100:00:00,880 –> 00:00:09,160I was going about my usual business when I felt this inner compulsion that I had200:00:09,160 –> 00:00:13,760to go to the temple. God did not usually speak to me in this way but on this300:00:13,760 –> 00:00:18,280occasion it was just like a voice in my head. Go to the temple Simeon, go to the400:00:18,280 –> 00:00:23,639temple, go right now. I knew I had to go. I thought Lord I can go when I’ve500:00:23,639 –> 00:00:27,620finished my work but I knew that would be disobedience. I had to go right there600:00:28,040 –> 00:00:31,120and then. Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor700:00:31,120 –> 00:00:34,700Colin Smith I’m David Pick I’m glad you could be with us today and Colin, today800:00:34,700 –> 00:00:38,299we’re doing something a bit different in the lead-up to Christmas it’s the900:00:38,299 –> 00:00:43,759Christmas story but in character. Yeah I have had so much fun trying to think1000:00:43,759 –> 00:00:47,259through the Christmas story from the perspective of the people who were1100:00:47,259 –> 00:00:51,660actually players in it and I’m thinking today about Simeon what was it like for1200:00:52,220 –> 00:00:58,139An old man who had followed the Lord faithfully and he gets to hold the1300:00:58,139 –> 00:01:02,580promised Christ child in his own arms and he says now I’ve seen your salvation1400:01:02,580 –> 00:01:07,040and he has peace in his heart he knows all is well between him and God it must1500:01:07,040 –> 00:01:10,019have been marvellous. So often we hear the Christmas story from1600:01:10,019 –> 00:01:14,339the perspective of Luke and we read from it every Christmas, it’s a tradition in1700:01:14,339 –> 00:01:18,680so many churches and families. What stands out to you as you look at these1800:01:19,120 –> 00:01:21,320characters in the Christmas story.1900:01:21,320 –> 00:01:22,800Well of course the significance is that2000:01:22,800 –> 00:01:27,459Luke is one of the Gospel writers and Matthew they do record for us the2100:01:27,459 –> 00:01:31,120eyewitness stories and they’re there for a reason we have the words of these2200:01:31,120 –> 00:01:36,739folks, the experiences of these folks and they are pointing to the glory of Christ2300:01:36,739 –> 00:01:39,580that we want to be able to see ourselves.2400:01:39,580 –> 00:01:41,019Well we’re going to see the Christmas story2500:01:41,019 –> 00:01:46,199today through the eyes of Simeon so if you can join us in Luke chapter 2 and2600:01:46,260 –> 00:01:50,459Luke 1 verses 21 to 40 as we hear Simeon’s story.2700:01:50,459 –> 00:01:51,959Here’s Colin.2800:01:51,959 –> 00:01:54,540Well it really is good to be with you today the only2900:01:54,540 –> 00:02:00,379problem for me coming down here of course is this old body 2,000 years up3000:02:00,379 –> 00:02:05,980there I’d forgotten how many aches and pains I had I’d love to tell you by the3100:02:05,980 –> 00:02:10,419way what it’s like up there but I’m not allowed to and I couldn’t even if I3200:02:10,419 –> 00:02:16,279tried it’s beyond anything I’d ever imagined and some of you are going to3300:02:16,279 –> 00:02:22,800find that out one day all I can tell you is that being up there for 2,000 years3400:02:22,800 –> 00:02:26,080is how I got this accent3500:02:28,940 –> 00:02:34,860by the way the pastor told me that he’s using these new fangled screens up here3600:02:34,860 –> 00:02:39,979I just said to him that’s alright for you son I said but don’t expect anything3700:02:40,119 –> 00:02:46,339fancy like that from an old guy like me but I mustn’t get sidetracked you know3800:02:46,339 –> 00:02:51,199I found that happened more as I got older I must try and keep to the point3900:02:51,199 –> 00:02:58,500you see up there now my mind is so clear. I had forgotten how confused my mind4000:02:58,500 –> 00:03:05,179sometimes got in this old body so I’ll try and keep off things that are by the4100:03:05,179 –> 00:03:14,600way one to tell you my side of the story I wasn’t in Bethlehem I didn’t see the4200:03:14,600 –> 00:03:23,699angels and I didn’t visit the inn but I did hold him in my arms4300:03:23,699 –> 00:03:34,220eight days after he was born but I start a bit further back oh by the way4400:03:34,220 –> 00:03:39,199You need to know it’s not easy for me to get up and speak in public like this. A4500:03:39,199 –> 00:03:44,619lot of people assume that I was a priest because I was in the temple courts. I4600:03:44,619 –> 00:03:49,080don’t know where they got that idea, certainly not from the Bible. I wasn’t a4700:03:49,080 –> 00:03:57,539priest. I was what you would call today a layman. I was just an ordinary guy living4800:03:57,539 –> 00:04:02,300in Jerusalem. That’s why Luke described me and his gospel as just a man in4900:04:02,479 –> 00:04:07,979Jerusalem, a man who happened to be there at the same moment as Mary and Joseph5000:04:07,979 –> 00:04:14,199were coming into the temple with Jerusalem. This was the amazing thing to me that he5100:04:14,199 –> 00:04:19,739was born and yet the King knew nothing of it, except when he was told by some5200:04:19,739 –> 00:04:26,779foreigners traveling from the east and he came as a child and the baby into the5300:04:26,779 –> 00:04:33,339temple in his mother’s arms some priest circumcised him and went through all5400:04:33,339 –> 00:04:37,279the rites and did the offerings and didn’t have the slightest idea of who he5500:04:37,279 –> 00:04:45,940was. What happened was that God opened the eyes of ordinary people, shepherds,5600:04:45,940 –> 00:04:54,799foreigners, and an ordinary guy like me who just happened to be living in5700:04:54,799 –> 00:05:05,000Jerusalem. Let me tell you a little more about myself. The Holy Spirit was on me.5800:05:05,000 –> 00:05:09,700Now all of you know what that means because that is true of you if you’re a5900:05:09,700 –> 00:05:15,519believer as well. So you folks don’t know how blessed you are. All of you who6000:05:15,579 –> 00:05:22,119believe have God’s wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit with you and in you. It’s6100:05:22,119 –> 00:05:27,700true of every believer now. But when I lived before Christ came that was not6200:05:27,700 –> 00:05:35,200the case. In my lifetime God’s Spirit was given to some but not to all. God gave6300:05:35,200 –> 00:05:40,019his spirit to some people who had special tasks. I guess the fact that he6400:05:40,019 –> 00:05:46,100gives his spirit to all of you means that he has special tasks for all of you.6500:05:46,100 –> 00:05:55,640But I enjoyed then what you enjoy now God’s spirit was on me and the other6600:05:55,640 –> 00:06:00,239thing that you should know is that I was waiting for the consolation of Israel.6700:06:00,239 –> 00:06:04,980Now maybe I should explain what that means. You folks know from the Bible that6800:06:05,799 –> 00:06:11,700The Lord Jesus Christ has promised to come back at any time and you believe6900:06:11,700 –> 00:06:17,980that don’t you that he can come back at any time? I hope you believe that because7000:06:17,980 –> 00:06:21,920I just read it in your statement of faith out there, he can come back at any7100:06:21,920 –> 00:06:33,880time can’t he? Good lot more people did that in our day of course that’s all the7200:06:34,119 –> 00:06:42,119talk up there. We will come with him. You’ll come up we’ll come down and we7300:06:42,119 –> 00:06:46,239will meet together and we shall always be with the Lord. It could happen at7400:06:46,239 –> 00:06:52,380any time but you don’t know if you will be alive when it happens or not. By the7500:06:52,380 –> 00:06:56,119way we don’t know when it’s going to happen either, because even up there we7600:06:56,119 –> 00:07:02,760haven’t been told. Now that’s exactly what it was like in my time you see we7700:07:02,760 –> 00:07:09,040had the Old Testament scriptures. The Old Testament was completed 400 years before7800:07:09,040 –> 00:07:12,679my lifetime. The last word written by the last7900:07:12,679 –> 00:07:17,839prophet really spoke about a day when God would suddenly come to his temple. We8000:07:17,839 –> 00:07:23,359knew it could happen at any time but none of us knew whether we would be8100:07:23,359 –> 00:07:30,480alive at the time when God’s Deliverer Redeemer would come or not. So we got8200:07:30,519 –> 00:07:34,799into the habit of praying for him to come. I expect now, as you think about his8300:07:34,799 –> 00:07:38,779second coming, that some of you do the same. You should. The first of our8400:07:38,779 –> 00:07:45,440Christian family did that. Lord Jesus, come quickly, they would pray. Well, I used8500:07:45,440 –> 00:07:50,920to do that about his first coming. By the way, it is a wonderful thing that8600:07:50,920 –> 00:07:55,480ordinary people like us can pray, isn’t it? You don’t need to be a priest or a8700:07:55,519 –> 00:08:01,619pastor to pray. You can pray. Well, anyway, getting back to my story, I must keep8800:08:01,619 –> 00:08:08,220getting distracted. One day, something quite extraordinary happened. All I can8900:08:08,220 –> 00:08:17,359tell you is that it was revealed to me that the Christ would come before I died.9000:08:17,359 –> 00:08:21,859Now don’t ask me to explain that. God didn’t see fit to tell us in the9100:08:21,959 –> 00:08:27,160Scriptures, and I’m not going to go into it right now. All I can tell you is that9200:08:27,160 –> 00:08:35,599it was revealed to me. I knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that I would not die9300:08:35,599 –> 00:08:42,359until I had seen the Deliverer for whom the whole world had been waiting. By the9400:08:42,359 –> 00:08:49,059way, it is an interesting experience to know that you will live to see a future9500:08:49,299 –> 00:08:52,200event. There were times of course when I was9600:08:52,200 –> 00:08:56,280quite ill. People were worried about whether I would ever recover. Well I was9700:08:56,280 –> 00:09:00,460never in any doubt. One time I was in an accident. I knew I9800:09:00,460 –> 00:09:08,119would pull through. God had promised that I would see Christ. I was immortal until9900:09:08,119 –> 00:09:13,880he came. I sometimes wondered, of course, how I would know him when I saw him, but10000:09:14,000 –> 00:09:21,940somehow deep down inside I just knew that I would know. Well let me tell you10100:09:21,940 –> 00:09:26,239how it happened. It seemed like the whole of my life was a preparation for that10200:09:26,239 –> 00:09:31,859day. Strange thing was it was a day like any other. I was going about my usual10300:09:31,859 –> 00:09:36,659business when I felt this inner compulsion that I had to go to the10400:09:36,659 –> 00:09:41,520temple. God did not usually speak to me in this way, but on this occasion it was10500:09:41,559 –> 00:09:46,440just like a voice in my head. Go to the temple Simeon. Go to the temple. Go right10600:09:46,440 –> 00:09:51,900now. I knew I had to go. I thought Lord I can go when I’ve finished my work, but10700:09:51,900 –> 00:09:58,119I knew that would be disobedience. I had to go right there and then, and I’m so10800:09:58,119 –> 00:10:05,919glad I did. I arrived in the temple and of course crowds of people as there10900:10:05,960 –> 00:10:11,599always were. That place was a constant hive of activity. It’s like your11000:10:11,599 –> 00:10:18,640church really except you don’t have the animals. People were making offerings and11100:10:18,640 –> 00:10:23,299children were being circumcised. People asking priests for prayers. Confessing11200:10:23,299 –> 00:10:31,320sins. Others just looking around to the building. I got there just as a young11300:10:31,419 –> 00:10:37,559couple were standing before the priest with their baby. They handed over an11400:10:37,559 –> 00:10:43,880offering of two young pigeons. Priest circumcised the baby. Must have done that11500:10:43,880 –> 00:10:50,640a hundred times. Went through the whole routine like nothing really mattered, but11600:10:50,640 –> 00:10:59,919as I watched I just knew that this was the one. Don’t ask me how I knew?11700:10:59,919 –> 00:11:07,080I cannot tell you except to say that the Holy Spirit of God revealed it to me. God11800:11:07,080 –> 00:11:12,219led me to make the identification. I was never more sure of anything in all my11900:11:12,219 –> 00:11:17,719life. He was the one that the whole world had been waiting for. I don’t know if12000:11:17,780 –> 00:11:23,119you’ve ever noticed that as you’ve read the story. Nobody worked it out on their12100:11:23,119 –> 00:11:30,559own. The angels had to tell the shepherds. The wise men had to be led by the star.12200:11:30,559 –> 00:11:36,280Even John the baptist said I wouldn’t have known him except that the Dove came12300:11:36,280 –> 00:11:43,140down upon him when he was baptised. Peter said you are the Christ and Jesus12400:11:43,179 –> 00:11:47,659said you didn’t work that out on your own. He said blessed are you Peter12500:11:47,659 –> 00:11:53,880because the Father in heaven has revealed this to you. The women went and12600:11:53,880 –> 00:11:57,219found the tomb emptied and had the faintest idea what it meant. It was God12700:11:57,219 –> 00:12:04,460who had to tell them through the angel, He is risen. Oh you see all the evidence12800:12:04,460 –> 00:12:12,059for Jesus is there for anyone to examine and you should, but it is God who opens12900:12:12,260 –> 00:12:16,359your eyes to the truth.13000:12:16,359 –> 00:12:18,140You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and a13100:12:18,140 –> 00:12:23,760message called Simeon’s story. It’s from Luke chapter 2 and if you’ve missed any13200:12:23,760 –> 00:12:27,500of the Christmas stories that we’re broadcasting all this month or if you13300:12:27,500 –> 00:12:30,840want to catch up and go back and listen again you can do that online at our13400:12:30,840 –> 00:12:36,940website open the Bible org or UK or find us as a podcast . Those are on all13500:12:36,940 –> 00:12:41,299the main podcast sites and you can find them by searching for open the Bible UK13600:12:42,000 –> 00:12:46,500Subscribe to receive regular updates. Back to the message now. Here’s Colin.13700:12:46,500 –> 00:12:51,260Oh you see all the evidence for Jesus is there for anyone to examine13800:12:51,260 –> 00:13:00,080and you should but it is God who opens your eyes to the truth and if you know13900:13:00,080 –> 00:13:06,179who Jesus Christ is today you give thanks to God because he has opened your14000:13:06,179 –> 00:13:16,500eyes. Oh anyway I walked up to the family just a little crowd that were gathered14100:13:16,500 –> 00:13:21,580around them for this ceremony and when the priest was finished he passed the14200:13:21,580 –> 00:13:28,179baby back to Joseph. That was when it happened I knew that God was giving me14300:13:28,179 –> 00:13:31,059words that had to be spoken at that moment14400:13:31,559 –> 00:13:35,599Tapped Joseph on the arm. I told him I felt14500:13:35,599 –> 00:13:44,039God had some words he wanted me to say and I asked if I could hold the baby.14600:13:44,039 –> 00:13:48,780He seemed rather surprised I mean me a stranger a man in Jerusalem not even a14700:13:48,780 –> 00:13:53,400priest but he agreed and I found myself, think of it14800:13:54,039 –> 00:14:06,239into the eyes of this child and then the words came I was speaking but the words14900:14:06,239 –> 00:14:12,679I spoke were given it never happened to me before but I knew instinctively that15000:14:12,679 –> 00:14:22,020this was what happened when prophets spoke God was giving me words. By the15100:14:22,020 –> 00:14:26,919way I had a bit of a discussion with Pete about this up there and he15200:14:26,919 –> 00:14:36,640described it rather well he said to me Simeon men spoke from God when they were15300:14:36,640 –> 00:14:42,479carried along by the Holy Spirit then he laughed and he said I know that’s15400:14:42,479 –> 00:14:46,159definitely right because these are the very words that God gave me to describe15500:14:46,159 –> 00:14:50,719it and I wrote them down in the second letter in the New Testament. Well that’s15600:14:50,719 –> 00:14:55,820exactly what happened to me, they were not my words I can only say that I15700:14:55,820 –> 00:15:03,000spoke from God as I was carried along by the Holy Spirit. I held him in my arms15800:15:03,000 –> 00:15:11,960and then I said Sovereign Lord my eyes have seen your salvation which you have15900:15:11,960 –> 00:15:17,219prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and16000:15:17,419 –> 00:15:23,840for glory for your people Israel. Well of course Mary and Joseph were16100:15:23,840 –> 00:15:29,799absolutely astonished at this. What surprised them was not that I should16200:15:29,799 –> 00:15:35,200make these great statements about their child. They already knew his greatness.16300:15:35,960 –> 00:15:41,679What surprised them was that a complete stranger, a layman should walk into the16400:15:41,679 –> 00:15:47,179temple ask for permission to hold their baby in his arms and then prophesy the16500:15:47,299 –> 00:15:53,780very words of God over him because I’ve enjoyed talking with Mary about it up16600:15:53,780 –> 00:16:01,460there too. She told me I wondered who on earth you were but we knew that God was16700:16:01,460 –> 00:16:10,440speaking through you. I was about to hand the baby back to Mary and then more16800:16:10,559 –> 00:16:18,320words came, like wind blowing into your body on a cold day. You folks should know16900:16:18,320 –> 00:16:26,880what that’s like. Words forcing themselves on me and I knew that there17000:16:26,880 –> 00:16:33,760was more that God had for me to speak. Still holding the baby and standing17100:16:33,820 –> 00:16:40,919right next to his mother, I said this child is destined for the falling and17200:16:40,919 –> 00:16:48,340the rising of many in Israel. The word seems strange to me- rising I understood17300:16:48,340 –> 00:16:58,539but why falling? The words kept coming and to be a sign that is spoken against17400:16:58,559 –> 00:17:04,780so that the thoughts of the hearts of many will be revealed. I could hardly17500:17:04,780 –> 00:17:09,060believe the words I was speaking now. How could this child be a light to the17600:17:09,060 –> 00:17:18,300gentiles and the glory of Israel and then be spoken against? I looked at Mary17700:17:18,300 –> 00:17:24,819at that moment there was a beauty in her eyes that spoke of the depth of her soul17800:17:24,859 –> 00:17:31,459and as I looked at her still holding the child, these words came,17900:17:31,459 –> 00:17:44,640and a sword will pierce your soul too. We all stood rooted to the spot, we18000:17:44,640 –> 00:17:48,380understood every word that had been spoken, we could not begin to fathom18100:17:48,380 –> 00:17:57,959what they meant. Just at that moment, an old lady arrived. Just as I’d spoken18200:17:57,959 –> 00:18:04,099these words to Mary. Her name was Anna and anyone who was regularly around in18300:18:04,099 –> 00:18:10,979the temple knew her well. She was from the tribe of Asher. Now by the way a very18400:18:11,099 –> 00:18:18,939interesting! Asher was one of the so-called lost tribes. You know the ten18500:18:18,939 –> 00:18:23,219tribes in the north that were scattered when the king of Assyria invaded. And18600:18:23,219 –> 00:18:31,140they were referred for years after that as being the ten lost tribes. Well, Anna18700:18:31,140 –> 00:18:38,040was from the tribe of Asher. And she was a reminder that they were not totally18800:18:38,079 –> 00:18:47,719lost. God knows his own people you see. And he does not lose any who have faith18900:18:47,719 –> 00:18:52,959in him. Well Anna was known as a woman of19000:18:52,959 –> 00:18:58,140prayer. She gave herself to worship and fasting and she went into the19100:18:58,140 –> 00:19:02,839temple. You could knew that you could count on finding her there. Wonderful19200:19:03,680 –> 00:19:11,599underestimate the prayers of older people. And she was a prophetess which is19300:19:11,599 –> 00:19:15,319interesting because of course a true prophet could only speak words that came19400:19:15,319 –> 00:19:19,839from God. And the fascinating thing is that there had not been a true prophet19500:19:19,839 –> 00:19:27,020for 400 years. Well here we are standing the group of us. I’ve just been given19600:19:27,260 –> 00:19:33,520these extraordinary words about a sword piercing Mary’s own soul. We’re all19700:19:33,520 –> 00:19:38,900rooted to the spot wondering what on earth this could mean? And up comes old19800:19:38,900 –> 00:19:47,300Anna. And as she approaches us she begins speaking out words of praise and of19900:19:47,300 –> 00:19:52,699thanksgiving. And it’s so obvious that she’s prophesying these words again are20000:19:52,699 –> 00:19:58,260coming from God and they’re welling up in her soul and being expressed to His20100:19:58,260 –> 00:20:09,640praise and His glory. And I’m thinking to myself God’s just given me words that20200:20:09,640 –> 00:20:19,160indicate a sword will pierce Mary’s soul. And now God’s giving her words that are20300:20:19,479 –> 00:20:24,800praise and of thanksgiving and I can’t hold these two things together in my20400:20:24,800 –> 00:20:33,339mind. How can it be that this child who’s a light and the glory of Israel will be20500:20:33,339 –> 00:20:42,640spoken against? And that a sword will pierce Mary’s soul and yet that this can20600:20:42,640 –> 00:20:50,040be an occasion of praise and of thanksgiving at the same time? You know I20700:20:50,040 –> 00:20:59,479think Anna knew then what I understand now. I knew that the Lord’s Christ had20800:20:59,479 –> 00:21:10,760come to deliver us but now I know that he delivered us through his suffering. He20900:21:10,760 –> 00:21:21,239was despised and he was rejected. He became a man of sorrows and acquainted21000:21:21,239 –> 00:21:30,099with grief. We thought that God would punish him but he was wounded for our21100:21:30,099 –> 00:21:39,000transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities and the punishment that would21200:21:39,160 –> 00:21:50,339bring us peace fell on him. It would be by his wounds that we would be healed.21300:21:50,339 –> 00:21:54,099You’ve been listening to pastor Colin Smith on Open the Bible and Simeon’s21400:21:54,099 –> 00:21:59,540Story, taken from Luke chapter 2. Seeing the first days of Jesus through the eyes21500:21:59,540 –> 00:22:04,699of Simeon who held Jesus when he was just eight days old. It’s from our21600:22:04,699 –> 00:22:08,920series, Christmas Stories, and if you’ve missed any of the series or if you21700:22:08,920 –> 00:22:12,719want to go back and listen again you can do that by coming online to our website21800:22:12,719 –> 00:22:17,040openthebible.org.uk. There you’ll find all the messages that have21900:22:17,040 –> 00:22:22,180already gone out to date. You’ll also find them as a podcast and those are on22000:22:22,180 –> 00:22:26,880all the main podcast sites. Search for Open the Bible UK or follow the link22100:22:26,880 –> 00:22:32,579from our website. Our website address again, openthebible.org.uk22200:22:32,780 –> 00:22:38,020Open the Bible is able to stay on this station and the internet and available as a podcast22300:22:38,520 –> 00:22:42,160because of the generous financial support of our listeners that’s people22400:22:42,160 –> 00:22:47,640like you and if you already give to support the work thank you so much.22500:22:47,640 –> 00:22:51,540If supporting Open the Bible is something you’d like to start doing this month22600:22:51,540 –> 00:22:56,800we’re delighted to offer a free gift when you set up a new direct debit to22700:22:56,800 –> 00:23:01,199the work of Open the Bible in the amount of five pounds per month or more or a22800:23:01,199 –> 00:23:05,640one-off gift of fifty pounds or more we’d love to say thank you by sending22900:23:05,640 –> 00:23:11,699you a free copy of Pastor Colin’s new book Hike Through the Bible. Colin, where23000:23:11,699 –> 00:23:15,780did the idea for this book come from? Well that goes back a long way actually23100:23:15,780 –> 00:23:21,45930 years to a conference I attended in the UK and at lunchtime I just happened23200:23:21,459 –> 00:23:27,260to sit next to a man who had given his life to serving as a pioneer missionary23300:23:27,260 –> 00:23:30,719to an unreached tribal group in Northern Thailand.23400:23:31,119 –> 00:23:37,099His story was absolutely fascinating. He told me how he had met the tribal chief,23500:23:37,099 –> 00:23:41,079how he’d built his own home having been invited to live among these people,23600:23:41,079 –> 00:23:45,079learned their language. I mean I’m listening to his story, it was amazing.23700:23:45,699 –> 00:23:51,560And then I asked him over lunch, Tony, I said where in the world would you begin23800:23:51,579 –> 00:23:56,300in explaining the gospel to people who don’t even know who God is23900:23:57,000 –> 00:24:00,540And he said, we tell them the Bible story.24000:24:00,800 –> 00:24:04,760And that really started me on a journey that’s gone over many many years24100:24:04,760 –> 00:24:11,339because God has introduced his Son to us through an unfolding story24200:24:11,339 –> 00:24:14,640that begins in Genesis and it ends in Revelation,24300:24:14,640 –> 00:24:18,219and actually if we follow the contours of the Bible story,24400:24:18,819 –> 00:24:23,760we have the best possible introduction to understanding who Jesus is,24500:24:23,760 –> 00:24:28,119why we need him, what he’s able to accomplish, what he’s done for us.24600:24:28,300 –> 00:24:30,839And so Hike Through the Bible is very simply24700:24:31,199 –> 00:24:34,239an introduction to the whole of the Bible story.24800:24:34,239 –> 00:24:37,599It shows how it’s all pointing towards the Lord Jesus Christ24900:24:37,900 –> 00:24:41,599and I hope that it’s going to be helpful and encouraging for many many people.25000:24:41,719 –> 00:24:44,199Well we’d love to send you Colin’s new book25100:24:44,199 –> 00:24:49,000when you set up a new direct debit of £5 per month or more25200:24:49,000 –> 00:24:52,160or a one off gift of £50 or more this month.25300:24:52,359 –> 00:24:55,400Full terms and conditions online at our website25400:24:55,400 –> 00:24:58,199openthebible.org.uk25500:24:58,359 –> 00:25:00,280and you can give online.25600:25:00,640 –> 00:25:04,640Don’t forget to leave your name and address so we can send you your gift.25700:25:05,400 –> 00:25:08,880For Open The Bible and Pastor Colin Smith I’m David Pick25800:25:09,040 –> 00:25:12,079and I look forward to being with you again next time.25900:25:12,880 –> 00:25:16,520Extraordinary Words26000:25:16,680 –> 00:25:17,719A Non Testament Guide26100:25:17,959 –> 00:25:22,520An ordinary person was given extraordinary words about Jesus26200:25:22,520 –> 00:25:24,680just a few days after He was born.26300:25:24,680 –> 00:25:29,560Find out what He had to say next time on Open The Bible.