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There are many people in the world who completely ignore me. They don’t ask for me, they don’t

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seek me, they don’t call on my name, they don’t have faith, they don’t pray, they don’t

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expect me to do anything in their lives. These people are not interested in me, you might

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expect God to say, and therefore I am not interested in them.

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That’s when you think you don’t know the God of the Bible yet.

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Welcome to Open The Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I’m David Pick, I’m glad you’re with

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us today. So Colin, if God doesn’t say that about people who don’t know or care about

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Him, what does He say?

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Well, we’re coming today to one of the most wonderful truths in the Bible in my mind and

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heart. If God simply waited for people to come to Him, how many people would actually

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get there? Heaven would be empty if simply passively waited to say, now who’s going

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to believe? Who’s going to do this? And stood back in a hands off kind of a way, nobody

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would come. The lost sheep can’t find their way back to the shepherd. It has to be the

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Good Shepherd that goes and lays hold of the lost sheep and brings the lost sheep back.

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And then Isaiah chapter 65, which is where we’ve come today, there’s this marvelous

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statement from God in which He says He reveals Himself to people who are not looking for

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He reaches out to people who are not seekers, and He says, Here I am, here I am. He makes

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himself known. And he begins to work. This is our God. He always goes first. We’re always

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responding to Him. Of course, we have the idea that somehow He’s responding to us. That’s

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never the case. He sent His Son. He moved first. He sends His spirit, His Spirit works

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first. And then out of that, we find somehow we’re being drawn. And every Christian knows

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that this is at the root of our own experience. I thought that I was seeking after God. And

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then I discovered that God first had been seeking after me. Well, that’s the love of

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God towards us. That’s an amazing truth for us to understand.

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So if you can, open your Bible at Isaiah, chapter 65. As we begin our message, Restore

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People, here’s Colin.

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We’re returning to a series for those who may have come new over these last weeks, entitled

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Restore My Soul, in which we’re looking at the wonderful ways in which God breaks into

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people’s lives to restore broken lives and to change broken hearts. And we’ve seen that

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in the later chapters of Isaiah, the prophet describes how it is that God actually does

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this. When God sets to work in a person’s life, He begins by restoring faith. He restores

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joy, He restores repentance, which means turning away from things that offend God and turning

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to embrace things that honor God. He restores compassion, He restores hope, and He begins

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to teach us how to pray. Now the title that we have this weekend is

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Restore A People. And I want us to see as you open the Bible at Isaiah 65 that there

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are really two groups of people and God is equally concerned about both. If you have

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your Bible open at Isaiah chapter 65 in verse 1, you’ll see there what I’m going to call

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the first group who are really secular people who do not know God. Notice what Isaiah says

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in verse 1. God says, I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me. So here’s people

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who are not asking for God. I was found by those who did not seek me. Here’s people who

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are not looking for God. To a nation that did not call on my name, so that is people

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who are not given to prayer, I said, God said, here am I, here am I.

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So, God is describing here secular people, folks who have full and busy lives, but they

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are not particularly looking for God, they don’t really have a place for God, they are

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not searching after him, they are not even thinking about him doing anything in their

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lives. They haven’t been praying, to use Isaias words, they did not seek him, they did not

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ask for him, and they did not call out to him. Now you know folks like that.

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I know folks like that. Folks who may respect your faith, but they’re really not interested.

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Their lives are full, they would say I don’t have the time to seek after God, or they may

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say I have no inclination, I have no interest in seeking after God. Now it may be among us

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this weekend too that that actually describes some of us. The truth is that folks come to church

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for different reasons. You may be here because of your parents, you may be here because of

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your friends, you may be here for one of a dozen different reasons.

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But there are many folks who gather even in church, who have no real expectation that

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God will do anything in their lives. And that may be the truth about you. You are

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glad to be here, but you are not really anticipating God doing anything in your

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life. You’re not particularly been asking or seeking, or even looking for God to

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touch you today. Now, in Isaiah’s time, back in the Old Testament,

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this first group could be broadly described as the Gentiles, the folks who

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do not know God, the secular folks. Remember, in the Old Testament, God had

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made himself known to Moses, and God in particular was was working with one

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nation of people, that is the nation of Israel. The other nations largely outside

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of what could be discerned from creation did not know him. They did not have the

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Commandments, they did not have the covenant that God made with Israel, and

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because the other nations, the Gentiles, did not know him, they did not seek him,

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they did not call on him either. So this is the first group of people, and we may

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easily be able to identify them today. We may identify with them, as I say

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ourselves, largely secular people who don’t know God, and across our country

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and across the world there are millions of people who would gladly identify with

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that description. They would use that description of themselves, secular people

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don’t know or are not interested in God. Now, what do you think God might have to

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say to these folks? See, think about it, what would God have to say to secular

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folks who have no time for him, no interest in him, no faith towards him,

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never pray? See, you might expect that God would say to this group of people, well,

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there are many people in the world who completely ignore me. They don’t ask for

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me, they don’t seek me, they don’t call on my name, they don’t have faith, they

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don’t pray, they don’t expect me to do anything in their lives. These people are

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not interested in me. You might expect God to say, and therefore, I am not

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interested in them, if that’s what you think, you don’t know the God of the Bible

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yet. Look at what the amazing God of the bible says to secular people who

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don’t know him and aren’t interested in him. Look at what he says, verse one.

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I revealed myself to those who didn’t ask for me. I was found by those who didn’t

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seek me. To the nation that did not call on my name I said here am I, here am I.

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Now, I want us to take in how wonderful this is and for it to lift us to worship

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because the first thing that we’re learning about this amazing God of the

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Bible is that he is the God who seeks out people who don’t know him. He reveals

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He puts himself on the radar screen of folks who aren’t even looking for

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him. He turns up in the lives of people who never even asked for him and he says

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here am I to people who don’t even know who he is. Now, here’s what that means for

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us and it’s a very wonderful thing. You may not have been interested in God, that

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doesn’t mean that God is not interested in you, you may not have reached out to

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God, that does not mean that God is not reaching out to you. For people who did

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not pray, God shows up. That’s what Isaiah is saying for folks who are not looking,

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they come to know him, so you may have come here today and honestly you were

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not looking for God to do anything in your life at all, but God says you’re

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exactly the kind person I’m seeking. You are exactly the kind of person

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I am reaching out to. You’re exactly the kind of person I want to show up with

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and say here I am so that you will know me and so that you will find me. That’s

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what God is saying here. I revealed myself. Try and take it in to those who

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didn’t ask. I was found by those who didn’t seek to

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a nation that did not call on my name. It was to them that I said here am I, here

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am I. Now that’s the first group of people and it gives us the first window

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into the heart of God. To secular people who don’t know him, this is the marvelous

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God of the Bible who does not turn away from them but rather turns towards and

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seeks so that we who did not know him might come to know him. Not because we

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him. But because he finds us. Now there’s a second group of people and

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please look with me at verse 2. God is speaking here through the prophet Isaiah

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and he says, All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people who

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walk in ways not good.’ Now it’s important for understanding this part of the

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Bible to know that the people Isaiah is referring to in verse 2, are a different

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group from those who are being addressed by God in verse 1 and the reason that we

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know that very clearly is because in the New Testament the apostle Paul quotes

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these two versus from the beginning of Isaiah chapter 50 is 65 and the apostle

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Paul tells us that these two verses refer to two different groups of people

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you can check this out for yourself if you want in Romans chapter 10 and verses

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20 and 21 where you see this direct quote of verse 1 in verse 2 from Isaiah

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65 Paul says Isaiah boldly says I was found by those who did not seek me I

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revealed myself to those who did not ask of me and he relates that specifically

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to the Gentiles in the context there in Romans and chapter 10 but then he says

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this he says concerning Israel Isaiah says all day long

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verse 2 I have held out my hands to a disobedient and to an obstinate people

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so on the basis of the Apostle Paul’s statement in the New Testament we know

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quite clearly that verse 1 is directed to the Gentiles the secular people who

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do not know God but verse 2 concerning Israel Paul says verse 2 is all about

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Israel the religious people who claim to know God and of course remembering that

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God had made this covenant with his people Israel in the Old Testament I

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think that’s a a good way to describe the second group of people they are

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religious people who claim to know God now many of us belong to the second

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group I was brought up in a Christian family many of us were brought up with

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one brand of religion or another for some of us this was a positive

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experience you look back on what you learned and you thank God for it for

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others of us honestly it was a very negative experience you were perhaps

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brought up with a form of religion in which honestly you did not find any real

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connection with God it seemed to be essentially a burden

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and it seemed to be empty and at some point in your life frankly you were glad

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to get free from it now I want you to notice what God says to religious people

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who claim to know him verse two all day long I have held out my hands to an

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obstinate people this is interesting God’s not particularly impressed with

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his own people here he calls them obstinate who walk in ways that are not

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good pursuing their own imaginations of people who continually provoke me to my

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very face you see you read that you think oh he must be talking about the

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secular people who don’t know him you know the ones who provoke him to his

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face but he is not speaking about the secular people who don’t know him

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according to the Apostle Paul verse 2 God is speaking here about the religious

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people who claim to know him now that is telling us something incredibly

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important that will be liberating for some of us today

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God is telling us that religion is a mixed bag it’s a hodge-podge of good and

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of evil of light and of darkness and if you found some of it to be bad rest

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assured God has too I think that’s liberating we live in a world in which

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there’s a kind of secular assumption that goes on that all religion because

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it must be sincere is therefore a marvelous thing and therefore must be

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pleasing and honoring to God not if you read the God of the Bible in the Old

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Testament now according to him what is going on among some of the religious

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people who claim to know him look at the words of verse 2 with me please

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actually provokes him to his very face so let’s get this clear in our minds

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when we’re thinking about religion according to God himself it is a mixed

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bag some of it honors him but isaiah 65 in verse 2 God himself says some of it

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provokes him and in fact he goes even further if you look down to verse 5 here

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as God speaks to religion that is provocative to him the end of verse 5

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the Lord speaks of some religious people being smoke in my nostrils a fire that

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keeps burning that’s what God thinks of some religion now it clearly smoke in my

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nostrils a fire that keeps burning and it couldn’t be much stronger than that

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could it there is some religion that God does not like that’s putting it very

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very mildly there is some religion that honors God and there is some religion

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that actually provokes God we’re going to pause here but we’ll come back in

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just a moment and look at this kind of religion which the Bible tells has God

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doesn’t like in even that he finds offensive so I hope you’ll stay with us

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for that you’re listening to open the Bible with pastor Colin Smith and our

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message today restore people and it’s part of our series restore my soul and

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if you’ve missed any of the series or if you want to go back and listen again you

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can do that by coming online to our website open the bible org UK or you can

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find us as a podcast on your favorite podcast site just search for open the

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Bible UK or follow the link again on our website back to the message now we’re in

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Isaiah and chapter 65 here’s Colin what kind of religion offends God I want you

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to see that that’s precisely what God is speaking about through the Prophet Isaiah

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right here in this chapter see how do you know what’s good and honoring to God

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in religion and how do you distinguish it from what provokes him and what is

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bad well the only way you’re going to be able to do that is through the Bible and

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Isaiah chapter sixty-five is one of the best clearest passages I think to

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describe religion that provokes God so if you have your Bible open still I want

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to show you from this passage six forms of religion that are offensive to God

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that provoke him that are like smoke in his nostrils ready here we go six forms

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of religion that are offensive to God Isaiah chapter 65 number one I’m going

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to call it hypocritical religion and I’m looking at verse 2 where God speaks

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about abstinent people who walk in ways not good so here are religious folks you

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may have met some of them they talk the talk but they don’t walk the walk they

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claim to know God but verse 2 they do not do what is good and God says just so

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you know that provokes me that offends me now I’ve spoken to folks many times

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who have been offended by folks who claim to know God who top the top but

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don’t walk the walk and sometimes they speak as if they were the only ones who

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had ever been offended by such a thing listen if you’ve been offended by a

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person who claims to know God and talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk you

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agree with god on this issue and God agrees with you he says it offends me it

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provokes me it’s like smoke in my nostrils God is provoked by the double

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standard of claiming to know him and walking now notice that word by the way

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walking implies a continuity doesn’t it walking following a pattern of life that

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is not good that provokes me god says that’s

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hypothetical religion here’s a second form of religion that is offensive to

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God I’ve called it personalized religion I’m still looking at verse 2 where God

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describes people who in their religion he says are following their own

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imaginations notice that phrase in verse 2 now following your own imaginations

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means you just assume that God is for whatever you’re for and that he’s in

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whatever you’re in in other words following your own imaginations is

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really remaking God in your own image it is just assuming that God is a kind of

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projection of your own preferences your own prejudices and your own desires and

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God says when people basically imagine me to be a projection of themselves

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which of course is the worst idolatry God says that offends me it continually

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provokes me notice that word in verse 2 to my face

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here’s number 3 i’m gonna call it ritualistic religion look at verse 3

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where God speaks about a religion that is about offering sacrifices in gardens

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and burning incense on altars of brick now this is all about ritual

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you might expect that God would be very impressed with people who are always

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offering sacrifices and always burning incense but rituals don’t change lives

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and a religion that is simply about rituals is ultimately empty, and God

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says that’s the kind of thing that provokes me, provokes me to my face the

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idea that that what I’m about is simply a bunch of people going through a bunch

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of rituals over and over and over and over and over again That offends me God

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says. Number four I’m going to call dark religion and it expresses itself in many

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forms but I want you to notice verse 4 that pinpoints it very clearly. God

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speaks about those who sit among the graves and spend their nights keeping

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secret vigil now there is a brand of religion that is very dark and is

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intensely interested in the dead and in contacting the spirits of dead people

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who are no longer with us have you noticed by the way just looking at the

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TV schedules the dramatic upsurge of interest in darkened forms of religion

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that engage in various ventures that are related to trying to contact

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communicate with the spirits of the dead and in the scripture the God of the

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Bible prohibits that absolutely and it’s right here in Isaiah and chapter 65 and

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verse 4 and God says that whole world offends me

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so don’t go near it and don’t watch television about it either we’ve been

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looking at six forms of religion that are offensive to God and will continue

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next time when we’ll hear about how God deals with people who claim to know him

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you’re listening to Open the Bible with pastor Colin Smith and the series called

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Restore My Soul and this message was restored people it’s 9 heart cries for

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revival and if you’ve missed any of the series

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don’t forget you can come online to our website open the Bible dot org dot UK

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and there you can listen to any of the previously broadcast messages you can

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also find us as a podcast if that’s a better way for you to keep up with

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pastor Colin’s teaching and those are available on all your regular

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podcasting sites by searching for Open the Bible UK. Open the Bible

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is only able to remain on the air and on the internet but because of the

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financial support of our listeners people just like you and if that’s

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something you’d like to do then we have an offer for you this month. For the

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whole of this month if you were able to set up a new donation to the work of

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Open the Bible in the amount of five pounds per month or more we’d love to

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say thank you by sending you a copy of CH Spurgeon’s book

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Encouragement for the Depressed. Colin can you give an example of Spurgeon’s

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encouragement?

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Well the first part of this book is based on Zechariah chapter 4 and verse

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10 who has despised the day of small things when the temple was rebuilt after

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the exile people who remember the old temple that was very grand looked at the

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foundations and they said, is this it? You know it just looks so small. And I

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think that speaks to us today that many who really labor in serving the Lord

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have the question is this all that’s really coming from it? Is this the extent

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of what we shall see God doing in our lifetime?

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Do not despise the day of small things. Well

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Spurgeon takes that verse and applies it to the discouragements that we often

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feel when we look at our own lives and think that things are small. You know, I

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only have a little knowledge, I’m not as bright as other people, my faith

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seems very small and to that Spurgeon says do not mourn that your faith is

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small. Thank God that you have any faith at all. I love that. Thank God that you

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have this gift, it’s the most marvelous gift. He says, if you believe in Jesus

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though your faith be small as a mustard seed it will save you and over time it

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will grow. So I find that Spurgeon’s writing is just nourishing to my soul.

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When I feel down I often go to Spurgeon because I find that he picks me up and I

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think that that’s what folks will find as they read this wonderful little book.

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Well the book is called Encouragement for the Depressed, it’s by C. H. Spurgeon

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and it’s our thank-you gift to you for being able to support the work of Open

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the Bible Financially this month in the amount of £5 per month or more.

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Full details or to give online come to our website www.openthebible.org.uk

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For Open the Bible and pastor Colin Smith I’m David Pick and I hope you’ll be able to

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join us again next time on Open the Bible

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Religion is a mixed bag, some of it actually provokes God, discover why next

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time on Open the Bible