100:00:00,000 –> 00:00:03,300The Code of Advocacy200:00:03,300 –> 00:00:07,340The thief is come to steal and to kill and to destroy.300:00:07,340 –> 00:00:13,800Satan is the great taker of what does not belong to him.400:00:13,800 –> 00:00:19,420He’s always trying to get as much as possible and give as little as possible.500:00:19,420 –> 00:00:20,879That’s his character.600:00:20,879 –> 00:00:24,100Welcome to ”Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith”.700:00:24,100 –> 00:00:27,900I’m David Pick and Colin, and last time, we heard the definition800:00:27,900 –> 00:00:32,680of stealing as getting as much as possible by giving as little as possible.900:00:32,680 –> 00:00:35,980And perhaps that’s something we can sometimes see in ourselves.1000:00:35,980 –> 00:00:40,980But you’re saying that that attitude is a characteristic of Satan?1100:00:40,980 –> 00:00:42,540That’s a sobering thought.1200:00:42,540 –> 00:00:48,419Yes, it is, and reflects the fact that sin, which comes from him is in all of us.1300:00:48,419 –> 00:00:54,480There’s a lot of folks these days who sadly are being drawn to the dark side.1400:00:54,799 –> 00:00:56,880I would ask this question.1500:00:56,880 –> 00:01:01,520What is it that you see in the dark side that draws you?1600:01:01,520 –> 00:01:07,019Satan has come, Jesus says, to steal and to kill and to destroy.1700:01:07,019 –> 00:01:09,720What is it that is attractive about that?1800:01:09,720 –> 00:01:13,779The enemy of human souls is the great taker.1900:01:13,779 –> 00:01:15,519He promises much.2000:01:15,519 –> 00:01:16,860He gives little.2100:01:16,860 –> 00:01:21,400There’s a lie and a false promise in every sin, in every temptation.2200:01:21,400 –> 00:01:24,320You’re going to find great happiness if you come and you pursue this.2300:01:24,580 –> 00:01:26,900It always leads to disappointment.2400:01:26,900 –> 00:01:33,480In contrast, the light of the Lord Jesus Christ, he comes as the great giver.2500:01:33,480 –> 00:01:34,739He gives himself.2600:01:34,739 –> 00:01:36,000He says I’m the Good Shepherd.2700:01:36,000 –> 00:01:39,559I come and I lay down my life for my sheep.2800:01:39,559 –> 00:01:43,599And then when he comes to us, he says now takeaways my yoke upon you.2900:01:43,599 –> 00:01:44,839My yoke is easy.3000:01:44,839 –> 00:01:46,919My burden is light.3100:01:46,919 –> 00:01:53,239Because anyone who walks with Christ gains far more than they ever give.3200:01:53,239 –> 00:01:57,760If I lay down my life for Christ to die is gain.3300:01:57,760 –> 00:01:59,620And therefore Christ is the great giver.3400:01:59,620 –> 00:02:04,279And if I become like Christ, I will want to reflect more of that character.3500:02:04,279 –> 00:02:07,720So there is nothing that is attractive in the darkness.3600:02:07,720 –> 00:02:10,679There is everything that is attractive in the light.3700:02:10,679 –> 00:02:17,199We’ll think about that today as we go to Exodus 20 verse 15 and we continue our message Your3800:02:17,199 –> 00:02:19,199Struggle For Integrity.3900:02:19,960 –> 00:02:26,679God will hold Christian employers responsible for our stewardship in paying appropriate4000:02:26,679 –> 00:02:34,360salaries to those who generate the wealth and the blessing that we enjoy.4100:02:34,360 –> 00:02:37,860Then while we’re thinking of paying, there’s the whole issue of course of late payment,4200:02:37,860 –> 00:02:43,100bills that hang out there either from the home or from the business, long beyond the4300:02:43,100 –> 00:02:45,240time that they were due to be paid.4400:02:45,240 –> 00:02:46,520And the Bible speaks to this.4500:02:46,539 –> 00:02:52,119And we are to give Romans 13 verse 7 to everyone what we owe them.4600:02:52,119 –> 00:02:56,979If you owe money on a bill, it’s no good to say, well, this is a big company and they4700:02:56,979 –> 00:02:57,979won’t miss it.4800:02:57,979 –> 00:03:01,960It is what you owe, and your responsibility is not the company, your responsibility is4900:03:01,960 –> 00:03:04,380your bill.5000:03:04,380 –> 00:03:12,539If someone gives you a loan and you do not repay it, that is stealing.5100:03:13,419 –> 00:03:17,199It’s no use saying, he doesn’t need the money back.5200:03:17,199 –> 00:03:21,419Whether or not they need the money back is none of your business.5300:03:21,419 –> 00:03:25,740Your responsibility, my responsibility is to pay what we owe.5400:03:25,740 –> 00:03:30,740Fourthly, there’s the whole issue of copying.5500:03:30,740 –> 00:03:36,240Here you come to a sin that I have to say is too common among pastors.5600:03:36,339 –> 00:03:44,839Plagiarism, taking other people’s material and speaking it as if it were your own.5700:03:45,139 –> 00:03:52,100Then, of course, there is the whole issue of copyright in relation to computer software.5800:03:52,100 –> 00:03:56,960Or copying a music CD from your friend at high school.5900:03:56,960 –> 00:03:59,020So you don’t have to buy one.6000:03:59,020 –> 00:04:01,919That is taking what is due to the artist.6100:04:01,919 –> 00:04:05,399You say, well the artist doesn’t need it.6200:04:06,020 –> 00:04:08,119He’s already a millionaire.6300:04:08,240 –> 00:04:12,479Which is probably true, but think about that.6400:04:12,479 –> 00:04:17,119What you are then saying is that it is okay to steal from someone who has more than you6500:04:17,119 –> 00:04:20,640do if you think they’ve already got enough.6600:04:20,640 –> 00:04:25,679And if you go with that logic, that would mean that most of the world has the right6700:04:25,679 –> 00:04:31,320to steal from every one of us, including our high school students, because half the world6800:04:31,320 –> 00:04:37,720owns less than a high school student in America.6900:04:37,720 –> 00:04:39,660Copying.7000:04:39,660 –> 00:04:43,320Stealing.7100:04:43,320 –> 00:04:47,040Then think of this – I’ve called the last one shallow Christian living.7200:04:47,040 –> 00:04:50,540If stealing is about trying to get as much as possible by giving as little as possible,7300:04:50,540 –> 00:04:54,679I think that the Eighth Commandment speaks very powerfully to the way that many people7400:04:54,679 –> 00:04:56,679approach the Christian life.7500:04:56,760 –> 00:05:03,220Remember the question that a very rich person once asked Jesus – what must I do to get7600:05:03,220 –> 00:05:05,119eternal life?7700:05:05,119 –> 00:05:09,779The whole tone of that question – what’s the minimum I’ve got to give to make sure7800:05:09,799 –> 00:05:11,700I get in?7900:05:11,700 –> 00:05:15,160How can I get eternity’s blessing at the minimum price?8000:05:15,160 –> 00:05:20,679Doesn’t that show a whole attitude of heart?8100:05:20,679 –> 00:05:23,299This commandment is like an X-ray of the soul.8200:05:23,299 –> 00:05:25,279It shows up what we are really like.8300:05:25,279 –> 00:05:34,420We want to get much and we want to give little.8400:05:34,420 –> 00:05:37,880And as I’ve looked into my own soul.8500:05:37,880 –> 00:05:41,380And I guess as you look into yours this morning, in the light of the Word of God maybe we’ll8600:05:41,380 –> 00:05:51,279confess that this is indeed one of the ten greatest struggles of our lives8700:05:51,279 –> 00:05:53,480Hey, that’s enough about breaking the commandment!8800:05:53,480 –> 00:05:56,059Our aim is to encourage keeping the commandment.8900:05:56,059 –> 00:06:00,559So let’s move on quickly to the question, what does keeping the commandment look like?9000:06:00,559 –> 00:06:04,640Remember the best way to avoid a wrong road is always to choose the right road and to9100:06:04,640 –> 00:06:06,600go down it as fast as you can.9200:06:06,600 –> 00:06:12,899So let’s turn over Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 28, where Paul gives us the New Testament9300:06:12,899 –> 00:06:16,480exposition of the Eighth Commandment.9400:06:16,480 –> 00:06:19,040Notice that there in Ephesians 4 28.9500:06:19,040 –> 00:06:22,500He gives us the negative and then the positive on which we will focus.9600:06:22,540 –> 00:06:23,540So there’s the negative.9700:06:23,540 –> 00:06:27,640He who has been stealing must steal no longer.9800:06:27,640 –> 00:06:30,040Well, what are we to do instead?9900:06:30,040 –> 00:06:31,700Notice what he says?10000:06:31,700 –> 00:06:37,720But must work doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something10100:06:37,720 –> 00:06:42,500to share with those in need.10200:06:42,500 –> 00:06:45,679So if I ask the question, what does it mean to keep the Eighth Commandment?10300:06:45,679 –> 00:06:54,500The very obvious answer is going to be that it means working and it means giving.10400:06:54,500 –> 00:06:55,500Working and giving.10500:06:55,500 –> 00:06:56,559Don’t steal.10600:06:56,559 –> 00:06:59,339Instead, this is what you do to keep the Eighth Commandment.10700:06:59,339 –> 00:07:04,540You work and to keep the Eighth Commandment, you give.10800:07:04,540 –> 00:07:06,540The opposite of stealing is working.10900:07:06,540 –> 00:07:14,299The word that Paul uses for work here means labor to the point of fatigue.11000:07:14,299 –> 00:07:17,540Isn’t that interesting?11100:07:17,540 –> 00:07:20,500He commends labor to the point of fatigue.11200:07:20,500 –> 00:07:23,579That’s the meaning of the word that he uses.11300:07:23,579 –> 00:07:28,019So if you know what it is to flop into bed at night and feel pretty well spent, Paul11400:07:28,019 –> 00:07:30,540said, that’s a good thing.11500:07:30,540 –> 00:07:31,540You’ve given yourself.11600:07:31,540 –> 00:07:35,200It’s a worthy thing.11700:07:35,200 –> 00:07:38,320The Bible almost takes a positive view of work.11800:07:38,320 –> 00:07:45,399This is a good gift from God, tracing the times when the Apostle Paul speaks of working11900:07:45,399 –> 00:07:50,200harder than those who wanted to have an easy life in ministry.12000:07:50,200 –> 00:07:51,559It very significant.12100:07:51,559 –> 00:07:55,279He speaks about this in 1 Corinthians 15 and 2 Corinthians 11.12200:07:55,279 –> 00:07:58,799He talks about laboring and struggling.12300:07:58,799 –> 00:08:04,640These are the kind of words that reflect what authentic work ministry actually looks like.12400:08:05,339 –> 00:08:09,140And in everything that I did, he said, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must12500:08:09,140 –> 00:08:10,579help the weak.12600:08:10,579 –> 00:08:13,640Work with your hands, he says.12700:08:13,640 –> 00:08:17,880So the Bible commends to us the value of working hard.12800:08:17,880 –> 00:08:21,160I think that’s a note that we need to hear.12900:08:21,160 –> 00:08:25,899It’s a fundamental biblical principle.13000:08:25,899 –> 00:08:31,239So the New Testament encourages us to approach our work, which after all is the largest part13100:08:31,239 –> 00:08:36,739of our time, for the largest part of our lives, with a positive attitude.13200:08:36,739 –> 00:08:41,679Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart.13300:08:41,679 –> 00:08:44,700Working as for the Lord, not for men.13400:08:44,700 –> 00:08:48,520Remember that work was given before the fall.13500:08:48,520 –> 00:08:52,960Work is not just some kind of necessity that you have to do.13600:08:53,039 –> 00:09:02,820It is an opportunity to contribute and you will be a contributor for all eternity.13700:09:02,820 –> 00:09:10,460God has built the desire to contribute into the very fabric of creation.13800:09:10,460 –> 00:09:16,960Whether your work is paid work as an employee or whether your work involves no take-home13900:09:16,960 –> 00:09:22,979pay because you’re a student, that’s your work, or you’re looking for work, that’s14000:09:22,979 –> 00:09:26,780your work, or you’re creating a home, that is your work, or you’re giving yourself14100:09:26,780 –> 00:09:28,659as a volunteer, that’s your work.14200:09:28,659 –> 00:09:32,099Whatever the nature of your work, paid or unpaid, remember there was no pay packet in14300:09:32,099 –> 00:09:34,739the garden but there was work.14400:09:34,739 –> 00:09:37,580God has called us to contribute.14500:09:37,580 –> 00:09:45,080And so find what you can contribute, the Bible would say, and then do it with all your heart.14600:09:45,580 –> 00:09:52,380Learn then to love your work and to value it as a good gift from God.14700:09:52,380 –> 00:09:59,619Learn to say in the morning, thank you that I have work.14800:09:59,619 –> 00:10:06,140Thank you that somebody so values what you enabled me to do, they are willing to pay14900:10:06,140 –> 00:10:10,340me to do it.15000:10:10,539 –> 00:10:16,719Thank you because this is your way of providing for me and it is your way of allowing me to15100:10:16,719 –> 00:10:27,780grow because we grow through our work, it’s your way of allowing me to make a contribution.15200:10:27,780 –> 00:10:32,000If you feel you are beginning to outgrow your work, thank God for that, it means you’re15300:10:32,000 –> 00:10:33,000growing.15400:10:33,000 –> 00:10:37,760Warren Wiersbe said once, I’ve always found it very helpful, Do everything you can to15500:10:37,760 –> 00:10:42,599the best of your ability, You never know who will be measuring you for a larger task.15600:10:42,599 –> 00:10:48,020God knows all about that and if you come to a point where you have outgrown your work15700:10:48,020 –> 00:10:52,960then thank God for it, he will lead you to something that will continue to enable you15800:10:52,960 –> 00:10:55,400to grow even further.15900:10:55,400 –> 00:11:01,039So approach your work with a positive attitude and then as we seek to work which is the way16000:11:01,039 –> 00:11:05,320in which we fulfil the Eighth Commandment, we are to offer our work as worship to the16100:11:05,320 –> 00:11:06,440Lord.16200:11:06,440 –> 00:11:14,440Ephesians Chapter 6 in verse 7, serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving the LORD, Paul says,16300:11:14,440 –> 00:11:16,900not men.16400:11:16,900 –> 00:11:21,039Now I’ve been thinking about the jobs I’ve done over the years, a little bit of a strange16500:11:21,039 –> 00:11:23,780selection but never mind, here we go.16600:11:23,780 –> 00:11:32,739Number one, I worked in a grocery store stacking shelves and serving cold meat at a delicatessen.16700:11:32,820 –> 00:11:36,799Number two, I worked as a night shift cleaner.16800:11:36,799 –> 00:11:40,440For the rest of the summer, I never read a book, by the way.16900:11:40,440 –> 00:11:46,320Three, I worked as a house parent caring for mentally handicapped children.17000:11:46,320 –> 00:11:49,900Number four, since that time I’ve worked as a pastor.17100:11:49,900 –> 00:11:55,960Question, in which of these jobs was I working for the LORD?17200:11:55,960 –> 00:12:01,039Answer, all of them.17300:12:01,039 –> 00:12:06,840That is probably the most important thing for many of us to grasp this morning.17400:12:06,840 –> 00:12:11,500We often make the mistake of dividing in a way the Bible never does things into sacred17500:12:11,500 –> 00:12:13,679and secular.17600:12:13,679 –> 00:12:18,619We think that pastors work for The LORD and that this puts them all together on another17700:12:18,619 –> 00:12:28,340level, but we say, well, I just work for Motorola or District 214 or Jalasco.17800:12:28,340 –> 00:12:30,479But the Bible never makes that kind of division.17900:12:30,580 –> 00:12:35,099Paul says to every Christian serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving The LORD.18000:12:35,099 –> 00:12:39,760That’s the way in which you’re to approach your whole thinking about work.18100:12:39,760 –> 00:12:43,960Offer your work as worship.18200:12:43,960 –> 00:12:50,659Now I think the reason that we find this difficult is that we’re deeply convinced that God is18300:12:50,659 –> 00:12:55,580interested in prayer and evangelism and preaching.18400:12:55,700 –> 00:13:01,500But we’re not half as convinced that God is interested in microcircuitry, school lunches18500:13:01,500 –> 00:13:04,099or checkouts at the grocery store.18600:13:04,099 –> 00:13:12,000And the answer to that question is of course God is interested in school lunches and microcircuitry18700:13:12,000 –> 00:13:14,039and checkouts at the grocery store.18800:13:14,039 –> 00:13:17,539That’s one of the first things we learn in the Bible that God walks with Adam in the18900:13:17,539 –> 00:13:25,059garden engaging with him in his work, and there was no prayer or evangelism involved.19000:13:25,059 –> 00:13:29,140In Heaven there will be no prayer nor evangelism, but there will be work.19100:13:29,140 –> 00:13:37,080You will be contributing creatively according to your gifting made perfect, and your work19200:13:37,080 –> 00:13:44,580will be your worship, it will be the joy of heaven, you’ll be in that zone a friend of19300:13:44,580 –> 00:13:51,580mine calls it the sweet spot where you’re doing exactly what God designed you to do19400:13:51,719 –> 00:13:56,599and you’re doing it with fulfilment and freshness for all eternity.19500:13:56,599 –> 00:14:02,080And his purpose in work of course is that there will be a little taste of heaven on19600:14:02,080 –> 00:14:07,500earth in advance.19700:14:07,500 –> 00:14:12,099Think of what this kind of approach will do for the quality of your work, whether it be19800:14:12,099 –> 00:14:16,020a Motorola, or serving lunches or whatever it is.19900:14:16,020 –> 00:14:19,539If you do it as for the Lord it will give your work new meaning, it will give your work20000:14:20,080 –> 00:14:25,380new significance, you will find new joy in what sometimes seemed like ordinary task that20100:14:25,380 –> 00:14:31,640you can offer as worship to the Lord because it’s what he’s called you to do.20200:14:31,940 –> 00:14:36,679You’re listening to Open the Bible with pastor Colin Smyth and a message called Your struggle20300:14:36,679 –> 00:14:38,580for integrity.20400:14:38,580 –> 00:14:42,059Part of our series, The 10 Greatest Struggles of Your Life.20500:14:42,059 –> 00:14:48,020And if you’ve missed any of the series don’t forget, you can always come online to OpenTheBible.org.uk20600:14:49,000 –> 00:14:52,820and there you’ll find all the messages which have already gone out on-air.20700:14:52,820 –> 00:14:56,640You’ll also find them as a podcast, and those are on all the main podcast sites.20800:14:56,640 –> 00:14:59,299Search for Open the Bible UK.20900:14:59,299 –> 00:15:00,780Back to the message now.21000:15:00,780 –> 00:15:02,020Here’s Colin.21100:15:02,020 –> 00:15:03,820What does keeping the eighth commandment look like?21200:15:03,820 –> 00:15:07,020It involves working, it involves giving.21300:15:07,020 –> 00:15:09,739He who has been stealing Ephesians 4, 28,21400:15:09,739 –> 00:15:14,140must steal no longer, but he must work doing something useful with his own hands.21500:15:14,140 –> 00:15:16,000Notice why.21600:15:16,000 –> 00:15:22,640That he may have something to share with those in need.21700:15:22,640 –> 00:15:27,640Something to share with those in need and whatever stage of life you are at and whether21800:15:27,640 –> 00:15:29,900you are employed or not,21900:15:29,900 –> 00:15:33,260and whether you need to be working for money isn’t the issue.22000:15:33,260 –> 00:15:40,479The issue here is what you can contribute to the life of other people.22100:15:40,479 –> 00:15:45,739One of the joys of table conversation at home these days for us and our family is22200:15:45,739 –> 00:15:48,780hearing some of Karen’s stories that she brings home from22300:15:48,780 –> 00:15:51,760teaching young children at Christian Heritage Academy.22400:15:51,760 –> 00:15:57,739They have what they call rug time where she sits on this chair and I nearly said throne22500:15:57,739 –> 00:16:01,039because that’s what it looks like and all the children sit on the rug around her and22600:16:01,039 –> 00:16:03,359they engage in this kind of conversation.22700:16:03,359 –> 00:16:06,979And on one occasion they were talking about what they wanted to do when they grow up.22800:16:06,979 –> 00:16:10,919And one five-year old little girl said,22900:16:10,919 –> 00:16:15,080First I’m going to be a secretary.23000:16:15,260 –> 00:16:19,440Then I’m going to be a nurse.23100:16:19,440 –> 00:16:23,119Then I’m going to be a mother.23200:16:23,119 –> 00:16:26,119And then I’m going to be a teacher.23300:16:26,119 –> 00:16:29,880To which Karen of course said, My, you are going to be very, very busy.23400:16:29,880 –> 00:16:41,359Oh yes, she said and the sooner I get started the sooner I can retire.23500:16:41,359 –> 00:16:44,880Five years old!23600:16:45,719 –> 00:16:52,840Now, if you think that work is just what you do to get money in order to build a big enough23700:16:52,840 –> 00:16:57,359pile for you to be able to retire, you’ve completely misunderstood the biblical vision23800:16:57,359 –> 00:16:58,900of work.23900:16:58,900 –> 00:17:03,780The purpose of life is that we contribute.24000:17:03,780 –> 00:17:08,339You don’t have to work for pay, the question is how can I contribute in the freedom and24100:17:08,339 –> 00:17:11,939the blessing that God has given to me now.24200:17:11,959 –> 00:17:15,859God has trusted you with time and with talent and with treasure.24300:17:15,859 –> 00:17:22,180The question is how are you using these as a contribution to the life of others?24400:17:22,180 –> 00:17:26,560Lord, take my gifting, take what you have trusted to me.24500:17:26,560 –> 00:17:32,859You’ve given me the Holy Spirit not to hold to myself but for ministry.24600:17:32,859 –> 00:17:36,540Don’t let me be like the servant who takes what you’ve given and digs a hole in the ground24700:17:36,540 –> 00:17:38,680and just lives my little private life.24800:17:38,719 –> 00:17:42,780Give me a vision of why I’m here.24900:17:42,780 –> 00:17:46,939The Heidelberg Catechism that I’ve referred to a few times gives various dimensions of25000:17:46,939 –> 00:17:50,699the Eighth Commandment and spelling out what it means it adds this at the end.25100:17:50,699 –> 00:17:56,979In addition, God forbids all greed and all squandering of His gifts.25200:17:56,979 –> 00:18:02,900See, if God gave you a gift and you don’t use it, that’s stealing.25300:18:02,900 –> 00:18:07,699Cause he gave it so that you should contribute to the lives of others and you should play25400:18:07,699 –> 00:18:11,239your role within His Kingdom, and if you hold that to yourself, you’re doing what25500:18:11,239 –> 00:18:16,300the third servant in Jesus’ parable did, you’re burying it in a hole in the ground.25600:18:16,300 –> 00:18:18,040I’m stealing from God?25700:18:18,040 –> 00:18:22,500I’m stealing from other people if I do that, by withholding from them what God intended25800:18:22,500 –> 00:18:24,660them to receive through me.25900:18:24,660 –> 00:18:29,400So whenever I go into a meeting, whenever I’m in a conversation, whenever I’m sitting26000:18:29,400 –> 00:18:32,359at a dinner table, the question I’ve got to carry in my mind, even if it’s with26100:18:32,400 –> 00:18:36,880my own family, is I have to ask a question, what is the contribution I can make here?26200:18:36,880 –> 00:18:43,420How can I contribute?26300:18:43,420 –> 00:18:47,000You know, the eighth commandment means having a change of heart.26400:18:47,000 –> 00:18:54,760As I look at my life, and I see just how many ways I want to be a taker rather than a giver.26500:18:54,760 –> 00:18:59,280Do you see that in yourself?26600:18:59,359 –> 00:19:06,219Instead of saying how much can I give, my instinct too often is to say how much can26700:19:06,219 –> 00:19:15,119I get and so if I’m to fulfill the commandment I do need a radical change of heart.26800:19:15,119 –> 00:19:18,000That’s what we all need, isn’t it.26900:19:18,000 –> 00:19:23,959I need to be turned from a taker into a giver.27000:19:23,959 –> 00:19:29,619As in this last moment I was trying to think of two examples of a taker and a giver.27100:19:29,619 –> 00:19:33,439It just came very, very clearly to me of course, that’s exactly what Jesus is talking about27200:19:33,439 –> 00:19:34,459when he described Satan.27300:19:34,459 –> 00:19:41,739Do you remember he said the thief has come to steal and to kill and to destroy.27400:19:41,739 –> 00:19:49,040Satan is the great taker of what does not belong to him.27500:19:50,040 –> 00:19:56,119He’s always trying to get as much as possible and give as little as possible.27600:19:56,119 –> 00:19:59,520That’s his character.27700:19:59,520 –> 00:20:03,479He pays terrible wages.27800:20:03,479 –> 00:20:08,560The wages of sin is death.27900:20:08,560 –> 00:20:15,300So if you do his work you will be terribly disappointed when you get your pay packet,28000:20:15,300 –> 00:20:17,020right?28100:20:17,020 –> 00:20:21,160But Jesus said, I am come that they might have life.28200:20:21,160 –> 00:20:24,900That you might have life and have it to the full.28300:20:24,900 –> 00:20:29,359You see, Jesus is the great giver of what already belongs to him.28400:20:29,359 –> 00:20:34,819Satan, the great taker of what he does not own, the grasper after the throne of God,28500:20:34,819 –> 00:20:36,540the grasper after your soul.28600:20:36,540 –> 00:20:41,579Jesus, the great giver of life that is already his.28700:20:41,579 –> 00:20:49,380And you know Christ turns takers into givers.28800:20:49,380 –> 00:20:52,119The gospel is more than good advice, it is good news.28900:20:52,119 –> 00:20:54,619It’s not a set of instructions on how to change.29000:20:54,619 –> 00:20:58,839It’s not some kind of a manual for how to be a better employee.29100:20:58,839 –> 00:21:02,739It’s not how to develop a strategic portfolio for giving.29200:21:02,739 –> 00:21:04,939It is a new life.29300:21:04,939 –> 00:21:07,099A new dynamic, a new heart.29400:21:07,839 –> 00:21:18,239A new spirit, a new vision of life so that freely I may become, ever increasingly, a29500:21:18,260 –> 00:21:23,439giver like Christ whose spirit dwells in me.29600:21:23,439 –> 00:21:28,439Pour your life out for Him and you will have no regrets.29700:21:28,439 –> 00:21:31,420And when you receive your reward, you will not be disappointed.29800:21:31,420 –> 00:21:35,219You will not look around Heaven and say, Was this really worth it?29900:21:35,219 –> 00:21:42,520You will stand before Him and you will wonder in awe why you found it all so difficult.30000:21:42,520 –> 00:21:48,680Those who trust in Him will never be put to shame.30100:21:48,680 –> 00:21:54,180What a great reminder that as we understand the gospel and begin to apply it to our lives,30200:21:54,180 –> 00:22:01,339it gives us a new heart, a new spirit, a new vision, so that we can give freely.30300:22:01,739 –> 00:22:05,380The light of Jesus Christ turns takers into givers.30400:22:06,680 –> 00:22:10,380You have just been listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith,30500:22:10,380 –> 00:22:14,859and a message called Your Struggle for Integrity is part of our series,30600:22:14,859 –> 00:22:17,160The Ten Greatest Struggles of Your Life.30700:22:17,239 –> 00:22:19,760If you have missed any of the series so far,30800:22:19,760 –> 00:22:21,819or, if you would like to go back and listen again,30900:22:21,819 –> 00:22:27,119they are all available online at our website openthebible.org.uk.31000:22:27,119 –> 00:22:30,500There you can hear all the messages which have already been broadcast,31100:22:30,500 –> 00:22:33,979you can hear them as a podcast, those on all the main podcast sites,31200:22:33,979 –> 00:22:38,540search for Open the Bible UK, or follow the link from our website.31300:22:39,140 –> 00:22:43,060Open the Bible is supported financially by our listeners,31400:22:43,060 –> 00:22:45,780and if you already do that, thank you so much!31500:22:46,199 –> 00:22:49,660If you’re thinking of supporting Open the Bible in that way31600:22:49,660 –> 00:22:52,619and would like to begin doing that in this month of May,31700:22:52,619 –> 00:22:54,380we have an offer for you.31800:22:54,380 –> 00:22:58,920If you are able to set up a new Direct Debit to the work of Open the Bible31900:22:59,380 –> 00:23:01,699or a one-off gift of £50 or more,32000:23:01,699 –> 00:23:05,380we’d love to say thank you by sending you a copy32100:23:05,380 –> 00:23:10,180of Pastor Colin’s book, ëDrive Through the Bible, A 30 Day Journeyí.32200:23:10,500 –> 00:23:14,199As well as that, we’ll send you a lovely Open the Bible tote bag,32300:23:14,199 –> 00:23:16,180pen and bookmark.32400:23:16,680 –> 00:23:20,699What are some of the ways you see this book being used?32500:23:20,979 –> 00:23:25,699Well, this takes us all the way through the Bible story and32600:23:55,819 –> 00:23:57,319from Genesis to Revelation,32700:23:57,319 –> 00:24:01,420and see how the whole story appoints to the Lord Jesus Christ.32800:24:01,680 –> 00:24:03,979This is something you could read on your own,32900:24:03,979 –> 00:24:07,640but it’s really designed to be shared with another person.33000:24:08,459 –> 00:24:11,180You could read this with your kids,33100:24:11,180 –> 00:24:14,560you could give it as a resource to teenagers,33200:24:14,560 –> 00:24:16,900middle school, high school students,33300:24:17,140 –> 00:24:19,520it’s written very simply.33400:24:19,520 –> 00:24:21,599Or perhaps you could share it with a friend33500:24:21,599 –> 00:24:24,739and just take this journey over the period of a month,33600:24:24,859 –> 00:24:26,579and we could have a conversation33700:24:26,579 –> 00:24:28,660about the big picture of the Bible story33800:24:28,660 –> 00:24:32,040that points us everywhere to the Lord Jesus Christ.33900:24:32,140 –> 00:24:35,339So I hope and pray that this will be a great blessing,34000:24:35,339 –> 00:24:39,319really useful to people who want to see the Bible open34100:24:39,319 –> 00:24:40,959to discover the whole story34200:24:40,959 –> 00:24:43,359and of course to be pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ.34300:24:43,839 –> 00:24:46,280Well, Drive Thru the Bible is our gift to you34400:24:46,280 –> 00:24:48,800if you’re able to begin a new direct debit34500:24:48,800 –> 00:24:50,400to the work of Open the Bible34600:24:50,400 –> 00:24:53,040in the amount of £5 per month or more,34700:24:53,040 –> 00:24:55,239up to £50 or more this month.34800:24:56,000 –> 00:24:58,619Full terms and conditions on our website34900:24:58,619 –> 00:25:00,459and you can also give online.35000:25:01,319 –> 00:25:03,500For Open the Bible and Pastor Colin Smith,35100:25:03,900 –> 00:25:04,780I’m David Pick35200:25:04,900 –> 00:25:06,959and I hope you’ll join us again next time.35300:25:14,199 –> 00:25:16,199Lies always have a source,35400:25:16,760 –> 00:25:20,060Jesus said that Satan is the father of lies.35500:25:20,680 –> 00:25:22,680Find out how he deceives people35600:25:23,079 –> 00:25:25,079next time on Open the Bible.