1

00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:09,240

Some of us have been really well-loved from the very moment we were born, and others of

2

00:00:09,240 –> 00:00:15,360

us have experienced a marked lack of love in our lives.

3

00:00:15,360 –> 00:00:21,120

And if that has been your experience, you may be fear that because you have received

4

00:00:21,120 –> 00:00:27,379

little, it may then follow that you have little to give.

5

00:00:27,379 –> 00:00:33,939

The good news is that these verses are telling us that you can love and the reason that you

6

00:00:33,939 –> 00:00:40,080

can love is that you are loved far more than you think – far more than you know.

7

00:00:41,520 –> 00:00:46,040

Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith, I’m David Pick, and Colin, there may

8

00:00:46,040 –> 00:00:51,119

be some listening today who feel they don’t have love to give because they haven’t really

9

00:00:51,119 –> 00:00:53,900

experienced any love in their life.

10

00:00:53,980 –> 00:00:57,340

It sounds like today’s message is one of encouragement and hope.

11

00:00:57,340 –> 00:01:04,160

Yes, it’s certainly is and that’s a real battle, you know, in early life especially – not

12

00:01:04,160 –> 00:01:06,599

to have been well loved.

13

00:01:06,599 –> 00:01:10,500

It’s a great sadness and it’s a very, very great loss.

14

00:01:10,500 –> 00:01:17,040

And I think that it may leave a person feeling, well, what hope is there for me, because how

15

00:01:17,040 –> 00:01:20,940

could what I didn’t receive be made up?

16

00:01:20,940 –> 00:01:22,699

How could it be replaced?

17

00:01:22,699 –> 00:01:26,860

And how can I possibly give up what I didn’t receive?

18

00:01:26,860 –> 00:01:31,900

But the wonderful truth that we’re looking at today is that we are able to love because

19

00:01:31,900 –> 00:01:34,639

God has first loved us.

20

00:01:34,639 –> 00:01:41,540

Nobody can pour out what they haven’t received, but as we receive the love that God has for

21

00:01:41,540 –> 00:01:47,599

us in the Lord Jesus Christ, whatever our background in life may have been, there’s

22

00:01:47,599 –> 00:01:53,180

something that comes to us that will enable us to give what otherwise we couldn’t have

23

00:01:53,180 –> 00:01:54,180

given.

24

00:01:54,180 –> 00:01:58,720

Now that’s real hope and we’re going to look at it together in the Bible today.

25

00:01:58,720 –> 00:02:06,959

So join us today if you can in 1 John 4 as we begin the message love comes from God.

26

00:02:06,959 –> 00:02:08,039

Here’s Colin.

27

00:02:08,119 –> 00:02:11,679

We have seen that love is our distinct calling.

28

00:02:11,679 –> 00:02:16,679

Jesus said, a new commandment I give to you that you love one another and it’s by this

29

00:02:16,679 –> 00:02:21,399

that all people will know that you are my disciples, that you love one another.

30

00:02:21,399 –> 00:02:27,880

So, love is our distinct calling and as the world becomes harsher, our calling will become

31

00:02:27,880 –> 00:02:29,539

more distinct.

32

00:02:29,539 –> 00:02:32,820

Then last week, we saw that love is our greatest need.

33

00:02:33,580 –> 00:02:38,339

It is our greatest need because love is essential for ministry.

34

00:02:38,339 –> 00:02:42,039

It’s our greatest need because love will equip us for life.

35

00:02:42,039 –> 00:02:46,820

And we saw it as our greatest need because everything else will pass away, but love will

36

00:02:46,820 –> 00:02:48,339

endure forever.

37

00:02:48,339 –> 00:02:56,899

So, we’ve spent two weeks looking at the why, why grow in love.

38

00:02:56,899 –> 00:03:00,039

And today, we’re looking at the question, how?

39

00:03:00,039 –> 00:03:01,039

How?

40

00:03:01,039 –> 00:03:02,740

How is this going to happen?

41

00:03:02,740 –> 00:03:09,199

Let’s assume that we’ve all come to the place this morning of saying, I want to grow in

42

00:03:09,199 –> 00:03:10,880

love.

43

00:03:10,880 –> 00:03:13,160

How is that going to happen?

44

00:03:13,160 –> 00:03:19,080

Well, the place to begin is 1 John and chapter 4.

45

00:03:19,080 –> 00:03:24,279

If you were to ask John the question, how can I grow in love?

46

00:03:24,300 –> 00:03:27,740

The answer he would give is in verse 19.

47

00:03:27,740 –> 00:03:33,279

We love because he first loved us.

48

00:03:33,279 –> 00:03:39,440

Verse 19 is really a summary of everything that John says in verse 7 to verse 21.

49

00:03:39,440 –> 00:03:44,639

Or to put it another way, everything that John says in verse 7 to verse 21 is really

50

00:03:44,639 –> 00:03:48,779

an exposition of what he says in verse 19.

51

00:03:48,779 –> 00:03:54,559

We love because he first loved us.

52

00:03:54,559 –> 00:03:58,139

John is telling us that’s how we love.

53

00:03:58,139 –> 00:04:02,479

Understand then that love is not something that we have to sort of dredge up from within

54

00:04:02,479 –> 00:04:05,080

ourselves.

55

00:04:05,080 –> 00:04:08,259

Love in its very nature comes down.

56

00:04:08,259 –> 00:04:13,179

He tells us, verse 7, love is from God.

57

00:04:13,179 –> 00:04:16,380

He tells us, verse 8, that God is love.

58

00:04:16,540 –> 00:04:19,760

And he says it again in verse 16.

59

00:04:19,760 –> 00:04:27,059

He explains in these verses that God’s love comes to us in Jesus Christ and lives in us

60

00:04:27,059 –> 00:04:29,140

by the Holy Spirit.

61

00:04:29,140 –> 00:04:34,480

We love because He first loved us.

62

00:04:34,480 –> 00:04:41,100

Now, this wonderful truth opens the door of hope for each and every one of us.

63

00:04:41,100 –> 00:04:47,260

And the reality is, of course, that our experience of human love varies greatly.

64

00:04:47,260 –> 00:04:52,100

Some of us have been really well loved from the very moment we were born.

65

00:04:52,100 –> 00:04:59,100

And others of us have experienced a marked lack of love in our lives.

66

00:04:59,100 –> 00:05:05,619

And if that has been your experience, you may fear that because you have received little,

67

00:05:05,619 –> 00:05:09,980

it may then follow that you have little to give.

68

00:05:10,040 –> 00:05:15,619

There are some among us who have suffered from neglect, some among us who have suffered

69

00:05:15,619 –> 00:05:17,260

from abuse.

70

00:05:18,339 –> 00:05:24,100

You have experienced the opposite of love, and it’s left deep wounds.

71

00:05:24,100 –> 00:05:29,420

And sometimes you wonder, could such wounds ever really be healed?

72

00:05:29,420 –> 00:05:35,579

The good news is that these verses are telling us that you can love, and the reason that

73

00:05:35,579 –> 00:05:42,579

you can love is that you are loved far more than you think, far more than you know.

74

00:05:42,579 –> 00:05:50,579

And as God’s love flows into you, so God’s love will make it possible for love to flow

75

00:05:50,579 –> 00:05:53,140

out from you as well.

76

00:05:53,140 –> 00:05:59,019

We love because He first loved us.

77

00:05:59,140 –> 00:06:06,320

Now these verses tell us certain things that God does and certain things that we are able

78

00:06:06,320 –> 00:06:13,179

to do in response as a result of what God has first done for us.

79

00:06:13,179 –> 00:06:18,540

And you may have noticed when you read John’s writing, especially this first letter of John,

80

00:06:18,540 –> 00:06:21,500

it’s a little bit like spaghetti on a plate.

81

00:06:21,500 –> 00:06:25,399

You know everything sort of runs into everything else and it’s a little difficult to sort of

82

00:06:26,119 –> 00:06:28,079

out the individual strands.

83

00:06:28,079 –> 00:06:32,980

Where does one piece begin and where does one piece end?

84

00:06:32,980 –> 00:06:39,019

So let me for a few moments try and pull out six different strands that are all mixed up

85

00:06:39,019 –> 00:06:44,980

and woven together to change the analogy in these remarkable verses.

86

00:06:44,980 –> 00:06:47,640

There are six distinct elements.

87

00:06:47,640 –> 00:06:50,839

Number one as we look at God’s part is that God loves us.

88

00:06:50,839 –> 00:06:54,059

Verse 19, he first loved us.

89

00:06:54,059 –> 00:07:00,000

Verse 10 and this is love not that we loved God but that he loved us.

90

00:07:00,000 –> 00:07:05,339

Verse 11, God so loved us.

91

00:07:05,339 –> 00:07:08,480

God loved you before you ever loved Him.

92

00:07:08,480 –> 00:07:12,619

God loved you when you had no interest in Him, when you ignored Him, when you resisted

93

00:07:12,619 –> 00:07:14,339

Him.

94

00:07:14,339 –> 00:07:17,559

You did not win the heart of God by loving Him.

95

00:07:17,559 –> 00:07:21,179

No, God has won your heart by loving you.

96

00:07:21,179 –> 00:07:23,320

He first loved us.

97

00:07:24,140 –> 00:07:28,160

Now how do we know that God loved us?

98

00:07:28,160 –> 00:07:32,500

Well second great truth here, God sent his son for us.

99

00:07:32,500 –> 00:07:34,660

Look at verse nine.

100

00:07:34,660 –> 00:07:41,799

In this the love of God was made manifest or shown made known to us that God sent His

101

00:07:41,799 –> 00:07:45,359

only Son into the world so that we might live through Him.

102

00:07:45,359 –> 00:07:47,040

Verse 10.

103

00:07:47,059 –> 00:07:48,420

And this is love.

104

00:07:48,420 –> 00:07:54,940

Not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation

105

00:07:54,940 –> 00:07:55,940

for our sins.

106

00:07:55,940 –> 00:08:04,619

Or verse 14, the father has sent his Son to be the saviour of the world.

107

00:08:04,619 –> 00:08:08,799

And so John here is answering the question, how do we know that God is love?

108

00:08:08,799 –> 00:08:11,359

This first great truth that He’s affirmed for us.

109

00:08:11,359 –> 00:08:14,660

How do we know that God loves us?

110

00:08:14,799 –> 00:08:21,600

And he’s telling us, don’t try and discern the love of God from the state of the world

111

00:08:21,619 –> 00:08:25,239

or from your own experience in life.

112

00:08:25,239 –> 00:08:30,700

This world is in rebellion against God and because it’s in rebellion against God it

113

00:08:30,700 –> 00:08:34,619

suffers the severe and pervasive effects of its own rebellion.

114

00:08:34,619 –> 00:08:41,340

And because we live in this world, we experience in our lives a very strange mixture of good

115

00:08:41,340 –> 00:08:43,679

and of evil.

116

00:08:43,679 –> 00:08:50,380

But God has given to us what we most need, God wants us to live and so he has sent his

117

00:08:50,380 –> 00:08:56,179

son into the world, verse 9, that we might live through him.

118

00:08:56,179 –> 00:09:01,260

And this is why Jesus came, this is why He suffered and died on the cross to be, John

119

00:09:01,260 –> 00:09:07,380

says, the propitiation for our sins, which simply means that the sacrifice of his life

120

00:09:07,419 –> 00:09:15,979

would remove the judgment and condemnation that otherwise sin would bring to all of us.

121

00:09:15,979 –> 00:09:20,780

So God loves us, God sent his son for us.

122

00:09:20,780 –> 00:09:25,979

And then the third great truth in regards to God and what He has done is that God abides

123

00:09:25,979 –> 00:09:29,340

in us by His Spirit.

124

00:09:29,340 –> 00:09:36,280

Verse 13, by this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of

125

00:09:36,280 –> 00:09:37,520

His Spirit.

126

00:09:37,520 –> 00:09:45,039

Then He says, verse 12, if we love one another, God abides in us.

127

00:09:45,039 –> 00:09:48,000

And His love is perfected in us.

128

00:09:48,000 –> 00:09:55,960

In another words, the love of God has been poured out and it is poured in.

129

00:09:55,960 –> 00:10:02,619

It was poured out on the cross where Jesus died for our sins and it is poured in by the

130

00:10:02,659 –> 00:10:07,580

Holy Spirit who John says abides in us.

131

00:10:07,580 –> 00:10:15,219

The Holy Spirit brings the présence of God and since God is love, He thereby brings the

132

00:10:15,219 –> 00:10:21,719

love of God into the life of every believer.

133

00:10:21,719 –> 00:10:29,659

John says in verse 7, love is from God and whoever loves has been born of God.

134

00:10:29,659 –> 00:10:30,659

Born of God.

135

00:10:31,460 –> 00:10:38,020

Now to be born of someone, means that something of that persons life is in you.

136

00:10:38,020 –> 00:10:41,539

That’s what it means to be born of someone.

137

00:10:41,539 –> 00:10:47,539

What John is telling us is that when we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the life and the

138

00:10:47,539 –> 00:10:54,979

love of God come to be in us by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

139

00:10:54,979 –> 00:10:57,219

This John says is how you can love.

140

00:10:58,020 –> 00:11:03,059

Not only are you loved by God but God’s love has come to you.

141

00:11:03,059 –> 00:11:04,159

It reaches you.

142

00:11:04,159 –> 00:11:09,820

It is actually in you by the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in your life.

143

00:11:09,820 –> 00:11:16,219

The Spirit of God abides in you and if the Spirit of God abides in you then by definition

144

00:11:16,219 –> 00:11:21,500

the love of God abides in you.

145

00:11:21,500 –> 00:11:27,500

One writer puts it this way, love cannot be got up.

146

00:11:27,500 –> 00:11:34,940

It is the result of God entering and possessing the soul.

147

00:11:34,940 –> 00:11:38,880

Love is not something you have to dread up from within yourself.

148

00:11:38,880 –> 00:11:47,179

It is the effect of God himself who is love entering and taking possession of your own

149

00:11:47,179 –> 00:11:49,239

soul.

150

00:11:49,260 –> 00:11:55,159

The spirit of God living in you.

151

00:11:55,159 –> 00:11:59,760

You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith.

152

00:11:59,760 –> 00:12:03,760

And we’ll continue to look at the Spirit of God living in the life of the believer

153

00:12:03,760 –> 00:12:05,919

when we come back shortly.

154

00:12:05,919 –> 00:12:10,880

Our message today is called Love comes from God, and it’s part of our series Growing

155

00:12:10,880 –> 00:12:13,119

in Faith, Hope and Love.

156

00:12:13,119 –> 00:12:16,599

And if you ever miss one of the series, don’t forget, you can always go back

157

00:12:17,520 –> 00:12:24,359

online at our website, openthebible.org.uk, or you can find us as a podcast.

158

00:12:24,359 –> 00:12:27,599

And those are available on all the main podcast sites.

159

00:12:27,599 –> 00:12:32,400

Just search for Open the Bible UK or follow the link from our website.

160

00:12:32,400 –> 00:12:37,119

Back to the message now we’re in 1 John chapter 4 – here’s Colin

161

00:12:37,119 –> 00:12:44,599

The Spirit of God, living in you.

162

00:12:45,400 –> 00:12:51,599

Now, I want you to think by way of illustration for a moment about what it

163

00:12:51,599 –> 00:13:00,159

would be like if the spirit of Mick Jagger lived in me.

164

00:13:00,159 –> 00:13:03,280

This, for anyone who’s not been around for the last 60 years,

165

00:13:03,280 –> 00:13:07,299

Mick Jagger is the lead singer of The Rolling Stones, and I’ve chosen him as an

166

00:13:07,299 –> 00:13:11,280

illustration because I can hardly imagine a person who is more different from me.

167

00:13:12,080 –> 00:13:19,979

The idea of the spirit of Mick Jagger living in me is just totally incongruous.

168

00:13:19,979 –> 00:13:25,119

I mean here I am, I know I sort of walk around a little bit stiff and a little

169

00:13:25,119 –> 00:13:31,479

bit starchy, and Mick Jagger moves about as if he had joints of rubber.

170

00:13:31,479 –> 00:13:39,059

I try my best to speak in what we used to refer to as the Queen’s English,

171

00:13:39,219 –> 00:13:42,039

and Mick Jagger says things like,

172

00:13:42,039 –> 00:13:44,599

let’s rock that baby to the max.

173

00:13:44,599 –> 00:13:50,200

And he’s not even talking about trying to put a child to sleep in the nursery.

174

00:13:50,200 –> 00:13:56,580

If I spoke like Mick Jagger, people would say, what in the world is wrong with Colin?

175

00:13:57,820 –> 00:14:03,260

And then someone would say, you see it’s the spirit of Mick Jagger that’s in him.

176

00:14:04,179 –> 00:14:10,280

If the spirit of Mick Jagger lived in me, I would be a totally different person.

177

00:14:11,840 –> 00:14:15,039

and of course, this rather incongruous thing were to happen,

178

00:14:15,039 –> 00:14:17,280

I would also experience a great deal of tension.

179

00:14:17,280 –> 00:14:23,280

I mean, can you imagine the spirit of Mick Jagger in me would want to dance all the time,

180

00:14:23,280 –> 00:14:32,359

and I think it would take time for this body to adapt and become responsive to the prompting of that new spirit.

181

00:14:32,359 –> 00:14:37,119

But one thing is very obvious and clear, and you have the point,

182

00:14:37,119 –> 00:14:43,179

that if the spirit of Mick Jagger lived in me, I would be very different

183

00:14:43,179 –> 00:14:46,219

from the way I am right now.

184

00:14:48,659 –> 00:14:49,679

Now try and take this in.

185

00:14:51,299 –> 00:14:55,380

As you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,

186

00:14:56,840 –> 00:14:59,020

the spirit of God

187

00:15:00,679 –> 00:15:01,659

comes to live in you.

188

00:15:03,000 –> 00:15:04,059

And abide

189

00:15:05,159 –> 00:15:05,659

in you.

190

00:15:07,880 –> 00:15:13,799

Over time, the presence of the spirit of God who is love

191

00:15:15,320 –> 00:15:16,260

will change you.

192

00:15:17,679 –> 00:15:19,440

It will change the way you speak.

193

00:15:20,299 –> 00:15:21,719

It will change the way you think.

194

00:15:22,900 –> 00:15:24,440

It will change the way you act.

195

00:15:25,840 –> 00:15:28,400

And it will change the way that you love.

196

00:15:29,400 –> 00:15:33,500

Friends, these really are life-changing truths.

197

00:15:34,520 –> 00:15:36,840

God loves us.

198

00:15:38,200 –> 00:15:40,780

God sent his Son for us.

199

00:15:41,700 –> 00:15:45,960

God abides in us by his Holy Spirit.

200

00:15:46,280 –> 00:15:49,280

If you’re a believer, you can personalize these truths, you

201

00:15:49,280 –> 00:15:50,840

can say God loves me.

202

00:15:52,320 –> 00:15:54,460

God sent his Son for me.

203

00:15:55,099 –> 00:15:59,380

God’s Spirit lives in me.

204

00:16:01,179 –> 00:16:06,580

Now there are, as it were, the three strands that we can pull

205

00:16:06,580 –> 00:16:10,659

out from what John is saying of what God has done.

206

00:16:11,659 –> 00:16:14,400

What about the strands of what we do?

207

00:16:14,460 –> 00:16:15,960

What about our part?

208

00:16:16,299 –> 00:16:19,880

Well, first, our part is that we love, notice he says in verse

209

00:16:19,880 –> 00:16:24,099

19, we love because he first loved us.

210

00:16:25,320 –> 00:16:29,820

Verse 7, let us love one another for love comes from God.

211

00:16:30,500 –> 00:16:35,359

Or verse 11, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one

212

00:16:35,419 –> 00:16:41,340

another, or verse 12, if we love one another God abides in us

213

00:16:41,679 –> 00:16:44,580

and His love is perfected in us.

214

00:16:45,739 –> 00:16:52,679

So God calls us to actively love one another in the way that He

215

00:16:52,760 –> 00:16:53,520

has loved us.

216

00:16:53,580 –> 00:16:57,919

That is we are to give what we have first received.

217

00:16:58,619 –> 00:17:01,500

And John says here very beautifully that God’s love is

218

00:17:01,559 –> 00:17:07,040

perfected in us and what that means very simply is it’s made

219

00:17:07,099 –> 00:17:08,400

complete it.

220

00:17:08,479 –> 00:17:12,680

Fulfills its own ultimate purpose in other words God did

221

00:17:12,739 –> 00:17:15,280

not intend that his love should end with you.

222

00:17:17,079 –> 00:17:20,380

The purpose of God is that his love should flow into you in

223

00:17:20,380 –> 00:17:23,560

order that it should flow out from you into the lives of

224

00:17:23,619 –> 00:17:27,260

others and God’s love fulfills its ultimate purpose that it is

225

00:17:27,319 –> 00:17:32,760

perfected when we give what we have received in loving one

226

00:17:32,819 –> 00:17:33,599

another.

227

00:17:34,900 –> 00:17:40,859

We love and then John tells us we believe verse fifteen

228

00:17:40,939 –> 00:17:45,280

whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God God abides in him

229

00:17:45,339 –> 00:17:48,640

and He and God verse sixteen.

230

00:17:48,640 –> 00:17:53,040

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has

231

00:17:53,099 –> 00:17:54,239

for us.

232

00:17:55,239 –> 00:18:00,680

So to believe is to be fully persuaded that God loves you

233

00:18:01,520 –> 00:18:05,859

that God’s son gave himself for you and the God Spirit lives

234

00:18:06,060 –> 00:18:10,099

within you and believing these truths.

235

00:18:10,199 –> 00:18:14,000

We do actually have to believe them believing these truths of

236

00:18:14,060 –> 00:18:18,579

the gospel will enable you to love and the more deeply you

237

00:18:18,640 –> 00:18:22,339

believe these life changing truths the more deeply you are

238

00:18:22,400 –> 00:18:27,680

going to be able to love and then John has a third strand of

239

00:18:27,739 –> 00:18:33,920

what we do and that is that we abide verse 16 God is love and

240

00:18:33,979 –> 00:18:36,459

whoever abides in love.

241

00:18:36,520 –> 00:18:38,420

So there we are we’re abiding and love.

242

00:18:38,479 –> 00:18:43,359

Whoever abides in love abides in God and God abides in him or

243

00:18:43,420 –> 00:18:47,400

verse 15 whoever confesses that Jesus is the son of God.

244

00:18:47,859 –> 00:18:53,319

God abides in him and he in God are verse 13 by this we know

245

00:18:53,400 –> 00:18:56,839

that we abide in him and he in us because he is.

246

00:18:56,900 –> 00:19:03,199

Given us of his spirit now to abide simply means to live or

247

00:19:03,280 –> 00:19:07,819

to dwell abide is what you do in your home.

248

00:19:07,880 –> 00:19:10,579

So you can get the meaning from that analogy.

249

00:19:11,239 –> 00:19:17,800

At home you rest, you eat, you find joy,

250

00:19:17,880 –> 00:19:20,219

and it’s a place where you are more of yourself

251

00:19:20,280 –> 00:19:23,280

than any other place.

252

00:19:23,339 –> 00:19:26,359

And John says, we abide in God.

253

00:19:26,420 –> 00:19:28,479

That means that we resources in God.

254

00:19:28,560 –> 00:19:30,079

We find joy in God.

255

00:19:30,160 –> 00:19:32,680

We’re at home with God.

256

00:19:32,760 –> 00:19:33,760

We walk with God.

257

00:19:33,819 –> 00:19:37,160

We nourish ourselves on God.

258

00:19:37,939 –> 00:19:44,560

We have a living heart-to-heart communion with God.

259

00:19:44,640 –> 00:19:48,979

So now, here are three things that God does

260

00:19:49,040 –> 00:19:52,920

and three things that we do.

261

00:19:52,979 –> 00:19:54,079

God loves us.

262

00:19:54,160 –> 00:19:56,660

God sent his son for us.

263

00:19:56,719 –> 00:20:00,260

And God’s spirit lives in us, abides in us.

264

00:20:00,319 –> 00:20:03,000

And as a result of these things that God does,

265

00:20:03,000 –> 00:20:08,680

we are able to love, and to believe, and to abide.

266

00:20:08,739 –> 00:20:11,400

So now you have six major themes,

267

00:20:11,479 –> 00:20:15,180

three that are God’s part, three that are our part.

268

00:20:15,239 –> 00:20:19,479

And I’ve tried to draw them out like individual strands

269

00:20:19,560 –> 00:20:23,819

of spaghetti, so that we can see the different elements that

270

00:20:23,880 –> 00:20:26,599

are here in what John is saying to us.

271

00:20:26,660 –> 00:20:30,020

But of course, no one serves spaghetti

272

00:20:30,020 –> 00:20:34,459

with individual pieces laid out straight on a plate.

273

00:20:34,520 –> 00:20:36,760

The way you serve and the way you eat spaghetti

274

00:20:36,819 –> 00:20:39,420

is, it’s all mixed up, and it’s beautifully

275

00:20:39,500 –> 00:20:43,099

heaped together on the plate.

276

00:20:43,160 –> 00:20:45,819

And that’s the point.

277

00:20:45,900 –> 00:20:48,000

That while each of these elements

278

00:20:48,060 –> 00:20:54,479

is so important to the whole, you cannot pull them apart.

279

00:20:54,540 –> 00:20:58,819

So let me just show you this from the passage.

280

00:20:58,819 –> 00:21:00,380

You’ll quickly get the idea, and then

281

00:21:00,439 –> 00:21:01,739

you can work it out with regards

282

00:21:01,819 –> 00:21:03,040

to all of the other verses.

283

00:21:03,119 –> 00:21:07,819

Each verse is connecting different elements

284

00:21:07,880 –> 00:21:11,219

of God’s love for us, God sending his Son,

285

00:21:11,280 –> 00:21:14,260

God abiding in us by His Spirit, us loving,

286

00:21:14,319 –> 00:21:18,140

us believing, and us abiding.

287

00:21:18,199 –> 00:21:20,199

Well, we’ve got to pause the message there,

288

00:21:20,260 –> 00:21:22,699

but we’ll be back to it in the next broadcast.

289

00:21:22,760 –> 00:21:25,640

Our message is called Love Comes from God,

290

00:21:26,160 –> 00:21:27,859

and it’s part of our series,

291

00:21:27,939 –> 00:21:30,099

Growing in Faith, Hope, and Love.

292

00:21:30,180 –> 00:21:31,979

And if you’ve missed any of the series,

293

00:21:32,040 –> 00:21:33,780

or if you want to go back and listen again,

294

00:21:33,839 –> 00:21:36,099

you can do that by coming online to our website

295

00:21:36,180 –> 00:21:39,640

openthebible.org.uk.

296

00:21:39,719 –> 00:21:41,239

There you’ll find all the messages

297

00:21:41,319 –> 00:21:43,219

that have already gone out on air.

298

00:21:43,280 –> 00:21:44,640

You can also find our messages

299

00:21:44,719 –> 00:21:46,780

as a podcast, and those are available

300

00:21:46,859 –> 00:21:48,819

on all the major podcast sites,

301

00:21:48,900 –> 00:21:50,859

search for Open the Bible UK,

302

00:21:50,920 –> 00:21:54,199

and subscribe to receive regular updates.

303

00:21:54,520 –> 00:21:57,420

Also on our website, and available as a podcast,

304

00:21:57,500 –> 00:21:59,619

you’ll find our daily reflection series,

305

00:21:59,699 –> 00:22:02,459

and that’s called Open the Bible Daily.

306

00:22:02,540 –> 00:22:04,140

Open the Bible Daily is a series

307

00:22:04,199 –> 00:22:06,839

of short 2-3-minute reflections,

308

00:22:06,900 –> 00:22:09,280

with a fresh one appearing every day.

309

00:22:09,339 –> 00:22:11,640

It’s based on Pastor Colin’s teaching,

310

00:22:11,719 –> 00:22:13,880

and read in the UK by Sue McLeish.

311

00:22:13,939 –> 00:22:15,680

Many Christians find it’s a brilliant way

312

00:22:15,739 –> 00:22:17,619

to start the day, so I’d encourage you

313

00:22:17,680 –> 00:22:19,579

to go and look for that.

314

00:22:19,640 –> 00:22:21,579

At Open the Bible, we welcome contact

315

00:22:21,660 –> 00:22:22,760

with our listeners.

316

00:22:22,859 –> 00:22:26,000

If you’ve been blessed by Pastor Colin Smith’s teaching

317

00:22:26,060 –> 00:22:27,859

and you’d like to reach out to us,

318

00:22:27,920 –> 00:22:29,699

there are several ways you can do that.

319

00:22:29,760 –> 00:22:32,599

You can write to us at Open the Bible,

320

00:22:32,660 –> 00:22:36,160

P.O. Box, 1420 Cheltenham,

321

00:22:36,239 –> 00:22:39,439

GL 50 9PG.

322

00:22:39,500 –> 00:22:43,680

Or you can phone us on 0330,

323

00:22:43,739 –> 00:22:47,439

335-8089.

324

00:22:47,520 –> 00:22:49,619

If we’re not available when you call,

325

00:22:49,680 –> 00:22:52,420

leave a message for us and we’ll return your call.

326

00:22:52,439 –> 00:22:54,540

And you can find all those contact details

327

00:22:54,619 –> 00:22:58,939

on our website OpenTheBible.org.uk.

328

00:22:59,020 –> 00:23:01,920

Open the Bible is supported entirely by our listeners.

329

00:23:01,979 –> 00:23:04,260

That’s ordinary people just like you.

330

00:23:04,319 –> 00:23:06,699

If you appreciate Open the Bible’s ministry

331

00:23:06,760 –> 00:23:08,400

and you’d like to support us in this way

332

00:23:08,459 –> 00:23:10,199

but you haven’t yet done so,

333

00:23:10,260 –> 00:23:13,260

can I encourage you to begin a donation this month

334

00:23:13,339 –> 00:23:14,760

to Open the Bible.

335

00:23:14,839 –> 00:23:17,040

If you’re able to support Open the Bible

336

00:23:17,099 –> 00:23:20,599

with a direct debit of £5 per month or more

337

00:23:21,099 –> 00:23:25,119

or a single donation of £50 or more we’d love to say thank you

338

00:23:25,199 –> 00:23:28,020

by sending you a copy of Jerry Brydge’s book

339

00:23:28,099 –> 00:23:30,359

Respectable Sins.

340

00:23:30,439 –> 00:23:31,939

Colin, we know what sin is,

341

00:23:32,000 –> 00:23:34,640

but what in the world is respectable sin?

342

00:23:34,699 –> 00:23:38,680

It’s a fascinating title for a book, isn’t it?

343

00:23:38,739 –> 00:23:42,239

Jerry Brydge’s point is that there are some sins

344

00:23:42,319 –> 00:23:46,579

that are so despicable that we immediately recognize them

345

00:23:46,640 –> 00:23:49,979

as things that we would never touch or go near.

346

00:23:50,079 –> 00:23:53,500

But there are other things that are displeasing to God

347

00:23:53,579 –> 00:23:55,239

and are equally sins

348

00:23:55,300 –> 00:23:58,239

that we may be tempted to accommodate in our lives

349

00:23:58,319 –> 00:24:02,819

and perhaps not even recognize them as sins, which they are.

350

00:24:02,880 –> 00:24:06,719

What’s so helpful is that Jerry actually lists these.

351

00:24:06,780 –> 00:24:09,719

He has a short chapter on any number of them,

352

00:24:09,780 –> 00:24:13,579

including anger, frustration, discontent,

353

00:24:13,660 –> 00:24:16,459

unthankfulness, pride, selfishness,

354

00:24:16,520 –> 00:24:19,319

lack of self-control, impatience, irritability,

355

00:24:19,739 –> 00:24:21,339

judgementalism, envy, jealousy.

356

00:24:21,420 –> 00:24:23,079

I mean, the list goes on.

357

00:24:23,140 –> 00:24:25,640

But what he does is he identifies them,

358

00:24:25,719 –> 00:24:28,079

speaks about why they’re sins,

359

00:24:28,140 –> 00:24:29,920

why they’re displeasing to God,

360

00:24:29,979 –> 00:24:33,079

why they bring destruction in our lives

361

00:24:33,160 –> 00:24:35,660

and how we can fight against them

362

00:24:35,719 –> 00:24:38,300

and begin to prevail over them.

363

00:24:38,359 –> 00:24:41,560

So, this is a wonderful book for anyone who wants to grow

364

00:24:41,640 –> 00:24:44,000

in likeness to the Lord Jesus Christ.

365

00:24:44,060 –> 00:24:46,219

I have found it immensely helpful.

366

00:24:46,300 –> 00:24:48,439

It’s a book I’ve gone back to many times

367

00:24:48,500 –> 00:24:50,599

and that’s why I’m really pleased

368

00:24:50,660 –> 00:24:53,099

that we’re able to commend it to others this month.

369

00:24:53,160 –> 00:24:55,339

Well, Gerry Briggie’s book Respectable Sins

370

00:24:55,400 –> 00:24:57,839

is our gift to you when you are able to set up

371

00:24:57,900 –> 00:25:00,640

a new direct debit to the work of Open the Bible

372

00:25:00,699 –> 00:25:03,819

in the amount of £5 per month or more

373

00:25:03,880 –> 00:25:06,959

or a single donation of £50.

374

00:25:07,459 –> 00:25:09,859

For Open the Bible and Pastor Colin Smith,

375

00:25:09,920 –> 00:25:13,180

I’m David Pick and I hope you’ll join us again next time.

376

00:25:19,400 –> 00:25:22,040

You’d like your love for others to grow,

377

00:25:22,099 –> 00:25:23,780

but how can you make a start?

378

00:25:23,839 –> 00:25:28,359

Discover 6 practical strategies for growing in love.

379

00:25:28,420 –> 00:25:33,099

That’s next time on Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith.