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With
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If God didn’t speak, then how you live is obviously up to you.
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If it feels good, do it.
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But if God has spoken, that changes everything, obviously.
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Welcome to Open The Bible with Pastor Colin Smith.
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I’m David Pick and Colin, there are probably a lot of people
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who do live by that idea.
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If it feels good, do it.
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What’s the problem with that?
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I think the final insult to a person who speaks is to ignore them.
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You know? If you speak to me, you say,
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hey, Colin and then you say something directly to me
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and I completely and utterly ignore it,
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I would’ve insulted you, I would’ve offended you.
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That is the final insult, to ignore the person who speaks to you.
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And God has spoken to each and every one of us.
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His Word is directed not to people in general,
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but to each one of us individually,
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and not to respond to what God has said
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is the ultimate insult to God himself.
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And so the Word of God, God’s speaking is laid before us
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and it calls for a response.
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Simply to walk away is the final insult to God.
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Nobody wants to be there.
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So, if you can, join us today in Micah, Chapter 2
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as we continue the message, The God Who Speaks For Himself.
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Here’s Colin.
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I hope you still have Micah, chapter 2, open in front of you
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because we’re now going to see that this entire chapter
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is about speculation and revelation.
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What we find here is first, speculation
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that is offered to the community of those who believe
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by false prophets,
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and then revelation that is offered to the same community
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by the very Words of God.
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Let’s look at God’s revelation first, beginning in verse one.
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Let’s look at what God says.
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Woe to those who plan iniquity,
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to those who plot evil on their beds.
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Now here, God is speaking
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through the prophet Micah who received, remember,
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directly the Word of the Lord.
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He’s speaking to people who are intentionally pursuing the wrong path.
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The aims of these people who take the name of being believers
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and think of themselves as being righteous,
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the aim of their plans is to make money
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by taking advantage of vulnerable people.
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Verse 2.
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They covet fields, they seize them, and houses, and take them,
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and they defraud a man of his home, and the fellow man of his inheritance.
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Of course, in farming communities, the land was everything.
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You lost your land, you lost your means of income.
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And that is why the Old Testament had special laws
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that were about protecting the land
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so that even if you were faced with great financial difficulty
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and had to sell it,
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the land would revert either to you or to your children
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after a period of years.
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In other words, it was only sold on a leasehold basis, never freehold.
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These land laws in the Old Testament
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were intended to put a break
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on the process by which the rich become richer
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and the poor become poorer
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that is otherwise seen throughout society.
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But of course, implementing the law
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was in the hands of the powerful
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who also happened to be the rich
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and therefore, these laws were not in the interest
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of those who were supposed to implement the laws
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and so they were simply ignored.
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God has something to say about that.
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Micah chapter two, makes it very clear
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that God is interested in how you make your money.
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He’s not very interested in the amount of money you have
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but He’s very interested in how you made it.
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Where did it come from?
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How did you get it?
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Was it earned by something
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that contributed to the community?
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Or did you get it by taking advantage
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of the most vulnerable?
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Now, this pattern you see of taking advantage
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of the most vulnerable in society
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had become endemic in Israel in Micah’s day
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And therefore, verse three,
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notice God speaks about it.
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Therefore, the Lord says,
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the name there is the name Yahweh,
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four capital letters for Lord,
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God’s distinct personal name
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given in the Old Testament.
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Therefore, Yahweh says,
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God is speaking and he explains the action
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that he is about to take
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towards those who have taken advantage
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of the most vulnerable.
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Verse three, here’s what God says.
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I’m planning disaster
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against this people
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from which you cannot save yourselves.
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And of course, this is precisely what happened
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sometime later 586 years
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before the birth of Jesus,
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Nebuchadnezzar’s armies came to Jerusalem
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and there was dreadful destruction,
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A society that follows the path of exploitation
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will not survive period.
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Those who have taken the land,
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which God says will be removed from the land,
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this is precisely what happened
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in both the Northern and the Southern Kingdom.
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This is really just the New Testament principle
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that you will reap what you sow.
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That those who live by the sword
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will die by the sword.
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That those who have exploited others
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will in the end, themselves be exploited.
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That every sin has its own wages,
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therefore, do to others
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as you would have them do to you.
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That’s a most fundamental principle of Christian living,
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and especially in business.
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Do to others as you would have them do to you.
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So God says, I’m planning disaster.
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That’s the first thing, here’s the second.
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I will gather a remnant, verse 12.
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This is what God says in his revelation.
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Verse 12, I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob.
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I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel.
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And if you know the Old Testament story,
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you may remember how this happened,
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that when the great disaster came,
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Nebuchadnezzar’s armies,
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568 years before the birth of Jesus,
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so many lost their lives
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in that dreadful, dreadful scenario,
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and a small community was taken off to exile in Babylon.
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But God’s hand was upon that small community
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and they stayed there for the next 70 years
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and then this remaining group,
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that is why they’re called the remnant,
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the group that remained out of all this disaster,
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they were brought back 70 years later
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to rebuild Jerusalem in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah.
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So very simply, then, if we’re to say,
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what does God say?
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God’s word is a message about judgment and salvation.
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It’s about accountability
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for the way that you and I have lived our lives
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and it is about his ability to save people
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who would not stand otherwise in the great judgment.
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He will bring disaster
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because of the evil that has gripped society,
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but out of that disaster he will gather a community.
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Verse 12, ,’I will bring them together
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like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture.
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The place will throng with people.’
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So this is encouraging.
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It will not just be a small community, this remnant.
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It will be a great company of people.
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And the privilege of this great company of people
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is that God will be their shepherd.
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They are his sheep.
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They will hear his voice
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and they will follow him.
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And, of course, we cannot read these verses,
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this side of the coming of Jesus,
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without seeing in these words
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a reference to the Great Shepherd
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who surely fulfills them.
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He is indeed, if you look at verse 13,
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he is the one who breaks open the way
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and goes before his people.
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Think of an icebreaker ship
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going through frozen waters,
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making a path
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so that other ships can follow behind.
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This is a great title for the Messiah.
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Christ is the breaker!
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He’s the one who breaks open a way
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that otherwise would be closed
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for you and for me.
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And in following him,
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he leads us where we could not otherwise go.
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Ezra and Nehemiah did this a little bit
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in leading the people back to Jerusalem,
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but they only foreshadowed Jesus Christ
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who breaks us out of sin
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and death and hell
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and can break you out of
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patterns of compulsive behaviour
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as we’ve been hearing today.
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He will break open the way for you
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into life in this world
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and life for eternity.
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He is the King who passes before us
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and he is the Lord who is at our head.
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Now, that’s what God says.
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That’s the revelation in Micah 2.
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It’s a message about judgement and salvation
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and what is said in this one chapter
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is really a pretty good summary
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of what God says throughout the whole Bible.
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Judgement, salvation in Jesus Christ.
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Now, in contrast to that,
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and let’s just look at this briefly,
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you find an alternative message
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to the word of God revealed in the scripture
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and it’s the message of the false prophets
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and you’ll see it in verse six.
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Let’s look for a moment at their message.
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When Micah spoke this word of God
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about judgement and salvation,
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there were strong voices in the community
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that did not want to hear it.
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So, verse six,
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do not prophesy these prophets,
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that is the false prophet say.
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Don’t prophesy about these things.
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Disgrace will not overtake us.
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Micah, you talk about judgement coming from God
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because of the way that money has been made
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by preying on the vulnerable.
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How can that possibly be?
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I mean, we are the most blessed people
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on the nation of the earth.
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Don’t talk like that.
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So the false prophets brought an alternative message
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that proved attractive to many people.
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By the way, the first mark of the false prophet
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is that he or she brings comfort
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to people who are still in their sins.
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Disgrace will not overtake us.
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Carry on doing what you’re doing,
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it doesn’t matter.
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That’s the false prophet.
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The second mark of the false prophet
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you’ll see in verse 11.
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If a liar or deceiver comes and says
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I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,
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he would be just the prophet for this people.
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I’m talking about a message
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that would be easily welcome and accepted.
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My father was on the phone, as he regularly is,
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but in a recent conversation
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he was telling about a conversation he had
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with a man in a shop in a small town in Scotland.
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And the man had a loose connection with a church
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that had a very liberal tradition.
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And the conversation that was struck up
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between her father and this man
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led the man to make a comment about his pastor,
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who he thought was wonderful.
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He’s just the kind of minister I like said the man.
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He enjoys a good pint of beer and he doesn’t talk about God.
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Now, you know, that is precisely the kind of pastor
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that many people are looking for.
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A religious leader who will enjoy a pint of beer
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and not talk too much about God,
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who will run the public services, do the baptisms,
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the weddings and the funerals,
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affirm us all on our pathway through life,
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but don’t do anything to disturb me by talking about God,
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and on no account, on no account suggest
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that there may be something that I have to deal with
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before God.
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So now you can see two entirely different voices
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in this one chapter, can’t you?
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God who speaks about judgment and salvation,
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and the false prophet
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who brings comfort to the wicked, verse six,
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and deceives the complacent, verse 11.
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Now you folks see the scene today,
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but you know that the voice of the false prophet
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can be clearly heard in churches in our country today.
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And the tragedy of the false prophet
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is that he or she actually leads a person away from God.
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Now, we started out with a question.
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How can I know God?
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And we’ve seen the answer,
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you can know him because he speaks.
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The way in which you hear God speaking
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is not by listening to voices in your own head,
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it’s not by speculation,
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that’s the way of the false prophets
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who just spout their own ideas
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and confirm people in complacency.
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No, the way in which you hear the voice of God
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is by his revelation, which is in the scriptures.
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He is the God who speaks for himself.
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He doesn’t leave it up to us to project our own ideas
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as to what he might be saying.
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He has made himself known in words and in deeds.
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And you can come to a close encounter with him
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in the scriptures that will point you to faith in Jesus Christ.
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You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith
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and we have to pause our message there just briefly.
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The message is called
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The God Who Speaks for Himself
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00:14:48,599 –> 00:14:50,719
and it’s part of our series called
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00:14:50,840 –> 00:14:52,760
Close Encounters with the Living God.
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00:14:53,359 –> 00:14:55,640
If you’re following the series but you might miss one
303
00:14:56,000 –> 00:14:57,679
or you want to go back and listen again
304
00:14:57,880 –> 00:15:00,280
you can do that by coming online to our website
305
00:15:00,400 –> 00:15:03,119
openthebible.org.uk
306
00:15:03,520 –> 00:15:05,400
You can also find us as a podcast
307
00:15:05,719 –> 00:15:08,400
and those are available on all the regular podcasting sites
308
00:15:08,520 –> 00:15:11,559
by searching for Open the Bible UK.
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00:15:12,080 –> 00:15:14,640
Or you can just simply follow the link on our website.
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00:15:15,559 –> 00:15:17,719
Open The Bible is supported by our listeners
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00:15:17,840 –> 00:15:20,159
and we want to thank you for supporting our ministry.
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00:15:20,400 –> 00:15:23,080
This month if you are able to begin a new donation
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00:15:23,200 –> 00:15:24,640
to the work of Open the Bible
314
00:15:25,000 –> 00:15:27,280
in the amount of £5 per month or more
315
00:15:27,599 –> 00:15:29,640
we’d love to say thank you by sending you a copy
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00:15:29,760 –> 00:15:32,960
of Kevin de Young’s book, Impossible Christianity.
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00:15:33,479 –> 00:15:35,599
It has a very long subtitle.
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00:15:36,159 –> 00:15:39,080
Why following Jesus does not mean you have to
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00:15:39,200 –> 00:15:41,760
change the world, be an expert in everything,
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00:15:42,039 –> 00:15:43,919
accept spiritual failure
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00:15:44,039 –> 00:15:46,679
and feel miserable pretty much all of the time.
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00:15:47,239 –> 00:15:48,559
Well if that’s intrigued you
323
00:15:48,679 –> 00:15:50,960
we’d love to send you a copy of Kevin de Young’s book
324
00:15:51,239 –> 00:15:53,359
for setting up a new regular donation
325
00:15:53,479 –> 00:15:55,000
to the work of Open the Bible.
326
00:15:55,119 –> 00:15:57,719
More information later and on our website.
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00:15:58,080 –> 00:15:59,440
Back to the message now.
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00:15:59,799 –> 00:16:01,960
We’re in Micah, chapter 2 and here’s Colin.
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00:16:02,400 –> 00:16:06,280
I really enjoyed a visit to Trinity International University.
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There’s a lecture being given by Professor Don Carson
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00:16:11,840 –> 00:16:15,440
and in the lecture he told a story about a meeting
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00:16:16,039 –> 00:16:17,440
at which he’d been asked to speak
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00:16:17,559 –> 00:16:20,039
in Cambridge University in England.
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00:16:21,479 –> 00:16:23,719
The hall was packed with students
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00:16:23,840 –> 00:16:26,239
and with faculty from Cambridge University
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00:16:26,359 –> 00:16:27,880
as Don gave his presentation
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00:16:28,000 –> 00:16:30,520
which was all about biblical Christianity.
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00:16:32,080 –> 00:16:34,159
And when he had finished one of the faculty
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00:16:34,159 –> 00:16:36,219
and when he had finished, one of the faculty
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00:16:36,340 –> 00:16:39,500
sitting just a few feet from him on the platform
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00:16:39,859 –> 00:16:41,599
got up to ask the question.
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00:16:42,859 –> 00:16:44,479
It sounded something like this.
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00:16:46,380 –> 00:16:48,280
So what you’re saying is,
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00:16:49,440 –> 00:16:51,059
what you mean is
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00:16:52,520 –> 00:16:55,380
that if God is a talking God
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00:16:55,900 –> 00:16:57,299
that changes everything.
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00:16:59,679 –> 00:17:00,679
Now two comments about that.
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00:17:01,679 –> 00:17:02,679
First
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00:17:04,160 –> 00:17:06,400
here was a brilliant
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00:17:07,160 –> 00:17:09,599
highly educated
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00:17:10,079 –> 00:17:13,079
Don in Cambridge University
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00:17:14,380 –> 00:17:16,900
who had obviously never once
353
00:17:17,020 –> 00:17:19,160
encountered biblical Christianity.
354
00:17:21,099 –> 00:17:24,140
And the very idea that there might be
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00:17:24,160 –> 00:17:27,040
a God who speaks
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00:17:28,160 –> 00:17:29,719
had completely blown him away.
357
00:17:31,319 –> 00:17:32,319
Never occurred to him.
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00:17:34,719 –> 00:17:35,280
Second
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00:17:36,959 –> 00:17:38,880
in his surprise the Cambridge Don
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00:17:39,079 –> 00:17:41,719
offered a quite brilliant
361
00:17:41,880 –> 00:17:42,560
summary
362
00:17:43,520 –> 00:17:44,859
of biblical Christianity.
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00:17:44,880 –> 00:17:45,400
He got it.
364
00:17:47,199 –> 00:17:49,400
If God is a talking God
365
00:17:49,660 –> 00:17:51,880
that changes everything.
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00:17:54,119 –> 00:17:56,359
Think about it in these closing moments.
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00:17:58,400 –> 00:18:00,979
If God has
368
00:18:01,000 –> 00:18:01,959
spoken
369
00:18:02,239 –> 00:18:06,140
you can know him.
370
00:18:06,140 –> 00:18:06,660
You can know him.
371
00:18:07,800 –> 00:18:09,420
Frankly if he has not spoken
372
00:18:09,439 –> 00:18:11,000
you can forget about knowing him.
373
00:18:11,079 –> 00:18:13,680
You’re just stuck in a world of speculation
374
00:18:13,680 –> 00:18:15,520
and you’re living with your own ideas.
375
00:18:15,599 –> 00:18:17,219
But if God has spoken
376
00:18:17,239 –> 00:18:18,599
that changes everything.
377
00:18:19,000 –> 00:18:21,479
He has spoken
378
00:18:21,479 –> 00:18:23,640
because he wants
379
00:18:23,640 –> 00:18:25,520
you to know him.
380
00:18:26,000 –> 00:18:28,160
And since he has spoken
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00:18:28,160 –> 00:18:30,199
to you in His word
382
00:18:31,160 –> 00:18:33,199
you can speak to him.
383
00:18:33,219 –> 00:18:35,880
He invites you to do so.
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00:18:35,900 –> 00:18:37,800
You can respond to him in faith
385
00:18:37,819 –> 00:18:38,939
and in obedience.
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00:18:38,959 –> 00:18:41,079
You can enter a relationship
387
00:18:41,079 –> 00:18:43,380
in which you can experience
388
00:18:43,400 –> 00:18:45,680
his love.
389
00:18:46,079 –> 00:18:48,319
And it will not be the comfort of an imaginary
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00:18:48,319 –> 00:18:49,880
friend.
391
00:18:50,619 –> 00:18:52,619
It will be the embrace of an almighty
392
00:18:52,640 –> 00:18:54,719
creator who reaches out to you
393
00:18:54,719 –> 00:18:56,239
in Jesus Christ.
394
00:18:56,540 –> 00:18:59,060
That changes everything.
395
00:18:59,060 –> 00:19:02,500
And you can know him
396
00:19:02,699 –> 00:19:06,339
not only that, you can know the truth.
397
00:19:06,900 –> 00:19:08,420
See,
398
00:19:08,699 –> 00:19:10,819
If God has not spoken, then
399
00:19:10,819 –> 00:19:13,180
the post-modernist is right.
400
00:19:13,699 –> 00:19:15,479
If God has not spoken,
401
00:19:15,479 –> 00:19:17,380
then you have your opinion
402
00:19:17,380 –> 00:19:18,619
and I have my opinion
403
00:19:18,619 –> 00:19:20,420
and we must live together in harmony,
404
00:19:20,420 –> 00:19:22,199
but there’s no way in which any of us
405
00:19:22,199 –> 00:19:23,900
can know who is right
406
00:19:23,900 –> 00:19:25,420
and certainly no way
407
00:19:25,420 –> 00:19:26,699
that anyone could ever know
408
00:19:26,699 –> 00:19:28,099
that anyone was wrong.
409
00:19:28,099 –> 00:19:30,180
You cannot know what is finally true
410
00:19:30,180 –> 00:19:31,939
if God has not spoken.
411
00:19:33,060 –> 00:19:35,939
But if God has spoken,
412
00:19:36,459 –> 00:19:38,180
that changes everything.
413
00:19:38,180 –> 00:19:40,140
It really does.
414
00:19:40,619 –> 00:19:42,699
If God speaks,
415
00:19:42,699 –> 00:19:47,459
then His Word will be our yardstick for truth.
416
00:19:48,420 –> 00:19:49,699
If God has spoken,
417
00:19:49,699 –> 00:19:52,579
His Word is the truth
418
00:19:52,579 –> 00:19:54,979
against which all our opinions
419
00:19:54,979 –> 00:19:57,979
must always be measured.
420
00:19:59,060 –> 00:20:00,579
If God speaks,
421
00:20:00,579 –> 00:20:02,619
then you can know the truth.
422
00:20:02,619 –> 00:20:04,020
There is a foundation
423
00:20:04,020 –> 00:20:06,420
on which you can live your life and build it.
424
00:20:06,540 –> 00:20:07,660
There are some things
425
00:20:07,660 –> 00:20:09,020
you can know for sure
426
00:20:09,020 –> 00:20:11,579
because God has said them.
427
00:20:11,579 –> 00:20:13,699
That’s good news.
428
00:20:14,219 –> 00:20:15,939
The Apostle Paul was able to say,
429
00:20:15,939 –> 00:20:19,500
I know whom I have believed,
430
00:20:20,339 –> 00:20:22,339
and I’m persuaded that he can keep
431
00:20:22,339 –> 00:20:24,500
what I’ve trusted to him
432
00:20:24,500 –> 00:20:25,859
against that day,
433
00:20:25,859 –> 00:20:27,300
the day when I will stand before Him.
434
00:20:27,300 –> 00:20:29,180
I’ve committed my days,
435
00:20:29,180 –> 00:20:30,339
my life, my soul,
436
00:20:30,339 –> 00:20:32,219
my eternity to Jesus Christ.
437
00:20:32,219 –> 00:20:33,900
And I know that I can trust him.
438
00:20:33,900 –> 00:20:34,420
Why?
439
00:20:34,420 –> 00:20:36,300
Because I rest on his word,
440
00:20:36,300 –> 00:20:39,859
not on the undulating circumstances
441
00:20:39,859 –> 00:20:42,140
of my life,
442
00:20:42,140 –> 00:20:44,619
but on the solid foundation
443
00:20:44,619 –> 00:20:46,819
of his promise.
444
00:20:48,060 –> 00:20:49,819
Oh there are many things I don’t know,
445
00:20:49,819 –> 00:20:53,020
but I do know I can trust him.
446
00:20:53,020 –> 00:20:55,819
And when it comes to the great
447
00:20:56,099 –> 00:20:57,780
issues of life and eternity
448
00:20:57,780 –> 00:21:00,660
there’s no reason for you to be guessing.
449
00:21:00,660 –> 00:21:02,380
God has spoken.
450
00:21:02,380 –> 00:21:04,579
That changes everything.
451
00:21:04,579 –> 00:21:08,420
You can rest on his word.
452
00:21:09,739 –> 00:21:13,099
And finally, if God has spoken,
453
00:21:13,099 –> 00:21:14,579
you must listen to what he says,
454
00:21:14,579 –> 00:21:15,219
you really must.
455
00:21:15,219 –> 00:21:18,060
If God has spoken.
456
00:21:18,979 –> 00:21:20,500
See, if God didn’t speak,
457
00:21:20,500 –> 00:21:24,420
then how you live is obviously up to you.
458
00:21:24,619 –> 00:21:27,140
If it feels good, do it.
459
00:21:28,219 –> 00:21:29,859
But if God has spoken,
460
00:21:29,859 –> 00:21:33,060
that changes everything, obviously.
461
00:21:33,699 –> 00:21:34,900
If God has spoken,
462
00:21:34,900 –> 00:21:36,619
you must listen to what he says.
463
00:21:36,619 –> 00:21:38,939
Is that what you’re doing?
464
00:21:39,260 –> 00:21:41,739
Is that how you’re shaping your life
465
00:21:41,739 –> 00:21:44,819
around what he says?
466
00:21:45,380 –> 00:21:47,300
Have you taken his word seriously?
467
00:21:47,300 –> 00:21:49,979
Have you taken in and heard
468
00:21:49,979 –> 00:21:52,500
that there will be a day of judgment
469
00:21:52,500 –> 00:21:57,020
and you must live in the light of it?
470
00:21:57,020 –> 00:22:00,060
Including how you make your money.
471
00:22:00,579 –> 00:22:01,699
Have you heard his word
472
00:22:01,699 –> 00:22:04,099
that says, Jesus Christ has come
473
00:22:04,099 –> 00:22:06,339
because you are a sinner?
474
00:22:06,339 –> 00:22:07,780
There’s not a debate about that.
475
00:22:07,780 –> 00:22:09,739
You are.
476
00:22:10,459 –> 00:22:12,900
And you need a savior.
477
00:22:12,900 –> 00:22:14,420
And his blood can cleanse you
478
00:22:14,420 –> 00:22:17,540
and he wants to embrace you.
479
00:22:18,060 –> 00:22:20,979
Are you listening to his word?
480
00:22:21,420 –> 00:22:22,579
A great challenge there.
481
00:22:22,579 –> 00:22:25,099
Are you listening to his word?
482
00:22:25,099 –> 00:22:26,900
As Pastor Colin’s been telling us,
483
00:22:26,900 –> 00:22:29,859
if God has spoken, that changes everything.
484
00:22:30,180 –> 00:22:31,099
You’ve been listening to
485
00:22:31,099 –> 00:22:33,180
Open the Bible With Pastor Colin Smith
486
00:22:33,180 –> 00:22:34,699
and a message today called
487
00:22:34,699 –> 00:22:36,819
The God Who Speaks for Himself.
488
00:22:36,819 –> 00:22:38,420
It’s part of our series
489
00:22:38,420 –> 00:22:40,979
Close Encounters with the Living God.
490
00:22:40,979 –> 00:22:41,699
And if you’ve missed
491
00:22:41,699 –> 00:22:42,859
any of the series to date
492
00:22:42,859 –> 00:22:43,739
or if you want to go back
493
00:22:43,739 –> 00:22:44,780
and listen again,
494
00:22:44,780 –> 00:22:45,699
you can always do that
495
00:22:45,699 –> 00:22:47,420
by coming online to our website
496
00:22:47,420 –> 00:22:50,260
openthebible.org.uk
497
00:22:50,619 –> 00:22:51,300
There, you can hear
498
00:22:51,300 –> 00:22:52,459
any of the broadcasts
499
00:22:52,459 –> 00:22:54,219
that have already gone out.
500
00:22:54,219 –> 00:22:56,339
You can also find us as a podcast
501
00:22:56,339 –> 00:22:57,180
and you’ll find those
502
00:22:57,180 –> 00:22:59,500
on all the regular podcasting sites.
503
00:22:59,500 –> 00:23:01,660
Simply search for Open the Bible UK
504
00:23:01,699 –> 00:23:04,020
or follow the link from our website.
505
00:23:04,939 –> 00:23:06,140
Also on our website
506
00:23:06,140 –> 00:23:07,579
and available as a podcast
507
00:23:07,579 –> 00:23:09,420
is Open the Bible Daily,
508
00:23:09,420 –> 00:23:10,939
and that’s a series of short
509
00:23:10,939 –> 00:23:13,579
two to three minute daily reflections
510
00:23:13,579 –> 00:23:15,020
every day of the month
511
00:23:15,020 –> 00:23:17,020
based on Pastor Colin’s teaching
512
00:23:17,020 –> 00:23:19,140
and read in the UK by Sue McLeish.
513
00:23:19,660 –> 00:23:20,780
Many Christians find
514
00:23:20,819 –> 00:23:21,739
that’s a brilliant way
515
00:23:21,739 –> 00:23:22,859
to start the day.
516
00:23:24,219 –> 00:23:25,739
Open the Bible is supported
517
00:23:25,780 –> 00:23:27,300
entirely by our listeners.
518
00:23:27,339 –> 00:23:29,180
That’s people just like you,
519
00:23:29,219 –> 00:23:30,500
and if that’s something
520
00:23:30,500 –> 00:23:31,819
you’re considering doing.
521
00:23:31,859 –> 00:23:34,219
This month we have an offer for you.
522
00:23:34,260 –> 00:23:36,180
If you’re able to set up
523
00:23:36,180 –> 00:23:37,140
a new donation
524
00:23:37,140 –> 00:23:38,579
to the work of Open the Bible
525
00:23:38,579 –> 00:23:41,739
in the amount of £5 per month or more,
526
00:23:41,739 –> 00:23:43,020
we’d love to thank you
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00:23:43,020 –> 00:23:44,260
by sending you a copy
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00:23:44,260 –> 00:23:45,739
of Kevin de Young’s book
529
00:23:45,739 –> 00:23:47,979
Impossible Christianity.
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00:23:48,060 –> 00:23:49,380
Colin, what would you hope
531
00:23:49,420 –> 00:23:51,140
that someone reading this book
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00:23:51,140 –> 00:23:52,300
will take away from it?
533
00:23:52,819 –> 00:23:54,140
Well, Kevin de Young
534
00:23:54,140 –> 00:23:55,900
does a brilliant job
535
00:23:55,939 –> 00:23:57,300
of distinguishing
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00:23:57,300 –> 00:23:58,339
between the life
537
00:23:58,380 –> 00:24:00,180
that God calls us to lead
538
00:24:00,219 –> 00:24:03,099
and the sometimes impossible burdens
539
00:24:03,219 –> 00:24:05,060
that we place on ourselves.
540
00:24:05,099 –> 00:24:06,819
And that’s why it’s such a helpful
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00:24:06,819 –> 00:24:08,939
and such a liberating book.
542
00:24:08,979 –> 00:24:09,619
For example,
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00:24:09,619 –> 00:24:11,020
when he talks about prayer,
544
00:24:11,020 –> 00:24:11,579
he talks about
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00:24:11,579 –> 00:24:13,060
the importance of prayer
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00:24:13,380 –> 00:24:14,859
and anyone who really
547
00:24:14,900 –> 00:24:16,619
walks with the Lord knows that.
548
00:24:16,619 –> 00:24:17,420
We often feel that
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00:24:17,420 –> 00:24:18,500
we need to pray more.
550
00:24:18,500 –> 00:24:20,260
We can live under a burden of saying,
551
00:24:20,339 –> 00:24:22,300
have I ever prayed enough
552
00:24:22,339 –> 00:24:24,459
and have I ever prayed as sincerely
553
00:24:24,459 –> 00:24:26,020
and deeply as I ought,
554
00:24:26,020 –> 00:24:26,939
and we end up
555
00:24:26,939 –> 00:24:29,060
putting burdens on ourselves
556
00:24:29,260 –> 00:24:30,420
that can easily
557
00:24:30,420 –> 00:24:31,619
make following Christ
558
00:24:31,660 –> 00:24:33,979
feel like a joyless experience.
559
00:24:34,300 –> 00:24:35,540
And so I’ve found
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00:24:35,579 –> 00:24:37,380
impossible Christianity
561
00:24:37,459 –> 00:24:39,140
to be really helpful
562
00:24:39,219 –> 00:24:40,300
in just restoring
563
00:24:40,300 –> 00:24:41,819
a sense of perspective.
564
00:24:41,939 –> 00:24:44,020
A sense of peace to the soul,
565
00:24:44,060 –> 00:24:46,180
and it’s right out of the Scriptures.
566
00:24:46,180 –> 00:24:48,339
It’s faithful to what God says,
567
00:24:48,660 –> 00:24:50,339
but it brings to us
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00:24:50,339 –> 00:24:51,819
a sense of a life
569
00:24:51,819 –> 00:24:53,660
that is made possible
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00:24:53,699 –> 00:24:54,939
by the grace of God
571
00:24:54,939 –> 00:24:55,819
as we follow hard
572
00:24:55,819 –> 00:24:57,380
after the Lord Jesus Christ.
573
00:24:57,420 –> 00:24:58,459
Well, we’d love to send
574
00:24:58,459 –> 00:25:00,420
you a copy of Kevin de Young’s book
575
00:25:00,699 –> 00:25:02,420
to say thank you for setting up
576
00:25:02,459 –> 00:25:03,420
a new donation
577
00:25:03,420 –> 00:25:05,020
to the work of Open The Bible
578
00:25:05,099 –> 00:25:07,979
in the amount of £5 per month or more.
579
00:25:08,819 –> 00:25:10,219
Full details of this offer
580
00:25:10,219 –> 00:25:11,219
on our website
581
00:25:11,260 –> 00:25:14,300
openthebible.org.uk
582
00:25:14,660 –> 00:25:15,780
For Open The Bible
583
00:25:15,780 –> 00:25:17,060
and Pastor Colin Smith,
584
00:25:17,180 –> 00:25:18,140
I’m David Pick
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00:25:18,180 –> 00:25:18,979
and I hope you’ll be able
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00:25:19,020 –> 00:25:20,939
to join us again next time.
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00:25:26
