¤[music ends]¤
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>>John Bradshaw:
This is It Is Written.
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I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me.
00:00:21.42\00:00:24.92
I'm going to ask you a question,
00:00:24.95\00:00:27.42
and you're gonna need
to reflect on your answer
00:00:27.46\00:00:29.76
because the answer to the
question I'm about to ask you
00:00:29.79\00:00:33.56
might not be
entirely straightforward.
00:00:33.60\00:00:36.83
I'm also gonna tell you a story
and recount a little history.
00:00:36.87\00:00:41.70
You might be
surprised by the story,
00:00:41.74\00:00:43.61
and the
history, for that matter.
00:00:43.64\00:00:46.04
But both the story, which is
very well-known in these parts,
00:00:46.07\00:00:50.25
and the history
are very important,
00:00:50.28\00:00:53.92
as they relate to the
question I'm going to ask you.
00:00:53.95\00:00:57.39
And that question is a
very important question.
00:00:57.42\00:01:00.86
¤[soft guitar music]¤
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So what am I doing here
in western North Carolina?
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First, to orient you, the
town of Sylva is about two miles
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in that direction,
00:01:14.97\00:01:16.27
Cherokee about
eight miles over there,
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and Gatlinburg, Tennessee,
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25 miles away in
roughly that direction.
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There's a story
behind the train tracks
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that run through this town,
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in fact, a story behind
how these tracks got here.
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Follow these tracks and they
take you to the Cowee Tunnel,
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and really, that's
where our story begins.
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In 1882, on December the
30th, it was cold right here.
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It was the dead of winter,
and 30 men were headed to work.
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It would have looked a
lot different back then.
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Along the river banks
were trees with trunks
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that, according to historians,
were 12 to 14 feet in diameter.
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There were no roads, of
course, precious few buildings.
00:02:03.85\00:02:07.46
The area was young
and growing, growing fast.
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Lumber and minerals
were becoming the foundation
00:02:11.23\00:02:13.60
of the economy here.
00:02:13.63\00:02:15.36
So there was a
need for infrastructure,
00:02:15.40\00:02:17.47
for things like railroads, which
meant there was a lot of work,
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and a lot of
workers were needed.
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¤[soft music]¤
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Those 30 men never
made it to their destination
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because of what happened right
here in the Tuckasegee River.
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They were in a boat that was
being pulled across the river
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by a, a line to take
them to their, to their job
00:02:39.52\00:02:43.93
digging out the tunnel.
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But evidently there
was a leak in the boat.
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Water began to pool in the boat,
and the men surged forward.
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They had no
experience with boats or rivers.
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And the boat capsized, and out
they went into the frigid water.
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It was an accident that
should never have happened.
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The Raleigh Observer would
call it "the most awful [thing]
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that has happened in any of
the public works of this state."
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Nineteen of the men drowned.
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Now, it doesn't look
like the kind of river
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that would claim
19 lives, does it?
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Well, getting to shore after
the boat capsized wasn't easy...
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because the men
were chained together.
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So, why were these
men chained together?
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Well, I told you they
were on their way to work,
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but "work" isn't
really the right word.
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They were convicts who
were being forced to labor
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constructing the railroad.
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[pickax strikes rock]
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Their task was digging out
the 700-feet-long Cowee Tunnel
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to make expansion and
industry and progress possible.
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Huge job,
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backbreaking work.
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The young nation was
being built on the back
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of their blood and sweat.
00:04:03.94\00:04:06.04
Now, when you
hear of a chain gang,
00:04:06.07\00:04:08.31
you probably think of a
group of convicts working
00:04:08.34\00:04:12.65
as part of the punishment
for crimes that they committed.
00:04:12.68\00:04:16.22
Now, this is sort
of what that was--
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except that it,
it really wasn't.
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So let's look
now at the history.
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This terrible tragedy on
the Tuckasegee River happened
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in 1882,
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which your knowledge of history
will tell you is almost 20 years
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after the Emancipation
Proclamation was signed,
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17 years after the Thirteenth
Amendment was ratified.
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That's the one
that abolished slavery.
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Blacks were free in
the United States in 1882.
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Theoretically.
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In practice, it was different.
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Slavery had ended,
except it really hadn't.
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Now, here's the history of it.
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Keep in mind
that this is history.
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We shouldn't be backward
about looking at history.
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And as we do, it'll give rise
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to that question
I said I'd ask you.
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¤[soft contemplative music]¤
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[soft rush and hiss
of river water flowing]
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[crunching sound
of footstep on leaves]
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After the Civil War there
was a pretty significant problem
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in the American South.
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Where in the world were
landowners and business people
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going to find cheap labor?
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Slavery had been outlawed.
00:05:34.83\00:05:36.80
This was a legitimate issue.
00:05:36.83\00:05:38.13
One day you have 10,
20, 30 slaves working
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on your plantation;
the next day you have none.
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You've now got to pay
free people a realistic wage
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to do jobs that most
people wouldn't want to do.
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How does life go on?
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How do the wheels of
industry keep turning
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when you have to pay workers?
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You're forbidden to
buy and sell them now.
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So that was one challenge.
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Where in the world would
the American South find workers
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to keep the wheels of
the economy going around?
00:06:05.93\00:06:09.63
And there was another
question, another..."problem,"
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at least for those in
power in the American South.
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A whole race of people that had
been oppressed would now rise.
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Pay them fairly and
they'll provide for themselves;
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they'll show initiative.
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They'll be able to get ahead.
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And you never know,
some of them might get
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into positions of
influence and power.
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They might become active
in the political process.
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Some folks
weren't too keen on that.
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So that's how this unfolded.
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In order to provide
cheap labor in a society
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where an enormous
part of the labor supply
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had just been cut off,
00:06:44.73\00:06:46.47
states realized that those same
people who had worked as slaves
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could be put to work again.
00:06:51.41\00:06:53.24
And if you're wearing a
shirt made in Bangladesh
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and shoes made in Indonesia, you
already understand the concept
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and the benefits of cheap labor.
00:07:01.02\00:07:04.15
Laws were intentionally
designed to limit the freedom
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of African-Americans and
ensure their availability
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as a cheap labor force.
00:07:10.76\00:07:12.86
African-Americans who
had been arrested for crimes
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were leased by the
state to mines, lumber camps,
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quarries, farms, and factories.
00:07:18.93\00:07:21.60
Now, when we say "crimes,"
that's a very loose term.
00:07:21.64\00:07:26.84
The so-called crimes
were often ridiculous things:
00:07:26.88\00:07:31.01
changing employers
without permission,
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vagrancy, riding
freight cars without permission,
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being out after dark,
00:07:38.22\00:07:41.39
being in town without having
a permanent residence there.
00:07:41.42\00:07:44.89
It was absurd.
00:07:44.93\00:07:48.20
But it was enough to
get an African-American
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into the prison system,
00:07:50.37\00:07:52.20
where he could then
be leased by the state,
00:07:52.23\00:07:55.10
providing what was
essentially slave labor
00:07:55.14\00:07:58.31
to any number of enterprises.
00:07:58.34\00:08:00.21
And often the person doing
the sentencing for the crime
00:08:00.24\00:08:03.24
was someone employed by a
person who needed the labor.
00:08:03.28\00:08:06.85
The system was--well,
what would you call it?
00:08:06.88\00:08:11.32
Now, I said a moment ago
00:08:11.35\00:08:12.49
I had a very
serious question to ask you.
00:08:12.52\00:08:15.02
It is serious. It's important.
00:08:15.06\00:08:17.53
I'll have that
question in just a moment.
00:08:17.56\00:08:19.93
¤[music swells and ends]¤
00:08:19.96\00:08:26.94
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>>John Bradshaw: Thanks for
joining me on It Is Written.
00:08:59.33\00:09:01.94
On the second-last
day of December in 1882,
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19 men died here in
the Tuckasegee River.
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Well, they weren't all men.
00:09:09.48\00:09:12.01
Charles Eason was 15.
00:09:12.05\00:09:14.48
Allen Tillman, James Fisher,
and Jim McCallum were 18.
00:09:14.52\00:09:19.15
One of the convicts survived.
00:09:19.19\00:09:20.56
His name was Anderson
Drake. He was 19 years old.
00:09:20.59\00:09:24.43
He got out of the river and then
went back in to save the life
00:09:24.46\00:09:28.66
of a prison guard
named "Fleet" Foster.
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People hailed him as a hero.
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Some thought
that he would go free.
00:09:33.37\00:09:35.60
Now, the story is
told that that night
00:09:35.64\00:09:37.67
Mr. Foster's wallet
containing $30 went missing
00:09:37.71\00:09:41.84
and was found
among Drake's belongings.
00:09:41.88\00:09:44.88
So they lashed Drake
10 times across his back
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with a leather belt.
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Official records say that he
also received a small reward,
00:09:49.35\00:09:53.32
while another
prisoner, Sam Pickett,
00:09:53.36\00:09:55.29
was credited with saving
several men and was pardoned
00:09:55.32\00:09:58.99
and awarded $100.
00:09:59.03\00:10:01.33
Convict leasing flourished
after slavery was abolished.
00:10:01.36\00:10:06.00
Leasing labor wasn't
a new idea by any means.
00:10:06.03\00:10:09.17
During slavery it was
common enough for one business
00:10:09.20\00:10:12.31
or plantation to lease
slaves from slave owners.
00:10:12.34\00:10:16.91
But after the Civil War,
00:10:16.95\00:10:18.65
that whole idea was taken
to another level altogether.
00:10:18.68\00:10:22.08
Prison populations in
Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee,
00:10:22.12\00:10:25.59
Georgia, the Carolinas,
and Texas began to surge,
00:10:25.62\00:10:29.82
as providing convict
labor was a lucrative business.
00:10:29.86\00:10:34.46
In 1883, according to
the University of Houston,
00:10:34.46\00:10:38.47
about 10 percent of
Alabama's total revenue
00:10:38.50\00:10:42.14
was derived
from convict leasing.
00:10:42.17\00:10:45.31
In 1898, that rose
to nearly 73 percent.
00:10:45.34\00:10:49.64
Death rates among leased
convicts were approximately
00:10:49.68\00:10:52.71
10 times higher than
the death rates of prisoners
00:10:52.75\00:10:56.18
in non-lease states.
00:10:56.22\00:10:58.32
In 1873, for example,
00:10:58.35\00:11:00.36
25 percent of all
black leased convicts died.
00:11:00.39\00:11:04.23
Now, if you wonder how
this could have happened at all,
00:11:04.26\00:11:07.40
well, it was a long time ago.
00:11:07.40\00:11:09.43
The country was really
still emerging from slavery,
00:11:09.46\00:11:12.90
and there was a
loophole in the Constitution,
00:11:12.93\00:11:15.84
in the same
amendment that freed slaves.
00:11:15.87\00:11:19.01
This is the
Thirteenth Amendment:
00:11:19.04\00:11:21.04
"Neither slavery nor
involuntary servitude,
00:11:22.51\00:11:26.92
"except as a punishment
for crime whereof the party
00:11:26.95\00:11:30.22
"shall have been duly convicted,
00:11:30.25\00:11:32.52
"shall exist
within the United States,
00:11:32.55\00:11:35.32
or any place subject
to their jurisdiction."
00:11:35.36\00:11:38.43
According to the Texas
State Historical Association,
00:11:41.00\00:11:44.63
"A vagrancy law allowed
local courts to arrest people
00:11:44.67\00:11:48.80
"whom they defined as idle, fine
them, and contract their labor
00:11:48.84\00:11:54.34
if they could not pay the fine."
00:11:54.38\00:11:57.01
Local courts were able to force
people into any type of labor
00:11:57.05\00:12:01.05
until a fine was paid.
00:12:01.08\00:12:03.05
Anyone who had been sentenced
to time in a county jail
00:12:03.08\00:12:05.82
for a misdemeanor
or a petty offense
00:12:05.85\00:12:08.26
could also be forced into labor.
00:12:08.29\00:12:11.23
These were tough times.
00:12:11.26\00:12:12.79
Now, listen to this;
00:12:12.83\00:12:13.93
it's from the Alabama
History Education Initiative:
00:12:13.96\00:12:17.53
"Convict leasing was a forced
labor practice that developed
00:12:17.57\00:12:20.57
"in the South after
the end of the Civil War.
00:12:20.60\00:12:23.30
"Huge numbers of
convicts, primarily black males,
00:12:23.34\00:12:26.74
"many of whom had been
legally but unjustly imprisoned
00:12:26.78\00:12:30.08
"(often on trumped-up charges),
00:12:30.11\00:12:32.21
"were leased by county and state
governments across the South
00:12:32.25\00:12:36.35
"to various businesses in search
of a source of cheap labor.
00:12:36.38\00:12:40.26
"These businesses (railroads,
lumber, and mining companies,
00:12:40.29\00:12:43.89
"for example) paid governments
a fee for each leased convict
00:12:43.93\00:12:48.86
"and assumed the cost of
housing and feeding prisoners
00:12:48.90\00:12:51.77
"in camps they
built. As a result,
00:12:51.80\00:12:54.60
"prisoners no longer
cost the government money;
00:12:54.64\00:12:58.01
"they became a
substantial source of revenue,
00:12:58.04\00:13:01.34
"a fact that increased
the incentive to generate
00:13:01.38\00:13:04.65
"ever larger numbers of them.
00:13:04.68\00:13:06.98
"Tragically for
prisoners, once on a job site,
00:13:07.02\00:13:09.92
"they received no protection.
00:13:09.95\00:13:12.35
"They worked long
hours for little pay,
00:13:12.39\00:13:14.72
"often in extremely unhealthy
and dangerous conditions.
00:13:14.76\00:13:18.69
"Prisoners were
routinely shackled at night
00:13:18.73\00:13:21.20
"and whipped or tortured
if they disobeyed orders.
00:13:21.23\00:13:24.67
"Hundreds of thousands
of them died on the job.
00:13:24.70\00:13:28.10
"But because
companies had so little invested
00:13:28.14\00:13:30.34
"in any one
prisoner, if he died,
00:13:30.37\00:13:33.68
he was readily
and easily replaced."
00:13:33.71\00:13:36.41
Although the vast majority of
the leased convicts were black,
00:13:37.41\00:13:40.95
some were
immigrants, and some were white,
00:13:40.98\00:13:43.82
not many, but some.
00:13:43.85\00:13:45.85
One of them was Martin Tabert
from Munich, North Dakota,
00:13:51.46\00:13:55.10
who rode the rails to
Tallahassee, Florida, in 1922.
00:13:55.13\00:13:59.47
He didn't know that
the sheriff of Leon County
00:13:59.50\00:14:01.60
had a scheme going.
00:14:01.64\00:14:03.37
Men riding the rails into
Tallahassee would be arrested
00:14:03.41\00:14:06.84
and fined $25, about $400 today.
00:14:06.88\00:14:10.85
The fine was to be
paid within two days.
00:14:10.88\00:14:13.62
The sheriff got
$20 of those $25.
00:14:13.65\00:14:16.69
He'd keep $3--about $50
today-- and then split the rest
00:14:16.72\00:14:21.29
among the men who were
helping him with this scheme.
00:14:21.32\00:14:24.26
Mr. Tabert, no
surprise, couldn't pay the fine.
00:14:24.29\00:14:28.26
So he was sent to the Putnam
Lumber Company turpentine camp,
00:14:28.30\00:14:32.50
where he was whipped
to death by the camp boss.
00:14:32.53\00:14:36.57
Tabert's family
hired an attorney,
00:14:36.60\00:14:38.54
who contacted a
New York newspaper,
00:14:38.57\00:14:40.91
which generated publicity
that led to convict leasing
00:14:40.94\00:14:44.35
being discontinued in
Florida the next year.
00:14:44.38\00:14:48.35
Writer Marjory Stoneman Douglas
00:14:48.38\00:14:50.19
wrote a poem
about Tabert's death.
00:14:50.22\00:14:52.65
It says, in part, "They took
him out to the convict camp,
00:14:52.69\00:14:57.73
"and he's walking Florida now.
00:14:57.76\00:15:00.13
"O children, the tall
pines stood and heard him
00:15:00.16\00:15:04.00
"when he was moaning low.
00:15:04.03\00:15:06.47
"The other convicts,
they stood around him,
00:15:06.50\00:15:09.04
"when the length of the black
strap cracked and found him.
00:15:09.07\00:15:12.47
"Martin Tabert of North Dakota.
00:15:12.51\00:15:15.11
And he's walking Florida now."
00:15:15.14\00:15:17.51
The Florida state legislature
ended convict leasing
00:15:19.25\00:15:22.42
the following year, 1923.
00:15:22.45\00:15:25.02
Writer and historian
Dr. Matthew Mancini wrote,
00:15:25.05\00:15:28.32
"There may be a trace
of irony, however tragic,
00:15:28.36\00:15:31.76
"in the fact that a
system of black forced labor
00:15:31.79\00:15:35.70
"would come to an end
00:15:35.73\00:15:36.70
"because of the hideous murder
00:15:36.73\00:15:39.00
of a white convict."
00:15:39.03\00:15:41.10
Convict leasing existed until
the 1940s, some say the '50s.
00:15:41.14\00:15:47.71
Now, you could make the
case that in a certain sense
00:15:47.74\00:15:50.75
convict leasing was worse than
slavery in that, under slavery,
00:15:50.78\00:15:55.62
enslaved people simply didn't
have rights, and they knew it.
00:15:55.65\00:15:59.95
But post-slavery, while every
American was said to be free,
00:16:00.06\00:16:04.99
this system made a
mockery of that right.
00:16:05.03\00:16:08.20
You might think you were
free, when in actual fact,
00:16:08.23\00:16:11.47
freedom was a delusion,
an illusion, a chimera.
00:16:11.50\00:16:16.24
So there's the
history, a grotesque system.
00:16:17.21\00:16:20.31
It's well-documented.
00:16:20.34\00:16:21.58
This isn't new news,
although doubtless many people
00:16:21.61\00:16:24.55
are unaware of its depth or
of its truly hideous nature.
00:16:24.58\00:16:28.62
But it gives rise to that
question I want to ask you.
00:16:28.65\00:16:32.39
The men who toiled under
convict leasing were not free.
00:16:32.42\00:16:35.86
Now, legally they were free,
00:16:35.89\00:16:39.59
but that freedom was
stripped away from them
00:16:39.63\00:16:42.16
so that while they should
have been free, they were not.
00:16:42.20\00:16:47.27
There are
people like that today,
00:16:47.30\00:16:50.51
should be free, are not free.
00:16:50.54\00:16:53.04
The church is full
of people like that.
00:16:53.07\00:16:56.38
Outside the
church, they're everywhere.
00:16:56.41\00:16:59.81
You might be
one of those people.
00:16:59.85\00:17:02.05
This matters.
00:17:02.08\00:17:03.92
I'll be right back.
00:17:03.95\00:17:05.25
¤[music swells and ends]¤
00:17:05.29\00:17:12.29
>>John: You know that at
It Is Written we are serious
00:17:14.36\00:17:16.67
about studying the Word of God.
00:17:16.70\00:17:18.20
And we encourage you
to be serious as well.
00:17:18.23\00:17:20.94
Well, here's what you do
00:17:20.97\00:17:22.10
if you want to dig
deeper into God's Word.
00:17:22.14\00:17:24.07
Go to itiswritten.study
00:17:24.11\00:17:26.27
for the It Is Written
Bible Study Guides online,
00:17:26.31\00:17:29.14
25 in-depth Bible
studies that will take you
00:17:29.18\00:17:31.78
through the major
teachings of the Bible.
00:17:31.81\00:17:34.18
You'll be blessed,
00:17:34.22\00:17:35.45
and it's something you'll want
to tell others about as well.
00:17:35.48\00:17:37.82
Itiswritten.study.
00:17:37.85\00:17:39.42
Go further: itiswritten.study.
00:17:39.45\00:17:42.16
>>John: On March 7,
1965, voting rights activists
00:17:44.49\00:17:48.50
in Selma, Alabama, began
a march to the state capital
00:17:48.53\00:17:52.50
in order to make
their voices heard.
00:17:52.53\00:17:55.07
They made it as far as
the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
00:17:55.10\00:17:58.44
>>Joanne Bland: Before we could
turn to run it was too late.
00:17:58.47\00:18:00.41
They came in from both
sides, the front and the back.
00:18:00.44\00:18:03.35
And they were
just beating people.
00:18:03.38\00:18:05.31
People were screaming
and screaming and screaming.
00:18:05.35\00:18:09.15
>>John: The injustices
that took place in Selma
00:18:09.18\00:18:11.25
got the attention of the nation
00:18:11.29\00:18:13.66
and inspired
others to stand up also.
00:18:13.69\00:18:16.42
For some, that decision
would cost them their lives.
00:18:16.46\00:18:20.63
Join It Is Written on
location in Selma, Alabama,
00:18:20.66\00:18:24.07
for "Rights and Wrongs."
00:18:24.10\00:18:26.27
We'll look at the stories of
people who sacrificed everything
00:18:26.30\00:18:29.20
in order to do what was right.
00:18:29.24\00:18:31.57
And we'll discuss
how Jesus suffered
00:18:31.61\00:18:33.24
the greatest injustice of all so
that we could have true freedom.
00:18:33.27\00:18:38.38
"Rights and Wrongs,"
00:18:38.41\00:18:39.98
brought to you
by It Is Written TV.
00:18:40.02\00:18:43.02
¤[soft solemn music]¤
00:18:45.02\00:18:47.32
>>John Bradshaw: They say
the Cowee Tunnel is haunted.
00:18:47.36\00:18:50.39
Of course it
isn't, but it is haunting.
00:18:50.43\00:18:54.73
They like to say around here
that the water that drips down
00:18:54.76\00:18:57.13
inside the tunnel is the
tears of the 19 men who died
00:18:57.17\00:19:00.94
and were then buried
up on top of the tunnel.
00:19:00.97\00:19:03.44
Well, in actual fact,
they were buried on a hillside
00:19:03.47\00:19:05.67
not very far away from here.
00:19:05.71\00:19:07.91
But there is a question
that might just eat away at you,
00:19:07.94\00:19:10.91
the way water might
drip, drip, drip down on a rock
00:19:10.95\00:19:14.65
and start to
wear that rock away.
00:19:14.68\00:19:17.32
Here's that question:
00:19:17.35\00:19:18.75
How free are you?
00:19:18.79\00:19:20.79
Well, you might say, "What?
00:19:20.82\00:19:21.82
"I live in the
United States of America,
00:19:21.86\00:19:23.36
'the land of the free
and the home of the brave.'"
00:19:23.39\00:19:25.59
Or, "I live in
Canada, New Zealand.
00:19:25.63\00:19:27.96
I live in the Caribbean.
I live in a free country."
00:19:27.96\00:19:31.07
All right.
00:19:31.10\00:19:32.47
But back to my question.
00:19:32.50\00:19:34.30
How free are you?
00:19:34.34\00:19:36.84
I'm gonna tell you this.
00:19:36.87\00:19:38.64
You might not be
as free as you think.
00:19:38.67\00:19:41.61
In fact, you might
not be free at all.
00:19:41.64\00:19:45.81
So let's talk about freedom.
00:19:45.85\00:19:48.22
This is Romans 6,
starting in verse 16:
00:19:48.25\00:19:52.05
"Do you not know that to
whom you present yourselves
00:19:52.09\00:19:55.22
"slaves to obey, you are
that one's slaves whom you obey,
00:19:55.26\00:20:00.63
"whether of sin
leading to death,
00:20:00.66\00:20:03.30
"or of obedience
leading to righteousness?
00:20:03.33\00:20:06.90
"But God be thanked that
though you were slaves of sin,
00:20:06.94\00:20:11.84
"yet you obeyed from the
heart that form of doctrine
00:20:11.87\00:20:15.28
"to which you were delivered.
00:20:15.31\00:20:16.85
"And having been
set free from sin,
00:20:16.88\00:20:19.91
you became slaves
of righteousness."
00:20:19.95\00:20:22.92
And verse 20:
00:20:22.95\00:20:24.45
"For when you
were slaves of sin,
00:20:24.49\00:20:26.89
you were free in
regard to righteousness."
00:20:26.92\00:20:29.49
See, here's what
we've gotta remember.
00:20:30.49\00:20:32.39
Jesus came into this
world to set us free.
00:20:32.43\00:20:36.13
Once Adam and Eve had
sinned in the Garden of Eden,
00:20:36.16\00:20:39.27
they were no longer free.
00:20:39.30\00:20:41.24
They were slaves, slaves to sin.
00:20:41.27\00:20:45.27
But Jesus came into the world
to set the human family free,
00:20:45.31\00:20:50.05
not just to tell us
that we have been forgiven,
00:20:50.08\00:20:53.18
but to actually break
the chains that tie us
00:20:53.21\00:20:56.48
to the old life of sin.
00:20:56.52\00:20:58.49
¤[soft piano music]¤
00:20:58.52\00:21:01.62
You're a believer and you
can't control your temper.
00:21:01.66\00:21:04.63
Well, you're not free.
00:21:04.66\00:21:06.19
You're being held in
chains by your temper.
00:21:06.23\00:21:09.06
If lust controls you
and you can't shake it off
00:21:09.10\00:21:11.47
and for years you've been
led around by your desires,
00:21:11.50\00:21:14.70
you can't claim to be free.
00:21:14.74\00:21:17.01
You're not experiencing
what God wants for your life.
00:21:17.04\00:21:20.38
Now, careful, I'm not
saying that followers of Jesus
00:21:20.41\00:21:23.38
don't have
challenges, don't make mistakes.
00:21:23.41\00:21:26.35
Babies often fall as
they're learning to walk,
00:21:26.38\00:21:29.45
and long after they've learned
to walk, they might still fall.
00:21:29.48\00:21:32.62
But they're not being
held captive by falling.
00:21:32.65\00:21:36.22
They're growing.
00:21:36.26\00:21:37.63
How is it with you?
00:21:37.66\00:21:39.16
Are you growing?
00:21:39.19\00:21:40.70
The person who
says, "I'm not a believer;
00:21:40.73\00:21:43.23
I don't have time for
God; I don't need God"
00:21:43.26\00:21:46.37
is the same person
who's a drunk or immoral
00:21:46.40\00:21:49.14
or an addict or selfish.
00:21:49.17\00:21:51.37
You're not nearly as
free as you might think
00:21:51.41\00:21:54.08
because you're a
slave to selfishness.
00:21:54.11\00:21:57.51
Here's what the Bible
says, 2 Corinthians 3:17.
00:21:57.55\00:22:01.45
"Where the Spirit of the
Lord is, there is liberty."
00:22:01.48\00:22:06.15
It's God who makes you free.
00:22:06.19\00:22:08.82
Look, it makes no sense
that Jesus came to this world,
00:22:08.86\00:22:13.19
died on the cross for
you, ascended to heaven,
00:22:13.23\00:22:16.33
where He now intercedes
for you as your High Priest,
00:22:16.36\00:22:20.07
if Jesus did all that for
you, it makes no sense for you
00:22:20.10\00:22:23.47
to be on the chain
gang with other sinners.
00:22:23.51\00:22:26.27
You ought to be free.
00:22:26.31\00:22:28.64
As Paul wrote to the Galatians,
00:22:28.68\00:22:30.28
"Stand fast
therefore in the liberty
00:22:30.31\00:22:32.31
"by which Christ
has made us free,
00:22:32.35\00:22:35.02
and do not be entangled
again with a yoke of bondage."
00:22:35.05\00:22:38.62
That's Galatians 5, verse 1.
00:22:38.65\00:22:40.96
He wrote to the Romans,
00:22:40.99\00:22:42.46
"For the law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
00:22:42.49\00:22:46.33
has made me free from
the law of sin and death."
00:22:46.36\00:22:49.70
Romans 8, verse 2.
00:22:49.73\00:22:51.67
What God wants
for you is freedom.
00:22:51.70\00:22:55.64
But just like the convicts
who were leased out as slaves,
00:22:55.67\00:22:59.41
there are too many people
today who aren't experiencing
00:22:59.44\00:23:03.04
real freedom in Christ.
00:23:03.08\00:23:05.28
So here's what we
want to do about it.
00:23:05.31\00:23:07.25
We're all sinners.
00:23:07.28\00:23:08.48
As the Bible says,
00:23:08.52\00:23:09.65
"All have sinned, and come
short of the glory of God."
00:23:09.68\00:23:12.49
Jesus died to set us free from
sin, so we accept His death.
00:23:12.52\00:23:18.19
We believe it happened for us.
00:23:18.23\00:23:19.56
We confess our
sins, and we're forgiven.
00:23:19.59\00:23:23.43
Forgiven. Free.
00:23:23.47\00:23:26.20
But you don't want to
go back to the old life.
00:23:26.23\00:23:28.80
You don't want to be set free
and then return to shackles.
00:23:28.84\00:23:33.51
So you continue to lean on Jesus
and allow Him to set you free
00:23:33.54\00:23:38.01
from the penalty of
sin and the power of sin
00:23:38.05\00:23:42.38
so that sin doesn't
have dominion over you.
00:23:42.42\00:23:46.09
Jesus has
freedom from sin for you.
00:23:46.12\00:23:50.56
Now, don't be
saying to yourself,
00:23:50.59\00:23:51.93
"Oh, I've gone too far.
God can't possibly save me."
00:23:51.96\00:23:55.06
That's just not true.
00:23:55.10\00:23:56.60
You don't want to be
thinking in your mind,
00:23:56.63\00:23:58.27
"I'm too bad for God.
I'm in this too deep."
00:23:58.30\00:24:01.57
That's completely wrong.
00:24:01.60\00:24:03.57
Jesus brings freedom into
your life. That's what He does.
00:24:03.61\00:24:06.84
And He'll do it for anyone.
00:24:06.88\00:24:09.38
Now, if you're
thinking to yourself,
00:24:09.41\00:24:10.78
"Oh, I'm leaving
God out of my life,
00:24:10.81\00:24:13.72
I'm ignoring God, and I'm
okay; I feel like I'm free,"
00:24:13.75\00:24:19.35
well, God has you hearing
this so that you can know
00:24:19.39\00:24:22.32
that you're not free at all.
00:24:22.36\00:24:24.06
Without Jesus in your life,
the truth is you're a slave.
00:24:24.09\00:24:28.23
Look at Jesus'
words in John, chapter 8.
00:24:31.30\00:24:34.24
Here's where we
find real freedom.
00:24:34.27\00:24:36.97
"Then Jesus said to
those Jews who believed Him,
00:24:37.01\00:24:40.11
"'If you abide in my word,
you are my disciples indeed.
00:24:40.14\00:24:44.48
"'And you shall know the truth,
00:24:44.51\00:24:46.92
and the truth
shall make you free.'"
00:24:46.95\00:24:50.85
Jesus said, "Most assuredly,
00:24:50.89\00:24:53.02
"I say to you, whoever commits
sin is a slave of sin....
00:24:53.05\00:24:59.06
"Therefore if the
Son makes you free,
00:24:59.09\00:25:02.83
you shall be free indeed."
00:25:02.86\00:25:05.80
Free indeed,
that's God's plan for you.
00:25:05.83\00:25:08.57
Free indeed,
00:25:08.60\00:25:09.74
free from the power of sin.
00:25:09.77\00:25:12.01
Free indeed,
00:25:12.04\00:25:13.41
experiencing the
power of God in your life.
00:25:13.44\00:25:16.64
Free indeed,
00:25:16.68\00:25:17.85
not under the dominion of sin.
00:25:17.88\00:25:19.91
Free indeed,
00:25:19.95\00:25:21.32
God's plan, the Holy
Spirit in your heart,
00:25:21.35\00:25:24.89
Jesus abiding in your life.
00:25:24.92\00:25:27.66
Free indeed. What do you say?
00:25:27.69\00:25:29.92
No one else can offer you
what God offers you in Jesus.
00:25:29.96\00:25:34.40
Can you ask for that
kind of freedom in your life?
00:25:34.46\00:25:37.20
You want freedom?
00:25:37.23\00:25:38.70
Not just free on paper,
but free in your experience.
00:25:38.73\00:25:43.10
Forgiven and set
free, free indeed.
00:25:43.14\00:25:48.98
>>John: I'd love for you
to get today's free offer,
00:25:49.98\00:25:51.95
"Promises of Power."
00:25:51.98\00:25:53.42
Experience how God's promises
00:25:53.45\00:25:55.28
can empower and
enrich your life.
00:25:55.32\00:25:58.09
I wrote this with you in mind.
00:25:58.12\00:25:59.55
To get today's free offer,
00:25:59.59\00:26:00.66
just call us
now on 800-253-3000,
00:26:00.69\00:26:04.53
800-253-3000.
00:26:04.56\00:26:06.70
Or go online to iiwoffer.com.
00:26:06.73\00:26:10.80
"Promises of Power," it's free,
00:26:10.83\00:26:13.37
and there's no obligation.
00:26:13.40\00:26:14.90
Call us now: 800-253-3000.
00:26:14.94\00:26:19.04
>>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
00:26:20.38\00:26:22.28
exists because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:26:22.31\00:26:25.61
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:26:25.65\00:26:28.98
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:26:29.02\00:26:33.22
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:26:33.25\00:26:34.69
to the address on your screen,
00:26:34.72\00:26:36.16
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:26:36.19\00:26:40.06
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
00:26:40.10\00:26:42.80
Our number
again is 800-253-3000,
00:26:42.83\00:26:46.97
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:26:47.00\00:26:50.01
>>John Bradshaw:
Let's pray together now.
00:26:51.31\00:26:53.31
Our Father in heaven, I
thank You today for freedom.
00:26:53.34\00:26:56.48
Thank You that we
can be free in Jesus.
00:26:56.51\00:26:59.15
So many of us, we
must be set free--
00:26:59.18\00:27:02.92
from sin, from guilt,
00:27:02.95\00:27:04.85
from anger, from ill-health,
00:27:04.89\00:27:07.69
from relationship challenges,
00:27:07.72\00:27:09.59
from financial difficulties.
00:27:09.62\00:27:11.33
We seek our freedom in You,
00:27:11.36\00:27:14.00
real freedom--
00:27:14.03\00:27:15.50
not just free in name only,
but free in our experience.
00:27:15.53\00:27:20.44
Friend, would you
claim freedom today in Jesus?
00:27:20.47\00:27:23.37
You can do that now.
00:27:23.41\00:27:24.74
You can reach out to
the God of heaven and say,
00:27:24.77\00:27:26.51
"Lord, set me free.
00:27:26.54\00:27:28.31
I choose to believe
that Jesus makes me free."
00:27:28.34\00:27:31.81
When you pray that prayer,
00:27:31.85\00:27:32.78
you can believe
freedom is yours in Christ.
00:27:32.81\00:27:34.98
We thank You today, Father.
00:27:35.02\00:27:37.12
Bless us, keep us, grow us,
00:27:37.15\00:27:39.55
in Jesus' name, amen.
00:27:39.59\00:27:42.82
Thanks so much for joining me.
00:27:42.86\00:27:43.93
I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:43.96\00:27:46.09
Until then, remember:
00:27:46.13\00:27:48.10
"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:27:48.13\00:27:51.80
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:27:51.83\00:27:56.34
¤[dramatic theme music]¤
00:27:56.37\00:28:02.38
¤[music ends]¤
00:28:22.83\00:28:24.83