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The person who finds hope in God is the person who can say he is my God and he
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is my salvation. Now here’s the obvious question that
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follows. How then do you come into such a relationship with God in which you can
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say that he’s your God. Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith.
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I’m David Pick and Colin is the really a bigger question than that how can we
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find hope in a relationship with God. That’s the question and we are going to
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look at a marvellous verse in the New Testament that states the answer
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wonderfully clearly and that is in Colossians chapter one and verse 27
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where we’re told Christ in you, the hope of glory.
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Now we’re looking at hope. We’re
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trying to see how it’s found. We’ve seen that hope is found in God but then the
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question is now how do we then draw near to him and here’s the answer Christ in
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you the hope of glory. You’re going to find hope in God, it’s going to be
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through Christ and His life and presence in you. This is a wonderful wonderful
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verse of Scripture and I hope and pray that is going to be renewing and
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strengthening as we just soak ourselves in this wonderful truth today. Well, let’s
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do that now as we begin the message hope through Christ. Here’s Colin.
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There are times in the Christian life when hope can seem a very long way off indeed.
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Picture yourself standing at the bottom of Mount Hope. The climb is steep and the
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path is rough and there are some people at the top of the mountain and they’re
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shouting down to you at the bottom and they’re saying oh it’s beautiful up here
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come up here and join us and you think oh I’d love to be at the top of Mount
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Hope but that’s such a long way. Where they are is such a long way from where I
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am and I don’t know if I can ever get up there. So we began last week not at the
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top of the mountain of hope. We began right at the bottom. Not with the
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breathtaking views of the top but with the challenge that we feel when the
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mountain of hope lies in front of us. How do I grow in hope? How am I going to
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climb this mountain? And especially when I feel dried out and downcast and in
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turmoil. Now that’s where David was in Psalm 42 that we looked at last week and
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we saw that he found hope in God. Hope in God, he said.
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For I shall again praise him, my Saviour and my God.
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No matter how low or discouraged you may feel, there is hope for you and for every person in God.
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Hope in who he is, hope in what he has done and hope in what he will do.
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And we looked last time, at some strategies for growing in hope.
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The first was to speak honestly to God.
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That’s what David did in the Psalm 42.
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We saw that you don’t need to feel close to God in order to speak to him.
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You can tell God exactly what you feel
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and you can do this with complete confidence because there is nothing that you can tell him
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that is beyond his understanding.
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His understanding, the Bible says, no one can fathom.
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And then we saw that if you want to grow in hope,
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you should not only speak to God,
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but you need to challenge yourself.
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David said in Psalm 42,
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why are you cast down?
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Oh my soul!
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Why are you in turmoil within me?
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Hope in God!
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In other words, we saw David takes himself in hand.
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He gives himself a really good talking to.
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He challenges his worst thoughts and his fears.
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He doesn’t let them dictate to him and he does this,
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he challenges his worst thoughts and fears
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by affirming what he knows to be true.
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And what he knows to be true is that God is the living God
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that God loves.
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His steadfast love never ceases,
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that he’s my God.
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That he is my salvation and that he is my rock.
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Hope in God, because I shall again praise Him
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my salvation and my God.
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Now that’s where we ended last week
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and that’s what I want us to take it up today.
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The person who finds hope in God
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is the person who can say he is my God
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and he is my salvation.
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Now here’s the obvious question that follows.
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How then do you come into such a relationship with God
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in which you can say that he’s your God?
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That he’s your rock,
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that he’s your hope,
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that he’s your salvation?
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And the answer to that question,
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how do I come into such a relationship with God
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is through Jesus Christ.
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So here we come to the second stage of our journey.
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Hope comes from God,
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and it comes through Jesus Christ.
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And we see this very clearly
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in the marvelous verse that is before us today.
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It’s from Colossians chapter one and verse 27,
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where Paul speaks about the riches
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of the glory of this mystery,
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which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
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the hope of glory.
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I think this is the most marvelous verse
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on hope in all of the Bible.
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It’s one that we can all learn and take to heart.
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Christ in you, the hope of glory.
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Now, there are two parts to this verse, very obviously,
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and so let’s look at them in order together.
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Let’s begin with Christ in you.
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This reminds us that Christianity at its heart
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is a relationship with a living person.
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You share your life with this person,
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and this person shares his life with you.
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To be a Christian, in other words,
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is more than believing a creed.
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To be a Christian is more than pursuing
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the ethic of a good life.
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It is a relationship of love and trust
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with a living person, Jesus Christ.
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Remember that Jesus was given the name Emanuel
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when he was born, which means God with us.
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In other words, God came into the world
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in and through the person of Jesus Christ.
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God has reached out to us in Jesus.
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So if you want to find hope in God,
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well then you must come to Jesus.
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And when you do, you will find hope in him.
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A Christian then is a person who is defined
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by his or her relationship with Jesus Christ.
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A Christian is someone who comes to believe in Jesus,
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a person who comes in faith to Jesus,
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and a person who therefore receives from Jesus.
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It’s personal.
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C.H. Spurgeon gives an illustration of a man
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who heard about a doctor who had specialized
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in treating the condition from which the man suffered.
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The doctor was in another city,
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but the man decided that it was his best hope
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to be treated by this doctor,
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and he thought therefore that it was well worth the journey
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to go and to see this doctor,
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even though it involved a journey of many, many miles.
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Well, when the man arrived in the doctor’s office,
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the receptionist said to him,
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I’m very sorry, but the doctor’s not in,
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but you can see his assistant.
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No, said the man.
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I am not interested in seeing any assistant.
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I want to see the doctor himself.
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Well, the receptionist wanted to be helpful.
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So she said, well, the doctor isn’t here,
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but you know, we have all of his books.
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No, said the man.
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I certainly didn’t come here to read books.
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I want to see the doctor.
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Well, the receptionist thought she would try again.
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Well, we have all the medicines here
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that are used by the doctor.
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No, said the man.
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I didn’t come here to study medicines.
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I want to see the doctor.
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The receptionist thought she would give it
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just one more try.
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Look, she said, there’s a man in the waiting room
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who had the same condition as you.
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And he’s been wonderfully cured by the doctor.
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Now, you know, you can talk to him
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and he will tell you his story.
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Well, by this time the man was nearly pulling his hair out.
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No, he said.
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I don’t want to hear about how another man was cured.
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I want to see the doctor
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and I will not settle for anything else.
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And Spurgeon, telling that story,
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then said, imitate that man.
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Imitate that man.
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Don’t style, dear friend, for knowing
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that other people have hope in Jesus.
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Don’t settle for knowing what the Bible says
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about how you can find hope.
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Don’t settle for knowing about Jesus
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or even believing the hope is possible for you.
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Jesus said come to me, come to me.
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It’s very personal.
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All you who are weary, all who are heavy-laden
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and I will give you rest.
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The Lord Jesus Christ to keep the analogy
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is the great physician,
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and there is hope for you in him.
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So seek him, seek him in prayer.
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Seek him in his word and don’t settle
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for anything less than finding him.
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You’re listening to Open the Bible
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with Pastor Colin Smith.
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We’ve got to pause the message there briefly.
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The message is called Hope Through Christ
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and it’s based on Colossians chapter one.
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Don’t forget if you ever miss one of the series
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which is called Growing in Faith, Hope and Love,
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you can always catch up or go back and listen again
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online at our website, openthebible.org.uk.
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You can also find Pastor Colin’s messages as a podcast
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and those are available on all the main podcasting sites.
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Back to the message now, here’s Colin.
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Now this verse begins with Christ.
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Doesn’t end there, notice what it says,
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Christ in you.
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Christ in you.
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So we said that a Christian is a person who is defined
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by his or her relationship with Jesus Christ.
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And this verse actually tells us
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what that relationship looks like.
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Here’s what it is, Christ in you.
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Now, you know, if you take the word Christian
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and knock out the letter A,
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what you have left
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is the name Christ
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and the letters I and N.
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That might be a helpful way for you to remember
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what a Christian is, Christ in.
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A Christian is a person who has Christ dwelling within.
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And this is what the Bible speaks about
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and describes to us repeatedly.
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So Jesus said in John chapter 15,
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abide in me and I in you.
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He says, I’m going to abide or live in you.
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Whoever abides in me, Jesus says, and I in him,
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he it is that will bear much fruit.
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The apostle Paul said in Galatians
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in chapter two and verse 20,
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I have been crucified with Christ.
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It is no longer I who live,
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but Christ lives in me.
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And here we have it stated most clearly of all
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in Colossians chapter one and verse 27,
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where Paul speaks about the riches
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of the glory of this mystery,
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which is Christ in you.
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Now, we know from the Bible
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that when Jesus rose from the dead,
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He ascended into heaven.
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And right now He is seated at the right hand of the Father
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where He is interceding for us.
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So if Jesus is at the right hand of the Father,
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how can He be present 24 seven
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with each and every one of us?
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The answer to that question is through the Holy Spirit.
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Jesus said in John chapter 14,
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I will ask the Father and He will give you another helper
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to be with you forever,
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even the spirit of truth.
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Jesus said, you know Him for He dwells with you
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and will be in you.
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Now, notice that in this very important verse,
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Jesus speaks about the spirit of truth,
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the Holy Spirit,
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also referred to in other places in the Bible
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as the spirit of God,
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the spirit of Christ,
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or the spirit of Jesus.
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The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus Himself.
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So where the Holy Spirit is, Jesus is.
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And the promise of Jesus to all of His disciples
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is that the Holy Spirit will be with you and in you.
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Now, these two phrases are of great importance.
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The words with you preserve a distinction.
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There’s the Holy Spirit, and there’s you.
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The Holy Spirit is with you,
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but you are not the Holy Spirit,
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and the Holy Spirit is not you.
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So don’t get the two confused.
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He is with you.
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Confusing oneself with the Holy Spirit
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is actually at the root of a great deal of
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fanaticism, authoritarianism, and self-deception.
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You may even have met someone who has lost sight
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of the distinction between him or herself
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and the Holy Spirit, and one of the ways that you know
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that a person has lost sight of that distinction
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is that they begin to speak as if everything they say
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is what God himself says, and of course,
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you cannot reason with such a person.
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That’s why I say it’s the root of so much fanaticism,
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authoritarianism, and self-deception.
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So this is very important.
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The Holy Spirit, Jesus says, will be with you.
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That preserves a distinction.
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You are not the Holy Spirit.
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The Holy Spirit is not you, and, of course,
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that is why it is possible for a person who is indwelt
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by the Holy Spirit of God still, at times,
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to speak or act in a way that is foolish or even sinful.
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But then Jesus says the Holy Spirit will be in you, in you.
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In other words, the Holy Spirit will actually be present
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and active in the life of every believer in Jesus,
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every one of Jesus’ disciples.
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It’s not just that the Holy Spirit is with you.
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Wonderful though that is.
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When you trust yourself to Jesus,
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the Holy Spirit comes to dwell.
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That’s the word Jesus uses, to live in you, in you.
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Now, what’s the difference?
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Well, the difference is very significant.
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This means that the Holy Spirit is more than a mentor,
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more than someone who walks with you
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and simply tells you what to do.
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Now, the Holy Spirit actually works in you,
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renewing your mind.
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Changing you from the inside out,
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molding and shaping and directing your will,
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giving you strength that you did not have before
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and would not have otherwise,
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producing within you the good fruit of faith,
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hope, and love.
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And you see, that is why there is hope
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for every person in Jesus Christ.
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See, you may be standing at the bottom
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of Mount Hope, as it were,
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and saying, you know what,
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I don’t think I have the ability
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to live this Christian life.
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And you know what?
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That’s true.
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But when Christ lives in you,
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when he is present and active
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in and through his Holy Spirit,
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he will give you an ability
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that you did not have before
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and that you would not have otherwise.
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So here is a wonderful, wonderful prospect and promise.
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When you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,
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his spirit will not only be with you,
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but in you, he will produce a new life in you
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that you did not have before.
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Christ in you, that’s the hope of glory.
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And you see when you grasp the first half
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of this marvelous verse,
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well then you will begin to experience the second,
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Christ in you, the hope of glory.
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Now let’s think first then about this marvelous word glory.
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And Jesus gave this marvelous prayer to the Father,
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made this marvelous prayer to the Father
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on the night that He was betrayed.
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And it’s a prayer not only for his disciples then
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but also for us.
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John 17 and verse 24,
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”Father, I desire that they also,
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whom you have given me, may be with me where I am,
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to see my glory that you have given me.”
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Jesus wants you to be with him.
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Jesus wants you to see His glory.
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Will this be a seeing with our eyes
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or will it be an understanding with our minds and our hearts?
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The answer to that is both.
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Thomas Manton, a marvelous Puritan writer,
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says that there is a glorified eye
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as well as a glorified mind.
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I love that.
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You will have a glorified eye.
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In other words, your eyes in the resurrection body
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will be able to behold the brightness,
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of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Think about it.
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If you were to see that glory,
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now, it would be as blinding to you
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as it was to Sol of Tarsus on the road to Damascus.
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But in your resurrection body,
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you will have the capacity
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to see the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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You’ve been listening to Open The Bible
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with Pastor Colin Smith
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on a message called Hope Through Christ.
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It’s part of our series,
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Growing in Faith, Hope and Love.
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And if you’ve missed any of the series so far,
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or if you want to go back and listen again,
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you can do that by coming online to our website,
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openthebible.org.uk.
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There you can hear any of the broadcasts
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that have already gone out on air.
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You can also find Pastor Colin’s messages
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as a podcast if that’s a better way
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for you to keep up with them
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and those are on all the major podcasting sites.
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Search for Open the Bible UK
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and subscribe to receive regular updates.
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There’s also a link to the podcast on our website.
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Also on our website and available as a podcast
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is Open the Bible Daily
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and that’s a series of short two to three minute
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daily reflections based on Pastor Colin’s teaching
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and read in the UK by Sue McLeish,
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there’s a fresh one every day.
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The Open the Bible website contains a number of resources
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00:22:30,739 –> 00:22:32,979
which are designed for individual Christians
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as well as church fellowships.
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For example, you can find Pastor Colin’s sermons
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on a variety of topics.
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openthebible.org.uk forward slash sermons
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takes you straight to that page,
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there you’ll find topics such as
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the Lord Is my Shepherd,
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meet Jesus, part one,
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10 distinctives of a gospel-centered church
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and how you can flourish.
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Each topic takes you to a series of sermons
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including a video introduction to each.
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Again, to find these resources
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go to openthebible.org.uk
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and select the menu item, sermons.
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If you’re a regular listener to Open The Bible,
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you’ll know that we’re supported financially
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by many of our listeners.
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If you thought about helping the ministry in that way,
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00:23:22,079 –> 00:23:23,579
but you haven’t yet done it,
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00:23:23,579 –> 00:23:25,540
why not start this month?
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00:23:25,540 –> 00:23:28,260
If you’re able to set up a new direct-debit
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00:23:28,260 –> 00:23:30,900
of five pounds per month or more,
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00:23:30,900 –> 00:23:33,959
or give a one-off gift of 50 pounds or more,
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00:23:33,959 –> 00:23:35,500
we’d love to say thank you
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by sending you a copy of Jerry Bridge’s book,
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Respectable Sins.
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00:23:40,579 –> 00:23:43,020
Colin, who is this book for?
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00:23:43,020 –> 00:23:45,660
Well, this is a really helpful and practical book
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for any Christian believer,
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no matter how long you have been
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following the Lord Jesus Christ.
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As Christians, we all recognise that we’re sinners.
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We all confess that in general.
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But what would you say if you were asked
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what are three sins that you need to be fighting against
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more strongly in your life?
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As Christians, we’re committed to living good lives,
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we’re not going to be murdering,
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we’re committed to be loyal and faithful to our spouse,
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we’re not going to be robbing a bank.
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But the point, of course, is that there are more subtle sins
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alongside these obvious ones
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that may actually lurk in our hearts,
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sins like pride, sins like discontent, judgmentalism.
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And what this book does so helpfully
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is it identifies the respectable sins,
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the ones that might just be accommodated in our lives
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and alerts us to how we need to engage
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in battle against them.
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So this book, Respectable Sins, by Gerry Bridges,
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00:24:46,719 –> 00:24:49,479
is our gift to you if you’re able to support
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00:24:49,479 –> 00:24:52,680
the work of Open the Bible by setting up a direct debit
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00:24:52,680 –> 00:24:55,819
in the amount of five pounds per month or more
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00:24:55,859 –> 00:25:00,020
or a one-off gift of £50 or more this month.
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00:25:00,880 –> 00:25:03,300
For pastor Colin Smith and Open the Bible
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00:25:03,300 –> 00:25:04,939
I’m David Pick and I hope you’ll be able
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00:25:04,939 –> 00:25:06,800
to join us again next time.
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As Christians, we live in an in-between time.
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There’s an already that we enjoy now
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and there’s a not yet that we’re still waiting for.
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Find out more next time on Open the Bible.
