100:00:01,000 –> 00:00:05,940Why did Jesus Christ come into the world?200:00:05,940 –> 00:00:10,420Most important question a Christian could ever ask, or any person could ever ask.300:00:10,420 –> 00:00:11,840Why did he come?400:00:11,840 –> 00:00:13,240Why did he have to die?500:00:13,240 –> 00:00:15,360What was this cross all about?600:00:15,360 –> 00:00:17,959What happened there?700:00:18,559 –> 00:00:21,100Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith.800:00:21,100 –> 00:00:21,980I’m David Pick.900:00:21,980 –> 00:00:23,540I’m glad you could join us today.1000:00:23,540 –> 00:00:27,520Colin, those are questions we’ve heard asked many times1100:00:28,080 –> 00:00:30,559but is there something new in today’s Program?1200:00:30,559 –> 00:00:35,340There are many dimensions to what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross.1300:00:35,340 –> 00:00:36,900All of them are wonderful.1400:00:36,900 –> 00:00:44,480Our forgiveness, our reconciliation to God, a triumph over Satan and so forth and so on.1500:00:44,480 –> 00:00:50,820And yet one aspect of what Christ has accomplished at Calvary that doesn’t get as much emphasis1600:00:50,820 –> 00:00:52,480as perhaps it should,1700:00:52,480 –> 00:00:57,080is that he bore the Wrath of God for us.1800:00:57,279 –> 00:01:02,840What that means is that Jesus descended into Hell itself on the cross.1900:01:02,840 –> 00:01:05,519He experienced everything that Hell is right there.2000:01:05,519 –> 00:01:06,919He was in the darkness.2100:01:06,919 –> 00:01:08,959He was loaded with our guilt,2200:01:08,959 –> 00:01:10,620not his own guilt because he had none,2300:01:10,620 –> 00:01:12,260but he was loaded with our guilt.2400:01:12,260 –> 00:01:14,360You got all of the demons let loose.2500:01:14,360 –> 00:01:15,559You got Him crying out,2600:01:15,559 –> 00:01:19,080My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?2700:01:19,080 –> 00:01:23,080And even the eternal Son of God is cut off in that moment2800:01:23,080 –> 00:01:25,879from the knowledge of the Father’s love.2900:01:25,879 –> 00:01:29,760And that is Hell itself in all its dimensions.3000:01:29,760 –> 00:01:32,120And he goes into this Hell3100:01:32,120 –> 00:01:35,760so that we should never know what it is like.3200:01:35,760 –> 00:01:36,919That’s amazing.3300:01:36,919 –> 00:01:39,779And this is getting to the unfathomable riches3400:01:39,779 –> 00:01:42,000of what is ours in Jesus Christ.3500:01:42,000 –> 00:01:43,900And we’re finding, I think, in this series3600:01:43,900 –> 00:01:46,379that the deeper we go into the problem,3700:01:46,379 –> 00:01:47,760the greater our glimpse3800:01:47,760 –> 00:01:51,000is of what God has provided for us in Jesus.3900:01:51,000 –> 00:01:53,760And therefore, this is a means by which we can come4000:01:53,820 –> 00:01:56,760to love him more and appreciate and serve him better.4100:01:56,760 –> 00:01:59,279Thanks Colin for reminding us of that.4200:01:59,279 –> 00:02:01,080And join us if you can today4300:02:01,080 –> 00:02:04,120in Ephesians 2 and verse 3,4400:02:04,120 –> 00:02:05,800as we continue the message,4500:02:05,800 –> 00:02:07,120Children of Wrath.4600:02:07,120 –> 00:02:08,699Here is Pastor Colin.4700:02:08,699 –> 00:02:10,139The first thing that we need to know4800:02:10,139 –> 00:02:12,119about the wrath of God is that the world needs it.4900:02:12,119 –> 00:02:15,720The second is that I deserve it.5000:02:17,300 –> 00:02:19,399Apart from grace and mercy,5100:02:19,399 –> 00:02:21,100apart from Jesus Christ,5200:02:21,240 –> 00:02:22,759because the sinner by nature5300:02:22,759 –> 00:02:25,399would bring into the new heaven and the new earth5400:02:25,399 –> 00:02:28,199everything that has messed up the old earth5500:02:28,199 –> 00:02:30,500in which we live right now.5600:02:30,500 –> 00:02:31,699Here is the third thing.5700:02:32,520 –> 00:02:34,440Christ bore it.5800:02:34,440 –> 00:02:36,300Three things you need to know about the wrath of God.5900:02:36,300 –> 00:02:37,679The world needs it.6000:02:37,679 –> 00:02:39,160I deserve it.6100:02:39,160 –> 00:02:41,100Christ bore it.6200:02:42,020 –> 00:02:44,320This goes to the very center of our faith.6300:02:44,320 –> 00:02:47,240That’s why this subject is so important.6400:02:47,240 –> 00:02:50,020Why did Jesus Christ come into the world?6500:02:50,020 –> 00:02:52,220Most important question a Christian could ever ask6600:02:52,220 –> 00:02:53,699or any person could ever ask.6700:02:54,580 –> 00:02:55,500Why did he come?6800:02:55,500 –> 00:02:56,800Why did he have to die?6900:02:56,800 –> 00:03:00,000What was this cross that’s at the very center7000:03:00,000 –> 00:03:02,839of our worship, at the center of our gathering7100:03:02,839 –> 00:03:04,539around the communion table today,7200:03:04,539 –> 00:03:06,919what is this cross all about?7300:03:08,259 –> 00:03:11,779What happened there and why did it have to happen?7400:03:11,779 –> 00:03:12,779That’s the question.7500:03:14,800 –> 00:03:16,539And the answer was never put more clearly7600:03:16,539 –> 00:03:18,960than in the prophetic words of Isaiah the prophet,7700:03:19,020 –> 00:03:21,380Isaiah chapter 53 and verse five.7800:03:21,380 –> 00:03:23,380Here’s what was happening at the cross,7900:03:23,380 –> 00:03:28,380the punishment, the punishment that brought us peace8000:03:30,240 –> 00:03:33,240was upon him, upon Jesus.8100:03:34,259 –> 00:03:38,279Jesus, the Lamb of God, takes away the sin of the world8200:03:38,279 –> 00:03:40,339and on the cross, here’s what was happening,8300:03:40,339 –> 00:03:43,600he became the sin bearer.8400:03:43,600 –> 00:03:48,559He bore sins and he died for sinners.8500:03:48,600 –> 00:03:52,100He took the wrath that should have been ours8600:03:52,100 –> 00:03:56,399so that we could enter the joy that was rightly his.8700:03:57,759 –> 00:04:00,199And bearing sins meant that Jesus8800:04:00,199 –> 00:04:03,720came under all that sin brings.8900:04:05,279 –> 00:04:10,279On the cross, he absorbed the divine wrath,9000:04:12,139 –> 00:04:15,440he entered into hell9100:04:15,440 –> 00:04:17,899and all that it is there on the cross9200:04:17,899 –> 00:04:19,959so that those who are his9300:04:21,500 –> 00:04:24,260should never know what hell is like.9400:04:26,140 –> 00:04:29,480Christ absorbed the wrath of God for us9500:04:30,959 –> 00:04:35,000so that we could know the love of God through him.9600:04:37,299 –> 00:04:38,940Now I want to ask this question.9700:04:40,100 –> 00:04:42,179Have you taken this truth9800:04:42,179 –> 00:04:44,220that’s before us today seriously?9900:04:45,000 –> 00:04:49,739Have you, you say you are a Christian perhaps.10000:04:49,739 –> 00:04:52,739Have you taken this truth seriously?10100:04:56,899 –> 00:05:01,079Christian, have you ever seriously considered10200:05:01,079 –> 00:05:04,420what it is that you have been saved from?10300:05:06,179 –> 00:05:08,839Have you ever thought about what it would have meant10400:05:08,839 –> 00:05:12,339if you had remained under the wrath of God?10500:05:15,160 –> 00:05:17,279I tried to do that again this week10600:05:17,279 –> 00:05:19,700and here’s my personal reflection.10700:05:19,700 –> 00:05:22,320I’ll just read it to you.10800:05:22,320 –> 00:05:26,600It’s true of you as much as it’s true of me.10900:05:26,600 –> 00:05:30,019If it were not for the grace and mercy of God11000:05:30,019 –> 00:05:31,859to me in Jesus Christ,11100:05:33,820 –> 00:05:36,059I would be facing a future11200:05:37,239 –> 00:05:41,420in which I am against God and God is against me forever.11300:05:42,359 –> 00:05:44,839A future in which I have no place for God11400:05:44,839 –> 00:05:47,179and God has no place for me.11500:05:48,579 –> 00:05:50,899And in that everlasting separation,11600:05:50,899 –> 00:05:53,980I would endure the continued gnawing11700:05:54,799 –> 00:05:57,760of an activated conscience in which I see11800:05:57,760 –> 00:06:00,519the full extent of my own sin11900:06:00,519 –> 00:06:04,279and the destruction I have brought on myself.12000:06:05,299 –> 00:06:06,920I would endure the clear knowledge12100:06:06,920 –> 00:06:09,559that there is a God of love12200:06:09,779 –> 00:06:12,279and that I could have known Him12300:06:14,059 –> 00:06:15,980but through my own folly12400:06:17,760 –> 00:06:21,600I chose to reject him all the days of my life.12500:06:22,720 –> 00:06:25,040I would endure the unending regret12600:06:25,040 –> 00:06:26,640and loathing of myself12700:06:26,640 –> 00:06:28,920because of my own wretched choices12800:06:28,920 –> 00:06:31,579and it’s miserable consequences.12900:06:34,720 –> 00:06:37,200And I would endure the continuing impulse13000:06:37,359 –> 00:06:39,880of an ongoing rebellion against God13100:06:39,880 –> 00:06:44,420that just keeps foaming up as it were from within13200:06:46,220 –> 00:06:48,399from which there is no deliverance.13300:06:50,279 –> 00:06:51,799You want to imagine what that is like?13400:06:51,799 –> 00:06:53,079Think about an addict13500:06:54,519 –> 00:06:57,559who keeps going back to what he knows13600:06:57,559 –> 00:06:59,279is destroying his life.13700:07:00,559 –> 00:07:01,440And why does he do this?13800:07:01,440 –> 00:07:03,079Because the power of his addiction13900:07:03,079 –> 00:07:06,079is stronger than his desire to be free.14000:07:06,100 –> 00:07:09,720That is what it would have been like for me14100:07:09,720 –> 00:07:12,519an eternity addicted to sin14200:07:14,920 –> 00:07:17,760in the company of all those who share the same addiction.14300:07:19,619 –> 00:07:23,140Caught in an ongoing, never-ending destruction14400:07:23,140 –> 00:07:26,000for which I would have no one to blame14500:07:26,000 –> 00:07:28,839except myself.14600:07:31,839 –> 00:07:33,559I sit for just a few minutes14700:07:33,660 –> 00:07:35,619and I write these thoughts in preparation14800:07:35,619 –> 00:07:37,859for this message and I end up saying,14900:07:37,859 –> 00:07:38,660oh God,15000:07:42,899 –> 00:07:45,399what you have saved me from.15100:07:47,679 –> 00:07:49,660You’re taking this truth seriously?15200:07:51,739 –> 00:07:54,540And you’ve felt the weight of that within your own soul?15300:07:57,399 –> 00:07:58,880And if you take it seriously15400:07:58,880 –> 00:08:01,579do you ever think15500:08:02,579 –> 00:08:04,619about what it would mean for your neighbor15600:08:05,480 –> 00:08:08,380or for your colleague at work15700:08:08,380 –> 00:08:10,140to endure the wrath of God?15800:08:11,100 –> 00:08:13,359You see if you do, you will begin to have compassion15900:08:13,359 –> 00:08:15,500for that person who you might despise.16000:08:16,660 –> 00:08:18,679You will begin to pray for that person.16100:08:20,380 –> 00:08:23,500You will begin to look to God for their salvation.16200:08:25,559 –> 00:08:29,019Then I ask have you ever really thought about16300:08:29,119 –> 00:08:32,340then what it meant for the Holy Son of God16400:08:32,340 –> 00:08:35,119to endure this wrath on the cross?16500:08:36,700 –> 00:08:37,900I mean here we are about to come16600:08:37,900 –> 00:08:39,659around the Lord’s table today.16700:08:40,940 –> 00:08:43,700And you know the old spiritual that we often sing.16800:08:43,700 –> 00:08:45,580It’s very popular but I wonder if we know16900:08:45,580 –> 00:08:46,979anything about it’s meaning.17000:08:48,979 –> 00:08:52,200Were you there when they crucified my Lord?17100:08:53,419 –> 00:08:56,039Were you there when they crucified my Lord?17200:08:56,039 –> 00:08:58,380Do you remember what comes next?17300:08:58,400 –> 00:08:59,640Oh, oh, oh, oh.17400:09:03,000 –> 00:09:07,039Sometimes it causes me to tremble,17500:09:08,559 –> 00:09:09,739tremble,17600:09:11,280 –> 00:09:12,619tremble.17700:09:14,099 –> 00:09:17,140Have you ever trembled?17800:09:17,140 –> 00:09:18,679Ever.17900:09:18,679 –> 00:09:23,520At the thought of what Jesus Christ endured for you18000:09:23,520 –> 00:09:26,099on the cross bearing the wrath of God.18100:09:26,140 –> 00:09:28,580The Son of God bearing the wrath of God18200:09:31,559 –> 00:09:35,960in His own body, in His own soul.18300:09:38,099 –> 00:09:40,820The Son of God stretched out on a cross18400:09:40,820 –> 00:09:43,599rejected by Earth, rejected by heaven,18500:09:45,840 –> 00:09:48,460plunged into the depth of Hell18600:09:48,460 –> 00:09:52,619and therefore you, you.18700:09:53,580 –> 00:09:56,960This the power of the cross.18800:09:58,500 –> 00:10:01,599Christ became sin for us,18900:10:02,979 –> 00:10:05,619took the blame, bore the wrath.19000:10:07,159 –> 00:10:09,840We stand forgiven at the cross.19100:10:12,299 –> 00:10:15,219I hope that makes your jaw drop today.19200:10:16,619 –> 00:10:17,859You’re listening to Open the Bible19300:10:17,859 –> 00:10:19,179with Pastor Colin Smith19400:10:19,179 –> 00:10:21,140and we have to pause the message briefly there19500:10:21,140 –> 00:10:22,260but we’ll be back shortly19600:10:22,260 –> 00:10:24,340so please stay with us.19700:10:24,340 –> 00:10:27,179Our message today is called Children of Wrath19800:10:27,179 –> 00:10:28,700and it’s from our series,19900:10:28,700 –> 00:10:31,260The Inside Story of Human Life.20000:10:31,260 –> 00:10:33,739If you’ve missed any of the messages in the series20100:10:33,739 –> 00:10:36,960it’s very easy to catch up or go back and listen again20200:10:36,960 –> 00:10:41,619by coming to our website that’s at openthemyble.org.uk.20300:10:41,619 –> 00:10:43,000There you’ll find all the messages20400:10:43,000 –> 00:10:44,919which have already been broadcast20500:10:44,919 –> 00:10:45,799and if you prefer20600:10:45,799 –> 00:10:48,340it’s easy to find them as a podcast20700:10:48,340 –> 00:10:50,719and those are on the main podcast sites.20800:10:50,719 –> 00:10:53,239Search there for Open the Bible UK20900:10:53,239 –> 00:10:56,000or follow the link from our website.21000:10:56,000 –> 00:10:57,380Back to the message now.21100:10:57,380 –> 00:10:59,619Here again is Pastor Colin.21200:10:59,619 –> 00:11:03,000Christ absorbed the wrath of God for us21300:11:04,039 –> 00:11:07,940so that we could know the love of God through him.21400:11:09,400 –> 00:11:12,080Now I want simply to give21500:11:12,080 –> 00:11:16,760three very practical applications of this truth21600:11:16,760 –> 00:11:18,400and then we’re through for today.21700:11:19,340 –> 00:11:22,359How are you to use this truth as it bears in21800:11:22,359 –> 00:11:25,780on your mind and on your heart and on your soul?21900:11:25,780 –> 00:11:30,780I want to encourage you today to use this truth often22000:11:30,940 –> 00:11:34,479to deepen your grasp of Christ’s love.22100:11:36,000 –> 00:11:39,340I hope you’re beginning just to see for a moment already22200:11:39,340 –> 00:11:42,840how grasping this truth in the light of the cross22300:11:42,840 –> 00:11:45,840takes us right to the center of God’s love22400:11:45,840 –> 00:11:47,659and gives us a bigger grasp of it22500:11:47,659 –> 00:11:49,559than you would ever have otherwise.22600:11:51,739 –> 00:11:55,340Here’s something that remains to me an extraordinary enigma.22700:11:56,859 –> 00:12:00,299No generation has ever been told,22800:12:00,299 –> 00:12:03,020God loves you as often and as frequently22900:12:03,020 –> 00:12:04,400as this generation,23000:12:05,460 –> 00:12:09,460and at the same time, no generation has had more difficulty23100:12:09,460 –> 00:12:12,739in experiencing the love of God than this generation.23200:12:12,739 –> 00:12:13,580Why is that?23300:12:14,900 –> 00:12:16,780And I believe that a large part23400:12:16,859 –> 00:12:18,599of the answer to that question23500:12:19,580 –> 00:12:24,580is that we have sentimentalized the love of God,23600:12:25,159 –> 00:12:30,159we have lost touch with this truth of God’s wrath23700:12:30,599 –> 00:12:35,599and in doing so, we have lost knowledge of God in his love.23800:12:39,219 –> 00:12:42,780Tim Keller has a very helpful illustration here23900:12:42,780 –> 00:12:45,559and I think you will find this useful24000:12:45,559 –> 00:12:49,340in just giving us a picture of how this happens.24100:12:49,340 –> 00:12:52,760Let me read these words to you, he says,24200:12:53,840 –> 00:12:56,599neglecting unpleasant doctrines24300:12:56,599 –> 00:12:58,940in the historic Christian faith24400:12:59,780 –> 00:13:04,179will often bring about counterintuitive consequences.24500:13:04,179 –> 00:13:06,020And he uses a distinctive phrase,24600:13:06,020 –> 00:13:10,119he says, there is an ecological balance24700:13:10,119 –> 00:13:15,119about scriptural truth that we cannot risk disturbing24800:13:15,500 –> 00:13:17,080and then here’s the illustration,24900:13:18,159 –> 00:13:22,739if an area is cleared of its predatory or undesired animals,25000:13:23,820 –> 00:13:27,460the balance of the environment may be so upset25100:13:27,460 –> 00:13:30,979that desirable plants and animals are also lost,25200:13:30,979 –> 00:13:32,260you understand how this happens,25300:13:32,260 –> 00:13:34,020you take away the predators25400:13:34,020 –> 00:13:37,159and then some other undesirable animals end up multiplying25500:13:37,159 –> 00:13:38,140and the next thing the plants25600:13:38,140 –> 00:13:40,080are disappearing altogether and so forth and so on,25700:13:40,080 –> 00:13:43,500you’ve upset the ecological balance.25800:13:43,500 –> 00:13:45,460Now, says Keller, in the same way,25900:13:46,340 –> 00:13:50,260if we avoid difficult or quote harsh doctrines26000:13:50,260 –> 00:13:52,280within the historic Christian faith,26100:13:52,280 –> 00:13:54,260we may find to our surprise26200:13:54,260 –> 00:13:59,260that we have gutted pleasant and cherished beliefs also.26300:13:59,659 –> 00:14:02,140In the end, the loss of the doctrines of hell26400:14:02,140 –> 00:14:04,419and judgment and the holiness of God26500:14:04,419 –> 00:14:07,780will do irreparable damage to our deepest comforts26600:14:07,780 –> 00:14:11,940and particularly, our understanding of God’s grace and love.26700:14:12,940 –> 00:14:14,780In other words, what he is saying is this,26800:14:14,780 –> 00:14:17,059if you reject the doctrine of the wrath of God,26900:14:17,059 –> 00:14:18,320don’t expect ever27000:14:18,320 –> 00:14:20,659to have very deep experience of His love.27100:14:21,539 –> 00:14:24,119You’ll live at the level of sentimentality27200:14:25,619 –> 00:14:27,619and sentimentality will not bring you27300:14:27,619 –> 00:14:31,380to the place of feeling with awe that God truly loves you.27400:14:31,380 –> 00:14:35,859But friebend, when you grasp the truth in this scripture27500:14:36,780 –> 00:14:38,679about the divine wrath,27600:14:39,679 –> 00:14:41,940then in the light of the cross,27700:14:41,940 –> 00:14:44,640you will begin to see the awesome extent27800:14:44,640 –> 00:14:46,200of the divine love.27900:14:47,440 –> 00:14:51,200When your eyes are open to what was happening at the cross,28000:14:51,200 –> 00:14:52,500you will begin to see28100:14:52,500 –> 00:14:56,119how this was an outpouring of the love of God,28200:14:56,119 –> 00:14:58,640inexplicable outpouring of the love of God,28300:14:58,640 –> 00:15:00,239and it was for you.28400:15:02,159 –> 00:15:03,780This truth of the divine wrath28500:15:03,780 –> 00:15:06,919tells you just what you have been saved from,28600:15:06,919 –> 00:15:11,059and it tells you just what it took for you to be saved.28700:15:12,280 –> 00:15:14,320When you view the divine wrath28800:15:14,320 –> 00:15:18,679being poured out on the divine person at the cross,28900:15:18,679 –> 00:15:21,739God absorbing the wrath of God,29000:15:23,739 –> 00:15:26,559you will know that God loves you.29100:15:29,080 –> 00:15:32,880You will begin to say with awe and with trembling,29200:15:32,880 –> 00:15:37,820the Son of God endured this for me.29300:15:40,700 –> 00:15:44,299Oh, I am surely loved.29400:15:45,400 –> 00:15:46,340Do you see that?29500:15:49,000 –> 00:15:53,739Grasp this and your soul will begin to sing.29600:15:53,739 –> 00:15:56,880Love so amazing, so divine29700:15:58,239 –> 00:16:02,039shall have my soul and my life29800:16:02,119 –> 00:16:02,940and my all.29900:16:04,840 –> 00:16:07,140Now folks, this is of huge importance.30000:16:07,140 –> 00:16:09,280Maybe you have thought that God’s wrath30100:16:09,280 –> 00:16:10,840shows how much God hates you.30200:16:10,840 –> 00:16:13,359Can you begin to look at it through the cross30300:16:15,260 –> 00:16:17,219and even begin to see that30400:16:18,780 –> 00:16:20,559it shows how much God loves you?30500:16:22,320 –> 00:16:24,099Maybe this is the truth that has caused you30600:16:24,099 –> 00:16:26,840to hate God and fight against him and to rebel against it.30700:16:26,840 –> 00:16:29,039Could it be that coming to the cross30800:16:29,039 –> 00:16:30,859and looking at this through the cross?30900:16:30,880 –> 00:16:33,820This could be the very place where you come to love God31000:16:34,859 –> 00:16:36,219because for the first time you see31100:16:36,219 –> 00:16:38,200the extent of his love for you.31200:16:40,140 –> 00:16:43,280So I urge you to use this truth, don’t jettison it.31300:16:45,919 –> 00:16:47,119Use this truth31400:16:48,460 –> 00:16:52,320to deepen your own knowledge,31500:16:52,320 –> 00:16:54,400sense of the love of God for you31600:16:54,400 –> 00:16:59,380in Jesus Christ poured out at the cross.31700:17:01,039 –> 00:17:03,080Second application’s for all of us together.31800:17:03,080 –> 00:17:08,079It’s for the church, for our church, for every church.31900:17:08,680 –> 00:17:09,780And it’s simply this.32000:17:09,780 –> 00:17:13,400Please use this truth and let us keep this front and center32100:17:13,400 –> 00:17:14,640in everything that lies ahead,32200:17:14,640 –> 00:17:17,180in our ministry in the coming years.32300:17:17,180 –> 00:17:22,180Use this truth to focus our mission on the gospel.32400:17:24,119 –> 00:17:25,739And here’s the point very simply.32500:17:26,719 –> 00:17:28,400If there was no hell,32600:17:29,380 –> 00:17:31,280the best thing we could do as a church32700:17:31,280 –> 00:17:33,439is to make the world a better place.32800:17:35,219 –> 00:17:38,020But if you believe what the Bible says here,32900:17:39,280 –> 00:17:41,640there is no comfort in this world33000:17:41,640 –> 00:17:44,300that can soften the awful reality33100:17:44,300 –> 00:17:46,160of divine wrath and the next.33200:17:48,000 –> 00:17:50,099Ajith Fernando put it so powerfully33300:17:50,099 –> 00:17:53,199in his message from this pulpit last week,33400:17:53,199 –> 00:17:54,420he said,33500:17:54,420 –> 00:17:59,119Lostness is the greatest tragedy in the world today,33600:17:59,119 –> 00:18:00,040and here’s why.33700:18:00,880 –> 00:18:04,520Because all other tragedies are temporal,33800:18:04,520 –> 00:18:09,119but lostness is an eternal tragedy.33900:18:09,119 –> 00:18:11,280That’s why it’s unlike anything else.34000:18:11,280 –> 00:18:12,839It’s in a different category.34100:18:12,839 –> 00:18:15,420It’s the biggest problem.34200:18:17,319 –> 00:18:18,760John Piper puts it another way,34300:18:18,760 –> 00:18:19,900making the same point.34400:18:19,900 –> 00:18:21,359As Christians, he says,34500:18:21,400 –> 00:18:24,420We are concerned to alleviate all human suffering34600:18:24,420 –> 00:18:28,199and especially eternal suffering.34700:18:28,199 –> 00:18:31,020Especially eternal suffering.34800:18:33,160 –> 00:18:34,859There are many needs in the world,34900:18:35,920 –> 00:18:40,719but no human being alive today has a greater need35000:18:40,719 –> 00:18:43,160than to find deliverance from the divine wrath35100:18:43,160 –> 00:18:44,339through the divine love35200:18:44,339 –> 00:18:48,780that is poured out by Jesus Christ at the cross.35300:18:48,780 –> 00:18:50,319Friends, that is the gospel.35400:18:51,500 –> 00:18:53,199And our mission35500:18:53,199 –> 00:18:56,699is to bring the gospel to the world.35600:18:59,000 –> 00:19:00,859So use this truth,35700:19:00,859 –> 00:19:02,739use this truth,35800:19:02,739 –> 00:19:06,500so that we will always focus our mission on the gospel.35900:19:06,500 –> 00:19:08,060And here’s the very last thing,36000:19:08,060 –> 00:19:10,219and I want to speak now to someone36100:19:10,219 –> 00:19:12,140who may not yet have made36200:19:12,140 –> 00:19:14,800a closed commitment to Jesus Christ.36300:19:14,800 –> 00:19:17,979You’ve not yet sealed faith in him,36400:19:17,979 –> 00:19:20,560you’re not yet committed as a follower of Jesus Christ.36500:19:20,599 –> 00:19:22,180This is what I want to say to you36600:19:22,180 –> 00:19:24,939in the last moment in this message today.36700:19:24,939 –> 00:19:26,300Use this truth.36800:19:27,380 –> 00:19:30,579Use this truth to overcome all the barriers36900:19:30,579 –> 00:19:33,500that keep you from Jesus Christ.37000:19:34,359 –> 00:19:35,880There are so many barriers.37100:19:35,880 –> 00:19:37,920There are so many reasons that you could put up,37200:19:37,920 –> 00:19:40,959even today, as to why you should not come to Jesus Christ,37300:19:40,959 –> 00:19:43,280why you would not become a follower of Jesus Christ,37400:19:43,280 –> 00:19:44,319why you would hold back,37500:19:44,319 –> 00:19:45,920why you would delay a decision.37600:19:46,880 –> 00:19:48,760There are always a hundred reasons37700:19:48,800 –> 00:19:50,560that a person could come up with.37800:19:50,560 –> 00:19:54,479But I urge you, in the light of this truth,37900:19:54,479 –> 00:19:58,079I urge you to begin a journey of faith and repentance38000:19:58,079 –> 00:20:01,400with Jesus Christ today.38100:20:01,400 –> 00:20:04,199And I urge you to do this for these two reasons.38200:20:04,199 –> 00:20:06,420First, because of your need,38300:20:07,560 –> 00:20:11,560sin puts us all in a desperate position before God.38400:20:11,560 –> 00:20:12,760You are in that position38500:20:12,760 –> 00:20:14,839if you have not yet closed with Jesus Christ.38600:20:14,839 –> 00:20:17,400Like the rest, you are a child of wrath.38700:20:17,400 –> 00:20:20,079How are you going to endure this eternal wrath?38800:20:20,079 –> 00:20:22,280How are you going to endure it?38900:20:24,599 –> 00:20:27,280And I urge you to come to Jesus Christ today39000:20:27,280 –> 00:20:29,280not only because of your need,39100:20:30,540 –> 00:20:32,760but I urge you to come to Jesus Christ today39200:20:32,760 –> 00:20:35,640because of the extent of his love.39300:20:37,619 –> 00:20:42,619God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself.39400:20:42,920 –> 00:20:47,359And in the preaching of the gospel,39500:20:47,359 –> 00:20:51,319God himself reaches out to you and invites you39600:20:51,319 –> 00:20:54,540into all the blessings that can be yours39700:20:54,540 –> 00:20:57,000in Jesus Christ today.39800:20:58,819 –> 00:21:01,020And as you think about what he endured39900:21:01,020 –> 00:21:03,500in order to bring salvation to sinners40000:21:03,500 –> 00:21:05,479that could be yours right now,40100:21:07,880 –> 00:21:10,079how can you possibly resist love?40200:21:10,680 –> 00:21:13,540How can you possibly resist love like this?40300:21:15,140 –> 00:21:16,680Where else in the world do you ever think40400:21:16,680 –> 00:21:18,920you will ever see love like this?40500:21:20,400 –> 00:21:23,839How can you walk away from love like this today?40600:21:26,359 –> 00:21:29,459So I urge you then to use this truth40700:21:31,500 –> 00:21:34,920to overcome all the barriers that you have been putting up40800:21:34,920 –> 00:21:39,040that holds you back from coming to faith in Jesus Christ40900:21:39,260 –> 00:21:40,719and beginning that journey of faith41000:21:40,719 –> 00:21:44,300and repentance with him today.41100:21:45,520 –> 00:21:46,979You’ve been listening to Open the Bible41200:21:46,979 –> 00:21:48,439with Pastor Colin Smith41300:21:48,439 –> 00:21:50,599and A Message Called Children of Wrath41400:21:50,599 –> 00:21:53,479from our series, the Inside Story of Human Life.41500:21:53,479 –> 00:21:56,660And Colin, today’s message is so practical,41600:21:56,660 –> 00:21:58,339but it seems counter-intuitive.41700:21:58,339 –> 00:22:02,560So how is it that grasping the idea of the wrath of God41800:22:02,560 –> 00:22:05,260can lead us further into his love?41900:22:05,260 –> 00:22:07,000Well, of course, there are a lot of folks42000:22:07,000 –> 00:22:08,000in the Christian world42100:22:08,000 –> 00:22:12,439who’ve actually rejected the doctrine of God’s wrath.42200:22:12,439 –> 00:22:14,920They said that’s an unworthy kind of a concept42300:22:14,920 –> 00:22:18,660and it’s going to be much more a loving view of God42400:22:18,660 –> 00:22:20,439if we just think that he’s kind and forgiving42500:22:20,439 –> 00:22:21,500and so forth and so on.42600:22:21,500 –> 00:22:23,119And here’s the tragedy,42700:22:23,119 –> 00:22:26,160you jettison the truth of the wrath of God42800:22:26,160 –> 00:22:29,040and you end up with a diminished view of his love.42900:22:29,040 –> 00:22:30,880The amazing thing about his love43000:22:30,880 –> 00:22:33,760is that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.43100:22:33,760 –> 00:22:36,959The amazing thing is that when he went on the cross,43200:22:36,959 –> 00:22:41,760he endured that wrath in order to redeem me.43300:22:41,760 –> 00:22:45,839The more clearly we see the extent of what he endured,43400:22:45,839 –> 00:22:47,959the more evident it’s going to become to us43500:22:47,959 –> 00:22:50,180of the extent of his love.43600:22:50,180 –> 00:22:52,400That is amazing love.43700:22:52,400 –> 00:22:54,660And that’s a different kind of a place from being,43800:22:54,660 –> 00:22:55,680say, Oh God loves me.43900:22:55,680 –> 00:22:56,719Yeah, of course, that’s cool.44000:22:56,719 –> 00:22:57,540I’m a great guy.44100:22:57,540 –> 00:22:58,479Why wouldn’t he?44200:22:58,479 –> 00:23:00,439No, here’s the love of God.44300:23:00,439 –> 00:23:03,040Christ bore the wrath of the Father,44400:23:03,560 –> 00:23:07,599divine justice, in order that mercy might reach out44500:23:07,599 –> 00:23:09,359to a sinner like me.44600:23:09,359 –> 00:23:11,280That’s a love that would captivate44700:23:11,280 –> 00:23:13,459a life of following Jesus.44800:23:13,459 –> 00:23:14,300It certainly is.44900:23:14,300 –> 00:23:16,400And thank you for that Colin.45000:23:16,400 –> 00:23:19,520Open the Bible is supported by our many listeners.45100:23:19,520 –> 00:23:22,719And if you’re one of them, thank you so much.45200:23:22,719 –> 00:23:25,160It’s not just the radio program,45300:23:25,160 –> 00:23:28,319the website and podcasts that you’re supporting.45400:23:28,319 –> 00:23:31,459Here’s Open the Bibles executive director, John Martin.45500:23:31,459 –> 00:23:32,640David, it’s very exciting45600:23:33,459 –> 00:23:36,819that we’ve seen a open door ironically into prisons.45700:23:36,819 –> 00:23:39,520We have distributed the film of the story45800:23:39,520 –> 00:23:40,400of the thief on the cross,45900:23:40,400 –> 00:23:42,819heaven, how I got here based on Colin’s short book.46000:23:42,819 –> 00:23:45,020We printed this onto a DVD and sent it46100:23:45,020 –> 00:23:48,739into every prison in England and Wales last year.46200:23:48,739 –> 00:23:52,579And this year we are trialling a 15 session course46300:23:52,579 –> 00:23:56,260of Colin’s material, Fly Through the Bible.46400:23:56,260 –> 00:23:58,060This has been done in partnership46500:23:58,060 –> 00:23:59,979with Daylight Christian Prison Trust,46600:24:00,060 –> 00:24:02,959who also helped us distribute the film.46700:24:02,959 –> 00:24:05,180And we’re also partnering with London City Mission46800:24:05,180 –> 00:24:06,979to trial this course.46900:24:06,979 –> 00:24:09,500Sessions begin with inmates watching a short video47000:24:09,500 –> 00:24:12,459of Pastor Colin reading each chapter of the book,47100:24:12,459 –> 00:24:14,380and then they do a simple bible study47200:24:14,380 –> 00:24:16,859with booklets designed for prison use47300:24:16,859 –> 00:24:18,939given to every participant.47400:24:19,900 –> 00:24:22,260One prison chaplain said this,47500:24:22,380 –> 00:24:25,140The men really listened to Pastor Colin.47600:24:25,140 –> 00:24:28,140The focus on the bible characters has been really good,47700:24:28,140 –> 00:24:31,420and rich conversations have come from it.47800:24:31,420 –> 00:24:34,020One of the men is using it on his wing47900:24:34,020 –> 00:24:36,000to lead his own bible study with other men48000:24:36,000 –> 00:24:37,599who aren’t in the groups.48100:24:37,599 –> 00:24:39,780It’s all very encouraging,48200:24:39,780 –> 00:24:41,459so David, if listeners are interested48300:24:41,459 –> 00:24:43,160in supporting this prison ministry48400:24:43,160 –> 00:24:44,800that we have in partnership48500:24:44,800 –> 00:24:45,619with Daylight Christian Prison Trust48600:24:45,619 –> 00:24:47,939and the London City Mission,48700:24:47,939 –> 00:24:49,260they can get in touch with us48800:24:49,260 –> 00:24:51,599and do a donation through the website.48900:24:51,619 –> 00:24:53,459You can get involved in supporting49000:24:53,459 –> 00:24:54,739Open the Bible’s work49100:24:54,739 –> 00:24:56,400by coming to our website,49200:24:56,400 –> 00:24:57,699openthebible.org.uk.49300:24:57,699 –> 00:25:01,020You’ll find lots more information,49400:25:01,020 –> 00:25:02,099terms and conditions,49500:25:02,099 –> 00:25:03,859and you can give online.49600:25:04,699 –> 00:25:07,239For Open the Bible and Pastor Colin Smith,49700:25:07,239 –> 00:25:08,359I’m David Pick.49800:25:08,359 –> 00:25:11,500Join us again next time on Open the Bible.49900:25:11,500 –> 00:25:16,500If all that God did was to open the door50000:25:21,739 –> 00:25:24,479of salvation and then step back,50100:25:24,479 –> 00:25:26,579who would walk through it?50200:25:26,579 –> 00:25:29,540Find out next time on Open the Bible.