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>>John Bradshaw:
This is It Is Written.
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I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me.
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Once a week a rabbi in New York
City travels around Manhattan
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spending a lot
of time looking up.
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He's looking to see if
the eruv is still intact.
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If it isn't, he calls
a construction company,
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and he gets in a cherry picker
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and rises 18 feet above the
streets of Manhattan to fix it.
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An "eruv," E-R-U-V,
is, at least in this case,
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a clear fishing line strung up
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around most of the
island of Manhattan,
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from the
southern tip of the island
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all the way to 145th
Street in Harlem in the north
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and taking in
all of Central Park.
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Now, why does the rabbi do this?
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¤[soft piano music]¤
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When God gave Moses the Ten
Commandments on Mount Sinai,
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He said and wrote this:
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"Remember the
Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
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"Six days you shall
labor and do all your work,
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"but the seventh day is the
Sabbath of the Lord your God.
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"In it you shall do no
work: you, nor your son,
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"nor your daughter,
nor your male servant,
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"nor your female
servant, nor your cattle,
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nor your stranger who
is within your gates."
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Exodus 20, verses 8 through 10.
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And observant Jews, as you'd
expect, take that seriously.
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So in places like New York City,
that presents some challenges.
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For traditional
Jews, on the Sabbath day,
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nothing can be carried from
one's home into a public space,
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and that includes things
such as house keys or a wallet.
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It means no
pushing a baby stroller,
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which for some families
would mean that there's no way
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they could leave
their home on the Sabbath.
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"Eruvim" are found in more than
30 states in the United States
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and in several
countries around the world.
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And they function as
a workaround, really.
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The rule is, if
you're within the eruv,
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you're in your
own personal space.
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So therefore you can
carry whatever you want.
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The eruv turns a big city area
into one big communal backyard.
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Which is interesting,
perhaps, to a non-Jew,
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'cause what you have is a rule
created by rabbis and not by God
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that severely limits what a
person can do on the Sabbath.
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Then another rule is devised
to get around the restrictions
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imposed by that first rule.
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Keeping the Sabbath today
is largely a Jewish concept.
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But it wasn't always that way.
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You find someone who's
got a few miles on the clock
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and ask them what it was
like when they were younger,
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and they'll tell
you something like,
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"Well, after church
we'd go to Grandma's house,
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"and she'd have a
special meal prepared, and,
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"and then the rest of the
day no one would do any work,
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not even Grandpa. Grandpa
wouldn't even work on his farm,"
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because they considered
the day to be special,
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and they kept it holy--
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now, not like observant Jews,
of course, but holy nonetheless.
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As society has drifted
away from the religious
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and embraced the secular,
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there's been a move away
from some of the practices
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that once
characterized religious faith.
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And not everybody thinks
that that's a great idea.
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When Simon & Schuster published
the book "The Gift of Rest"
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in 2011, a book written by
then senator Joe Lieberman,
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who was Jewish, the book
received strong critical acclaim
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from Christian quarters,
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with many people
beginning to wonder out loud
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whether Christians
weren't missing out on something
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by passing
lightly over the Sabbath.
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God gave 10 commandments on
Sinai, and we'd have no trouble
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agreeing on the
benefits, the blessings,
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and the plain old
common sense of keeping them.
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"No other gods before [God]."
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Well, of course.
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If God wasn't God in your
life and something else was,
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then God wouldn't be first;
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He'd be second or
third or fourth--or worse.
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And then you could never
honor the words that Jesus spoke
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when He quoted Deuteronomy
6:5 in Matthew 22:37,
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"You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart,
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with all your soul,
and with all your mind."
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Unless God is first,
that just can't happen.
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¤[soft piano music]¤
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Second
commandment: No graven images.
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That's idolatry.
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Praying to statues,
bowing before images--
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we can't
justify that in any way.
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God has spoken
clearly about that.
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It lowers your concept of
God and therefore lowers you.
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And you see, the Ten
Commandments are good ideas.
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They represent
the character of God.
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The third commandment says
we shouldn't "take the name
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of the Lord...in vain"--
use it as a common swear word.
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A lot of people do,
and it's never right.
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The fourth
commandment is the longest:
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"Remember the Sabbath
day, to keep it holy."
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In fact, it's by far the
longest of the Ten Commandments.
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The fifth: "Honor your
father and your mother."
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I can't think of a single parent
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who doesn't think that
that's a really good idea.
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And by the way,
how would society look
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if we actually did take
that commandment seriously?
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And what if parents who wished
for their children to honor them
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conducted
themselves in such a way
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that it would make it easy for
children to render that honor?
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Now, that would be something.
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The sixth commandment:
"Thou shalt not kill,"
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which actually means,
"Thou shalt not murder."
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Any arguments with that one?
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No. We believe in
that one, no question.
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Now, there are two of
the remaining commandments
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that have fallen out of favor,
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and commandment
seven is one of them.
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It says, "Thou shalt
not commit adultery."
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That's physical intimacy with
someone you're not married to,
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although Jesus said
that this even includes
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looking at
another person to lust.
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The reason I say this
commandment has fallen
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out of favor is that in
society, and even in the church,
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there's
unfortunately plenty of adultery
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and lust and pornography.
00:06:48.64\00:06:52.14
The eighth commandment
is, "Thou shalt not steal."
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Any problem with that one?
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I'll wait while you lock
your house and set your alarm
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and lock your car
before you answer.
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We love that commandment.
We wish everyone did.
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Now, keep in mind, we're briefly
reviewing the Ten Commandments,
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and we're seeing that there are
real benefits in keeping them.
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They're good for us.
They're good for society.
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The ninth commandment:
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"Thou shalt not
bear false witness."
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No lying--that's
obvious. That's good.
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And the final commandment
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is the other one
that's kind of neglected:
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"Thou shalt not covet,"
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which gets to the root
of all commandment-breaking.
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Now, coveting is an
inappropriate desire to have
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that which isn't yours,
that which you have no right to.
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So, of course it's
okay to want a better car
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or to admire a nice house.
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This commandment
speaks to our inner desires.
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Most moral codes only
deal with outward acts.
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This one
touches on the thoughts,
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the intents, the desires.
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God cares about
that. He sees the heart.
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And seeing as
we're not to covet,
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this tells us then that
we're not slaves to our desires.
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You want your neighbor's spouse?
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You don't have to. God can
give you the victory over that.
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This is not a commandment
that you want to forget.
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So why is the fourth commandment
kind of forgotten these days?
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And why does it matter?
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I'll tell you in just a moment.
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¤[music swells and ends]¤¤
00:08:21.73\00:08:28.74
>>John: I'd like to encourage
you to get today's free offer.
00:08:30.77\00:08:33.74
It's my DVD presentation
of "Rest and Recovery,"
00:08:33.78\00:08:37.18
taken from our
Hope Awakens series.
00:08:37.21\00:08:40.48
An ancient gift, a
closer relationship with Jesus,
00:08:40.52\00:08:44.59
and more of the
presence of God in your life.
00:08:44.62\00:08:47.69
To get "Rest and Recovery,"
00:08:47.72\00:08:49.59
call now: 800-253-3000.
00:08:49.62\00:08:52.69
That's 800-253-3000.
00:08:52.73\00:08:55.80
Or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:08:55.83\00:09:00.17
>>John Bradshaw: Thanks for
joining me on It Is Written.
00:09:01.17\00:09:04.77
Do you remember where you
were when Neil Armstrong became
00:09:04.81\00:09:08.41
the first person to
ever walk on the moon?
00:09:08.44\00:09:11.91
If your memory doesn't
go back quite that far,
00:09:11.95\00:09:14.45
maybe you remember where
you were when 9/11 happened,
00:09:14.48\00:09:17.32
or when the
Berlin Wall came down,
00:09:17.35\00:09:19.39
or when Princess Diana died.
00:09:19.42\00:09:22.69
There are some days that
are just impossible to forget.
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Now, there's one day that
God has asked us to remember,
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but the reality is the majority
of people have forgotten.
00:09:30.90\00:09:35.70
When God gave
the Ten Commandments,
00:09:35.74\00:09:37.21
He said, "Remember the
Sabbath day, to keep it holy."
00:09:37.24\00:09:41.98
But today that's one
thing that a lot of people
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really have let go.
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Now, let me mention something,
because you'll hear people say,
00:09:47.42\00:09:50.25
"Well, we don't
keep the Ten Commandments
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in order to be saved. The
Ten Commandments don't save us."
00:09:52.72\00:09:56.49
And they're absolutely right.
00:09:56.52\00:09:58.46
No one should be thinking
about the Ten Commandments
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as a means of salvation.
00:10:00.96\00:10:03.40
Salvation comes just one way,
00:10:03.43\00:10:05.67
and that's by grace
through faith in Jesus Christ.
00:10:05.70\00:10:10.21
Jesus died for our sins,
and it's through faith in Him,
00:10:10.24\00:10:14.24
through faith in the
blood that He shed for us,
00:10:14.28\00:10:16.88
that we receive
salvation from sin.
00:10:16.91\00:10:20.05
As Paul wrote to Titus,
00:10:20.08\00:10:21.88
"Not by works of righteousness
which we have done,
00:10:21.92\00:10:25.15
"but according to
His mercy He saved us,
00:10:25.19\00:10:27.52
"by the washing of regeneration,
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"and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
which He shed on us abundantly
00:10:29.62\00:10:33.70
through Jesus
Christ our Saviour."
00:10:33.73\00:10:35.56
That's Titus 3, verses 5 and 6.
00:10:35.60\00:10:39.50
That's clear, and we're
not deviating from that.
00:10:39.53\00:10:42.70
This is why faith in
Jesus is so important.
00:10:42.74\00:10:45.77
The only place you can receive
00:10:45.81\00:10:47.78
the righteousness you
need to be saved is from Jesus.
00:10:47.81\00:10:52.21
He lived a perfect life.
00:10:52.25\00:10:53.85
And so when you
have faith in Jesus,
00:10:53.88\00:10:56.45
you receive credit
for His perfect life.
00:10:56.48\00:10:59.42
We're saved through Jesus only.
00:10:59.45\00:11:02.69
In fact, if you
look at the Hebrew,
00:11:02.72\00:11:04.33
the Ten Commandments aren't
called the ten "commandments,"
00:11:04.36\00:11:07.20
they're called the ten "words,"
00:11:07.23\00:11:09.46
and they're
written in the positive.
00:11:09.50\00:11:11.40
Exodus, chapter 20
begins with God saying,
00:11:11.43\00:11:13.57
"I am the Lord your God.
00:11:13.60\00:11:14.94
"[I called] you out
of the land of Egypt,
00:11:14.97\00:11:16.60
out of the house of bondage."
00:11:16.64\00:11:17.81
And then He says, you'll
"have no other gods before me."
00:11:17.84\00:11:20.78
You won't worship graven images.
00:11:20.81\00:11:22.51
God says, "Because I saved you,
00:11:22.54\00:11:25.55
"this becomes an
inevitability in your life.
00:11:25.58\00:11:28.42
This is how
you're going to live."
00:11:28.45\00:11:30.79
So, why are the Ten
Commandments important?
00:11:30.82\00:11:32.85
Because when somebody
comes to faith in Jesus,
00:11:32.89\00:11:35.66
Jesus lives His life in them.
00:11:35.69\00:11:39.29
John 15 and verse 4 says,
00:11:39.33\00:11:41.80
"Abide in me, and I in you.
00:11:41.83\00:11:44.43
"As the branch
cannot bear fruit of itself,
00:11:44.47\00:11:46.94
"except it abide in
the vine; no more can ye,
00:11:46.97\00:11:50.11
except ye abide in me."
00:11:50.14\00:11:52.64
A lost person comes to Jesus
and is saved by faith in Jesus.
00:11:52.67\00:11:56.98
And then, that lost
person, now a saved person,
00:11:57.01\00:12:00.28
lives according
to the will of God,
00:12:00.32\00:12:02.75
which is expressed
in the Ten Commandments.
00:12:02.78\00:12:05.32
[birds twittering]
00:12:05.35\00:12:06.92
Now, I must tell you where I am.
00:12:06.96\00:12:09.39
I'm in the foothills of
the Great Smoky Mountains
00:12:09.42\00:12:12.33
at Fields of the Wood,
00:12:12.36\00:12:14.56
a theme park operated by
the Church of God of Prophecy.
00:12:14.60\00:12:17.67
Here you'll find,
among other things,
00:12:17.70\00:12:19.80
a 300-feet-wide representation
of the Ten Commandments.
00:12:19.83\00:12:24.77
Each letter is five
feet high and four feet wide.
00:12:24.81\00:12:28.94
Some of the
commandments are abbreviated,
00:12:28.98\00:12:30.65
because if they weren't,
00:12:30.68\00:12:32.35
you'd need a much
bigger hillside than this.
00:12:32.38\00:12:35.15
So these are the
Ten Commandments,
00:12:35.18\00:12:36.79
larger than life, placed
here by Christian believers
00:12:36.82\00:12:40.32
who certainly
thought they're important,
00:12:40.36\00:12:43.22
not as a means of salvation,
00:12:43.26\00:12:45.13
but as the life
believers in Jesus live
00:12:45.16\00:12:47.66
when He gets
hold of their hearts.
00:12:47.66\00:12:50.57
Isn't this something?
00:12:50.60\00:12:53.17
In his book, "The Gift of Rest,"
former senator Joe Lieberman
00:12:53.20\00:12:58.14
writes about Jews
looking forward to and welcoming
00:12:58.17\00:13:02.31
what they call "Queen Sabbath."
00:13:02.34\00:13:04.91
I've witnessed that very
thing and heard those same words
00:13:04.95\00:13:07.65
in Jerusalem at
the Western Wall.
00:13:07.68\00:13:10.52
In fact, down there
you'll see people celebrating
00:13:10.55\00:13:12.95
as the Sabbath arrives,
00:13:12.99\00:13:14.69
celebrating as though
they've won the Super Bowl.
00:13:14.72\00:13:17.59
And they believe that's
consistent with what you see
00:13:17.63\00:13:19.93
in Isaiah, chapter 58.
00:13:19.96\00:13:22.96
The prophet wrote, "If you turn
away your foot from the Sabbath,
00:13:23.00\00:13:26.74
"from doing your
pleasure on my holy day,
00:13:26.77\00:13:30.07
"and call the Sabbath a delight,
the holy day of the Lord
00:13:30.11\00:13:33.94
"honorable, and shall honor
Him, not doing your own ways,
00:13:33.98\00:13:38.25
"nor finding your own pleasure,
nor speaking your own words,
00:13:38.28\00:13:42.45
"then you shall
delight yourself in the Lord;
00:13:42.48\00:13:44.99
"and I will cause you to ride
on the high hills of the earth,
00:13:45.02\00:13:48.72
"and feed you with the
heritage of Jacob your father.
00:13:48.76\00:13:52.23
The mouth of the
Lord has spoken."
00:13:52.26\00:13:55.26
That's a serious
blessing proclaimed by God.
00:13:55.30\00:13:58.30
Now, someone's going to say,
00:13:58.33\00:13:59.57
"Ah, but that's
for Jews only, surely."
00:13:59.60\00:14:02.57
But wait. We both know
that it wasn't long ago
00:14:02.60\00:14:05.61
when Christians used to
take the Sabbath seriously.
00:14:05.64\00:14:09.34
Over the years there's
been a de-emphasis on this,
00:14:09.38\00:14:11.98
so that today,
for most Christians,
00:14:12.01\00:14:14.55
what God gave as a
special day has been reduced
00:14:14.58\00:14:17.25
to an hour or two, at
most, of going to church.
00:14:17.29\00:14:20.46
I wonder if we could
be missing something.
00:14:20.49\00:14:22.56
Author Judith Shulevitz quotes
a 17th-century Puritan minister
00:14:22.59\00:14:26.80
who says, "The word
Sabbath properly signifies,
00:14:26.83\00:14:29.56
not common, but
sacred or holy rest."
00:14:29.60\00:14:33.94
Jesus said that "the
Sabbath was made for man"--
00:14:33.97\00:14:36.30
"anthropos," human beings--"and
not man for the Sabbath."
00:14:36.34\00:14:41.24
Now, the way many
Jews relate to the Sabbath
00:14:41.28\00:14:44.25
might not exactly
work for most Christians.
00:14:44.28\00:14:47.15
Setting up a wire around a city
that miraculously transforms
00:14:47.18\00:14:51.99
that city into your
actual backyard one day a week
00:14:52.02\00:14:55.52
seems a bit like you're
taking something given by God
00:14:55.56\00:14:58.49
and wrapping it up
in a lot of tradition.
00:14:58.53\00:15:01.30
Judith Shulevitz wrote,
00:15:01.33\00:15:03.13
"I should also add
that the image we hold
00:15:03.16\00:15:05.73
"in our heads of the Jewish
Sabbath isn't wholly based
00:15:05.77\00:15:09.77
"on the Fourth
Commandment, either.
00:15:09.80\00:15:12.27
"The Sabbath of candle lighting
and dinners and not driving
00:15:12.31\00:15:15.84
"and not turning
lights on and off was shaped
00:15:15.88\00:15:18.51
more by rabbinic
law than by the Torah."
00:15:18.55\00:15:22.65
I mentioned Jerusalem.
00:15:22.68\00:15:24.42
If you get on an elevator in
a Jewish hotel on the Sabbath,
00:15:24.45\00:15:28.82
you learn that some
elevators are preprogrammed
00:15:28.86\00:15:31.89
to stop automatically and
open and shut automatically
00:15:31.93\00:15:36.16
on every floor so that a Jewish
believer can ride the elevator
00:15:36.20\00:15:41.04
without having to push a
button and therefore "work"
00:15:41.07\00:15:44.91
by creating a spark or a fire.
00:15:44.94\00:15:47.48
Jews in Jesus' day had
taken this so far as to state
00:15:47.51\00:15:50.75
that Jesus shouldn't even
heal a person on the Sabbath day
00:15:50.78\00:15:55.08
because to do so, to heal
someone, would be to work.
00:15:55.12\00:16:00.29
The disciples were criticized
for taking some grains of wheat
00:16:00.32\00:16:03.69
and rubbing them in their
hands so they could eat them,
00:16:03.73\00:16:07.20
minus the wheat husk.
00:16:07.23\00:16:09.16
¤[soft orchestral music]¤
00:16:09.20\00:16:13.37
And they were missing
the point, weren't they?
00:16:13.40\00:16:15.47
God gave the
Sabbath in the beginning
00:16:15.50\00:16:17.41
as a memorial of Creation,
00:16:17.44\00:16:19.14
which is why He instituted it
at the end of the Creation week.
00:16:19.17\00:16:22.98
He created for six days,
00:16:23.01\00:16:24.85
and then He rested
on the seventh day.
00:16:24.88\00:16:27.28
He gave it to remind
His people just who He was.
00:16:27.32\00:16:31.12
He wanted them to
remember Creation,
00:16:31.15\00:16:32.95
which is under
relentless attack today.
00:16:32.99\00:16:36.09
He wanted them to trust Him.
00:16:36.12\00:16:38.09
And He also wanted them to rest
while entering into His rest.
00:16:38.13\00:16:42.13
But what God gave as a
blessing was turned into a curse
00:16:42.16\00:16:46.17
by religious zealots who
loaded it down with meaningless,
00:16:46.20\00:16:50.07
rather pointless manmade laws.
00:16:50.11\00:16:52.27
Remember, Jesus
Himself and His followers
00:16:52.31\00:16:55.41
fell afoul of
the religious leaders
00:16:55.44\00:16:57.38
simply because they plucked
some grain on the Sabbath day.
00:16:57.41\00:17:01.48
They were accused of working,
which patently they were not.
00:17:01.52\00:17:06.45
But could it be that
we're missing something
00:17:06.49\00:17:08.66
by rushing
through the day of rest?
00:17:08.69\00:17:11.59
Might we be missing out
by forgetting to remember?
00:17:11.63\00:17:16.20
We'll look at
that in just a moment.
00:17:16.23\00:17:18.50
¤[music swells and ends]¤¤
00:17:18.53\00:17:25.54
>>John: I'd like to encourage
you to get today's free offer.
00:17:27.84\00:17:30.95
It's my DVD presentation
of "Rest and Recovery,"
00:17:30.98\00:17:34.55
taken from our
Hope Awakens series.
00:17:34.58\00:17:37.65
An ancient gift, a
closer relationship with Jesus,
00:17:37.69\00:17:41.76
and more of the
presence of God in your life.
00:17:41.79\00:17:44.89
To get "Rest and Recovery,"
00:17:44.93\00:17:46.73
call now: 800-253-3000.
00:17:46.76\00:17:50.07
That's 800-253-3000.
00:17:50.10\00:17:53.20
Or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:17:53.23\00:17:57.51
>>John: Disease,
terrorism, pandemics, suicide.
00:17:58.67\00:18:03.81
Around the world 65
million people die each year.
00:18:03.85\00:18:07.32
That's 120 human
lives ending every minute.
00:18:07.35\00:18:11.05
Death is a problem, a
problem humanity can't solve.
00:18:11.09\00:18:15.19
Many have tried, and
while people are living longer
00:18:15.22\00:18:18.23
these days, everyone still dies.
00:18:18.26\00:18:21.80
But even though we cannot
solve the problem of death,
00:18:21.83\00:18:24.47
there is a
solution. There is hope.
00:18:24.50\00:18:28.14
The Bible shows
us a vivid picture
00:18:28.17\00:18:30.21
of how this
world is going to end.
00:18:30.24\00:18:32.64
But it also gives us a
view of what will come next,
00:18:32.67\00:18:36.21
a world where
death is destroyed,
00:18:36.24\00:18:38.78
where pain, suffering, and
injustice will be behind us.
00:18:38.81\00:18:42.78
And through the death
and resurrection of Jesus,
00:18:42.82\00:18:45.89
God has provided a way
for anyone who chooses Him
00:18:45.92\00:18:49.02
to receive eternal life.
00:18:49.06\00:18:51.46
Join me for "The Blessed Hope,"
00:18:51.49\00:18:54.23
brought to you
by It Is Written TV.
00:18:54.30\00:18:57.37
>>John Bradshaw: One
of the remarkable things
00:18:59.20\00:19:01.04
about the Christian
God is His desire to have
00:19:01.07\00:19:04.74
a close personal
relationship with His children.
00:19:04.77\00:19:08.48
Not all faiths have that.
00:19:08.51\00:19:10.18
Look at many non-Christian
faiths and you don't find
00:19:10.21\00:19:12.78
a supreme Being who wants
to be close to His people.
00:19:12.81\00:19:16.99
God formed Adam with
His own hands, Eve, too.
00:19:17.02\00:19:21.09
And then He breathed
into Adam the breath of life.
00:19:21.12\00:19:25.89
In Exodus 25, verse 8,
long after sin had instated
00:19:25.93\00:19:30.17
a physical separation
between God and humanity,
00:19:30.20\00:19:33.37
God says, "And let
them make me a sanctuary,
00:19:33.40\00:19:37.41
that I may dwell among them."
00:19:37.44\00:19:39.67
That's God wanting
to be with His people.
00:19:39.71\00:19:42.31
You'll recall He
led them personally
00:19:42.34\00:19:44.98
in a pillar of cloud by day and
in a pillar of fire by night.
00:19:45.01\00:19:49.38
Israelites were able to
look up and see a visible token
00:19:49.42\00:19:53.29
of God's presence with them.
00:19:53.32\00:19:55.42
Jesus came into the world
as Emmanuel, "God with us."
00:19:55.46\00:20:00.40
And He said that He
wants to abide in us.
00:20:00.43\00:20:04.13
Paul wrote to the
Ephesians and said
00:20:04.17\00:20:05.80
"that Christ [would]
dwell in your hearts by faith."
00:20:05.83\00:20:10.01
At Pentecost, believers were
filled with the Holy Spirit,
00:20:10.04\00:20:14.18
and emblematic of that
closeness is God's desire
00:20:14.21\00:20:17.78
to spend time with His children.
00:20:17.81\00:20:20.55
Imagine really
taking time for God.
00:20:20.58\00:20:23.55
Ah, but somebody
says, "I'm too busy."
00:20:23.59\00:20:25.59
Right, you may be, but
you don't want to be too busy
00:20:25.62\00:20:29.09
to read the Bible.
00:20:29.12\00:20:30.23
You don't wanna
be too busy to pray.
00:20:30.26\00:20:32.29
You don't want to be
too busy to go to church.
00:20:32.33\00:20:35.13
When God says, "I
have carved a special space
00:20:35.16\00:20:38.70
out of the rock
of time for you,"
00:20:38.73\00:20:42.17
then you really miss
something when you do not enter
00:20:42.20\00:20:45.37
into that true
fellowship with God.
00:20:45.41\00:20:48.48
That special time gives
you the opportunity to connect
00:20:48.51\00:20:51.35
with family, with
friends, and with church family.
00:20:51.38\00:20:55.05
And it'll lead you into a
deeper appreciation for God
00:20:55.08\00:20:58.79
as you remember the
perfect world of Creation
00:20:58.82\00:21:02.16
and God's promise that one day
00:21:02.19\00:21:04.19
He's going to
"make all things new."
00:21:04.23\00:21:06.73
It says that in
Revelation, chapter 21.
00:21:06.76\00:21:09.16
And included in
those "all things" is you.
00:21:09.20\00:21:12.80
[soft footfall on path]
00:21:12.83\00:21:15.14
God the Creator
intends to re-create sinners,
00:21:15.17\00:21:19.01
if they'll let Him.
00:21:19.04\00:21:20.34
When He says He'll
make all things new,
00:21:20.38\00:21:21.98
He's talking about
taking a corrupted planet
00:21:22.01\00:21:24.88
and making it perfect again.
00:21:24.91\00:21:27.02
The dirty water that some people
have to drink will be made pure.
00:21:27.05\00:21:30.59
The foul air that some
people are forced to breathe,
00:21:30.62\00:21:33.22
well, that will be clean.
00:21:33.25\00:21:35.16
But better yet, God will
remove every last trace of sin
00:21:35.19\00:21:41.23
from every saved
person's heart for all eternity.
00:21:41.26\00:21:45.43
¤[soft music]¤
00:21:45.47\00:21:47.60
When you remember that
God has set aside a day
00:21:47.64\00:21:50.47
and wants to connect with you,
00:21:50.51\00:21:52.44
you're remembering that
God is the God of re-creation.
00:21:52.47\00:21:56.01
Now, here's a question:
When does God want to connect?
00:21:56.04\00:21:59.55
Well, He spoke
about that specifically
00:21:59.58\00:22:01.08
in the commandment. He said,
00:22:01.12\00:22:02.65
"The seventh day is the
Sabbath of the Lord thy God."
00:22:02.68\00:22:06.05
You take a look on the
calendar, and you discover that
00:22:06.09\00:22:08.76
that seventh day of
the week is Saturday.
00:22:08.79\00:22:11.83
Sunday was never the
Sabbath as given by God,
00:22:11.86\00:22:16.23
nor was any
other day of the week,
00:22:16.26\00:22:18.43
other than the
seventh day, Saturday.
00:22:18.47\00:22:22.24
What does God say?
00:22:22.27\00:22:23.61
"Remember the Sabbath
day, [and] keep it holy."
00:22:23.64\00:22:26.84
So often it's run
to church, run home,
00:22:27.84\00:22:31.25
dive straight back
into the busyness of life.
00:22:31.28\00:22:34.08
And there's no
rest, no time out,
00:22:34.12\00:22:36.75
no real pausing to remember
God and really connect with Him.
00:22:36.79\00:22:41.19
Remember that Jesus
said in Matthew, chapter 11,
00:22:41.22\00:22:44.39
"Come unto me, all ye that
labour and are heavy laden,
00:22:44.43\00:22:48.00
"and I will give you rest.
00:22:48.03\00:22:50.30
"Take my yoke upon
you, and learn of me;
00:22:50.33\00:22:52.93
"for I am meek
and lowly in heart:
00:22:52.97\00:22:55.64
"and ye shall find
rest unto your souls.
00:22:55.67\00:22:58.77
For my yoke is easy,
and my burden is light."
00:22:58.81\00:23:04.05
God wants us to
come to Him unhurried,
00:23:04.08\00:23:06.98
remember the time that
He's given us to do so,
00:23:07.02\00:23:10.02
and treasure that time.
00:23:10.05\00:23:12.05
You know, these words
mean something to God.
00:23:12.09\00:23:14.72
Instead of backing away
from God's claim on our life,
00:23:14.76\00:23:18.23
it's better to lean into that
and experience God's blessing.
00:23:18.26\00:23:23.30
When God says, "Thou
shalt not commit adultery,"
00:23:23.33\00:23:27.00
we'd worry about
the person who says,
00:23:27.04\00:23:29.14
"What's the bare
minimum I can give to God
00:23:29.17\00:23:31.07
and still claim to be
honoring His wishes here?"
00:23:31.11\00:23:33.91
"Thou shalt not steal"?
00:23:33.94\00:23:35.78
When you get to the
place that you're saying,
00:23:35.81\00:23:37.38
"Well, it's not
technically stealing,"
00:23:37.41\00:23:39.31
or "I think I can get away with
this," that's not a good sign.
00:23:39.35\00:23:44.09
Don't make graven images
and bow down yourself to them?
00:23:44.12\00:23:47.09
That doesn't mean that we
try to find out which images
00:23:47.12\00:23:49.59
would be okay and which
ones are not acceptable.
00:23:49.62\00:23:53.16
"Thou shalt not bear
false witness" doesn't mean
00:23:53.19\00:23:55.66
that white lies are okay
and only out-and-out deception
00:23:55.70\00:23:58.37
of the worst kind is "verboten."
00:23:58.40\00:24:00.87
When we take the Word of
God and try to make it say
00:24:00.90\00:24:03.74
what we want it to
say, that doesn't end well.
00:24:03.77\00:24:07.94
David wrote in Psalm 16:11,
00:24:07.98\00:24:10.31
"You will show
me the path of life;
00:24:10.35\00:24:13.08
"in Your presence
is fullness of joy;
00:24:13.11\00:24:16.58
at Your right hand are
pleasures forevermore."
00:24:16.62\00:24:20.46
David got it.
00:24:20.49\00:24:22.62
In God's presence is
what? Fullness of joy.
00:24:22.66\00:24:27.66
In 1975 a man who
worked on the assembly line
00:24:29.00\00:24:32.87
at the Fiat auto
factory in Turin in Italy
00:24:32.90\00:24:37.14
stopped at a police
station on his way home one day.
00:24:37.17\00:24:40.38
You see, items found on
city trains were sold at auction
00:24:40.41\00:24:44.41
to the highest bidder.
00:24:44.45\00:24:46.15
He looked through the items,
00:24:46.18\00:24:47.78
noticed two paintings
that he thought would look nice
00:24:47.82\00:24:50.89
on the wall above
his kitchen table.
00:24:50.92\00:24:53.72
The auctioneer told him
they were of little value,
00:24:53.76\00:24:56.12
found on a train that
ran between Paris and Turin
00:24:56.16\00:24:59.59
in Italy's northwest.
00:24:59.63\00:25:01.63
He outbid another man
and paid the equivalent
00:25:01.66\00:25:04.30
of around 70 U.S. dollars.
00:25:04.33\00:25:06.97
Now, he took them
home, put them on the wall
00:25:07.00\00:25:09.74
above his kitchen table,
and there they sat for years.
00:25:09.77\00:25:14.38
After he retired, his son,
00:25:14.41\00:25:17.15
who was taking an
art appreciation class,
00:25:17.18\00:25:21.02
discovered that
one of the paintings
00:25:21.05\00:25:22.45
was by the French
painter Pierre Bonnard,
00:25:22.48\00:25:25.19
and another was by Paul Gauguin,
and they were originals.
00:25:25.22\00:25:30.63
They're worth
around $40 million,
00:25:30.66\00:25:34.10
according to some estimates.
00:25:34.13\00:25:35.83
And because
insurance had paid out
00:25:35.86\00:25:37.47
and the original
owners had no heirs,
00:25:37.50\00:25:40.40
the retired auto worker
got to keep his paintings.
00:25:40.44\00:25:43.81
Bought at auction for $70, now
worth $40 million, maybe more.
00:25:43.84\00:25:50.95
They were there on
his wall all those years
00:25:51.88\00:25:54.98
but unappreciated for
what they really were.
00:25:55.02\00:25:59.22
He didn't know the
value of what he had.
00:25:59.25\00:26:02.49
It might be that we see these
words originally written by God
00:26:02.52\00:26:07.13
and fail to see
what we really have.
00:26:07.20\00:26:10.03
When God invites you, "Take some
time, spend some time with me,"
00:26:10.07\00:26:16.47
maybe that's an invitation that
you don't want to turn down.
00:26:16.50\00:26:19.87
Remember that time with God.
00:26:19.91\00:26:22.04
After all, it was His
idea in the first place.
00:26:22.08\00:26:26.01
>>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
00:26:26.95\00:26:28.82
exists because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:26:28.85\00:26:32.25
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:26:32.29\00:26:35.49
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:26:35.52\00:26:39.76
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:26:39.79\00:26:41.20
to the address on your screen,
00:26:41.23\00:26:42.66
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:26:42.70\00:26:46.50
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
00:26:46.53\00:26:49.34
Our number
again is 800-253-3000,
00:26:49.37\00:26:53.48
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:26:53.51\00:26:56.51
>>John Bradshaw:
Let's pray together now.
00:26:57.51\00:26:59.28
Our Father in heaven, we
thank You today for Jesus,
00:26:59.31\00:27:02.75
for His death for us that
makes salvation available.
00:27:02.78\00:27:06.99
And we thank You for Your desire
00:27:07.02\00:27:08.46
to have a close
relationship with us.
00:27:08.49\00:27:11.99
We thank You for Jesus,
who is Emmanuel, "God with us,"
00:27:12.03\00:27:15.63
that He would abide in us,
00:27:15.66\00:27:18.03
and that Your desire is to be
with us throughout all eternity.
00:27:18.07\00:27:21.97
Friend, is that your desire?
00:27:22.00\00:27:24.31
Would you open up your
heart to God today and say,
00:27:24.34\00:27:26.64
"Father in heaven, I
want to be with You always.
00:27:26.68\00:27:29.24
"And now fill me
with Your presence.
00:27:29.28\00:27:32.31
Draw me closer to
You than I've ever been."
00:27:32.35\00:27:36.72
We thank You for
Your plan for our lives.
00:27:36.75\00:27:38.95
We submit to that now,
and we pray in Jesus' name,
00:27:38.99\00:27:43.66
amen.
00:27:43.69\00:27:44.83
Thanks so much for joining me.
00:27:44.86\00:27:46.29
Looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:46.33\00:27:48.53
Until then, remember:
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"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
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but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
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¤[dramatic theme music]¤
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¤[music ends]¤¤
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