1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:07,100 You’re listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 2 00:00:07,100 –> 00:00:14,900 To contact us, call us at 1-877-OPEN-365 or visit our website www.openthebible.org. 3 00:00:14,900 –> 00:00:17,660 Let’s get to the message. 4 00:00:17,660 –> 00:00:20,320 Here is Pastor Colin. 5 00:00:20,320 –> 00:00:25,040 We’re looking at three marvelous statements from the Bible that really take us to the 6 00:00:25,040 –> 00:00:26,920 very heart of the Christian faith. 7 00:00:27,660 –> 00:00:35,700 Here last week we looked at Romans Chapter 8, God is for us in Jesus Christ. 8 00:00:35,700 –> 00:00:38,680 Next week, God willing, we’re going to look at the marvelous statement from the Christmas 9 00:00:38,680 –> 00:00:43,500 story that God is with us in Jesus Christ. 10 00:00:43,500 –> 00:00:52,000 And today from Colossians Chapter 1, this remarkable truth that God is in us through 11 00:00:52,000 –> 00:00:53,840 Jesus Christ. 12 00:00:53,840 –> 00:00:58,439 I hope that you’ll have your Bible open at Colossians in Chapter 1. 13 00:00:58,439 –> 00:01:04,260 It is such an extraordinary statement that, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, 14 00:01:04,260 –> 00:01:07,940 the apostle Paul almost seems to be taking a run at this statement. 15 00:01:07,940 –> 00:01:10,239 There’s a kind of build-up that comes to it. 16 00:01:10,239 –> 00:01:12,139 Look at it in verse 25. 17 00:01:12,139 –> 00:01:17,680 He begins by telling us that He is a servant of the church, and that He’s been commissioned 18 00:01:17,680 –> 00:01:22,419 by God to present the Word of God in all its fullness. 19 00:01:22,419 –> 00:01:27,919 Now he goes on to explain that the Word of God in all its fullness is a mystery. 20 00:01:27,919 –> 00:01:35,800 And by mystery he means something that could not have been known unless it had been revealed. 21 00:01:35,800 –> 00:01:37,919 That’s the meaning of the word mystery in the New Testament. 22 00:01:37,919 –> 00:01:42,779 It’s not so much something you can’t understand, though it may contain something of that meaning 23 00:01:42,779 –> 00:01:46,820 also, but its primary meaning is something that you would not have known, you couldn’t 24 00:01:46,820 –> 00:01:50,139 have guessed unless God had revealed it. 25 00:01:50,339 –> 00:01:55,500 And so he tells us that this mystery, this fullness of the gospel has been kept hidden 26 00:01:55,500 –> 00:02:01,160 for ages and generations, but it’s now been disclosed to the saints. 27 00:02:01,160 –> 00:02:04,419 That’s a way of describing every Christian believer. 28 00:02:04,419 –> 00:02:11,199 What was hidden throughout the ages is now made known to those who believe in Jesus Christ. 29 00:02:11,199 –> 00:02:18,460 And Paul is now building up the anticipation of what this is that has been disclosed. 30 00:02:18,460 –> 00:02:24,220 To them, verse 27, that’s to the saints, to men and women who come to faith in Jesus Christ, 31 00:02:24,220 –> 00:02:29,979 God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles, he now says, the vast diversity of all cultures 32 00:02:29,979 –> 00:02:35,020 of the world, the riches of this mystery. 33 00:02:35,020 –> 00:02:37,800 And you kind of take a breath and you say, Paul, will you please just tell us what it 34 00:02:37,800 –> 00:02:40,179 is because we’ve had a marvelous build up for this. 35 00:02:40,179 –> 00:02:44,199 What is this thing that nobody could have guessed but now has been revealed to the saints 36 00:02:44,259 –> 00:02:49,419 But all of God’s people across every culture and every generation, just tell us. 37 00:02:49,419 –> 00:02:50,520 And here it is. 38 00:02:50,520 –> 00:03:03,000 In seven magnificent words Colossians 1, verse 27, Christ in you the hope of glory. 39 00:03:03,000 –> 00:03:10,000 Christ in you, the hope of glory. 40 00:03:10,320 –> 00:03:15,300 Now if you’d read the Old Testament before the time of Christ, you would have known that 41 00:03:15,300 –> 00:03:19,800 God had promised to send a Deliverer, that God had promised that the Deliverer would 42 00:03:19,800 –> 00:03:22,839 bring the presence and the blessing of God to his people. 43 00:03:22,839 –> 00:03:25,020 You would have known about the Messiah. 44 00:03:25,020 –> 00:03:28,839 You would have known that God was for his people. 45 00:03:28,839 –> 00:03:31,699 You would have known that he brought them out of Egypt, he brought them through the 46 00:03:31,699 –> 00:03:35,220 Red Sea, gave them the land of Canaan, God was for his people. 47 00:03:35,220 –> 00:03:39,380 You would have known that God was with his people, a pillar of fire, a pillar of cloud 48 00:03:39,380 –> 00:03:44,800 and so forth, but what Paul is saying is from the Old Testament you would never have 49 00:03:44,800 –> 00:03:50,880 guessed or anticipated this great truth, this mystery that has now been revealed, that in 50 00:03:50,880 –> 00:03:55,520 Jesus Christ, God comes to be in his people. 51 00:03:55,520 –> 00:03:57,740 This is staggering. 52 00:03:57,740 –> 00:04:04,259 In the Old Testament, Sullivan built a great temple and when the temple was dedicated to 53 00:04:04,259 –> 00:04:07,839 be the place of the presence of God, this is what he said. 54 00:04:07,839 –> 00:04:11,860 Will God really dwell on the earth? 55 00:04:11,860 –> 00:04:17,880 The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you, Sullivan said, how much less 56 00:04:17,880 –> 00:04:21,179 this temple that I have built? 57 00:04:21,179 –> 00:04:27,420 Sullivan was struggling at the very concept that the presence of God could come to a temple. 58 00:04:27,420 –> 00:04:32,299 Now in the New Testament, we’re being told that in Jesus Christ the presence of God comes 59 00:04:32,380 –> 00:04:39,679 to an individual, to you, to dwell in this physical frame that God should come, not only 60 00:04:39,679 –> 00:04:43,540 to be with me, but to be in me. 61 00:04:43,540 –> 00:04:53,559 How can the God whom the heavens cannot contain be in an ordinary Christian believer? 62 00:04:53,559 –> 00:04:54,859 To use a phrase from A.W. 63 00:04:55,160 –> 00:05:04,119 Tozer, he talks about how a man or a woman becomes the dwelling place of God. 64 00:05:04,119 –> 00:05:06,140 Staggering. 65 00:05:06,140 –> 00:05:12,660 So not only is God for you in Jesus Christ, but in Jesus Christ, God is in you. 66 00:05:12,660 –> 00:05:15,660 Christ in you, the hope of glory. 67 00:05:15,660 –> 00:05:20,799 Well, now, what I want us to do this morning is simply to explore this marvelous, marvelous 68 00:05:21,079 –> 00:05:27,040 and to do so with the prayer that, by God’s grace, it will really get massaged into our 69 00:05:27,040 –> 00:05:33,079 minds and our hearts so that it becomes part of our thinking and part of our being. 70 00:05:33,079 –> 00:05:41,959 I want therefore simply to divide it up into its four parts, seven magnificent words, Christ, 71 00:05:41,959 –> 00:05:50,420 then Christ in you, Christ in you being the hope and Christ in you being the hope of glory. 72 00:05:51,519 –> 00:05:52,160 Of glory. 73 00:05:53,040 –> 00:05:59,519 And let’s ask that the Lord would bring these seven words and all that they contain in full 74 00:05:59,519 –> 00:06:02,399 reality into our experience. 75 00:06:02,399 –> 00:06:05,600 First then, Christ in you. 76 00:06:06,160 –> 00:06:07,600 Christ in you. 77 00:06:08,320 –> 00:06:12,480 Now those of you who know your Bible’s well will know that this is quite an unusual statement 78 00:06:12,480 –> 00:06:17,200 in the New Testament because, when Paul speaks about the presence of God in the life of a 79 00:06:17,200 –> 00:06:21,760 believer, he usually speaks of that being by the Holy Spirit. 80 00:06:21,760 –> 00:06:25,440 He usually speaks of the Holy Spirit living within us. 81 00:06:25,440 –> 00:06:28,799 Here he talks about Christ living within us. 82 00:06:28,799 –> 00:06:32,480 And the question of course that’s obvious is well, now why does he say Christ is the 83 00:06:32,480 –> 00:06:38,320 hope of glory, rather than saying that the Holy Spirit in us is the hope of glory. 84 00:06:38,320 –> 00:06:40,959 And here we come back to this marvellous mystery. 85 00:06:40,959 –> 00:06:44,000 Remember, something that you wouldn’t know unless it had been revealed, 86 00:06:44,559 –> 00:06:50,000 of the Trinity, that God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the three persons, one God, 87 00:06:50,799 –> 00:06:56,799 the relationship and the distinction and the union of these three Persons of the Trinity, 88 00:06:56,799 –> 00:07:00,239 one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith. 89 00:07:00,239 –> 00:07:02,720 And perhaps we can express it in two statements. 90 00:07:03,359 –> 00:07:10,160 The first is this, that all of God is in the Holy Spirit. 91 00:07:10,160 –> 00:07:13,839 All that is in God is in the Holy Spirit. 92 00:07:14,640 –> 00:07:19,200 Jesus spoke about the Holy Spirit in John chapter 14 and verse 17. 93 00:07:19,920 –> 00:07:23,519 He said, you know, the Holy Spirit, because he is with you 94 00:07:24,239 –> 00:07:27,119 and in you that’s John 14, 17. 95 00:07:27,119 –> 00:07:31,279 The Holy Spirit is in you, but no sooner had Jesus said, 96 00:07:31,279 –> 00:07:36,239 the Holy Spirit is in you, but he said, I will come to you. 97 00:07:37,519 –> 00:07:39,760 And no sooner had he said, I will come to you, 98 00:07:39,760 –> 00:07:42,320 but he went on to say in John 14, 23, 99 00:07:42,880 –> 00:07:50,480 my father and I, we will come to him and make our home with him. 100 00:07:51,839 –> 00:07:54,720 So you see what he’s saying when the Holy Spirit of God 101 00:07:54,720 –> 00:07:56,399 lives in the life of a believer, 102 00:07:57,119 –> 00:08:00,799 thereby Christ is present in the life of the believer 103 00:08:00,799 –> 00:08:03,279 and not just Christ, the Son of God, 104 00:08:03,279 –> 00:08:06,399 but the Father and the Son, Jesus says, 105 00:08:06,399 –> 00:08:10,079 live in the life of the believer by the Holy Spirit, 106 00:08:10,799 –> 00:08:13,279 we will come and make our home with him. 107 00:08:13,279 –> 00:08:15,519 John 14 and verse 23. 108 00:08:16,079 –> 00:08:18,239 So you see when we’re told about the Holy Spirit 109 00:08:18,239 –> 00:08:21,200 coming to live in the life of a believer, 110 00:08:21,200 –> 00:08:24,079 we’re not talking about some kind of fragment of God 111 00:08:24,079 –> 00:08:26,640 or a little subset of God as it were, 112 00:08:26,640 –> 00:08:30,239 it is the presence of almighty God 113 00:08:30,239 –> 00:08:33,359 that comes to the life of a Christian believer. 114 00:08:33,359 –> 00:08:34,880 Mind-blowing as that is. 115 00:08:34,880 –> 00:08:37,520 It is the reality revealed in the scripture, 116 00:08:37,520 –> 00:08:40,000 the mystery that Paul is talking about. 117 00:08:40,000 –> 00:08:43,280 Where the Holy Spirit is present, Christ is present. 118 00:08:43,280 –> 00:08:45,039 Where Christ is present, 119 00:08:45,039 –> 00:08:48,880 all of the fullness of God is present. 120 00:08:48,880 –> 00:08:53,280 God comes to the life of a Christian believer. 121 00:08:53,840 –> 00:08:55,280 So here is this amazing miracle. 122 00:08:55,840 –> 00:08:58,000 That when you become a follower of Jesus Christ, 123 00:08:58,000 –> 00:09:01,440 by faith, the life of God comes within you. 124 00:09:02,239 –> 00:09:05,440 And not only is it true to say that all of God is in the Holy Spirit, 125 00:09:05,440 –> 00:09:09,840 it is also true to say that all of God is in Jesus Christ. 126 00:09:11,119 –> 00:09:13,919 And you notice that Paul makes that statement very clearly 127 00:09:13,919 –> 00:09:16,320 in Colossians 2 and verse 9. 128 00:09:16,960 –> 00:09:18,320 And it is very important. 129 00:09:18,960 –> 00:09:20,239 In writing this letter, 130 00:09:21,200 –> 00:09:23,840 there were a number of false teachers 131 00:09:23,840 –> 00:09:26,320 who were causing trouble for the church at Colossae. 132 00:09:26,640 –> 00:09:29,919 And Paul speaks about this in chapter two in verse eight. 133 00:09:29,919 –> 00:09:33,280 He says, make sure you don’t get taken in by hollow philosophy. 134 00:09:34,159 –> 00:09:36,960 There’s a great deal of speculation as to what that was all about. 135 00:09:37,919 –> 00:09:40,320 But essentially the false teachings, 136 00:09:40,320 –> 00:09:41,840 whatever they were specifically, 137 00:09:41,840 –> 00:09:45,840 were moving Jesus Christ away from the centre of the action. 138 00:09:46,799 –> 00:09:49,039 The false teachers were saying, oh, you believe in Jesus, 139 00:09:49,039 –> 00:09:49,679 Oh, that’s great. 140 00:09:49,679 –> 00:09:52,559 But of course, there’s more to living the Christian life than that. 141 00:09:52,559 –> 00:09:55,280 And then they brought in other spiritual experiences 142 00:09:55,280 –> 00:09:57,200 or other spiritual disciplines. 143 00:09:57,200 –> 00:09:59,280 And they say, well, now this is what you really need. 144 00:09:59,919 –> 00:10:00,960 We know you’ve got Jesus, 145 00:10:00,960 –> 00:10:04,479 but the real question is, have you got what we’re talking about? 146 00:10:04,479 –> 00:10:08,000 And so the whole glory and centrality of Jesus was moved to the side. 147 00:10:08,880 –> 00:10:12,320 And what the false teachers were bringing to the table 148 00:10:12,320 –> 00:10:16,479 became the central issue in living a successful Christian life. 149 00:10:17,359 –> 00:10:20,559 Now Paul answers that by saying in chapter two and verse nine, 150 00:10:20,559 –> 00:10:22,479 if you have Jesus Christ, 151 00:10:22,479 –> 00:10:25,280 you have everything that God offers you in him. 152 00:10:25,280 –> 00:10:26,960 In Christ, two nine, 153 00:10:26,960 –> 00:10:29,919 all of the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form. 154 00:10:29,919 –> 00:10:32,239 And you have been given fullness in him. 155 00:10:32,239 –> 00:10:36,000 Literally you are complete in him. 156 00:10:37,359 –> 00:10:39,679 So this is the first thing that I want us to grasp 157 00:10:39,679 –> 00:10:43,520 because all of the fullness of God is in Jesus Christ. 158 00:10:45,520 –> 00:10:48,080 I want us to grasp that it is Christ 159 00:10:49,119 –> 00:10:52,000 who is the hope of glory. 160 00:10:52,000 –> 00:10:53,840 Now it’s very important because 161 00:10:53,840 –> 00:10:57,280 some other religions are formed around a teaching. 162 00:10:59,119 –> 00:11:02,719 Some other religions are formed around a set of disciplines. 163 00:11:04,400 –> 00:11:08,000 Christianity is formed around a person. 164 00:11:09,840 –> 00:11:13,520 Our faith is about the person who was born into the world 165 00:11:13,520 –> 00:11:17,840 that first Christmas it is about what he is able to do 166 00:11:17,840 –> 00:11:20,559 for every person who will come to him. 167 00:11:21,280 –> 00:11:23,840 Now, let me try and illustrate for you 168 00:11:23,840 –> 00:11:25,440 the personal nature 169 00:11:25,440 –> 00:11:28,239 of what Jesus Christ does for us this way. 170 00:11:29,840 –> 00:11:31,599 I want you to imagine that you’re suffering 171 00:11:31,599 –> 00:11:34,000 from a very rare disease, 172 00:11:35,200 –> 00:11:36,960 and it baffles many doctors. 173 00:11:38,159 –> 00:11:40,719 And one day you find that there is a physician 174 00:11:40,719 –> 00:11:43,919 in California who has treated your condition. 175 00:11:44,960 –> 00:11:46,239 So you fly to California, 176 00:11:46,239 –> 00:11:47,760 you make your way to his surgery, 177 00:11:47,760 –> 00:11:48,559 and when you arrive, 178 00:11:49,359 –> 00:11:50,400 this receptionist says, 179 00:11:50,400 –> 00:11:51,359 oh, I’m terribly sorry. 180 00:11:51,359 –> 00:11:52,559 He’s out of the office. 181 00:11:53,599 –> 00:11:55,760 Well, you see, I’ve traveled all the way 182 00:11:55,760 –> 00:11:56,400 from the Midwest, 183 00:11:56,400 –> 00:11:58,479 so I’m just going to wait until he gets back. 184 00:11:59,440 –> 00:12:00,559 Oh, you don’t need to do that. 185 00:12:00,559 –> 00:12:01,919 Says the receptionist. 186 00:12:01,919 –> 00:12:03,200 His assistant is here. 187 00:12:03,200 –> 00:12:03,919 He’ll see you. 188 00:12:04,880 –> 00:12:07,599 Look, you see, I traveled all the way 189 00:12:07,599 –> 00:12:09,679 from Chicago to see this specialist. 190 00:12:09,679 –> 00:12:11,599 I don’t want to see any assistant, 191 00:12:11,599 –> 00:12:13,200 I want to see the man. 192 00:12:14,320 –> 00:12:14,719 All right. 193 00:12:14,719 –> 00:12:15,919 She says, you can wait. 194 00:12:16,880 –> 00:12:17,919 Well, three hours later, 195 00:12:17,919 –> 00:12:18,479 you’re still waiting. 196 00:12:19,119 –> 00:12:19,760 You’re twiddling your thumbs. 197 00:12:19,760 –> 00:12:20,799 You’ve got nothing to do. 198 00:12:20,799 –> 00:12:22,159 And so the receptionist comes in. 199 00:12:22,159 –> 00:12:22,719 She says, look, 200 00:12:22,719 –> 00:12:24,400 I hate to see you waiting like this. 201 00:12:25,359 –> 00:12:28,479 Do you realize that there’s a whole shelf of books 202 00:12:28,479 –> 00:12:30,080 that have been written by the doctor 203 00:12:30,080 –> 00:12:30,880 that you want to see? 204 00:12:30,880 –> 00:12:32,080 They’re right here. 205 00:12:32,080 –> 00:12:34,320 He’s written a lot about your condition actually. 206 00:12:34,320 –> 00:12:35,280 You could read some of it. 207 00:12:35,280 –> 00:12:36,559 It might be very helpful to you. 208 00:12:36,559 –> 00:12:37,840 Or you say, thank you very much. 209 00:12:38,640 –> 00:12:40,080 So you get these books down. 210 00:12:40,080 –> 00:12:40,880 You begin to read. 211 00:12:40,880 –> 00:12:42,599 You find some things about your condition 212 00:12:42,599 –> 00:12:43,760 there in the books right enough. 213 00:12:43,760 –> 00:12:45,119 You don’t understand all of it, 214 00:12:45,119 –> 00:12:47,280 but some of it seems very fascinating to you. 215 00:12:48,239 –> 00:12:50,799 But you’re not there to read a book. 216 00:12:50,799 –> 00:12:55,039 You’re there to see a person. 217 00:12:55,039 –> 00:12:56,080 Later in the day again, 218 00:12:56,080 –> 00:12:58,719 the receptionist comes in to see you. 219 00:12:58,719 –> 00:12:59,760 Look, I’m really sorry, 220 00:12:59,760 –> 00:13:02,159 she says, you’re having such a long wait. 221 00:13:02,159 –> 00:13:04,719 But here’s some good news. 222 00:13:04,719 –> 00:13:07,119 There are some people I’d like you to meet. 223 00:13:07,919 –> 00:13:10,479 And she introduces a small group of people 224 00:13:10,479 –> 00:13:12,880 who have all suffered from the same condition 225 00:13:12,880 –> 00:13:14,719 as you and she’s gathered them to the surgery. 226 00:13:14,719 –> 00:13:16,400 She says, I thought you’d like to meet these people. 227 00:13:16,719 –> 00:13:18,080 They can tell you their story. 228 00:13:18,719 –> 00:13:19,919 All of them are much better 229 00:13:19,919 –> 00:13:21,280 since they’ve been treated by the doctor. 230 00:13:21,280 –> 00:13:22,960 I think it would be tremendous encouragement 231 00:13:22,960 –> 00:13:24,320 for you to hear their stories 232 00:13:24,320 –> 00:13:26,080 and find out what he’s done for them. 233 00:13:26,080 –> 00:13:27,599 Well, they’re delightful people 234 00:13:27,599 –> 00:13:29,599 and after all these hours of sitting on your own, 235 00:13:29,599 –> 00:13:31,679 you’re very pleased to have some company. 236 00:13:31,679 –> 00:13:34,000 They very quickly become good friends 237 00:13:34,000 –> 00:13:36,320 and they tell you now about how healthy they are 238 00:13:36,320 –> 00:13:38,799 and all the exercises they’re able to do. 239 00:13:38,799 –> 00:13:40,719 One man says, you know, I could hardly walk. 240 00:13:40,719 –> 00:13:42,559 But now I’m climbing mountains 241 00:13:42,559 –> 00:13:44,640 and someone else is swimming in rivers 242 00:13:44,640 –> 00:13:46,000 and you think, this is marvelous. 243 00:13:46,000 –> 00:13:47,760 There really is hope for a cure. 244 00:13:50,640 –> 00:13:51,760 But at the end of the day, 245 00:13:53,119 –> 00:13:54,799 you still haven’t seen the doctor. 246 00:13:56,799 –> 00:13:58,640 The following day, you fly back home 247 00:13:59,280 –> 00:14:01,280 and someone asks you how the trip went. 248 00:14:01,280 –> 00:14:02,559 Oh, you say it was marvelous. 249 00:14:03,599 –> 00:14:07,200 I’ve discovered that there really is hope for my condition 250 00:14:08,479 –> 00:14:10,880 and more than that, I’ve read all about it in a book 251 00:14:12,080 –> 00:14:14,159 and I’ve met people who have recovered 252 00:14:14,159 –> 00:14:15,599 and are doing extremely well 253 00:14:15,599 –> 00:14:17,280 and these people are an inspiration. 254 00:14:17,280 –> 00:14:19,359 In fact, I think they’re going to be my friends for life. 255 00:14:20,719 –> 00:14:21,919 Well, says your friend. 256 00:14:21,919 –> 00:14:23,599 What did the doctor do for you? 257 00:14:25,520 –> 00:14:29,039 Oh, you say well, I didn’t actually see the doctor. 258 00:14:30,159 –> 00:14:35,599 Now listen, it’s possible to hang around a doctor’s surgery 259 00:14:35,599 –> 00:14:38,159 all day and not see the doctor, right? 260 00:14:39,599 –> 00:14:43,679 It’s possible to hang around church world 261 00:14:43,679 –> 00:14:46,559 and never come to Jesus Christ. 262 00:14:47,599 –> 00:14:48,960 See, this happens all the time. 263 00:14:49,760 –> 00:14:52,479 People become aware of a spiritual need in their mind 264 00:14:52,479 –> 00:14:54,960 and in their lives and they’re drawn to church. 265 00:14:54,960 –> 00:14:56,320 They think, no, this is the place 266 00:14:56,320 –> 00:14:57,760 where I’m going to find the answer. 267 00:14:58,960 –> 00:15:01,760 So they come to church, and they get hold 268 00:15:01,760 –> 00:15:06,400 of a book written by Christ, and they begin to study it. 269 00:15:06,400 –> 00:15:07,440 And they don’t understand it all, 270 00:15:07,440 –> 00:15:09,119 but they find some things that are helpful. 271 00:15:09,119 –> 00:15:11,359 And then they meet some wonderful people 272 00:15:11,359 –> 00:15:13,200 who have been touched by Christ. 273 00:15:14,000 –> 00:15:15,599 And the wonderful people tell you 274 00:15:15,599 –> 00:15:16,880 about their experiences 275 00:15:16,880 –> 00:15:18,239 and how their lives have been different. 276 00:15:18,239 –> 00:15:20,400 And this is wonderfully encouraging to you, 277 00:15:20,400 –> 00:15:21,599 and they become your friends, 278 00:15:21,599 –> 00:15:23,359 and you get into a small group with them. 279 00:15:23,359 –> 00:15:30,400 And 10 years later, you’ve still not come to Christ. 280 00:15:30,400 –> 00:15:32,479 And you’re still suffering from the same condition, 281 00:15:32,479 –> 00:15:33,280 you’ve got different friends, 282 00:15:33,280 –> 00:15:34,159 you’ve read different books, 283 00:15:34,159 –> 00:15:35,840 but your condition is the same 284 00:15:35,840 –> 00:15:37,760 because you’ve never come to the physician 285 00:15:38,479 –> 00:15:40,640 to do surgery on your soul. 286 00:15:42,320 –> 00:15:48,159 Now, listen, it’s Christ in you, the Hope of Glory. 287 00:15:49,200 –> 00:15:50,960 It’s not Church in you. 288 00:15:50,960 –> 00:15:52,880 It’s not the Bible in you. 289 00:15:52,880 –> 00:15:54,559 It’s not Christian friends in you. 290 00:15:54,559 –> 00:15:55,520 It’s not a good life. 291 00:15:55,520 –> 00:15:56,559 It’s not giving. 292 00:15:56,559 –> 00:15:58,159 It’s not being a spiritual person. 293 00:15:58,159 –> 00:16:00,000 It’s not getting involved in a ministry. 294 00:16:00,000 –> 00:16:01,919 It’s not following a religion sincerely 295 00:16:01,919 –> 00:16:03,200 by your own choice. 296 00:16:03,200 –> 00:16:04,479 It is Christ. 297 00:16:05,919 –> 00:16:06,479 Christ. 298 00:16:07,440 –> 00:16:09,119 And the heart of Christianity 299 00:16:09,119 –> 00:16:11,200 is not about what you can do for him. 300 00:16:11,200 –> 00:16:13,840 It is about what he can do for you. 301 00:16:15,440 –> 00:16:18,479 That is why Christians have such joy over Christmas. 302 00:16:18,479 –> 00:16:21,840 You see, no Christ, no glory. 303 00:16:21,840 –> 00:16:24,159 The fact that Christ has come into the world 304 00:16:24,159 –> 00:16:25,760 is our Hope of Glory. 305 00:16:27,840 –> 00:16:28,400 Christ. 306 00:16:30,960 –> 00:16:33,280 But notice secondly, not just Christ, 307 00:16:33,280 –> 00:16:36,000 Christ in you. 308 00:16:37,119 –> 00:16:38,000 Christ in you. 309 00:16:41,679 –> 00:16:44,960 You see, a relationship is being formed 310 00:16:44,960 –> 00:16:48,320 and spoken of here, a relationship between Christ and you. 311 00:16:49,760 –> 00:16:51,520 Coming together of these two. 312 00:16:52,239 –> 00:16:53,760 A-joining of them. 313 00:16:55,599 –> 00:16:57,679 You see, when Christ came into the world, 314 00:16:57,679 –> 00:16:58,479 the Bible tells us, 315 00:16:58,479 –> 00:17:02,080 he came to his own and his own received him not. 316 00:17:03,039 –> 00:17:05,839 Now there’s no glory for those who do not receive him. 317 00:17:08,000 –> 00:17:09,839 The hope is in him, 318 00:17:11,119 –> 00:17:13,119 but the hope becomes ours 319 00:17:13,119 –> 00:17:16,640 as we are brought into relationship to him. 320 00:17:17,839 –> 00:17:19,680 Christ in you. 321 00:17:20,959 –> 00:17:23,520 The hope of glory. 322 00:17:23,520 –> 00:17:25,199 Now, I want us to think for a moment 323 00:17:25,199 –> 00:17:27,119 about this amazing reality. 324 00:17:28,239 –> 00:17:29,760 Christ in… 325 00:17:29,760 –> 00:17:32,079 in you. 326 00:17:33,359 –> 00:17:35,280 I mean, this involves the bringing together 327 00:17:35,280 –> 00:17:38,560 of two things so completely and utterly different 328 00:17:38,560 –> 00:17:42,079 that it is staggering to even begin to think about it. 329 00:17:42,079 –> 00:17:43,520 It hardly seems possible. 330 00:17:43,520 –> 00:17:45,920 I mean, Christ in some great saintly person, 331 00:17:45,920 –> 00:17:46,800 that’s one thing, 332 00:17:46,800 –> 00:17:48,319 but Christ in you? 333 00:17:49,839 –> 00:17:51,599 Christ in you? 334 00:17:56,079 –> 00:17:58,160 Preachers sometimes try to illustrate this 335 00:17:58,160 –> 00:18:01,520 by talking about if the spirit of some great artist 336 00:18:01,520 –> 00:18:03,839 could be in you, 337 00:18:03,839 –> 00:18:06,319 then you could draw a great painting. 338 00:18:06,800 –> 00:18:09,280 Or if the spirit of Michael Jordan were in you, 339 00:18:09,280 –> 00:18:12,880 you could shoot some free throws and so forth and so on. 340 00:18:12,880 –> 00:18:17,520 I’m going to risk a more daring illustration today. 341 00:18:18,400 –> 00:18:23,839 I want you to imagine the spirit of Mick Jagger 342 00:18:23,839 –> 00:18:25,280 living in me. 343 00:18:26,160 –> 00:18:29,199 Now, for anyone who’s missed the last 40 years 344 00:18:29,199 –> 00:18:31,040 of cultural history, 345 00:18:31,040 –> 00:18:35,199 Mick Jagger is the lead singer of the Rolling Stones. 346 00:18:35,760 –> 00:18:38,719 He’s not exactly the best role model, 347 00:18:38,719 –> 00:18:43,040 but I’ve chosen him because he is quite different from me. 348 00:18:43,439 –> 00:18:46,880 In fact, that qualifies as the understatement of the year. 349 00:18:46,880 –> 00:18:51,040 In fact, Mick Jagger is so different from me 350 00:18:51,040 –> 00:18:55,040 that the idea of the spirit of Mick Jagger living in me 351 00:18:55,680 –> 00:18:59,280 is utterly incongruous, and would rightly make you laugh. 352 00:18:59,599 –> 00:19:01,760 Now, think of this. 353 00:19:02,800 –> 00:19:08,160 I mean, think of the issues of ease of movement. 354 00:19:08,640 –> 00:19:11,439 Now, I know, I know that I walk around 355 00:19:11,439 –> 00:19:14,560 a little bit stiff and starchy and sort of angular, 356 00:19:14,560 –> 00:19:15,839 and that’s just the way I am. 357 00:19:15,839 –> 00:19:17,599 I can’t do anything about that. 358 00:19:17,599 –> 00:19:21,199 Mick Jagger moves like rubber. 359 00:19:21,880 –> 00:19:24,959 It is incredible, and, by the way, he’s live stage four. 360 00:19:24,959 –> 00:19:28,719 Did you know that? It’s amazing, it’s amazing. 361 00:19:30,739 –> 00:19:34,000 He has a freedom of movement that, 362 00:19:34,000 –> 00:19:36,160 to me, is almost inconceivable. 363 00:19:37,199 –> 00:19:40,319 Think about difference in form of expression. 364 00:19:40,800 –> 00:19:42,560 I mean, I was brought up with this kind of 365 00:19:42,560 –> 00:19:44,400 traditional schooling that says, you know, 366 00:19:44,400 –> 00:19:46,880 form your sentences properly, you know? 367 00:19:47,599 –> 00:19:50,479 And so I speak in formed sentences. 368 00:19:50,479 –> 00:19:52,000 Like, you know, let us lift our hearts 369 00:19:52,000 –> 00:19:53,839 and our voices in singing together. 370 00:19:54,239 –> 00:19:56,959 Mick Jagger speaks a whole different language from this. 371 00:19:57,920 –> 00:20:00,079 I noted this one down, he says things like, 372 00:20:00,959 –> 00:20:03,520 let’s rock this baby to the max. 373 00:20:04,959 –> 00:20:07,359 And he’s not actually even referring to 374 00:20:07,359 –> 00:20:09,680 getting children to sleep in the nursery. 375 00:20:09,680 –> 00:20:11,520 It’s an extraordinary thing. 376 00:20:11,520 –> 00:20:13,119 I mean, can you imagine me going into the 377 00:20:13,119 –> 00:20:15,439 Douglas room tonight before our 378 00:20:15,439 –> 00:20:17,119 last concert for the choir? 379 00:20:17,680 –> 00:20:22,640 And saying to them, let’s rock this baby to the max. 380 00:20:22,640 –> 00:20:24,640 And someone will say, what on earth 381 00:20:24,640 –> 00:20:25,760 has got into Colin? 382 00:20:25,760 –> 00:20:26,800 And someone else to say, 383 00:20:26,800 –> 00:20:29,199 oh, it’s the spirit of Mick Jagger in him. 384 00:20:31,040 –> 00:20:34,239 Now if the spirit of Mick Jagger was in me, 385 00:20:34,239 –> 00:20:37,280 I would be a totally different person. 386 00:20:38,319 –> 00:20:40,079 And this makes us laugh, 387 00:20:40,079 –> 00:20:42,800 because it involves bringing together 388 00:20:42,800 –> 00:20:44,800 two things so totally different 389 00:20:44,800 –> 00:20:48,719 that the very concept seems incongruous and laughable. 390 00:20:48,719 –> 00:20:51,439 Now here is something even more astonishing. 391 00:20:52,719 –> 00:20:54,560 That the spirit of God 392 00:20:54,560 –> 00:20:56,319 should live in you. 393 00:20:59,520 –> 00:21:01,439 I mean, Mick Jagger is just Mick Jagger, 394 00:21:03,040 –> 00:21:04,560 but the spirit of God. 395 00:21:08,800 –> 00:21:11,839 This bringing together of these extremities, 396 00:21:13,359 –> 00:21:14,959 an extraordinary miracle, 397 00:21:14,959 –> 00:21:18,000 no wonder Paul says this is a mystery, 398 00:21:18,000 –> 00:21:20,640 no one could ever have guessed this or imagined it, 399 00:21:20,719 –> 00:21:24,400 it is the reality that God has now revealed in Jesus Christ 400 00:21:24,400 –> 00:21:26,560 to the generations and cultures. 401 00:21:26,560 –> 00:21:29,839 There’s this amazing miracle of God. 402 00:21:31,439 –> 00:21:34,319 Now, what if the spirit of God were to live in you? 403 00:21:35,199 –> 00:21:37,040 What if the spirit of God were to live in me? 404 00:21:38,400 –> 00:21:40,959 Well, Paul tells us what would come of that. 405 00:21:42,479 –> 00:21:47,920 Christ in you, the hope of glory! 406 00:21:48,719 –> 00:21:50,800 Now notice that Paul does not say 407 00:21:50,800 –> 00:21:53,040 that Christ in you is glory. 408 00:21:53,839 –> 00:21:57,359 He says that Christ in you is the hope of glory. 409 00:21:58,400 –> 00:22:01,359 That means that the glory is not yet achieved, 410 00:22:01,359 –> 00:22:02,560 though it is begun. 411 00:22:03,280 –> 00:22:05,119 John says in his letter, 412 00:22:05,119 –> 00:22:08,079 it has not yet been known what we shall be. 413 00:22:09,280 –> 00:22:11,359 So throughout the course of this life, 414 00:22:11,359 –> 00:22:14,160 there is a tension, a conflict, 415 00:22:14,160 –> 00:22:17,199 a struggle that is experienced by every Christian, 416 00:22:17,439 –> 00:22:18,319 and the reason for this 417 00:22:18,319 –> 00:22:20,239 is that we are living with two realities. 418 00:22:20,239 –> 00:22:22,239 I live this life in the body, 419 00:22:23,040 –> 00:22:25,439 but I live this life by faith in the Son of God. 420 00:22:25,439 –> 00:22:28,239 The Spirit of God truly indwells me, 421 00:22:28,239 –> 00:22:30,880 and yet I still live this life in the flesh. 422 00:22:30,880 –> 00:22:33,119 And therefore there is a tension 423 00:22:34,079 –> 00:22:37,119 a tension that goes on throughout our journey 424 00:22:37,119 –> 00:22:39,280 of the Christian life in this world. 425 00:22:40,479 –> 00:22:42,479 Now again, I found it quite helpful 426 00:22:42,479 –> 00:22:44,000 to think about this analogy 427 00:22:44,239 –> 00:22:47,040 the spirit of Mick Jagger living in me. 428 00:22:47,760 –> 00:22:48,959 If that were to happen, 429 00:22:50,479 –> 00:22:53,920 you see, I would experience an awful tension. 430 00:22:54,880 –> 00:22:57,280 Think about it. 431 00:22:57,280 –> 00:22:59,359 The spirit of Mick Jagger was in me. 432 00:22:59,359 –> 00:23:03,040 The spirit of Mick Jagger would want to dance all the time, 433 00:23:04,400 –> 00:23:07,199 and this body would need to get loosened up 434 00:23:07,760 –> 00:23:08,800 in order to do that. 435 00:23:10,000 –> 00:23:12,640 It would take time for this body 436 00:23:13,599 –> 00:23:17,119 to adapt to the prompting of a new spirit, 437 00:23:17,920 –> 00:23:19,599 and frankly it would probably look pretty 438 00:23:19,599 –> 00:23:22,079 awkward and stupid a lot of the time at first. 439 00:23:24,079 –> 00:23:26,959 If the spirit of Mick Jagger lived in me, 440 00:23:27,760 –> 00:23:31,119 I’d probably find myself saying at the end of another exhausting day, 441 00:23:31,680 –> 00:23:34,719 the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. 442 00:23:36,000 –> 00:23:38,239 I would find myself collapsing in bed at the end of the day 443 00:23:38,239 –> 00:23:40,160 and saying I can’t live this kind of life. 444 00:23:40,560 –> 00:23:44,400 It would be a daily battle as everything in me 445 00:23:44,400 –> 00:23:48,719 learned what it is to become responsive to everything in him. 446 00:23:50,239 –> 00:23:52,160 Now you see that is exactly how the Bible 447 00:23:52,160 –> 00:23:53,520 speaks of the Christian life. 448 00:23:53,520 –> 00:23:54,719 It is a struggle. 449 00:23:54,719 –> 00:23:57,839 It is made possible by the presence of the Spirit of God 450 00:23:57,839 –> 00:24:01,920 giving direction, energy and animation to your life 451 00:24:01,920 –> 00:24:05,439 so that gradually and increasingly 452 00:24:05,439 –> 00:24:08,719 you grow into the likeness of Jesus Christ. 453 00:24:09,520 –> 00:24:11,760 It doesn’t happen all at once. 454 00:24:13,680 –> 00:24:17,920 See, if the Spirit of Mick Jagger lived in me, 455 00:24:19,040 –> 00:24:21,180 actually we’d get a lot of Rolling Stones fans 456 00:24:21,180 –> 00:24:22,040 who’d come to the church, 457 00:24:22,040 –> 00:24:23,760 have you thought about that? 458 00:24:23,760 –> 00:24:25,140 But here’s what they’d say, 459 00:24:25,880 –> 00:24:27,359 they’d say, you know, 460 00:24:27,359 –> 00:24:31,199 sometimes that guy really is like Mick Jagger 461 00:24:31,199 –> 00:24:33,520 and sometimes he’s just a plain boring old preacher. 462 00:24:33,520 –> 00:24:35,199 That’s what they’d say. 463 00:24:35,199 –> 00:24:37,280 And you see that is precisely how it is 464 00:24:38,239 –> 00:24:39,079 with the Christian. 465 00:24:39,079 –> 00:24:41,640 There are glimpses of the glory of Jesus 466 00:24:41,640 –> 00:24:44,239 that are seen in you even now. 467 00:24:45,520 –> 00:24:47,619 And yet its glory begun. 468 00:24:48,719 –> 00:24:52,119 It’s not yet glory complete. 469 00:24:54,260 –> 00:24:59,260 Christ in you, the hope of glory. 470 00:25:02,479 –> 00:25:03,719 And here’s the last thing, 471 00:25:04,719 –> 00:25:09,719 Christ in you, the hope of glory, of glory. 472 00:25:12,040 –> 00:25:12,939 Now think about it. 473 00:25:12,939 –> 00:25:17,239 If the spirit of a person were to live in you, 474 00:25:18,319 –> 00:25:21,359 then your natural expectation would be that over time, 475 00:25:21,359 –> 00:25:25,400 you would grow into the likeness of that person. 476 00:25:26,640 –> 00:25:28,439 Which by the way, just to run this off 477 00:25:28,439 –> 00:25:32,079 is why I would not want the spirit of Mick Jagger 478 00:25:32,079 –> 00:25:33,500 to live in me. 479 00:25:33,500 –> 00:25:36,680 I do not want to make any false judgments but honestly, 480 00:25:36,680 –> 00:25:39,880 I think a guy who spends 40 years of his life 481 00:25:39,880 –> 00:25:44,060 singing, I can’t get no satisfaction. 482 00:25:44,060 –> 00:25:46,280 Sounds like a pretty frustrated person. 483 00:25:46,280 –> 00:25:48,099 I don’t want that spirit in me. 484 00:25:49,160 –> 00:25:51,119 What spirit do you want in you? 485 00:25:53,199 –> 00:25:56,839 What if the spirit of Jesus Christ were to live in you? 486 00:25:58,119 –> 00:26:00,219 Where’s the downsides to that? 487 00:26:01,160 –> 00:26:03,560 He has accomplished everything 488 00:26:03,560 –> 00:26:05,060 that the Father wants him to do. 489 00:26:05,060 –> 00:26:09,479 He has ascended at the right hand of the Father in glory. 490 00:26:09,479 –> 00:26:10,880 What is glory? 491 00:26:10,880 –> 00:26:15,099 Glory is the beauty and radiance of God. 492 00:26:15,099 –> 00:26:17,180 Glory is you becoming everything 493 00:26:17,180 –> 00:26:19,739 that God purposed you to be 494 00:26:19,739 –> 00:26:24,699 and Christ in you is the hope of that glory. 495 00:26:25,420 –> 00:26:29,520 And so, it is already begun by faith and by his presence, 496 00:26:33,119 –> 00:26:36,739 and what is already begun will be accomplished 497 00:26:36,739 –> 00:26:38,859 and brought to completion. 498 00:26:38,859 –> 00:26:42,140 When we see him, we will be like him. 499 00:26:44,540 –> 00:26:45,920 And this is one of the most remarkable statements 500 00:26:45,920 –> 00:26:47,300 in the whole Bible, isn’t it? 501 00:26:47,300 –> 00:26:52,300 Christ in you, the hope of glory. 502 00:26:52,339 –> 00:26:55,479 And if we’ve really understood it, 503 00:26:55,479 –> 00:26:58,020 I think that there will be two very simple conclusions. 504 00:26:58,020 –> 00:27:00,859 I’ll just mention them briefly, and then we’re through, 505 00:27:00,859 –> 00:27:04,339 that should penetrate deeply into our minds. 506 00:27:04,339 –> 00:27:06,339 Christ in you, the hope of glory. 507 00:27:06,339 –> 00:27:11,339 If that’s true, it means that you are completely dependent. 508 00:27:12,939 –> 00:27:14,420 You’re completely dependent. 509 00:27:14,420 –> 00:27:17,439 Christ in you is the hope of glory. 510 00:27:17,439 –> 00:27:19,040 What’s the hope of glory? 511 00:27:19,040 –> 00:27:19,859 Christ. 512 00:27:20,800 –> 00:27:23,280 not prayer in you, 513 00:27:23,280 –> 00:27:24,359 not obedience in you, 514 00:27:24,359 — 00:27:25,400 not faith in you, 515 00:27:25,400 –> 00:27:26,800 not repentance in you, 516 00:27:26,800 –> 00:27:28,300 not having a clean house in you, 517 00:27:28,300 –> 00:27:29,380 not ministry in you, 518 00:27:29,380 –> 00:27:30,420 not anything in you, 519 00:27:30,420 –> 00:27:32,540 except Christ in you. 520 00:27:33,920 –> 00:27:35,920 Your hope of glory does not rest 521 00:27:35,920 –> 00:27:37,719 on anything you do for Christ, 522 00:27:37,719 –> 00:27:40,020 but on everything He does for you. 523 00:27:41,000 –> 00:27:43,400 And so the only question that really matters 524 00:27:43,400 –> 00:27:47,140 here then is, is Christ in you? 525 00:27:48,280 –> 00:27:49,099 Is he? 526 00:27:50,780 –> 00:27:52,680 Because if Christ is in you, 527 00:27:52,680 –> 00:27:54,359 there will be glory for you. 528 00:27:55,619 –> 00:27:57,079 But if Christ is not in you, 529 00:27:57,079 –> 00:27:58,800 there is no other hope of glory. 530 00:28:01,339 –> 00:28:02,579 Is Christ in you? 531 00:28:03,739 –> 00:28:05,459 You’re saying, well, I’m not sure. 532 00:28:05,459 –> 00:28:06,520 I could tell. 533 00:28:09,099 –> 00:28:10,540 Listen, if you’re not sure, 534 00:28:11,619 –> 00:28:13,099 you’ve never come to Christ. 535 00:28:13,099 –> 00:28:14,479 Will you come to him today? 536 00:28:16,339 –> 00:28:19,380 Will you come to Christ in humility? 537 00:28:20,099 –> 00:28:23,599 And tell him how much you need him. 538 00:28:25,199 –> 00:28:27,439 Some people have found these words helpful. 539 00:28:28,359 –> 00:28:31,540 Nothing in my hand I bring. 540 00:28:32,420 –> 00:28:35,939 Simply to your cross I cling. 541 00:28:35,939 –> 00:28:37,660 That’s the only way that you can come to Jesus. 542 00:28:37,660 –> 00:28:40,739 You believe that he has everything to offer to you 543 00:28:40,739 –> 00:28:42,300 and you have nothing to offer to him. 544 00:28:42,300 –> 00:28:45,579 That’s the only basis on which you can come to him. 545 00:28:45,579 –> 00:28:47,660 Some people have found these words helpful. 546 00:28:47,660 –> 00:28:50,880 Just as I am, without one plea. 547 00:28:50,880 –> 00:28:54,400 In other words, without anything that I’m presenting 548 00:28:54,400 –> 00:28:56,160 that I think I’ve got going for me. 549 00:28:57,579 –> 00:28:59,680 But that your blood was shed for me 550 00:28:59,680 –> 00:29:01,780 and that you bid me come to thee, 551 00:29:01,780 –> 00:29:03,699 oh Lamb of God, I come. 552 00:29:05,660 –> 00:29:07,260 Will you come to Christ today 553 00:29:07,260 –> 00:29:11,540 and tell him that you need him in your life. 554 00:29:12,819 –> 00:29:15,180 Will you admit to him that without him 555 00:29:15,180 –> 00:29:18,939 you now see clearly that you have no other hope of glory. 556 00:29:21,180 –> 00:29:24,180 And his promise, if you will come in this way 557 00:29:24,180 –> 00:29:27,619 with humble faith, is that if you will come 558 00:29:27,619 –> 00:29:30,660 to him in this way, he will not turn you away 559 00:29:30,660 –> 00:29:33,920 he will receive you and he will come to you. 560 00:29:36,339 –> 00:29:39,060 Christ in you the hope of glory 561 00:29:39,060 –> 00:29:41,300 it means you’re absolutely dependent. 562 00:29:42,280 –> 00:29:47,020 But it also means that Christ is completely sufficient. 563 00:29:47,020 –> 00:29:50,260 See what hope is there of me being holy? 564 00:29:51,540 –> 00:29:54,599 What hope is there of me finishing strong? 565 00:29:56,000 –> 00:29:58,339 What hope is there of being the father or the mother 566 00:29:58,339 –> 00:30:00,099 or the son or the daughter or the husband 567 00:30:00,099 –> 00:30:01,979 or the wife that God calls you to be? 568 00:30:03,359 –> 00:30:05,660 What hope is there of being a real Christian? 569 00:30:06,640 –> 00:30:09,060 Christ in you. 570 00:30:10,339 –> 00:30:12,479 That’s your hope of glory. 571 00:30:12,479 –> 00:30:14,900 Everything that you need for this life is in him. 572 00:30:14,900 –> 00:30:17,180 You see, the Christian life is not about us 573 00:30:17,180 –> 00:30:21,060 trying harder to live this life that’s impossible for us. 574 00:30:21,060 –> 00:30:24,020 It’s not a vain attempt to be what you’re not. 575 00:30:24,020 –> 00:30:25,380 It’s not even an attempt to say, 576 00:30:25,380 –> 00:30:26,760 oh Jesus is a role model 577 00:30:26,760 –> 00:30:29,300 and I’ll spend my energy trying to copy him. 578 00:30:29,300 –> 00:30:33,819 It is Christ coming into your life to live in you 579 00:30:33,900 –> 00:30:36,380 the life that you could not live for yourself. 580 00:30:36,380 –> 00:30:39,420 And for that, he is completely sufficient. 581 00:30:41,479 –> 00:30:43,180 It’s Christ in you. 582 00:30:44,560 –> 00:30:47,199 The hope of glory. 583 00:30:47,199 –> 00:30:50,280 And if the Lord of glory lives in you, 584 00:30:50,280 –> 00:30:52,459 what other outcome can there be of your life 585 00:30:52,459 –> 00:30:57,459 than that for eternity you will share glory with him? 586 00:30:57,859 –> 00:30:59,380 Let’s pray together, shall we? 587 00:30:59,880 –> 00:31:02,599 Lord this miracle is so staggering 588 00:31:02,599 –> 00:31:04,699 we can hardly begin to fathom it. 589 00:31:04,699 –> 00:31:06,880 We would never have guessed it 590 00:31:08,219 –> 00:31:10,560 if you had not revealed it to be so. 591 00:31:12,219 –> 00:31:16,099 That you should join these widest extremities 592 00:31:17,060 –> 00:31:21,599 of Christ and me together. 593 00:31:23,099 –> 00:31:28,099 Oh God, this amazes me. 594 00:31:29,380 –> 00:31:30,219 Gosh. 595 00:31:32,979 –> 00:31:34,939 Some of us, oh lord, want to come to you 596 00:31:34,939 –> 00:31:37,339 in response to this message today 597 00:31:37,339 –> 00:31:39,619 because we felt you speaking to us 598 00:31:39,619 –> 00:31:41,420 and we know our need of you. 599 00:31:42,839 –> 00:31:44,760 And so we come simply right now 600 00:31:44,760 –> 00:31:46,280 and we are saying to you, 601 00:31:47,380 –> 00:31:52,380 lord, I recognize my need of you in my life. 602 00:31:55,040 –> 00:31:59,300 I have no other hope of glory except you. 603 00:32:00,140 –> 00:32:02,020 But I see that if I have you, 604 00:32:03,439 –> 00:32:07,060 there I have the hope of glory in you. 605 00:32:09,239 –> 00:32:10,800 I have nothing to offer you. 606 00:32:12,400 –> 00:32:14,199 You have everything to offer me. 607 00:32:16,099 –> 00:32:19,079 So taking you at your word and believing your promise 608 00:32:19,079 –> 00:32:21,660 and accepting your invitation, I come to you. 609 00:32:23,060 –> 00:32:24,699 I ask that you would receive me, 610 00:32:24,699 –> 00:32:26,300 that you would come to my life, 611 00:32:26,300 –> 00:32:28,380 make me one of your children 612 00:32:29,680 –> 00:32:33,699 as I put my whole trust in you 613 00:32:33,699 –> 00:32:36,979 and commit my life into your hands. 614 00:32:37,819 –> 00:32:40,520 Thank you that this amazing miracle 615 00:32:41,979 –> 00:32:44,020 of Christ in me 616 00:32:45,459 –> 00:32:47,640 may so simply and wonderfully 617 00:32:49,099 –> 00:32:50,439 be your gift to me. 618 00:32:51,900 –> 00:32:55,920 Receive my thanks in Jesus’ name, amen. 619 00:32:59,819 –> 00:33:00,739 You’ve been listening to A Sermon 620 00:33:00,739 –> 00:33:03,300 with Pastor Colin Smith of Open The Bible. 621 00:33:03,300 –> 00:33:08,300 To contact us, call us at 1-877-OPEN-365 622 00:33:08,540 –> 00:33:11,859 or visit our website, openthebible.org.