100:00:00,000 –> 00:00:02,960Jesus200:00:03,520 –> 00:00:11,280Christ is godliness in the flesh and our hope, my hope, and your hope of living a truly godly life300:00:11,280 –> 00:00:20,639and progressing in that lies in him. In other words Jesus, Christ is not only the object of our400:00:20,639 –> 00:00:28,639faith Jesus Christ is the source of our life. Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin500:00:28,639 –> 00:00:33,520Smith. I’m David Pick glad you could join us today and Colin it’s great that we’re continuing600:00:33,520 –> 00:00:38,400to hear about what it means to have a godly life because I think we all want to be able to say700:00:38,400 –> 00:00:44,000we’re living a godly life or at least i’m striving to live a godly life. But maybe we’re not always800:00:44,000 –> 00:00:49,680sure what that’s really like. Yeah that’s exactly right I’m sure that that’s the case that most900:00:49,680 –> 00:00:55,119Christians really know what they want to go after. I mean we want to be more like the Lord1000:00:55,119 –> 00:01:02,240Jesus Christ. The goal is not where the issue lies the problem is over how to get there. And there1100:01:02,240 –> 00:01:06,080are so many different versions of the Christian life that are out there. There’s a sort of you1200:01:06,080 –> 00:01:11,360know well it’s all down to you and you’re just going to have to work hard and discipline yourself1300:01:11,360 –> 00:01:17,199and and you say no no. There’s grace that comes from the Lord Jesus Christ but then there are1400:01:17,199 –> 00:01:21,440other people who say well you’ve just got to let go and let god and you say well no we’ve got to1500:01:22,239 –> 00:01:26,800pray and we’ve got to strive and we’ve got to fight. So how do we hold all of these things1600:01:26,800 –> 00:01:33,279together? Well they’re all held together in Jesus Christ himself. And we’re going to look at what I1700:01:33,279 –> 00:01:39,760have found. One of the most helpful verses in all of the New Testament about how to live the1800:01:39,760 –> 00:01:46,320Christian life. Great is the mystery of Godliness. Paul says in first Timothy chapter 3 and verse 161900:01:46,320 –> 00:01:50,879and then he says the mysteries in Christ. It’s about him and that’s what we’re going to look2000:01:50,879 –> 00:01:56,239into today. It’s a wonderful verse of Scripture. I hope it’s going to be really clarifying and2100:01:56,239 –> 00:02:02,400really encouraging for many today. So join us today, if you can, in first Timothy chapters 32200:02:02,400 –> 00:02:10,080and 4. As we continue the message Gospel Life, here is Pastor Colin. You cannot love God more2300:02:10,080 –> 00:02:12,320by enjoying life less.2400:02:15,119 –> 00:02:19,199And you know, there are lots of people in the church world who feel that they’re going to2500:02:19,279 –> 00:02:23,919become more holy only by abstaining from more and more things. And you can tell them by their sort2600:02:23,919 –> 00:02:30,320of hunkered-down misery that they associate godliness, essentially, with unhappiness.2700:02:32,559 –> 00:02:37,279And Paul says, that doesn’t come from heaven. It comes from somewhere else.2800:02:38,479 –> 00:02:43,759And what’s more, godliness, by abstention, simply does not work, which is the significance2900:02:43,759 –> 00:02:50,240of the phrase in verse 2, did you notice it? Hypocritical liars, hypocritical. In other words,3000:02:50,240 –> 00:02:56,639he’s saying these folks are telling you that, you know, enjoying life less will lead you to3100:02:56,639 –> 00:03:01,759love God more. They’re teaching this godliness by abstention. The bottom line is that the false3200:03:01,759 –> 00:03:07,279teaching doesn’t work. Godliness, by abstention, only promotes self-righteousness and hypocrisy.3300:03:08,559 –> 00:03:13,360At the end of the day, it becomes a veil that covers an unchanged life,3400:03:13,360 –> 00:03:21,679because there is no power to change in simply abstention. You cannot love God more by enjoying3500:03:21,679 –> 00:03:27,919life less. Now let that be a breath of fresh air to some of us who have associated holiness3600:03:27,919 –> 00:03:35,440and unhappiness in our minds all of our lives, and notice where Paul goes with it. He reminds3700:03:35,440 –> 00:03:39,679us here that God is the creator. Verse 4, everything that God created is good.3800:03:39,759 –> 00:03:46,399Nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving. He is reminding us,3900:03:46,399 –> 00:03:52,240who was it that gave the gift of marriage? Remember marriage was given even before the fall.4000:03:53,279 –> 00:03:56,880The beauties and the joys of sexual union and marriage.4100:03:57,839 –> 00:04:03,279And who is it that gave the abundance of food in the earth and not simply sufficient,4200:04:03,839 –> 00:04:08,160but for our enjoyment? These are the gifts of God.4300:04:09,919 –> 00:04:15,360You cannot love God more by loving life less. So how can you love God more? Let’s get back4400:04:15,360 –> 00:04:22,320to the question. How can I love God more? How can I grow in godliness?4500:04:24,640 –> 00:04:30,720Surely this is the significance of 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16,4600:04:30,720 –> 00:04:40,320where Paul lifts up Jesus Christ and he says, great is the mystery of, say it with me,4700:04:40,959 –> 00:04:48,880godliness. What is the mystery of godliness? What is the path, the way? What is the4800:04:49,839 –> 00:04:55,679growth in this life that we seek after and cannot get there simply by a list of rules.4900:04:55,679 –> 00:05:00,000The mystery of godliness is Jesus Christ. That’s what he’s saying.5000:05:01,600 –> 00:05:06,640How am I going to grow in this character, this competence that I need to maximise5100:05:06,640 –> 00:05:10,559my effectiveness in the global work of the gospel? Through Jesus Christ. That’s the5200:05:10,559 –> 00:05:19,279mystery of godliness right there. Not the other, him. He appeared in a body, was5300:05:19,279 –> 00:05:23,119indicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed5400:05:23,119 –> 00:05:29,119on in the world, was taken up into glory. See what he’s saying, understand this, godliness5500:05:29,119 –> 00:05:36,079is not a system, godliness is not even a path, it’s not a program, it is a person.5600:05:38,160 –> 00:05:46,239The mystery of a God-centred life for you lies in the person of Jesus Christ who appeared5700:05:46,239 –> 00:05:53,200in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, taken up into glory. Jesus Christ is godliness in5800:05:53,200 –> 00:06:00,799the flesh, and our hope, my hope and your hope of living a truly godly life and progressing in that5900:06:00,799 –> 00:06:09,679lies in Him. In other words Jesus Christ is not only the object of our faith,6000:06:10,799 –> 00:06:18,239Jesus Christ is the source of our life. Most of us get the idea that Jesus Christ6100:06:18,239 –> 00:06:21,839is the object of our faith, but some of us live with the idea that we just, you know,6200:06:21,839 –> 00:06:26,239we believe He died and we believe He rose but as far as we are concerned, Jesus is kind of6300:06:26,239 –> 00:06:32,959out there at a distance from us. We just believe certain things about Him. But folks Christian6400:06:32,959 –> 00:06:40,559faith is much more than that. Christ is not only the object of our faith, He is the source of our6500:06:40,559 –> 00:06:48,880life. Faith unites us with Jesus Christ so that his death and resurrection becomes ours.6600:06:49,760 –> 00:07:00,559Faith feeds on Christ. Faith possesses Christ. Christ the New Testament says, is your life.6700:07:02,160 –> 00:07:11,519Or to put it another way Paul says, Christ in you is the hope of glory, not Christ far from you,6800:07:12,480 –> 00:07:18,000not just believing in Christ who’s somewhere out there, but Jesus Christ in you6900:07:18,559 –> 00:07:25,119is your hope of living this godly life. That’s what he’s saying. This is the mystery of godliness7000:07:25,119 –> 00:07:31,040right here. The life of Jesus Christ in a person. Jesus gave us a wonderful illustration of this.7100:07:32,000 –> 00:07:40,239Do you remember he said I am the vine and you are the branches.7200:07:41,679 –> 00:07:50,320And what is that telling us? He’s saying that a godly life is about the life of the vine7300:07:50,320 –> 00:07:58,079flowing into the branches. The life of Jesus Christ flowing into you. You see how different7400:07:58,079 –> 00:08:01,920that is from simply believing certain things about a Jesus who’s out there?7500:08:03,679 –> 00:08:10,799I am the vine and you are the branches. Christ in you is the hope of glory. Here’s the mystery7600:08:10,799 –> 00:08:16,559of godliness. Jesus Christ, who appeared in a body, vindicated by the Spirit,7700:08:16,559 –> 00:08:21,679taken up into glory. His life by the Holy Spirit and you. That’s the mystery of godliness.7800:08:22,399 –> 00:08:24,320Not a bunch of rules.7900:08:26,959 –> 00:08:31,760Now that takes us to this conclusion that is so important for us to8000:08:31,760 –> 00:08:35,200grasp it right at the heart of what it is to live a Christian life right now.8100:08:36,479 –> 00:08:40,239Our hope of godliness, therefore, is in Jesus Christ.8200:08:41,840 –> 00:08:45,039That’s the natural conclusion if we’ve understood what Paul is saying.8300:08:45,039 –> 00:08:50,080Your hope of godliness, your hope of becoming the person that God is calling you to be8400:08:51,679 –> 00:08:57,440not in any system, not in any program but it is in Jesus Christ and not Christ afar from you8500:08:57,440 –> 00:09:00,080but Christ in you. Christ in you the hope of glory.8600:09:01,039 –> 00:09:06,880Now I want you to see this hope because this is the big encouragement for us in verses nine and8700:09:06,880 –> 00:09:12,64010 and it’s obviously important because Paul does his double underlining thing that he does8800:09:12,640 –> 00:09:17,840three times in this letter. He says, this is a trustworthy saying, verse 9, and it deserves8900:09:17,840 –> 00:09:24,159full acceptance. That’s Paul’s way of saying slow up here, this is really, really, really9000:09:24,159 –> 00:09:28,799important. Here’s a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance.9100:09:30,080 –> 00:09:42,320For this we labor and strive, that we have put our hope in the living God9200:09:42,320 –> 00:09:54,320who is the Savior of all men. Now, remember the hope he’s talking about? It’s the hope of9300:09:55,599 –> 00:10:00,880godliness, the hope of a godly life, the hope of your life becoming a reflection of what9400:10:00,880 –> 00:10:04,000God wants you to be. In other words, to give it another9500:10:04,000 –> 00:10:07,599Bible term, he’s talking about our hope in sanctification.9600:10:07,679 –> 00:10:13,760So, when we talk about Jesus, our Savior, always remember salvation9700:10:13,760 –> 00:10:17,599involves two wonderful gifts. There’s our justification,9800:10:17,599 –> 00:10:20,719forgiveness, by which we have entrance to heaven,9900:10:21,520 –> 00:10:24,880and there is our sanctification, our growth in godliness,10000:10:26,479 –> 00:10:30,400which makes us fit for heaven, which prepares us for heaven.10100:10:31,599 –> 00:10:36,799And Paul is thinking particularly about our sanctification here, and we know that because10200:10:37,599 –> 00:10:43,599he says in verse 9, this is a trustworthy saying, and for this we labor and strive.10300:10:45,840 –> 00:10:52,159Do we labor and strive for justification? I want us as a congregation to get to the10400:10:52,159 –> 00:10:55,520place where we can be real confident about the answers to these questions.10500:10:55,520 –> 00:11:00,400Do we labor and strive for justification? No. We rest10600:11:00,400 –> 00:11:04,080in Jesus Christ, holy only, for justification.10700:11:06,400 –> 00:11:11,359Do we labor and strive to make progress in the Christian life?10800:11:11,359 –> 00:11:12,159You bet we do.10900:11:12,960 –> 00:11:13,840You bet we do.11000:11:13,840 –> 00:11:15,200Never make any progress otherwise.11100:11:15,200 –> 00:11:19,599So, he’s talking about that part of salvation that relates to our Sanctification Godliness,11200:11:19,599 –> 00:11:24,239the growth of a godly life, the whole theme that’s at the center of this letter.11300:11:24,239 –> 00:11:30,080And so, I want you to notice how Paul puts these two things together in verse 10.11400:11:30,799 –> 00:11:35,599He’s now talking about our hope of making progress in this great mystery of godliness.11500:11:35,599 –> 00:11:41,119We labor and strive, he says, and we put our hope in the living God who is our Savior.11600:11:42,559 –> 00:11:45,919Now, you know the great phrase from the Scripture about marriage.11700:11:46,640 –> 00:11:49,760What God has joined together let no one ever separate.11800:11:49,760 –> 00:11:53,599I want you to think about that in this very important verse that Paul double underlines.11900:11:54,239 –> 00:11:55,840For this we labor and strive,12000:11:57,200 –> 00:12:02,159we have put our hope in the living God, our Savior.12100:12:03,200 –> 00:12:10,799These two marvelous statements and realities are wedded together, bonded together inseparably12200:12:12,159 –> 00:12:19,440in the Scriptures, in our sanctification, in our growth in a godly life.12300:12:20,400 –> 00:12:26,080And folks the reason that many people are really confused over the Christian life is that what12400:12:26,080 –> 00:12:30,880has happened too often in the history of the church is that many teachers have separated12500:12:30,880 –> 00:12:38,559what God has placed together. In other words we have divorsed the labor and strive from the12600:12:38,559 –> 00:12:43,119put our hope in the living God who is the Savior of all men especially those who believe.12700:12:43,919 –> 00:12:49,200And if you separate what God has joined together you end up with all kinds of confusion and12800:12:49,280 –> 00:12:55,919distortion of the Christian life. If you separate these two you end up with some people who12900:12:56,799 –> 00:13:03,679I’m going to call this that hard labor Christians they have a hard labor version of the Christian13000:13:03,679 –> 00:13:10,159life they grasp we labor and strive and that’s all you ever see in them and that’s all you ever13100:13:10,159 –> 00:13:14,719hear from them. This is the Christian who goes around with slightly hunched shoulders and a13200:13:14,719 –> 00:13:20,960great sense of misery and usually of defeat and his or her view of the Christian life is it’s all13300:13:20,960 –> 00:13:26,640just one great effort but it’s all terribly overwhelming and the temptations are all much13400:13:26,640 –> 00:13:32,479greater than I am and so forth and so on. Labor and strive labor and strive it’s all so impossible13500:13:32,479 –> 00:13:40,000and you’re endlessly discouraged. I won’t ask for a show of hands but I’m sure there’s an awful13600:13:40,080 –> 00:13:46,000lot of us this morning who are right there… Labour and strive, labour and strive, labour and strive13700:13:46,640 –> 00:13:51,280and you’re exhausted. You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and a message13800:13:51,280 –> 00:13:57,599called Gospel Life. We’ve been hearing about what it means to labour and strive and we’ll be back13900:13:57,599 –> 00:14:02,799very shortly with the remainder of the message. If you ever miss one of the messages or if you14000:14:02,799 –> 00:14:07,840have to leave early you can catch up or go back and listen again online at our website14100:14:07,919 –> 00:14:13,679OpenTheBible.org.uk. While you’re on the website, check out all the other wonderful14200:14:13,679 –> 00:14:19,840resources we have for Individual Bible Study and for small groups and for whole churches.14300:14:19,840 –> 00:14:26,239That’s at OpenTheBible.org.uk. Back to the message now. Here again is Pastor Colin.14400:14:27,359 –> 00:14:34,159If we separate what God has joined together the other way we end up with a second distortion of14500:14:34,159 –> 00:14:42,159the Christian life which is not the hard labour version, it’s the no-labour version of the14600:14:42,159 –> 00:14:45,520Christian life which is always going to be popular for a very obvious reason,14700:14:45,520 –> 00:14:50,080except it doesn’t work. And what is this? This is to simply say,14800:14:50,080 –> 00:14:54,880we have put our hope in the living God, and to jettison the labour and the strife.14900:14:56,400 –> 00:15:00,159So you’re familiar with this. This teaching goes like this. It’s very passive.15000:15:00,880 –> 00:15:05,760It says, You know, there really is nothing that we can do. It is God who sanctifies. And15100:15:06,559 –> 00:15:09,520therefore there’s nothing that we can contribute to this at all.15200:15:09,520 –> 00:15:12,640And therefore, what we have to do is we simply have to yield.15300:15:14,479 –> 00:15:18,960And you’ll hear the word yield again and again and again and again, and you wonder why you don’t15400:15:18,960 –> 00:15:24,960keep hearing it in the Bible. And then you’ll hear phrases like this, you can finish this for me.15500:15:25,520 –> 00:15:29,599Folks, what we have to do if we’re really to grow in a godly life is we have to15600:15:29,679 –> 00:15:38,400let go, and we have to let lay. So that grasps well that we15700:15:39,200 –> 00:15:44,799put our hope and trust in the living God, but the problem with it is it’s entirely passive.15800:15:45,919 –> 00:15:49,440Like getting in a car and just sitting there and wondering why it’s not going anywhere.15900:15:51,039 –> 00:15:54,719You talk to an 18 year old guy in high school about the temptations that16000:15:54,719 –> 00:15:58,640he’s really struggling with and say to him, let go and let God come.16100:16:01,119 –> 00:16:07,119So what we have to go for then is not the hard labor that’s endlessly discouraging16200:16:08,479 –> 00:16:11,119and certainly not the no labor that’s totally unrealistic.16300:16:13,119 –> 00:16:18,719But I want you to grasp that gospel life right here, wedding these two things together,16400:16:19,599 –> 00:16:26,559is the active pursuit of godliness through the power and presence of Jesus Christ in you.16500:16:26,559 –> 00:16:28,000That’s the heart of the Christian life.16600:16:28,000 –> 00:16:29,520That’s our hope of godliness.16700:16:29,520 –> 00:16:32,640That’s the mystery that Paul is taking us to.16800:16:32,640 –> 00:16:35,679And this is the hope that he is pointing us to.16900:16:35,679 –> 00:16:37,359For this we labor and strive.17000:16:38,400 –> 00:16:40,880We have put our hope in the living God.17100:16:40,880 –> 00:16:47,760The gospel life is neither a dreary defeated activism, we all labor and we all strive17200:16:48,719 –> 00:16:54,719nor is it a kind of passive yieldedness in which we are no longer actively engaged17300:16:54,719 –> 00:16:58,719but just sitting around and waiting for God to do something to make us different kind of people,17400:16:58,719 –> 00:17:05,439gospel life, gospel life folks is the active pursuit of godliness17500:17:05,439 –> 00:17:09,119through the presence and the power of Jesus Christ in you.17600:17:09,119 –> 00:17:10,560I engage in this struggle.17700:17:10,560 –> 00:17:12,239I engage in this fight.17800:17:12,239 –> 00:17:15,760I press forward towards the mark, active you see.17900:17:15,760 –> 00:17:17,119But, I do it with hope.18000:17:17,119 –> 00:17:17,760Why?18100:17:17,760 –> 00:17:20,479Because Jesus Christ lives within me.18200:17:21,119 –> 00:17:23,280Because his life is now flowing with me,18300:17:23,280 –> 00:17:25,839because I am not the person I was,18400:17:25,839 –> 00:17:28,479because the holy spirit lives within me.18500:17:28,479 –> 00:17:31,920Paul puts it another way in Colossians 1 and verse 29.18600:17:31,920 –> 00:17:34,479He says to this end I labor.18700:17:34,479 –> 00:17:35,439Notice that.18800:17:35,439 –> 00:17:36,800Struggling how?18900:17:36,800 –> 00:17:39,839With all his energy that so powerfully works in me.19000:17:39,839 –> 00:17:41,839You see that’s blending these two things together.19100:17:41,839 –> 00:17:46,239Holding them together in the marriage that God has made of these great truths.19200:17:48,079 –> 00:17:50,079This is the mystery of godliness.19300:17:51,760 –> 00:17:52,959It’s Christ in you.19400:17:54,479 –> 00:17:55,839That’s the hope of glory.19500:17:57,040 –> 00:18:00,000And for this we labor and strive.19600:18:00,000 –> 00:18:03,760That’s why the Christian life is not a dreary defeat.19700:18:05,359 –> 00:18:09,760That is why the Christian life is an active pursuit19800:18:09,760 –> 00:18:14,400in the power of the holy spirit who lives within you.19900:18:14,479 –> 00:18:17,599Now I want to end with an illustration.20000:18:17,599 –> 00:18:21,119And in wanting to make this as clear as I can20100:18:21,119 –> 00:18:23,439I want to use one that I’ve used before20200:18:23,439 –> 00:18:25,199but I really can’t think of one better.20300:18:26,479 –> 00:18:28,880And I want to remind you of the words20400:18:28,880 –> 00:18:30,959that Winston Churchill wrote20500:18:32,479 –> 00:18:38,400on the night of December the 7th, 1941.20600:18:39,199 –> 00:18:42,160And you remember the situation20700:18:42,160 –> 00:18:43,760at least from Churchill’s point of view20800:18:43,760 –> 00:18:44,959as he’s writing his diary.20900:18:44,959 –> 00:18:47,760For 19 months he has really been a very lonely leader.21000:18:48,719 –> 00:18:51,199His nation has been taking a pounding,21100:18:52,479 –> 00:18:54,800staring defeat in the face,21200:18:56,400 –> 00:18:58,400laboring and striving if you like,21300:18:59,839 –> 00:19:00,959but without any hope.21400:19:02,239 –> 00:19:04,239Without any real prospect of victory.21500:19:05,920 –> 00:19:12,239And then on the night of December the 7th, 1941,21600:19:12,239 –> 00:19:13,280a mighty power.21700:19:14,560 –> 00:19:18,560Becomes engaged in what until that moment21800:19:18,560 –> 00:19:19,760had been Churchill’s war.21900:19:21,040 –> 00:19:23,439And he writes this, I love these words.22000:19:25,439 –> 00:19:29,199No American will think it wrong of me22100:19:30,479 –> 00:19:33,199if I proclaim that to have the United States22200:19:33,199 –> 00:19:36,160at our side was to me the greatest joy.22300:19:37,199 –> 00:19:38,959We had won after all.22400:19:38,959 –> 00:19:39,680Can you imagine?22500:19:39,680 –> 00:19:42,079He wrote that on the 7th of December, 1941.22600:19:42,640 –> 00:19:45,119Yet, after Dunkirk.22700:19:45,119 –> 00:19:46,400After the fall of France.22800:19:46,400 –> 00:19:48,560After 17 months of lonely fighting22900:19:48,560 –> 00:19:51,359and 19 months of my responsibility23000:19:51,359 –> 00:19:52,800alone in dire distress.23100:19:54,079 –> 00:19:55,520We had won the war.23200:19:57,599 –> 00:19:59,280How long the war would last23300:19:59,280 –> 00:20:01,040or in what fashion it would end,23400:20:01,040 –> 00:20:02,079no man could tell.23500:20:03,359 –> 00:20:05,920Nor did I at that moment care.23600:20:06,000 –> 00:20:08,640Many disasters,23700:20:09,359 –> 00:20:10,719immeasurable cost,23800:20:11,280 –> 00:20:12,959and tribulation lay ahead.23900:20:14,479 –> 00:20:16,800But there was no doubt about the end.24000:20:18,800 –> 00:20:21,280He says all the rest was merely24100:20:22,479 –> 00:20:24,719the proper application24200:20:24,719 –> 00:20:26,640of overwhelming force.24300:20:28,719 –> 00:20:31,599Now that picture24400:20:32,239 –> 00:20:34,079has helped me grasp24500:20:35,040 –> 00:20:37,839this critical important teaching of the Apostle Paul24600:20:37,839 –> 00:20:40,560about the Christian life clearly.24700:20:40,560 –> 00:20:42,079And I hope it will you too.24800:20:42,079 –> 00:20:46,640Think about Churchill in December, 1940.24900:20:48,800 –> 00:20:50,560In December, 1940,25000:20:50,560 –> 00:20:52,400Churchill is laboring and striving.25100:20:52,400 –> 00:20:53,839He’s staring defeat in the face.25200:20:55,359 –> 00:20:58,079He has a friend with mighty power,25300:20:59,280 –> 00:21:00,800but the friend is far away.25400:21:01,760 –> 00:21:04,800And the friend is not involved in Churchill’s battle.25500:21:05,920 –> 00:21:09,280And you see, that is exactly the experience of some of us.25600:21:09,280 –> 00:21:10,880You have a belief in a Jesus25700:21:10,880 –> 00:21:12,479that you’ve carried from childhood.25800:21:12,479 –> 00:21:14,239And you believe that he died and rose.25900:21:14,239 –> 00:21:15,439But as far as you’re concerned,26000:21:15,439 –> 00:21:17,599he’s a Jesus who’s far away from you26100:21:17,599 –> 00:21:19,359and not engaged in your battle.26200:21:20,719 –> 00:21:21,920Of no help to you.26300:21:23,520 –> 00:21:24,640And you feel defeated.26400:21:25,760 –> 00:21:28,640And you feel like Churchill felt in December, 1940.26500:21:29,520 –> 00:21:30,719You’re fighting on alone.26600:21:31,280 –> 00:21:33,280You lose hope.26700:21:35,040 –> 00:21:36,479You need to hear the Gospel.26800:21:36,479 –> 00:21:37,359You think you’ve heard it.26900:21:37,359 –> 00:21:39,040But you need to hear the Gospel.27000:21:40,800 –> 00:21:43,839The Lord Jesus Christ is not saying to you27100:21:43,839 –> 00:21:46,800I will be your powerful friend from far away.27200:21:47,439 –> 00:21:49,040But you have to fight your own battle.27300:21:50,479 –> 00:21:52,000The Lord Jesus Christ is saying27400:21:52,000 –> 00:21:54,239I will engage with you in this fight.27500:21:54,239 –> 00:21:56,239I will come and stand with you.27600:21:56,239 –> 00:21:59,280I will get under this burden, alongside you.27700:21:59,280 –> 00:22:03,199I will be your savior.27800:22:03,920 –> 00:22:06,560Can you be a savior if you’re miles away27900:22:06,560 –> 00:22:08,560and nothing to do with the realities28000:22:08,560 –> 00:22:09,680of the struggles of life?28100:22:11,839 –> 00:22:14,400Someone came up to me after the Service last night28200:22:14,400 –> 00:22:14,880and he said,28300:22:14,880 –> 00:22:17,280You know I was in church all my life28400:22:17,280 –> 00:22:18,880and I’ve always believed these things28500:22:18,880 –> 00:22:20,319that Jesus died and rose he said28600:22:20,319 –> 00:22:22,479but I’ve discovered that it’s not28700:22:22,479 –> 00:22:24,560simply believing these things out there28800:22:24,560 –> 00:22:26,400it’s having his life in here.28900:22:26,400 –> 00:22:33,280But in December 1941 Churchill29000:22:33,280 –> 00:22:34,000has hope.29100:22:34,000 –> 00:22:35,040Why does he have hope?29200:22:36,800 –> 00:22:39,040Because a great and mighty power29300:22:39,040 –> 00:22:40,239has come to his aid.29400:22:42,160 –> 00:22:44,079A great and mighty power29500:22:46,000 –> 00:22:48,000is now engaged in his battle.29600:22:50,079 –> 00:22:51,920Now think with me just one more step29700:22:51,920 –> 00:22:52,640and then we’re through.29800:22:53,439 –> 00:22:55,520How does Churchill respond to that?29900:22:56,880 –> 00:22:58,400Now you’ll be very glad about this.30000:22:59,439 –> 00:23:01,439What he did not do is say,30100:23:01,439 –> 00:23:03,599oh a mighty power has come to our aid30200:23:04,400 –> 00:23:09,680so let’s let go and let America.30300:23:10,800 –> 00:23:11,439What does he do?30400:23:12,880 –> 00:23:16,640He says I will fight as never before,30500:23:18,319 –> 00:23:20,800I will fight with renewed energy,30600:23:22,000 –> 00:23:25,040I have been a man staring defeat in the face.30700:23:25,040 –> 00:23:29,119I am now a man who will go into battle with hope30800:23:29,119 –> 00:23:32,400because whatever the cost and whatever the defeats30900:23:32,400 –> 00:23:34,000and whatever the setbacks31000:23:34,000 –> 00:23:35,439between here and the end,31100:23:35,439 –> 00:23:37,920the outcome from this day is secure.31200:23:38,719 –> 00:23:39,760That’s the Christian life.31300:23:41,280 –> 00:23:42,800For this we labour and strive,31400:23:44,560 –> 00:23:47,680we have put our hope in the living God31500:23:48,719 –> 00:23:49,760who is our savior.31600:23:50,959 –> 00:23:52,400Pastor Colin Smith there31700:23:52,400 –> 00:23:54,880winding up our message gospel life.31800:23:54,880 –> 00:23:58,479Part of the series 10 distinctives of a gospel centered church31900:23:58,479 –> 00:24:00,239based on One Timothy.32000:24:00,959 –> 00:24:02,560If you’ve missed any of the series32100:24:02,560 –> 00:24:03,920it’s very easy to catch up32200:24:03,920 –> 00:24:06,719or go back and listen to the whole series if you wish.32300:24:06,719 –> 00:24:09,280They’re all available online at our website32400:24:09,280 –> 00:24:11,359openthebible.org.uk32500:24:12,000 –> 00:24:13,920And you can also find them as a podcast32600:24:13,920 –> 00:24:15,680on all the main podcast sites32700:24:15,680 –> 00:24:17,920by searching for Open The Bible UK.32800:24:18,719 –> 00:24:22,079Also on our website you’ll find details of Pastor Colin’s32900:24:22,079 –> 00:24:23,199Bible study course33000:24:23,199 –> 00:24:24,239Hike Thru The Bible.33100:24:24,800 –> 00:24:28,079Here’s Open The Bible’s Executive Director33200:24:28,079 –> 00:24:29,920John Martin to tell us about it.33300:24:29,920 –> 00:24:32,239Well David, if you’ve ever been on a hike33400:24:32,239 –> 00:24:34,239then you’ll know they can be challenging33500:24:34,239 –> 00:24:37,199but the reward can be views that stir your soul.33600:24:38,160 –> 00:24:41,359Pastor Colin Smith wrote Hike Thru The Bible33700:24:41,359 –> 00:24:44,000to help you navigate through the Bible’s terrain33800:24:44,000 –> 00:24:46,160over 50 short chapters33900:24:46,800 –> 00:24:51,119Pastor Colin also hosts a Hike Thru The Bible podcast34000:24:51,199 –> 00:24:54,319with a new episode coming out each week34100:24:54,319 –> 00:24:57,119so you’ll cover the whole Bible story in a year.34200:24:57,920 –> 00:25:02,400For more information, go to openthebible.org.uk34300:25:02,959 –> 00:25:05,680You’ll find all the information about Hike Thru The Bible34400:25:05,680 –> 00:25:10,719on our website that’s at openthebible.org.uk34500:25:10,719 –> 00:25:13,040For Open the Bible and Pastor Colin Smith34600:25:13,040 –> 00:25:15,839I’m David Pick and I hope you’ll join us again next time.34700:25:16,359 –> 00:25:20,319Open the Bible34800:25:20,479 –> 00:25:22,560We will always come across people in34900:25:22,560 –> 00:25:26,640genuine need But how do you discern genuine need?35000:25:27,199 –> 00:25:29,760Find out next time on Open The Bible