100:00:00,980 –> 00:00:11,840Lord cast the idols down in this heart. Reigns supreme in me!200:00:11,840 –> 00:00:18,840That’s the first thing we’re asking of God when we pray your kingdom come.300:00:19,840 –> 00:00:23,040Welcome to Open The Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I’m David Pick.400:00:23,040 –> 00:00:27,920Glad you could be with us today. And Colin, as we continue our series all about the Lord’s500:00:27,920 –> 00:00:32,639prayer, thinking about the phrase your kingdom come, as we think about what it600:00:32,639 –> 00:00:37,119means for God’s kingdom to come, does it mean he’s reigning supreme?700:00:37,119 –> 00:00:41,919Yes, that’s right. The first thing about God’s kingdom is that there is a great and glorious800:00:41,919 –> 00:00:47,759king. I mean, thank God for that. I mean, the world seems so chaotic, we never know what the900:00:47,759 –> 00:00:53,200next day’s headlines are going to bring. You think, is anybody in control? And here’s the1000:00:53,200 –> 00:01:00,400wonderful reality that we live in. There is a great and a glorious king, and his kingdom is1100:01:00,400 –> 00:01:07,519going to come. And because we recognize that God is our great and glorious king, we cannot live for1200:01:07,519 –> 00:01:12,959idols. They’ve got to be cast down. We’ve got to live for the king whose kingdom is coming.1300:01:12,959 –> 00:01:19,599His kingdom is not of this world, but it begins in the lives of all those who bow the knee to1400:01:19,599 –> 00:01:25,919Jesus Christ as saviour and Lord. And that’s where blessing begins. We’re going to look at that today.1500:01:25,919 –> 00:01:34,239May your kingdom come in me, in us, dear Lord, because we need you, our good and our gracious1600:01:34,239 –> 00:01:39,760king, and we look to you as our hope. We’ll find out about that in the book of Revelation,1700:01:39,760 –> 00:01:46,320chapter 11 and verses 15 to 19 today, as we begin the message God’s Kingdom.1800:01:46,320 –> 00:01:47,279Here’s Colin.1900:01:47,279 –> 00:01:54,000Now today, then, we come to the second petition of the Lord’s prayer, your kingdom come.2000:01:55,279 –> 00:02:03,519So Jesus speaks about a kingdom and that means that there is a great and a glorious king.2100:02:03,519 –> 00:02:07,760So here’s the first thing that we’re learning today as we come to the second2200:02:07,760 –> 00:02:14,080petition of the Lord’s prayer, God is a great and glorious King.2300:02:14,800 –> 00:02:24,399Now today, most kings and queens have a largely symbolic or ceremonial role.2400:02:25,199 –> 00:02:32,479But in biblical times, all power and all authority lay in the hands of the king.2500:02:33,520 –> 00:02:41,440The only question in biblical times was, what are the boundaries of a particular king’s kingdom?2600:02:41,440 –> 00:02:50,080Beyond his kingdom, of course, there would be other kings, and they would reign in their kingdoms,2700:02:50,080 –> 00:02:57,500but within his own kingdom a king reigned supreme.2800:02:57,500 –> 00:03:05,679Now, the Bible confronts us with this wonderful truth that God is the great and glorious king2900:03:05,679 –> 00:03:09,199not only over a few people but over the whole world.3000:03:10,160 –> 00:03:14,720Sing praises to God, we read in Psalm 47.3100:03:14,720 –> 00:03:18,240Sing praises, sing praises to our king.3200:03:18,240 –> 00:03:19,520Sing praises.3300:03:19,520 –> 00:03:20,520Why?3400:03:20,520 –> 00:03:24,820For God is the king over all the earth.3500:03:24,820 –> 00:03:31,240There is no corner of the earth that is not under God’s sovereign control.3600:03:31,240 –> 00:03:37,360No neighboring kingdom over which he does not rule.3700:03:37,360 –> 00:03:41,759Of course there are other powers, there are other authorities.3800:03:41,759 –> 00:03:42,759There are other kings.3900:03:42,759 –> 00:03:52,520There are other Gods who do not recognize the Lord, but he is sovereign even over them.4000:03:52,520 –> 00:03:58,259For the Lord is a great God, we read in Psalm 95.4100:03:58,259 –> 00:04:02,600And a great king above all other gods.4200:04:02,839 –> 00:04:07,619No one is outside of his rule or beyond his sway.4300:04:07,619 –> 00:04:15,440And God is not only the great king, he is a glorious king.4400:04:15,440 –> 00:04:21,820His people for that reason long for the day when they will see him.4500:04:21,820 –> 00:04:28,739Lift up your heads, oh gates, and be lifted up, oh ancient doors, that the King of glory4600:04:28,739 –> 00:04:30,739may come in.4700:04:30,820 –> 00:04:34,959Who is this king of glory?4800:04:34,959 –> 00:04:40,019Well the Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.4900:04:40,019 –> 00:04:48,700So God is presented to us in scripture as the great and the glorious King.5000:04:48,700 –> 00:04:56,220And then we learn this, that God will establish a great and a glorious kingdom.5100:04:56,220 –> 00:04:59,299God rules over all the Earth.5200:04:59,540 –> 00:05:09,459But clearly this world in which we live does not recognise its king or his rule.5300:05:09,459 –> 00:05:18,119And that therefore raises the question, where then will God’s kingdom be established?5400:05:18,119 –> 00:05:24,980You remember that Pontius Pilate on one occasion asked Jesus, are you the King of the Jews?5500:05:25,059 –> 00:05:34,619And Jesus gave a very clear answer to the question of where the kingdom will be established.5600:05:34,619 –> 00:05:41,660Jesus answered, my kingdom is not of this world.5700:05:41,660 –> 00:05:48,339If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting but that I might5800:05:48,920 –> 00:05:51,059delivered over to the Jews.5900:05:51,059 –> 00:05:57,320But my kingdom is not from this world.6000:05:57,320 –> 00:06:01,019And notice Jesus repeats it twice, it’s very clear and very striking.6100:06:01,019 –> 00:06:08,839Notice he doesn’t say, my kingdom is not in this world, doesn’t say that.6200:06:08,859 –> 00:06:13,540He says my kingdom is not of this world.6300:06:13,540 –> 00:06:17,799And my kingdom is not from this world.6400:06:17,799 –> 00:06:23,040So straight away we see this theme of the kingdom, it’s not easy to grasp.6500:06:23,040 –> 00:06:31,640It’s in this world, but it’s not from it and it’s not of it.6600:06:31,640 –> 00:06:37,119So what then does it mean for us to pray as Jesus teaches us to pray,6700:06:37,119 –> 00:06:39,140your kingdom come?6800:06:39,140 –> 00:06:42,320Well we’re going to look at three things together today.6900:06:42,320 –> 00:06:46,440We’re going to look at the beginning of God’s kingdom,7000:06:46,880 –> 00:06:52,040we’re going to look at the growth of God’s kingdom and then we’re going to look at the7100:06:52,040 –> 00:06:55,640coming of God’s kingdom.7200:06:55,640 –> 00:07:00,420Let’s begin here then with the beginning of God’s kingdom.7300:07:00,420 –> 00:07:06,920One night, a very brilliant man came to Jesus.7400:07:06,920 –> 00:07:13,040He was intrigued by what he saw in Jesus and he wanted to know more.7500:07:13,040 –> 00:07:15,820His name was Nicodemus.7600:07:15,820 –> 00:07:28,100And Jesus said to him, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot7700:07:28,100 –> 00:07:32,799see the kingdom of God.7800:07:32,799 –> 00:07:36,839Now, think about it, this man was religious.7900:07:36,839 –> 00:07:38,899He kept God’s law.8000:07:38,899 –> 00:07:42,220He would have regarded his life as being under the rule of God.8100:07:42,220 –> 00:07:47,179He knew the promise of God to establish the kingdom and he would have been very confident8200:07:47,179 –> 00:07:51,000of his own place in it.8300:07:51,000 –> 00:08:01,640But Jesus says to this man, unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of8400:08:01,640 –> 00:08:03,459God.8500:08:03,459 –> 00:08:10,359Any discussion of God’s kingdom surely must begin here.8600:08:10,359 –> 00:08:14,559You see what Jesus is saying to Nicodemus.8700:08:14,559 –> 00:08:22,000You can talk all you want about the kingdom, but unless you are born again, you won’t8800:08:22,000 –> 00:08:25,260even see it.8900:08:25,260 –> 00:08:28,239Born again.9000:08:28,239 –> 00:08:36,520We’re talking here about a fundamental restructuring of a person’s inner life.9100:08:36,520 –> 00:08:41,320See by nature, we all seek our own kingdom.9200:08:41,320 –> 00:08:44,919We want to live under our own rule.9300:08:44,919 –> 00:08:53,599And Jesus is saying, unless there is a fundamental restructuring of your inner life, your deepest9400:08:53,599 –> 00:09:03,960affections and your deepest desires, unless that happens in you, you will not see the9500:09:03,960 –> 00:09:07,640kingdom of God.9600:09:07,640 –> 00:09:19,080Now clearly, restructuring a person’s inner life is something that only God could do.9700:09:19,080 –> 00:09:27,599Only the creator can bring about a new creation, and the Bible speaks about how God does that.9800:09:27,599 –> 00:09:36,400It speaks of how the Father has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred9900:09:36,400 –> 00:09:43,679us into the kingdom of his beloved Son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of10000:09:43,679 –> 00:09:45,479sins.10100:09:45,479 –> 00:09:53,000So what’s being said here is that God Himself breaks the power of resistance to Him that10200:09:53,000 –> 00:09:56,280by nature is in us.10300:09:56,359 –> 00:10:03,679But He is the one who breaking that power brings us into, transfers us into, the kingdom10400:10:03,679 –> 00:10:11,000of His dearly loved Son Jesus Christ in whom we find redemption and forgiveness of sins.10500:10:11,000 –> 00:10:13,179Now here’s the obvious question.10600:10:13,179 –> 00:10:16,200How then does that happen?10700:10:16,200 –> 00:10:17,719How can I be born again?10800:10:17,719 –> 00:10:20,960That was what Nicodemus asked when Jesus told him of course.10900:10:20,960 –> 00:10:23,619How is that possible?11000:10:23,700 –> 00:10:27,820How can I be transferred from the kingdom of darkness?11100:10:27,820 –> 00:10:30,900From the experience of the pull of my own heart?11200:10:30,900 –> 00:10:33,500Away from the things of God and away from His ways?11300:10:33,500 –> 00:10:41,239How can I be transferred out of that and into the kingdom of His dearly loved Son?11400:10:41,239 –> 00:10:44,059Well listen to these words of Jesus.11500:10:44,059 –> 00:10:48,020He tells us so clearly.11600:10:48,859 –> 00:10:56,239Let the children Jesus said on one occasion, come to me.11700:10:56,239 –> 00:11:03,460And don’t hinder them for to such belongs the kingdom of God.11800:11:03,460 –> 00:11:09,820Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not11900:11:09,820 –> 00:11:10,820enter it.12000:11:10,820 –> 00:11:11,900Do you see what He is saying?12100:11:11,900 –> 00:11:20,679The kingdom belongs to those who come to Jesus.12200:11:20,679 –> 00:11:27,239If you are to see the kingdom of God, if you are to be in it, if you’re to belong to it,12300:11:27,239 –> 00:11:29,599you must be born again.12400:11:29,599 –> 00:11:33,559You must be delivered from the kingdom of darkness, that is something that only God12500:11:33,559 –> 00:11:40,679Himself can do for you, but it happens and He will do it as you come to Jesus.12600:11:41,340 –> 00:11:43,500J.I.12700:11:43,500 –> 00:11:54,640Packer says God’s kingdom is not a place, but rather a relationship, not a place, but12800:11:54,640 –> 00:12:02,659a relationship, and it exists wherever men or women enthroned Jesus as the master of12900:12:02,659 –> 00:12:04,979their lives.13000:12:04,979 –> 00:12:15,099So if you come to Jesus, if you will enthrone Jesus as the master of your life, you will13100:12:15,099 –> 00:12:22,619belong to the kingdom and God’s kingdom will belong to you.13200:12:22,619 –> 00:12:24,419So the kingdom begins where?13300:12:24,419 –> 00:12:27,260It begins in us.13400:12:27,260 –> 00:12:30,799And the book of Revelation states this very, very clearly.13500:12:31,080 –> 00:12:37,059Revelation chapter one and verse six, to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins13600:12:37,059 –> 00:12:42,039by his blood and made us a kingdom.13700:12:42,039 –> 00:12:44,039He’s made us a kingdom.13800:12:44,039 –> 00:12:48,559That’s what God has done by the new birth and by transferring us out of darkness into13900:12:48,559 –> 00:12:50,559his marvelous light.14000:12:50,559 –> 00:12:56,760To him therefore be glory and dominion forever and forever.14100:12:56,760 –> 00:12:59,200Amen.14200:12:59,200 –> 00:13:07,460So when we pray, your kingdom come, the first thing we’re really asking of God is this,14300:13:07,460 –> 00:13:14,940that our lives, this is where the kingdom begins, that our lives will be more clearly,14400:13:14,940 –> 00:13:20,979evidently fully submitted to his reign and to his rule.14500:13:20,979 –> 00:13:26,900Lord, cast the idols down in this heart.14600:13:26,919 –> 00:13:31,020Reign supreme in me.14700:13:31,020 –> 00:13:37,619That’s the first thing we’re asking of God when we pray, your kingdom come.14800:13:37,619 –> 00:13:43,840Now, that’s where it begins, it begins in us, in all who will come to Jesus.14900:13:43,840 –> 00:13:48,059You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and we’re pausing the15000:13:48,059 –> 00:13:49,479message there just briefly.15100:13:49,479 –> 00:13:51,619But we’ll be back in a moment.15200:13:51,619 –> 00:13:56,419The message is called God’s Kingdom and it’s part of our series, Six Things to Ask15300:13:56,460 –> 00:13:58,840of God, all about the Lord’s Prayer.15400:13:58,840 –> 00:14:03,140If you ever miss one of our messages, you can always go back and listen again, or catch15500:14:03,140 –> 00:14:05,820up and go back at our website.15600:14:05,820 –> 00:14:08,919That’s at openthebible.org.uk.15700:14:08,919 –> 00:14:12,219And there you’ll find all the messages that have already been broadcast.15800:14:12,219 –> 00:14:16,219They are available as a podcast and those are on all the main podcast sites.15900:14:16,219 –> 00:14:19,500Search there for Open the Bible UK.16000:14:19,500 –> 00:14:24,059Open the Bible is supported by our listeners and this month we have a new offer for you16100:14:24,080 –> 00:14:28,739if you are considering making a regular gift to the work of Open the Bible.16200:14:28,739 –> 00:14:32,940And I’ll be talking to Open the Bible’s Amanda Cunningham later in the program, about16300:14:32,940 –> 00:14:35,280what this month’s offer entails.16400:14:35,280 –> 00:14:37,299So I hope you’ll stay with us for that.16500:14:37,299 –> 00:14:38,960Back to the message now.16600:14:38,960 –> 00:14:39,960Here’s Colin.16700:14:39,960 –> 00:14:44,080Now let’s look secondly at the growth of God’s Kingdom.16800:14:44,080 –> 00:14:48,960We know that God’s Kingdom is not off this world, we saw that clearly in the statement16900:14:48,960 –> 00:14:54,440of Jesus but what does it look like in this world?17000:14:54,440 –> 00:15:00,940Well Jesus spoke about what it looks like in this world very clearly and repeatedly17100:15:00,940 –> 00:15:02,780in the parables.17200:15:02,780 –> 00:15:06,440Let me give you one example from Mark and Chapter 4.17300:15:06,440 –> 00:15:08,539Jesus says,17400:15:08,820 –> 00:15:17,440But with what can we compare the Kingdom of God or what parable shall we use for it?17500:15:17,440 –> 00:15:19,760And here’s the analogy he chooses.17600:15:19,760 –> 00:15:28,020It is like a grain of mustard seed which when sown on the ground is the smallest of all17700:15:28,020 –> 00:15:31,200the seeds on earth.17800:15:31,200 –> 00:15:37,880Yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts17900:15:37,880 –> 00:15:45,080out large branches so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.18000:15:45,080 –> 00:15:48,140Now you see what Jesus is saying?18100:15:48,140 –> 00:15:49,840What is the Kingdom of God like?18200:15:49,840 –> 00:15:51,919What does it look like in this world?18300:15:51,919 –> 00:15:55,539Well what it looks like in this world is the tiniest of seeds.18400:15:55,539 –> 00:16:04,960See, here are a handful of disciples the Kingdom is in them.18500:16:04,960 –> 00:16:12,460Well what can a handful of disciples do in the vast world like this?18600:16:12,460 –> 00:16:20,820Well Jesus says yes, the Kingdom in its beginning it is like a tiny seed but it’s a living seed18700:16:20,820 –> 00:16:25,340and because it is a living seed though it is small it will grow.18800:16:25,340 –> 00:16:32,599And this tiny seed will become larger than all the garden plants.18900:16:32,760 –> 00:16:44,200So Jesus is telling the disciples now the Kingdom has this very small beginning in your hearts.19000:16:44,200 –> 00:16:49,460We look around at other believers and we don’t seem to be very much19100:16:49,460 –> 00:16:58,539But here’s the promise what God is doing in you will spread through you to the lives of others.19200:16:58,659 –> 00:17:05,680Now of course we all know that only God can make things grow.19300:17:05,699 –> 00:17:08,219And that’s why we pray this prayer.19400:17:08,219 –> 00:17:12,099Father, your kingdom come.19500:17:12,099 –> 00:17:13,780We can’t make that happen.19600:17:13,780 –> 00:17:17,219Only you can make this living seed grow.19700:17:17,219 –> 00:17:19,880We can plant the seed of God’s truth,19800:17:19,880 –> 00:17:24,660we can water it with our prayers, but only God makes things grow.19900:17:24,780 –> 00:17:29,180Father, your kingdom come.20000:17:29,199 –> 00:17:31,780Do you see then that when we pray this prayer,20100:17:31,780 –> 00:17:37,339this is where we pray for our loved ones who don’t yet know Jesus?20200:17:37,339 –> 00:17:40,060This is where we bring all of our prayers,20300:17:40,060 –> 00:17:45,680for the advance of the Gospel in the world and around the nations.20400:17:45,680 –> 00:17:49,140And so this is the place to ask this question.20500:17:49,140 –> 00:17:55,119Why would a person want to be part of this kingdom?20600:17:55,119 –> 00:17:58,160Why would you want to be part of it?20700:17:58,160 –> 00:18:03,359Well, at the very centre of the Bible story,20800:18:03,359 –> 00:18:08,359God, our great and our glorious King,20900:18:08,359 –> 00:18:15,099comes into the world in the person of his son, Jesus Christ.21000:18:15,099 –> 00:18:19,040And when the king came into the world,21100:18:19,040 –> 00:18:23,579he gave us a marvellous sample21200:18:23,579 –> 00:18:28,800of what life will be like under his rule.21300:18:28,800 –> 00:18:32,660He stilled the storm.21400:18:32,660 –> 00:18:34,880He fed the hungry.21500:18:34,880 –> 00:18:35,900Think of what that means.21600:18:35,900 –> 00:18:42,280No more natural disasters when the king comes.21700:18:42,359 –> 00:18:47,359No more hungry when the kingdom comes.21800:18:47,359 –> 00:18:52,479He healed the sick, no more illness when the kingdom comes.21900:18:52,479 –> 00:18:55,160He raised the dead,22000:18:55,160 –> 00:19:02,040no more death when the kingdom comes.22100:19:02,040 –> 00:19:07,839But you know the story of the Gospels.22200:19:07,839 –> 00:19:11,000That when the Son of God came and gave us a sample22300:19:11,280 –> 00:19:15,000of what life will be like under His rule,22400:19:15,000 –> 00:19:17,160our response was,22500:19:17,160 –> 00:19:23,079we will not have this man to reign over us.22600:19:23,079 –> 00:19:26,400And so we crucified Him.22700:19:26,400 –> 00:19:29,619We ran Him out of our world.22800:19:29,619 –> 00:19:33,560There’s no place for you here.22900:19:33,560 –> 00:19:39,979And certainly not for your unique claim to sovereign rule.23000:19:40,020 –> 00:19:43,859So we nailed Him to the cross.23100:19:43,859 –> 00:19:47,640But on the third day He rose from the dead,23200:19:47,640 –> 00:19:52,459and He ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven.23300:19:52,459 –> 00:19:56,780And there today He reigns and waits23400:19:56,780 –> 00:19:59,979for the day when His kingdom and all of its blessing23500:19:59,979 –> 00:20:04,119and all of its good will surely come.23600:20:04,300 –> 00:20:07,060And we are to say among the nations,23700:20:07,060 –> 00:20:10,760the Lord reigns!23800:20:10,760 –> 00:20:14,459The risen Lord Jesus Christ is King of Kings23900:20:14,459 –> 00:20:16,180and Lord of Lords.24000:20:16,180 –> 00:20:19,400He will return in power and glory,24100:20:19,400 –> 00:20:20,579and when He does,24200:20:20,579 –> 00:20:23,540the blessing of His kingdom will be known.24300:20:23,540 –> 00:20:27,859Here’s how Micah describes it in the Old Testament.24400:20:27,859 –> 00:20:29,599Here’s what life will be like24500:20:29,599 –> 00:20:32,579when the King comes in all of His glory.24600:20:32,680 –> 00:20:36,880They shall beat their swords into plough-shares24700:20:38,140 –> 00:20:41,099and their spears into pruning hooks.24800:20:42,160 –> 00:20:47,160Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,24900:20:47,280 –> 00:20:50,819neither shall they study war any more.25000:20:52,500 –> 00:20:55,060But they shall sit every man under his vine25100:20:55,060 –> 00:20:56,520and under his fig tree25200:20:56,520 –> 00:21:01,380and no one will make them afraid.25300:21:03,439 –> 00:21:06,560Does that sound like the kind of kingdom25400:21:06,560 –> 00:21:08,400you would want to be part of?25500:21:11,079 –> 00:21:12,579Your kingdom come.25600:21:14,339 –> 00:21:17,219Lord may your rule be seen more clearly,25700:21:17,219 –> 00:21:21,300more evidently in this heart, in our lives.25800:21:22,660 –> 00:21:27,660Lord may your reign spread into the hearts25900:21:28,619 –> 00:21:33,619of millions of others around the circumference,26000:21:34,900 –> 00:21:38,459the breadth and the length of this world.26100:21:39,599 –> 00:21:41,119You’re listening to Open The Bible26200:21:41,119 –> 00:21:42,859and a message called God’s Kingdom.26300:21:42,859 –> 00:21:44,660And we’ve been hearing about the beginning26400:21:44,660 –> 00:21:47,760of God’s Kingdom and the growth of God’s Kingdom.26500:21:47,760 –> 00:21:51,300Next time we’ll hear about the coming of God’s Kingdom.26600:21:51,300 –> 00:21:54,400It’s part of our series, Six Things To Ask of God.26700:21:54,400 –> 00:21:56,099And if you ever miss one of the series,26800:21:56,099 –> 00:21:58,780you can always catch up or go back and listen again26900:21:58,780 –> 00:22:02,160online at our website, openthebible.org.uk.27000:22:03,520 –> 00:22:06,520You can also find Pastor Collin’s teaching as a podcast27100:22:06,520 –> 00:22:09,160and those are on all the main podcast sites.27200:22:09,160 –> 00:22:12,180Search for Open The Bible UK.27300:22:12,180 –> 00:22:13,319Also on our website,27400:22:13,319 –> 00:22:15,739don’t forget about Open The Bible Daily.27500:22:15,739 –> 00:22:18,500That’s a series of short two to three minute27600:22:18,500 –> 00:22:21,800daily reflections based on Pastor Collins’ teaching27700:22:21,800 –> 00:22:24,400and read in the UK by Sue MacLeish.27800:22:25,400 –> 00:22:29,319Open The Bible is broadcast and available online27900:22:29,319 –> 00:22:31,540as a result of the generous donations28000:22:31,540 –> 00:22:33,520made by our listeners.28100:22:33,520 –> 00:22:34,739So if you already give28200:22:34,739 –> 00:22:36,699to support the work of Open The Bible,28300:22:36,699 –> 00:22:38,839we want to thank you so much.28400:22:38,839 –> 00:22:41,040If you’re considering giving to support28500:22:41,040 –> 00:22:42,560Open The Bible in that way,28600:22:42,560 –> 00:22:44,719this month, if you’re able to set up28700:22:44,719 –> 00:22:48,479a new direct debit in the amount of £5 per month28800:22:48,479 –> 00:22:52,119or more, or a one off gift of £50 or more,28900:22:52,119 –> 00:22:53,760we’d love to say thank you.29000:22:53,800 –> 00:22:55,939Here’s Open The Bible’s Amanda Cunningham29100:22:55,939 –> 00:22:58,219to tell you about our offer this month.29200:22:58,219 –> 00:22:59,520Thanks, David.29300:22:59,520 –> 00:23:02,040I really love this book.29400:23:02,040 –> 00:23:03,959I know that might be a strange thing29500:23:03,959 –> 00:23:06,239to say about a book on grief,29600:23:06,239 –> 00:23:10,280but I have recommended this book to so many people.29700:23:10,280 –> 00:23:11,640The first time I read it,29800:23:11,640 –> 00:23:14,459I was blessed to not be struggling with grief,29900:23:14,459 –> 00:23:18,119but I found it so helpful because it is unique30000:23:18,119 –> 00:23:20,040in that it was written off the back30100:23:20,040 –> 00:23:23,339of Colin counselling grieving couples in church.30200:23:23,339 –> 00:23:25,819And so, it is full of biblical wisdom30300:23:25,819 –> 00:23:28,819and encouragement from The Book of Lamentations,30400:23:28,819 –> 00:23:31,780but it’s also full of practical suggestions30500:23:31,780 –> 00:23:34,020from those couples he counseled.30600:23:34,020 –> 00:23:36,420What is a helpful, unhelpful thing30700:23:36,420 –> 00:23:38,859to say to someone going through grief?30800:23:38,859 –> 00:23:40,819How do we encourage people in their grief30900:23:40,819 –> 00:23:44,660from the Bible, but without dismissing their pain?31000:23:44,660 –> 00:23:46,479And if you are grieving,31100:23:46,479 –> 00:23:49,280then I hope you will be able to see from this book31200:23:49,280 –> 00:23:51,739that you are not alone in your pain31300:23:51,739 –> 00:23:53,780and that there is hope.31400:23:53,780 –> 00:23:56,079So, whether you’d like to read this book31500:23:56,079 –> 00:23:58,079because you’re struggling with grief,31600:23:58,079 –> 00:24:00,880or, like me, because you would like to think through31700:24:00,880 –> 00:24:03,760how to better support someone in their grief,31800:24:03,760 –> 00:24:06,959I can’t recommend this book highly enough.31900:24:06,959 –> 00:24:09,359We would love to send you a free copy32000:24:09,359 –> 00:24:11,699when you set up a new direct debit32100:24:11,699 –> 00:24:13,959of at least five pounds per month,32200:24:13,959 –> 00:24:17,359or give a one-off gift of at least 50 pounds.32300:24:17,359 –> 00:24:21,000We’ll also be including five specially designed postcards32400:24:21,000 –> 00:24:23,459with a verse from Psalm 23,32500:24:23,459 –> 00:24:27,020ideal for sending to a friend for encouragement.32600:24:27,020 –> 00:24:28,680And if you would like to know32700:24:28,680 –> 00:24:31,140what other resources we have on grief,32800:24:31,140 –> 00:24:36,140do visit our website at openthebible.org.uk32900:24:36,420 –> 00:24:40,699and scroll down until you see our section on grief.33000:24:40,699 –> 00:24:41,739Thanks, Amanda.33100:24:41,739 –> 00:24:44,000And you can find full terms and conditions,33200:24:44,000 –> 00:24:49,000and you can give online at our website, opennessbible.org.uk.33300:24:49,939 –> 00:24:52,760For Open the Bible and Pastor Colin Smith,33400:24:52,760 –> 00:24:54,000I’m David Pick,33500:24:54,000 –> 00:24:56,880I hope you’ll join us again soon for, Open the Bible.33600:24:56,880 –> 00:25:03,699OPEN THE BIBLE33700:25:06,359 –> 00:25:10,260Sometimes the kingdom of God sounds so small to us.33800:25:10,260 –> 00:25:11,839What should we expect to see33900:25:11,839 –> 00:25:12,719when we pray,34000:25:12,719 –> 00:25:14,719your kingdom come?34100:25:14,719 –> 00:25:17,160Find out next time on, Open the Bible.