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Are you frustrated in life? Are you looking for fruit that you haven’t found? Are you

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dissatisfied? Come to Jesus and he’ll give you a more fulfilling and a satisfying life.

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The steady diet of that kind of ministry would produce a bunch of Christians who are looking

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to Jesus simply to give us a more fulfilling and satisfying life and that’s not the gospel.

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Welcome to Open The Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I am David Aitkin. Colin, this is a

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good subject we’re going for today because I think for a lot of people, when they first

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come to faith, they feel really happy that their sins forgiven and they feel that now

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they’re going to feel fulfilled all the time. As you say, the gospel is much more than that.

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Yeah, that’s right and it addresses the dark places that a Christian experiences. If the

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only thing that is ever said in the message is, god will give you a fulfilling and a satisfying

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life. I mean, what’s going to be said to the Christian who says, I’m going through a dark

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valley and I don’t even have a sense that God is listening to me. It seems that God’s

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enveloped in a dark cloud. It’s like he’s silent and when I pray, I don’t get anything

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back. I don’t feel like I used to. Now, the wonderful thing about the Bible, is that God

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speaks about every circumstance of a Christian’s life including what some people have called

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the dark night of the soul. The time when it just seems like God is not there. The time

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when he seems far away. The time, where to use a phrase that we’ll focus on today from

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the Bible, it seems like God is hiding himself. Now I think most Christians go through that

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kind of experience and when you do, it’s awfully good to know that the scripture actually speaks

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about this and God has told us that such experiences are part of the life of a true Christian.

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So let’s find out about that as we begin the message, The God Who Hides Himself. Here’s

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Colin. Now I hope you have your Bibles open at Micah

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and Chapter 7. These verses are unique because they give us an insight into the broken heart

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of a godly leader. Now think about it. Micah has been preaching God’s word all his life.

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He gave himself to this work for 50 years. God has called him to be a prophet. That means

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of course that God spoke to Micah directly, that his words are the Word of God, and that

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of course is why we’re studying his Book today. Over the last weeks, we’ve followed Micah’s

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message, but we haven’t really learned a great deal about Micah the man himself. What was

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it actually like for him to be a prophet? Well the reality is that leaders don’t usually

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wear their hearts on their sleeves. But in this last chapter of the book we find Micah

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opening himself up and he shares his heart. And in these few verses what we get is a glimpse

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into the inner turmoil of a leader’s soul. Micah was a man with a broken heart and I

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want us to understand why so that we can learn more of it for ourselves. Look at what he

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says. You have your Bible open, do you? Micah chapter seven. He starts by saying what misery

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is mine. Now, I feel like I’ve almost prepared this message twice this week and the reason

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for that is that once I got started, I soon realized that I was on the wrong track and

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I’ve completely missed the point. Those of you who are well used to Bible study will

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know that you sometimes have an experience like that. Look at verse one. Micah says,

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I’m like one who gather summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyards. There is no cluster

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of grapes to eat and none of the early figs that I have, that I crave. Obviously, you

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know, you come to this, you ready to think, well this is a picture of great frustration.

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Micah says I’m like a person going looking for fruit. I find there’s no fruit, I don’t

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find what I’m looking for, things haven’t worked out in my life as I wanted, my dream

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hasn’t been fulfilled and you go down that line, you end up with a message that sounds

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like this. Are you frustrated in life? Are you looking for fruit that you haven’t followed

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Are you looking for fruit that you haven’t found? Are you dissatisfied? Come to Jesus

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and he’ll give you a more fulfilling and a satisfying life. The problem with that of

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course is that it completely misses the point of Micah chapter 7 as we’ll see.

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What’s worse by the way, and when I realize, no of course that can’t be what verse 1

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is about, is that that line of thought completely subverts the gospel. What it does

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is it places us and our fulfillment at the center of all things instead of God and his

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glorious and that’s not the gospel right. In fact a steady diet of that kind of ministry

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would produce a bunch of Christians who are looking to Jesus simply to give us a more

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fulfilling and satisfying life and that’s not the gospel. As soon as I realized that

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was where that line of thinking was going, I had to rip up the notes and throw them in

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the bin and start again because that can’t be what Micah chapter 7 is all about.

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Right, so let’s take a closer look at what he’s saying. Micah is speaking you see

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under the direct inspiration of the spirit of God. So when he says O what misery is mine

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the one thing you can be sure of is he is not wallowing in self pity because the Holy

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Spirit never offers self pity. He doesn’t lead us there so let’s take a closer look at why

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this man is miserable. The way to understand Micah’s misery in verse 1 is to look at what

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he says in verse 2. Look at what he says the godly have been swept from the land. That’s

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why I’m miserable. Not one upright man remains. So the reason that this godly man, this prophet

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is brokenhearted is not because he is feeling sorry for himself or the way life is worked

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out or anything of that sort at all, no the fruit he’s been looking for is not personal

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fulfillment but it is godly character. And what he says to us is simply this, as I look

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out upon the landscape of my country today, I see the way people are living. I see that

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godly character has been swept away in my own lifetime. I’m looking for models of upright

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living around me and that’s not what I’m seeing as I look across the land. The godly have

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been swept from the land, which land? Well of course, he’s talking about the land of

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Israel, that is the land where God’s covenant people lived. And so it’s surely right for

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us to apply Micah’s words not only to our nation, but also to the Church, to God’s

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covenant people. We may imply it this way. I look across Church world in this generation

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and I see the loss of godly character in our time. I’m not seeing the fruit of the spirit

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and it burdens my heart. That’s what he’s saying. Just earlier this year, Ronald Sider

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published a very, very important book. It’s called The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience.

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And the subtitle is a question. Why are Christians living just like

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the rest of the world? Good question. Why are Christians living

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just like the rest of the world? That’s Micah’s question.

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All what misery is mine he says as he thinks about it.

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Not only is there the loss of Godly character but he’s seeing across

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the community the rise of self-interest. Look at verse 3 and 4.

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All men lie in wait to shed blood, each hunts his brother with a net.

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Both hands are skilled in doing evil, the ruler demands gifts,

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the judge accepts bribe, the powerful dictate what they desire,

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they all conspire together.

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As I look across the country Micah is saying what I see is the breakdown of trust.

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It’s all about pressure groups, it’s all about lobbyists,

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it’s all about people with their own agendas,

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it’s self-interest that is replaced the common good.

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And when that happens in a society or in any community,

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what begins to happen?

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Well, of course family life falls apart and you see that in verses 5 and 6.

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Don’t trust the neighbor or put confidence in a friend.

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Even with her who lies in your embrace, your wife, be careful with your words.

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For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother,

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a daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.

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A man’s enemies are the members of his own household.

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You see, what he’s describing here is the complete breakdown of family life in his generation.

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And he says it’s breaking my heart to see what’s happening.

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And it’s happening not just in the nations at large,

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it’s happening in the community of God’s people.

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That’s the reason for my misery, says this man of God.

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Ronald Syder quotes statistics in this book here.

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He says that the figures for family breakdown amongst evangelicals,

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those who claim the name of being born again,

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are precisely the same as the national figures.

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Precisely the same!

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That the statistics for use of pornography amongst those who claim to be evangelicals

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are precisely the same as those known for the national averages and statistics.

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That’s a problem!

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Micah says it breaks my heart.

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It’s my burden.

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Loss of trust between a husband and a wife.

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Loss of connection between kids and their parents.

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Families tearing themselves apart.

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I’m looking round and I’m not seeing the fruit says Micah.

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It’s my burden says the preacher after fifty years of ministry.

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Here’s the question therefore for us today.

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Is your heart burdened about the fact that the church

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is so little different from the world?

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Does that matter to us as a congregation?

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Do we care about the breakdown of family life

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all around us, including among us?

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And if so, what are we going to do about it?

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What will we do in the next 10 years that will make

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a difference to our community and the world,

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will we be mission orientated or are we concerned

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simply to please ourselves?

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These are the questions that arise directly

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out of Micah, Chapter 7.

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They are the questions that burden the heart

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of a godly leader.

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I tell you, I think we need lots more of this

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kind of brokenheartedness, don’t you?

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Lots more of it. Lots more.

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To move beyond self-congratulation,

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to recognize that beneath the surface

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of all the statistics about evangelicalism

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within our land there is a chronic decay

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that desperately, desperately, desperately

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needs to be addressed.

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We’re going to pause just for a moment there.

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You’re listening to Open the Bible

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with Pastor Colin Smith

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in a message called

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The God Who Hides Himself.

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It’s part of our series

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Close Encounters with the Living God.

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If you’ve missed any of the series

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or if you want to just go back and listen again,

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you can do that by coming online

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Those are available

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Back to the message now

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We’re in Micah Chapter 7

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with Verses 1-13 today.

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Here’s Colin.

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Now there are two things for us

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to learn from this passage today.

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The first is for us

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to correctly identify the problem.

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You see, Micah’s been talking about

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symptoms, loss of character,

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rise of self-interest,

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breakdown of family life,

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these are symptoms.

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The question is,

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from what root do they come?

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What’s the root?

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If you don’t know the root problem,

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you’ll never get the right solution.

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So we’ve gotta be able to discern

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the problem.

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Why is there this loss of character,

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why this rise of self-interest,

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why this breakdown of relationships?

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Why are these things happening

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in our culture today?

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Then when we’ve identified

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the problem, we’ve got to discover

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what to do about it.

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So let’s, with our Bibles open,

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look more intently at what

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God has to say in his word.

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Let’s look, as we try to examine

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the problem more closely,

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at the unanswered question of Verse 10.

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Do you see that there?

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My enemy will see it

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and will be covered with shame.

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She who said to me,

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where is the Lord your God?

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Now that really is the central

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question of this whole passage.

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Where is the Lord your God,

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and you have here a cynic

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coming to the believer

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and saying, well just look

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at what’s going on.

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I mean if you look at the reality

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among you guys, I mean,

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where is God in all of this?

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And the striking thing, of course,

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is that Micah does not

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have an answer.

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All that he can say is that

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things will be different

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in the future, he’s sure of that.

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But as he writes,

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he has no compelling answer

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to offer the cynic who says,

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where is your God?

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Now this is, by the way,

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wonderfully helpful

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because surely we’ve all been there.

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And illness strikes,

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a church splits,

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a business collapses,

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a son or a daughter

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abandons the faith,

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a tragedy strikes the family,

230

00:14:26,520 –> 00:14:27,520

and if the cynic were to come

231

00:14:27,520 –> 00:14:29,520

to you at that moment and to say,

232

00:14:29,520 –> 00:14:30,520

Well, where is your God

233

00:14:30,520 –> 00:14:32,520

in this?

234

00:14:32,520 –> 00:14:34,520

You would be stuck for an answer.

235

00:14:34,520 –> 00:14:35,520

You wouldn’t know

236

00:14:35,520 –> 00:14:36,520

what to say.

237

00:14:36,520 –> 00:14:37,520

You’d have to say,

238

00:14:37,520 –> 00:14:38,520

I haven’t got a clue

239

00:14:38,520 –> 00:14:39,520

where God is in this.

240

00:14:39,520 –> 00:14:40,520

We find ourselves

241

00:14:40,520 –> 00:14:41,520

in that position often,

242

00:14:41,520 –> 00:14:42,520

and of course the cynic

243

00:14:42,520 –> 00:14:43,520

likes to laugh at us,

244

00:14:43,520 –> 00:14:44,520

you haven’t got

245

00:14:44,520 –> 00:14:45,520

a very good answer now,

246

00:14:45,520 –> 00:14:49,520

have you?

247

00:14:49,520 –> 00:14:50,520

Now the Bible introduces us here,

248

00:14:50,520 –> 00:14:52,520

I think, to an important

249

00:14:52,520 –> 00:14:53,520

but often neglected

250

00:14:53,520 –> 00:14:55,520

truth about God,

251

00:14:55,520 –> 00:14:56,520

that he is the God

252

00:14:56,520 –> 00:14:57,520

who hides himself,

253

00:14:57,520 –> 00:14:59,520

hence our title today,

254

00:15:00,520 –> 00:15:02,520

this is paradoxical,

255

00:15:02,520 –> 00:15:03,520

because obviously

256

00:15:03,520 –> 00:15:04,520

the God of the Bible

257

00:15:04,520 –> 00:15:05,520

reveals himself,

258

00:15:05,520 –> 00:15:06,520

otherwise we wouldn’t

259

00:15:06,520 –> 00:15:07,520

know anything about him at all,

260

00:15:07,520 –> 00:15:08,520

but the Bible also makes

261

00:15:08,520 –> 00:15:09,520

it quite clear that

262

00:15:09,520 –> 00:15:11,520

God sometimes hides himself,

263

00:15:11,520 –> 00:15:13,520

even from his own people.

264

00:15:13,520 –> 00:15:15,520

Let give you some Scripture

265

00:15:15,520 –> 00:15:16,520

and you might like

266

00:15:16,520 –> 00:15:17,520

to follow this through

267

00:15:17,520 –> 00:15:18,520

with some further study.

268

00:15:18,520 –> 00:15:19,520

The clearest statement

269

00:15:19,520 –> 00:15:21,520

of it is in Isaiah 45,

270

00:15:21,520 –> 00:15:22,520

and verse 15,

271

00:15:22,520 –> 00:15:23,520

where the prophet

272

00:15:23,520 –> 00:15:24,520

says outright,

273

00:15:24,520 –> 00:15:26,520

truly you are a God

274

00:15:26,520 –> 00:15:28,520

who hides yourself.

275

00:15:28,520 –> 00:15:29,679

Oh God, and

276

00:15:29,679 –> 00:15:31,299

savior of Israel,

277

00:15:31,299 –> 00:15:33,619

it’s God who hides himself.

278

00:15:33,619 –> 00:15:34,619

Job chapter 23,

279

00:15:34,619 –> 00:15:35,619

you could be sure

280

00:15:35,619 –> 00:15:36,619

if there’s anything

281

00:15:36,619 –> 00:15:37,619

on God hiding,

282

00:15:37,619 –> 00:15:38,619

you’d find it

283

00:15:38,619 –> 00:15:39,619

in the Book of Job, Right?

284

00:15:39,619 –> 00:15:40,619

I mean he really

285

00:15:40,619 –> 00:15:41,619

struggled with this.

286

00:15:41,619 –> 00:15:42,619

Where do I find God

287

00:15:42,619 –> 00:15:43,619

in the middle of

288

00:15:43,619 –> 00:15:44,619

all this wreckage

289

00:15:44,619 –> 00:15:45,619

of suffering in my life?

290

00:15:45,619 –> 00:15:46,619

And he says in

291

00:15:46,619 –> 00:15:47,619

chapter 23, verses 8 and 9,

292

00:15:47,619 –> 00:15:48,619

if I go to the East

293

00:15:48,619 –> 00:15:49,619

he is not there,

294

00:15:49,619 –> 00:15:50,619

if I go to the West

295

00:15:50,619 –> 00:15:51,619

I don’t find him,

296

00:15:51,619 –> 00:15:52,820

when he is at

297

00:15:52,820 –> 00:15:53,820

work in the South,

298

00:15:53,820 –> 00:15:54,820

in the North sorry,

299

00:15:54,820 –> 00:15:55,820

I do not see him,

300

00:15:55,820 –> 00:15:56,820

and when he turns

301

00:15:56,820 –> 00:15:57,820

to the South

302

00:15:58,820 –> 00:15:59,820

he has lost

303

00:15:59,820 –> 00:16:00,820

sight of the face

304

00:16:03,820 –> 00:16:04,820

of him.

305

00:16:04,820 –> 00:16:05,820

So it’s almost

306

00:16:05,820 –> 00:16:06,820

as if there’s

307

00:16:06,820 –> 00:16:07,820

this kind of

308

00:16:07,820 –> 00:16:08,820

hide and seek,

309

00:16:14,820 –> 00:16:15,820

What Job is saying?

310

00:16:15,820 –> 00:16:16,820

He knows that God

311

00:16:16,820 –> 00:16:17,820

is always present,

312

00:16:19,820 –> 00:16:20,820

but his point is

313

00:16:20,820 –> 00:16:21,820

that he can’t

314

00:16:21,820 –> 00:16:22,820

find God,

315

00:16:22,820 –> 00:16:23,820

But his point is

316

00:16:23,820 –> 00:16:24,820

that he can’t

317

00:16:24,820 –> 00:16:25,820

find God,

318

00:16:25,820 –> 00:16:26,820

God must be

319

00:16:26,820 –> 00:16:27,820

interviewing you,

320

00:16:27,820 –> 00:16:28,820

for you have

321

00:16:28,820 –> 00:16:29,820

hidden your face

322

00:16:29,820 –> 00:16:30,820

from us.

323

00:16:31,820 –> 00:16:32,820

The spirit of prayer,

324

00:16:32,820 –> 00:16:33,820

he says, among God’s

325

00:16:33,820 –> 00:16:34,820

people, has died,

326

00:16:34,820 –> 00:16:35,820

its collapsed,

327

00:16:35,820 –> 00:16:36,820

people are not

328

00:16:36,820 –> 00:16:37,820

reaching out to

329

00:16:37,820 –> 00:16:38,820

God.

330

00:16:38,820 –> 00:16:39,820

Why?

331

00:16:39,820 –> 00:16:40,820

Because it seems

332

00:16:40,820 –> 00:16:41,820

like God has

333

00:16:41,820 –> 00:16:42,820

turned away.

334

00:16:42,820 –> 00:16:43,820

He’s distant.

335

00:16:45,820 –> 00:16:46,820

So we come to

336

00:16:46,820 –> 00:16:47,840

Micah

337

00:16:47,840 –> 00:16:48,840

chapter 7,

338

00:16:48,840 –> 00:16:49,840

verse 10.

339

00:16:49,840 –> 00:16:50,840

The question

340

00:16:50,840 –> 00:16:51,840

that is often

341

00:16:51,840 –> 00:16:52,840

repeated in

342

00:16:52,840 –> 00:16:53,840

psalm 42,

343

00:16:53,840 –> 00:16:54,840

This troubling

344

00:16:54,859 –> 00:16:55,859

face tells

345

00:16:55,859 –> 00:16:56,859

us something.

346

00:16:56,859 –> 00:16:57,859

Where

347

00:16:57,859 –> 00:16:58,859

is your

348

00:16:58,859 –> 00:16:59,859

God?

349

00:16:59,859 –> 00:17:00,859

He’s there,

350

00:17:00,859 –> 00:17:01,859

we know that,

351

00:17:03,380 –> 00:17:04,880

but He

352

00:17:04,880 –> 00:17:05,880

seems awfully

353

00:17:05,880 –> 00:17:06,880

hidden.

354

00:17:09,839 –> 00:17:10,839

Now aren’t you

355

00:17:10,839 –> 00:17:11,839

thankful for the

356

00:17:11,839 –> 00:17:12,839

honesty of the

357

00:17:12,839 –> 00:17:13,839

Bible?

358

00:17:14,839 –> 00:17:15,839

Sometimes we

359

00:17:15,839 –> 00:17:16,839

just don’t know

360

00:17:16,839 –> 00:17:18,839

what God is

361

00:17:18,839 –> 00:17:19,839

doing.

362

00:17:19,839 –> 00:17:20,839

Now, thank God

363

00:17:20,839 –> 00:17:21,839

that Christian

364

00:17:21,839 –> 00:17:22,839

faith does not

365

00:17:22,839 –> 00:17:23,839

rest on things

366

00:17:23,839 –> 00:17:24,839

we think has edition

367

00:17:24,839 –> 00:17:25,839

faith rest

368

00:17:25,839 –> 00:17:26,839

on promises.

369

00:17:26,839 –> 00:17:27,839

If

370

00:17:27,839 –> 00:17:28,839

you expect

371

00:17:28,839 –> 00:17:29,839

to know what

372

00:17:29,839 –> 00:17:30,839

God is doing

373

00:17:33,839 –> 00:17:34,839

, you will

374

00:17:34,839 –> 00:17:35,839

certainly be

375

00:17:35,839 –> 00:17:36,839

disappointed.

376

00:17:36,839 –> 00:17:37,839

The secret

377

00:17:37,839 –> 00:17:38,839

things belong to

378

00:17:38,839 –> 00:17:39,839

the Lord, He

379

00:17:39,839 –> 00:17:40,839

hides them from

380

00:17:40,839 –> 00:17:41,839

us.

381

00:17:41,839 –> 00:17:42,839

Now, if

382

00:17:42,839 –> 00:17:43,839

indeed, this

383

00:17:43,839 –> 00:17:44,839

root problem

384

00:17:44,839 –> 00:17:45,839

behind the loss

385

00:17:45,839 –> 00:17:46,839

character

386

00:17:46,839 –> 00:17:47,839

and the

387

00:17:47,839 –> 00:17:48,839

breakup of

388

00:17:48,839 –> 00:17:49,839

the family

389

00:17:49,839 –> 00:17:50,839

is that in

390

00:17:50,839 –> 00:17:51,839

that culture

391

00:17:51,839 –> 00:17:52,839

God is hiding

392

00:17:52,839 –> 00:17:53,839

them,

393

00:17:53,839 –> 00:17:54,839

then the

394

00:17:54,839 –> 00:17:55,839

answer will

395

00:17:55,839 –> 00:17:56,839

only be found

396

00:17:56,839 –> 00:17:57,839

how?

397

00:17:57,839 –> 00:17:58,839

As

398

00:17:58,839 –> 00:17:59,839

he

399

00:17:59,839 –> 00:18:00,839

turns his

400

00:18:00,839 –> 00:18:01,839

face

401

00:18:01,839 –> 00:18:02,839

towards

402

00:18:02,839 –> 00:18:03,839

us.

403

00:18:03,839 –> 00:18:04,839

Right?

404

00:18:04,839 –> 00:18:05,839

That is

405

00:18:05,839 –> 00:18:06,839

humbling,

406

00:18:06,839 –> 00:18:07,839

because that

407

00:18:07,839 –> 00:18:08,839

means we

408

00:18:08,839 –> 00:18:09,839

don’t have

409

00:18:09,839 –> 00:18:10,839

the answer.

410

00:18:10,839 –> 00:18:11,839

The

411

00:18:11,839 –> 00:18:12,839

problem is

412

00:18:12,839 –> 00:18:13,839

not under

413

00:18:13,839 –> 00:18:14,839

my

414

00:18:14,839 –> 00:18:15,839

control.

415

00:18:15,839 –> 00:18:16,839

We like

416

00:18:16,839 –> 00:18:17,839

to flatter

417

00:18:17,839 –> 00:18:18,839

ourselves with

418

00:18:18,839 –> 00:18:19,839

the idea

419

00:18:19,839 –> 00:18:20,839

we can solve

420

00:18:20,839 –> 00:18:21,839

every problem.

421

00:18:21,839 –> 00:18:22,839

We’re

422

00:18:22,839 –> 00:18:23,839

looking

423

00:18:24,839 –> 00:18:25,839

towards

424

00:18:25,839 –> 00:18:26,839

self-help

425

00:18:26,839 –> 00:18:27,839

brands

426

00:18:27,839 –> 00:18:28,839

of

427

00:18:28,839 –> 00:18:29,839

spirit

428

00:18:30,839 –> 00:18:31,839

rue

429

00:18:31,839 –> 00:18:32,839

tuality.

430

00:18:32,839 –> 00:18:33,839

But

431

00:18:33,839 –> 00:18:34,839

if they

432

00:18:34,839 –> 00:18:35,839

are

433

00:18:35,839 –> 00:18:36,839

real

434

00:18:36,839 –> 00:18:37,839

problems

435

00:18:37,839 –> 00:18:38,839

instead

436

00:18:38,839 –> 00:18:39,839

of

437

00:18:39,839 –> 00:18:40,839

solving

438

00:18:40,839 –> 00:18:41,839

it…

439

00:18:41,839 –> 00:18:42,839

then

440

00:18:42,839 –> 00:18:43,839

only

441

00:18:43,839 –> 00:18:44,839

God

442

00:18:44,839 –> 00:18:45,839

can

443

00:18:45,839 –> 00:18:46,839

fix

444

00:18:46,839 –> 00:18:47,839

it.

445

00:18:47,839 –> 00:18:48,839

And

446

00:18:48,839 –> 00:18:49,839

you know,

447

00:18:49,839 –> 00:18:50,839

when you

448

00:18:50,839 –> 00:18:51,839

come to

449

00:18:51,839 –> 00:18:52,839

that place

450

00:18:52,839 –> 00:18:53,839

you have

451

00:18:53,839 –> 00:18:54,839

just

452

00:18:54,839 –> 00:18:55,839

taken

453

00:18:55,839 –> 00:18:56,839

the

454

00:18:56,839 –> 00:18:57,839

first

455

00:18:57,839 –> 00:18:58,839

step

456

00:18:58,839 –> 00:18:59,839

towards

457

00:18:59,839 –> 00:19:00,839

real

458

00:19:00,839 –> 00:19:01,839

Christian

459

00:19:01,839 –> 00:19:02,839

faith.

460

00:19:02,839 –> 00:19:03,839

Some of

461

00:19:03,839 –> 00:19:04,839

us have

462

00:19:04,839 –> 00:19:05,839

not got

463

00:19:05,839 –> 00:19:06,839

there yet.

464

00:19:06,839 –> 00:19:07,839

We’re

465

00:19:07,839 –> 00:19:08,839

still in

466

00:19:08,839 –> 00:19:09,839

religious

467

00:19:09,839 –> 00:19:10,839

self-help

468

00:19:10,839 –> 00:19:12,839

mode.

469

00:19:12,839 –> 00:19:13,839

Got

470

00:19:13,839 –> 00:19:14,839

to discern

471

00:19:14,839 –> 00:19:15,839

the

472

00:19:15,839 –> 00:19:16,839

problem.

473

00:19:16,839 –> 00:19:17,839

What

474

00:19:17,839 –> 00:19:18,839

set

475

00:19:18,839 –> 00:19:19,839

up

476

00:19:19,839 –> 00:19:20,839

make

477

00:19:20,839 –> 00:19:21,839

the

478

00:19:21,839 –> 00:19:22,839

real

479

00:19:22,839 –> 00:19:24,839

issue

480

00:19:24,839 –> 00:19:25,839

settles

481

00:19:25,839 –> 00:19:26,839

down?

482

00:19:26,839 –> 00:19:27,839

What

483

00:19:27,839 –> 00:19:28,839

are we to

484

00:19:28,839 –> 00:19:29,839

do then

485

00:19:29,839 –> 00:19:30,839

when God

486

00:19:30,839 –> 00:19:31,839

turns his

487

00:19:31,839 –> 00:19:32,839

face from

488

00:19:32,839 –> 00:19:33,839

us?

489

00:19:33,839 –> 00:19:34,839

What are

490

00:19:34,839 –> 00:19:35,839

we to

491

00:19:35,839 –> 00:19:36,839

do in a

492

00:19:36,839 –> 00:19:37,839

situation

493

00:19:37,839 –> 00:19:38,839

where the

494

00:19:38,839 –> 00:19:39,839

root problem

495

00:19:39,839 –> 00:19:40,839

is that

496

00:19:40,839 –> 00:19:41,839

we can’t

497

00:19:41,839 –> 00:19:42,839

see what

498

00:19:42,839 –> 00:19:43,839

God is

499

00:19:43,839 –> 00:19:44,839

doing?

500

00:19:44,839 –> 00:19:45,839

Two

501

00:19:45,839 –> 00:19:46,839

things.

502

00:19:46,839 –> 00:19:47,839

First, in

503

00:19:47,839 –> 00:19:48,839

that situation

504

00:19:49,839 –> 00:19:51,839

God

505

00:19:51,839 –> 00:19:51,839

506

00:19:51,839 –> 00:19:52,839

close to

507

00:19:52,839 –> 00:19:53,839

him.

508

00:19:53,839 –> 00:19:54,839

Then there

509

00:19:54,839 –> 00:19:55,839

are

510

00:19:55,839 –> 00:19:56,839

other

511

00:19:56,839 –> 00:19:57,839

things that

512

00:19:57,839 –> 00:19:58,839

are

513

00:19:58,839 –> 00:19:59,839

close to

514

00:19:59,839 –> 00:20:00,839

him.

515

00:20:00,839 –> 00:20:01,839

How

516

00:20:01,839 –> 00:20:02,839

do we

517

00:20:02,839 –> 00:20:03,839

deal with

518

00:20:03,839 –> 00:20:04,839

this?

519

00:20:04,839 –> 00:20:05,839

How

520

00:20:05,839 –> 00:20:06,839

do we

521

00:20:06,839 –> 00:20:07,839

prevent

522

00:20:07,839 –> 00:20:08,839

this?

523

00:20:08,839 –> 00:20:09,839

How

524

00:20:09,839 –> 00:20:10,839

do we

525

00:20:10,839 –> 00:20:11,839

deal with

526

00:20:11,839 –> 00:20:12,839

our

527

00:20:12,839 –> 00:20:13,839

spirits?

528

00:20:13,839 –> 00:20:14,839

You

529

00:20:14,839 –> 00:20:15,839

have to

530

00:20:15,839 –> 00:20:16,839

make

531

00:20:16,839 –> 00:20:17,839

it clear

532

00:20:47,839 –> 00:20:48,839

that you

533

00:20:48,839 –> 00:20:49,839

cannot

534

00:20:49,839 –> 00:20:50,839

fool

535

00:20:50,839 –> 00:20:51,839

yourself

536

00:20:51,839 –> 00:20:52,839

forever.

537

00:20:52,839 –> 00:20:53,839

Exactly

538

00:20:53,839 –> 00:20:54,839

what you

539

00:20:54,839 –> 00:20:55,839

do,

540

00:20:55,839 –> 00:20:56,839

you watch

541

00:20:56,839 –> 00:20:57,839

and you

542

00:20:57,839 –> 00:20:58,839

wait.

543

00:20:58,839 –> 00:20:59,839

And you

544

00:20:59,839 –> 00:21:00,839

wait

545

00:21:00,839 –> 00:21:01,839

expectantly.

546

00:21:01,839 –> 00:21:02,839

God

547

00:21:02,839 –> 00:21:03,839

may

548

00:21:03,839 –> 00:21:04,839

hide his

549

00:21:04,839 –> 00:21:05,839

face from

550

00:21:05,839 –> 00:21:06,839

you for

551

00:21:06,839 –> 00:21:07,839

a time but

552

00:21:07,839 –> 00:21:08,839

not

553

00:21:08,839 –> 00:21:09,839

forever.

554

00:21:09,839 –> 00:21:10,839

You may

555

00:21:10,839 –> 00:21:11,839

find yourself

556

00:21:11,839 –> 00:21:12,839

in great

557

00:21:12,839 –> 00:21:13,839

darkness

558

00:21:13,839 –> 00:21:14,839

through a

559

00:21:14,839 –> 00:21:15,839

sudden

560

00:21:15,839 –> 00:21:16,839

trauma,

561

00:21:17,219 –> 00:21:18,219

he’s

562

00:21:18,219 –> 00:21:19,219

working.

563

00:21:19,219 –> 00:21:20,219

Watch what

564

00:21:20,219 –> 00:21:21,219

he does in

565

00:21:21,219 –> 00:21:22,420

people around

566

00:21:22,420 –> 00:21:23,420

you.

567

00:21:23,420 –> 00:21:24,420

Watch what

568

00:21:24,420 –> 00:21:25,420

he does among

569

00:21:25,420 –> 00:21:26,420

other believers

570

00:21:26,420 –> 00:21:28,420

and wait,

571

00:21:28,420 –> 00:21:29,420

Wait because

572

00:21:29,420 –> 00:21:30,420

while God’s

573

00:21:30,420 –> 00:21:31,420

purpose often

574

00:21:31,420 –> 00:21:32,420

takes us

575

00:21:32,420 –> 00:21:33,420

through darkness

576

00:21:33,420 –> 00:21:34,420

it never

577

00:21:34,420 –> 00:21:35,420

leaves us

578

00:21:35,420 –> 00:21:36,420

in darkness.

579

00:21:36,420 –> 00:21:37,420

It never

580

00:21:37,420 –> 00:21:38,420

ends there.

581

00:21:39,219 –> 00:21:40,219

I tend

582

00:21:40,219 –> 00:21:41,219

to think too

583

00:21:41,219 –> 00:21:42,219

often of waiting

584

00:21:42,219 –> 00:21:43,219

as just

585

00:21:43,219 –> 00:21:44,219

something I’ve

586

00:21:44,219 –> 00:21:45,060

got to

587

00:21:45,060 –> 00:21:46,060

endure in

588

00:21:46,459 –> 00:21:47,300

circles.

589

00:21:47,300 –> 00:21:48,260

But,

590

00:21:48,260 –> 00:21:49,260

you see,

591

00:21:49,260 –> 00:21:50,260

in the Bible

592

00:21:50,260 –> 00:21:51,260

waiting is

593

00:21:51,260 –> 00:21:52,260

very very

594

00:21:52,260 –> 00:21:53,260

different.

595

00:21:53,260 –> 00:21:54,260

Waiting

596

00:21:54,260 –> 00:21:55,260

in the bible

597

00:21:55,260 –> 00:21:56,260

is the way

598

00:21:56,260 –> 00:21:57,260

in which we

599

00:21:57,260 –> 00:21:58,260

grow when

600

00:21:58,260 –> 00:21:59,260

we do not

601

00:21:59,260 –> 00:22:00,260

yet have

602

00:22:00,260 –> 00:22:01,260

what we

603

00:22:01,260 –> 00:22:02,280

desire.

604

00:22:02,280 –> 00:22:03,280

That’s

605

00:22:03,280 –> 00:22:04,660

very true,

606

00:22:04,660 –> 00:22:05,660

isn’t it?

607

00:22:05,660 –> 00:22:06,660

Waiting is

608

00:22:06,660 –> 00:22:07,660

the way God

609

00:22:07,660 –> 00:22:08,660

often helps us

610

00:22:08,660 –> 00:22:09,660

to grow so

611

00:22:09,660 –> 00:22:10,660

that should

612

00:22:10,660 –> 00:22:11,660

be a real

613

00:22:11,660 –> 00:22:12,660

encouragement

614

00:22:12,660 –> 00:22:13,660

to all of us.

615

00:22:13,660 –> 00:22:14,660

You’re listening

616

00:22:14,660 –> 00:22:15,660

to Open

617

00:22:15,660 –> 00:22:16,660

the Bible UK

618

00:22:16,660 –> 00:22:17,660

and if you’ve

619

00:22:17,660 –> 00:22:18,660

missed any of the

620

00:22:18,660 –> 00:22:19,660

series or if you

621

00:22:19,660 –> 00:22:20,660

want to go

622

00:22:20,660 –> 00:22:21,660

back and

623

00:22:21,660 –> 00:22:22,660

listen again

624

00:22:22,660 –> 00:22:23,660

don’t forget

625

00:22:23,660 –> 00:22:24,660

you can

626

00:22:24,660 –> 00:22:25,660

always do that

627

00:22:25,660 –> 00:22:26,660

by coming

628

00:22:26,660 –> 00:22:27,660

online to

629

00:22:27,660 –> 00:22:28,660

our website

630

00:22:28,660 –> 00:22:29,660

openthebible.org.uk

631

00:22:29,660 –> 00:22:30,660

or by finding

632

00:22:30,660 –> 00:22:31,660

us as a

633

00:22:31,660 –> 00:22:32,660

podcast on

634

00:22:32,660 –> 00:22:33,660

your favorite

635

00:22:33,660 –> 00:22:34,660

podcast site

636

00:22:34,660 –> 00:22:35,660

by searching

637

00:22:35,660 –> 00:22:36,660

open the

638

00:22:36,660 –> 00:22:37,660

Bible UK.

639

00:22:37,660 –> 00:22:38,660

We

640

00:22:38,660 –> 00:22:39,660

continuously

641

00:22:39,660 –> 00:22:40,660

update these

642

00:22:40,660 –> 00:22:41,660

sites so

643

00:22:41,660 –> 00:22:42,660

that any

644

00:22:42,660 –> 00:22:43,660

of the

645

00:22:43,660 –> 00:22:44,660

messages