00:26:40.30
to hate on the basis of race.
00:26:40.33\00:26:42.83
It's within every one of
us to treat others as inferior
00:26:42.86\00:26:47.10
based on race.
00:26:47.14\00:26:48.34
It's within every one of us
to manifest distrust and malice
00:26:48.37\00:26:54.54
based simply on race.
00:26:54.58\00:26:57.15
Lord, we've got to
be better than that.
00:26:57.18\00:27:00.12
And You can do something
in our lives to take away
00:27:00.15\00:27:03.05
that kind of attitude.
00:27:03.08\00:27:04.72
Friend, as God
speaks to your heart,
00:27:04.75\00:27:07.92
is racism an issue with you?
00:27:07.96\00:27:09.39
Can you pray and ask God,
00:27:09.42\00:27:10.89
"Lord, take it away,
and let me love everyone
00:27:10.93\00:27:14.96
as You love everyone"?
00:27:15.00\00:27:17.63
Well, friend, maybe
there's something else,
00:27:17.67\00:27:19.20
some deep-seated sin.
00:27:19.23\00:27:21.40
There might be something
else that you're hanging on to,
00:27:21.44\00:27:23.51
or that is hanging on to
you, and today you need to say,
00:27:23.54\00:27:25.74
"Lord Jesus, take it away.
00:27:25.77\00:27:27.51
"Heavenly Father, take my heart.
00:27:27.54\00:27:29.74
"Forgive me of my sins.
00:27:29.78\00:27:32.28
"Create in me a clean heart.
00:27:32.31\00:27:34.62
Renew a right spirit within me."
00:27:34.65\00:27:37.09
We look to the Jesus
who died on the cross
00:27:37.12\00:27:39.12
and thank You that one day
00:27:39.15\00:27:40.06
He will return in
the clouds of heaven.
00:27:40.09\00:27:41.99
Until then, keep us, we pray,
00:27:42.02\00:27:44.63
and we thank
You, in Jesus' name,
00:27:44.66\00:27:48.13
amen.
00:27:48.16\00:27:49.80
Thank you so
much for joining me.
00:27:49.83\00:27:51.73
I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:51.77\00:27:54.14
Until then, remember:
00:27:54.17\00:27:56.40
"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:27:56.44\00:28:01.34
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:28:01.38\00:28:05.41
¤[dramatic theme music]¤
00:28:05.45\00:28:12.65