¤[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.
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It's one of the most
celebrated of all things.
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Love has been called
"a many-splendored thing."
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Songs have been sung
about love: [crowd cheering]
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"Love Me Tender," "Love Me Do."
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In classical music
there's "Liebestraum"--
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"Dream of Love"--by
Liszt. ¤[soft music]¤
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"Salut d'Amour"--"Love's
Greeting"--was given
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by the English composer
Elgar as an engagement gift.
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Shakespeare wrote "A
Midsummer Night's Dream"
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and "Romeo and Juliet"
and "Much Ado About Nothing"--
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all love stories.
[sound of pen scribbling]
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Poetry and love go
hand in hand, always have.
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"Oh, my Luve is
like a red, red rose,
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that's newly sprung in June,"
wrote Robert Burns in the 1700s.
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The Western world
has even set aside a day
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on which to remember
love: Valentine's Day.
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And when you come to the
Bible, there it is: love.
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"For God so loved the world,
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"that He gave His
only begotten Son,
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"that whosoever believeth
in Him should not perish,
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but have
everlasting life." John 3:16.
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Twice in the same
chapter, 1 John 4,
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we are told that "God is love."
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Paul wrote, "I am persuaded,
that neither death nor life,
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"nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present,
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"nor things to come,
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"nor height, nor
depth, nor any other creature,
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"shall be able to separate
us from the love of God,
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which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord."
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Beautiful! Love
cannot be separated from God.
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And the Bible depicts
love in some beautiful ways.
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In Genesis, "Jacob
served seven years for Rachel;
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"and they seemed
unto him but a few days,
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for the love he had to her."
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"Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can the floods drown it:
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"if a man would give all the
substance of his house for love,
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it would be utterly contemned."
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And Jesus said, "The
Father Himself loves you."
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That's John 16:27.
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So let's ask
ourselves about this, then.
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God says through
the prophet Samuel,
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"Now go and smite
Amalek, and utterly destroy
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"all that they
have, and spare them not;
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"but slay both man and
woman, infant and suckling,
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ox and sheep, camel and ass."
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That's 1 Samuel 15 in verse 3.
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Now, I know you got that.
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God commanded King Saul,
the leader of His people Israel,
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to utterly destroy all
that they have, men, women,
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young children, even nursing
babies, even the animals.
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God said, "Wipe
them out. Kill them all."
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How do we reconcile this
with the idea that God is love?
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How is that love?
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Atheists love passages
of the Bible like this.
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They'll tell you that the
God of the Bible is murderous,
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a tyrant, a
megalomaniac, a bully.
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Except, of course, God is love,
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as we've read
from Holy Scripture.
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Can God be both? Can He be love?
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And notice, it's not that
God loves, but that God is love.
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It's not just who He
is, but love is what He is.
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Can God be love and
order the total annihilation
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of an entire people group?
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The answer, of
course, has to be...yes.
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And I'll tell you why.
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But even after I do that,
there'll still be questions
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hanging in the air
because someone has to ask,
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but what about the Flood?
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What happened to
Amalek is a drop in the bucket
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compared to what
happened in Noah's day
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when God
destroyed an entire planet
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with the exception
of just eight people.
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There may have been
millions of people in the world
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at that time, and yet God killed
them all and saved only eight.
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Eight! Two-thirds of a
dozen, 20 percent less than 10.
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That's all God saved
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out of the entire population
of the world at that time.
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How does a God of love do that?
And what's the justification?
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Now, I'm okay with
questions like these.
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These are real questions.
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They're not the questions
of only skeptics and cynics
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and critics; they're the
questions of thinking people,
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of searching people.
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I mean, ya have to ask
those questions, don't you?
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How can God be love and
yet-- well, we'll find out.
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Let's consider the Amalekites,
the descendants of Esau.
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The union of Esau's son Eliphaz
and a concubine named Timna
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produced, among
others, a child called Amalek.
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Immediately after the Exodus,
his descendants attacked Israel.
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This was the time when Aaron
and Hur held up Moses' arms
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during that famous battle.
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As long as Moses'
arms were outstretched
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toward the heavens, the
battle was in Israel's favor.
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But when Moses' arms
were down, the battle turned
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against Israel, and Amalek
prevailed, the Bible says.
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Ultimately, the armies
of Israel led by Joshua
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defeated Amalek. But
notice that God said,
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"Write this for a
memorial in a book,
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"and rehearse it
in the ears of Joshua:
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"for I will utterly put
out the remembrance of Amalek
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from under
heaven." Exodus 17:14.
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After that, Amalek was a
thorn in the side of Israel.
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The Amalekites were
in the promised land
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when Israel got there. It
was one of the people groups
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that Israel
should have eradicated.
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And it was the
Amalekites who attacked Israel
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and caused a great
amount of loss and damage
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when Israel
thought, presumptuously,
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to take the promised land
without the blessing of God.
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There was a reason God
wanted the Amalekites destroyed.
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It wasn't that He held a grudge.
Keep the context in mind.
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God's people had been
enslaved for hundreds of years.
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He delivered them so they could
go on to the promised land,
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where they could thrive
and where Israel would function
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as an incubator out of
which would spring the Messiah.
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No Israel? No Messiah.
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No Messiah? No salvation.
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No salvation, and you are lost.
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Israel's survival depended
on their safety and security,
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and as long as the
Amalekites were around,
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Israel was in jeopardy.
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They were not safe,
and they were not secure.
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You couldn't make the case
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that the Amalekites
were upstanding citizens
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or that they'd made any
kind of positive contribution
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to the world. You
have to understand
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that after a couple
of thousand years of sin,
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some people were
profoundly wicked.
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Well, couldn't God
have brought them over,
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led them to repentance,
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convinced them that He had
their best interests at heart?
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Obviously not.
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They knew about
Israel's deliverance from Egypt
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and the miracle that that was.
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They had evidence
that God was with Israel.
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They knew about this God.
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Yet they chose
to remain defiant.
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They had crossed the line.
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God knew they
would never repent.
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I think the problem
some people have with this
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is that they
think the Amalekites
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were something like
their own rowdy neighbors,
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that they had a
penchant for playing loud music
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late at night; they left
old cars in their front yard,
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drank too much, got in
occasional trouble with the law,
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lovable rogues who
could never straighten up.
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No, the Amalekites
were profoundly wicked.
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That's why God wanted them gone.
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They'd have
lived miserable lives,
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and they would have
made other people miserable.
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Rather than leaving
them to pollute the earth
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with their presence,
rather than leaving them
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to commit atrocity after
atrocity, rather than leaving
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their children be
subject to degradation,
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without a future to
look forward to, God knew,
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and this wouldn't
have been simple for God,
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but God knew it was
better off that they were gone.
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Yes, it sounds a bit grisly:
"Go and destroy them all."
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That cannot have been pretty.
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But would it have been better
if they died by lethal injection
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or all died in their sleep?
00:08:24.93\00:08:27.14
No, it wouldn't.
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And the destruction of the
Amalekites was further evidence
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to the world that
Israel's God was the true God.
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It wasn't mayhem or malice.
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It wasn't hate or venom
that led to the destruction
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of the Amalekites.
00:08:42.32\00:08:43.62
It was love. A God of
love knew in His wisdom
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that this group of
people would never repent,
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that they'd be better off gone,
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and that Israel would be better
for the Amalekites' absence.
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Also, God was safeguarding
the birth of the Messiah.
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The Amalekites,
fueled by the devil,
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would have messed
that up in a big way.
00:09:04.67\00:09:08.01
But if you thought the
destruction of the Amalekites
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was something, what about
the destruction of the world?
00:09:09.81\00:09:15.02
What about the time God
destroyed the entire planet
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with the exception of
only eight--eight!--people?
00:09:17.65\00:09:21.99
We'll look at
that in just a moment.
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¤[music swells and ends]¤¤
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>>Announcer 1:
Everyone talks about love.
00:09:34.54\00:09:36.44
We love people, pets,
hobbies, and even food.
00:09:36.47\00:09:39.87
But there is a
love that goes deeper.
00:09:39.91\00:09:41.98
Find out how to
discover this love
00:09:42.01\00:09:43.91
by requesting
today's free offer,
00:09:43.95\00:09:46.11
"The Greatest of These."
00:09:46.15\00:09:47.92
To receive your copy,
00:09:47.95\00:09:49.02
call us at 800-253-3000
00:09:49.05\00:09:52.09
or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:09:52.12\00:09:55.36
Learn how God models love for us
00:09:55.39\00:09:57.46
in "The Greatest of These."
00:09:57.49\00:09:59.03
Call 800-253-3000
00:09:59.06\00:10:01.70
or visit iiwoffer.com.
00:10:01.73\00:10:04.10
>>John: Thanks for
joining me on It Is Written.
00:10:05.90\00:10:08.84
"In the beginning God created
the heaven and the earth."
00:10:08.87\00:10:12.54
That's Genesis 1:1.
00:10:12.57\00:10:14.11
And so begins a 66-volume epic
00:10:14.14\00:10:17.08
tracing the history of the world
from its genesis, its creation,
00:10:17.11\00:10:21.75
to its re-creation
when the earth is made new.
00:10:21.78\00:10:25.25
In between those bookends
of creation and re-creation,
00:10:25.29\00:10:28.46
there are some
incredible events:
00:10:28.49\00:10:31.26
[crickets chirping] the
Exodus where Israel was guided
00:10:31.29\00:10:33.63
by God out of Egyptian
slavery; [animal noises]
00:10:33.66\00:10:36.23
[rush of water] a sea
opening up before them,
00:10:36.26\00:10:38.40
allowing them to cross
from Africa to the Middle East
00:10:38.43\00:10:41.70
on dry ground;
00:10:41.74\00:10:43.37
the birth of Jesus
[baby fussing and crying]
00:10:43.41\00:10:44.71
when the Son of God
became incarnate, God with us;
00:10:44.74\00:10:48.74
blind men healed, dead
people raised from the dead;
00:10:48.78\00:10:52.65
[rumbling] the walls of a
city crashing to the ground
00:10:52.68\00:10:55.25
after an army
circumnavigated it seven times.
00:10:55.28\00:10:58.35
Oh, and the destruction of
the world, [thunder and rain]
00:10:58.39\00:11:01.26
the total, complete
devastation of an entire planet.
00:11:01.29\00:11:06.96
"The fountains of the
great deep were broken up,
00:11:07.00\00:11:09.60
and the windows of
heaven were opened."
00:11:09.63\00:11:11.60
Genesis 7, verse 11.
00:11:11.63\00:11:13.10
"The flood was
forty days upon the earth;
00:11:13.13\00:11:15.67
"and the waters
increased, and bare up the ark,
00:11:15.70\00:11:18.91
"and it was
[lifted] up above the earth.
00:11:18.94\00:11:21.24
"And the waters prevailed
exceedingly upon the earth;
00:11:21.28\00:11:24.25
"and all the high hills, that
were under the whole heaven,
00:11:24.28\00:11:26.98
were covered." Genesis 7 again.
00:11:27.02\00:11:29.42
God Himself said, "Every living
substance that I have made
00:11:29.45\00:11:34.62
will I destroy from
off the face of the earth."
00:11:34.66\00:11:38.26
Genesis 7, verse 4.
00:11:38.29\00:11:39.69
That's a whale
of a thing to say.
00:11:39.73\00:11:43.70
And God kept His word.
00:11:43.73\00:11:45.57
Consider, if you are able,
the scale of this destruction,
00:11:45.60\00:11:50.34
all of it
ordered by Almighty God.
00:11:50.37\00:11:54.51
"And all flesh died that moved
upon the earth, both of fowl,
00:11:54.54\00:11:58.18
"and of cattle, and of beast,
and of every creeping thing
00:11:58.21\00:12:00.58
"that creepeth upon
the earth, and every man:
00:12:00.62\00:12:03.62
"all in whose nostrils
was the breath of life,
00:12:03.65\00:12:06.15
"of all that was
in the dry land, died.
00:12:06.19\00:12:09.42
"And every living
substance was destroyed
00:12:09.46\00:12:11.53
"which was upon
the face of the ground:
00:12:11.56\00:12:13.19
"both man, and cattle,
and the creeping things,
00:12:13.23\00:12:15.53
"and the fowl of the heaven;
00:12:15.56\00:12:16.70
"and they were
destroyed from the earth:
00:12:16.73\00:12:18.83
"and Noah only remained alive,
00:12:18.87\00:12:21.10
and they that were
with him in the ark."
00:12:21.14\00:12:23.77
Now, I want you
to see this verse:
00:12:23.81\00:12:26.91
"He who does not
love does not know God,
00:12:26.94\00:12:31.41
for God is love."
First John 4, verse 8.
00:12:31.45\00:12:35.72
I'm going to repeat
that: "God is love."
00:12:35.75\00:12:40.16
And now this:
00:12:40.19\00:12:41.82
"And every man: all in whose
nostrils was the breath of life,
00:12:41.86\00:12:45.36
of all that was in
the dry land, died."
00:12:45.39\00:12:49.20
I don't know how many people
were alive in Noah's day--
00:12:49.23\00:12:51.60
scholars
estimate, in the millions--
00:12:51.63\00:12:54.10
but all of them, with the
exception of just eight, died,
00:12:54.14\00:12:58.17
and they died
because God killed them.
00:12:58.21\00:13:00.91
Now, remember, God is love.
00:13:00.94\00:13:04.28
But how do you get to wipe
out every man, every woman,
00:13:04.31\00:13:07.85
every child, every dog, every
cat, every cow, every elephant,
00:13:07.88\00:13:11.62
every bird, except for
just a very few of each,
00:13:11.65\00:13:15.92
and afterwards
there's John writing,
00:13:15.96\00:13:17.49
"For God so loved the world"?
00:13:17.53\00:13:18.99
Same man again: "We love
Him because He first loved us."
00:13:19.03\00:13:23.83
Well, God definitely is love,
00:13:23.87\00:13:26.30
and God definitely did
destroy the world in a flood.
00:13:26.33\00:13:30.31
So the act of
destroying the world
00:13:30.34\00:13:31.97
had to have been an act of love.
00:13:32.01\00:13:34.31
And it wouldn't
have been easy for God.
00:13:34.34\00:13:35.98
Surely it brought
immense pain to His heart.
00:13:36.01\00:13:39.95
But this is where
some people kick up.
00:13:39.98\00:13:42.35
They can't get past the
idea that God is a tyrant
00:13:42.38\00:13:45.09
because of what
happened in Noah's day.
00:13:45.12\00:13:47.32
So let's look at that.
00:13:47.36\00:13:48.62
We'll think it through.
God created the human family.
00:13:49.62\00:13:53.16
Adam and Eve had
children and one of them, Cain,
00:13:53.19\00:13:56.77
murdered his brother.
That didn't take long.
00:13:56.80\00:13:59.93
That is, until Adam
and Eve disobeyed God,
00:14:00.04\00:14:02.97
the world had been perfect.
00:14:03.00\00:14:04.97
But not now. And rather
than repenting and seeking God,
00:14:05.01\00:14:08.44
Cain was surly and mean
and spiteful and jealous.
00:14:08.48\00:14:13.08
He not only killed his brother,
but he lied to God about it.
00:14:13.11\00:14:17.25
"Am I my brother's
keeper?" he said to God.
00:14:17.29\00:14:20.19
"I don't know where my brother
is." Five generations later,
00:14:20.22\00:14:23.66
Cain's descendant
Lamech takes a second wife.
00:14:23.69\00:14:26.80
So polygamy was now in play.
You can see what's happening.
00:14:26.83\00:14:30.93
Humanity was rapidly devolving,
sinking--imploding, actually.
00:14:30.97\00:14:37.67
At the same time,
people were living long lives.
00:14:37.71\00:14:40.54
Methuselah died in the year
of the Flood at the age of 969.
00:14:40.58\00:14:46.45
And you can be sure that
back then, close to Creation,
00:14:46.48\00:14:49.22
people had giant intellects
and unfathomable creativity.
00:14:49.25\00:14:54.56
So you had very
brilliant and very wicked people
00:14:54.59\00:14:58.23
developing sin and sinfulness
over a period of centuries.
00:14:58.26\00:15:03.67
They had put God out of their
minds. Idolatry was rampant.
00:15:03.70\00:15:09.14
"God saw that the wickedness
of man was great in the earth,
00:15:09.17\00:15:12.64
"and that every imagination
of the thoughts of his heart
00:15:12.67\00:15:15.01
was only evil
continually." Genesis 6:5.
00:15:15.04\00:15:19.15
Moses went on to write
that "the earth also was corrupt
00:15:19.18\00:15:22.02
before God, and the earth
was filled with violence."
00:15:22.05\00:15:25.85
It sounds like every conceivable
sin was being practiced
00:15:25.89\00:15:28.89
by people who
were experts at sin.
00:15:28.92\00:15:31.66
God's law was being
trampled in the dust.
00:15:31.69\00:15:33.96
Decency was gone.
The world was sick.
00:15:34.00\00:15:38.57
And you know how
wicked the world was
00:15:38.60\00:15:40.27
because after
preaching for 120 years,
00:15:40.30\00:15:43.04
Noah could only convince
eight people to get on the ark,
00:15:43.07\00:15:47.34
and they were all
his own family members.
00:15:47.38\00:15:50.31
Animals got on the
ark in twos and sevens.
00:15:50.35\00:15:54.05
There were almost as
many goats on the ark
00:15:54.08\00:15:57.02
as there were people--seven.
00:15:57.05\00:15:59.32
The world was thoroughly wicked.
00:15:59.35\00:16:02.66
And when there's a minority
faithfully following God
00:16:02.69\00:16:04.99
and a majority
who are in apostasy,
00:16:05.03\00:16:07.40
the majority will
often persecute the minority.
00:16:07.40\00:16:11.60
Ah, but God had
plans for His people.
00:16:11.63\00:16:14.60
The Messiah was to come.
00:16:14.64\00:16:16.57
But that wouldn't be for
almost another 2,000 years.
00:16:16.60\00:16:19.71
Where would God find
a faithful young woman
00:16:19.74\00:16:22.01
prepared to selflessly
raise the promised Messiah?
00:16:22.04\00:16:25.18
Where would God find a
noble man with integrity enough
00:16:25.21\00:16:28.02
to be the earthly
father of the Christ?
00:16:28.05\00:16:30.65
[water sloshing] With
only eight people on earth
00:16:30.69\00:16:32.95
willing to get on the ark, many
of whom were very dysfunctional,
00:16:32.99\00:16:37.83
God knew that if
He didn't start over,
00:16:37.86\00:16:40.36
the Messiah might never
be born. [wind and birdsong]
00:16:40.40\00:16:43.53
God had been pleading with the
people of the earth for decades,
00:16:43.57\00:16:47.27
and yet they did
nothing but ignore Him.
00:16:47.30\00:16:50.27
He had one of the few truly
faithful men left on the planet
00:16:50.31\00:16:55.11
build an ark and warn the
people of impending destruction.
00:16:55.14\00:16:59.61
You know that many
of them were convicted
00:16:59.65\00:17:01.12
by his warning message.
00:17:01.15\00:17:02.68
And you have the
future to think of.
00:17:02.72\00:17:04.39
You know the planet
is going to still exist
00:17:04.42\00:17:06.39
4,000 or so
years into the future
00:17:06.42\00:17:09.92
and that people living
in, say, the 21st century
00:17:09.96\00:17:12.83
will need a Savior.
00:17:12.86\00:17:14.46
You know that if you
start again, there'll be Israel,
00:17:14.50\00:17:17.20
there'll be a Christian church,
00:17:17.23\00:17:18.63
and there will be
people down through history
00:17:18.67\00:17:20.77
who will take hold of
the message of the Bible.
00:17:20.80\00:17:24.01
It wasn't hate or cruelty that
drove God to destroy the world.
00:17:24.04\00:17:29.48
It was love--love for you.
00:17:29.51\00:17:33.48
Because if God had not done so,
there would've beeb no Messiah
00:17:33.52\00:17:37.32
and no salvation,
salvation for you.
00:17:37.35\00:17:40.12
Because if He hadn't, the
world would have sunk deeper
00:17:40.16\00:17:43.26
and deeper into sin and into
the misery that comes with it.
00:17:43.29\00:17:48.26
What did the Bible say?
00:17:50.50\00:17:52.33
"The thoughts of [their] hearts
[were] only evil continually."
00:17:52.37\00:17:56.87
They were better off gone.
00:17:56.91\00:17:58.94
Because no one is truly happy
00:17:58.97\00:18:01.08
when they live
only for wickedness.
00:18:01.11\00:18:04.08
And they had fully rejected
the pleading of the Holy Spirit.
00:18:04.11\00:18:07.02
It was out of mercy
for the wicked in that day,
00:18:07.05\00:18:11.12
and out of mercy for every
soul that lived after the Flood
00:18:11.15\00:18:15.16
that God destroyed the world.
00:18:15.19\00:18:17.79
If He hadn't, there'd
hardly be a world today.
00:18:17.83\00:18:21.86
Oh, and it's easy to
take the lazy route and say,
00:18:21.90\00:18:24.43
"God destroyed the
world, so God is evil."
00:18:24.47\00:18:26.80
I don't think so.
00:18:26.84\00:18:28.04
The Bible says, "Noah found
grace in the eyes of...[God],"
00:18:28.07\00:18:32.47
in Genesis 6 in verse 8.
00:18:32.51\00:18:34.11
God said to Noah,
00:18:34.14\00:18:35.54
"Thee [I have]
seen righteous before me
00:18:35.58\00:18:37.98
in this
generation." Genesis 7:1.
00:18:38.01\00:18:39.81
If there'd been another
righteous person, another Noah,
00:18:39.85\00:18:43.45
they'd have been saved, too.
00:18:43.49\00:18:45.62
An evil God doesn't build
a giant boat and then invite
00:18:45.65\00:18:49.09
everyone alive to get
on the boat and be saved.
00:18:49.12\00:18:51.89
Love compelled God to
push the reset button.
00:18:51.93\00:18:55.70
And the story of the
destruction of the earth
00:18:55.73\00:18:57.73
is preserved by God out of love
00:18:57.77\00:19:00.94
in the hope that today's
generation will take notice
00:19:00.97\00:19:03.24
that there's going to be
another global destruction
00:19:03.27\00:19:07.08
and run to God and be saved.
00:19:07.11\00:19:10.68
So, how are you seeing
God's love in your life?
00:19:10.71\00:19:15.08
And how can you be sure
00:19:15.12\00:19:16.02
that you
experience God's love forever?
00:19:16.05\00:19:20.22
I'll tell you in just a moment.
00:19:20.26\00:19:22.02
¤[music swells and ends]¤¤
00:19:22.06\00:19:29.03
¤[soft piano music]¤
00:19:31.60\00:19:32.90
>>Announcer 2: This
season on Conversations ...
00:19:32.93\00:19:35.64
>>Woman 1: Many times I
think I know what God wants
00:19:35.67\00:19:39.27
or doesn't want me to do,
00:19:39.31\00:19:40.48
and many times
it's the opposite.
00:19:40.51\00:19:43.24
>>Man: I was, uh,
looking, uh, next to the car.
00:19:43.28\00:19:45.91
There's this family
with a little ugly car,
00:19:45.95\00:19:48.75
you know, I would never have,
00:19:48.78\00:19:50.49
but I saw the
family; they're so happy;
00:19:50.52\00:19:52.49
they're laughing and giggling.
00:19:52.52\00:19:53.96
I said, "Lord, this
is, that's what I, I want."
00:19:53.99\00:19:56.73
>>Woman 2: Jesus just
had this warm, loving feeling
00:19:56.76\00:20:00.13
that I just couldn't describe,
00:20:00.16\00:20:01.50
and I wanted it more
than anything in this world,
00:20:01.53\00:20:03.93
and I knew He was the answer.
00:20:03.97\00:20:05.83
I don't know how I knew. I
just knew He was the answer.
00:20:05.87\00:20:09.80
>>John: Amen, amen.
00:20:09.84\00:20:11.14
She is Gayle Haberkam.
00:20:11.17\00:20:12.51
His name is Dr. George Guthrie.
00:20:12.54\00:20:14.74
She once was a
practitioner of Santerķa.
00:20:14.78\00:20:18.81
I'm John Bradshaw, and
this is our conversation.
00:20:18.85\00:20:22.32
¤[soft piano music]¤
00:20:22.35\00:20:24.99
>>Announcer 2: Watch
new episodes every Sunday
00:20:25.02\00:20:27.32
on itiswritten.tv.
00:20:27.36\00:20:29.76
¤[music ends]¤¤
00:20:29.79\00:20:30.79
>>Announcer 1:
Everyone talks about love.
00:20:32.19\00:20:34.23
We love people, pets,
hobbies, and even food.
00:20:34.30\00:20:37.40
But there is a
love that goes deeper.
00:20:37.43\00:20:39.53
Find out how to
discover this love
00:20:39.57\00:20:41.44
by requesting
today's free offer,
00:20:41.47\00:20:43.71
"The Greatest of These."
00:20:43.74\00:20:45.47
To receive your copy,
00:20:45.51\00:20:46.64
call us at 800-253-3000
00:20:46.68\00:20:49.68
or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:20:49.71\00:20:52.78
Learn how God models love for us
00:20:52.81\00:20:54.92
in "The Greatest of These."
00:20:54.95\00:20:56.58
Call 800-253-3000
00:20:56.62\00:20:59.19
or visit iiwoffer.com.
00:20:59.22\00:21:01.86
>>John Bradshaw:
The fact is God is love.
00:21:03.46\00:21:06.76
Even when He destroyed a city
or even the world, God was love.
00:21:06.80\00:21:11.77
Everything God has
done, He has done out of love,
00:21:11.80\00:21:14.74
and all we demonstrate when we
accuse God of being tyrannical
00:21:14.77\00:21:19.34
is our own lack of understanding
of the big picture.
00:21:19.37\00:21:22.54
Of course, Valentine's
Day has nothing at all
00:21:22.58\00:21:25.11
to do with the Bible.
00:21:25.15\00:21:26.38
To be honest, those
caricatures of little angels
00:21:26.41\00:21:29.58
with bows and
arrows representing love,
00:21:29.62\00:21:32.32
that's the Roman god
of love depicted there.
00:21:32.35\00:21:35.16
Honestly? A little blasphemous.
00:21:35.19\00:21:38.23
Imagine if the love of
God was like Valentine's Day,
00:21:38.26\00:21:42.06
that is, if just once a year
God showered His love upon you.
00:21:42.10\00:21:47.44
Thankfully God's love is
constant. It never fails.
00:21:47.47\00:21:50.31
Every single day
God's love is towards you.
00:21:50.34\00:21:53.64
Jeremiah wrote that God's
mercies "are new every morning"
00:21:53.68\00:21:57.08
in Lamentations, chapter 3.
00:21:57.11\00:21:59.05
The sad truth is that
many people don't know
00:21:59.08\00:22:01.52
the love of God.
And for some people
00:22:01.55\00:22:03.65
that's compounded
by their experiences.
00:22:03.69\00:22:06.65
Maybe you've been rejected.
00:22:06.69\00:22:08.49
You've been
through tough things.
00:22:08.52\00:22:10.33
Maybe you've made choices that
didn't turn out for the best,
00:22:10.36\00:22:14.30
gone through hardship.
00:22:14.30\00:22:16.03
Maybe you've been betrayed.
00:22:16.06\00:22:17.33
You might feel as
though nobody loves you,
00:22:17.37\00:22:19.27
that you've made
just too many mistakes.
00:22:19.30\00:22:23.07
You might find
yourself in prison.
00:22:23.10\00:22:25.24
Right now there are 25
million Americans incarcerated.
00:22:25.27\00:22:29.81
Some of them will
never be released.
00:22:29.84\00:22:32.61
Under some
circumstances it can be hard
00:22:32.65\00:22:34.55
to really know the love of God.
00:22:34.58\00:22:37.59
So how can you know for
sure that God loves you?
00:22:37.62\00:22:41.59
Let me ask you this:
00:22:41.62\00:22:43.26
How have you seen God's
love revealed in your life?
00:22:43.29\00:22:47.66
I'll give you a
moment to think about that.
00:22:47.66\00:22:50.37
Here's the question again:
00:22:50.40\00:22:52.23
How have you seen God's
love revealed in your life?
00:22:52.27\00:22:57.21
I know what many people
say. They say something like,
00:22:57.24\00:22:59.51
"When I needed a
new vehicle, I got one."
00:22:59.54\00:23:02.08
"I found a new job right
after losing my last one."
00:23:02.11\00:23:04.71
"We have food on our table."
00:23:04.75\00:23:06.05
"We went to the
Bahamas on vacation."
00:23:06.08\00:23:08.12
"I almost wrecked my car,
and it was a miracle I didn't."
00:23:08.15\00:23:11.55
Yes, all that's good.
00:23:11.59\00:23:14.66
But the problem is, what
if the accident had occurred?
00:23:14.69\00:23:19.03
What if you lost
your job and went broke?
00:23:19.06\00:23:22.23
What if you
didn't get a new vehicle,
00:23:22.26\00:23:23.40
and you had to
take public transport?
00:23:23.43\00:23:25.23
Yes, all those
things, they're good,
00:23:25.27\00:23:26.77
and they're blessings
from God, no question.
00:23:26.80\00:23:29.14
But that sort of reasoning
is fickle; it's up and down.
00:23:29.17\00:23:31.71
And if you're going to
hang your faith on those things,
00:23:31.74\00:23:33.91
you'll likely have
an up-and-down faith.
00:23:33.94\00:23:37.85
So here's how you
can know God loves you:
00:23:39.18\00:23:43.25
Calvary. ¤[soft music]¤
00:23:43.28\00:23:44.72
The greatest demonstration of
God's love for you is the cross.
00:23:44.75\00:23:50.46
The death of Jesus shows us
00:23:50.49\00:23:52.33
that heaven was willing
to do whatever was necessary
00:23:52.36\00:23:55.43
to reveal how
much God loves you.
00:23:55.46\00:23:58.97
Paul wrote to Titus about
how the "love of God our Saviour
00:23:59.00\00:24:02.20
toward man appeared,"
00:24:02.24\00:24:04.07
and that "He saved us"
because of His great mercy,
00:24:04.11\00:24:06.54
"which He shed on us abundantly
00:24:06.57\00:24:09.21
through Jesus
Christ our [Lord]."
00:24:09.24\00:24:10.85
You find that in
Titus, chapter 3.
00:24:10.88\00:24:12.98
Just that idea, that a wayward
human family has a Savior.
00:24:13.01\00:24:18.65
[siren] The drug
trafficker, the embezzler,
00:24:18.69\00:24:20.82
[radio chatter] the petty
thief, the career criminal,
00:24:20.86\00:24:23.16
the person on death
row, they all have a Savior.
00:24:23.19\00:24:28.40
Jesus died for the world.
00:24:28.43\00:24:31.33
You can't do anything about
your past. You can't change it.
00:24:31.37\00:24:34.87
But Jesus died to
change your future,
00:24:34.90\00:24:38.04
to give you a life of hope,
00:24:38.07\00:24:40.01
to give you the
certainty of eternity.
00:24:40.04\00:24:42.88
Paul wrote that
"Christ died for our sins,"
00:24:42.91\00:24:47.58
and that Jesus died for us
00:24:47.62\00:24:49.08
"while we were...sinners"
and enemies of God.
00:24:49.12\00:24:52.79
And that's love.
00:24:52.82\00:24:55.79
That Jesus was
willing to die a hideous death
00:24:55.82\00:24:58.33
on behalf of every
sinner who's ever lived is love.
00:24:58.36\00:25:02.96
Jesus leaving
heaven [baby cooing]
00:25:03.00\00:25:04.53
on a rescue mission
so daring He ran the risk
00:25:04.57\00:25:07.87
of being separated
from His Father eternally?
00:25:07.90\00:25:11.81
True love.
00:25:11.84\00:25:13.31
Look to the cross and you
see the love of God--for you.
00:25:13.34\00:25:17.68
And seeing that love
will have a powerful effect
00:25:17.71\00:25:19.68
on you in your life.
00:25:19.71\00:25:21.42
What do you do about a
God who became sin for you,
00:25:21.45\00:25:24.89
who defeated
sin, defeated Satan,
00:25:24.92\00:25:26.99
and has prepared a dwelling
place for you in heaven?
00:25:27.02\00:25:29.76
A mansion, the Bible calls it.
00:25:29.79\00:25:32.06
The love of God draws
out of you love for God.
00:25:32.09\00:25:37.23
John wrote, "We love Him
because He first loved us."
00:25:37.27\00:25:41.97
Paul wrote that "love is
the fulfilling of the law."
00:25:42.00\00:25:45.77
First John 2, verse 5 says,
"But whoever keeps His word,
00:25:45.81\00:25:49.98
"truly the love of
God is perfected in him.
00:25:50.01\00:25:53.42
By this we know
that we are in Him."
00:25:53.45\00:25:56.05
The devil wants you to believe
that in spite of the cross,
00:25:56.08\00:25:59.62
in spite of the Incarnation,
00:25:59.65\00:26:01.56
in spite of the healings and
the miracles, God is a tyrant.
00:26:01.59\00:26:08.03
The real truth is
00:26:08.06\00:26:10.47
God is love. ¤[music ends]¤¤
00:26:10.50\00:26:14.50
>>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
00:26:15.50\00:26:17.47
exists because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:26:17.51\00:26:20.74
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:26:20.78\00:26:23.98
please call us
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00:26:24.01\00:26:28.25
You can send your
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00:26:28.28\00:26:29.88
to the address on your screen,
00:26:29.92\00:26:31.29
or you can visit us
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00:26:31.32\00:26:35.02
Thank you for your prayers
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00:26:35.06\00:26:37.86
Our number
again is 800-253-3000,
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or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
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Let's pray together now.
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Our Father in heaven, in
Jesus' name we come to You,
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and we are grateful.
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We are grateful that we
can know always and everywhere
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that God is love. ¤[soft music]¤
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We thank You that You
extend love and mercy and grace
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to sinful people.
[gulls crying, waves crashing]
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And that's everyone.
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And right now, Father, I
know that there is a sinner
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who is saying, "I want to accept
this God of love into my life,
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His Son Jesus into my heart."
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Friend, is that you?
Would you do that now?
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If you've
accepted Jesus already,
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you could
recommit your life to Him.
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So let's pray
this prayer together.
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Father in heaven, we thank You
for Your great love and mercy.
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We thank You
Jesus died for our sins,
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and we accept
that and believe that,
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and we invite Jesus to
be the Lord of our lives.
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Now, Father, we
thank You for Your love.
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Let us never forget it
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and always appreciate
it and walk in it, we pray,
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in Jesus' name, amen.
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Thank you so
much for joining me.
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Looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
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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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