100:00:00,880 –> 00:00:05,800If surgery is going save my life, then I’m200:00:05,800 –> 00:00:12,400going to be grateful for it but I will avoid it if I can. Won’t you? Give me the300:00:12,400 –> 00:00:16,000non-invasive. And if I can’t get the non-invasive, give400:00:16,000 –> 00:00:24,200me the minimally invasive. I want to suggest to you that, by nature, we think500:00:24,200 –> 00:00:29,959the same way about faith. Welcome to Open the Bible with pastor Colin Smith.600:00:30,420 –> 00:00:36,240Hi, David Pick. Thanks for joining us today and Colin I think that may be the first time I’ve heard faith in Christ700:00:36,240 –> 00:00:40,660compared to a medical procedure but it is a clear picture which helps us800:00:40,680 –> 00:00:46,700understand that a saving faith in Jesus is invasive. It will change us.900:00:46,700 –> 00:00:51,160Yeah that’s exactly right. We began last time on the program looking at this1000:00:51,160 –> 00:00:56,439marvellous promise of Jesus. I will not leave you as orphans and how if Jesus1100:00:56,459 –> 00:01:00,860had not risen from the dead the disciples would have had his teaching,1200:01:00,860 –> 00:01:05,120they would have had his example. And you know there’s a version of Christianity1300:01:05,120 –> 00:01:08,220that’s just about making a massive effort to follow the teaching and1400:01:08,239 –> 00:01:12,660example of Jesus and we’re saying that is not the Christian faith.1500:01:12,660 –> 00:01:16,120That’s not very different to many other religions it’s just a different teacher.1600:01:16,120 –> 00:01:20,660That’s exactly right and here is the difference with our Lord Jesus that he1700:01:20,660 –> 00:01:24,440says, I will come to you. The gift of the Holy Spirit. Now that’s where the1800:01:24,459 –> 00:01:29,720invasive bit comes in, because the Holy Spirit the life of God himself actually1900:01:29,720 –> 00:01:35,199coming in to the life of a Christian believer. So I just want to say to2000:01:35,199 –> 00:01:39,620everyone listening, if you have the idea that Christianity is simply about you2100:01:39,620 –> 00:01:43,720making a great effort to follow the example of Jesus and the teaching of2200:01:43,720 –> 00:01:46,779Jesus, it is so much more, it is so much better.2300:01:46,779 –> 00:01:52,500It is the life of God coming into you by the Holy Spirit and that is transforming.2400:01:52,620 –> 00:01:56,860So that’s what today’s broadcast is all about, so join us if you can in John2500:01:56,860 –> 00:02:03,300chapter 14 as we continue the message Jesus Will Remain With You. Here’s Colin.2600:02:03,379 –> 00:02:11,619A faith that draws inspiration from Jesus, that latches on to His teaching and2700:02:11,639 –> 00:02:19,800commends its principles, but does not depend on him actually being there,2800:02:19,800 –> 00:02:27,479and I call that orphan faith. And folks, I have to tell you it’s important to2900:02:27,479 –> 00:02:34,139understand this, that orphan faith has massive appeal and is widely subscribed3000:02:34,139 –> 00:02:39,800to in our culture. It is basically a personalized faith, custom-built from3100:02:39,800 –> 00:02:44,139selected words and actions of Jesus that seem meaningful to the individual today.3200:02:44,139 –> 00:02:48,500You sort of take what you find helpful from words that Jesus said here and3300:02:48,500 –> 00:02:54,479there, and you adopt it into your life. Orphan faith does not need a living3400:02:54,479 –> 00:03:02,899Christ. Orphan faith brings a man or a woman under no obligation to a living3500:03:02,899 –> 00:03:09,419Christ. That’s why it’s so popular you see, and our culture is full of this kind3600:03:09,419 –> 00:03:17,660of faith. If you could have just a good job, a good wife or husband, a couple of3700:03:17,660 –> 00:03:24,119good kids, a nice car, long weekends, a few good friends, a fun retirement, a quick3800:03:24,119 –> 00:03:32,259and easy death, and no hell, would you be satisfied? Would you settle for that? You3900:03:32,259 –> 00:03:35,559see there are folks all over our country with an orphan kind of faith who’d say4000:03:35,559 –> 00:03:41,960that’s fine. That’s everything I want right there. But now they are disciples.4100:03:41,960 –> 00:03:47,440Disciples of Jesus, when he’s about to be taken from them, they’re not looking at4200:03:47,440 –> 00:03:51,279each other and saying, well Jesus is gone now, but at least we’ve got each other.4300:03:51,279 –> 00:03:56,419They’re not saying Jesus is gone now, but hey, we can still have ministry and4400:03:56,419 –> 00:04:01,440change the world. They’re not saying hey, Jesus is gone now but we can still have4500:04:01,779 –> 00:04:11,080a prosperous life. No, there is only one thing that will satisfy these men and4600:04:11,080 –> 00:04:19,640that is the presence of Christ with them. Jesus says to them, I will not leave4700:04:19,640 –> 00:04:28,540you as orphans. I will come to you. I will come to you. Notice he doesn’t say,4800:04:28,540 –> 00:04:33,579you will not be orphans. He says, I will not leave you as orphans. This is the4900:04:33,579 –> 00:04:39,100promise of the resurrection. See what Jesus is saying, I’m going to die.5000:04:39,100 –> 00:04:43,820You will go through this orphan experience, but it will not end there.5100:04:43,820 –> 00:04:47,380I will not leave you there. You won’t spend the rest of your life armed only5200:04:47,380 –> 00:04:50,720with my teaching and with my example. I will rise from the dead,5300:04:50,720 –> 00:04:56,059I will come to you. This is the heart of true Christianity. It is so different5400:04:56,079 –> 00:05:01,760from the orphan faith. The great promise of the gospel, folks,5500:05:01,760 –> 00:05:09,100is Jesus Christ himself. I will come to you. Christ being taken from them was what5600:05:09,100 –> 00:05:13,339was making them orphans, only Christ returning to them was able to restore5700:05:13,339 –> 00:05:17,519what was being lost. So, Jesus doesn’t say, look, I’m going to be taken from you,5800:05:17,519 –> 00:05:20,839but it’s okay, you still got forgiveness, you still got heaven.5900:05:20,839 –> 00:05:25,260No, he doesn’t say that because no number of gifts could replace the presence6000:05:25,299 –> 00:05:30,079of Jesus in their lives. This is the promise, I will come to you.6100:05:30,079 –> 00:05:35,940And if Christ is with you, then you have every spiritual blessing in him.6200:05:35,940 –> 00:05:40,279If you do not have Christ, then no blessing that you have in your6300:05:40,279 –> 00:05:43,880life will be of ultimate or eternal value.6400:05:46,019 –> 00:05:51,739Now, that takes us to a very important question. Jesus promises the supreme gift6500:05:51,739 –> 00:05:55,619of his presence. And the question, I think, for us6600:05:55,619 –> 00:06:01,739then is, how do we know the presence of Jesus in our lives?6700:06:01,739 –> 00:06:06,700In what way, when he says, I will come to you, in what way is he with us?6800:06:06,700 –> 00:06:15,500How does Jesus actually come to us? Jesus said to the disciples,6900:06:15,500 –> 00:06:19,899I will come to you, and obviously, he fulfilled that at Easter.7000:06:19,940 –> 00:06:24,940But then after Easter, he returned to the Father, in Heaven.7100:06:24,940 –> 00:06:28,220And so now, the resurrection life of the Lord Jesus Christ7200:06:28,220 –> 00:06:32,140is communicated to us by the Holy Spirit.7300:06:32,140 –> 00:06:35,100And that is why it’s so important that the promise of the resurrection7400:06:35,100 –> 00:06:40,739in verse 18, is linked to the promise of the Holy Spirit7500:06:40,739 –> 00:06:43,779that is given to us in verse 16. Look at what Jesus says7600:06:43,779 –> 00:06:48,459about the Holy Spirit. He says, I will ask of the Father,7700:06:48,459 –> 00:06:53,140and He will give you another Counselor, another Counselor.7800:06:53,140 –> 00:06:57,040See the disciples of Jesus as their Counselor already.7900:06:57,040 –> 00:07:00,859And when Jesus says another Counselor, what He’s saying is8000:07:00,859 –> 00:07:05,320that the Father will give one who will be to the disciples8100:07:05,320 –> 00:07:08,779all that Jesus has been to them and will do8200:07:08,779 –> 00:07:12,299for the disciples all that Jesus has done for them.8300:07:12,299 –> 00:07:14,619And then He tells us right here in this verse8400:07:14,720 –> 00:07:16,380who this other Counselor is.8500:07:30,380 –> 00:07:33,220Now I want you to notice one more thing here.8600:07:33,220 –> 00:07:36,299In verse 23, if you look down there,8700:07:36,299 –> 00:07:38,739that having spoken about the gift of the Holy Spirit,8800:07:38,739 –> 00:07:40,880Jesus then adds this.8900:07:40,920 –> 00:07:42,320He says,9000:07:42,320 –> 00:07:47,320”If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.”9100:07:48,320 –> 00:07:53,320”My Father will love him, and we,’9200:07:53,739 –> 00:07:56,100that is the Father and the Son,9300:07:56,100 –> 00:08:01,100”will come to him and make our home with him.”9400:08:01,399 –> 00:08:05,179So having given the promise of the Holy Spirit,9500:08:05,179 –> 00:08:08,440Jesus is now explaining exactly9600:08:08,540 –> 00:08:12,160what happens when the Holy Spirit comes into your life.9700:08:13,279 –> 00:08:15,519When the Holy Spirit comes into your life,9800:08:15,519 –> 00:08:19,380he brings the presence of God,9900:08:19,380 –> 00:08:21,920the presence of the Father and the Son10000:08:21,920 –> 00:08:25,160to be with you and in you by the Holy Spirit.10100:08:25,160 –> 00:08:27,519This is how Jesus Christ is with us.10200:08:27,519 –> 00:08:29,339The Bible talks on a number of occasions10300:08:29,339 –> 00:08:32,440about Christ living in our hearts.10400:08:32,440 –> 00:08:34,859Ephesians chapter three and verse 17,10500:08:34,880 –> 00:08:39,140Paul prayed that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.10600:08:39,140 –> 00:08:41,580Colossians chapter one and verse 27,10700:08:41,580 –> 00:08:46,340Paul speaks about Christ in you, the hope of glory.10800:08:46,340 –> 00:08:47,260But wait a minute,10900:08:47,260 –> 00:08:50,440Christ is at the right hand of the Father in heaven.11000:08:50,440 –> 00:08:52,479So how can Christ be in you?11100:08:52,479 –> 00:08:56,599The answer is that Jesus Christ is truly in you11200:08:56,599 –> 00:08:59,200by the presence of his Spirit,11300:08:59,200 –> 00:09:04,200the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit of God.11400:09:04,380 –> 00:09:06,479So here is this wonderful truth11500:09:06,479 –> 00:09:10,559that Jesus gives us as the great promise of his presence.11600:09:10,559 –> 00:09:13,619The Lord Jesus Christ ascends to the right hand11700:09:13,619 –> 00:09:15,320of the Father in heaven,11800:09:15,320 –> 00:09:20,320but he is present with all his people by the Holy Spirit.11900:09:22,780 –> 00:09:26,140I’ll come to you he says through the resurrection,12000:09:27,000 –> 00:09:30,520but I will remain with you forever.12100:09:30,520 –> 00:09:35,520How? By the Holy Spirit.12200:09:36,059 –> 00:09:39,539So folks, the promise of Jesus about the resurrection12300:09:39,539 –> 00:09:41,719and the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ12400:09:41,719 –> 00:09:43,859about the Holy Spirit12500:09:43,859 –> 00:09:47,659is central to authentic Christianity,12600:09:47,659 –> 00:09:49,440no true Christianity without them.12700:09:50,419 –> 00:09:52,500And you know, there are many folks12800:09:52,500 –> 00:09:55,080who have been in church for years12900:09:55,080 –> 00:09:57,020and they’re familiar with the Creed13000:09:57,239 –> 00:10:00,960and they believe that Jesus was God13100:10:00,960 –> 00:10:02,039and that he was man13200:10:02,039 –> 00:10:04,460and that he died and that he rose.13300:10:05,539 –> 00:10:10,260But somehow this belief always remains outside of them.13400:10:12,119 –> 00:10:14,979It never actually changes them.13500:10:14,979 –> 00:10:16,179Do you know what I mean?13600:10:18,239 –> 00:10:23,239They have what I’m going to call a non-invasive faith.13700:10:27,200 –> 00:10:30,520Let me just explain what I mean by that to you.13800:10:30,520 –> 00:10:32,119Suppose you go to the doctor13900:10:33,080 –> 00:10:35,359and suppose the doctor diagnoses in you14000:10:35,359 –> 00:10:39,619some serious condition and the doctor says to you,14100:10:39,619 –> 00:10:42,080well, now you’re gonna need treatment14200:10:42,080 –> 00:10:44,020and there are two ways we can go here.14300:10:45,099 –> 00:10:47,140The first he says to you is surgery,14400:10:48,960 –> 00:10:51,080but then he says there’s an alternative treatment14500:10:51,080 –> 00:10:56,080that we can offer here and he says it is noninvasive.14600:10:56,280 –> 00:10:57,099Now, I’ll tell you,14700:10:57,099 –> 00:10:58,760if I’m listening to the doctor right now,14800:10:58,760 –> 00:11:01,780I’m really listening up to the second option aren’t you?14900:11:01,780 –> 00:11:02,719Absolutely.15000:11:03,840 –> 00:11:05,219I don’t know about you,15100:11:06,239 –> 00:11:10,320but the idea to me of someone knocking me out cold15200:11:10,320 –> 00:11:12,679and then taking a scalpel in his hand15300:11:12,679 –> 00:11:14,340and I hardly know the man15400:11:14,340 –> 00:11:18,260and he’s cutting me open to do surgery on me.15500:11:18,260 –> 00:11:21,299Boy, if surgery is gonna save my life15600:11:21,299 –> 00:11:23,640then I’m gonna be grateful for it.15700:11:23,679 –> 00:11:26,359But I will avoid it if I can, won’t you?15800:11:27,440 –> 00:11:29,960Give me the non-invasive15900:11:29,960 –> 00:11:31,619and if I can’t get the non-invasive,16000:11:31,619 –> 00:11:35,099give me the minimally invasive.16100:11:35,099 –> 00:11:39,679Now folks, I want to suggest to you that by nature,16200:11:40,599 –> 00:11:43,099we think the same way about faith.16300:11:44,200 –> 00:11:47,280Just as many people are drawn to orphan faith16400:11:47,280 –> 00:11:49,799that takes inspiration from the example of Jesus16500:11:49,799 –> 00:11:52,960but doesn’t actually depend on him being there16600:11:52,979 –> 00:11:55,140because it brings no obligation to Christ16700:11:55,140 –> 00:11:57,419nor any dependence upon Christ,16800:11:57,419 –> 00:12:01,619there are many who opt for a minimally invasive16900:12:01,619 –> 00:12:03,859or non-invasive faith.17000:12:04,919 –> 00:12:07,000They agree that Jesus rose from the dead,17100:12:07,000 –> 00:12:08,320they recite the creed,17200:12:08,320 –> 00:12:11,619but somehow this faith remains outside of them.17300:12:12,719 –> 00:12:14,320And if an orphan faith is a faith17400:12:14,320 –> 00:12:15,880that draws inspiration from Jesus17500:12:15,880 –> 00:12:18,080but does not depend on him actually being there,17600:12:18,080 –> 00:12:21,039a non-invasive faith is a faith17700:12:21,080 –> 00:12:23,119that affirms the truth about Jesus17800:12:23,119 –> 00:12:27,280but does not cut into the very fiber of everyday life.17900:12:28,619 –> 00:12:29,960And there are thousands of people18000:12:29,960 –> 00:12:31,619who live with that kind of faith.18100:12:32,640 –> 00:12:35,159A faith that affirms the truth about Jesus18200:12:35,159 –> 00:12:38,679but it does not cut into the fiber18300:12:38,679 –> 00:12:40,559of your everyday life,18400:12:40,559 –> 00:12:42,500it is non-invasive,18500:12:42,500 –> 00:12:43,760it’s external to you,18600:12:43,760 –> 00:12:45,820it’s just something that I believe,18700:12:45,820 –> 00:12:46,820it’s out there.18800:12:48,559 –> 00:12:50,320Now if you recognize that at all,18900:12:50,320 –> 00:12:53,159I draw your attention to verse 1719000:12:53,159 –> 00:12:54,719and the words that Jesus says19100:12:54,719 –> 00:12:57,059about the Holy Spirit here19200:12:57,059 –> 00:12:58,799because they are quite extraordinary.19300:12:58,799 –> 00:13:00,479He says to the disciples,19400:13:00,479 –> 00:13:01,320you know him,19500:13:01,320 –> 00:13:03,080he’s talking about the Holy Spirit,19600:13:03,080 –> 00:13:08,080for he lives with you19700:13:09,440 –> 00:13:12,719and will be in you.19800:13:12,719 –> 00:13:17,000Folks that is invasive in the extreme isn’t it?19900:13:17,000 –> 00:13:18,400The Holy Spirit,20000:13:18,400 –> 00:13:19,719he won’t just come and visit you,20100:13:19,760 –> 00:13:22,419he’ll live with you.20200:13:22,419 –> 00:13:25,039He’ll set up home in your life20300:13:25,039 –> 00:13:28,099and not only will he live with you,20400:13:28,099 –> 00:13:30,599Jesus says he will be in you,20500:13:30,599 –> 00:13:33,299you can’t get more invasive than that,20600:13:33,299 –> 00:13:34,520you really can’t.20700:13:36,580 –> 00:13:40,559Jesus is saying he will make his home with us20800:13:40,559 –> 00:13:43,820in our lives until the day,20900:13:43,820 –> 00:13:45,719I’ll look at God willing,21000:13:45,820 –> 00:13:49,960next week when we make our home with him.21100:13:51,419 –> 00:13:55,400What does a non-invasive faith do for you, really?21200:13:57,539 –> 00:13:59,979You say that you believe that Jesus is God and man,21300:13:59,979 –> 00:14:01,960that he died and that he rose again,21400:14:01,960 –> 00:14:04,820but it never really makes a transforming difference21500:14:04,820 –> 00:14:06,940in your life, you say you believe these things,21600:14:06,940 –> 00:14:09,520the devil knows these things, the Bible says so.21700:14:11,780 –> 00:14:14,260What comfort is a non-invasive faith21800:14:14,260 –> 00:14:16,419to you and your suffering?21900:14:16,419 –> 00:14:18,739What strength is a non-invasive faith22000:14:18,739 –> 00:14:20,900to you to face the world today?22100:14:20,900 –> 00:14:22,299Listen to what Jesus says.22200:14:22,299 –> 00:14:23,500Here’s Christianity.22300:14:23,500 –> 00:14:24,859I will come to you.22400:14:26,840 –> 00:14:28,859We will make our home with you.22500:14:30,179 –> 00:14:35,179The Holy Spirit will be with you and in you.22600:14:35,559 –> 00:14:37,460That is authentic Christianity.22700:14:37,460 –> 00:14:39,419And then Jesus says, verse 19,22800:14:39,419 –> 00:14:42,700because I live, you will live also.22900:14:42,739 –> 00:14:46,219So remember this, that the Lord Jesus Christ23000:14:46,219 –> 00:14:49,859gave himself for us on the cross.23100:14:49,859 –> 00:14:54,039The Lord Jesus Christ gives himself to us,23200:14:54,039 –> 00:14:58,580present tense, by the Holy Spirit.23300:14:58,580 –> 00:14:59,919You’re listening to Open The Bible23400:14:59,919 –> 00:15:01,200with Pastor Colin Smith,23500:15:01,200 –> 00:15:04,659and a message called Jesus Will Remain With You,23600:15:04,659 –> 00:15:06,719part of our series Rock Solid,23700:15:06,719 –> 00:15:09,140Seven Promises Christ Makes To You.23800:15:09,140 –> 00:15:10,940And if you ever miss one of the programs,23900:15:10,940 –> 00:15:12,260you can easily catch up24000:15:12,320 –> 00:15:14,580or go back and listen again online24100:15:14,580 –> 00:15:18,859at our website, openthibible.org.uk.24200:15:18,859 –> 00:15:19,919Back to the message now,24300:15:19,919 –> 00:15:22,000we’re in John chapter 14.24400:15:22,000 –> 00:15:23,500Here again is Colin.24500:15:23,500 –> 00:15:26,799Remember this, that the Lord Jesus Christ24600:15:26,799 –> 00:15:30,419gave himself for us on the cross.24700:15:30,419 –> 00:15:34,640The Lord Jesus Christ gives himself to us,24800:15:34,640 –> 00:15:38,299present tense, by the Holy Spirit.24900:15:38,299 –> 00:15:41,539And we participate in all that he has accomplished,25000:15:41,659 –> 00:15:43,719and in everything that he is for us,25100:15:43,719 –> 00:15:47,140we have his presence by the Holy Spirit,25200:15:47,140 –> 00:15:49,500who Jesus says will be with you,25300:15:49,500 –> 00:15:52,940and will be in you.25400:15:52,940 –> 00:15:55,260Folks, you see what a marvelous gift this is.25500:15:56,659 –> 00:15:59,500Sometimes folks say, have you heard this said,25600:15:59,500 –> 00:16:01,739folks have said this many times to me,25700:16:01,739 –> 00:16:03,659if only I could actually just see Jesus,25800:16:03,659 –> 00:16:04,780if only it was here25900:16:04,780 –> 00:16:06,979and I could just talk to him in the flesh26000:16:07,940 –> 00:16:09,640and how marvelous that would be and so forth.26100:16:09,640 –> 00:16:11,520Well I imagine what that would be.26200:16:11,520 –> 00:16:14,340Really, if the Lord Jesus was still26300:16:14,340 –> 00:16:16,960in the flesh in this world,26400:16:17,780 –> 00:16:18,859if he was in Jerusalem,26500:16:18,859 –> 00:16:20,859how many thousand dollars would it take you to go?26600:16:20,859 –> 00:16:21,700Do you have that money?26700:16:21,700 –> 00:16:23,039How many times could you go?26800:16:23,039 –> 00:16:25,679How many Christians would never be able to go there?26900:16:27,340 –> 00:16:29,020And let’s suppose just for a moment27000:16:29,020 –> 00:16:34,020that he located himself right here in Arlington Heights.27100:16:34,179 –> 00:16:35,559Can you imagine that?27200:16:35,559 –> 00:16:38,400I mean with a third of the world’s population27300:16:38,460 –> 00:16:41,580in some way claiming faith in Jesus Christ.27400:16:41,580 –> 00:16:44,719They’re going to have to multiply the size of O’Hare Airport27500:16:44,719 –> 00:16:46,419and you’re going to have to stand in line,27600:16:46,419 –> 00:16:48,739not for hours, but for days and weeks27700:16:48,739 –> 00:16:51,880and maybe months to get one moment with Jesus Christ.27800:16:51,880 –> 00:16:56,460And then 99.99% of the rest of your life27900:16:56,460 –> 00:16:59,659is going to be lived without the presence of Jesus.28000:16:59,659 –> 00:17:01,799So Jesus says as to your advantage,28100:17:01,799 –> 00:17:05,079I’m going to the Father and I will give you the spirit28200:17:05,199 –> 00:17:10,199and He will live with you and be in you forever, forever.28300:17:20,479 –> 00:17:22,520So these are amazing promises, folks,28400:17:22,520 –> 00:17:26,579that are the very center of the good news of Jesus Christ,28500:17:26,579 –> 00:17:28,339the promise of the resurrection28600:17:28,339 –> 00:17:30,420and the promise of the Holy Spirit,28700:17:30,420 –> 00:17:33,099and these promises are for us.28800:17:34,060 –> 00:17:38,500Let me make these three applications in these last moments.28900:17:38,500 –> 00:17:40,619It’s try and take into our minds and our hearts,29000:17:40,619 –> 00:17:43,560if you’re a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ,29100:17:43,560 –> 00:17:45,319then these things are true of you.29200:17:45,319 –> 00:17:50,280Christ is with you and in you by the Holy Spirit,29300:17:50,280 –> 00:17:51,520and that means, friend,29400:17:51,520 –> 00:17:56,439that you are never, never, never alone.29500:17:56,439 –> 00:17:58,359There is no greater truth for you than this29600:17:58,359 –> 00:18:00,420when you experience loneliness,29700:18:00,420 –> 00:18:01,939when you feel that you are alone29800:18:01,939 –> 00:18:05,040as a believer in a crowd of folks who are antagonistic,29900:18:05,040 –> 00:18:08,680Jesus does not say, I will visit you from time to time,30000:18:10,060 –> 00:18:12,479Jesus says, I will make my home with you,30100:18:13,380 –> 00:18:16,540and Christ will be at home with you30200:18:16,540 –> 00:18:19,520until you are at home with him.30300:18:20,560 –> 00:18:22,900Christ is with you and then you buy the Holy Spirit.30400:18:22,900 –> 00:18:27,900That means that you are never, never, never alone.30500:18:28,359 –> 00:18:29,239He lives in you.30600:18:30,119 –> 00:18:32,939Second great application,30700:18:32,939 –> 00:18:36,939Christ is with you and in you by his Holy Spirit,30800:18:36,939 –> 00:18:40,219and that is the greatest incentive imaginable30900:18:40,219 –> 00:18:44,640for you and for me to pursue a holy life.31000:18:44,640 –> 00:18:46,099You know on one occasion31100:18:46,099 –> 00:18:48,939Paul was needing to correct some folks31200:18:48,939 –> 00:18:52,380in a church in Corinth who had opened the door31300:18:52,380 –> 00:18:54,939to flagrant sin, they had really indulged themselves31400:18:54,939 –> 00:18:57,140in sexual immorality.31500:18:58,040 –> 00:19:00,400And this is what Paul said,31600:19:00,400 –> 00:19:01,920this is how he applied the truth31700:19:01,920 –> 00:19:03,579to seek to bring them back.31800:19:04,780 –> 00:19:07,619He said don’t you know31900:19:08,880 –> 00:19:11,020that your body32000:19:12,099 –> 00:19:15,560is a temple of the Holy Spirit?32100:19:16,819 –> 00:19:21,459Therefore honor God with your body.32200:19:22,439 –> 00:19:23,619You think about this,32300:19:24,520 –> 00:19:26,640everywhere you go every day that you live,32400:19:27,319 –> 00:19:30,859the presence of Christ is with you.32500:19:31,739 –> 00:19:36,439Your body is a temple32600:19:36,439 –> 00:19:39,819of the Holy Spirit, God lives in.32700:19:41,180 –> 00:19:43,540Therefore honor God with your body.32800:19:43,540 –> 00:19:45,180That’s 1 Corinthians chapter six.32900:19:45,180 –> 00:19:46,780Could you imagine a greater incentive33000:19:46,780 –> 00:19:48,540to pursue a life of obedience?33100:19:48,540 –> 00:19:50,599You see how obedience comes up again and again33200:19:50,599 –> 00:19:52,640in what Jesus is saying to the disciples,33300:19:52,640 –> 00:19:54,599because it’s intimately connected33400:19:55,079 –> 00:19:57,880with this marvelous gift of the Holy Spirit33500:19:58,880 –> 00:20:02,099that Jesus promises to them and to you and to me.33600:20:02,959 –> 00:20:05,239And here’s a third application, it’s simply this.33700:20:05,239 –> 00:20:07,439Jesus Christ is with you33800:20:07,439 –> 00:20:09,479and he is in you by the Holy Spirit.33900:20:09,479 –> 00:20:13,040What that means is that you have strength for today.34000:20:13,040 –> 00:20:13,859You really do.34100:20:15,260 –> 00:20:17,160There is no greater truth that you need34200:20:17,160 –> 00:20:19,219when you feel absolutely washed out34300:20:19,219 –> 00:20:22,239and exhausted when you feel your strength is gone.34400:20:22,260 –> 00:20:26,459Listen, Christ is with you, Christ is in you.34500:20:26,459 –> 00:20:27,800He said I will never leave you.34600:20:27,800 –> 00:20:29,319I will never forsake you.34700:20:31,040 –> 00:20:32,400He says the Father and the Son34800:20:32,400 –> 00:20:36,959will make their home with you by the Holy Spirit.34900:20:39,040 –> 00:20:40,599There’s a beautiful ancient prayer.35000:20:40,599 –> 00:20:41,719Some of you will know this one.35100:20:41,719 –> 00:20:46,520It goes all the way back to about the year 40035200:20:46,520 –> 00:20:47,880and this is really old.35300:20:47,880 –> 00:20:50,119Back to St. Patrick and the days35400:20:50,119 –> 00:20:52,400when he took the gospel to Ireland.35500:20:53,839 –> 00:20:57,439It’s called St. Patrick’s Breastplate35600:20:57,439 –> 00:20:59,400and these are the words of his prayer.35700:20:59,400 –> 00:21:04,400It begins with the line I bind unto myself today35800:21:05,719 –> 00:21:09,599the strong name of the Trinity.35900:21:09,599 –> 00:21:12,800And then in the refrain, Patrick says this.36000:21:12,800 –> 00:21:17,020Christ be with me, Christ within me,36100:21:17,040 –> 00:21:21,020Christ behind me, Christ before me,36200:21:21,020 –> 00:21:24,900Christ beside me, Christ to win me,36300:21:24,900 –> 00:21:27,819Christ to comfort and restore me,36400:21:27,819 –> 00:21:31,060Christ beneath me, Christ above me,36500:21:31,060 –> 00:21:34,239Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,36600:21:34,239 –> 00:21:36,459Christ in hearts of all who love me,36700:21:36,459 –> 00:21:39,979Christ in mouth of friend and stranger,36800:21:39,979 –> 00:21:44,979I bind unto myself today, the strong name36900:21:47,119 –> 00:21:48,579of the Trinity.’37000:21:50,140 –> 00:21:52,020Boy you could face life,37100:21:53,540 –> 00:21:54,800if that’s true of you.37200:21:56,140 –> 00:22:00,280To bind Christ to you in every way,37300:22:00,280 –> 00:22:02,739in everything that you face.37400:22:04,219 –> 00:22:08,260So friends, why would you not give up orphan faith today?37500:22:09,839 –> 00:22:11,060Why would you not give up37600:22:11,060 –> 00:22:14,459and move beyond non-invasive faith today?37700:22:14,459 –> 00:22:16,359What does that hold for you?37800:22:17,800 –> 00:22:19,699Come to Christ crucified,37900:22:20,800 –> 00:22:22,420come to Christ risen,38000:22:23,819 –> 00:22:27,180Christ who gives the spirit to be with you38100:22:28,459 –> 00:22:31,280and in you forever.38200:22:32,540 –> 00:22:34,359What a great reminder there from Colin38300:22:34,359 –> 00:22:38,140that if we know Christ, we don’t have an orphan faith,38400:22:38,140 –> 00:22:39,979we have an invasive faith,38500:22:39,979 –> 00:22:42,819in which God himself makes his home in us38600:22:42,819 –> 00:22:46,380and transforms our lives from the inside out.38700:22:46,380 –> 00:22:47,939You’ve been listening to Open The Bible38800:22:47,939 –> 00:22:50,579with Pastor Colin Smith and a message called,38900:22:50,579 –> 00:22:52,739Jesus Will Remain With You.39000:22:52,739 –> 00:22:54,180It’s part of our series,39100:22:54,180 –> 00:22:57,699Rock Solid 7 Promises That Christ Makes to You,39200:22:57,699 –> 00:23:00,239and if you’ve missed any of the messages in the series,39300:23:00,239 –> 00:23:02,459you can catch up or go back and listen again39400:23:02,459 –> 00:23:07,459online at our website, openthebible.org.uk.39500:23:07,719 –> 00:23:10,979Open The Bible is supported financially by our listeners39600:23:10,979 –> 00:23:14,099and we’re very grateful for the support we receive.39700:23:14,099 –> 00:23:16,780If that’s something you’d like to begin to do,39800:23:16,780 –> 00:23:18,459this month, if you’re able to begin39900:23:18,459 –> 00:23:22,339a new direct debit of £5 per month or more40000:23:22,339 –> 00:23:25,180or a one-off gift of £50 or more,40100:23:25,180 –> 00:23:26,479we’d love to say, thank you,40200:23:26,479 –> 00:23:29,780by sending you two copies of Pastor Colin’s book,40300:23:29,780 –> 00:23:33,719Christmas Stories and also five beautiful Christmas cards40400:23:33,719 –> 00:23:36,300based on the illustrations from the book.40500:23:36,300 –> 00:23:39,660Colin, what are some of the ways we can use this book?40600:23:39,660 –> 00:23:41,739It’s designed really to be read40700:23:41,859 –> 00:23:44,119with family or friends at Christmas.40800:23:44,119 –> 00:23:47,540If you picture being with friends our family40900:23:47,540 –> 00:23:49,380and someone says,41000:23:49,380 –> 00:23:52,739why don’t we read one of the Christmas stories?41100:23:52,739 –> 00:23:57,000And here’s a short version of the Christmas story41200:23:57,000 –> 00:23:59,260seen through the eyes of the angel Gabriel41300:23:59,260 –> 00:24:02,160or Mary or Joseph or Simeon or Herod.41400:24:02,160 –> 00:24:05,380You could read one of these easily in 10 minutes41500:24:05,380 –> 00:24:08,619and all of them get to the heart of the gospel.41600:24:08,619 –> 00:24:09,839That’s what we’ve wanted to do,41700:24:10,000 –> 00:24:13,380to give people a resource that you could use41800:24:13,380 –> 00:24:15,780with your family or your friends41900:24:15,780 –> 00:24:18,540to read part of the Christmas story42000:24:18,540 –> 00:24:21,719so that the gospel of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ42100:24:21,719 –> 00:24:24,079will be clear to your family and your friends.42200:24:24,079 –> 00:24:26,479Very simple, and it’s beautifully presented.42300:24:26,479 –> 00:24:28,319The team has done a marvelous job42400:24:28,319 –> 00:24:30,560in putting these Christmas stories together.42500:24:30,560 –> 00:24:33,119Well, we’d love to send you two copies of this book42600:24:33,119 –> 00:24:35,880along with the five beautiful Christmas cards42700:24:35,880 –> 00:24:39,239if you were able to begin setting up a new direct debit42800:24:39,239 –> 00:24:41,040to the work of Open the Bible42900:24:41,040 –> 00:24:43,660for five pounds per month or more43000:24:43,660 –> 00:24:46,680or a one-off gift of 50 pounds or more.43100:24:46,680 –> 00:24:49,099Full terms and conditions are on our website,43200:24:49,099 –> 00:24:53,880openthebible.org.uk and you can give online.43300:24:53,880 –> 00:24:55,880If you want to receive this gift,43400:24:55,880 –> 00:24:58,000please don’t give anonymously43500:24:58,000 –> 00:25:01,959and do remember to leave your full name and address.43600:25:01,959 –> 00:25:05,160For Open the Bible and Pastor Colin Smith,43700:25:05,160 –> 00:25:07,680I’m David Pick and I hope you’ll join us again43800:25:07,719 –> 00:25:09,800next time on Open the Bible.43900:25:19,420 –> 00:25:20,800Some people have the idea44000:25:20,800 –> 00:25:24,400that Christianity is a crutch for weak people.44100:25:24,400 –> 00:25:27,719Find out why this completely misses the point44200:25:27,719 –> 00:25:29,520next time on Open the Bible.