100:00:01,000 –> 00:00:09,180Some people are much more comfortable with positioning Jesus as a teacher than a Saviour.200:00:09,180 –> 00:00:12,840Because the real offence of the cross and the gospel is that it tells us300:00:12,840 –> 00:00:16,959that there is something wrong within us that we cannot fix ourselves.400:00:16,959 –> 00:00:19,900Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith.500:00:19,900 –> 00:00:24,940I’m David Pick and Colin, as we continue this series, the subject has come up several times.600:00:24,940 –> 00:00:29,400It’s the idea that in some ways we prefer the idea of earning our salvation700:00:29,900 –> 00:00:35,759rather than relying on God’s grace and receiving salvation as God’s free gift.800:00:35,759 –> 00:00:40,980That’s right, we have the sense that we can fix ourselves and so even within church world900:00:40,980 –> 00:00:45,560you get brands of so called Christianity, in which the message1000:00:45,560 –> 00:00:49,419is really, you know, look inside yourself, the potential is there and1100:00:49,419 –> 00:00:52,860you can find everything that you need, inside of yourself.1200:00:52,860 –> 00:00:57,000And Paul’s coming along here and he’s saying precisely the opposite.1300:00:57,200 –> 00:01:04,099He says that we know that no one can be justified by the law, basically means I can’t fix myself.1400:01:04,099 –> 00:01:10,279Nothing that I do can resolve the problem of my wrong standing before God1500:01:10,279 –> 00:01:14,260and all of the consequences that would justly come from that.1600:01:14,260 –> 00:01:15,260And guess what?1700:01:15,260 –> 00:01:16,879The church can’t fix it either.1800:01:16,879 –> 00:01:20,260Come to the church, get the church to do this ceremony or that ceremony,1900:01:20,260 –> 00:01:24,680or go through this particular process, or class or whatever, that’ll fix you.2000:01:24,720 –> 00:01:27,699No, there’s nothing that can be done in that regard.2100:01:27,940 –> 00:01:32,379The church doesn’t have the capacity to heal a person’s relationship with God2200:01:32,379 –> 00:01:34,360or to put them right from the inside.2300:01:34,360 –> 00:01:39,279So that’s why Paul says what counts here is a new creation.2400:01:39,279 –> 00:01:40,839Now who can bring that about?2500:01:40,839 –> 00:01:44,839Well, only the Creator Himself, God in Jesus Christ.2600:01:44,839 –> 00:01:51,139And that’s why Paul says, I’m only ever going to boast about the cross of Jesus Christ.2700:01:51,139 –> 00:01:52,739That’s always got to be central.2800:01:52,739 –> 00:01:54,379It’s not what I can do for myself.2900:01:54,519 –> 00:01:57,680It’s not what the church can do for me or what a great church I’m part of.3000:01:57,680 –> 00:02:00,080It’s Jesus Christ and I’ve got to look to Him.3100:02:00,440 –> 00:02:04,099So that’s the message for today from Galatians chapter 6.3200:02:04,099 –> 00:02:07,900As we begin our message, the Gospel glorifies God.3300:02:07,900 –> 00:02:08,779Here’s Colin.3400:02:08,960 –> 00:02:12,919The central message that we’ve been learning together is that the Gospel is more than forgiveness3500:02:12,919 –> 00:02:19,080in Heaven, it is indeed the ongoing work of Jesus Christ in your life and in mine today3600:02:19,080 –> 00:02:21,919by His Holy Spirit.3700:02:21,979 –> 00:02:27,800So Galatians, we’ve been saying then is about the sufficiency and therefore the centrality3800:02:27,800 –> 00:02:33,320of Jesus Christ, not only for the past and for the future but for every challenge that3900:02:33,320 –> 00:02:36,600you face in your life today.4000:02:36,600 –> 00:02:39,919Christ died for me on the cross.4100:02:39,919 –> 00:02:46,960Christ lives in me as a Christian believer by the Spirit and we’ve summarized the Gospel4200:02:46,960 –> 00:02:52,220in a way that I hope makes it memorable for us, that it’s about grace and life and it’s4300:02:52,220 –> 00:02:54,639for the world.4400:02:54,639 –> 00:02:59,259And we’ve noticed as we’ve gone through Galatians, I think that many Christians have the idea4500:02:59,259 –> 00:03:05,020that it’s grace and it’s law and it’s for the world and that’s deeply ingrained in our4600:03:05,020 –> 00:03:10,419minds, the idea that somehow we’re forgiven but then you have to make a good show of living4700:03:10,419 –> 00:03:16,500the Christian life and then share it with others, and of course it is not grace, law4800:03:16,839 –> 00:03:22,440and for the world, it is grace, life and for the world, Christ lives in me.4900:03:22,440 –> 00:03:27,839That’s the very heart of Galatians chapter 2 and verse 20, I have been crucified with5000:03:27,839 –> 00:03:35,839Christ and I no longer live but Jesus Christ lives in me.5100:03:35,839 –> 00:03:40,500And we’ve seen therefore that the Gospel gives you the spirit and when the presence of Jesus5200:03:40,500 –> 00:03:44,479comes into your life by the Holy Spirit you are indeed free.5300:03:44,479 –> 00:03:50,199You once were a slave, you now are a son, this transformation has already taken place5400:03:50,199 –> 00:03:55,899for two reasons, first that God sent his son into the world, that’s Christmas, and second5500:03:55,899 –> 00:04:02,039that God sent his spirit into our hearts, that’s what happened at your conversion and5600:04:02,039 –> 00:04:06,820we saw last week then that since Christ lives in us by the spirit as Christian believers5700:04:06,820 –> 00:04:13,000we are therefore to live by the spirit, that’s chapter 5 and verse 16.5800:04:13,020 –> 00:04:15,000And we saw that that means waging war5900:04:15,000 –> 00:04:20,440against the flesh on the one hand and sowing to the spirit on the other.6000:04:20,440 –> 00:04:24,779And your freedom in Jesus Christ means that you are able to do these things as a Christian6100:04:24,779 –> 00:04:30,239believer, you are not a kind of prisoner of war in the spiritual conflict that you have6200:04:30,239 –> 00:04:34,940in the flesh you’re not tied up and able to do anything, you are like an armed soldier6300:04:34,940 –> 00:04:36,540on the field of battle.6400:04:36,540 –> 00:04:42,679So you can engage in a sustained warfare against the resistance of the flesh to the rule of6500:04:42,679 –> 00:04:44,839Jesus Christ in your life.6600:04:44,839 –> 00:04:49,880You can weaken the position of the flesh and sow to the spirit and as you do these things6700:04:49,880 –> 00:04:56,019you will bear the fruit of the presence of Jesus Christ in your life.6800:04:56,019 –> 00:05:01,359Now I hope it’s therefore becoming clear to us that as Tim Keller put it we’ve used this6900:05:01,359 –> 00:05:09,940quote before, the gospel is not just the ABCs but the A-Z of the Christian life, it’s not7000:05:09,940 –> 00:05:11,600just the beginning.7100:05:11,600 –> 00:05:15,119It’s not just what you grasped by the campfire when you made a profession of faith or in7200:05:15,119 –> 00:05:18,339that rally where you went forward when you made a decision, whatever it was.7300:05:18,339 –> 00:05:25,320The gospel is not just the ABCs it is the A-Z of the Christian life.7400:05:25,320 –> 00:05:32,559Christ for me, Christ in me, sufficient for everything all the way from here to the day7500:05:32,559 –> 00:05:35,459when I see him face to face.7600:05:36,459 –> 00:05:40,640I want to wrap up this series today with this marvelous theme from Galatians7700:05:40,640 –> 00:05:45,299in chapter 6, the gospel glorifies God.7800:05:45,299 –> 00:05:50,679I want to link together the beginning and the end of Galatians and I hope we’ll see7900:05:50,679 –> 00:05:54,700how this brings together the main theme of this marvelous letter.8000:05:54,700 –> 00:06:03,480At the end our focus will be on verse 14, chapter six and verse 14, may I never boast,8100:06:03,720 –> 00:06:11,700never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.8200:06:13,739 –> 00:06:18,140The centre of my life as a believer, Paul is saying, it’s the centre of my ministry8300:06:18,160 –> 00:06:26,239as an apostle and it is the very centre of the life of the church of Jesus Christ.8400:06:26,239 –> 00:06:31,720May nothing ever take his place.8500:06:31,720 –> 00:06:32,940Now that’s where Paul ends.8600:06:32,940 –> 00:06:37,019If you flick back a couple of pages to the beginning, you’ll see that indeed that’s8700:06:37,019 –> 00:06:38,519where he began as well.8800:06:38,519 –> 00:06:40,200In chapter 1 in verse 6.8900:06:40,200 –> 00:06:48,160He says, I’m astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one, that is Jesus,9000:06:48,160 –> 00:06:55,000who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel, which is9100:06:55,000 –> 00:06:57,239really no gospel at all.9200:06:57,239 –> 00:06:59,859That’s where he started, this is where he ends.9300:06:59,980 –> 00:07:03,660I mean you’ve experienced the power of Jesus Christ in your lives.9400:07:03,660 –> 00:07:06,980You have been trusted with bringing this gospel to the world.9500:07:06,980 –> 00:07:10,040Why would you be turning from this gospel?9600:07:10,040 –> 00:07:16,160Why are you turning away from the centrality of Jesus Christ, and why is it happening so9700:07:16,160 –> 00:07:19,100quickly?9800:07:19,100 –> 00:07:24,019I want us to see this morning, that throughout the history of the church, there have always9900:07:24,040 –> 00:07:30,140been – are today, and I guess always will be – three versions of Christianity.10000:07:30,140 –> 00:07:36,480One that centers on the individual – that is what you can do for yourself.10100:07:36,480 –> 00:07:41,700One that centers on the church – that is what we can do for each other.10200:07:41,700 –> 00:07:48,799One that centers on Jesus Christ – that is what God does for us in the gospel.10300:07:48,980 –> 00:07:57,920When Paul says, may I never boast, except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by10400:07:57,920 –> 00:08:04,619raising this issue of boasting at the end, he’s really asking the question, who gets10500:08:04,619 –> 00:08:05,619the glory?10600:08:05,619 –> 00:08:11,940That’s really the question at the end of Galatians in Chapter 6 – who gets the glory?10700:08:11,940 –> 00:08:17,420And if we ask that question of the three versions of Christianity that have existed over the10800:08:17,420 –> 00:08:21,000years, the answer is pretty obvious.10900:08:21,000 –> 00:08:24,399In the self-centered gospel, you do.11000:08:24,399 –> 00:08:25,399I do.11100:08:25,399 –> 00:08:28,000The individual does.11200:08:28,000 –> 00:08:33,719In the church-centered gospel, we do, the people of the church do, what a great church11300:08:33,719 –> 00:08:37,119we are.11400:08:37,119 –> 00:08:39,799In the Christ-centered gospel, he does.11500:08:39,799 –> 00:08:45,859So you ask the question, who gets the glory, it’s either going to be you, us or him.11600:08:45,859 –> 00:08:51,700It’s either going to be me, us, or him.11700:08:51,700 –> 00:08:56,500That’s really the central question at the end of this marvelous letter.11800:08:56,500 –> 00:09:00,659And I hope that seeing the three versions of Christianity clearly this morning will11900:09:00,659 –> 00:09:08,159help us to say with Paul from our hearts, may I never boast except in the cross of our12000:09:08,159 –> 00:09:09,440Lord Jesus Christ.12100:09:09,760 –> 00:09:12,559and may we never boast12200:09:12,559 –> 00:09:16,580except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.12300:09:17,320 –> 00:09:21,640You’re listening to Open the Bible with pastor Colin Smith and a message called The Gospel12400:09:21,640 –> 00:09:27,179Glorifies God is part of our series called Grasping the Gospel, and if you’ve missed12500:09:27,179 –> 00:09:31,020any of the series to date or if you want to go back and listen again, you can do that12600:09:31,020 –> 00:09:34,599by coming online to our website, openthebible.org.uk.12700:09:35,559 –> 00:09:39,840There you’ll find all of the messages that have already gone out on air, so you can keep12800:09:39,840 –> 00:09:45,320up in that way. You can also find us as a podcast, and those are on all the main podcast12900:09:45,320 –> 00:09:47,979sites. Search for openthebible.uk or follow the links13000:09:47,979 –> 00:09:54,359from our website at openthebible.org.uk.13100:09:54,359 –> 00:09:59,080Open the Bible is supported by our listeners, and if you already give to Open the Bible,13200:09:59,080 –> 00:10:04,000thank you so much for your support. If you’re considering starting to do that this month,13300:10:04,179 –> 00:10:08,960we have an offer for you, which I’ll be talking to Amanda Cunningham about later in the programme.13400:10:08,960 –> 00:10:13,840So I hope you’ll stay with us for that. Back to the message now. We’re in Galatians, and13500:10:13,840 –> 00:10:16,780chapters 5 and 6. Here’s Colin.13600:10:16,780 –> 00:10:23,700First then, the self-centred Gospel. Now the self-centred Gospel has a very simple message,13700:10:23,700 –> 00:10:27,960it’s about what you can do for yourself, and the message is that you can accomplish your13800:10:28,059 –> 00:10:35,080in salvation. Of course, it takes discipline, it takes accountability, it takes effort,13900:10:35,080 –> 00:10:41,840all self-help goes down this road. What you have to do is to change your patterns of behaviour,14000:10:41,840 –> 00:10:45,239and when you do this you can become all that God wants you to be, or all that you want14100:10:45,239 –> 00:10:51,179to be, whichever version it is. Now this always sounds very attractive, and if you ask the14200:10:51,179 –> 00:10:57,039question who gets the glory, the answer is obvious, you do. Now we’ve seen how Paul14300:10:57,479 –> 00:11:03,200answers this, especially in chapter 2, in verse 16. If you glance back there, we know,14400:11:03,200 –> 00:11:09,419says Paul, that a man is not justified by observing the law. In other words he’s not14500:11:09,419 –> 00:11:17,119justified by his own efforts, his own righteousness, his own initiative, or his own improvement.14600:11:17,119 –> 00:11:26,840When Paul wrote Galatians, the self-centered gospel revolved around what you can do.14700:11:26,840 –> 00:11:31,859It’s interesting as you trace the story to history that a new version of the self-centered14800:11:31,859 –> 00:11:37,559gospel evolved some years later, which was not so much about what you can do, but about14900:11:37,559 –> 00:11:44,640what you can discover. I think both forms are still with us today. The discovery version15000:11:44,640 –> 00:11:54,059went like this. The truth lies within you, and salvation therefore lies in discovering15100:11:54,059 –> 00:12:06,880yourself. And I went to the dentist this week. I picked up this week’s copy of U.S. News15200:12:07,760 –> 00:12:16,359By the way, this isn’t the dentist’s copy. I did go out and buy my own copy afterwards.15300:12:16,359 –> 00:12:24,640But you see the title there, In Search of the Real Jesus. And it’s subtitled, New15400:12:24,640 –> 00:12:30,119Research Questions Whether He Was More Teacher Than Savior.15500:12:30,119 –> 00:12:34,460It’s fascinating. The New Research, when you read the article, turns out to be a book15600:12:34,780 –> 00:12:40,700written in 1979. That’s when I was in college. But apparently it’s New Research. The title15700:12:40,700 –> 00:12:49,500of the book is The Gnostic Gospels. It was written by Elaine Kegels.15800:12:49,500 –> 00:12:59,280This idea of gnosticism is salvation by self-discovery. Salvation from within yourself. I smelled when15900:12:59,460 –> 00:13:02,919looked at this because I remember studying gnosticism at16000:13:02,919 –> 00:13:05,520college and thinking to myself how in all the16100:13:05,520 –> 00:13:07,580world is this relevant. I want to go and be a16200:13:07,580 –> 00:13:11,719pastor. And here it is 25 years later on the front16300:13:11,719 –> 00:13:17,400page of US News and World report. The article says16400:13:17,400 –> 00:13:21,559this and I quote from, among the promoters of this16500:13:21,559 –> 00:13:26,119Gnostic Christianity, salvation from within yourself.16600:13:26,119 –> 00:13:28,679None has been more influential than Elaine16700:13:28,679 –> 00:13:32,219Pagels, now a professor of religion at Princeton16800:13:32,219 –> 00:13:35,659University, but only a junior faculty member at16900:13:35,659 –> 00:13:38,280Barnard College when she published her hugely17000:13:38,280 –> 00:13:43,900popular 1979 book, The Gnostic Gospels. In fact,17100:13:43,900 –> 00:13:47,559it is fair to say that Pagels best seller set the17200:13:47,559 –> 00:13:53,700stage for the runaway success of The Da Vinci Code.17300:13:53,700 –> 00:13:56,700That’s why it’s back in vogue. The writer of17400:13:56,700 –> 00:14:00,340this article, then interviewed a priest from a17500:14:00,340 –> 00:14:03,679Gnostic congregation in Canada, would you17600:14:03,679 –> 00:14:06,559believe? And I think very perceptively said that17700:14:06,559 –> 00:14:09,700talking to this particular priest felt like17800:14:09,739 –> 00:14:14,159talking to a Buddhist. Well, of course, because17900:14:14,159 –> 00:14:17,859you see, if a priest teaches that salvation is by18000:14:17,859 –> 00:14:20,039self discovery, that is exactly what he will18100:14:20,440 –> 00:14:23,140accept from Asian to Japan, or whatever it18200:14:23,140 –> 00:14:24,780may sound like, because that is what Buddhism18300:14:24,780 –> 00:14:29,799teaches. The thing is that it finds its way18400:14:29,799 –> 00:14:32,919subtly into the Church without us realizing18500:14:32,919 –> 00:14:36,799it. So for a response they went to a18600:14:36,799 –> 00:14:40,219professor, NT Wright, a distinguished academic18700:14:40,219 –> 00:14:42,840and an Anglican bishop and very perceptively he18800:14:42,840 –> 00:14:47,979makes this remark. America, he says, has a18900:14:48,159 –> 00:14:53,099very specific bug because the default19000:14:53,099 –> 00:14:56,520position of American religion is19100:14:56,520 –> 00:15:01,020discovering who you really are as opposed19200:15:01,020 –> 00:15:05,479to being saved by grace, which reaches you19300:15:05,479 –> 00:15:09,340from somewhere else. Now I found that19400:15:09,340 –> 00:15:11,539statement to be absolutely huge in terms19500:15:11,539 –> 00:15:14,179of clarifying, freshly for me, the19600:15:14,179 –> 00:15:16,380challenge of believing the gospel in our19700:15:16,380 –> 00:15:18,739culture. The default position, what we19800:15:18,739 –> 00:15:21,119just instinctively always go back to in19900:15:21,119 –> 00:15:25,200our culture, is the idea that basically20000:15:25,200 –> 00:15:27,719we’re saving ourselves and that20100:15:27,719 –> 00:15:29,059religion is basically about me20200:15:29,059 –> 00:15:31,940discovering who I really am rather than20300:15:31,940 –> 00:15:34,659salvation by grace that reaches me from20400:15:34,659 –> 00:15:39,099somewhere or rather someone else. Now you20500:15:39,099 –> 00:15:40,799see these are obviously two entirely20600:15:40,799 –> 00:15:43,580different things. They are different20700:15:43,580 –> 00:15:46,119Gospels, or, to use Paul’s phrase, the20800:15:46,159 –> 00:15:48,200idea of being saved from within yourself20900:15:48,200 –> 00:15:50,419is really no Gospel at all, chapter 121000:15:50,419 –> 00:15:55,239in verse 7. See if salvation comes from21100:15:55,239 –> 00:15:59,760within you then Jesus Christ died for21200:15:59,760 –> 00:16:02,479nothing at all. That’s what he says in21300:16:02,479 –> 00:16:05,640chapter 2 and verse 21. Jesus died for no21400:16:05,640 –> 00:16:08,080reason! If we’re able to accomplish our21500:16:08,080 –> 00:16:12,320own salvation! If Christianity is really21600:16:12,320 –> 00:16:14,719about discovering who you actually are21700:16:14,719 –> 00:16:17,739then you don’t really need a Savior, you21800:16:17,739 –> 00:16:22,940don’t need Christmas. If the answer lies21900:16:22,940 –> 00:16:25,080within you, you need enlightenment, a22000:16:25,080 –> 00:16:28,559teacher, a guide, a mentor. You see some22100:16:28,559 –> 00:16:29,960people are much more comfortable with22200:16:29,960 –> 00:16:33,440positioning Jesus as a teacher than a22300:16:33,440 –> 00:16:36,840Savior. Because the real offense of the22400:16:36,840 –> 00:16:38,799cross and the gospel is that it tells us22500:16:38,799 –> 00:16:40,719that there’s something wrong within us22600:16:40,719 –> 00:16:43,440that we cannot fix ourselves and our22700:16:43,880 –> 00:16:46,520pride hates that. That’s the offense of22800:16:46,520 –> 00:16:49,000the gospel. That’s why the world is22900:16:49,000 –> 00:16:53,780always angered by it. Now I hope that it’s23000:16:53,780 –> 00:16:55,880clear that Paul rejected this23100:16:55,880 –> 00:16:58,099self-centered gospel, I mean this was run23200:16:58,099 –> 00:17:00,119right throughout Galatians. Far from23300:17:00,119 –> 00:17:02,119holiness lying within me he says my23400:17:02,119 –> 00:17:04,040flesh desires what is contrary to the23500:17:04,040 –> 00:17:05,839Spirit, and if it wasn’t for the death of23600:17:05,839 –> 00:17:08,119Jesus for me and the life of Jesus is in23700:17:08,119 –> 00:17:10,780me, I would still be sin’s slave because23800:17:10,780 –> 00:17:13,160that is what I want. And your great need23900:17:13,319 –> 00:17:14,719is not for enlightenment not for24000:17:14,719 –> 00:17:17,640self-discovery, but for salvation so24100:17:17,640 –> 00:17:20,239thank God that the angels could say to24200:17:20,239 –> 00:17:22,619the shepherds today in the town of David24300:17:22,619 –> 00:17:28,199a Savior is born to you!24400:17:28,199 –> 00:17:32,800Joseph call his name Jesus, because he24500:17:32,800 –> 00:17:40,839will save his people from their sins and24600:17:40,880 –> 00:17:44,260accomplished that this Lord Jesus Christ24700:17:44,260 –> 00:17:47,140who came into the world at Christmas by24800:17:47,140 –> 00:17:50,219going to across and coming under Paul24900:17:50,219 –> 00:17:55,560says in Galatians, a curse for us!25000:17:55,560 –> 00:17:58,520So that bearing the curse we may find forgiveness25100:17:58,520 –> 00:18:04,839from God and life from God. Paul says25200:18:04,839 –> 00:18:09,619in a world of other gospels that turn25300:18:09,619 –> 00:18:12,239out not to really be any gospel at all25400:18:12,239 –> 00:18:13,839because there’s really no good news if25500:18:13,839 –> 00:18:19,280it’s down to you. May I never boast25600:18:19,280 –> 00:18:26,839except in the cross of our Lord Jesus25700:18:26,839 –> 00:18:29,760Christ.25800:18:30,000 –> 00:18:33,280Now you see that first aberration of the25900:18:33,280 –> 00:18:34,859gospel it’s always been with us the26000:18:34,859 –> 00:18:36,500self centered gospel it will always be26100:18:36,500 –> 00:18:39,400there watch for it remember the26200:18:39,459 –> 00:18:41,719defaults position of American religion26300:18:41,719 –> 00:18:44,859and let us take our stand with the26400:18:44,859 –> 00:18:49,099Apostle Paul now there’s another version26500:18:49,099 –> 00:18:53,239that’s equally subtle and that’s the26600:18:53,239 –> 00:18:57,140church-centred gospel and here let’s26700:18:57,140 –> 00:18:58,839focus in a little more closely on the26800:18:58,839 –> 00:19:01,040passage that was read in Galatians in26900:19:01,040 –> 00:19:03,560chapter 6 because this is really the27000:19:03,560 –> 00:19:06,560central theme and I want you to notice27100:19:06,560 –> 00:19:08,540because there’s a really very striking27200:19:08,780 –> 00:19:13,979that every verse from verse 12 through27300:19:13,979 –> 00:19:18,180to verse 17 is about circumcision except27400:19:18,180 –> 00:19:21,660for verse 14 where Paul holds out the27500:19:21,660 –> 00:19:24,839cross in opposition to circumcision as27600:19:24,839 –> 00:19:27,819the center of the gospel and the27700:19:27,819 –> 00:19:30,420Christian life every verse and even27800:19:30,420 –> 00:19:32,540really verse 14 because it is holding27900:19:32,540 –> 00:19:36,739out the cross in opposition now remember28000:19:36,780 –> 00:19:39,939what happened in Galatia Paul had28100:19:39,939 –> 00:19:42,239preached the gospel and people had come28200:19:42,239 –> 00:19:47,099to faith in Jesus after he left some28300:19:47,099 –> 00:19:49,859very zealous missionaries arrived from28400:19:49,859 –> 00:19:54,020Jerusalem with their particular program28500:19:54,020 –> 00:19:56,660their message was something like this28600:19:56,660 –> 00:19:58,819you know it’s really great that your28700:19:58,819 –> 00:20:00,619sins have been forgiven by God’s grace28800:20:00,619 –> 00:20:02,459they said but what you really need to do28900:20:02,459 –> 00:20:04,140now is to learn to live the Christian29000:20:04,140 –> 00:20:06,699life we will show you how to do that29100:20:07,099 –> 00:20:09,900we will show you how to develop spiritual29200:20:09,900 –> 00:20:11,540disciplines how to grow spiritually29300:20:11,540 –> 00:20:14,280through festivals we will even teach29400:20:14,280 –> 00:20:17,380you diets for a healthy life in fact29500:20:17,380 –> 00:20:18,839we’re going to give you everything that29600:20:18,839 –> 00:20:20,619you need to live an authentic Christian29700:20:20,619 –> 00:20:23,000life today. All of this is really29800:20:23,000 –> 00:20:25,180biblical because you will find all of it29900:20:25,180 –> 00:20:26,939in the Old Testament and the way in30000:20:26,939 –> 00:20:28,579which it will be initiated into all that30100:20:28,579 –> 00:20:30,280we now offer you in this program is30200:20:30,280 –> 00:20:32,219circumcision that’s basically what they30300:20:32,219 –> 00:20:35,380said. Now, I put it like that you see30400:20:35,459 –> 00:20:38,520because I can see how some of the folks30500:20:38,520 –> 00:20:39,959in Galatia were drawn into their30600:20:39,959 –> 00:20:42,079message and sounds so bad when you put30700:20:42,079 –> 00:20:46,000it like that. But you see what has30800:20:46,000 –> 00:20:50,979happened the central focus has moved30900:20:50,979 –> 00:20:53,500with the arrival of these teachers from31000:20:53,500 –> 00:20:58,160Jerusalem it is no longer Christ for me31100:20:58,160 –> 00:20:59,880on the cross and Christ in me by the31200:20:59,880 –> 00:21:03,000spirit the focus is now on what these31300:21:03,219 –> 00:21:06,359people can do for me by giving me the31400:21:06,359 –> 00:21:10,000spiritual tools I need it’s no longer31500:21:10,000 –> 00:21:12,479Christ for me and Christ in me it’s31600:21:12,479 –> 00:21:14,780these people who have the answer and I31700:21:14,780 –> 00:21:20,300need what they now offer to me now you31800:21:20,300 –> 00:21:23,020can trace this subtle movement of the31900:21:23,020 –> 00:21:25,520church replacing the Savior throughout32000:21:25,520 –> 00:21:28,359history of the church as it where32100:21:28,359 –> 00:21:30,839nudging the Lord Jesus Christ out of32200:21:30,839 –> 00:21:34,040the center of the picture by drawing32300:21:34,040 –> 00:21:36,000the focus and the attention to what we32400:21:36,000 –> 00:21:40,520are able to do for people we have the32500:21:40,520 –> 00:21:44,359tools we’ll give them to you will show32600:21:44,359 –> 00:21:48,680you if you join us you’ve been listening32700:21:48,680 –> 00:21:50,400to open the bible with Pastor Colin32800:21:50,400 –> 00:21:51,900Smith and we’ve been looking at three32900:21:51,900 –> 00:21:53,959different versions of Christianity33000:21:53,959 –> 00:21:56,540during the 2000 year history of the33100:21:56,540 –> 00:21:58,319church we’ve looked at the33200:21:58,339 –> 00:22:00,699self-centered gospel and that the33300:22:00,699 –> 00:22:03,599church-centered gospel today. Next time33400:22:03,599 –> 00:22:05,640we’ll continue that and then we’ll be33500:22:05,640 –> 00:22:07,560thinking about the Christ-centered33600:22:07,560 –> 00:22:09,959gospel. The message today is called the33700:22:09,959 –> 00:22:11,959gospel glorifies God and it’s part of33800:22:11,959 –> 00:22:14,500the series grasping the gospel and if33900:22:14,500 –> 00:22:16,079you’ve missed any of the series to date34000:22:16,079 –> 00:22:17,400or if you want to go back and listen34100:22:17,400 –> 00:22:20,119again and we do encourage that do come34200:22:20,119 –> 00:22:22,780to our website open the Bible dot org34300:22:22,780 –> 00:22:25,079dot UK and they will find all the34400:22:25,079 –> 00:22:26,800messages which have all previously gone34500:22:26,800 –> 00:22:29,739out on air. At Open the Bible we welcome34600:22:29,739 –> 00:22:31,680contact with our listeners if you’ve34700:22:31,680 –> 00:22:33,599been blessed by Pastor Colin Smith34800:22:33,599 –> 00:22:35,839teaching and you’d like to reach out to34900:22:35,839 –> 00:22:38,520us you can write to us at Open the35000:22:38,520 –> 00:22:42,400Bible PO box one for to zero Cheltenham35100:22:42,400 –> 00:22:48,099GL 50 9 PG. That’s Open the Bible PO box35200:22:48,099 –> 00:22:53,839one four two zero Cheltenham GL 50 9 PG35300:22:53,839 –> 00:22:55,880our address and telephone number35400:22:55,880 –> 00:22:58,760and email address are available on our35500:22:58,760 –> 00:23:03,640website open the Bible org UK. Open the35600:23:03,640 –> 00:23:05,839Bible is brought to you as a result of35700:23:05,839 –> 00:23:08,359the generous giving of our listeners, so35800:23:08,359 –> 00:23:10,479if you already give to support this work35900:23:10,479 –> 00:23:12,880thank you so much if that’s something36000:23:12,880 –> 00:23:14,479that you haven’t done up until now, but36100:23:14,479 –> 00:23:16,839you’re considering doing it then we have36200:23:16,839 –> 00:23:18,599an offer for you this month if you’re36300:23:18,599 –> 00:23:21,079able to set up a new direct debit to the36400:23:21,079 –> 00:23:23,119work of Open the Bible in the amount of36500:23:23,119 –> 00:23:25,400five pounds per month or more, or a36600:23:25,760 –> 00:23:28,280one-off gift of 50 pounds or more we’d36700:23:28,280 –> 00:23:30,520love to say thank you by sending you a36800:23:30,520 –> 00:23:32,660copy of the classic book Pilgrims36900:23:32,660 –> 00:23:35,900Progress in modern English. It’s written37000:23:35,900 –> 00:23:38,119by John Bunyan many years ago and it’s37100:23:38,119 –> 00:23:40,400one of the most famous books written37200:23:40,400 –> 00:23:42,739about the Christian life. Open the37300:23:42,739 –> 00:23:44,760Bibles Amanda Cunningham is here with37400:23:44,760 –> 00:23:47,839more details. Yes, thanks so much David we37500:23:47,839 –> 00:23:49,719are really thrilled to be able to give37600:23:49,719 –> 00:23:52,199away a free Open the Bible UK pen,37700:23:52,400 –> 00:23:55,439bookmark and an updated copy of the37800:23:55,439 –> 00:23:57,959timeless classic the pilgrims progress37900:23:57,959 –> 00:24:00,699by John Bunyan. I’m sure that many of our38000:24:00,699 –> 00:24:02,640listeners are already familiar with this38100:24:02,640 –> 00:24:04,239book but it follows a story of38200:24:04,239 –> 00:24:07,400Christian who goes on a journey from the38300:24:07,400 –> 00:24:09,339city of destruction which is this world38400:24:09,339 –> 00:24:12,339to the celestial city heaven and on his38500:24:12,339 –> 00:24:14,719way he encounters various tests in38600:24:14,719 –> 00:24:16,760places such as the valley of humiliation38700:24:16,760 –> 00:24:19,239and the valley of the shadow of death as38800:24:19,239 –> 00:24:21,880well as various people some of whom38900:24:21,880 –> 00:24:24,760help him and some who hinder him, but I39000:24:24,760 –> 00:24:26,400really believe that this book will39100:24:26,400 –> 00:24:29,239inspire you and give you hope even if39200:24:29,239 –> 00:24:30,579you’re currently going through a39300:24:30,579 –> 00:24:33,040difficult time, we need to remember39400:24:33,040 –> 00:24:35,359that amazingly John Bunyan did not39500:24:35,359 –> 00:24:37,859write this book from an ivory tower but39600:24:37,859 –> 00:24:40,900from a grim English prison, he knew what39700:24:40,900 –> 00:24:43,619suffering was, so we would really love to39800:24:43,619 –> 00:24:45,880send you these free gifts both to39900:24:45,880 –> 00:24:47,939encourage you and to thank you for your40000:24:47,939 –> 00:24:50,760donation. Pilgrim’s progress is our gift40100:24:50,780 –> 00:24:52,739to you if you’re able to set up a new40200:24:52,739 –> 00:24:55,099direct debit to the work of Open the40300:24:55,099 –> 00:24:56,939Bible in the amount of £5 per40400:24:56,939 –> 00:24:59,880month or a one-off gift of £50 this40500:24:59,880 –> 00:25:02,459month. Pull details terms and conditions40600:25:02,459 –> 00:25:07,560on our website OpenTheBible.org.uk40700:25:07,560 –> 00:25:09,400For Open the Bible and pastor Colin Smith40800:25:09,400 –> 00:25:11,319i’m David Pick and I hope you’ll be able40900:25:11,319 –> 00:25:18,479to join us again next time41000:25:18,520 –> 00:25:21,520How can you avoid getting caught up in41100:25:21,520 –> 00:25:24,560the wrong issue, program or structure in41200:25:24,560 –> 00:25:27,400the life of the church? Find out next41300:25:27,400 –> 00:25:30,760time on Open the Bible