100:00:00,880 –> 00:00:07,080When we got into the house, there was a warning notice that had been put on the200:00:07,080 –> 00:00:07,860fridge.300:00:07,860 –> 00:00:14,220Cougars have been sighted in the last month on this property.400:00:14,220 –> 00:00:17,219Beware. Now, that’s the picture.500:00:17,820 –> 00:00:25,360Sin is like a wild enemy animal, ready to pounce. And it’s stalking around the area,600:00:25,360 –> 00:00:27,000so be very careful.700:00:27,340 –> 00:00:30,400Sin is crouching at the door.800:00:31,040 –> 00:00:35,919Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. And Colin, I’m hoping that isn’t900:00:35,919 –> 00:00:37,320your house you’re talking about there.1000:00:37,320 –> 00:00:43,980On vacation. But I remember it very vividly. And what a powerful picture this is. Sin is1100:00:43,980 –> 00:00:50,480like a wild animal. And we’re in the story of Cain here, where he becomes angry, he’s1200:00:50,580 –> 00:00:56,419not pleased with what God says to him. And because he allows that anger to build up within1300:00:56,419 –> 00:01:02,419him, the warning that God gives to him is now sin is crouching at the door. It’s like1400:01:02,419 –> 00:01:06,019a wild animal, and it’s going to spring and it’s going to get you.1500:01:06,019 –> 00:01:11,820And the problem for Cain was that he did not deal with this anger and this resentment towards1600:01:11,820 –> 00:01:16,779God. And because of that, eventually he took a plunge to disaster.1700:01:16,919 –> 00:01:25,059That speaks to us powerfully today. Don’t let resentment and anger build. Instead, choose1800:01:25,059 –> 00:01:29,400a different path. And what that path is, we’re going to find out from the Scripture today.1900:01:29,400 –> 00:01:34,059Well, join us if you can as we continue our message, deal with your anger. We’re in Genesis2000:01:34,059 –> 00:01:39,0404. So I hope you’ll join us in your Bible if you can and here’s Colin.2100:01:39,040 –> 00:01:44,760So will you open your Bible’s with me at Genesis in chapter 4 where we have this story of Cain,2200:01:44,760 –> 00:01:50,300a man who went to worship. And I want to tell his story, really, by painting four scenes2300:01:50,300 –> 00:01:59,980from his life. And scene one is in the maternity ward. Of course, Eve had never experienced2400:01:59,980 –> 00:02:04,519a birth before. She may have seen something in the animal kingdom, but from our own experience,2500:02:04,519 –> 00:02:10,820she had no idea what to expect. And, of course, neither did her husband. So I guess one day2600:02:10,899 –> 00:02:17,899she just, in the morning, began to feel sick. And a few weeks later, she began to show.2700:02:19,479 –> 00:02:25,500And nine months later, she finds herself seized with violent pains and her hapless husband2800:02:25,500 –> 00:02:32,259hasn’t got the faintest idea what to do. Well, anyway, somehow they got through that,2900:02:32,259 –> 00:02:39,259and before long, she had a wonderful, bright, bouncing baby boy holding him in her arms.3000:02:39,259 –> 00:02:44,199Sometime later, another little bundle of life came along, and they called him Abel.3100:02:44,199 –> 00:02:49,940Now we don’t know how old Kane was when his brother was born into the world, but I think3200:02:49,940 –> 00:02:54,500we can reasonably assume that, like all older brothers, he had a somewhat mixed reaction3300:02:54,500 –> 00:03:00,860to this new arrival and attraction on the scene. I mean, he after all was competition,3400:03:00,860 –> 00:03:07,279a little upstart who needed to be kept in his place, a rival who would need to learn3500:03:07,500 –> 00:03:14,500who was boss. After all, Kane was the firstborn. And sure enough, Kane grew up to be a great3600:03:15,759 –> 00:03:21,820success. He was a high achiever, he took up agriculture, became a successful farmer, and3700:03:21,820 –> 00:03:28,820he was good at it. God blessed him, and his farm produced marvelous, marvelous harvests3800:03:29,479 –> 00:03:30,619of crops.3900:03:31,179 –> 00:03:37,380That brings us to scene two, the altar. We’re told about a day when the family came4000:03:37,860 –> 00:03:42,779to worship. Now, the first family, of course, did not have a church to go to, but they would4100:03:42,779 –> 00:03:48,679have had almost certainly an altar. It may simply have been a pile of stones, but someplace4200:03:48,679 –> 00:03:54,740where they met with God. Well, I’ve no doubt that Kane had decided that his little brother4300:03:54,740 –> 00:04:00,259was a pain in the neck, long before they got to worship. What do you think?4400:04:01,500 –> 00:04:08,000And quite possibly he was. Anyway, eventually they arrived at the place of worship. The two boys had4500:04:08,000 –> 00:04:14,259brought an offering, which was a good thing. Kane had a crate of every kind of fruit and vegetable4600:04:14,259 –> 00:04:21,299that you can imagine, and Abel had brought some animals taken from his flock. They came to worship,4700:04:21,299 –> 00:04:27,859they made their offerings, and then we are told in verse 5, the Lord looked with favour on Abel4800:04:28,140 –> 00:04:35,579and his offering but on Cain and his offering the Lord did not look with favour. The whole family4900:04:35,579 –> 00:04:43,820goes home and Cain was utterly humiliated. What was God doing? I mean, what was so good about5000:04:43,820 –> 00:04:52,079Abel’s stupid offering anyway? All was the same. Abel, Abel, Abel! The kid was such a jerk!5100:04:52,079 –> 00:05:00,980Cain felt sick. He felt humiliated. He began to feel angry and when they went home there was a5200:05:00,980 –> 00:05:09,519long long long silence after worship. That day at home. Now before we go to scene number three we got5300:05:09,519 –> 00:05:15,700to take a time out as it were to glance at the New Testament that gives us a key for understanding5400:05:15,700 –> 00:05:20,339the story. Very often with stories in the Old Testament you will find that there’s something5500:05:20,339 –> 00:05:25,619in the New Testament that gives us a key or shines some light to help us how to understand the story5600:05:25,619 –> 00:05:30,899correctly. And one of the first questions you should ask of any Old Testament story is is there5700:05:30,899 –> 00:05:36,619any reference to this story in the New Testament that helps me understand it? Well in the case of5800:05:36,619 –> 00:05:43,760this story there is. You find in Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 4, we have God’s commentary on it.5900:05:43,980 –> 00:05:46,339Hebrews 11 and verse 4, we read these words.6000:06:03,279 –> 00:06:06,920Notice that the difference between the two men is primarily in relation to6100:06:06,920 –> 00:06:13,019the offerings. Now we’re being told that the difference between Cain and Abel is that Cain6200:06:13,100 –> 00:06:25,200was not a man of faith. That was the difference. He believed in God. He came to worship and6300:06:25,200 –> 00:06:33,260he made an offering but he did not, according to the New Testament, have faith. And the6400:06:33,260 –> 00:06:37,779reason that it’s possible to believe in God and to come to worship and put something in6500:06:37,820 –> 00:06:45,040the offering and still not have faith is that faith is trusting in and acting on what God6600:06:45,040 –> 00:06:51,679has revealed. And God had already revealed that the only way in which men and women could6700:06:51,679 –> 00:06:57,459come to him was on the basis of a sacrifice that involved the shedding of blood. God had6800:06:57,459 –> 00:07:05,220revealed that. Abel believed it and acted on it. Cain didn’t. That was the difference.6900:07:05,700 –> 00:07:11,279You may say, I thought God revealed about the sacrifices later through Moses. And what do you mean that God had already revealed7000:07:11,279 –> 00:07:19,299this? Well, for sure, more was revealed about the sacrifices to Moses later. But the principle7100:07:19,299 –> 00:07:27,079of the sacrifice goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. You remember when Adam7200:07:27,079 –> 00:07:31,959and Eve sinned in the Garden, they lost their innocence. And we’re told that the Lord God7300:07:32,160 –> 00:07:41,700made for them clothing from skins. Now, you can’t make garments of skin without killing7400:07:41,700 –> 00:07:47,859an animal. And so you have this extraordinary fact that on the very day when the first sin7500:07:47,859 –> 00:07:59,820was committed, a life was laid down, a sacrifice was made. God shed blood in the Garden. The7600:07:59,899 –> 00:08:08,899very first sacrifice that was ever made was made by God himself on behalf of the man and7700:08:08,899 –> 00:08:14,299the woman after they had sinned. Extraordinary seat bed of the Bible truth that points us7800:08:14,299 –> 00:08:18,459all the way to Jesus Christ. God made the first sacrifice Himself.7900:08:18,459 –> 00:08:26,019Now, that takes us to scene 3, scene 1 in the maternity ward, scene 2 at the altar,8000:08:26,059 –> 00:08:34,419scene 3 alone with God. Now, we don’t know whether God spoke to Cain while he was at8100:08:34,419 –> 00:08:39,419the altar or later, but I’m going to treat this as a separate scene and assume that God8200:08:39,419 –> 00:08:47,460spoke to Cain in an audible voice as he often did in the early part of the Old Testament.8300:08:47,700 –> 00:08:55,739Verse 6. Cain was still smouldering when God spoke to him.8400:08:55,739 –> 00:09:01,260Why are you angry, Cain, and why the long face?8500:09:01,260 –> 00:09:03,659Anyone ever said that to you?8600:09:03,659 –> 00:09:07,179Of course, Cain knew the answer.8700:09:07,179 –> 00:09:11,659Sick, fed-up, I’m a stupid little brother because when he8800:09:11,659 –> 00:09:14,840brings an offering, you put on a display of fireworks and when I bring an8900:09:15,179 –> 00:09:17,640offering, nothing ever happens.9000:09:17,640 –> 00:09:19,880That’s what he was thinking but of course he9100:09:19,880 –> 00:09:23,219didn’t say it.9200:09:23,219 –> 00:09:31,219Cain, God said, if you do what is right you also will be accepted.9300:09:31,219 –> 00:09:39,640There is a way in which a person can come to God and it’s the same for all people.9400:09:39,719 –> 00:09:46,159It is through the blood of a sacrifice that he has identified that our sins are9500:09:46,159 –> 00:09:51,719forgiven and if you will come to him in the way that he has revealed you will9600:09:51,719 –> 00:09:55,780find mercy and you will be reconciled to God also.9700:09:55,780 –> 00:10:00,940Believe in the promise of God, Cain, and act it but that was the last thing in the9800:10:00,940 –> 00:10:03,080world Cain was going to do.9900:10:03,500 –> 00:10:10,599Bring an animal, that’s Abel’s thing. What’s wrong with what I want to offer?10000:10:10,599 –> 00:10:16,739So God spoke to Cain again, if you do not do what is right10100:10:16,739 –> 00:10:24,000Cain, then sin is crouching at the door.10200:10:24,000 –> 00:10:29,719Cain, if you do not do what is right, you are setting yourself up for10300:10:29,719 –> 00:10:39,479disaster. And that brings us to scene 4. In the fields10400:10:39,479 –> 00:10:45,000Cain kept smoldering. As time went on, his anger deepened into hatred, he10500:10:45,000 –> 00:10:48,179didn’t speak to Abel. We avoided it whenever he could, whenever10600:10:48,179 –> 00:10:51,440there was a problem in the family, he also found a way of seeing that it10700:10:51,440 –> 00:10:56,440was Abel’s fault. He began to fantasies about what he would10800:10:56,440 –> 00:11:01,140do with the little jerk if he had his hands on him. He10900:11:01,140 –> 00:11:07,299became in obsession as if mysterious power was compelling him forward, one11000:11:07,299 –> 00:11:11,080day when he could abide him no longer he said to his brother let’s go out11100:11:11,080 –> 00:11:16,640into the fields. And when they got there, Cain finished him. And the11200:11:16,640 –> 00:11:23,440world’s first baby became the world’s first murder.11300:11:23,820 –> 00:11:27,799You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and a message called11400:11:27,799 –> 00:11:33,280Deal with Your Anger, How to avoid plunging into disaster. And it’s part of11500:11:33,280 –> 00:11:37,559our series called Deckchairs on the Titanic and if you ever missed one of11600:11:37,559 –> 00:11:42,179our series you can always catch up and go back and listen again online at our11700:11:42,179 –> 00:11:47,880wwebsite, openthebible.org.uk. Back to the message now, where in Genesis11800:11:47,880 –> 00:11:55,580chapter 4, here’s Colin. The world’s first baby became the world’s first11900:11:55,580 –> 00:12:05,799murder. Then God spoke again. Cain where is your brother? I don’t know.12000:12:05,799 –> 00:12:12,299He’s not my responsibility Cain said. He went immediately into what we today12100:12:12,559 –> 00:12:19,400call denial. But God is never fooled by our denial.12200:12:19,400 –> 00:12:24,099Cain your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground now you are under a12300:12:24,099 –> 00:12:31,859curse. This field that you have worked so successfully it will no longer bear12400:12:31,859 –> 00:12:37,099crops for you. You’ve shed your brother’s blood in this field it’s gonna be bad12500:12:37,099 –> 00:12:41,340and a desolate place forever. You’re gonna have to move off it you’re gonna12600:12:41,340 –> 00:12:45,419find a new job. You’re gonna become a restless wanderer on the face of the12700:12:45,419 –> 00:12:51,200earth. There are consequences for what you’ve done. Now I have to say that it12800:12:51,200 –> 00:12:59,340seems to me that the curse on Cain was a wonderful expression of God’s leniency12900:12:59,340 –> 00:13:04,479and God’s grace. Sure there were consequences for murder there must be.13000:13:04,580 –> 00:13:13,119But this was surely a lenient sentence for the crime. Later when violence and13100:13:13,119 –> 00:13:17,320murder increased in the earth God introduced the death penalty in Genesis13200:13:17,320 –> 00:13:22,6599 verse 6. If a man sheds the blood of man by, a man shall his own blood be shed. And13300:13:22,659 –> 00:13:28,460it would hardly have been surprising with this first murder. If God had ended13400:13:28,640 –> 00:13:35,219his life right on the spot, sin leads to death but in the mercy of God the13500:13:35,219 –> 00:13:39,960world’s first murderer is given another chance.13600:13:39,960 –> 00:13:48,719Cain, this is incredible, even after this terrible deed, God is speaking to you.13700:13:48,719 –> 00:13:56,859God is merciful to you. Embrace the consequences of what you have done. He13800:13:56,859 –> 00:14:02,419has not yet cut you off. There is still opportunity for mercy and13900:14:02,419 –> 00:14:08,479reconciliation. Accept your punishment. Confess your sin. Turn to him in true14000:14:08,479 –> 00:14:12,820repentance. The darkest moment of your life could become the turning point in14100:14:12,820 –> 00:14:18,460your experience but instead of taking ownership of what he had done and14200:14:18,460 –> 00:14:26,219looking to God for mercy Cain begins to wallow in self-pity. Verse 13.14300:14:26,580 –> 00:14:31,260Cain my punishment is more than I can bear. Today you’re driving me14400:14:31,260 –> 00:14:34,419from the land. I’ll be hidden from your presence. I’ll be a restless wanderer on14500:14:34,419 –> 00:14:40,500the earth. Whoever finds me will kill me. And God was still gracious to Cain and14600:14:40,500 –> 00:14:45,039protected him. But Cain made a wretched choice. He went out from the presence of14700:14:45,039 –> 00:14:50,039the Lord. Away from the altar and the last thing we hear about him is that he14800:14:50,039 –> 00:14:54,099built a city where eventually there was music and industry. Culture and commerce14900:14:54,219 –> 00:15:04,080but nothing at all is mentioned about God. So here’s a successful person who15000:15:04,080 –> 00:15:14,059worshiped God and went down. And then our last moments the obvious question is how15100:15:14,059 –> 00:15:20,539can we avoid Cain’s plunge to disaster? So three very simple lessons for us to15200:15:20,539 –> 00:15:32,140grasp today. Number one, never never never never underestimate the power of sin.15300:15:32,140 –> 00:15:39,539The quickest road to disaster in your life is to allow sin a known place and to say15400:15:39,539 –> 00:15:49,219but I can handle it. Yeah, I know I do this but I won’t go any further. I’ve got15500:15:49,359 –> 00:15:57,960it under control. Yes, like a wild animal you’ve got it under control. Sin desires15600:15:57,960 –> 00:16:08,200to master you. It is a power and as you open the door to it, it gains an entrance15700:16:08,200 –> 00:16:13,880and if you will not close the door the time will come where, like a wild animal15800:16:14,119 –> 00:16:21,659crouching at the door, it will master you and it will overcome you. And you may be15900:16:21,659 –> 00:16:25,859able to identify right now some ways in which you are toying with sin. You’re16000:16:25,859 –> 00:16:33,440saying well this is okay, I’ve got it under control. Don’t fool yourself.16100:16:33,820 –> 00:16:41,979Secondly, don’t pretend to love God if you hate your brother. Towards the end of16200:16:42,020 –> 00:16:46,200the New Testament the Apostle John puts it as plain as anyone ever could 1 John16300:16:46,200 –> 00:16:53,580420, anyone who says I love God and hates his brother is a liar. It can’t get16400:16:53,580 –> 00:16:58,239plainer than that can you? If you say I love God and you hate your brother16500:16:58,239 –> 00:17:03,340you’re a liar. That’s what John says. And when he looks for an example to16600:17:03,340 –> 00:17:08,520illustrate his point he chooses Cain. One John chapter 3.16700:17:08,640 –> 00:17:14,959Don’t be like Cain he said. And then he draws an extraordinary16800:17:14,959 –> 00:17:22,380contrast between Cain and Christ. You see Cain was the one who took the16900:17:22,380 –> 00:17:30,599life of his brother. Christ was the one who laid down his life for his brothers.17000:17:32,160 –> 00:17:37,099And having told us to avoid the way of Cain, John says in 1 John chapter 317100:17:37,099 –> 00:17:42,339verse 16. Well no John 3 16. Do you know 1 John chapter 3 verse 16? This17200:17:42,339 –> 00:17:52,680is what it says. This is how we know what love is. Jesus Christ laid down his life17300:17:52,680 –> 00:17:59,300for us. You see the contrast. Don’t be like Cain who laid down his17400:17:59,300 –> 00:18:06,140brother’s life. You’ve got to learn what love is and love is learned from the17500:18:06,199 –> 00:18:13,540Spirit of Jesus Christ who laid down his life for his friends. This is how we know17600:18:13,540 –> 00:18:23,500what love is. Being religious isn’t enough. Being religious can’t change your17700:18:23,500 –> 00:18:28,500heart. Believing in God, coming to a service, putting something in the17800:18:28,500 –> 00:18:32,680offering and going away after an hour like that isn’t going to deal with the17900:18:32,680 –> 00:18:37,400fundamental conflicts that go on inside of a human being. You can come to worship18000:18:37,400 –> 00:18:44,459and sit there smoldering for an hour and be utterly unchanged. Our need is for18100:18:44,459 –> 00:18:51,060hearts that are changed, and the only way in which that change can take place is18200:18:51,060 –> 00:18:56,660if the Spirit of Jesus, the very opposite of the Spirit of Cain, should enter into18300:18:56,780 –> 00:19:05,099our hearts. Ultimately the only answer for angry people is to be filled with18400:19:05,099 –> 00:19:17,180the Spirit of Jesus. Don’t pretend to love God. You hate your brother, and maybe18500:19:17,180 –> 00:19:21,140there’ll be some this morning who will come before God and say, I see that in my18600:19:21,140 –> 00:19:26,560heart there is just a lot of smouldering anger. Lord Jesus come and touch me and18700:19:26,560 –> 00:19:33,199change me. Because I need to be a different person.18800:19:34,479 –> 00:19:39,239Then here’s the third thing, come to God in God’s appointed way. You see, all of18900:19:39,239 –> 00:19:44,599the sacrifices in the Old Testament point us to the one sacrifice of Jesus19000:19:44,599 –> 00:19:49,579Christ when he died on the cross. That is why no other sacrifice is needed. This19100:19:49,579 –> 00:19:54,540is how we are to come to God, on the basis of the sacrifice he has revealed19200:19:54,540 –> 00:19:59,900and pointed to, where Jesus laid down his life for us, and shed his blood on the19300:19:59,900 –> 00:20:05,939cross. You cannot come to God in any other name but the name of Jesus. You19400:20:05,939 –> 00:20:10,459cannot come in your own name, and you cannot come with your own achievements.19500:20:10,459 –> 00:20:14,560Cain didn’t like that, and there are some people go through all of their lives19600:20:14,560 –> 00:20:19,300being angry with God because they want to come to God some other way. You can’t19700:20:19,300 –> 00:20:25,359do it! Come to God in God’s appointed way19800:20:25,359 –> 00:20:30,119through faith in the Son, to whom he has pointed, Jesus Christ our Saviour and19900:20:30,119 –> 00:20:35,500Lord. And if you come, confessing your sin, and believing in the sacrifice of20000:20:35,500 –> 00:20:44,859Jesus, you will receive mercy whatever you have done20100:20:44,900 –> 00:20:51,459So I wish we could rerun the story of Cain don’t you? It’s like you wish you20200:20:51,459 –> 00:20:56,140could go back in history and rerun the story of the Titanic and set it on a20300:20:56,140 –> 00:21:04,479different course. Suppose Cain, when God said you need to do what is right,20400:21:04,479 –> 00:21:11,699suppose he’d come and said, Oh God, I’m really struggling with anger towards my20500:21:11,699 –> 00:21:18,979brother. I need your power. Suppose he’d come and said, Oh God I20600:21:18,979 –> 00:21:26,500find this hatred inside of me I need your love. Suppose it says, oh Lord my20700:21:26,500 –> 00:21:33,900pride has been so hurt and so wounded I need your peace. Suppose he’d come and20800:21:34,040 –> 00:21:42,739offered the sacrifice that God accepts or suppose even after that terrible deed20900:21:42,739 –> 00:21:47,199of the world’s first murder, suppose even then he had taken a different course,21000:21:47,199 –> 00:21:57,619suppose he had said, O Lord you are so gracious still to give me life. I confess21100:21:57,660 –> 00:22:04,420my sin without any excuse now Lord give me in your mercy the ability to live my21200:22:04,420 –> 00:22:09,020life as much as remains of it in a new course and in a different direction.21300:22:09,020 –> 00:22:19,260Suppose he had said that, but he didn’t, but you could today. A reminder there21400:22:19,260 –> 00:22:23,579from Pastor Colin that our anger is something that can be controlled if we21500:22:23,979 –> 00:22:28,939come to Jesus. The message is called deal with your anger and if it’s something21600:22:28,939 –> 00:22:33,119that’s affected you, I hope you’ll take the time to talk to a trusted Christian21700:22:33,119 –> 00:22:38,719friend or family member and pray with them it’s something that Jesus can deal21800:22:38,719 –> 00:22:43,680with in your life Our series is called Deck Chairs on The Titanic how to avoid21900:22:43,680 –> 00:22:48,099plunging into disaster and if you ever miss one of the series you can always22000:22:48,099 –> 00:22:53,060catch up or go back and listen again online at our website22100:22:53,060 –> 00:22:58,520or find it as a podcast and those are on all the main podcast sites22200:22:58,520 –> 00:23:02,540search for open the Bible UK and subscribe if you want to receive regular22300:23:02,540 –> 00:23:07,699reminders Open the Bible is supported by our listeners that’s people just like22400:23:07,699 –> 00:23:12,079you and if that’s something you’ve been considering doing this month we have a22500:23:12,079 –> 00:23:16,780great new offer for you if you’re able to begin a new direct debit to the work22600:23:16,780 –> 00:23:21,319of Open the Bible in the amount of five pounds per month or more or a one-off22700:23:21,699 –> 00:23:27,339gift of 50 pounds or more we’d love to say thank you by sending you a copy of22800:23:27,339 –> 00:23:32,300pastor Colin’s book heaven how I got here the story of the thief on the cross22900:23:32,300 –> 00:23:36,339and we’ll also send you a copy of the booklet how can I be sure of heaven23000:23:36,339 –> 00:23:42,719along with a special Open the Bible pen and bookmark full details terms and23100:23:42,719 –> 00:23:48,920conditions are on our website open the Bible org uk colin what’s the theme23200:23:49,219 –> 00:23:53,739of heaven how I got here a little booklet again based on the wonderful23300:23:53,739 –> 00:23:59,180story of the thief on the cross and just capturing what it was that this man did23400:23:59,180 –> 00:24:06,380he turned to Jesus he asked Jesus to save him and he trusted the promise23500:24:06,380 –> 00:24:12,119that Jesus gave him so these three simple words turned and ask and trust23600:24:12,119 –> 00:24:17,359at at the heart of this booklet that’s all about Jesus and how he saves us23700:24:17,479 –> 00:24:21,599illustrated through the story of the thief on the cross it’s a booklet that23800:24:21,599 –> 00:24:26,199you could give away to someone very easily just a few pages but it will give23900:24:26,199 –> 00:24:30,699them the heart of the gospel and a simple presentation of how to respond to24000:24:30,699 –> 00:24:35,900the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ well this book heaven how I got here along24100:24:35,900 –> 00:24:40,839with the booklet how can I be sure of heaven as well as a special open the24200:24:40,839 –> 00:24:45,920Bible pen and bookmark or our way of saying thank you if you are able to set24300:24:46,060 –> 00:24:51,219up a new direct debit of five pounds per month or more to the work of open the24400:24:51,219 –> 00:24:56,359Bible or a one-off gift of 50 pounds or more full details terms and conditions24500:24:56,359 –> 00:25:03,760on our website open the Bible DOT org UK for open the Bible and pastor Colin24600:25:03,760 –> 00:25:09,520Smith I’m David pick and I hope you’ll join us again next time24700:25:09,520 –> 00:25:17,660many people say it’s best to follow your heart find out what the Bible has24800:25:17,660 –> 00:25:20,540to say about that next time on open the Bible