100:00:00,120 –> 00:00:03,460Geoffrey200:00:03,460 –> 00:00:09,320Alongside this wonderful world of trees and flowers and fish and animals and men and300:00:09,320 –> 00:00:15,340women, alongside this visible creation, there is also an invisible creation, a heavenly400:00:15,340 –> 00:00:21,420creation, another glorious realm and angels belong to that realm.500:00:23,180 –> 00:00:28,360Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I’m David Pick. And Colin, as we’re600:00:28,719 –> 00:00:33,480getting closer to Christmas, it seems that we hear more and more about angels. And some700:00:33,480 –> 00:00:37,919of us will probably be putting an angel at the top of the Christmas tree. So today we’re800:00:37,919 –> 00:00:39,119going to hear more about angels.900:00:39,119 –> 00:00:41,020Colin Yeah, and I think that that’s a really good1000:00:41,020 –> 00:00:47,160thing. There’s no Christmas story without the angels. And they are really significant.1100:00:47,160 –> 00:00:51,799Really significant. We’re looking at a verse in 1 Timothy chapter 3, where we’re told1200:00:52,520 –> 00:01:06,559It’s wonderful. It takes us to the heart of the Christmas story. Think about this. The1300:01:06,559 –> 00:01:14,040angels saw, worshipped and adored the Son of God, before he ever came into the world.1400:01:14,040 –> 00:01:21,760And how astonished they must have been when they saw him lying as a baby in a manger.1500:01:21,760 –> 00:01:25,180No wonder they filled the skies on that first Christmas night!1600:01:25,180 –> 00:01:29,660And then, of course, the Scriptures tell us that they strengthened him in the Garden of1700:01:29,660 –> 00:01:35,680Gethsemane. He could have called on 10,000 angels when he was suffering on the cross.1800:01:35,680 –> 00:01:40,839The angels announced the good news of his resurrection – and when Jesus Christ comes1900:01:41,360 –> 00:01:44,339he will come with all his holy angels with him.2000:01:44,339 –> 00:01:49,040So, really, here’s a way to get at the heart of the great story of the Bible, the great2100:01:49,040 –> 00:01:54,279story of Christmas, the great story of the Gospel – this is all good news for us.2200:01:54,279 –> 00:01:58,879And I hope next time you look at the angel at the top of your Christmas tree, if that’s2300:01:58,879 –> 00:02:04,400what you have, you’ll think, yeah, that’s really taking me to the heart of the Christmas2400:02:04,400 –> 00:02:09,020story – Jesus was seen and adored by angels.2500:02:09,039 –> 00:02:10,660So, let’s begin our time together.2600:02:10,660 –> 00:02:15,039I hope you will be able to join us in your Bible as we begin the message2700:02:15,039 –> 00:02:17,220Jesus seen and proclaimed.2800:02:17,220 –> 00:02:18,179Here is Colin2900:02:18,179 –> 00:02:21,479Well if you would open your Bible, please, at 1st Timothy3000:02:21,479 –> 00:02:25,380and chapter 3 and verse 16.3100:02:25,380 –> 00:02:30,240This is the verse we are camped on in the weeks that are leading up to Christmas,3200:02:30,240 –> 00:02:33,8201st Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16.3300:02:33,820 –> 00:02:38,399Great indeed, we confess is the mystery of godliness.3400:02:38,440 –> 00:02:45,360He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels,3500:02:45,360 –> 00:02:49,839proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world3600:02:49,839 –> 00:02:53,520taken up in glory.3700:02:53,520 –> 00:02:54,419Godliness.3800:02:54,419 –> 00:02:58,440This verse is about Godliness.3900:02:58,440 –> 00:03:04,779And we saw that to be godly is to be God’s man or God’s woman.4000:03:04,779 –> 00:03:08,380That is God made you for Himself.4100:03:08,479 –> 00:03:13,580Godliness is the life for which He made you, and the life to which He calls you.4200:03:13,580 –> 00:03:20,259But, sin causes us to be bent in on ourselves so how can we become godly?4300:03:20,259 –> 00:03:22,899How is a godly life possible?4400:03:22,899 –> 00:03:27,580Well, great is the mystery of godliness.4500:03:27,580 –> 00:03:32,419And we saw that in the Bible a mystery very simply is a secret that God has revealed though4600:03:32,419 –> 00:03:36,339its full wonder is still to be made known.4700:03:36,339 –> 00:03:41,440And the mystery of godliness, the secret God has revealed, though its full wonder is still4800:03:41,440 –> 00:03:44,800to be made known is Jesus Christ himself.4900:03:44,800 –> 00:03:48,940Great indeed we confess is the mystery of godliness.5000:03:48,940 –> 00:03:50,220He.5100:03:50,220 –> 00:03:55,139And then follow six marvelous statements about our Lord Jesus Christ.5200:03:55,139 –> 00:03:59,740So, here is the secret that God has revealed though its full wonder is still to be made5300:03:59,740 –> 00:04:00,740known.5400:04:00,740 –> 00:04:06,059Through Jesus Christ, you can live the life for which God made you, and the life to which5500:04:06,199 –> 00:04:07,880God calls you.5600:04:07,880 –> 00:04:12,100Through Jesus Christ, you really can become God’s man, God’s woman.5700:04:12,100 –> 00:04:16,899Through Jesus Christ, you can grow in godliness.5800:04:16,899 –> 00:04:22,320And the way in which we grow in godliness is by coming to know more of Jesus Christ5900:04:22,320 –> 00:04:25,440who is in himself the mystery of godliness.6000:04:25,440 –> 00:04:29,200The great secret God has revealed.6100:04:29,200 –> 00:04:32,619Now we began there for last week to look at who Jesus Christ is.6200:04:32,839 –> 00:04:36,579And we saw first, he was manifested in the flesh.6300:04:36,579 –> 00:04:39,640That of course is what the Christmas story is all about.6400:04:39,640 –> 00:04:42,519God became man in Jesus Christ.6500:04:42,519 –> 00:04:45,519God has made himself known to us in Jesus.6600:04:45,519 –> 00:04:48,299He was manifested in the flesh.6700:04:48,299 –> 00:04:52,700And then he was vindicated by the Spirit, as manifested in the flesh speaks about the6800:04:52,700 –> 00:04:58,420birth of Jesus, vindicated by the Spirit speaks about the resurrection of Jesus.6900:04:58,540 –> 00:05:05,359So here is the great mystery of godliness, the incarnation, the resurrection, are secrets7000:05:05,359 –> 00:05:12,739that God has revealed, though their full wonder of course is still to be made known.7100:05:12,739 –> 00:05:19,220Now today, we’re going to look at the next line of this remarkable, ancient Christian7200:05:19,220 –> 00:05:20,260creed.7300:05:20,260 –> 00:05:26,559Almost certainly, this was a creedal statement that may have been recited aloud by Christian7400:05:26,559 –> 00:05:29,959believers in the early church, or at least part of a creed.7500:05:29,959 –> 00:05:35,359You’ll notice that it’s written in the form of poetry, there’s meter, there’s rhythm in7600:05:35,359 –> 00:05:37,399these wonderful lines.7700:05:37,399 –> 00:05:41,880And for that reason, I think, we might reasonably regard this as perhaps one of the first Christmas7800:05:41,880 –> 00:05:47,899carols ever written, because it is a marvelous statement about Jesus Christ and his coming7900:05:47,899 –> 00:05:49,799into the world.8000:05:50,040 –> 00:06:00,359Looking today then at these marvelous words, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations.8100:06:00,359 –> 00:06:03,119Angels.8200:06:03,119 –> 00:06:09,320In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.8300:06:09,320 –> 00:06:16,059That means, the heavens and the earth, that alongside the earthly creation that is visible8400:06:16,059 –> 00:06:24,299to us, God has also a heavenly creation, a creation that He has made in heavenly places8500:06:24,299 –> 00:06:26,619that is invisible to us.8600:06:26,619 –> 00:06:34,619The Apostle speaks of this in Colossians 1, by him, that is, by Christ all things were8700:06:34,619 –> 00:06:35,640created.8800:06:35,640 –> 00:06:38,920Christ was the agent of God’s creation.8900:06:38,920 –> 00:06:43,160The father acted through the son in creation.9000:06:43,220 –> 00:06:52,019By him, all things were created in heaven, on earth, visible and invisible.9100:06:52,019 –> 00:06:57,619So alongside this wonderful world of trees and flowers and fish and animals and men and9200:06:57,640 –> 00:07:04,820women, alongside this visible creation, there is also an invisible creation, a heavenly9300:07:04,820 –> 00:07:12,059creation, another glorious realm and angels belong to that realm.9400:07:12,059 –> 00:07:16,380That’s why we sing angels from the realms of glory.9500:07:16,380 –> 00:07:25,079Now the word angel, agalos, very simply means a messenger or a herald.9600:07:25,579 –> 00:07:30,140And that’s why we sing Hark the Herald Angels Sing.9700:07:30,140 –> 00:07:33,140God sends his angels to speak.9800:07:33,140 –> 00:07:38,720They announce the good news and we see this all over the Christmas story.9900:07:38,720 –> 00:07:41,899And God sends angels to serve.10000:07:41,940 –> 00:07:46,640And one of the clearest statements about angels in the Bible Hebrews chapter one and verse10100:07:46,640 –> 00:07:52,679fourteen, we read this, that they are ministering spirits sent out to serve.10200:07:52,679 –> 00:07:55,179They’re sent to serve and they speak.10300:07:55,179 –> 00:07:56,179They’re messengers.10400:07:56,179 –> 00:07:59,000That’s what the word angel means.10500:07:59,000 –> 00:08:03,119So from that, we can give this little summary or definition.10600:08:03,119 –> 00:08:05,559Angels are messengers.10700:08:05,559 –> 00:08:07,040That’s what the word means.10800:08:07,040 –> 00:08:15,320They are sent to speak of Christ and they are sent to serve Jesus Christ.10900:08:15,320 –> 00:08:18,320Angeles are messengers.11000:08:18,320 –> 00:08:28,559Now this word agalos, angels, normally translated angels in the New Testament is sometimes also11100:08:28,559 –> 00:08:34,599used of human messengers because the word simply means messenger.11200:08:34,599 –> 00:08:40,599So for example, our Lord Jesus speaking about John the Baptist quotes from the Old Testament11300:08:40,599 –> 00:08:44,260and in Matthew 11 and verse 10 he says this of John.11400:08:44,260 –> 00:08:53,179This is he of whom it is written, behold I send my messenger, agalos.11500:08:53,979 –> 00:08:55,900Could be translated angel.11600:08:55,900 –> 00:09:01,359I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way for you.11700:09:01,820 –> 00:09:08,859John the Baptist is described as agalos, a messenger, an angel.11800:09:08,859 –> 00:09:13,440Which clearly does not mean that John was a disembodied spirit.11900:09:13,440 –> 00:09:19,140He ate wild locusts and honey and he was dressed in that awful camel hair.12000:09:19,140 –> 00:09:21,460It does not mean that John was a disembodied spirit.12100:09:21,460 –> 00:09:26,020What it means very simply is that John did what angels do.12200:09:26,020 –> 00:09:27,700He was a messenger.12300:09:28,280 –> 00:09:31,780He spoke off and served Jesus Christ.12400:09:33,059 –> 00:09:43,859Now since agalos in the New Testament is translated, and can be translated either as angel or as messenger,12500:09:43,859 –> 00:09:53,080there are some commentators who suggest that seen by angels may actually be a reference to the apostles.12600:09:53,080 –> 00:09:55,239The meaning then would be this.12700:09:55,239 –> 00:09:59,700Christ was manifested in the flesh through his birth.12800:09:59,700 –> 00:10:04,559He was vindicated by the Spirit through his resurrection.12900:10:04,559 –> 00:10:07,799Now what happened after the resurrection of Jesus from the dead?13000:10:07,799 –> 00:10:11,380Well, He appeared to the apostles.13100:10:11,380 –> 00:10:16,840He was seen by the messengers, by the agalos.13200:10:16,840 –> 00:10:18,599And what did the apostles do next?13300:10:18,599 –> 00:10:24,940Well, they went out to proclaim the good news of the risen Lord Jesus Christ to the nation13400:10:25,200 –> 00:10:28,419so there’s a flow there and a continuity there.13500:10:28,419 –> 00:10:32,000And that could indeed be the meaning here,13600:10:32,000 –> 00:10:37,419but frankly it is one of these places where it is difficult to be sure.13700:10:37,419 –> 00:10:44,760I think that seen by angels refers to the ministry of angels.13800:10:44,760 –> 00:10:49,380The ministry of angels who announced the birth of Christ and the resurrection of Christ,13900:10:49,380 –> 00:10:51,640that he was manifested in the flesh14000:10:51,640 –> 00:10:55,099and that he was vindicated by the spirit.14100:10:55,099 –> 00:10:59,359And the ministry of angels who announced that he was manifested in the flesh14200:10:59,359 –> 00:11:01,880and that he was vindicated by the spirit14300:11:01,880 –> 00:11:05,479is put alongside the ministry of the apostles14400:11:05,479 –> 00:11:08,520who then took the message declared by angels14500:11:08,520 –> 00:11:12,059and proclaimed it to the nations,14600:11:12,059 –> 00:11:16,700seen by angels proclaimed among the nations.14700:11:16,700 –> 00:11:19,239And the point of putting these two together,14800:11:19,239 –> 00:11:23,700that is, the witness of angels, who declared his birth and his resurrection,14900:11:23,700 –> 00:11:25,380and the ministry of the apostles,15000:11:25,380 –> 00:11:28,500who then took that message to the nations —15100:11:28,500 –> 00:11:31,359the point of putting these two together is surely this—15200:11:31,359 –> 00:11:36,099that the ministry of angels is in fact the model15300:11:36,099 –> 00:11:38,380for the ministry of the apostles15400:11:38,380 –> 00:11:42,159and for our ministry today.15500:11:42,159 –> 00:11:43,460What were angels to do?15600:11:43,460 –> 00:11:48,280They were messengers sent by God to speak of Christ and to serve him,15700:11:48,280 –> 00:11:54,900so the apostles were sent out as messengers to speak of Christ and to serve him,15800:11:54,900 –> 00:11:59,299so we today are messengers sent out by God15900:11:59,299 –> 00:12:05,299to speak of Jesus Christ and to serve him in the world today.16000:12:05,299 –> 00:12:08,099You’re listening to Pastor Colin Smith on Open the Bible16100:12:08,099 –> 00:12:11,900and a message today called Jesus, Seen and Proclaimed.16200:12:11,900 –> 00:12:14,500It’s part of our series simply called Jesus,16300:12:14,500 –> 00:12:16,840and if you’ve missed any of the series so far16400:12:16,840 –> 00:12:18,640or if you want to go back and listen again,16500:12:18,640 –> 00:12:22,739come online to our website, openthebible.org.uk16600:12:22,739 –> 00:12:26,140there you’ll find all the messages which have already gone out on air.16700:12:26,140 –> 00:12:28,940You’ll also find them arranged as a podcast16800:12:28,940 –> 00:12:31,140on all the main podcast sites.16900:12:31,140 –> 00:12:34,239Search for Open the Bible UK on the podcast site17000:12:34,239 –> 00:12:37,840and subscribe if you want to receive regular updates.17100:12:37,840 –> 00:12:39,739Well, we’re coming up to the end of the year17200:12:39,739 –> 00:12:43,440and many people consider making a gift at the end of the year.17300:12:43,440 –> 00:12:46,039So why not think about giving a one-off gift17400:12:46,039 –> 00:12:48,239to the work of Open the Bible.17500:12:48,239 –> 00:12:51,340We do depend entirely on the gifts of our listeners17600:12:51,340 –> 00:12:54,440to keep going on the internet and on the air.17700:12:54,440 –> 00:12:58,640This month if you’re able to make a one-off payment of 50 pounds or more17800:12:58,640 –> 00:13:02,840we’d love to thank you by sending you five copies of John’s Gospel.17900:13:02,840 –> 00:13:06,340I’ll be talking more to Colin about that later in the program.18000:13:06,340 –> 00:13:09,340Back to the message now. Here’s Colin…18100:13:09,340 –> 00:13:14,039Now let’s then focus in on this marvelous Ministry of Angels18200:13:14,039 –> 00:13:17,640that not only was a model for the Ministry of the Apostles18300:13:17,640 –> 00:13:23,640but also is a model for our ministry here today.18400:13:23,640 –> 00:13:27,539Seen by Angels.18500:13:27,539 –> 00:13:30,840Angels were messengers18600:13:30,840 –> 00:13:35,539and they were sent to announce first the birth of Jesus18700:13:35,539 –> 00:13:39,039that He was manifested in the flesh.18800:13:39,440 –> 00:13:41,539They were the heralds.18900:13:41,539 –> 00:13:45,340Hark! The herald Angels sing.19000:13:45,340 –> 00:13:49,340Notice how the Angels announced19100:13:49,340 –> 00:13:53,739the coming of Jesus Christ in the world to Mary.19200:13:53,739 –> 00:13:59,340The Angel appeared and announced the coming of the Son of God.19300:13:59,340 –> 00:14:04,140Mary said, How can this be seeing that I am a virgin?19400:14:04,539 –> 00:14:07,539And the angel said to her,19500:14:07,539 –> 00:14:09,940The Holy Spirit shall come upon you.19600:14:09,940 –> 00:14:12,739The power of the Most High shall overshadow you19700:14:12,739 –> 00:14:16,239and therefore the child to be born will be called holy.19800:14:16,239 –> 00:14:19,039The Son of God.19900:14:19,039 –> 00:14:21,239And then it was the angels who announced20000:14:21,239 –> 00:14:23,940the birth of Jesus Christ to the shepherds.20100:14:23,940 –> 00:14:26,039The angel said to them,20200:14:26,039 –> 00:14:27,739Fear not for behold20300:14:27,739 –> 00:14:29,440I bring you good news of great joy20400:14:29,440 –> 00:14:32,239that will be to all the people20500:14:32,739 –> 00:14:34,739For to you this day in the city of David20600:14:34,739 –> 00:14:36,239a Savior is born.20700:14:36,239 –> 00:14:39,940He is Christ the Lord.20800:14:40,840 –> 00:14:43,239Now notice the ministry of angels here.20900:14:43,340 –> 00:14:44,440This is very important.21000:14:44,440 –> 00:14:47,739They explain the meaning21100:14:47,940 –> 00:14:50,840of the birth of Jesus.21200:14:50,940 –> 00:14:53,940A baby was born in a small town21300:14:53,940 –> 00:14:56,840called Bethlehem many years ago.21400:14:57,840 –> 00:15:02,039What is the significance of that for us today?21500:15:03,640 –> 00:15:05,940Well the angels tell us21600:15:06,039 –> 00:15:09,340what it means, and why it matters.21700:15:09,340 –> 00:15:12,739The one who is born they announce21800:15:12,739 –> 00:15:17,539is the Lord, and the reason that He has come21900:15:17,539 –> 00:15:19,940is to be our Savior.22000:15:19,940 –> 00:15:23,340If we ask Savior, from what?22100:15:23,340 –> 00:15:26,039Again, the angels give us the answer.22200:15:26,039 –> 00:15:28,539The angel appeared to Joseph and said,22300:15:28,539 –> 00:15:31,840call him Jesus, because he will save his people22400:15:31,840 –> 00:15:35,140from their sins.22500:15:35,140 –> 00:15:37,940Now friends, here is why this matters22600:15:37,940 –> 00:15:40,440especially for us today.22700:15:40,440 –> 00:15:43,940We live in a culture22800:15:43,940 –> 00:15:48,440where people dismiss any claim to truth22900:15:48,440 –> 00:15:50,640with a single phrase,23000:15:50,640 –> 00:15:52,640and we’ve all heard it.23100:15:52,640 –> 00:15:56,840That’s just your interpretation.23200:15:56,840 –> 00:15:59,640You speak about the Lord Jesus Christ23300:15:59,640 –> 00:16:01,039and you will find time and again23400:16:01,039 –> 00:16:03,340that what you say is dismissed,23500:16:03,340 –> 00:16:05,340that’s just your opinion,23600:16:05,340 –> 00:16:08,940that’s just your interpretation.23700:16:08,940 –> 00:16:11,039And so we end up in a post-modern world23800:16:11,039 –> 00:16:12,840with you know, there’s this marvellous story23900:16:12,840 –> 00:16:14,440about a baby being born in a manger,24000:16:14,440 –> 00:16:15,739what does it mean to you?24100:16:15,739 –> 00:16:16,739Really at the end of the day24200:16:16,739 –> 00:16:20,239it’s all a matter of personal opinion.24300:16:20,340 –> 00:16:24,640No, God sent the angel24400:16:24,640 –> 00:16:28,840to tell us what the birth of Jesus means,24500:16:28,840 –> 00:16:31,140what it means for you,24600:16:31,140 –> 00:16:32,539here’s what it means for you,24700:16:32,539 –> 00:16:34,739a saviour is born24800:16:34,739 –> 00:16:37,840and he came because you need saving24900:16:37,840 –> 00:16:39,539and the saviour who is born25000:16:39,539 –> 00:16:43,340is Jesus Christ the Lord.25100:16:43,340 –> 00:16:45,140So friends, please don’t settle25200:16:45,140 –> 00:16:48,539for the widely propagated myth25300:16:48,539 –> 00:16:50,140that the Bible just contains25400:16:50,239 –> 00:16:51,840stories and it’s down to us25500:16:51,840 –> 00:16:54,940to decide what they all mean.25600:16:54,940 –> 00:16:59,539For sure there are places in the Bible25700:16:59,539 –> 00:17:02,539where interpretation is not clear.25800:17:02,539 –> 00:17:04,339And I’ve just refer to one of them,25900:17:04,339 –> 00:17:06,839it is not entirely clear26000:17:06,839 –> 00:17:08,739whether seen by angels26100:17:08,739 –> 00:17:09,939in 1 Timothy chapter 326200:17:09,939 –> 00:17:12,739and verse 6 refers to heavenly beings26300:17:12,739 –> 00:17:14,540or whether it might be a reference26400:17:14,540 –> 00:17:16,239to the ministry of the apostles26500:17:16,239 –> 00:17:18,140who saw the Risen Lord Jesus26600:17:18,140 –> 00:17:20,739and became his messengers to the nations26700:17:20,739 –> 00:17:22,839but I’ll tell you there isn’t anyone26800:17:22,839 –> 00:17:23,839whose eternal destiny26900:17:23,839 –> 00:17:25,439depends on which one of these27000:17:25,439 –> 00:17:28,140turns out to be right.27100:17:28,140 –> 00:17:30,140But I am saying to you today27200:17:30,140 –> 00:17:33,640that in the things that matter most,27300:17:33,640 –> 00:17:36,140the things on which your eternity hangs,27400:17:36,140 –> 00:17:38,939God has left us in absolutely27500:17:38,939 –> 00:17:40,540no doubt whatsoever.27600:17:40,540 –> 00:17:42,239God tells us what happened27700:17:42,239 –> 00:17:46,640and God tells us what it means.27800:17:46,640 –> 00:17:50,199How could the shepherds have possibly27900:17:50,199 –> 00:17:53,640known that this baby lying in a manger28000:17:53,640 –> 00:17:57,439was actually God manifested in the flesh?28100:17:57,439 –> 00:17:58,640There’s only one way that they could28200:17:58,640 –> 00:17:59,439ever have known.28300:17:59,439 –> 00:18:01,640God has to tell them.28400:18:01,640 –> 00:18:04,640They’d never have worked it out28500:18:04,640 –> 00:18:08,640and so God tells us, sends the angel28600:18:08,640 –> 00:18:12,439and the angel tells them.28700:18:12,439 –> 00:18:14,540Now, to underline that,28800:18:14,540 –> 00:18:16,339I want you to notice28900:18:16,339 –> 00:18:18,739that when you come to the resurrection of Jesus,29000:18:18,739 –> 00:18:24,439the Easter story, you have exactly the same pattern.29100:18:24,439 –> 00:18:27,140Angels were God’s messengers not only29200:18:27,140 –> 00:18:31,640to announce his birth but also to announce his resurrection.29300:18:31,640 –> 00:18:34,439Not only to announce that he was manifested in the flesh29400:18:34,439 –> 00:18:39,439but also to announce that he was vindicated by the spirit.29500:18:39,439 –> 00:18:42,040Remember that story.29600:18:42,040 –> 00:18:44,540On the Easter morning,29700:18:44,540 –> 00:18:48,939the women came, they arrived at the tomb and they found that29800:18:48,939 –> 00:18:51,239it was empty.29900:18:51,239 –> 00:18:55,839The stone was rolled away.30000:18:55,839 –> 00:19:00,040But what did that mean?30100:19:00,040 –> 00:19:03,239I mean it wasn’t that the women turned to each other and said,30200:19:03,239 –> 00:19:10,939oh look, the stones rolled away,30300:19:10,939 –> 00:19:12,140the tomb is empty, he’s risen from the dead.30400:19:12,140 –> 00:19:15,640That would have been a matter of personal interpretation.30500:19:15,640 –> 00:19:18,439That is not what happened.30600:19:18,439 –> 00:19:20,739If that had been what happened, then of course other people30700:19:20,739 –> 00:19:23,239would have come and said, look the tomb is empty,30800:19:23,239 –> 00:19:25,439that must mean that the disciples stole the body.30900:19:25,439 –> 00:19:27,040That would’ve been a matter of interpretation too.31000:19:27,040 –> 00:19:28,839And then for the next 2,000 years we just say,31100:19:28,839 –> 00:19:30,839well there’s one interpretation, then there’s another interpretation.31200:19:30,839 –> 00:19:32,640What do you think?31300:19:32,640 –> 00:19:35,640That’s exactly where the post-modern world is.31400:19:35,640 –> 00:19:38,140That is not what happened.31500:19:38,140 –> 00:19:40,839The resurrection was not a matter of private interpretation31600:19:40,839 –> 00:19:43,339For the women or everyone else.31700:19:43,339 –> 00:19:46,839What happened?31800:19:46,839 –> 00:19:52,839We’re told in Matthew chapter 28 verses 5 and 631900:19:52,839 –> 00:19:56,339that to the women who were perplexed.32000:19:56,339 –> 00:20:00,839That’s the word that’s used in Luke’s gospel in chapter 24.32100:20:00,839 –> 00:20:04,439The women looked at the empty tomb and rather than drawing a conclusion32200:20:04,439 –> 00:20:07,439they didn’t have the faintest idea what it meant.32300:20:07,439 –> 00:20:09,540They were perplexed.32400:20:09,739 –> 00:20:11,640What’s this?32500:20:11,640 –> 00:20:14,739What’s going on?32600:20:14,739 –> 00:20:16,339So how did they know what had really happened?32700:20:16,339 –> 00:20:20,339The answer is God sent an angel to tell them.32800:20:20,339 –> 00:20:21,339Matthew 28,32900:20:21,339 –> 00:20:24,339The angel said to the women,33000:20:24,339 –> 00:20:28,140Do not be afraid for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.33100:20:28,140 –> 00:20:29,140He is not here.33200:20:29,140 –> 00:20:30,939For he has risen as he said,33300:20:30,939 –> 00:20:35,640come and see the place where he lay.33400:20:35,640 –> 00:20:38,739So please understand this is very important.33500:20:38,839 –> 00:20:43,839The resurrection of Jesus was not an inference33600:20:43,839 –> 00:20:48,239drawn by the women from the empty tomb.33700:20:48,239 –> 00:20:51,839It was announced by the angel33800:20:51,839 –> 00:20:54,939and then it was confirmed to the apostles33900:20:54,939 –> 00:20:58,640by the subsequent resurrection appearances34000:20:58,640 –> 00:21:00,640of our Lord Jesus Christ.34100:21:00,640 –> 00:21:02,540Here’s what that means.34200:21:02,540 –> 00:21:09,339Christian faith is not a matter of personal interpretation.34300:21:09,339 –> 00:21:12,540It does not rest on an individual’s feelings34400:21:12,540 –> 00:21:16,239or impulses or experiences.34500:21:16,239 –> 00:21:19,339At its heart, Christian faith is a matter34600:21:19,339 –> 00:21:24,239of believing God’s own explanation of events34700:21:24,239 –> 00:21:27,040as revealed to us in the Scripture.34800:21:28,739 –> 00:21:32,339What a great definition of the Christian faith.34900:21:32,339 –> 00:21:35,239You’re listening to Open The Bible with Pastor Colin Smith35000:21:35,239 –> 00:21:38,839and a message called, Jesus, Seen and Proclaimed.35100:21:38,839 –> 00:21:41,739It’s part of our series, simply entitled Jesus.35200:21:41,739 –> 00:21:43,640And if you’ve missed any of the series35300:21:43,640 –> 00:21:45,540or if you want to go back and listen again,35400:21:45,540 –> 00:21:47,939do that by coming online to our website35500:21:47,939 –> 00:21:50,640openthebible.org.uk35600:21:50,640 –> 00:21:52,239and there you’ll find all the messages35700:21:52,239 –> 00:21:54,339which have already gone out on air.35800:21:54,339 –> 00:21:56,040You’ll also find us as a podcast35900:21:56,040 –> 00:21:58,439if you prefer listening to us in that way36000:21:58,439 –> 00:22:00,339and those are on all the main podcast sites.36100:22:00,540 –> 00:22:04,140You can find them by searching for Open The Bible UK36200:22:04,140 –> 00:22:06,739or by following the link from our website.36300:22:06,739 –> 00:22:09,439Also on our website and available as a podcast36400:22:09,439 –> 00:22:11,439is Open The Bible Daily36500:22:11,439 –> 00:22:14,239and that’s a two to three-minute reflection,36600:22:14,239 –> 00:22:17,540new one every day, based on Colin’s teaching36700:22:17,540 –> 00:22:19,839and read in the UK by Sue MacLeish.36800:22:19,839 –> 00:22:22,640Lots of Christians enjoy listening to that every day36900:22:22,640 –> 00:22:25,239and it’s a great way to start the day.37000:22:25,239 –> 00:22:27,140We want to help you to understand37100:22:27,140 –> 00:22:29,939how the books in the Bible fit together37200:22:29,939 –> 00:22:33,839and a good way to do that is with Open The Bible Story.37300:22:33,839 –> 00:22:36,040You can find that on our website.37400:22:36,040 –> 00:22:38,439It’s a journey through the whole Bible.37500:22:38,439 –> 00:22:42,540A study course in 30 parts entitled The Drive.37600:22:42,540 –> 00:22:45,640It will take you deep into the valleys of the Old Testament,37700:22:45,640 –> 00:22:47,739the peaks of the glories of Jesus37800:22:47,739 –> 00:22:50,540and the ups and downs of the Christian life.37900:22:50,540 –> 00:22:51,739All the way through,38000:22:51,739 –> 00:22:53,839it will show how the Bible always points38100:22:53,839 –> 00:22:56,339to the person of Jesus Christ.38200:22:56,339 –> 00:22:59,040You can find Open The Bible Story on our website38300:22:59,040 –> 00:23:03,239that’s openthebible.org.uk.38400:23:03,239 –> 00:23:05,939Open The Bible is able to stay on this station38500:23:05,939 –> 00:23:08,640and on our website and as a podcast38600:23:08,640 –> 00:23:11,439because of the generous gifts of our listeners.38700:23:11,439 –> 00:23:15,140So thank you, if you already give to support our work.38800:23:15,140 –> 00:23:17,339If you’re thinking about beginning to support us38900:23:17,339 –> 00:23:19,239in that way in the future39000:23:19,239 –> 00:23:22,040and you’re able to set up a new Direct Debit39100:23:22,040 –> 00:23:25,239in the amount of £5 per month or more39200:23:25,239 –> 00:23:28,239or a one-off gift of £50 or more,39300:23:28,239 –> 00:23:29,939we’d love to say thank you39400:23:29,939 –> 00:23:33,239by sending you 5 copies of the Gospel of John39500:23:33,239 –> 00:23:35,339to give away to your family and friends39600:23:35,339 –> 00:23:37,040and perhaps to read with them.39700:23:37,040 –> 00:23:38,839Colin, what’s behind the idea39800:23:38,839 –> 00:23:41,140of offering a book of the Bible?39900:23:41,140 –> 00:23:43,839Well, I’m assuming that the vast number of people40000:23:43,839 –> 00:23:45,339listening to us right now40100:23:45,339 –> 00:23:47,339already have a copy of the Bible.40200:23:47,339 –> 00:23:50,839But you know, you have someone in your life40300:23:50,839 –> 00:23:53,040who needs to know the God of the Bible40400:23:53,040 –> 00:23:56,339and probably has read very little of the Word of God.40500:23:56,339 –> 00:23:58,140And if that’s the case,40600:23:58,140 –> 00:24:00,540the best place for them to start40700:24:00,540 –> 00:24:02,839may be the Gospel of John.40800:24:02,839 –> 00:24:04,640Why shouldn’t you be the person40900:24:04,640 –> 00:24:07,140to give a copy of John’s Gospel41000:24:07,140 –> 00:24:09,239to someone you know and love41100:24:09,239 –> 00:24:11,439who needs to know the God of the Bible?41200:24:11,439 –> 00:24:12,640And that’s why we’re offering41300:24:12,640 –> 00:24:15,040not one but 3 copies of John’s Gospel.41400:24:15,040 –> 00:24:16,239Here’s the challenge.41500:24:16,239 –> 00:24:19,739Can you think and pray over this season41600:24:19,739 –> 00:24:21,540about who in your life41700:24:21,540 –> 00:24:23,439needs to know the God of the Bible41800:24:23,439 –> 00:24:26,939and then ask that God would open an opportunity41900:24:26,939 –> 00:24:29,939for you to give them a copy of John’s Gospel42000:24:29,939 –> 00:24:32,439and offer to read it with them?42100:24:32,439 –> 00:24:34,739If you can open up a conversation42200:24:34,739 –> 00:24:36,439around the Word of God42300:24:36,439 –> 00:24:39,439well then you’re getting the living seed42400:24:39,439 –> 00:24:41,439into a person’s life42500:24:41,439 –> 00:24:43,439and when the living seed of the Word of God42600:24:43,439 –> 00:24:45,040gets into a person’s life42700:24:45,040 –> 00:24:46,739you’ve got hope of seeing something42800:24:46,739 –> 00:24:47,839very wonderful happening.42900:24:47,839 –> 00:24:49,839Well, we want to help you to get43000:24:49,839 –> 00:24:52,239that living Word of God into your life43100:24:52,239 –> 00:24:53,939and into the lives of those43200:24:53,939 –> 00:24:55,339you come into contact with43300:24:55,339 –> 00:24:56,839your family and friends.43400:24:56,939 –> 00:24:58,540Full details of this offer43500:24:58,540 –> 00:24:59,739are on our website43600:24:59,739 –> 00:25:02,640openthebible.org.uk43700:25:02,640 –> 00:25:04,739and you can also give online.43800:25:04,839 –> 00:25:06,239For open the Bible43900:25:06,239 –> 00:25:07,540and Pastor Colin Smith44000:25:07,540 –> 00:25:08,540I am David Pick44100:25:08,540 –> 00:25:10,239and I hope you’ll be able to join us again44200:25:10,239 –> 00:25:11,739next time.44300:25:19,239 –> 00:25:21,540The Christian faith is not simply44400:25:21,540 –> 00:25:23,640a matter of personal interpretation.44500:25:23,640 –> 00:25:25,939Find out what it is based on44600:25:25,939 –> 00:25:28,839next time on open the Bible.