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With My Peers
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Why is unbelief the dominant response to the gospel of Jesus Christ?
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Why are so many people on the broad road to destruction and so few, Jesus says, on the narrow way that leads to life?
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Today, we are going to see what lies behind unbelief.
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And in seeing what lies behind unbelief, we’re going to discover what it is that can lead to faith.
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Welcome to Open the Bible with pastor Colin Smith.
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I’m David Pick.
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And Colin, sometimes people say to Christians, I wish I had your faith.
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They genuinely want to know what you have to do to believe.
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Yeah, well, it’s so good that you would be listening to the program as we’re opening
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the Bible together today.
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You know, there are certain hurdles that we all have to get over in order to come to faith
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in the Lord Jesus Christ.
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We’re going to look at three of them in this verse.
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I mean, the first is that it’s so easy for us to be distracted by the wrong considerations.
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The second is that we get drawn to the wrong priorities.
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Very easy for that to happen.
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And the third is that we’re very often driven by the wrong desires.
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Now, all of these are actually identified in this one verse from Isaiah in chapter 53.
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So we’re going to see what the hurdles are and when we can identify them,
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that will help us to move forward in the journey to real faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
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So that one verse is verse two of Isaiah chapter 53.
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So join us if you can, as we begin the message Our Desire.
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Here’s Colin.
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We’re continuing our series, The Gospel According to Isaiah.
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And we’ve seen that this whole chapter is about the Lord Jesus Christ.
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It tells us why we need him.
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It tells us what he has accomplished in his birth, in his life,
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in his death and in his resurrection,
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and it tells us what can be ours in him.
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And the first six verses tell us why we need a savior.
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And when you see your need of Jesus,
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well then you will come to him,
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and you will receive what he offers.
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That’s why Isaiah begins by showing us our need.
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And the first reason that we need a savior
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is our own unbelief.
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We saw last time that the human heart
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is actually wired for unbelief.
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This is the first and the greatest effect of sin in us.
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And it’s helpful to remember
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that if you have loved ones who don’t believe,
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it is really easy to become frustrated with them,
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for you to say, well, why can’t you just believe?
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And here’s what we need to remember,
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the natural person, the scripture says
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does not accept the things of the spirit of God,
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for they are folly to him,
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and he is not able to understand them
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because they are spiritually discerned.
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Well, with that being the case,
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then the obvious question is,
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well, then what hope is there
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for the person who does not believe,
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the person who cannot understand the things of the spirit
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and actually thinks that they are folly?
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Well, we saw the good news last time,
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and the good news is that God saves.
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God saves by his strong arm, the arm of the Lord.
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And we saw that the arm of the Lord
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is a direct reference to our Lord Jesus Christ.
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And the first thing that God saves us from
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is the power of our own sinful unbelief.
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That’s where Isaiah begins,
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”Who has believed what he has heard from us
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”and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’
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Think about it, God sent his son into the world.
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This is the greatest good news
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that this world has ever heard.
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And yet across the world in every culture,
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the good news of Jesus Christ
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has been met with overwhelming unbelief.
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Now, why is that?
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That’s the question that’s before us.
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Why is unbelief the dominant response
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to the gospel of Jesus Christ?
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Why are so many people on the broad road to destruction
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and so few, Jesus says,
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on the narrow way that leads to life?
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Well, the answer to that very important question,
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why is there so much unbelief?
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It’s in verse 2,
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which is going to be our focus today.
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For he grew up before Him like a young plant,
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and like a root out of dry ground,
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He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him,
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and no beauty that we should desire Him.
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Today, we are going to see what lies behind unbelief,
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and in seeing what lies behind unbelief,
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we’re going to discover what it is that can lead to faith.
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So then what lies behind unbelief?
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Three things, and here’s the first.
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We are distracted by the wrong considerations.
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Look at what Isaiah says here.
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For He grew up before Him like a young plant
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and like a root out of dry ground.
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Isaiah tells us that Jesus
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was like a root out of dry ground.
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In other words,
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there was nothing in the background of Jesus
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that would lead anyone to expect
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anything remarkable from Him.
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Think, for example, about Jesus’ home.
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Where was it?
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Nazareth.
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Of course, Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
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Do you remember that soon after Jesus’ birth
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He became as an infant a refugee?
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He had to flee with His parents
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for His life to another country.
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And when Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus back,
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it wasn’t to Jerusalem
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where He could have mixed with the elite
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and gone to some of the great schools of learning,
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no, it was back to their hometown, Nazareth,
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an obscure, unfashionable,
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somewhat backward town in the Northern Hill country.
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Our Lord was known and has been known throughout history
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as Jesus of Nazareth.
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And that is not a compliment.
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Nazareth was a despised place.
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And actually the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ was there
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was held up as a reason for unbelief.
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You have this in John in Chapter One,
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when Philip, one of the first disciples
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invited his friend Nathanael to meet Jesus.
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Nathanael said, can anything good come out of Nazareth?
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You see, Nathanael dismissed Jesus
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because he lived in a rundown and unfashionable place.
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Can anything good come out of Nazareth?
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He was distracted by the wrong considerations.
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He was looking at the wrong things.
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And Philip had the right answer for his friend Nathanael.
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He said, Nathanael, why don’t you just come and see?
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Nathanael, don’t dismiss Jesus Christ so easily.
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Come and meet him.
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Learn about him for yourself.
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Now some people dismiss Jesus because of his home.
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The gospels make it very clear
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that other people dismiss Jesus because of his work.
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What was his work?
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He’s forever known as Jesus the carpenter.
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The family in which Jesus was raised
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would have got by on a very, very modest income.
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Joseph was a carpenter.
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And Jesus worked in the same trade.
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And this, too, was actually held up
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as a reason for not believing in Jesus.
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A reason for unbelief.
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The scripture tells us that when Jesus taught
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in the synagogue of his hometown in Nazareth,
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the people of his hometown were astonished,
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and this is what they said.
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Is this not the carpenter’s son?
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Is not his mother called Mary?
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And are not his brothers, James and Joseph
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and Simon and Judas,
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and are not all his sisters with us?
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Where, then, did this man get all these things,
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and they took offense at him?
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This man’s from an ordinary family.
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That’s what they’re saying.
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We know his brothers.
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We know his sisters.
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We know his mother.
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He’s the one that works with Joseph
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in that old carpenter’s shop.
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Why do people not believe?
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That’s the question that’s before us today
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from Isaiah in chapter 53.
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What lies behind unbelief?
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And here’s the first answer.
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Many people are distracted by the wrong considerations.
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They’re looking at the wrong things.
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Some people dismiss Jesus because of his home.
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Some people dismiss Jesus because of his friends, his work.
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And some people dismiss Jesus because of his friends.
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Think about the disciples.
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The first to follow Jesus were hardly movers and shakers.
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They were fishermen
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and then they were joined by a despised tax collector.
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The enemies of Jesus looked down on him
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because they said he eats with tax collectors and sinners.
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Look at the people who are drawn to him.
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We don’t like the company that he keeps.
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Now, John records a particular example
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of this prejudice against Jesus
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on the basis of his friends.
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The Pharisees were told in John chapter seven
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sent out officers to arrest Jesus.
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And when they heard him speak, they decided against it.
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And when the officers returned,
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the Pharisees obviously wanted to know,
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well, why didn’t you bring him in?
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And the officer said this remarkable testimony,
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they said, no one ever spoke like this man.
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And then John tells us,
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the Pharisees answered them, have you also been deceived?
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Have any of the authorities
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or the Pharisees believed in him?
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But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.
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Now friends, that is pure prejudice.
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You see what they’re saying.
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We’re the elite,
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we’re the educated people around here.
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We’re the ones who know what we’re talking about
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and you won’t find any believers among us.
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No, the only people who believe in him,
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well, they’re the wretched crowd out there,
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they’re unenlightened people.
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They don’t even know what they’re talking about.
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Now we’re asking the question
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and it’s a very important question,
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what lies behind unbelief?
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You’ve been listening to Pastor Colin Smith
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on Open The Bible
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and we have to pause the message there briefly.
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The message today is called, Our Desire
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and it’s been one of the most requested
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and downloaded broadcasts of the past 12 months.
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We went back and looked for all the most popular broadcasts
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and we bundled them together
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in a series we’ve called Listener Favorites
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and we’re featuring that all this month on the radio.
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Don’t forget, if you ever miss one of the series,
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you can always go online to catch up
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or go back and listen again.
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That’s to our website, openthebible.org.uk.
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You can also find us as a podcast
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and those are available on all the major podcasting sites
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by searching for openthebible.uk.
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Open The Bible is supported by our listeners
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and this month if you’re able to begin supporting our work
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with a gift of five pounds per month or more,
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we’d like to thank you by sending you a copy
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of Pastor Colin Smith’s new book.
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It’s called Fly Through the Bible.
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With a pastoral heart and insight,
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Colin Smith helps us to find the right attitude
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to take in the big picture landscape of God’s story.
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In this journey you will meet
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five people from the Old Testament,
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explore five events from the life of Jesus
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and discover five gifts God gives to every Christian.
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Even if you’ve never opened the Bible,
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this short flight will introduce you to God’s word
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and leave you marveling at how it all fits together.
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Perhaps after you’ve read the book yourself,
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you might think of someone else who might benefit
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from reading this great overview of the whole Bible.
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Fly Through the Bible, Colin Smith’s new book
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00:14:06,719 –> 00:14:08,359
is our gift to you if you’re able
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to set up a new donation to the work
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00:14:10,679 –> 00:14:12,460
of Open the Bible in the amount
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of five pounds per month or more in this month.
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More details on our website openthebible.org.uk.
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Back to the message now, here’s Colin.
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Now we’re asking the question
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and it’s a very important question,
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what lies behind unbelief?
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And Isaiah is telling us quite clearly here
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that people don’t believe
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because Jesus was a root out of dry ground.
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And the Gospels show very clearly
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that again and again, people dismiss Jesus.
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Why?
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Because he lived in an unimpressive place,
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because he did unimpressive work
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and because he hung out with unimpressive friends.
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Why is it so hard for us to believe?
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Well, one reason is because too often
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we are distracted by the wrong considerations.
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We’re looking at the wrong things.
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Scripture says man looks on the outward appearance,
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but God looks on the heart.
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So here’s the question.
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What then should we consider about the Lord Jesus Christ?
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And that of course is the focus of the whole of Isaiah 53.
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That’s why we’re spending these weeks
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in this marvelous and very important chapter
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but I want you to notice where Isaiah begins.
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He begins with how Jesus grew up.
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Look at verse two again,
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for he grew up before him like a young plant.
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So here Isaiah is describing the early life of Jesus,
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how he grew up.
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He grew up, Isaiah says,
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like a young plant.
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Or now, how does a young plant grow?
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Answer, you hardly notice it.
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You put it in a pot,
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you put the pot somewhere near the window
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and you leave it there
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and it grows without attracting much attention.
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Now, we live in a world of celebrity
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and a celebrity, of course,
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by definition
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is simply a person who attracts a great deal of attention.
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And do you see what Isaiah is saying here?
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There is nothing whatever like that in Jesus,
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with the single exception of an occasion
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when at the age of 12,
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he asked questions on a visit to the temple,
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the Bible records nothing remarkable
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with that single exception
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about the early life of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Jesus did not grow up like a shooting star.
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Jesus, Isaiah says, grew up like a young plant.
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Now, I want to speak directly to all of our students today
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because there’s something very wonderful
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and I believe very liberating for all of you here.
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In a world of celebrity,
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you live under unrelenting pressure.
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How am I going to make a mark?
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How are you gonna stand out from the crowd?
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How are you going to attract some attention?
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That pressure is on you all the time.
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And I have marvelously good news for you today.
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You don’t need to do that.
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Think about it.
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No one has ever made a greater impact
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on the world than Jesus Christ, and how did He grow up?
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He grew up like a young plant.
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The Bible records, very simply,
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that Jesus increased in wisdom,
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and in strength, and in favor with God, and with man.
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Jesus grew in stature.
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That means that He grew physically, He became strong.
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He grew in wisdom, that means He gave Himself to learning
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and He grew and developed intellectually.
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He grew in favor with men.
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That means that He made friends, and He grew socially.
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He grew in favor with God, He walked with God,
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and He grew spiritually.
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Now, do you see here that the Lord Jesus Christ
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is the model for growing up?
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He grew up like a young plant.
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Here’s what you should pursue as you are growing up.
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Eat healthy food and get plenty of exercise.
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Growing in stature, in physical strength.
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Develop the capacity of your mind
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by studying hard.
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Make good friends and do it by being
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a good friend to other people.
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And get to know God and pursue what honors Him.
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That’s what Jesus did.
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He grew physically, He grew intellectually,
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He grew socially, He grew spiritually.
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He grew up like a young plant
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and that is precisely what God calls you to do.
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And then I want you to notice this,
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that Isaiah says that the Lord Jesus Christ
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grew up before Him, that is before God.
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In other words, we’re being told here
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that Jesus grew up with a profound awareness
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that the eye of almighty God was on Him
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in everything that He said and in everything that He did.
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Before a word is on my tongue,
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the Psalmist says, you oh Lord know it completely.
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And so the very first thing to consider
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as you are growing up is that the eye of God is on you.
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God knows everything about you.
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He knows what you say, everything you say,
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even what you say in secret.
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He knows everything you think.
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He knows everything you post, every comment you ever make.
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He knows everything you have ever done.
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Hagar in the Old Testament said of God,
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you are the God who sees me.
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God sees you as no one else sees you.
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Now people don’t believe
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because they are distracted by the wrong considerations.
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And I’m saying today
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that if you give weight to the fact
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that you’re growing up before God,
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that God sees everything that you think,
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that you say, that you do,
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if you give weight to that,
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you will soon see that you are a sinner
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who really does need a savior.
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And when you see that,
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you will be well on your way to faith
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in the Lord Jesus Christ.
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What lies behind unbelief?
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Well, Isaiah is telling us the first thing
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is that we are distracted by the wrong considerations.
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That’s just one of the things that lie behind unbelief,
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and we’ll look at a few more in our next broadcast.
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You’re listening to Open the Bible
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with Pastor Colin Smith and a message called our desire.
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It’s one of the most popular broadcasts
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of the last 12 months, and we’ve bundled it
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with many others under the title, listener favorites.
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If you miss any of the series
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don’t forget you can always catch up
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or go back and listen again online
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at our website, openthebible.org.uk.
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00:23:04,739 –> 00:23:07,979
Also on our website, you can find Open The Bible Daily.
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00:23:07,979 –> 00:23:09,800
And that’s a series of short two
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to three minute reflections,
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based on Pastor Colin’s teaching
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and read in the UK by Sue Macleish.
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Open The Bible is supported entirely by our listeners.
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00:23:20,180 –> 00:23:22,000
That’s people just like you.
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00:23:22,000 –> 00:23:23,780
And if supporting Open The Bible
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00:23:23,780 –> 00:23:25,939
is something you’ve been considering doing,
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00:23:25,939 –> 00:23:27,520
this month we have an offer for you,
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00:23:27,520 –> 00:23:29,020
which I hope you’ll like.
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00:23:29,020 –> 00:23:31,280
If you’re able to set up a new donation
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00:23:31,280 –> 00:23:32,719
to the work of Open The Bible
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00:23:32,719 –> 00:23:35,500
in the amount of five pounds per month, or more,
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00:23:35,500 –> 00:23:37,300
we’d love to thank you by sending you
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00:23:37,300 –> 00:23:40,880
a copy of Pastor Colin’s new book Flying Through The Bible.
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00:23:40,959 –> 00:23:42,739
And Colin, I think you’re keen for us
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not to just read this book ourselves,
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but to pass it on to someone else.
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00:23:46,699 –> 00:23:50,959
So, what I’m hoping is that folks will ask the question,
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Who is there in my life
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00:23:52,939 –> 00:23:55,959
who really needs to know the God of the Bible?
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00:23:55,959 –> 00:23:57,839
Someone who’s not yet a believer,
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but just might be open
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to discover what God’s word actually says.
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What I’ve found over the years
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is that the best way to introduce
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someone who does not yet believe to the truth
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is to start with an overview of the Bible.
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00:24:14,540 –> 00:24:18,640
The Bible, actually, is God’s way of disclosing
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the building blocks that we need
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in order to understand who Jesus is,
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what he’s accomplished, and what he’s able to offer to us.
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00:24:27,040 –> 00:24:30,599
So, this is a very simple introduction to the Bible
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00:24:30,599 –> 00:24:33,920
that you could give to someone who does not yet believe,
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00:24:33,920 –> 00:24:36,400
or to someone who’s a new believer
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and really needs to be discipled
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and established in the faith.
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00:24:39,959 –> 00:24:42,500
Well, we’d love to send you a copy of Colin’s book,
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00:24:42,500 –> 00:24:44,000
Flying Through the Bible,
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00:24:44,000 –> 00:24:46,260
if you’re able to set up a new donation
439
00:24:46,260 –> 00:24:47,719
to the work of Open the Bible
440
00:24:47,719 –> 00:24:51,780
in the amount of five pounds per month or more this month.
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00:24:51,780 –> 00:24:52,959
You can give online
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00:24:52,959 –> 00:24:55,239
and there are full details of this offer
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00:24:55,239 –> 00:24:59,520
on our website, OpenTheBible.org.uk.
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00:24:59,520 –> 00:25:01,920
For Open the Bible and Pastor Colin Smith,
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00:25:01,920 –> 00:25:03,000
I’m David Pigg,
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and I hope you’ll be able to join us again next time.
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If you’re going to believe in Jesus,
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you’re going to need to spend time doing this.
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Find out what it is next time on Open the Bible.
