100:00:00,100 –> 00:00:03,300Development200:00:03,600 –> 00:00:09,180The problem is addressed by the gospel is bigger than our finding peace, or building300:00:09,180 –> 00:00:15,100confidence, or overcoming fear or finding fulfillment. If the problems were just internal400:00:15,100 –> 00:00:21,120to us, then we might find an answer from a scientist or a psychologist or a chemist,500:00:21,120 –> 00:00:26,840or maybe even a theologian or perhaps best, a friend or a spouse.600:00:27,580 –> 00:00:31,799Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I’m David Pick. I’m glad you could700:00:31,799 –> 00:00:36,560be with us today. And, Colin there certainly are problems in the world. But ultimately800:00:36,560 –> 00:00:40,160there’s one big problem, which goes beyond people.900:00:40,160 –> 00:00:45,619Yeah And the big problem is that we’re on the wrong side of God and it’s very easy1000:00:45,619 –> 00:00:49,639to miss that. You know, life is difficult. And so I’m struggling with one thing in1100:00:49,639 –> 00:00:53,840another. The family and just trying to make ends meet and all the rest of it. It’s easy1200:00:54,360 –> 00:00:59,799issues and that that’s all that I need help with and actually to miss the big eternal1300:00:59,799 –> 00:01:05,080issue. Where do I stand in relation to God? What is that going to mean in regards to all1400:01:05,080 –> 00:01:10,339eternity? And the Bible speaks to us about this. What it means to be on the wrong side1500:01:10,339 –> 00:01:13,040of God is disastrous.1600:01:13,040 –> 00:01:19,599And for many people that’s a foreign concept. Doesn’t God love me? Doesn’t He love everyone?1700:01:19,599 –> 00:01:25,800God loves us in that he sent His Son in order that we should not perish. That’s what John1800:01:25,800 –> 00:01:32,3603, sixteen says. That makes clear that there is a problem that perishing is on the horizon1900:01:32,360 –> 00:01:37,820and in order not to perish, I have to believe on the Son of God which means I have to come2000:01:37,820 –> 00:01:40,459into a living relationship with Him.2100:01:40,459 –> 00:01:45,660So what the Bible’s doing is it’s taking us beyond the level of just what we immediately2200:01:45,760 –> 00:01:51,900see and feel, and God is telling us the reality that we really need to confront and how wonderful2300:01:51,900 –> 00:01:56,500that He speaks into that reality of our problem with the greatest good news a person could2400:01:56,500 –> 00:01:57,440ever hear.2500:01:57,440 –> 00:02:03,000That great good news is the Gospel itself and we began to think about that last time.2600:02:03,000 –> 00:02:07,860Ultimately it’s not you and I who get to define what the Gospel is.2700:02:07,860 –> 00:02:14,660No. And thank God for that because if we made it up then our ideas would die with us. God2800:02:14,720 –> 00:02:17,580has revealed to us what the Gospel is.2900:02:17,580 –> 00:02:22,660And it’s not even just about us individuals. It’s about His redemptive work for the whole3000:02:22,660 –> 00:02:23,240world.3100:02:23,240 –> 00:02:28,220He’s going to bring about a new creation, a new Heaven and a new Earth.3200:02:28,220 –> 00:02:32,460And the way to be part of that is we’ve got to become new creations in Jesus Christ3300:02:32,460 –> 00:02:32,720ourselves.3400:02:32,720 –> 00:02:37,139We find that in Galatians chapter one, so join us if you can in your Bible.3500:02:37,139 –> 00:02:40,199As we continue the message the Gospel is from God.3600:02:40,440 –> 00:02:41,199Here’s Colin.3700:02:41,199 –> 00:02:43,479Where did the Gospel come from?3800:02:43,479 –> 00:02:48,619Number one, the Gospel did not come from Paul.3900:02:48,619 –> 00:02:55,380That’s a statement worth writing down because the debates around this these days really4000:02:55,380 –> 00:02:57,619go quite deep.4100:02:57,619 –> 00:03:01,240The Gospel did not come from Paul, and I’m looking here at verse eleven,4200:03:01,240 –> 00:03:07,199I want you to know brothers, you sense the earnestness and the weight in his heart here.4300:03:07,199 –> 00:03:14,800I want you to know brothers that the Gospel I preached is not something that man made4400:03:14,800 –> 00:03:18,220up.4500:03:18,220 –> 00:03:28,580Now this is crucial, because if Paul invented the Gospel or if his teaching is a kind of4600:03:28,580 –> 00:03:36,419personalised version or slant on the Gospel, then number one, we can have no confidence4700:03:36,419 –> 00:03:37,639about its truth.4800:03:37,639 –> 00:03:40,179Number two, we have no obligation to submit to it.4900:03:40,179 –> 00:03:45,000Number three, we have every liberty to disagree with it.5000:03:45,000 –> 00:03:52,139If he made it up, the Gospel did not come from Paul.5100:03:52,139 –> 00:03:59,919Second, the Gospel did not come from the church.5200:03:59,919 –> 00:04:02,520Look at verse 12.5300:04:03,360 –> 00:04:06,899He has said, I want you to know, brothers, that the Gospel I preached is not something5400:04:06,899 –> 00:04:09,160that man made up.5500:04:09,160 –> 00:04:18,559I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it.’5600:04:18,559 –> 00:04:20,779I didn’t receive it.5700:04:20,779 –> 00:04:22,660I wasn’t taught it.5800:04:22,660 –> 00:04:28,739Now of course, this whole subject became strangely topical for us earlier this year in this whole5900:04:28,739 –> 00:04:32,279business of the Da Vinci Code, remember that?6000:04:32,279 –> 00:04:35,000And what was the point of this book, the Da Vinci Code.6100:04:35,000 –> 00:04:39,600The assumption of the book, the Da Vinci Code, was that the Gospel is the tradition6200:04:39,600 –> 00:04:46,760of the Church, that it has been distorted and that it has been manipulated in the interests6300:04:46,760 –> 00:04:50,320of those who hold power.6400:04:50,320 –> 00:04:55,980And again, you hear this sort of thing quite often, I hear it often in opportunities that6500:04:56,040 –> 00:05:00,220I have to try and speak with other folks about the Gospel, here’s one of the lines I often6600:05:00,239 –> 00:05:04,799hear, well, of course you can’t trust the Bible, because the Bible was written by the6700:05:04,799 –> 00:05:05,799Church.6800:05:05,799 –> 00:05:06,799You heard that one?6900:05:06,799 –> 00:05:09,100The Church wrote the Bible.7000:05:09,100 –> 00:05:14,179Of course, that’s a great way of avoiding its authority, because if the Church wrote7100:05:14,179 –> 00:05:18,679the Bible, there’s no reason in the world why anyone today should submit to it, let7200:05:18,679 –> 00:05:20,579alone believe it.7300:05:21,420 –> 00:05:27,600No, if the Church wrote the Bible, then the task of each generation in the Church would7400:05:27,600 –> 00:05:33,720be to adapt that teaching from previous generations, to honour the inheritance, but then to find7500:05:33,720 –> 00:05:38,540a way in which it fits most appropriately into the needs of our own day.7600:05:40,600 –> 00:05:44,179Now Paul makes it quite clear, I want you to know brothers, that the Gospel I have received7700:05:44,179 –> 00:05:49,220is not something that man made up, I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught7800:05:49,220 –> 00:05:50,000it.7900:05:51,040 –> 00:05:53,239It did not come to me from the Church.8000:05:54,019 –> 00:06:00,600It isn’t a matter of a tradition that was passed on to me, it is therefore not something8100:06:00,600 –> 00:06:02,260to be adapted or changed.8200:06:03,040 –> 00:06:07,720I find it helpful to keep this little couplet in my mind, and you might find this useful8300:06:07,739 –> 00:06:12,279as well, that it is not the Church that creates the Gospel, it is the Gospel that creates8400:06:12,279 –> 00:06:13,279the Church.8500:06:14,019 –> 00:06:16,220Now that’s worth remembering, just putting it simply.8600:06:16,220 –> 00:06:18,459Remember that’s true in Acts 2.8700:06:18,519 –> 00:06:20,459How did the Church come into being?8800:06:20,459 –> 00:06:21,459Through the Gospel.8900:06:21,459 –> 00:06:25,600Peter gets up and he declares the Gospel, three thousand people are saved and the first9000:06:25,600 –> 00:06:26,700Church is formed.9100:06:26,700 –> 00:06:30,339The Church has its genesis from the Gospel, not the other way around.9200:06:30,339 –> 00:06:32,019Very important to understand that.9300:06:32,019 –> 00:06:33,260How should a church be planted?9400:06:33,260 –> 00:06:34,540Around the Gospel.9500:06:36,040 –> 00:06:39,899It is the Gospel that creates the Church, not the Church that creates the Gospel.9600:06:41,660 –> 00:06:43,820I want you to know this, Paul says,9700:06:44,739 –> 00:06:50,000I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it.’9800:06:50,000 –> 00:06:55,739Now I actually find this helpful to use in conversation with folks who are not persuaded9900:06:55,739 –> 00:06:58,579about Christianity.10000:06:58,579 –> 00:07:04,540And you might find this helpful too to say, you know, if I thought that this was just10100:07:04,540 –> 00:07:13,179Paul’s view, I wouldn’t feel bound to believe it for one minute.10200:07:13,179 –> 00:07:18,279And if I thought that this was just the tradition of the church and that it had been manipulated10300:07:18,279 –> 00:07:23,320down through the centuries, I wouldn’t find any reason to submit myself to it at all.10400:07:23,320 –> 00:07:28,260I’m much too independent a thinker for that.10500:07:28,260 –> 00:07:32,940And the reason why I felt compelled to take this seriously is that the claim of the gospel10600:07:32,940 –> 00:07:38,839is that it does not come simply from the genesis of some human author or from some institutional10700:07:39,760 –> 00:07:45,839tradition, but that it comes from the highest authority, Jesus Christ.10800:07:45,839 –> 00:07:50,320And that is why it is worthy of your serious consideration.10900:07:50,320 –> 00:07:59,399Because if it were actually true that it came from Him, that’s a whole different thing.11000:07:59,399 –> 00:08:02,279Notice that Paul states this absolutely clearly.11100:08:02,279 –> 00:08:03,880Verse twelve…11200:08:03,880 –> 00:08:08,040Want you to know, brothers, the gospel I received is not something that man made up.11300:08:08,079 –> 00:08:14,140I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, rather I received it by revelation11400:08:14,140 –> 00:08:16,959from Jesus Christ.11500:08:16,959 –> 00:08:23,440In other words, the gospel came from the highest authority.11600:08:23,440 –> 00:08:33,059Paul’s gospel came to him, he says, directly by revelation from Jesus Christ.11700:08:33,059 –> 00:08:38,820The apostles made no mistakes in what they were given to say by Christ.11800:08:38,820 –> 00:08:47,500They made no error in the revelation they received and recorded for us in the scripture.11900:08:47,500 –> 00:08:53,179Now, it’s important to be clear here, by the way, we do not claim that the apostles12000:08:53,179 –> 00:08:58,059never made any mistakes or that in some way they were perfect or that they were above12100:08:58,059 –> 00:08:59,460any sin or any struggle.12200:08:59,460 –> 00:09:01,039We do not make that claim.12300:09:01,039 –> 00:09:02,799The apostles would not have claimed that themselves.12400:09:02,799 –> 00:09:07,280In fact, we’ll see next week in Galatians chapter two, there was a very important point12500:09:07,280 –> 00:09:12,679in the New Testament story where Paul opposed Peter face-to-face because he said Peter was12600:09:12,679 –> 00:09:13,679to blame.12700:09:13,679 –> 00:09:19,599There was an issue in which Peter acted inconsistently with his own message, and Paul called him12800:09:19,599 –> 00:09:20,760on it.12900:09:20,760 –> 00:09:27,979Paul himself speaks so clearly about his own inner struggles in the book of Romans in chapter13000:09:27,979 –> 00:09:30,760seven.13100:09:30,840 –> 00:09:34,219We do not claim some kind of perfection for the apostles.13200:09:34,239 –> 00:09:39,679What we do claim is that their message was not their own, but that they received it by13300:09:39,679 –> 00:09:46,000revelation from Jesus Christ, and that in that revelation that was given by Jesus Christ13400:09:46,000 –> 00:09:54,099and recorded by them, they made no mistakes because it came from him.13500:09:54,099 –> 00:09:59,380I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.13600:09:59,440 –> 00:10:06,320So we can confidently affirm on this basis that the message of Paul is the message of13700:10:06,320 –> 00:10:13,159Jesus, for I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.13800:10:13,159 –> 00:10:16,260That is what he is saying.13900:10:16,260 –> 00:10:21,820Many disagree with that today, but that is what he is saying, and it is there that we14000:10:21,820 –> 00:10:22,840take our stand.14100:10:22,840 –> 00:10:29,099Now, I want us to see how important this is.14200:10:29,140 –> 00:10:40,140See if our problem was simply internal to us, then human traditions or even a message14300:10:40,140 –> 00:10:44,880that was humanly created might be of some value.14400:10:44,880 –> 00:10:50,460But the problem that is addressed by the gospel is bigger than our finding peace, or building14500:10:50,460 –> 00:10:55,500confidence, or overcoming fear, or finding fulfillment.14600:10:55,500 –> 00:11:00,260If the problems were just internal to us, then we might find an answer from a scientist,14700:11:00,260 –> 00:11:06,679or a psychologist, or a chemist, or maybe even a theologian, or perhaps best, a friend14800:11:06,679 –> 00:11:09,940or a spouse.14900:11:09,940 –> 00:11:19,380But the problem addressed by the gospel is that the planet is under the wrath of God.15000:11:19,380 –> 00:11:23,419That’s why a message that was invented by some man called Paul would be of no use, or15100:11:23,419 –> 00:11:28,219a tradition that was created by the institution of the Church would be of no value, because15200:11:28,219 –> 00:11:32,140it would still leave us with the problem that is beyond ourselves, that the planet is under15300:11:32,140 –> 00:11:34,460the judgment of God.15400:11:34,460 –> 00:11:40,760Of course, that is the point of Paul’s extraordinary language, which I’m sure you noticed in verses15500:11:40,760 –> 00:11:46,179eight and nine, where he says even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel15600:11:46,179 –> 00:11:50,380other than the one we preach to you, let him be eternally condemned, and then he repeats15700:11:50,380 –> 00:11:51,380it.15800:11:51,979 –> 00:11:55,200himself, even if I was preaching something else, if there was some other message that15900:11:55,200 –> 00:12:03,640I made up, I’d be under the curse, because there’s no other way out from under the curse16000:12:03,640 –> 00:12:06,159of God except that which comes from God.16100:12:06,159 –> 00:12:13,919If our problem is with God, then the only solution is a message that clearly comes from16200:12:13,919 –> 00:12:17,500God, and that is why the gospel is good news.16300:12:17,500 –> 00:12:19,780It is from Jesus Christ.16400:12:19,820 –> 00:12:24,239It comes from the highest authority and therefore we can stake our life and our eternity on16500:12:24,239 –> 00:12:25,239it.16600:12:25,239 –> 00:12:30,460You’re listening to Open The Bible with Pastor Colin Smith, and a message called The Gospel16700:12:30,460 –> 00:12:31,840is from God.16800:12:31,840 –> 00:12:36,760It’s part of our series Grasping the Gospel and if you’ve missed any of the series catch16900:12:36,760 –> 00:12:44,159up or go back and listen again online at our website openthebible.org.uk, or find us as17000:12:44,159 –> 00:12:48,599a podcast, and those are available on all the main podcast sites, search for Open The17100:12:48,659 –> 00:12:52,700Bible UK and subscribe to receive regular updates.17200:12:52,700 –> 00:12:55,320Back to our message now, we’re in Galatians17300:12:55,320 –> 00:12:58,099and Chapter One, here’s Colin.17400:12:58,099 –> 00:13:08,200October 1963, some of you remember, the world was on the brink of nuclear war, the Soviet17500:13:08,200 –> 00:13:14,059Union had introduced nuclear missiles into Cuba, President Kennedy had responded with17600:13:14,179 –> 00:13:21,320a shipping blockade and for 13 days the world held its breath in a crisis unparalleled before17700:13:21,320 –> 00:13:23,179or since.17800:13:23,179 –> 00:13:33,059At the height of the crisis, there were several meetings between a man called Alexander Fomin17900:13:33,059 –> 00:13:38,979who was the top Russian intelligence officer in Washington and a man called John Scalley18000:13:39,119 –> 00:13:42,859who was a diplomatic reporter for ABC News.18100:13:44,059 –> 00:13:51,059And Fomin proposed to Scalley on behalf of the Russian government that the Russians would18200:13:51,059 –> 00:13:55,940remove missiles from Cuba in return for an American pledge not to invade.18300:13:55,940 –> 00:14:00,140And Scaley, of course, was entrusted with communicating this to the White House, and18400:14:00,140 –> 00:14:05,840was immediately ushered in to a direct hearing with president Kennedy.18500:14:06,380 –> 00:14:11,840And Pierre Salinger, in his fascinating book, records this story.18600:14:12,739 –> 00:14:17,460Fomin’s proposal to Scalley, he says, was an acceptable basis for settlement of the18700:14:17,460 –> 00:14:23,460crisis, and Scalley was instructed by the president to convey that message to the Russian,18800:14:23,460 –> 00:14:26,440but without attributing it to JFK.18900:14:27,179 –> 00:14:32,460Then Salinger quotes Scalley’s memo coming back to the president.19000:14:32,460 –> 00:14:34,000Imagine the drama of this.19100:14:34,700 –> 00:14:43,719At 7.35 p.m. October 26th, I met Fomin in the Statler Hotel lobby as per his suggestion19200:14:43,719 –> 00:14:47,400and we went to the coffee shop in the hotel to talk.19300:14:47,400 –> 00:14:52,260Can you imagine the fate of the world in one sense hanging around this conversation19400:14:52,260 –> 00:14:53,820in a coffee shop?19500:14:55,059 –> 00:14:59,960I told him I had reason to believe that the United States government sees real possibilities19600:15:00,039 –> 00:15:01,039in this.19700:15:01,099 –> 00:15:02,679That is, the proposal.19800:15:02,679 –> 00:15:10,960He listened very attentively and then asked whether my information came from high sources.19900:15:10,960 –> 00:15:17,400I told him the information came from the highest sources in the United States government.20000:15:19,239 –> 00:15:25,479He asked a second time if I were absolutely sure it came from the highest sources.20100:15:25,479 –> 00:15:27,520I reiterated this a second time.20200:15:28,280 –> 00:15:35,159He said that if the information did not come from the highest sources, you get his point,20300:15:35,159 –> 00:15:39,719and he reported it he would be made to look like a fool at a very critical time, probably20400:15:39,719 –> 00:15:40,719worse.20500:15:40,719 –> 00:15:47,599I replied that I would be the most irresponsible man in the world if I lied about something20600:15:47,599 –> 00:15:52,880as important at this very critical time.20700:15:53,840 –> 00:16:02,479Now, the Gospel is about peace with God, power for life, and the eternal destiny of all men20800:16:02,479 –> 00:16:05,960and all women.20900:16:05,960 –> 00:16:13,119It has to come from the highest authority or we have no business airing our own opinions21000:16:13,119 –> 00:16:16,859on such critical issues as these, right?21100:16:17,619 –> 00:16:21,119That’s what the apostle is saying.21200:16:21,119 –> 00:16:25,299Now look, you can hang your life on this because it doesn’t come from me.21300:16:25,299 –> 00:16:27,099It’s not a tradition of the church.21400:16:27,099 –> 00:16:28,979It came by revelation from Jesus Christ.21500:16:28,979 –> 00:16:30,979You can stake your life upon it.21600:16:30,979 –> 00:16:36,260Now, here’s the application very quickly.21700:16:36,260 –> 00:16:42,840Number one, our responsibility to take the Gospel to the world.21800:16:42,840 –> 00:16:55,760See, if the Gospel was simply our tradition, we have no right to spread it around the world.21900:16:55,760 –> 00:16:59,340And you know, that is what many sociologists, anthropologists have been arguing as a case22000:16:59,340 –> 00:17:01,619against world mission for a long time.22100:17:02,219 –> 00:17:09,339Now look, other cultures have their own constructs, and their own religions, and their own sacredness,22200:17:09,339 –> 00:17:13,060and what right do we Westerners have to invade and so forth and so on?22300:17:13,060 –> 00:17:17,180And I think that we have to say that if the Gospel were simply a Western tradition or22400:17:17,180 –> 00:17:21,880a human invention, we would have no right to take it to the whole world.22500:17:21,880 –> 00:17:26,339We would be obliged to respect the integrity of other cultures with their own traditions22600:17:26,339 –> 00:17:30,359and leave them alone, and it would be arrogance to do anything else.22700:17:30,780 –> 00:17:34,979If the Gospel is simply our tradition, we have no right to spread it to the rest of22800:17:34,979 –> 00:17:43,380the world, but if it is God’s revelation, we have no right to keep it to ourselves.22900:17:43,380 –> 00:17:48,079So the very basis of world mission rests here.23000:17:48,939 –> 00:17:50,739I did not make it up.23100:17:50,739 –> 00:17:53,520It is not a tradition of the church.23200:17:53,520 –> 00:17:57,819It is by direct revelation of Jesus Christ.23300:17:57,939 –> 00:17:59,520Covenant with the Lord of God.23400:18:01,239 –> 00:18:05,900And the second application is very obviously this, our responsibility to guard the Gospel23500:18:05,900 –> 00:18:07,180in the church.23600:18:07,180 –> 00:18:12,540Notice, by the way, that Paul doesn’t write an epistle to the false teachers.23700:18:12,540 –> 00:18:15,939I think that would have been a waste of time.23800:18:15,939 –> 00:18:22,939He does not write an epistle to the false teachers, he writes an epistle to folks in23900:18:22,939 –> 00:18:23,939the pew.24000:18:23,939 –> 00:18:31,239And I use that phrase to ordinary Christians, to the church community at large, and he assumes24100:18:31,239 –> 00:18:37,540that we will have the ability to discern truth from error and that we, the church, will exercise24200:18:37,540 –> 00:18:39,099that responsibility.24300:18:39,099 –> 00:18:45,500And you know, professors of theology have a huge responsibility.24400:18:45,500 –> 00:18:51,719And pastors and elders have a huge responsibility.24500:18:51,719 –> 00:18:56,739But Paul’s primary concern here with the guarding of the gospel is in his appeal to24600:18:56,739 –> 00:19:03,420ordinary Christians because the best defense against error is a congregation that is grounded24700:19:03,420 –> 00:19:05,160in the truth.24800:19:05,160 –> 00:19:11,219So I wonder if we’re taking that responsibility seriously to guard the gospel in the church24900:19:11,219 –> 00:19:15,060and to take the gospel to the world.25000:19:15,140 –> 00:19:20,619They both follow directly from our convictions about what the gospel is.25100:19:20,619 –> 00:19:27,900And here, finally, is the personal application for us.25200:19:27,900 –> 00:19:31,979Maybe that someone in the congregation this morning, you’re somewhat at a distance from25300:19:31,979 –> 00:19:32,979these things.25400:19:32,979 –> 00:19:37,800You haven’t found a place to land on them yet.25500:19:37,800 –> 00:19:40,619The application of this to you is clear.25600:19:40,619 –> 00:19:43,979You cannot bring yourself into a relationship with God.25700:19:43,979 –> 00:19:48,500There’s nothing that you can come up with, that you can invent.25800:19:48,500 –> 00:19:52,839No experience or discipline or generosity or integrating or compassion or good works25900:19:52,839 –> 00:19:58,099of yours that come from you are going to resolve the problem with God.26000:19:58,099 –> 00:20:00,020It’s futile.26100:20:00,020 –> 00:20:05,380You can’t bring yourself into a relationship with God and the church can’t bring you into26200:20:05,380 –> 00:20:07,140a relationship with God.26300:20:07,140 –> 00:20:11,479Church can teach you the bible, church can offer you friendship, support, encouragement26400:20:11,520 –> 00:20:14,939and love, but the church cannot bring you into a living relationship with God.26500:20:14,939 –> 00:20:22,199I have a friend who was reminding me recently of his story, an older man now, and he said26600:20:22,199 –> 00:20:24,560I was brought up in church.26700:20:24,560 –> 00:20:31,739I was on committees, I tithed, I read the bible, but I was in my mid 40’s before I26800:20:31,760 –> 00:20:36,739realised I did not know God.26900:20:36,739 –> 00:20:41,319It was a crisis in his marriage that brought him to that conclusion.27000:20:41,319 –> 00:20:51,540Churchman all his life, generous kind good, committed, the church cannot bring you into27100:20:51,540 –> 00:20:55,939a relationship with the living God, Jesus Christ is able to bring you into a living27200:20:55,939 –> 00:21:01,400relationship with God, and it is for this reason that he came into the world.27300:21:01,400 –> 00:21:07,699He gave his life for you, and he can live his life in you.27400:21:07,699 –> 00:21:13,300And so if you come to the place today where you’re saying, I see it now, nothing that27500:21:13,300 –> 00:21:20,939I have done has brought me into a relationship with God, and nothing the church can do will27600:21:20,939 –> 00:21:26,300bring me into a relationship with God.27700:21:26,439 –> 00:21:33,739Maybe you’ll come to the place today of saying, but I believe that Jesus Christ could bring27800:21:33,739 –> 00:21:35,280me into a relationship with God.27900:21:35,280 –> 00:21:40,339Now you are on the very threshold of the way of salvation.28000:21:40,339 –> 00:21:46,660A reminder there that we can’t bring ourselves into a living relationship with God and the28100:21:46,660 –> 00:21:48,719church can’t do that either.28200:21:48,719 –> 00:21:53,619It’s only Jesus Christ who can bring us into that living relationship with God.28300:21:53,640 –> 00:21:59,000And if you’ve already come into that relationship I’m sure today’s message is an encouragement.28400:21:59,000 –> 00:22:03,599But maybe as you listen you realize that its a lack in your life and that you don’t have28500:22:03,599 –> 00:22:07,739that kind of relationship with God, but you’d like to.28600:22:07,739 –> 00:22:13,060If that’s true of you then I hope you’ll take the time to go and find a Christian friend28700:22:13,060 –> 00:22:18,680or family member and talk to them about beginning a relationship with God through Jesus Christ28800:22:18,680 –> 00:22:21,699or go along to a local Christian fellowship.28900:22:21,699 –> 00:22:25,640Talk to the pastor there, talk to members of that fellowship and I’m sure they’ll be29000:22:25,640 –> 00:22:31,160very ready to answer your questions and to talk to you about their experience of having29100:22:31,160 –> 00:22:34,319a relationship with God through Jesus.29200:22:34,319 –> 00:22:40,119My message today was The Gospel is from God and it’s part of our series Grasping the Gospel.29300:22:40,119 –> 00:22:44,119If you ever miss one of the series or want to go back and listen again, you can do that29400:22:44,119 –> 00:22:49,339by coming online to our website openthebible.org.uk29500:22:49,339 –> 00:22:52,260Also on our website is Open the Bible daily.29600:22:52,260 –> 00:22:56,739That’s a series of short two- to three-minute daily reflections29700:22:56,739 –> 00:23:01,199based on Pastor Colin’s teaching and read in the UK by Sue McLeish.29800:23:01,199 –> 00:23:07,640There’s a new one every day and you can find it on our website openthebible.org.uk29900:23:07,640 –> 00:23:11,780Open the Bible is supported by our listeners financially.30000:23:11,780 –> 00:23:15,819We do depend on people like you to keep Pastor Colin Smith’s messages30100:23:15,819 –> 00:23:17,680on the radio and online.30200:23:17,680 –> 00:23:22,000So if you already support us in that way, thank you very much.30300:23:22,000 –> 00:23:25,300If that’s something you’re considering starting to do this month,30400:23:25,300 –> 00:23:29,680if you’re able to set up a new direct debit of £5 per month or more30500:23:29,680 –> 00:23:32,719or a one-off gift of £50 or more,30600:23:32,719 –> 00:23:36,680we’d love to say thank you by sending you Pilgrims PROGRESS,30700:23:36,680 –> 00:23:40,280John Bunyan’s classic allegory about the Christian life30800:23:40,280 –> 00:23:43,800which so many have enjoyed and benefited greatly from reading.30900:23:44,839 –> 00:23:49,239Along with the book we’ll send you a specially printed Open the Bible bookmark31000:23:49,239 –> 00:23:51,560and an Open the Bible pen.31100:23:51,560 –> 00:23:54,160Colin, I’ve heard that this is one of your favourite books.31200:23:54,160 –> 00:23:55,839It absolutely is.31300:23:55,839 –> 00:23:59,640In fact if I was stranded on a desert island31400:23:59,640 –> 00:24:04,040and I was only allowed to take one book apart from the Bible of course,31500:24:04,040 –> 00:24:10,260then my choice would definitely be John Bunyan’s Pilgrims PROGRESS.31600:24:10,260 –> 00:24:13,459Here’s why. If you’ve got one book besides the Bible31700:24:13,459 –> 00:24:16,359you would want to have something that was enjoyable,31800:24:16,359 –> 00:24:20,180compelling, you’d want to have something that you would keep coming back to31900:24:20,180 –> 00:24:23,540and you’d want to have something that did you lasting good.32000:24:23,540 –> 00:24:30,099And John Bunyan’s Pilgrims PROGRESS has fulfilled all of these things in my life.32100:24:30,099 –> 00:24:32,459It really is a treasured book32200:24:32,459 –> 00:24:36,839and I’m absolutely delighted that we are able to offer this month32300:24:37,079 –> 00:24:42,199John Bunyan’s Pilgrims PROGRESS, it is a book that you will treasure32400:24:42,199 –> 00:24:45,400and every Christian home ought to have a copy.32500:24:45,400 –> 00:24:48,439So we’d love to send you a copy of Pilgrims PROGRESS32600:24:48,439 –> 00:24:51,560to say thank you for setting up a new direct debit32700:24:51,560 –> 00:24:54,339in the amount of £5 per month or more32800:24:54,339 –> 00:24:57,239or a one-off gift of £50 or more32900:24:57,239 –> 00:25:00,819this month in support of Open the Bible.33000:25:00,819 –> 00:25:03,099Full terms and conditions are on our website33100:25:03,180 –> 00:25:06,520that’s at openthebible.org.uk33200:25:06,520 –> 00:25:09,540For Open the Bible and for Pastor Colin Smith33300:25:09,619 –> 00:25:13,359I’m David Pick and I hope you’ll be able to join us again very soon.33400:25:18,459 –> 00:25:22,099Every church has its own heritage and that’s important.33500:25:22,099 –> 00:25:26,959Discover how this heritage though became more important than the Gospel in one church.33600:25:26,959 –> 00:25:29,180That’s next time on Open the Bible