100:00:00,700 –> 00:00:09,260It’s easy to develop a pattern of life in which as soon as you begin to experience200:00:09,260 –> 00:00:14,760the difficulties of continuing you solve the problem by moving to something new.300:00:14,760 –> 00:00:22,000A new church and new job a new ministry a new calling a new relationship a new400:00:22,000 –> 00:00:25,240vision a new approach a new anything.500:00:25,240 –> 00:00:29,080Welcome to open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith, I’m David Pick and we’re in600:00:29,080 –> 00:00:32,880the middle of a series Colin called moving in the right direction.700:00:32,880 –> 00:00:36,720And today we come to a message called from weeping to rejoicing.800:00:36,720 –> 00:00:38,459Yeah and every time we come to this.900:00:38,459 –> 00:00:41,200It stimulates a memory for me.1000:00:41,200 –> 00:00:45,200I like to have some fun with the media team here and they certainly enjoy some fun with1100:00:45,200 –> 00:00:52,680me and I preach this message from weeping to rejoicing and forgot to shut down the microphone1200:00:52,680 –> 00:00:57,599after the sermon was finished so we had a hymn in which they got a recording of me1300:00:57,720 –> 00:01:00,799singing with great passion and not a lot of quality.1400:01:00,799 –> 00:01:07,320Right down the line and a kind of vague sound of the rest of the congregation in the back.1500:01:07,320 –> 00:01:14,540The guys burned it to a CD and wrote on the CD from rejoicing back to weeping again.1600:01:14,540 –> 00:01:18,519They’re still here and they’re great friends.1700:01:18,519 –> 00:01:24,239Well that is the title of today’s message from weeping to rejoicing so join us if you1800:01:24,239 –> 00:01:26,360can in Psalm 125.1900:01:26,500 –> 00:01:28,080Here’s Colin.2000:01:28,080 –> 00:01:35,019We’re discovering that the Christian life is a journey with the presence of Jesus and2100:01:35,019 –> 00:01:38,199to the presence of Jesus.2200:01:38,199 –> 00:01:44,480From these psalms that are called Psalms of Ascents, a group of 15 psalms between 1202300:01:44,480 –> 00:01:50,339and 134, we are discovering how to move forward in that journey of faith.2400:01:50,400 –> 00:01:55,279So we come today to Psalm 125 and 126.2500:01:55,300 –> 00:01:59,500And I hope you’ll open your bible there with me so that we can see what the word of God2600:01:59,500 –> 00:02:02,059says to us today.2700:02:02,059 –> 00:02:09,080Let us here, then, the word of God, Psalm 125, entitled A Song of Ascents.2800:02:10,600 –> 00:02:19,240Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken, but endures2900:02:19,240 –> 00:02:21,139forever.3000:02:21,139 –> 00:02:30,759As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore.3100:02:30,759 –> 00:02:38,600The sceptre of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, for3200:02:38,600 –> 00:02:42,779then the righteous might use their hands to do evil.3300:02:42,779 –> 00:02:48,960Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart.3400:02:48,960 –> 00:02:55,580But those who turn to crooked ways, the Lord will banish with the evildoers.3500:02:55,580 –> 00:02:58,940Peace be upon Israel.3600:02:58,940 –> 00:03:05,020When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed.3700:03:05,020 –> 00:03:10,059Our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with songs of joy.3800:03:10,440 –> 00:03:17,199And then it was said among the nations, The Lord has done great things for them!’3900:03:17,199 –> 00:03:23,399The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.4000:03:23,399 –> 00:03:29,779Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negev.4100:03:29,779 –> 00:03:35,460Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.4200:03:35,460 –> 00:03:45,119He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying4300:03:45,119 –> 00:03:48,220sheaves with him.4400:03:48,220 –> 00:03:50,080This is the word of God.4500:03:50,080 –> 00:03:56,419Now, I want to speak today particularly to Christians who really care about the cause4600:03:56,419 –> 00:03:59,300of Jesus Christ in the world.4700:03:59,300 –> 00:04:03,139And I hope that that describes all of us who are believers.4800:04:04,080 –> 00:04:08,199The apostle Paul describes Christians in many ways.4900:04:08,199 –> 00:04:12,339He talks in one place about us being God’s field.5000:04:12,339 –> 00:04:17,739That’s a wonderful picture because it reminds us that God is at work in us, but then he5100:04:17,739 –> 00:04:22,059also speaks about us being workers with God in the field.5200:04:22,059 –> 00:04:29,299And that’s important too, because it reminds us that God is at work through us.5300:04:29,299 –> 00:04:37,179God’s work, in some sense, is placed into our hands and we are involved with it.5400:04:37,179 –> 00:04:39,380And if we ask, what is that work?5500:04:39,380 –> 00:04:40,380What is God’s work?5600:04:40,380 –> 00:04:43,640What is the cause about which we should be concerned?5700:04:43,640 –> 00:04:49,720It is that his truth should be proclaimed, that his love should be displayed, that his5800:04:49,720 –> 00:04:56,299glory should be reflected, that his gospel should be believed, and that his Son should5900:04:56,299 –> 00:04:58,299be honored.6000:04:58,299 –> 00:05:04,179And God’s strategy for accomplishing these things is called the Church.6100:05:04,179 –> 00:05:09,640His plan is that congregations of people should gather together in particular places, that6200:05:09,640 –> 00:05:14,100they should gather in the name of Jesus, and that they should be light in the darkness6300:05:14,100 –> 00:05:17,079of this world until Jesus comes again.6400:05:17,079 –> 00:05:23,459His plan is that his presence will be known on the earth through the common life of these6500:05:23,459 –> 00:05:25,920communities of people.6600:05:26,000 –> 00:05:28,500That’s our calling.6700:05:28,500 –> 00:05:30,480That’s our cause.6800:05:30,480 –> 00:05:35,119That’s the great passion and concern of our lives.6900:05:35,119 –> 00:05:41,899Now in the Old Testament this ministry was illustrated and foreshadowed by the city of7000:05:41,899 –> 00:05:42,899Jerusalem.7100:05:42,899 –> 00:05:47,720We’ve been discovering that God’s purpose in the Old Testament was that Jerusalem should7200:05:47,720 –> 00:05:51,320be like an outpost of heaven on the earth.7300:05:51,320 –> 00:05:55,820This was to be the place where God’s people, Israel, gathered for worship.7400:05:55,820 –> 00:06:00,720This was the place where God said His presence would come down, and the cloud of His presence7500:06:00,720 –> 00:06:04,820did come down on occasions and meet with His people.7600:06:04,820 –> 00:06:11,040This was to be a foreshadowing on earth of the new Jerusalem that one day would be the7700:06:11,040 –> 00:06:14,100home of all the people of God.7800:06:14,100 –> 00:06:19,339And we’ve seen already from Psalm 122 that this place where God had promised that His7900:06:19,339 –> 00:06:25,880presence would come down was not only uniquely blessed, but it was also uniquely troubled.8000:06:25,880 –> 00:06:31,420It became the focus of both physical and spiritual attack.8100:06:31,420 –> 00:06:37,600We’ve seen that the city of Jerusalem has been destroyed and rebuilt more often than8200:06:37,600 –> 00:06:42,119any other city in the history of the world.8300:06:42,119 –> 00:06:45,660And this is a picture of God’s work over the centuries.8400:06:45,660 –> 00:06:46,660It is built up.8500:06:46,660 –> 00:06:47,660It is torn down.8600:06:47,660 –> 00:06:48,660It is built up again.8700:06:49,040 –> 00:06:50,940It comes under attack.8800:06:50,940 –> 00:06:53,059God revives it again.8900:06:53,059 –> 00:06:55,679It is the pattern of death and resurrection.9000:06:55,679 –> 00:07:02,100It weaves itself all the way through, the story of God’s work in the world.9100:07:02,100 –> 00:07:11,000Now, Psalm 125 and 126 seem to have been written at a time when God’s people faced the overwhelming9200:07:11,000 –> 00:07:17,920challenge of rebuilding the destroyed city of Jerusalem.9300:07:17,920 –> 00:07:23,100And I have found that as I’ve grasped a little more of the original setting of this9400:07:23,100 –> 00:07:28,260psalm, when it was first sung and when it was first written, that that has helped me9500:07:28,260 –> 00:07:34,359to understand more clearly how it speaks to the challenges that we face today.9600:07:34,359 –> 00:07:37,600In fact you will find that’s a pattern as you study the Scripture.9700:07:37,600 –> 00:07:43,160If you can grasp its original meaning, that will be your stepping stone to understanding9800:07:43,160 –> 00:07:45,239its proper application.9900:07:45,239 –> 00:07:49,420So I want to take just a few moments for us to grasp its setting, and then I think you10000:07:49,420 –> 00:07:55,339will find its significance opening up to our minds and our hearts.10100:07:55,339 –> 00:07:59,279Hope you have your Bibles open then, and you’ll see that the first clue to the original setting10200:07:59,279 –> 00:08:04,239of these psalms comes in Psalm 125 and verse 3.10300:08:04,279 –> 00:08:05,160Here we read,10400:08:12,579 –> 00:08:18,720Now, a sceptre, of course, is a symbol of power and authority.10500:08:18,720 –> 00:08:24,179It is usually held by a king or a queen, but the significance of the sceptre is that the10600:08:24,179 –> 00:08:28,559one who holds the sceptre has power.10700:08:28,559 –> 00:08:29,859That’s the picture.10800:08:30,239 –> 00:08:37,520Now notice that Psalm 125 gives us a terrible phrase, because it talks there in verse 310900:08:37,520 –> 00:08:42,520about the sceptre of the wicked.11000:08:42,520 –> 00:08:43,799This is a terrible thing.11100:08:43,799 –> 00:08:50,239This is telling us the wicked are in power, and apparently they have been in power over11200:08:50,239 –> 00:08:53,479the land alotted to God’s people.11300:08:53,479 –> 00:08:59,219Now, those who know the story of the Old Testament will remember that after the time of David11400:08:59,580 –> 00:09:04,479and Solomon, when God’s blessing was poured out in a remarkable way upon the land and11500:09:04,479 –> 00:09:10,219upon his people, there was a great division, the kingdoms split in two, ten tribes in the11600:09:10,219 –> 00:09:15,059north, two in the south, and for the next three to four hundred years there was an almost11700:09:15,059 –> 00:09:21,419unrelieved story of tragedy, a momentum that almost without exception was a movement away11800:09:21,419 –> 00:09:23,859from loyalty to God.11900:09:23,859 –> 00:09:30,000The prophets warned that Jerusalem itself could not stand if God’s people departed12000:09:30,000 –> 00:09:33,419from the true worship of his name.12100:09:33,419 –> 00:09:37,539And in time what the prophets said proved true.12200:09:37,539 –> 00:09:44,400Enemies came from the east, Jerusalem was destroyed, the city devastated after prolonged12300:09:44,400 –> 00:09:53,880siege, many fled, many more died, and those who remained were taken of as exiles into12400:09:53,880 –> 00:09:57,340the city of Babylon several hundred miles to the east.12500:09:57,340 –> 00:10:01,559And there they remained for a period of seventy years.12600:10:01,559 –> 00:10:09,719Now that is the period that we call the exile, and during these long years of the exile,12700:10:10,619 –> 00:10:16,859place where God had promised His presence, it was a pile of rubble under the authority12800:10:16,859 –> 00:10:19,219of foreigners.12900:10:19,219 –> 00:10:24,119It was an uninhabited wasteland, the place that was supposed to be the scene of God’s13000:10:24,119 –> 00:10:26,859blessing destroyed.13100:10:26,859 –> 00:10:30,679The scepter of the wicked was over.13200:10:30,679 –> 00:10:34,900The land allotted to the righteous.13300:10:34,900 –> 00:10:43,739But now, notice 70 years later, there is this new note of hope in Psalm 125 verse 3, the13400:10:43,739 –> 00:10:49,479scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous.13500:10:49,479 –> 00:10:53,780God is going to break the scepter of the wicked, God is going to do a new thing, the city of13600:10:53,780 –> 00:10:56,419Jerusalem will be rebuilt.13700:10:56,419 –> 00:11:02,440And you notice that the reason God broke the scepter of the wicked was to keep the righteous13800:11:02,760 –> 00:11:06,760from using their hands to do evil.13900:11:06,760 –> 00:11:12,719After 70 years, there was a whole new generation of people who had never seen Jerusalem, never14000:11:12,719 –> 00:11:19,039set foot in the promised land, all they’d ever known was the unbelieving culture of14100:11:19,039 –> 00:11:24,679Babylon, they’d heard the stories of faith from their parents, they’d heard the stories14200:11:24,679 –> 00:11:30,320of what it was to be distinctive as the people of God in an unbelieving world, and to be14300:11:30,659 –> 00:11:35,619part of building the city of God, where God’s blessing and presence would be known, but14400:11:35,619 –> 00:11:37,419they’d never experienced it.14500:11:37,419 –> 00:11:44,419And the danger of course was that they might settle down to life in a secular world, that14600:11:44,440 –> 00:11:50,820they’d lose vision, that rebuilding the city of God would become a second kind of14700:11:50,820 –> 00:11:56,559priority that people never really got to, and that they would simply accept the dominance14800:11:56,559 –> 00:12:02,020of unbelief in the culture and in the world.14900:12:02,020 –> 00:12:04,979But God did not allow that to happen.15000:12:04,979 –> 00:12:07,419God broke the sceptre of the wicked.15100:12:07,419 –> 00:12:14,299Wonderfully, He raised up a new generation among His people, with a new vision for being15200:12:14,299 –> 00:12:17,619the people of God and rebuilding the city of God.15300:12:17,619 –> 00:12:22,500And so after seventy years these folks begin to return.15400:12:22,500 –> 00:12:27,539The Old Testament tells us the story of how the first wave of exiles came back under the15500:12:27,539 –> 00:12:31,619leadership of a man called Zarubbal — up to practice saying that.15600:12:31,619 –> 00:12:37,239The second wave came under the leadership of a man called Ezra, and the third wave under15700:12:37,239 –> 00:12:40,299the leadership of a man called Nehemiah.15800:12:40,299 –> 00:12:43,219And they share together a common vision.15900:12:43,219 –> 00:12:49,260And you can see that that setting of the returning exiles, rebuilding the city of God, is that16000:12:49,260 –> 00:12:52,380setting also of Psalm 126.16100:12:52,380 –> 00:12:59,539Look at verse one, when the Lord brought back the captives to Zion.16200:12:59,539 –> 00:13:04,299So here are these folks have been captives throughout these seventy years, many of them16300:13:04,299 –> 00:13:08,020have been born during that period, of course, there’s a few older folks who’ve made the16400:13:08,020 –> 00:13:14,299journey back, and it’s a long way from Babylon back to Jerusalem.16500:13:14,299 –> 00:13:18,619Remarkable journey, remember all of these songs of ascents are written as people are16600:13:18,659 –> 00:13:25,419returning to Jerusalem, and this was a very special return to Jerusalem, the exiles coming16700:13:25,419 –> 00:13:29,020to rebuild the city of God.16800:13:29,020 –> 00:13:34,400Now, that’s the setting and once you’ve got the setting, I think that you will quickly16900:13:34,400 –> 00:13:38,179see the significance of the Psalms for us today.17000:13:38,179 –> 00:13:46,500Psalm 126 is divided into two clearly distinct parts that reflects the journey that every17100:13:46,840 –> 00:13:51,520Christian will experience in life and in ministry.17200:13:51,520 –> 00:13:58,900The two stages are simply number one, the joy of beginning, and number two, the difficulty17300:13:58,900 –> 00:13:59,900of continuing.17400:13:59,900 –> 00:14:04,760You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and a message called From Weeping17500:14:04,760 –> 00:14:05,979to Rejoicing.17600:14:05,979 –> 00:14:09,520Part of our series, moving in the right direction.17700:14:09,520 –> 00:14:13,200And if you’ve ever missed one of the series or if you want to get back and listen again,17800:14:13,200 –> 00:14:16,280you can easily do that by coming online to our website.17900:14:16,280 –> 00:14:19,719Open the Bible dot org dot UK.18000:14:19,719 –> 00:14:20,719Back to the message.18100:14:20,719 –> 00:14:21,859Now we’re in Psalm 126.18200:14:21,859 –> 00:14:24,020Here again is Collin.18300:14:24,020 –> 00:14:31,500Psalm 126 is divided into two clearly distinct parts that reflect the journey that every18400:14:31,500 –> 00:14:36,520Christian will experience in life and in ministry.18500:14:36,520 –> 00:14:43,099The two stages are simply number one, the joy of beginning, and number two, the difficulty18600:14:43,859 –> 00:14:45,700of continuing.18700:14:45,700 –> 00:14:46,799Let’s look at them together.18800:14:46,799 –> 00:14:49,340First, the joy of beginning.18900:14:49,340 –> 00:14:58,859When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed.19000:14:58,859 –> 00:15:01,219Now you see what’s happening here.19100:15:01,219 –> 00:15:05,340These folks are now back in Jerusalem and they’re reflection on what it was like when19200:15:05,340 –> 00:15:06,419they first returned.19300:15:06,419 –> 00:15:11,859They are now engaged in the hard work of rebuilding the city of God.19400:15:11,960 –> 00:15:16,179And they’re looking back to what it was like at the beginning when they made their historic19500:15:16,179 –> 00:15:18,559journey from Babylon to Jerusalem.19600:15:18,559 –> 00:15:25,599When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, oh, at that time we were like men who19700:15:25,599 –> 00:15:28,340dreamed.19800:15:28,340 –> 00:15:32,580Now you see you can almost feel the excitement if you think about it.19900:15:32,580 –> 00:15:38,859Here is a new generation that has discovered its calling.20000:15:39,039 –> 00:15:45,080Here are folks who have the energy of giving themselves to a vision.20100:15:45,080 –> 00:15:50,479Here are people who’ve seen what it means to do a new thing for God and they’re lunching20200:15:50,479 –> 00:15:53,080themselves out into ministry.20300:15:53,080 –> 00:15:54,440Imagine the journey.20400:15:54,440 –> 00:15:58,919Every night they stop, they build a little campfire, and they sit around the campfire.20500:15:58,919 –> 00:16:00,859Someone gets out a guitar and they sing some songs.20600:16:00,859 –> 00:16:01,859Well, maybe it wasn’t a guitar.20700:16:01,859 –> 00:16:02,859You know what I mean.20800:16:02,859 –> 00:16:07,400And they’re all talking about what we’re gonna do for God.20900:16:07,419 –> 00:16:11,900They’re all talking about the excitement of the new ministry.21000:16:11,900 –> 00:16:16,940The impact that they hope to have in the world, the unbeliefs that surround us, but the greatness21100:16:16,940 –> 00:16:19,440of God to overcome it.21200:16:19,440 –> 00:16:25,119It’s a new generation to build a new city, a new future.21300:16:25,119 –> 00:16:30,080It was all new and as they reflect on it, they say, you know, at that time our mouths21400:16:30,080 –> 00:16:33,739were filled with laughter.21500:16:33,739 –> 00:16:36,679In fact, the new venture even got into the newspapers.21600:16:37,000 –> 00:16:39,440Not exactly the newspapers, but you know what I mean?21700:16:39,440 –> 00:16:45,659It says there in verse two that even the nation’s unbelieving folks who read the newspapers21800:16:45,659 –> 00:16:50,340were saying, well, the Lord’s obviously doing something great down there.21900:16:50,340 –> 00:16:52,700It got some press.22000:16:52,700 –> 00:16:54,260It got some notice.22100:16:54,260 –> 00:16:56,940Something new is happening.22200:16:56,940 –> 00:17:05,339Now, you see, that is how it is with every new venture for Christ, a new missionary is22300:17:05,400 –> 00:17:08,160sent out by the church.22400:17:08,160 –> 00:17:14,280A man feels called to the ministry, and so he goes to seminary to train and to prepare.22500:17:14,280 –> 00:17:20,699A new church plant is about to launch, and the core group are meeting in someone’s home,22600:17:20,699 –> 00:17:24,719and there’s prayer, and there’s energy, and there’s enthusiasm, there’s faith, there’s22700:17:24,719 –> 00:17:28,300vision like folks have not seen before.22800:17:28,300 –> 00:17:30,599People are experiencing something new and fresh.22900:17:30,599 –> 00:17:35,579It seems like the whole level of everybody’s spiritual life is going up.23000:17:35,579 –> 00:17:37,939It’s the joy of beginning.23100:17:37,939 –> 00:17:38,939It’s a wonderful thing.23200:17:38,939 –> 00:17:43,800It’s the same, by the way, when you come to a new church.23300:17:43,800 –> 00:17:46,319You’ve been long enough in the old one to see its warts.23400:17:46,319 –> 00:17:51,920So you come to a new one, but you haven’t been here long enough to see its warts.23500:17:51,920 –> 00:17:54,540So you think everything is so wonderful and new.23600:17:54,540 –> 00:17:56,280It’s the joy of beginning.23700:17:56,280 –> 00:17:59,619It’s the same in any area of life.23800:17:59,619 –> 00:18:06,079You begin a new job, everything seems so wonderful, the people are so friendly, not like these23900:18:06,079 –> 00:18:09,479grouchy old people you used to have to work with.24000:18:09,479 –> 00:18:17,900The same with the newly married couple who head into the sunset for their honeymoon,24100:18:17,900 –> 00:18:21,300and they are absolutely certain as they are bursting with love24200:18:21,300 –> 00:18:28,520that they will never become dull and boring like their parents.24300:18:28,560 –> 00:18:34,359A new baby is born, and there’s a baby shower, and there is all the celebration and joy that24400:18:34,359 –> 00:18:40,660rightly goes with every new beginning.24500:18:40,660 –> 00:18:41,979And that’s what they are talking about.24600:18:41,979 –> 00:18:45,300When we started out we were like men who dreamed.24700:18:45,300 –> 00:18:51,979Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues were full of songs of joy.24800:18:51,979 –> 00:18:57,099And everyone who has made a significant new beginning knows what that is.24900:18:57,479 –> 00:19:03,920But of course, what we find here is that very soon the joy of beginning gives way to the25000:19:03,920 –> 00:19:07,560difficulty of continuing.25100:19:07,560 –> 00:19:11,239And that of course is what the second half of this psalm is all about.25200:19:11,239 –> 00:19:13,520And we see this throughout life.25300:19:13,520 –> 00:19:19,760This new baby, welcomed with such joy and such applause, willn’t stop crying.25400:19:19,760 –> 00:19:26,239And this newly married couple who are filled with light in their eyes, they have to sort25500:19:26,300 –> 00:19:28,880out the bills and clear the snow.25600:19:28,880 –> 00:19:32,939And do all kinds of things that nobody really wants to do.25700:19:32,939 –> 00:19:39,939The new church also turns out to have its problems as does the new job and the new ministry25800:19:40,780 –> 00:19:46,300that was going to change the world proves to be much harder than any of us thought.25900:19:46,300 –> 00:19:50,439Now you see, that is what this psalm is all about.26000:19:51,439 –> 00:19:56,380Here is a community of people and with great vision and enthusiasm and joy and fanfare26100:19:56,380 –> 00:19:58,979they have arrived in the ruins of the city of Jerusalem.26200:19:58,979 –> 00:20:04,560They’re going to do something new for God in their time and now they find that they26300:20:04,560 –> 00:20:08,939are having to make a life in a pile of rubble.26400:20:08,939 –> 00:20:10,680And it’s really hard work.26500:20:10,680 –> 00:20:17,239And, according to verse 4, it seems that at times they feel very dry.26600:20:17,239 –> 00:20:22,060And sometimes the extent of the destruction around them, the devastation of what has26700:20:22,060 –> 00:20:27,520happened around them just seems so overwhelming that they go to work weeping.26800:20:27,520 –> 00:20:29,599Verse 6.26900:20:29,599 –> 00:20:36,619So, you see, Psalm 126 describes this experience.27000:20:36,619 –> 00:20:42,400And it raises the major question for all of our lives, how do you navigate the problems27100:20:42,400 –> 00:20:43,800of continuing?27200:20:44,219 –> 00:20:47,599It’s a huge question.27300:20:47,599 –> 00:20:56,599If you or I are to achieve anything of significance in our lifetime for the Lord, how do you navigate27400:20:56,739 –> 00:21:02,760the problems of continuing in a dry marriage?27500:21:02,760 –> 00:21:07,640In raising a son or a daughter who once was welcomed with all this hoopla as a baby and27600:21:07,640 –> 00:21:13,079now as a source of conflict, anxiety.27700:21:13,479 –> 00:21:17,199You cry in the home.27800:21:17,199 –> 00:21:23,300How do you sustain a ministry when it’s so tough you really feel like you would want27900:21:23,300 –> 00:21:27,540to quit?28000:21:27,540 –> 00:21:33,619Friend of mine told me recently he caught up with a 20th reunion of the class that he28100:21:33,619 –> 00:21:36,900graduated with from his particular seminary.28200:21:37,339 –> 00:21:44,819He said of all the people who had gone into pastoral ministry, 50% had quit within 2028300:21:44,819 –> 00:21:45,819years.28400:21:45,819 –> 00:21:51,760You look at the attrition rate on the mission field, you find the same pattern.28500:21:51,760 –> 00:21:57,479Over half of all missionaries sent out by the church leave their assignment after the28600:21:57,479 –> 00:21:59,760first term.28700:21:59,760 –> 00:22:04,160Now there may be many good reasons for this and many situations in which that is the right28800:22:04,160 –> 00:22:11,979thing to do but I’m very sure that one of the factors in this is that the joys of beginning28900:22:11,979 –> 00:22:14,900quickly give way to the difficulties of continuing.29000:22:14,900 –> 00:22:21,199We have been listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Collins Smyth in a message called From29100:22:21,199 –> 00:22:26,719Weeping to Rejoicing, part of our series Moving in the Right Direction, all about the Psalms29200:22:26,719 –> 00:22:31,380of assent, that is Psalms 120 to 134.29300:22:31,380 –> 00:22:38,459If you have missed any of the series, you can easily catch up online come to our website29400:22:38,459 –> 00:22:39,459openthebible.org.uk.29500:22:39,459 –> 00:22:45,099Also on our website and available as a podcast is Open the Bible Daily, our series of short29600:22:45,099 –> 00:22:50,219two to three minute daily reflections based on Pastor Collins’ teaching and read in the29700:22:50,219 –> 00:22:52,300UK by Sue McLeish.29800:22:52,300 –> 00:22:57,339I’m with Open the Bible’s Executive Director John Martin with some news about Collin’s29900:22:57,339 –> 00:22:59,339book Fly Through the Bible.30000:22:59,339 –> 00:23:04,479Well David, I know that you’re a pilot your airplane features in the trailer we filmed30100:23:04,479 –> 00:23:05,859for Fly Through the Bible.30200:23:06,400 –> 00:23:10,959You’ll know that when you’re up in an airplane the view from above is majestic and that’s30300:23:10,959 –> 00:23:13,400what it’s like to fly through the Bible.30400:23:13,400 –> 00:23:18,339Written by Collin Smith Fly Through the Bible takes you on a high altitude journey through30500:23:18,339 –> 00:23:19,619the Bible story.30600:23:20,900 –> 00:23:22,500What can people expect from this study course?30700:23:22,500 –> 00:23:27,880On this journey you will meet five people from the Old Testament, explore five events30800:23:27,880 –> 00:23:33,359from the life of Jesus, and discover five gifts that God gives to every Christian.30900:23:33,540 –> 00:23:38,520It’s a journey you can discover by yourself, with others in your church or with a friend.31000:23:39,060 –> 00:23:42,500Each chapter ends with questions for reflection and discussion.31100:23:42,500 –> 00:23:45,319The book is designed to be short, simple and shareable.31200:23:45,959 –> 00:23:49,500So the book is one way to take the journey, what else is there?31300:23:49,500 –> 00:23:51,859There’s other free resources on our website too.31400:23:51,859 –> 00:23:55,579You’ll find short videos of Collin taking you through each chapter.31500:23:55,579 –> 00:24:02,160You can download a free small group guide if you want to go deeper or take the shortest31600:24:02,160 –> 00:24:07,060journey by downloading Fly – our free interactive app.31700:24:07,060 –> 00:24:11,260So this course would suit somebody who’s quite new to studying the Bible.31800:24:11,260 –> 00:24:15,500Even if you’ve never opened the Bible, this short flight will introduce you to God’s31900:24:15,500 –> 00:24:20,819Word – and leave you marvelling at how the big picture landscape of God’s story fits32000:24:20,819 –> 00:24:21,619together.32100:24:22,119 –> 00:24:27,540Full details of Fly through the Bible are on our website OpenTheBible.org.uk32200:24:27,939 –> 00:24:34,500And this month we’re offering the book Fly Through the Bible as our thank you gift if32300:24:34,500 –> 00:24:39,060you’re able to begin a new direct debit to the work of Open The Bible in the amount32400:24:39,060 –> 00:24:44,719of £5 per month or more, or a one off gift of £50 or more.32500:24:44,719 –> 00:24:52,619Full terms and conditions of this offer and to give online come to our website OpenTheBible.org.uk32600:24:52,719 –> 00:24:57,819If you’d like us to send you this free gift, it’s important that you don’t give anonymously32700:24:57,859 –> 00:25:00,599and that you leave your full address.32800:25:00,599 –> 00:25:04,819For Open The Bible, and Pastor Colin Smith, I’m David Pick and I hope you will join us32900:25:04,819 –> 00:25:06,880again next time.33000:25:13,599 –> 00:25:15,239Is your faith growing?33100:25:15,239 –> 00:25:18,660Are you coming to know Christ more intimately?33200:25:18,660 –> 00:25:22,500Are you more in love with God today than you were a year ago?33300:25:22,500 –> 00:25:26,140Find out how to navigate the middle years of your Christian life.33400:25:26,140 –> 00:25:27,880That’s next time on Open The Bible