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It has become

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popular in recent years to refer to lost people

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as seekers. That’s okay, but you know a fuller description

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would be that by nature we are

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hide and seekers. We are,

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because if we were really seeking God we find him.

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Welcome to open the Bible

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with pastor Colin Smith, I’m David Pick. And Colin I’ve got to ask

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what exactly do you mean by that? Well I’ve got a little granddaughter so

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we’re doing a lot of hide and seek. They love to play that

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game with their grandad. But you know it’s true

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The scripture says there’s no one who really seeks after God

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not even one. And so we do spend a lot of time fooling ourselves

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and oh, you know I’m seeking God

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While those who truly seek Him, find Him

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you seek me and you will find me

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when you seek me with all your heart. And the

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problem is that we don’t seek God with all of our heart

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we’re hiding from Him half the time that we say that we are seeking Him

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So here’s the great promise of scripture

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If you will open your mind and your heart

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and your Bible

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and you will truly seek after God, you will find Him

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that’s his promise. And so don’t be a hider

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be a seeker after God, truly

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today as we come to the Scriptures

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So as you say, let’s open the Bible

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and I hope you’ll join us there if you can

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As we’re in Micahchapter 5 today

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verses 10-15

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As we begin the message

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the God who will not tolerate rivals

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Here’s Colin

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Micah, chapter 5

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beginning from verse 10

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let us hear the word of God

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In that day, declares the Lord

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I will destroy your horses from among you

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and demolish your chariots

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I will destroy the cities of your land

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and tear down all your strongholds

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I will destroy your witchcraft

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and you will no longer cast spells

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I will destroy your carved images

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and your sacred stones from among you

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you will no longer bow down to the work of your hands

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I will uproot from among you

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your asherah poles

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and demolish your cities

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I will take vengeance in anger and wrath upon the nations

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that have not obeyed me

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This is the word of God

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now we’re continuing our series today

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Close Encounters with the Living God

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and our aim is to encounter God as He is

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as he’s revealed himself in the Scripture

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and especially in the person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

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God sits exalted

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on the throne of the universe

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he is the sovereign lord over all creation

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Nothing can touch him, no one can usurp him

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he is Father Son Holy Spirit

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one God, adored in heaven

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and one day he will be confessed by every tongue on the earth

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he is incomparable, in a class of his own

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he has no peers

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and he has no rivals

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to whom shall you compare me, says the Lord

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who is My equal?

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Now the Bible speaks about one God

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but our world obviously speaks about many gods

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and pursues many different forms of spirituality

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in fact spirituality is one of the largest markets

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in our society in these days

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we live in a pluralistic society

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in which there are many religions

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the phrase God bless America

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has become ambiguous in our time

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because there is no longer a consensus

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about what we mean by the first word in that phrase

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are we referring to Yahweh or Allah

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or Sheba or Vishnu or Buddha

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or are we simply referring to ourselves

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now the confusion is not new

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in fact affirming faith in the living God

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when people around you are affirming many Gods

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is one of the main themes

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one of the most important themes

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in the Old Testament story

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in fact we’ve already come across it

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in Micah chapter four in verse five

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if you glance back there you’ll see it

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all the nations may walk in the names of their gods

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but we will walk in the name of Yahweh

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the name of the Lord our God

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forever and forever

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and in the central passage of the book of Micah

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that’s our focus today

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chapter five verses 10 to 15

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the message is really very simple

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reading these verses we see that God is saying

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that He will destroy all idols

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now at first sight I know that the subject of

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idolatry may seem remote from us

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but I think as we get into this together

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you will find as I have found again

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that it actually comes very close to home indeed

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I want to approach this subject by asking seven questions

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that I think will help us understand

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what God is saying here and what it means for us today

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the first is very obvious

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what is

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idolatry

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and the very simple definition would be this

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that idolatry is worshiping created things

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rather than the creator

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you find that definition in Romans chapter one in verse 25

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where Paul speaks about those who have

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exchanged the truth of God for a lie

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and worshipped and served created things

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rather than the Creator

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that’s what idolatry is

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worshiping created things rather than

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the Creator

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and the surprising thing here is that

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when you look at what Micah is saying

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what the Lord is saying through Micah

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that this idolatry

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was not only being found among pagan nations

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but it had actually taken root

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among Gods own people

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look at what he says

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God speaks about destroying your horses

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your chariots

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he is speaking to his own people

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your witchcraft

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superstition among Gods own people

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your carved images

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your sacred stones

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your Asherah Poles

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now he is talking here about the

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folks who profess faith in Yahweh

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this is the church crowd

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and what we are learning here is that

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while Gods judgement will extend

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to the nations that did not obey him

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he says that in verse 15

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it none-the-less begins

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among his own people

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who have served created things

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rather than the creator

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and that is why Micah says in verse 13

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there you’ll see it

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you, and he is speaking to God’s people

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you he says

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speaking to us

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you will no longer bow down

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to the work of your hands

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and that is idolatry very simply

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and the astonishing thing

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is how deeply rooted it was

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not even among God’s people

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to take what you have created

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to take what we have created

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and to put it in the place of God

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my achievement

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my position

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all that’s mine

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idolatry really begins

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when a person says

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you know I can play the role of God

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you know who the first person to say that was

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Satan wasn’t it

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he said

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I can play the role of God

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and he thought that he could see himself on God’s throne

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and then he influenced Adam and Eve

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to think the same way

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you shall be his God

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and that’s what they wanted

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we can play the role of God

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actually if you look at the history of our world

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the Western world in the last century

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and this century

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you’ll see it’s all about idolatry

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last century’s form of idolatry

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was called modernism

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the great idea of the last century

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was that the human race as a group

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had come of age

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and that humanity

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the mass of humanity

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could take the place of God

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we were coming off in the 20th century

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Darwin’s evolutionary theory

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that had caused so many people to think

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of man as his own God

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emerging in triumph from the swamp

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and the big idea of the 20th century

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that science and that education

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would lead us into the perfect world

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When I was at high school

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I remember vividly reading

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one of the trendy books

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in those days

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which was, Jacob Bronowski

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The Ascent of Man

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Now, you see

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that was the great theme

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less than half a century ago

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The Ascent of Man

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The Triumph of the Race

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And that sense of triumph, of course

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was caught in that famous quotation

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of Neil Armstrong

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You remember Stepping on the Moon?

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what he said

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It is one small step for man

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One giant step for mankind

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the race

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The triumph of the race

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We’re on the moon

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There’s nothing that is beyond us

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Well, of course

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Two World Wars

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and the unparalleled

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bloodshed of the latter part

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of the 20th Century

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completely shattered that illusion

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You will not find many people

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in universities today

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talking about the triumph of

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mankind as a group

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That’s gone

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What we have now in the 21st

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century we call post-modernism

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which has simply shifted

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the idolatry

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Instead of the supremacy

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of the human race

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taking the place of God

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we now have the supremacy

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of the human individual

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taking the place of God

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What I feel

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what I want

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and there’s no truth

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above my truth

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There are no values

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above my values

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There’s no purpose

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above my purpose

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The supreme question

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of the 21st century

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becomes the individual question

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what do you think?

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What do you want?

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How do you define success?

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So you see the idolatry

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of the 20th century

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was the idolatry of the race

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of mankind

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We can play the role of God

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We can create the perfect world

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That’s all gone

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The idolatry of the 21st century

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is the idolatry of the individual

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I can play the role of God

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What I want

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is what really matters

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I can be my own God

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Either way

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We’re talking about

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two different versions

275

00:11:11,539 –> 00:11:13,780

of the same thing

276

00:11:13,780 –> 00:11:16,059

Worshipping created things

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rather than the creator

278

00:11:20,679 –> 00:11:21,580

I wonder if you’ve noticed

279

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how easy it is to turn

280

00:11:22,859 –> 00:11:26,859

God’s good gifts into idols

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Adam was made to enjoy

282

00:11:29,539 –> 00:11:31,260

a relationship with god

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00:11:31,260 –> 00:11:34,140

That was the very first thing

284

00:11:34,140 –> 00:11:34,940

That’s true of you

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00:11:34,940 –> 00:11:36,059

is true of me

286

00:11:36,059 –> 00:11:38,859

True of every human being

287

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Adam had a relationship with God

288

00:11:40,739 –> 00:11:41,599

Think about this

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Before he had a home in Eden

290

00:11:45,039 –> 00:11:48,760

Before he had a job working the garden

291

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and before he had a wife

292

00:11:50,919 –> 00:11:53,080

to share his life

293

00:11:53,080 –> 00:11:58,200

the order is supremely important

294

00:11:58,200 –> 00:11:59,859

You see, God gave Adam

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the gift of marriage

296

00:12:02,359 –> 00:12:06,679

But Adam was not made for marriage

297

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Marriage is not the ultimate purpose

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very important to know that

299

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if you’re married

300

00:12:11,099 –> 00:12:12,760

or if you’re single

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00:12:12,760 –> 00:12:14,599

Marriage is not the ultimate purpose

302

00:12:14,640 –> 00:12:16,599

Marriage is a good gift from God

303

00:12:16,599 –> 00:12:20,679

in which you can pursue the ultimate purpose

304

00:12:20,679 –> 00:12:23,640

You don’t know what the ultimate purpose is

305

00:12:23,640 –> 00:12:24,739

You’ll not be able to understand

306

00:12:24,739 –> 00:12:28,260

the meaning of marriage

307

00:12:28,260 –> 00:12:32,159

God gave Adam the gift of work

308

00:12:32,159 –> 00:12:35,400

but Adam was not made for work

309

00:12:35,400 –> 00:12:37,840

Work was not Adam’s ultimate purpose

310

00:12:37,840 –> 00:12:39,239

Work is a good gift from God

311

00:12:39,239 –> 00:12:40,260

but if you don’t

312

00:12:40,260 –> 00:12:42,080

know what work is for

313

00:12:42,320 –> 00:12:45,400

you just become a workaholic

314

00:12:45,400 –> 00:12:46,580

Work is a good gift from God

315

00:12:46,580 –> 00:12:51,520

in which you can pursue the ultimate purpose

316

00:12:51,520 –> 00:12:53,359

God gave Adam and Eve a home

317

00:12:53,359 –> 00:12:57,039

brought Adam into the Garden of Eden

318

00:12:57,039 –> 00:13:00,760

But they were not made for a home

319

00:13:00,760 –> 00:13:05,479

The home is not the ultimate purpose

320

00:13:05,479 –> 00:13:06,599

The home is a good gift from God

321

00:13:06,599 –> 00:13:09,159

in which you pursue the ultimate purpose

322

00:13:09,159 –> 00:13:11,320

Then what is the ultimate purpose?

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00:13:11,859 –> 00:13:14,900

You were made to enter and enjoy a relationship of love

324

00:13:14,900 –> 00:13:16,520

with Almighty God

325

00:13:16,520 –> 00:13:19,179

in which you share His life, His work,

326

00:13:19,179 –> 00:13:20,260

His family, His joy

327

00:13:20,260 –> 00:13:23,080

and you do it for time and for eternity

328

00:13:23,080 –> 00:13:25,320

Man’s chief end is what?

329

00:13:25,320 –> 00:13:28,500

To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever

330

00:13:28,500 –> 00:13:30,799

It’s not to glorify ourselves

331

00:13:30,799 –> 00:13:32,280

and enjoy ourselves forever

332

00:13:32,280 –> 00:13:35,140

that is why ministry must always be

333

00:13:35,140 –> 00:13:36,559

God-centered

334

00:13:36,559 –> 00:13:40,700

which means of course Christ-centered

335

00:13:40,919 –> 00:13:43,900

that’s what you were made for

336

00:13:43,900 –> 00:13:46,119

and anything else taking the good gifts

337

00:13:46,119 –> 00:13:49,500

that He’s poured into my life

338

00:13:49,500 –> 00:13:51,419

and placing them on the throne of God

339

00:13:51,419 –> 00:13:54,840

as if they were the ultimate purpose is

340

00:13:54,840 –> 00:13:56,080

Idolatry

341

00:13:56,080 –> 00:13:57,419

You’re listening to Open The Bible

342

00:13:57,419 –> 00:13:59,000

with Pastor Colin Smith

343

00:13:59,000 –> 00:14:00,340

and today we’ve been looking at

344

00:14:00,340 –> 00:14:02,340

what the Bible calls idolatry

345

00:14:02,340 –> 00:14:03,539

what it really is

346

00:14:03,539 –> 00:14:05,500

And in just a moment we’ll come back

347

00:14:05,500 –> 00:14:07,940

and look at why idols exist

348

00:14:07,940 –> 00:14:10,320

So I hope you’ll be able to stay with us

349

00:14:10,380 –> 00:14:11,640

Our series is called

350

00:14:11,640 –> 00:14:13,640

Close Encounters with the Living God

351

00:14:13,640 –> 00:14:16,039

and it’s based on the Book of Micah

352

00:14:16,039 –> 00:14:17,159

If you’ve tuned in late

353

00:14:17,159 –> 00:14:19,359

or if you ever miss one of these series

354

00:14:19,359 –> 00:14:20,479

you can always catch up

355

00:14:20,479 –> 00:14:22,400

or go back and listen again online

356

00:14:22,400 –> 00:14:23,799

That’s at our website

357

00:14:23,799 –> 00:14:26,719

openthebible.org.uk

358

00:14:26,719 –> 00:14:28,280

or find us as a podcast

359

00:14:28,280 –> 00:14:30,000

on your favourite podcast site

360

00:14:30,000 –> 00:14:32,520

by searching for OpenTheBibleUK

361

00:14:32,520 –> 00:14:35,719

and subscribe to receive regular updates

362

00:14:35,719 –> 00:14:37,239

Back to the message now

363

00:14:37,239 –> 00:14:38,559

Here’s Colin

364

00:14:38,599 –> 00:14:39,440

What is idolatry?

365

00:14:39,440 –> 00:14:40,799

Worshipping created things

366

00:14:40,799 –> 00:14:43,000

rather than the creator

367

00:14:43,000 –> 00:14:44,880

Here’s the second question

368

00:14:44,880 –> 00:14:47,919

Why do idols exist?

369

00:14:47,919 –> 00:14:50,679

And why do idols exist?

370

00:14:50,679 –> 00:14:52,419

Two reasons

371

00:14:52,419 –> 00:14:53,900

First

372

00:14:53,900 –> 00:14:58,739

They exist because of our attraction to God

373

00:14:58,739 –> 00:14:59,859

See every human being

374

00:14:59,859 –> 00:15:02,640

is made in the image of God

375

00:15:02,640 –> 00:15:05,719

That is true of the most messed-up

376

00:15:05,719 –> 00:15:07,919

dysfunctional twisted person

377

00:15:07,960 –> 00:15:10,559

you can think of

378

00:15:10,559 –> 00:15:11,440

And if the most messed-up

379

00:15:11,440 –> 00:15:12,719

dysfunctional twisted person

380

00:15:12,719 –> 00:15:14,059

you can think of at this moment

381

00:15:14,059 –> 00:15:16,080

then it is true of you

382

00:15:16,080 –> 00:15:17,640

So that is good news

383

00:15:17,640 –> 00:15:19,960

You are made in the image of God

384

00:15:19,960 –> 00:15:21,619

and nothing can ever change that

385

00:15:21,619 –> 00:15:24,719

It is true of every person

386

00:15:24,719 –> 00:15:25,320

And every culture

387

00:15:25,320 –> 00:15:26,179

And every generation

388

00:15:26,179 –> 00:15:26,700

And that is why

389

00:15:26,700 –> 00:15:27,840

wherever you go in the world

390

00:15:27,840 –> 00:15:29,679

In history or in geography

391

00:15:29,679 –> 00:15:30,960

you find human beings

392

00:15:30,960 –> 00:15:32,280

engaged in some kind of

393

00:15:32,280 –> 00:15:34,559

spiritual search

394

00:15:34,559 –> 00:15:35,599

It cannot be stamped out

395

00:15:35,599 –> 00:15:36,840

Communism tried that

396

00:15:36,960 –> 00:15:38,919

and of course failed abysmally

397

00:15:40,539 –> 00:15:42,400

There is a deep hunger for God

398

00:15:42,400 –> 00:15:44,359

that is imprinted in the soul

399

00:15:44,359 –> 00:15:45,900

of every person ever born

400

00:15:45,900 –> 00:15:47,700

into this world

401

00:15:47,700 –> 00:15:49,140

a God-shaped hole

402

00:15:49,140 –> 00:15:51,280

at the centre of every life

403

00:15:51,280 –> 00:15:53,840

that, by definition,

404

00:15:53,840 –> 00:15:55,739

only God can fill

405

00:15:57,099 –> 00:15:58,580

But that’s only half of the answer

406

00:15:58,820 –> 00:15:59,940

Why do idols exist?

407

00:15:59,940 –> 00:16:01,840

First because of our attraction to God

408

00:16:01,840 –> 00:16:03,679

which gets us kind of searching

409

00:16:03,760 –> 00:16:04,640

but secondly because

410

00:16:04,640 –> 00:16:06,780

of our avoidance of God

411

00:16:08,659 –> 00:16:09,159

You see,

412

00:16:09,159 –> 00:16:11,020

any thoughtful person

413

00:16:11,020 –> 00:16:12,840

who looks at this world

414

00:16:14,280 –> 00:16:15,419

will quickly see,

415

00:16:15,419 –> 00:16:17,179

looking at the spectrum of religion,

416

00:16:17,179 –> 00:16:18,960

that there is obviously

417

00:16:18,960 –> 00:16:21,260

some kind of spiritual search

418

00:16:21,260 –> 00:16:22,000

going on

419

00:16:22,000 –> 00:16:23,260

It’s everywhere

420

00:16:24,520 –> 00:16:25,380

But at the same time

421

00:16:25,380 –> 00:16:26,960

any thoughtful person

422

00:16:26,960 –> 00:16:28,799

would be struck by the fact

423

00:16:28,799 –> 00:16:30,539

that there does not seem to be

424

00:16:30,539 –> 00:16:31,979

much coherence

425

00:16:31,979 –> 00:16:33,460

about this search

426

00:16:34,239 –> 00:16:35,900

It’s all over the place

427

00:16:36,820 –> 00:16:38,159

Now why is that?

428

00:16:38,159 –> 00:16:39,200

If there’s one search

429

00:16:39,200 –> 00:16:41,239

why is the search all over the place?

430

00:16:42,940 –> 00:16:43,780

The reason for this

431

00:16:43,780 –> 00:16:44,900

is that alongside

432

00:16:44,900 –> 00:16:46,359

our deep attraction to God

433

00:16:46,359 –> 00:16:49,179

human beings are also experts

434

00:16:49,179 –> 00:16:51,260

in avoiding God

435

00:16:52,140 –> 00:16:52,700

And you remember

436

00:16:52,700 –> 00:16:53,760

this goes all the way back

437

00:16:53,760 –> 00:16:55,260

to the Garden of Eden

438

00:16:55,719 –> 00:16:58,119

Adam walked with God

439

00:16:58,739 –> 00:17:01,020

among the trees in the garden

440

00:17:02,020 –> 00:17:04,579

God was the very center of his home

441

00:17:04,780 –> 00:17:06,839

his marriage and his work

442

00:17:06,839 –> 00:17:09,339

his whole life

443

00:17:09,579 –> 00:17:10,359

But then one day

444

00:17:10,359 –> 00:17:11,619

God came into the garden

445

00:17:11,619 –> 00:17:13,479

to walk and to visit with Adam

446

00:17:13,479 –> 00:17:16,119

and Adam was hiding

447

00:17:17,780 –> 00:17:19,520

And God said, Where are you?

448

00:17:19,520 –> 00:17:20,060

Adam.

449

00:17:21,699 –> 00:17:23,520

Adam was hiding in the trees

450

00:17:23,560 –> 00:17:24,699

Now, why was he

451

00:17:24,699 –> 00:17:25,599

hiding in the trees?

452

00:17:25,599 –> 00:17:27,000

Why did he not want to come out?

453

00:17:27,000 –> 00:17:29,339

Why did he not want to walk with God?

454

00:17:31,199 –> 00:17:32,199

Do you know the answer?

455

00:17:32,199 –> 00:17:33,739

It was because he had sinned

456

00:17:34,640 –> 00:17:35,619

And when you’ve sinned

457

00:17:35,619 –> 00:17:36,819

and you know, you’re sinned

458

00:17:36,819 –> 00:17:38,819

you do not want God showing up

459

00:17:38,819 –> 00:17:39,540

and if he does,

460

00:17:39,540 –> 00:17:41,680

your first instinct is to hide

461

00:17:44,020 –> 00:17:46,020

So here is this strange enigma

462

00:17:46,020 –> 00:17:47,219

about our human nature

463

00:17:47,219 –> 00:17:48,959

created in the image of God

464

00:17:48,959 –> 00:17:51,599

and yet fallen into our sinfulness

465

00:17:53,160 –> 00:17:54,140

Because these things

466

00:17:54,140 –> 00:17:55,760

both constitute the reality

467

00:17:55,760 –> 00:17:56,760

of who we are

468

00:17:56,760 –> 00:17:59,660

We on the one hand seek after God

469

00:18:00,040 –> 00:18:01,780

but at the same time hide

470

00:18:01,780 –> 00:18:02,579

from Him

471

00:18:03,780 –> 00:18:05,780

I mean this is the ultimate game

472

00:18:05,780 –> 00:18:07,780

of hide and seek isn’t it?

473

00:18:07,780 –> 00:18:08,780

it really is

474

00:18:09,400 –> 00:18:10,920

The extraordinary thing

475

00:18:10,920 –> 00:18:12,920

that I hide from God

476

00:18:12,920 –> 00:18:15,520

at the same time as I’m seeking Him

477

00:18:15,520 –> 00:18:16,780

which of course is why

478

00:18:16,780 –> 00:18:17,920

the human search for God

479

00:18:17,920 –> 00:18:19,219

never gets very far

480

00:18:19,219 –> 00:18:20,920

unless God steps in

481

00:18:20,920 –> 00:18:22,640

and comes seeking after us

482

00:18:24,640 –> 00:18:26,140

You know it’s become popular

483

00:18:26,140 –> 00:18:27,359

in recent years

484

00:18:27,359 –> 00:18:29,760

to refer to lost people

485

00:18:29,760 –> 00:18:31,060

as seekers

486

00:18:31,060 –> 00:18:31,959

that’s okay

487

00:18:33,459 –> 00:18:36,260

but you know a fuller description

488

00:18:36,260 –> 00:18:38,760

would be that by nature

489

00:18:38,760 –> 00:18:42,260

we are hide and seekers

490

00:18:42,760 –> 00:18:44,760

we are

491

00:18:45,760 –> 00:18:47,560

because if we were really seeking God

492

00:18:47,560 –> 00:18:48,560

we find Him

493

00:18:49,060 –> 00:18:50,500

because He’s made Himself known to us

494

00:18:50,500 –> 00:18:51,959

in Jesus Christ

495

00:18:53,560 –> 00:18:55,060

the nature of the human condition

496

00:18:55,280 –> 00:18:59,780

is that we are hide and seekers

497

00:19:01,280 –> 00:19:03,880

and you’ve gotta know that there is no better place

498

00:19:04,280 –> 00:19:06,280

for hiding from God

499

00:19:06,280 –> 00:19:07,979

than religion

500

00:19:09,180 –> 00:19:11,579

because being religious

501

00:19:12,079 –> 00:19:15,180

allows you to think that you are spiritual

502

00:19:15,180 –> 00:19:17,479

while all the time you’re bobbing and weaving

503

00:19:17,479 –> 00:19:19,979

and avoiding real confrontation with God

504

00:19:19,979 –> 00:19:21,780

in your life

505

00:19:22,699 –> 00:19:25,099

You want an example of that?

506

00:19:25,099 –> 00:19:26,900

Look at the Pharisees

507

00:19:27,800 –> 00:19:30,099

Big on moral values

508

00:19:31,599 –> 00:19:34,599

really big on Bible study

509

00:19:35,900 –> 00:19:38,500

professional at it in fact

510

00:19:39,500 –> 00:19:41,099

devoting their lives to proving

511

00:19:41,099 –> 00:19:42,800

that they were good upright people

512

00:19:42,800 –> 00:19:44,000

but according to Jesus

513

00:19:44,000 –> 00:19:46,900

the whole thing was one massive exercise

514

00:19:46,900 –> 00:19:49,900

in evasion of any real encounter with God

515

00:19:50,619 –> 00:19:53,420

He says it in John 5.39

516

00:19:53,420 –> 00:19:56,219

You diligently study the scriptures

517

00:19:56,219 –> 00:19:57,420

because you think by them

518

00:19:57,420 –> 00:19:58,819

that you have eternal life

519

00:19:58,819 –> 00:20:00,219

but these are the very scriptures

520

00:20:00,219 –> 00:20:01,920

that speak about me

521

00:20:01,920 –> 00:20:04,719

and yet you refuse to come to me

522

00:20:04,719 –> 00:20:06,719

and thereby have life

523

00:20:07,719 –> 00:20:08,959

doing all this study

524

00:20:08,959 –> 00:20:10,420

pretending you’re seeking

525

00:20:10,420 –> 00:20:11,719

but you won’t come to me

526

00:20:11,719 –> 00:20:12,719

Jesus says

527

00:20:12,719 –> 00:20:14,719

and thereby you betray the reality

528

00:20:14,719 –> 00:20:15,719

that really you’re dodging

529

00:20:15,719 –> 00:20:17,219

you’re weaving

530

00:20:17,219 –> 00:20:18,719

you’re hiding

531

00:20:19,540 –> 00:20:23,540

now a large part of religion is really like

532

00:20:23,540 –> 00:20:24,540

a forest of trees

533

00:20:24,540 –> 00:20:27,540

offering lifelong opportunities

534

00:20:27,540 –> 00:20:29,540

for hiding from God

535

00:20:30,339 –> 00:20:33,540

this is surely Satan’s master piece of deception

536

00:20:33,540 –> 00:20:35,339

to put people in a position

537

00:20:35,339 –> 00:20:37,540

where they think that they are spiritual

538

00:20:37,540 –> 00:20:39,540

where they think that they are seeking after God

539

00:20:39,540 –> 00:20:42,540

when actually they are really avoiding Him

540

00:20:43,540 –> 00:20:45,540

most people think

541

00:20:46,060 –> 00:20:48,060

of the pervasiveness of religion

542

00:20:48,099 –> 00:20:49,099

in the world

543

00:20:49,099 –> 00:20:51,099

as evidence of how much people

544

00:20:51,099 –> 00:20:53,099

really want to find God

545

00:20:54,099 –> 00:20:57,099

but the Bibles perspective

546

00:20:57,099 –> 00:20:59,099

is that the pervasiveness of religion

547

00:20:59,099 –> 00:21:01,099

is actually as much

548

00:21:01,099 –> 00:21:03,099

evidence of how far

549

00:21:03,099 –> 00:21:06,099

we will go to avoid Him

550

00:21:07,140 –> 00:21:09,099

think of Jesus’s words

551

00:21:09,099 –> 00:21:13,099

diligently search the scriptures

552

00:21:13,140 –> 00:21:17,140

but you will not come

553

00:21:17,140 –> 00:21:19,140

to me

554

00:21:19,140 –> 00:21:21,140

sobering words from the Book of Micah

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idolatry is everywhere

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00:21:23,939 –> 00:21:25,939

and we’ve been looking at what idolatry is

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and why idols exist

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next time we’ll look at the

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different forms that idolatry takes

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00:21:31,939 –> 00:21:33,939

and continue to look at why that’s a problem

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00:21:34,939 –> 00:21:36,939

there’s something about a crisis

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00:21:36,939 –> 00:21:38,939

which often means that we encounter God

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00:21:38,939 –> 00:21:41,439

in a fresh way

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00:21:41,479 –> 00:21:43,479

this is what happened in Micah’s day

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Israel’s faith had become soft

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their spiritual life became flabby

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00:21:47,479 –> 00:21:49,479

and the nation came to

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00:21:49,479 –> 00:21:51,479

the brink of disaster

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and at that critical moment

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00:21:53,479 –> 00:21:55,479

Micah’s prophetic voice

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00:21:55,479 –> 00:21:57,479

cut through the fog

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00:21:57,479 –> 00:21:59,479

his message led the nation

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00:21:59,479 –> 00:22:01,479

to a new encounter with God

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00:22:01,479 –> 00:22:03,479

there are times when we all feel the need

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00:22:03,479 –> 00:22:05,479

for a fresh encounter with God

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00:22:05,479 –> 00:22:07,479

we feel spiritually flat

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00:22:07,479 –> 00:22:09,479

this series

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00:22:10,160 –> 00:22:12,199

so I hope you’ll continue

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00:22:12,199 –> 00:22:14,199

to listen to our series

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00:22:14,199 –> 00:22:16,199

Close Encounters with the Living God

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don’t forget. If you ever miss one of the series

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00:22:18,699 –> 00:22:20,699

you can always come on line

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00:22:20,699 –> 00:22:23,560

to our website

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00:22:23,560 –> 00:22:25,560

and there you can go back

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00:22:25,560 –> 00:22:27,560

and listen again or catch up

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00:22:27,560 –> 00:22:29,560

with the programs you might have missed

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00:22:29,560 –> 00:22:31,560

also on our web-site you will find

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00:22:31,560 –> 00:22:33,560

OpenTheBible.org

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00:22:33,560 –> 00:22:35,619

which is a series of

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00:22:35,619 –> 00:22:37,619

short 2 to 3 minute daily reflection pieces

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00:22:37,660 –> 00:22:39,660

of Pastor Colin’s teaching and read in the UK

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00:22:39,660 –> 00:22:41,660

by Sue MacLeish

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00:22:41,660 –> 00:22:43,660

All of those are also available

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00:22:43,660 –> 00:22:45,660

as podcasts

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00:22:45,660 –> 00:22:47,660

At OpenTheBible we welcome contact

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00:22:47,660 –> 00:22:49,660

with our listeners you can email

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00:22:49,660 –> 00:22:51,660

us by using the contact form on our

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00:22:51,660 –> 00:22:53,660

website

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00:22:57,660 –> 00:22:59,660

you can write to us at

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00:22:59,660 –> 00:23:08,260

or you can phone us

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00:23:14,459 –> 00:23:16,459

if we’re not available

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00:23:16,459 –> 00:23:18,459

when you call leave a message for us

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00:23:18,459 –> 00:23:20,459

and we’ll return your call

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00:23:20,459 –> 00:23:22,459

all of these contact details are

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00:23:22,459 –> 00:23:24,459

available on our website

606

00:23:27,540 –> 00:23:29,540

OpenTheBible is supported

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00:23:29,800 –> 00:23:31,800

entirely by our listeners

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00:23:40,959 –> 00:23:42,959

Colin, who would you say this book is for?

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00:23:42,959 –> 00:23:44,959

well, you’ll get a flavour

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00:23:44,959 –> 00:23:46,959

of what this book is about from its

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00:23:46,959 –> 00:23:48,959

subtitle. Now it’s really long

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00:23:48,959 –> 00:23:50,959

so are you ready?

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00:23:50,959 –> 00:23:52,959

why following jesus does

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00:23:52,959 –> 00:23:54,959

not mean that you have

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00:23:54,959 –> 00:23:56,959

to change the world

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00:23:56,959 –> 00:23:58,959

be an expert in everything

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00:23:58,959 –> 00:24:00,959

Accept spiritual failure

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00:24:00,959 –> 00:24:02,959

and feel miserable

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00:24:02,959 –> 00:24:04,959

pretty much all of the time

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00:24:04,959 –> 00:24:06,959

and it really points to what this book is all about

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00:24:06,959 –> 00:24:08,959

that sometimes we put burdens

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00:24:08,959 –> 00:24:10,959

on ourselves that god

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00:24:10,959 –> 00:24:12,959

never intended us to carry

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00:24:12,959 –> 00:24:14,959

and that’s hence the reason

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00:24:14,959 –> 00:24:16,959

for the title, Impossible Christianity

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00:24:16,959 –> 00:24:18,959

We’ve put burdens on ourselves

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00:24:18,959 –> 00:24:20,959

that were never given to us

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00:24:20,959 –> 00:24:22,959

by god and one of the wonderful

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00:24:22,959 –> 00:24:24,959

things about this I found

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00:24:24,959 –> 00:24:26,959

reading