1
00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:03,020
Barcelonans, a citizen of Central Classic.
2
00:00:04,000 –> 00:00:11,000
There are some wonderful things that will happen in our lives as we grow in hope.
3
00:00:11,000 –> 00:00:20,000
And I’ve called this hope-surprising outcomes because really the range of what comes out of growing in hope is quite spectacular.
4
00:00:21,240 –> 00:00:24,040
Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith.
5
00:00:24,040 –> 00:00:29,139
I’m David Pick. I’m so glad you could be with us today and Colin, I know we’ll hear a lot more in today’s message,
6
00:00:29,180 –> 00:00:35,180
but when you think about all the outcomes that hope can bring, is there something that surprises you?
7
00:00:36,020 –> 00:00:43,020
Well, probably the first one that we’re going to look at today, actually, that as we grow in hope, we will become a better witness.
8
00:00:43,259 –> 00:00:48,060
That wouldn’t be the first thing that comes to my mind, but it’s very clear in what the Apostle Peter says,
9
00:00:49,000 –> 00:00:56,180
that it’s giving a reason for the hope that is in you that we’re to do with gentleness and respect.
10
00:00:56,299 –> 00:00:59,040
That’s how we point to the Lord Jesus Christ.
11
00:00:59,259 –> 00:01:03,380
We’re not going to be effective witnesses if we’re not people of hope,
12
00:01:03,540 –> 00:01:11,720
and the danger is for Christian believers to become so discouraged by the state of the world that we become people marked by despair.
13
00:01:12,180 –> 00:01:18,720
Whereas actually what we’re called to, is to be people are so confident in the ultimate triumph of the Lord Jesus Christ,
14
00:01:19,000 –> 00:01:26,080
that we’re different from the gloom and doom that is around us with people on all sides,
15
00:01:26,339 –> 00:01:34,540
because we’ve got our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ and the living hope that he brings and there’s something compelling and wonderfully attractive about that.
16
00:01:34,839 –> 00:01:41,800
But that’s just the first of the surprising outcomes and we’re going to look today and next time at another three in edition as well.
17
00:01:41,860 –> 00:01:51,220
So let’s begin by looking at Romans chapter 8 verse 18 if you can join us in your Bibles today as we begin the message hope’s surprising outcomes.
18
00:01:51,419 –> 00:01:52,879
Here’s Colin.
19
00:01:52,879 –> 00:02:07,059
Now over these last weeks we’ve been asking the question how can I grow in hope and we’ve identified over these weeks ten distinct strategies from the Scriptures that we’ve looked at,
20
00:02:07,440 –> 00:02:18,839
From David, we learned that hope comes from God and we saw from his example that if we’re to grow in hope we must speak honestly to God,
21
00:02:18,860 –> 00:02:32,039
we must challenge ourselves, especially in relation to our darkest thoughts, we must affirm what we know to be true, and we must wait expectantly on God.
22
00:02:32,100 –> 00:02:43,979
Then we learned from the Apostle Paul that hope comes not only from God, but it comes through the Lord Jesus Christ, Christ in you the hope of glory.
23
00:02:43,979 –> 00:02:53,880
And we saw there that to grow in hope we need to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we need to enjoy what he has already given,
24
00:02:53,880 –> 00:02:58,759
and we need to anticipate what he has promised for the future.
25
00:02:59,119 –> 00:03:06,699
And then last week, we saw that hope comes not only from God and through Christ, but it comes by grace.
26
00:03:06,699 –> 00:03:12,940
And we saw that if we would grow in hope, we must think often about the love of God,
27
00:03:12,940 –> 00:03:21,699
we must stop counting the good that we have done, and we must receive what God gives by faith.’
28
00:03:21,699 –> 00:03:28,039
Now today, I want us to see the outcome of growing in hope.
29
00:03:28,039 –> 00:03:30,820
What happens if we pursue these strategies?
30
00:03:30,820 –> 00:03:36,740
There are some wonderful things that will happen in our lives as we grow in hope,
31
00:03:36,740 –> 00:03:40,300
and I’ve called this Hope’s Surprising Outcomes,
32
00:03:40,300 –> 00:03:48,779
because really the range of what comes out of growing in hope is quite spectacular.
33
00:03:48,779 –> 00:03:53,199
We’re going to look today at four distinct blessings
34
00:03:53,199 –> 00:03:59,300
that we will enjoy in increasing measure as we grow in hope.
35
00:03:59,300 –> 00:04:04,059
Grow in hope and you will be a better witness.
36
00:04:04,059 –> 00:04:09,160
Grow in hope and you will lead a purer life.
37
00:04:09,160 –> 00:04:13,839
Grow in hope and you will enjoy a deeper comfort.
38
00:04:13,839 –> 00:04:19,739
Grow in hope and you will experience greater strength.
39
00:04:19,839 –> 00:04:21,359
Now we’re going to look at these four things
40
00:04:21,359 –> 00:04:24,339
from four distinct passages of Scripture here
41
00:04:24,339 –> 00:04:29,880
and I want us to begin in 1 Peter chapter 3 and verse 15.
42
00:04:29,880 –> 00:04:33,140
Grow in hope and you will be a better witness.
43
00:04:33,140 –> 00:04:35,140
Look at what Peter says.
44
00:04:35,140 –> 00:04:40,799
Always being prepared to make a defense
45
00:04:40,799 –> 00:04:49,079
to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.
46
00:04:49,119 –> 00:04:55,019
Yet do this with gentleness and respect.
47
00:04:55,019 –> 00:05:01,040
Now hope is only surprising when it looks like you’re losing,
48
00:05:01,040 –> 00:05:06,579
I mean if your team is five goals down with seven minutes to play,
49
00:05:06,579 –> 00:05:09,239
well the fans are more likely to be heading for the exits
50
00:05:09,239 –> 00:05:13,839
than to be singing songs of hope and of joy.
51
00:05:13,839 –> 00:05:17,019
No one would be surprised
52
00:05:17,019 –> 00:05:22,579
if a person was full of hope on the day that they began a new job,
53
00:05:22,579 –> 00:05:26,260
but if a person was full of hope on the day that their company let them go,
54
00:05:26,260 –> 00:05:30,119
well that would be quite surprising.
55
00:05:30,119 –> 00:05:34,799
No one would be surprised if a person is full of hope
56
00:05:34,799 –> 00:05:38,320
if the doctor tells them that they’re going to make a full recovery
57
00:05:38,320 –> 00:05:42,519
from the particular illness that they have suffered.
58
00:05:42,619 –> 00:05:45,739
But what would be very surprising
59
00:05:45,739 –> 00:05:50,220
would be a person who was full of hope
60
00:05:50,220 –> 00:05:57,839
when the doctor told them that there was no more treatment that he or she could give.
61
00:05:57,839 –> 00:06:02,700
Now, I want you the think about the position of these early believers
62
00:06:02,700 –> 00:06:07,399
and how striking and even surprising it is
63
00:06:07,600 –> 00:06:12,700
that they should have been marked by this marvellous hope.
64
00:06:12,700 –> 00:06:19,459
These early believers lived in times much worse than ours.
65
00:06:19,459 –> 00:06:24,019
Some of them suffered the confiscation of their property.
66
00:06:24,019 –> 00:06:31,940
Some would be thrown to lions for the amusement of vast crowds in great arenas.
67
00:06:31,940 –> 00:06:38,100
They lived in a sick culture in terminal decline.
68
00:06:38,100 –> 00:06:45,239
And yet, what they were known for was their irrepressible hope.
69
00:06:45,239 –> 00:06:49,920
Secular people simply could not understand it.
70
00:06:49,920 –> 00:06:53,600
Nothing in the world is going your way.
71
00:06:53,600 –> 00:06:58,720
All the forces of business and education and entertainment and politics,
72
00:06:58,779 –> 00:07:00,299
they’re all against you.
73
00:07:00,299 –> 00:07:04,820
You’re a tiny oppressed minority and yet you are full of hope.
74
00:07:04,820 –> 00:07:07,040
How come?
75
00:07:07,040 –> 00:07:12,459
How can you be so full of hope in a world like this?
76
00:07:12,459 –> 00:07:17,899
And Peter says, you’d better be ready to give an answer.
77
00:07:17,899 –> 00:07:24,059
You’d better be ready to explain that your hope is in God and it’s through
78
00:07:24,760 –> 00:07:29,799
Christ, and it’s by grace.
79
00:07:29,799 –> 00:07:33,920
Hope was the distinctive mark of the early Christians.
80
00:07:33,920 –> 00:07:36,839
It was actually the first thing that people saw.
81
00:07:36,839 –> 00:07:41,440
It was very striking because it was so surprising.
82
00:07:41,440 –> 00:07:50,140
There was a quiet confidence about them, a strength, a resilience, a sense of looking
83
00:07:50,160 –> 00:07:52,160
forward.
84
00:07:52,160 –> 00:07:59,200
When people saw it, they didn’t know what to make of it, couldn’t understand it.
85
00:07:59,200 –> 00:08:06,220
And because hope is so clearly such a good and desirable thing, people’s interest was
86
00:08:06,220 –> 00:08:08,019
aroused.
87
00:08:08,019 –> 00:08:13,260
People wanted to know what is it that makes these people so hopeful.
88
00:08:13,260 –> 00:08:15,619
That’s the point of this verse.
89
00:08:16,119 –> 00:08:24,220
Now, it seems to me that growing in hope therefore is vital for our Christian witness.
90
00:08:24,220 –> 00:08:30,140
For us to shine like lights in the world, we must grow in hope.
91
00:08:30,140 –> 00:08:37,960
We should never assume that people will have an immediate interest in our church, our doctrine,
92
00:08:37,960 –> 00:08:41,140
or our way of life.
93
00:08:41,140 –> 00:08:44,500
Interest has to be stimulated.
94
00:08:44,500 –> 00:08:54,080
And the best way to arouse interest is the obvious attraction of living hope.
95
00:08:54,080 –> 00:09:00,059
And this is why we must have our minds fixed on the glorious future that lies ahead of
96
00:09:00,059 –> 00:09:06,299
every Christian believer – Christ in you, the hope of glory.
97
00:09:06,299 –> 00:09:14,359
If we lose sight of our glorious future, well, we would lose our distinctive mark of hope
98
00:09:14,679 –> 00:09:22,900
– we’d become as miserable and as embattled as everyone else seems to be, and we’d
99
00:09:22,900 –> 00:09:28,960
no longer have an effective witness that is distinctively different, that points to our
100
00:09:28,960 –> 00:09:30,880
Lord Jesus Christ.
101
00:09:31,500 –> 00:09:38,859
Now that is why growing in faith and hope and love is at the center of the mission of
102
00:09:38,859 –> 00:09:40,440
our Church.
103
00:09:40,679 –> 00:09:49,820
Grow in faith, hope and love and we will be shining lights in this dark world.
104
00:09:49,820 –> 00:09:52,840
We’ll not be habitually angry.
105
00:09:52,840 –> 00:09:55,440
We’ll not be afraid.
106
00:09:55,440 –> 00:10:01,520
We’ll show courtesy and respect as Peter puts it here,
107
00:10:01,520 –> 00:10:06,500
even to people who hate what we stand for.
108
00:10:07,140 –> 00:10:15,960
People who do not believe will wonder why you like this?
109
00:10:15,960 –> 00:10:19,320
Where does it come from?
110
00:10:19,320 –> 00:10:24,820
What is the reason for the hope that is in you?
111
00:10:24,820 –> 00:10:27,760
That’s the point of this Verse.
112
00:10:27,760 –> 00:10:34,520
So I want us to see and to take this in that growing in hope is vital to our witness to
113
00:10:34,520 –> 00:10:35,520
the world.
114
00:10:35,919 –> 00:10:40,520
That’s why we need to build these 10 strategies that we’ve been learning over these last weeks
115
00:10:40,520 –> 00:10:42,039
into our lives.
116
00:10:42,039 –> 00:10:47,440
We must speak honestly to God, we must challenge ourselves, especially in relation to our own
117
00:10:47,440 –> 00:10:48,679
darkest thoughts.
118
00:10:48,679 –> 00:10:51,520
We must affirm what we know to be true.
119
00:10:51,520 –> 00:10:57,919
We must wait expectantly on God, we must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
120
00:10:57,919 –> 00:11:00,799
We must enjoy what he has given to us now.
121
00:11:00,799 –> 00:11:03,799
We must anticipate what he has yet promised.
122
00:11:03,799 –> 00:11:11,039
We must think often about the love of God, we must stop counting the good we have done
123
00:11:11,039 –> 00:11:16,320
and we must receive what God gives by faith.
124
00:11:16,320 –> 00:11:25,159
Now, if we grow in hope, we will shine like light in the world.
125
00:11:26,159 –> 00:11:30,119
And you know , the darker this world becomes,
126
00:11:30,119 –> 00:11:35,239
the brighter the light of hope will shine.
127
00:11:35,239 –> 00:11:37,840
You’re listening to Open The Bible with Pastor Colin Smith
128
00:11:37,840 –> 00:11:42,359
and we’ve been seeing how if you grow in hope you’ll be a better witness.
129
00:11:42,359 –> 00:11:43,719
When we come back in a moment
130
00:11:43,719 –> 00:11:48,320
we’ll see how growing in hope will help you to live a purer life.
131
00:11:48,320 –> 00:11:52,119
Our message today is called Hope’s Surprising Outcome
132
00:11:52,119 –> 00:11:53,960
and if you ever miss one of our series
133
00:11:53,960 –> 00:11:58,239
you can always catch up or go back and listen again online at our website
134
00:11:58,239 –> 00:12:01,159
at Open The Bible dot org dot UK
135
00:12:01,159 –> 00:12:04,840
There you can hear any of the messages which have already gone out on air.
136
00:12:04,840 –> 00:12:07,719
You can also catch us if you wish as a podcast
137
00:12:07,719 –> 00:12:12,039
and lots of people are finding that’s an easier way to follow Pastor Colin’s teaching.
138
00:12:12,039 –> 00:12:14,919
And those are available on all the regular podcasting sites.
139
00:12:14,919 –> 00:12:19,719
Search for Open The Bible UK and subscribe to receive regular updates.
140
00:12:19,719 –> 00:12:21,719
Open The Bible is supported by our listeners
141
00:12:21,719 –> 00:12:25,080
and we’ll be hearing more about that later on in the programme.
142
00:12:25,080 –> 00:12:29,799
And this month, if you’re able to begin a new donation to the work of Open The Bible
143
00:12:29,799 –> 00:12:32,359
in the amount of £5.00 per month or more,
144
00:12:32,359 –> 00:12:37,359
we’d love to say thank you by sending you a copy of the book Respectable Sins.
145
00:12:37,359 –> 00:12:40,159
Colin will be talking more about this later on.
146
00:12:40,159 –> 00:12:42,760
Back to the message now, here’s Colin.
147
00:12:42,760 –> 00:12:47,960
Grow in hope and you will be a better witness.
148
00:12:47,960 –> 00:12:49,739
That’s the first thing
149
00:12:49,780 –> 00:12:52,200
And here’s the second.
150
00:12:52,200 –> 00:12:58,700
Grow in hope and you will live a purer life.
151
00:12:58,700 –> 00:13:04,440
Now, this is a wonderful outcome and I want us to spend some time on it today.
152
00:13:04,440 –> 00:13:08,219
1 John Chapter Three verses two and three.
153
00:13:08,219 –> 00:13:14,419
Beloved, we are God’s children now
154
00:13:14,419 –> 00:13:18,979
And what we will be has not yet appeared
155
00:13:18,979 –> 00:13:26,419
but we know that when he appears, we shall be like him
156
00:13:26,419 –> 00:13:34,359
because we shall see him as he is and everyone who thus hopes in him,
157
00:13:34,359 –> 00:13:42,700
purifies himself as he, that is the Lord Jesus Christ, is pure.
158
00:13:42,700 –> 00:13:49,039
Now, these are surely among the most remarkable words that have ever been written.
159
00:13:49,039 –> 00:13:53,700
They describe our glorious hope.
160
00:13:53,700 –> 00:14:04,000
They tell us how our glorious future actually changes the way that we live right now.
161
00:14:04,000 –> 00:14:11,039
I want you to notice that John makes five distinct and very wonderful affirmations.
162
00:14:11,039 –> 00:14:18,659
First, we are God’s children now.
163
00:14:18,659 –> 00:14:24,340
You become a child by birth, not by behavior.
164
00:14:24,340 –> 00:14:31,679
And when you are born again of the Spirit of God, you are as much a child of God as you will ever be.
165
00:14:31,679 –> 00:14:35,640
You don’t become more a child of God as you progress in the Christian life.
166
00:14:35,640 –> 00:14:41,919
You are born into this when you are born again of the Spirit of God.
167
00:14:41,919 –> 00:14:52,599
That means that you are as much a child of God on your worst day as you are on your best day.
168
00:14:52,599 –> 00:15:05,559
It means that you are as much a child of God now as you will be when you’re surrounded by his glory in his immediate presence in heaven.
169
00:15:05,559 –> 00:15:09,039
John makes this very clear in his Gospel.
170
00:15:09,039 –> 00:15:27,559
To those who receive him, to those who believe in him, they have the right to be called children of God because they are born of God.
171
00:15:27,599 –> 00:15:38,880
To those who believe, John says here, we are God’s children now.
172
00:15:38,880 –> 00:15:44,760
Then he says this, what we will be has not yet appeared.
173
00:15:44,760 –> 00:15:52,219
We are God’s children but right now, it doesn’t look like it.
174
00:15:52,219 –> 00:15:55,419
It certainly doesn’t look like it when we suffer.
175
00:15:55,539 –> 00:16:01,400
You know, you visit a believer in hospital, you sit with a believer who has a broken heart
176
00:16:01,400 –> 00:16:06,000
and the question that arises is, well if we are really God’s children
177
00:16:06,000 –> 00:16:09,739
is God not able to do something better for us than this?
178
00:16:11,479 –> 00:16:17,419
Yes, says John, we are God’s children, we’re God’s children now,
179
00:16:17,419 –> 00:16:19,559
but it doesn’t look like it when we suffer.
180
00:16:19,559 –> 00:16:23,159
Certainly doesn’t look like it when we die.
181
00:16:23,159 –> 00:16:28,260
We pass through the same dark valley as anyone else,
182
00:16:28,260 –> 00:16:34,679
strength seeps away from the body until life itself is gone.
183
00:16:36,219 –> 00:16:40,260
And so sometimes we find ourselves struggling with some very profound questions,
184
00:16:40,260 –> 00:16:46,679
why does God sometimes seem to prosper his enemies more than he blesses his friends?
185
00:16:47,679 –> 00:16:53,000
If I’m really a child of God, why does he allow this?
186
00:16:54,580 –> 00:16:57,599
Now you see there is an incongruity here,
187
00:16:57,599 –> 00:17:00,640
there is an apparent contradiction,
188
00:17:00,640 –> 00:17:05,540
we are God’s children now but what we will be has not yet appeared.
189
00:17:06,099 –> 00:17:10,280
How are you going to resolve this contradiction?
190
00:17:12,000 –> 00:17:16,040
Well, you know when you face the incongruity
191
00:17:16,280 –> 00:17:19,619
there are two paths that lie before you.
192
00:17:19,619 –> 00:17:22,900
They both go in very different directions
193
00:17:22,900 –> 00:17:26,660
and therefore lead to very very different places.
194
00:17:27,420 –> 00:17:31,500
One path is simply to doubt who you are.
195
00:17:31,959 –> 00:17:37,239
Well, perhaps I’m not a child of God after all.
196
00:17:38,319 –> 00:17:41,880
And of course that is the path of unbelief
197
00:17:42,400 –> 00:17:45,140
and it leads into great darkness.
198
00:17:46,260 –> 00:17:50,979
What John does for us here is he points to a better path.
199
00:17:51,579 –> 00:17:55,900
Instead of doubting who you are,
200
00:17:55,900 –> 00:17:58,920
anticipate what you will be.
201
00:17:59,239 –> 00:18:00,439
That’s what he says here.
202
00:18:00,439 –> 00:18:04,579
What we will be has not yet appeared.
203
00:18:05,540 –> 00:18:09,140
When you look at the suffering of your own life
204
00:18:09,140 –> 00:18:13,880
or the suffering that is in the life of another Christian believer,
205
00:18:14,140 –> 00:18:18,459
remember that you are not seeing the full picture.
206
00:18:18,619 –> 00:18:20,400
Well, you say, what is the full picture?
207
00:18:20,400 –> 00:18:23,060
Well, John tells us
208
00:18:23,280 –> 00:18:26,959
when he appears
209
00:18:27,140 –> 00:18:29,800
then we shall be like him.
210
00:18:30,040 –> 00:18:32,420
When he appears,
211
00:18:32,640 –> 00:18:37,239
our risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ
212
00:18:37,479 –> 00:18:40,520
will return in power and in glory.
213
00:18:40,520 –> 00:18:42,699
He will appear,
214
00:18:42,819 –> 00:18:45,000
and when he appears
215
00:18:45,400 –> 00:18:49,420
we will be like him.
216
00:18:50,660 –> 00:18:53,180
Now there are some ways
217
00:18:53,180 –> 00:18:57,040
in which we are like the Lord Jesus Christ already.
218
00:18:57,260 –> 00:19:01,900
Remember that the Lord Jesus Christ became like us.
219
00:19:02,119 –> 00:19:07,300
From all eternity he shared the life and glory of God the Father.
220
00:19:07,300 –> 00:19:10,420
He has always been at the Father’s side
221
00:19:10,699 –> 00:19:14,219
but when he came into the world
222
00:19:14,219 –> 00:19:17,219
he had to walk by faith
223
00:19:17,219 –> 00:19:19,339
not by sight.
224
00:19:19,339 –> 00:19:21,619
He needed to pray.
225
00:19:21,619 –> 00:19:24,000
He knew what it was to be hungry.
226
00:19:24,000 –> 00:19:25,739
To weep.
227
00:19:25,739 –> 00:19:28,839
To fall asleep exhausted.
228
00:19:28,839 –> 00:19:34,319
He knew what it was to wrestle with the cost of commitment to God’s own will.
229
00:19:34,319 –> 00:19:38,219
The Lord Jesus Christ became like us.
230
00:19:38,219 –> 00:19:44,459
He had to endure the taunts of unbelieving siblings.
231
00:19:44,459 –> 00:19:47,319
He suffered physical pain,
232
00:19:47,319 –> 00:19:50,160
mental anguish.
233
00:19:50,160 –> 00:19:52,040
He was betrayed by his friends
234
00:19:52,040 –> 00:19:55,920
he was falsely accused by his enemies.
235
00:19:55,920 –> 00:19:58,599
He carried a cross
236
00:19:58,599 –> 00:20:05,260
and he went right into the valley of the shadow of death.
237
00:20:05,260 –> 00:20:09,099
The Lord Jesus Christ became like us
238
00:20:09,099 –> 00:20:13,060
in the pain and suffering of his incarnation
239
00:20:13,060 –> 00:20:15,979
so that we might become like him
240
00:20:15,979 –> 00:20:19,260
in the glory of his resurrection.
241
00:20:19,260 –> 00:20:21,979
And that’s our living hope.
242
00:20:21,979 –> 00:20:26,400
And the apostle Paul speaks of it in 2 Corinthians 4
243
00:20:26,400 –> 00:20:28,400
where he speaks about how
244
00:20:28,400 –> 00:20:30,140
as part of our Christian experience
245
00:20:30,140 –> 00:20:33,000
we find ourselves afflicted
246
00:20:33,000 –> 00:20:34,959
and perplexed
247
00:20:34,959 –> 00:20:36,839
and persecuted
248
00:20:36,839 –> 00:20:39,640
and struck down.
249
00:20:39,640 –> 00:20:41,560
So then the question is, well then,
250
00:20:41,560 –> 00:20:43,260
why are we not crushed?
251
00:20:43,260 –> 00:20:45,560
Why are we not driven to despair?
252
00:20:45,560 –> 00:20:47,140
Why are we not destroyed?
253
00:20:47,140 –> 00:20:49,020
And the answer he gives us this.
254
00:20:49,020 –> 00:20:51,099
”We know
255
00:20:51,099 –> 00:20:53,500
that he who raised the Lord Jesus
256
00:20:53,500 –> 00:20:56,339
will also raise us with Jesus
257
00:20:56,339 –> 00:20:59,060
and bring us into his presence.”
258
00:20:59,060 –> 00:21:02,140
We have this living hope
259
00:21:02,199 –> 00:21:05,160
and that is why we press forward.
260
00:21:05,160 –> 00:21:07,839
So you see, when you feel the tension,
261
00:21:07,839 –> 00:21:10,219
when you feel the contradiction
262
00:21:10,219 –> 00:21:11,719
of being a child of God
263
00:21:11,719 –> 00:21:13,260
on the one hand,
264
00:21:13,260 –> 00:21:15,239
and then the pain and suffering of life
265
00:21:15,239 –> 00:21:17,560
in this world on the other hand,
266
00:21:17,560 –> 00:21:22,339
don’t resolve it by denying who you are.
267
00:21:22,339 –> 00:21:25,719
Resolve it by anticipating
268
00:21:25,719 –> 00:21:28,459
what you will be.
269
00:21:28,459 –> 00:21:31,180
And your faith will stand
270
00:21:31,180 –> 00:21:34,000
as you look to the glorious return
271
00:21:34,000 –> 00:21:35,540
of the Lord Jesus Christ
272
00:21:35,540 –> 00:21:39,400
and find hope in what you will be.
273
00:21:39,400 –> 00:21:42,140
When He appears,
274
00:21:42,140 –> 00:21:47,979
we shall be like Him.
275
00:21:47,979 –> 00:21:49,520
You’ve been listening to Pastor Colin Smith
276
00:21:49,520 –> 00:21:51,020
on Open the Bible
277
00:21:51,020 –> 00:21:52,359
and a message called
278
00:21:52,359 –> 00:21:54,280
Hope’s Surprising Outcomes
279
00:21:54,280 –> 00:21:55,660
and there will be two more outcomes
280
00:21:55,660 –> 00:21:56,880
in the next broadcast.
281
00:21:56,880 –> 00:21:59,420
So I hope you’ll be able to join us for that.
282
00:21:59,420 –> 00:22:01,079
Hope’s Surprising Outcome
283
00:22:01,079 –> 00:22:01,920
is part of a series
284
00:22:01,920 –> 00:22:03,959
called Growing in Faith, Hope & Love
285
00:22:03,959 –> 00:22:05,959
and if you ever miss a broadcast
286
00:22:05,959 –> 00:22:06,880
or if you want to go back
287
00:22:06,880 –> 00:22:07,979
and listen again,
288
00:22:07,979 –> 00:22:08,939
you can do that by coming
289
00:22:08,939 –> 00:22:09,800
to our website
290
00:22:09,800 –> 00:22:12,699
openthebible.org.uk
291
00:22:12,699 –> 00:22:13,319
there you’ll find
292
00:22:13,319 –> 00:22:16,079
all of the previously broadcast messages
293
00:22:16,079 –> 00:22:17,760
and you can also find us
294
00:22:17,760 –> 00:22:18,560
as a podcast
295
00:22:18,560 –> 00:22:19,280
and those are on
296
00:22:19,280 –> 00:22:21,339
all the regular podcasting sites.
297
00:22:21,339 –> 00:22:23,819
Just search for Open the Bible UK
298
00:22:23,819 –> 00:22:26,939
and subscribe to receive regular updates.
299
00:22:26,939 –> 00:22:27,819
If you’re on our website,
300
00:22:27,819 –> 00:22:29,020
you’ll also find a link
301
00:22:29,020 –> 00:22:30,760
to the podcast.
302
00:22:30,859 –> 00:22:32,000
Once on our website
303
00:22:32,000 –> 00:22:33,459
and available as a podcast
304
00:22:33,459 –> 00:22:35,859
you can find Open the Bible Daily
305
00:22:35,859 –> 00:22:37,540
and that’s a series of short
306
00:22:37,540 –> 00:22:39,619
2-3 minute reflections.
307
00:22:39,619 –> 00:22:40,859
A new one every day
308
00:22:40,859 –> 00:22:43,060
based on Pastor Colin’s teaching
309
00:22:43,060 –> 00:22:44,119
and read in the UK
310
00:22:44,119 –> 00:22:46,420
by Sue McLeish.
311
00:22:46,739 –> 00:22:48,280
Open the Bible is supported
312
00:22:48,280 –> 00:22:49,819
entirely by our listeners.
313
00:22:49,819 –> 00:22:50,819
That’s ordinary people
314
00:22:50,819 –> 00:22:52,339
just like you.
315
00:22:52,339 –> 00:22:53,380
If you appreciate
316
00:22:53,380 –> 00:22:54,780
Open the Bibles ministry
317
00:22:54,780 –> 00:22:55,800
and you’d like to support us
318
00:22:55,800 –> 00:22:56,459
in this way
319
00:22:56,459 –> 00:22:58,219
but you haven’t yet done so,
320
00:22:58,219 –> 00:22:59,160
can I encourage you
321
00:22:59,219 –> 00:23:00,780
to put in a donation this month
322
00:23:00,780 –> 00:23:02,339
to Open the Bible.
323
00:23:02,339 –> 00:23:03,479
If you’re able to support
324
00:23:03,479 –> 00:23:04,660
Open the Bible
325
00:23:04,660 –> 00:23:05,780
with a direct debit
326
00:23:05,780 –> 00:23:08,239
of £5 per month or more
327
00:23:08,239 –> 00:23:09,560
or a single donation
328
00:23:09,560 –> 00:23:11,020
of £50 or more
329
00:23:11,020 –> 00:23:12,839
we’d love to say thank you
330
00:23:12,839 –> 00:23:13,839
by sending you
331
00:23:13,839 –> 00:23:15,880
a copy of Gerry Bridge’s book
332
00:23:15,880 –> 00:23:17,500
Respectable Sins.
333
00:23:17,500 –> 00:23:19,579
Colin, we know what sin is
334
00:23:19,579 –> 00:23:20,579
but what in the world
335
00:23:20,579 –> 00:23:21,900
is Respectable Sin?
336
00:23:22,219 –> 00:23:25,099
It’s a fascinating title
337
00:23:25,099 –> 00:23:26,479
for a book, isn’t it?
338
00:23:26,479 –> 00:23:28,199
Gerry Bridge’s point is
339
00:23:28,400 –> 00:23:30,280
that there are some sins
340
00:23:30,280 –> 00:23:31,880
that are so despicable
341
00:23:31,880 –> 00:23:33,280
that we immediately
342
00:23:33,280 –> 00:23:34,900
recognise them as things
343
00:23:34,900 –> 00:23:35,979
that we would never touch
344
00:23:35,979 –> 00:23:37,060
or go near.
345
00:23:37,060 –> 00:23:39,020
But there are other things
346
00:23:39,020 –> 00:23:40,800
that are displeasing to God
347
00:23:40,800 –> 00:23:42,560
and are equally sins
348
00:23:42,560 –> 00:23:43,560
that we may be tempted
349
00:23:43,560 –> 00:23:45,500
to accommodate in our lives
350
00:23:45,500 –> 00:23:47,819
and perhaps not even recognise them
351
00:23:47,819 –> 00:23:50,359
as sins which they are.
352
00:23:50,359 –> 00:23:52,040
And what’s so helpful
353
00:23:52,040 –> 00:23:54,119
is that Gerry actually lists these.
354
00:23:54,119 –> 00:23:55,339
He has a short chapter
355
00:23:55,339 –> 00:23:57,479
on any number of them
356
00:23:57,479 –> 00:23:58,880
including anger,
357
00:23:58,880 –> 00:24:01,099
frustration, discontent,
358
00:24:01,099 –> 00:24:02,560
unthankfulness, pride,
359
00:24:02,560 –> 00:24:03,920
selfishness,
360
00:24:03,920 –> 00:24:05,119
lack of self-control,
361
00:24:05,119 –> 00:24:06,979
impatience, irritability,
362
00:24:06,979 –> 00:24:08,719
judgmentalism, envy, jealousy.
363
00:24:08,719 –> 00:24:10,239
I mean the list goes on.
364
00:24:10,239 –> 00:24:11,239
But what he does
365
00:24:11,239 –> 00:24:13,319
is he identifies them,
366
00:24:13,319 –> 00:24:15,500
speaks about why they’re sins,
367
00:24:15,500 –> 00:24:17,560
why they’re displeasing to God,
368
00:24:17,560 –> 00:24:18,800
why they bring destruction
369
00:24:18,800 –> 00:24:20,500
in our lives
370
00:24:20,500 –> 00:24:22,839
and how we can fight against them
371
00:24:22,839 –> 00:24:25,760
and begin to prevail over them.
372
00:24:25,760 –> 00:24:27,260
So this is a wonderful book
373
00:24:27,359 –> 00:24:28,339
for anyone who wants to
374
00:24:28,339 –> 00:24:29,680
grow in likeness to
375
00:24:29,680 –> 00:24:31,400
the Lord Jesus Christ.
376
00:24:31,400 –> 00:24:33,439
I have found it immensely helpful.
377
00:24:33,439 –> 00:24:34,520
It’s a book I’ve gone back to
378
00:24:34,520 –> 00:24:35,780
many times
379
00:24:35,780 –> 00:24:38,079
and that’s why I’m really pleased
380
00:24:38,079 –> 00:24:39,260
that we’re able to commend it
381
00:24:39,260 –> 00:24:40,699
to others this month.
382
00:24:40,699 –> 00:24:41,719
Well Gerry Bridges’s book
383
00:24:41,719 –> 00:24:42,800
Respectable Sins
384
00:24:42,800 –> 00:24:44,000
is our gift to you
385
00:24:44,000 –> 00:24:45,239
when you’re able to set up
386
00:24:45,239 –> 00:24:46,359
a new direct debit
387
00:24:46,359 –> 00:24:48,079
to the work of Open The Bible
388
00:24:48,079 –> 00:24:50,260
in the amount of £5 per month
389
00:24:50,260 –> 00:24:51,180
or more
390
00:24:51,180 –> 00:24:52,959
or a single donation
391
00:24:52,959 –> 00:24:54,839
of £50.
392
00:24:54,839 –> 00:24:56,079
For Open The Bible
393
00:24:56,099 –> 00:24:57,420
and pastor Colin Smith
394
00:24:57,420 –> 00:24:58,479
I’m David Pick
395
00:24:58,479 –> 00:24:59,819
and I hope you’ll join us again
396
00:24:59,819 –> 00:25:02,119
next time.
397
00:25:07,380 –> 00:25:08,760
There are some wonderful things
398
00:25:08,760 –> 00:25:10,560
that will happen in your life
399
00:25:10,560 –> 00:25:12,459
as you Grow in Hope.
400
00:25:12,459 –> 00:25:13,619
Find out what they are
401
00:25:13,619 –> 00:25:14,599
next time on
402
00:25:14,599 –> 00:25:15,680
Open The Bible.
