Jesus Will Give You Rest, Part 2

Matthew 11:28-29

Have you ever felt burdened by life’s challenges or questioned if God is adding to your load? Today’s broadcast offers reassurance that this is not the case. Pastor Colin delves into a passage from Matthew 11, where Jesus invites those who are weary to come to Him for rest, emphasising that God does not desire to burden but to lighten our loads. By exploring what it means to be ‘yoked’ with Jesus, Colin reveals the comfort and strength that can be found in walking with Christ. So, join us for this encouraging message that reminds us of the peace and rest available through faith.

100:00:00,380 –> 00:00:02,320shocked200:00:03,360 –> 00:00:06,720Let me ask you, do you think your life would be easier without Jesus Christ?300:00:07,760 –> 00:00:10,880Do you really think that the God of heaven and earth,400:00:12,160 –> 00:00:19,520wants above everything else to lay a massive burden on you? Is that what you think about God?500:00:20,480 –> 00:00:25,440Welcome to Open the Bible with pastor Colin Smith. I’m David Pick, I’m glad you could be with us600:00:25,459 –> 00:00:30,240today. Colin I think a lot of people do think that God is putting a burden on them,700:00:30,240 –> 00:00:34,639that Christianity is all about the things you should be doing or not doing if you’re800:00:34,639 –> 00:00:37,799going to be a good Christian. That’s missing the point, isn’t it?900:00:37,799 –> 00:00:41,599I think that’s right and I think that’s exactly why we need the verse of scripture that we’re1000:00:41,599 –> 00:00:47,439looking at today. Jesus says, now the people who are heavy laden, you’re the ones who are to come1100:00:47,439 –> 00:00:53,840to me, come to me you who are burdened, those of you who are heavy laden. So here is God speaking,1200:00:53,840 –> 00:00:59,040he’s not saying, come and I’ll put a burden on you. He’s saying come to me because you are burdened1300:00:59,040 –> 00:01:04,080and I will give you rest. I’ll be the one that gets under the burden with you and gives you1400:01:04,080 –> 00:01:10,559strength to carry the burden. So to anyone who thinks that coming to god is to be burdened.1500:01:10,559 –> 00:01:16,400I just want to say it could not be more opposite. It’s the very opposite of God laying a burden1600:01:16,400 –> 00:01:22,559on you. It’s Jesus Christ coming alongside under the burden in order to help to lift it up.1700:01:22,559 –> 00:01:27,360All of us can relate to the feeling of being burdened, to have this heavy weight on us.1800:01:27,360 –> 00:01:32,160Even when we are a believer, it sometimes doesn’t feel as though God is lifting that burden.1900:01:32,160 –> 00:01:37,599No, because we still carry weights as Christians but you know Jesus says be yoked to me. The2000:01:37,599 –> 00:01:43,519beauty of that is that he pulls the burden with us. I would far rather lift the burdens of my2100:01:43,519 –> 00:01:47,760life with Jesus Christ pulling with me than do it without him trying to do it on my own.2200:01:47,760 –> 00:01:52,239There’s all the difference in the world between these two things and that’s the great gift that2300:01:52,559 –> 00:01:54,000brings to us. That’s what we’ll hear2400:01:54,000 –> 00:01:59,760about in today’s broadcast. So join us if you can in Matthew 11 as we continue the message,2500:01:59,760 –> 00:02:02,160Jesus will give you rest, here is Colin.2600:02:02,879 –> 00:02:06,160Many people know the President of the United States,2700:02:07,839 –> 00:02:12,399so many people can tell you about the President of the United States,2800:02:13,440 –> 00:02:18,960many people could if they wanted to introduce you to the President of the United States,2900:02:19,039 –> 00:02:22,800but what Jesus is saying here is that3000:02:22,800 –> 00:02:30,000with God it’s different. No one knows the father except the son.3100:02:31,919 –> 00:02:36,720Now this is so important, because when we get to this promise today.3200:02:36,720 –> 00:02:41,039You know, Jesus says to me all you weary and burdened and I will give you rest.3300:02:42,000 –> 00:02:47,279It would be very easy for us postmodern people to hear that promise like this.3400:02:47,360 –> 00:02:53,679We might hear well you know some of you here are tired and weary and if you feel a deep need3500:02:53,679 –> 00:02:59,039within your heart it’s a wonderful thing that you can come to Jesus and Jesus is going to help you.3600:03:00,000 –> 00:03:08,720That of course is true, and our postmodern world would like that to be the only thing that’s true.3700:03:10,160 –> 00:03:14,399Because what that leaves you with is a sort of take it or leave it Jesus if you feel your need3800:03:14,399 –> 00:03:18,080with Jesus you can come to him if you don’t feel you need of Jesus hey you know get on3900:03:18,080 –> 00:03:24,080with life your own way. I want you to understand from the scriptures today that the great New4000:03:24,080 –> 00:03:30,720Testament reason for coming to Jesus Christ is not if you happen to feel some great need in your heart4100:03:32,080 –> 00:03:37,279the great reason the great argument for coming to Jesus Christ in the New Testament right here4200:03:37,279 –> 00:03:47,600is this that without Jesus you don’t know God you can’t find God you don’t have God and on the last4300:03:47,600 –> 00:03:54,559day you will not have a hope in hell before God that’s the reason for coming to Jesus Christ4400:03:56,160 –> 00:04:03,839because no one knows the Father except the Son and there is no other way into knowledge of the4500:04:03,839 –> 00:04:09,919Father into relationship with the God of heaven and earth except through the Son because the4600:04:09,919 –> 00:04:15,279Father has committed all things to the Son and no one knows the Father except the Son4700:04:15,279 –> 00:04:21,920then Jesus says this that He can reveal the Father to us if He chooses to notice what He4800:04:21,920 –> 00:04:27,600says in verse 27 no one knows the father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to4900:04:27,600 –> 00:04:33,119reveal Him so what He’s saying is this I have exclusive knowledge of the Father and all things5000:04:33,119 –> 00:04:39,839have been trusted by the Father into my hands but if you will come to me I invite you if you5100:04:39,839 –> 00:04:44,640will come to me He’s saying I can bring you into this knowledge of God I can bring you into5200:04:44,640 –> 00:04:50,000a relationship with God He is saying to you what no one else in all of the world can say5300:04:51,600 –> 00:04:59,679now that’s who Jesus is let’s look secondly at what it is that the Son of God says to us5400:04:59,679 –> 00:05:05,359us there are two things that he invites us to do here there are different ways of saying the5500:05:05,359 –> 00:05:11,119same thing but there’s clearly something for us to do and it’s important for us here to hear what5600:05:11,119 –> 00:05:23,920Jesus says come to me and I will give you rest take my yoke upon you and you will find rest5700:05:24,880 –> 00:05:31,839for your souls i want you to notice that if we are to receive what jesus offers there clearly5800:05:31,839 –> 00:05:40,720is something for us to do and we need to hear this clearly because what we experience or what5900:05:40,720 –> 00:05:47,279we do not experience from the lord jesus christ clearly relates to whether we are doing these6000:05:47,279 –> 00:05:52,480things that he tells us to do invites us to do or whether we are not doing them there are things6100:05:52,480 –> 00:05:57,440that you can do today that some people will do today and some people will not do today6200:05:57,440 –> 00:06:03,119and our experience will differ because there’s a part for you to play6300:06:03,119 –> 00:06:11,519here satan sows unbelief in the hearts of many whenever the word of god is preached6400:06:12,959 –> 00:06:17,359here’s how he might do it with this verse with you he might already be saying to you6500:06:17,359 –> 00:06:22,880jesus says you can have rest you don’t have rest therefore this is all talk this is all6600:06:22,880 –> 00:06:30,720you know nothing to it heard it all before but actually you’re not hearing what jesus says jesus6700:06:30,720 –> 00:06:38,880says come to me take my yoke upon you there’s something i want you to do in order for you6800:06:38,880 –> 00:06:48,000weary as you are to experience what i am promising to give you we really need to hear this clearly6900:06:49,679 –> 00:06:52,399what is it that jesus says we’re to do he says come to me7000:06:54,320 –> 00:07:00,000now i find just sometimes that it helps to sharpen my understanding of what our lord is saying7100:07:00,000 –> 00:07:04,720when i put it alongside what he didn’t say it just clears it up a little bit for me7200:07:04,720 –> 00:07:10,000so let me just do that in two ways very briefly here i am so glad that jesus said come to me7300:07:11,119 –> 00:07:17,600and that he did not say practice spiritual disciplines you glad about that you know7400:07:17,600 –> 00:07:24,480when i get really weary when i’m feeling that i’m at the end of my rope i don’t want to hear7500:07:24,480 –> 00:07:31,040a message that basically is saying to me try harder do more you know up your effort7600:07:32,000 –> 00:07:34,160and i’m exhausted that’s not going to help me7700:07:36,399 –> 00:07:42,239thank god jesus says come to me he does not say practice more spiritual disciplines and i7800:07:42,239 –> 00:07:48,239say this because jesus was speaking to people whose faith in itself had become a burden to them7900:07:49,359 –> 00:07:52,959jesus was speaking to perhaps the most religious faithful people who’d ever lived8000:07:54,399 –> 00:07:59,600people who were pouring everything into living a model life and who were praying8100:07:59,679 –> 00:08:04,559regularly and reading and studying the torah and so forth they were doing their8200:08:04,559 –> 00:08:11,440best to live godly lives as many of us are but they felt crushed crushed by their own attempts8300:08:11,440 –> 00:08:23,839to please god defeated and jesus is speaking to these model disciplined folks who are pouring8400:08:23,839 –> 00:08:31,760themselves into trying to live a good right life and he does not say add in another set of spiritual8500:08:31,760 –> 00:08:41,760disciplines he says come to me and i’ll give you something i’ll give you something8600:08:42,719 –> 00:08:48,799you’re feeling that you’re on a treadmill of life that is exhausting to you8700:08:49,520 –> 00:08:59,679you you day after day after day are trying to live up to a standard of godliness you’re weary8800:09:01,760 –> 00:09:04,479you know you can study your bible a lot never come to christ8900:09:06,239 –> 00:09:10,960you can even turn from sins and not come to christ come to me9000:09:11,840 –> 00:09:15,760then it’s helped me just to reflect on this that jesus9100:09:15,760 –> 00:09:19,599says come to me he does not say follow the impulse of your own heart9200:09:21,119 –> 00:09:27,280and the reason i just make that contrast is this that if the traditional conservative wisdom9300:09:28,000 –> 00:09:36,719is that you find rest by a moral life and by following disciplines of faith9400:09:36,719 –> 00:09:42,320i think that is the case that the conservative traditional wisdom around us is that you find9500:09:42,320 –> 00:09:50,400rest by a moral life by pursuing the disciplines of faith if that’s the case then the contemporary9600:09:50,400 –> 00:09:57,280liberal wisdom is that you will find rest by following the impulses of your own heart9700:09:58,559 –> 00:10:03,520and you will find a thousand counselors who will basically say to you you know follow9800:10:03,520 –> 00:10:06,400the impulses of your own heart what is your own heart telling you here9900:10:08,159 –> 00:10:13,119and the idea that we can basically find rest by following the impulses of our own hearts10000:10:14,000 –> 00:10:19,280rests on the massively flawed assumption that your heart actually knows what is good and10100:10:19,280 –> 00:10:23,919can distinguish it from what is evil which is precisely the lie that satan perpetrated in the10200:10:23,919 –> 00:10:27,919garden that’s what he said he said you’ll know what’s good you’ll just know you’ll just know10300:10:27,919 –> 00:10:33,919what’s good from what’s evil your heart will tell you follow the impulses of your own heart10400:10:33,919 –> 00:10:37,760and your life will always be restless why because our hearts are restless10500:10:40,400 –> 00:10:44,960so you won’t find rest in spiritual disciplines10600:10:47,760 –> 00:10:51,919you won’t find rest in pursuing the impulses of your own heart10700:10:51,919 –> 00:11:01,760heart but Jesus says come to me and I will give you rest10800:11:02,799 –> 00:11:06,640you’re listening to open the bible with pastor Cullyn Smith and a message called10900:11:06,640 –> 00:11:13,200Jesus will give you rest part of our series rock solid seven promises Christ makes to you11000:11:14,000 –> 00:11:18,640if you’ve ever missed one of the series it’s easy to catch up or go back and listen again11100:11:18,640 –> 00:11:25,840online at our website openthebible.org.uk and you can also find any- all of our previous11200:11:25,840 –> 00:11:32,719messages on that website also as a podcast all main podcast sites carry Open the Bible11300:11:32,719 –> 00:11:38,559and you can find them by searching for Open the bible Uk or follow the link from our website11400:11:38,559 –> 00:11:44,239back to the message, now we’re in Matthew chapter 11. Here again is Cullyn now as we think about11500:11:44,239 –> 00:11:49,520what Jesus is inviting us to do here. Come to me why does he say come why doesn’t it say believe11600:11:49,520 –> 00:11:55,520which, of course, is said in other places. I want you to notice that the bible uses a spectrum of11700:11:55,520 –> 00:12:03,679language to, as it were, fill out or color in what a dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ11800:12:03,679 –> 00:12:08,559really looks like and the word come particularly helps us because it reminds us that there is11900:12:08,559 –> 00:12:15,840movement. Like the prodigal son who at one point decided i’m going to go to my father. There’s12000:12:15,840 –> 00:12:22,159movement. He’s not simply believing certain things they’re coming, there’s movement towards12100:12:22,159 –> 00:12:27,200Jesus Christ with all the burdens that you are carrying and a bringing of them to him.12200:12:28,880 –> 00:12:33,520Jesus speaks about our relationship with him in terms of believing, in terms of following,12300:12:33,520 –> 00:12:38,960in terms of coming, in terms of receiving. I want you to notice in verse 29 he describes it in12400:12:38,960 –> 00:12:46,799another way, he says, take my yoke upon you and learn of me. Now that is saying the same thing12500:12:46,799 –> 00:12:53,039as come in a different way. It’s filling out what is meant by coming to Jesus Christ. We know it’s12600:12:53,039 –> 00:12:58,400the same thing because Jesus makes the same promise. Verse 28, I will give you rest. Verse 29,12700:12:58,400 –> 00:13:03,520you will find rest for your soul. It’s the same promise, and therefore when he’s describing what12800:13:03,520 –> 00:13:11,039we are to do he is describing the same thing in two different ways. One way of saying what we have12900:13:11,039 –> 00:13:15,760to do to find rest is that we are to come to Christ. Another way of saying the same13000:13:15,760 –> 00:13:22,479thing is that we are to commit to Christ or to take his yoke upon us. Coming to Christ,13100:13:23,039 –> 00:13:28,719in other words, involves taking his yoke upon you. These are not two different things,13200:13:28,719 –> 00:13:32,719that could be like separated as different stages on the Christian journey. They’re two13300:13:32,719 –> 00:13:41,039ways of expressing what Jesus is inviting us to do in truly embracing him by faith today.13400:13:42,400 –> 00:13:48,159Take my yoke upon you. Now the yoke, of course, was simply a wooden beam that tied two animals13500:13:48,159 –> 00:13:53,599together, typically when they were dragging a plough, and in order to ensure that the two13600:13:53,599 –> 00:13:58,159of them worked effectively together the beam of wood that was shaped for the neck of13700:13:58,159 –> 00:14:04,559the two animals was placed upon both of them to ensure that they worked in tandem. Yoked.13800:14:05,840 –> 00:14:13,119By the way, be very careful who you get yoked to.13900:14:14,099 –> 00:14:24,679because what lies in them will lay itself on you and you will feel its weight.14000:14:26,679 –> 00:14:34,200this is very important in friendship it is very important in business it is supremely14100:14:34,200 –> 00:14:46,200important in thinking about marriage you ask the question what am i tying myself to here14200:14:46,960 –> 00:14:58,960now jesus says take my yoke upon you bind yourself to me walk with me coming to christ14300:14:59,700 –> 00:15:09,700Christ taking your yoke on you that’s not just a passing experience it’s a way of life14400:15:16,679 –> 00:15:20,359it is to learn of him pace yourself by him follow the pattern14500:15:21,080 –> 00:15:26,780by the way the idea that you can have Jesus as your savior without Jesus being14600:15:26,780 –> 00:15:31,659your Lord in some way you can come to him and have an eternally secure future14700:15:31,659 –> 00:15:36,919in heaven but that it can make no actual practical difference to your life is a14800:15:36,919 –> 00:15:41,200figment of the imagination that does nothing other than make unrepentant14900:15:41,200 –> 00:15:46,000sinners more comfortable in their continued rebellion against God it15000:15:46,000 –> 00:15:50,179appeal this idea that Jesus can be your savior without Jesus being your Lord15100:15:51,119 –> 00:15:56,500it appeals to the self-obsession of the boomer generation you won’t find15200:15:56,500 –> 00:16:01,239anything like it in the Bible it was reading this week I thought he stated15300:16:01,239 –> 00:16:08,799it so well Dr. Jim Packard he was writing in 1991 and he says this15400:16:08,799 –> 00:16:19,000if 10 years ago you had told me that I would live to see literate evangelicals15500:16:19,000 –> 00:16:25,599some with doctorates and a seminary teaching record arguing for the reality15600:16:25,599 –> 00:16:30,260of an eternal salvation divinely guaranteed that may have in it no15700:16:30,260 –> 00:16:36,119repentance no discipleship no behavioral change no practical acknowledgement of15800:16:36,119 –> 00:16:41,580Christ as Lord of one’s life and no perseverance in faith you told me ten15900:16:41,580 –> 00:16:46,280years ago he says that I would live to see that in evangelical churches I would16000:16:46,539 –> 00:16:52,919told you you were out of your mind and then he adds a bit I liked stark16100:16:52,919 –> 00:17:00,280staring bonkers as the British phrase I would probably have used but now the16200:17:00,280 –> 00:17:09,520thing has happened and he has one word he says Wow16300:17:10,300 –> 00:17:19,079my yoke upon you now you may be saying at this point now whoa whoa wait a16400:17:19,079 –> 00:17:23,439minute this is now beginning to sound like it’s going to be tough and you16500:17:23,439 –> 00:17:27,099might be saying well I connected a few moments ago when you were talking about16600:17:27,099 –> 00:17:30,959weary and burden and heavy laden now it sounds like you’re telling me that16700:17:30,959 –> 00:17:37,500Jesus wants to put a great yoke round my neck let me ask you do you think your16800:17:37,500 –> 00:17:43,439life would be easier without Jesus Christ do you really think that the God16900:17:43,439 –> 00:17:50,459of heaven and earth wants above everything else to lay a massive burden17000:17:50,459 –> 00:17:55,760on you is that what you think about God17100:17:56,859 –> 00:18:01,239friend if that is what you think about God you have never seen the glory of God17200:18:01,239 –> 00:18:07,859in the face of Jesus Christ to comes to lift burdens and if you think that17300:18:07,859 –> 00:18:11,599somehow your heart would be more free if you were not yoked to the Lord Jesus17400:18:11,599 –> 00:18:15,699Christ if you somehow have the idea that you would find more rest if you did not17500:18:15,699 –> 00:18:21,439bear this yoke I want you to hear what Jesus says he says take my yoke upon you17600:18:21,439 –> 00:18:30,959because I am gentle and I am humble in heart and my yoke is easy and my burden17700:18:30,959 –> 00:18:42,079is light it is the way of the sinner that is hard and think about this if you17800:18:42,079 –> 00:18:50,979are yoked to the Son of God what that means is that he pulls your17900:18:50,979 –> 00:18:57,839burden with you and can you imagine anything greater when you think about18000:18:57,859 –> 00:19:01,900the weight the load that you’re carrying in your life right now can you think of18100:19:01,900 –> 00:19:04,859anything greater can you think of anything better than to be yoked to the18200:19:04,859 –> 00:19:13,900Son of God and so we come to this great promise come to me and I will give you18300:19:13,900 –> 00:19:23,859rest take my yoke upon you and you will find rest for your soul18400:19:24,560 –> 00:19:31,239by the way rest doesn’t mean sleep some of us need sleep but not all of us and18500:19:31,239 –> 00:19:35,939certainly not all of the time so we’re not talking about Tylenol P.M. here that’s18600:19:35,939 –> 00:19:46,119not what’s at issue Christ calls us to an active life he’s not sending us to18700:19:46,119 –> 00:19:51,219sleep here’s what he’s saying he’s saying now you bring your wounds you18800:19:51,219 –> 00:19:55,560bring your hurts you bring your fears you bring your burdens you bring your18900:19:55,560 –> 00:20:00,079load you bring your regrets you bring your disappointments you bring your19000:20:00,079 –> 00:20:05,160anxieties you bring your inadequacies you bring your pressures you bring your19100:20:05,160 –> 00:20:15,739perplexities you come as you are you bring the whole lot to me now today and19200:20:15,739 –> 00:20:20,640I will give you a peace that passes understanding as you yoke yourself to me19300:20:20,640 –> 00:20:27,319you will find a Eham yoked to you and we will pull this burden together and you19400:20:27,319 –> 00:20:34,099will find rest for your soul I will give you this rest he says I’ll give it to19500:20:34,099 –> 00:20:37,599you no we live in a culture where everything19600:20:37,599 –> 00:20:45,199seems to be a process this isn’t a process this is a gift it’s not like a19700:20:45,199 –> 00:20:48,979prescription it’s not like a formula that you can get dispensed in a hundred19800:20:48,979 –> 00:20:54,660different places he’s saying you come to me and I will give you this gift you19900:20:54,660 –> 00:21:00,660drawn near to me you bring what is weighing on you to me today and I will20000:21:00,660 –> 00:21:07,540give you my peace my peace I give to him and you notice he uses the word you will20100:21:07,540 –> 00:21:13,800find rest for your souls he’s talking experience here20200:21:14,160 –> 00:21:20,420one more quote and were through Bishop Ryl was always so helpful he says on20300:21:20,420 –> 00:21:31,699this rest like this is the privilege of all believers in Christ some know more20400:21:31,699 –> 00:21:37,839of it and some less some feel it only at distant intervals20500:21:37,880 –> 00:21:46,079and some feel it almost always few enjoy the sense of it without many a battle20600:21:46,079 –> 00:21:53,079with unbelief and many a conflict with fear but all who truly come to Christ20700:21:53,079 –> 00:22:01,920knows something off this rest well I know something of it as you do if you’re20800:22:02,079 –> 00:22:10,439Christ who I need to know a lot more of it and probably you feel that you do too20900:22:10,439 –> 00:22:18,339and I cannot think of a better way for us to use the weight the load the21000:22:18,339 –> 00:22:29,479burdens that we carry but to see them as a reason for coming to Christ a reason21100:22:29,560 –> 00:22:33,920for every day this week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday and every week in21200:22:33,920 –> 00:22:38,219every month this year and on through the days that lie ahead of us for me to get21300:22:38,219 –> 00:22:44,880up in the morning and to say I am yoked to Jesus Christ I’m gonna walk in his21400:22:44,880 –> 00:22:51,000ways with the help of his Spirit going to seek to live and to walk and to move21500:22:51,000 –> 00:22:57,619in a way that is in step with what he is doing in my life and I am going to be so21600:22:57,640 –> 00:23:05,719thankful that he pulls this Lord with me because the greatest privilege of my21700:23:05,719 –> 00:23:15,060life is to be yoked to the Son of God that’s a wonderful invitation to come to21800:23:15,060 –> 00:23:21,160Jesus with our burden put it down and receive what Jesus offers us you’ve been21900:23:21,160 –> 00:23:25,160listening to Open the Bible with pastor Colin Smith and a message called Jesus22000:23:25,640 –> 00:23:28,780you rest if you ever miss one of our messages don’t22100:23:28,780 –> 00:23:32,800forget it’s easy to catch up or go back and listen again online at our website22200:23:32,800 –> 00:23:39,260open the Bible.org.uk you can also find Pastor Collins messages in22300:23:39,260 –> 00:23:44,239podcast format on all the main podcast sites you can find them by searching on22400:23:44,239 –> 00:23:50,219the podcast site for open the Bible UK or by following a link from our website22500:23:50,219 –> 00:23:54,800open the Bible is supported by our listeners and we’re extremely grateful22600:23:54,819 –> 00:23:59,719for the financial support we receive here’s open the Bible’s Amanda Cunningham22700:23:59,719 –> 00:24:03,959to talk about this month’s offer for anyone who’s able to begin supporting22800:24:03,959 –> 00:24:09,959Open the Bible financially thanks David yes this month we are delighted to offer22900:24:09,959 –> 00:24:16,520you two free copies of Christmas stories by Colin Smith a beautifully23000:24:16,520 –> 00:24:20,939illustrated book that tells the Christmas story through five key23100:24:20,939 –> 00:24:26,859characters including Mary Joseph and the angel Gabriel you’ll also receive23200:24:26,859 –> 00:24:31,760five exclusive Christmas cards featuring artwork from the book perfect for23300:24:31,760 –> 00:24:37,099sharing the true meaning of Christmas it’s our free thank you gift when you23400:24:37,099 –> 00:24:42,239donate fifty pounds or more or set up a new direct debit of just five pounds a23500:24:42,239 –> 00:24:46,680month but please don’t forget to leave your address so that we can post your23600:24:47,099 –> 00:24:52,319thanks amanda we’re very grateful to God for the many open the Bible listeners23700:24:52,319 –> 00:24:57,420who support the work if you’d like to join them head over to our website open23800:24:57,420 –> 00:25:02,959the Bible org UK where you can give online and find full terms and23900:25:02,959 –> 00:25:08,260conditions for our offer this month for open the Bible pastor Colin Smith I’m24000:25:08,439 –> 00:25:17,959David Pick and I hope you’ll join us again soon24100:25:17,959 –> 00:25:23,160have you ever wondered exactly how a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ24200:25:23,160 –> 00:25:28,180find out next time on open the Bible

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Get two free copies of Christmas Stories by Colin Smith, and five exclusive Christmas cards, when you setup a monthly gift of at least £5, or a one-off gift of at least £50…

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Colin Smith

Trustee / Founder and Teaching Pastor

Colin Smith is the Senior Pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He has authored a number of books, including Heaven, How I Got Here and Heaven, So Near – So Far. Colin is the Founder and Teaching Pastor for Open the Bible. Follow him on X formerly Twitter.

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When Jesus makes a commitment, you can be certain that he will keep it. What can you be sure of in this uncertain world? The promises of Jesus. Examine seven things that Jesus has said he will do. As you take hold of these promises for yourself and focus on what you can know for

Colin Smith

A Fresh Look at the Christmas Story

Immerse yourself in Christmas Stories by Pastor Colin Smith. This new book retells the nativity from the viewpoints of five memorable biblical characters.

For new advent ideas this Christmas, sign up now to receive our Advent Resources Pack— a sermon series outline, Bible study guide, a nativity drama script and customisable artwork. 

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