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Do you have peace with God today? Are you running from God? Do you feel afraid
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of God? Do you feel like hiding from God as Adam and Eve did? Are you reluctant to
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pray? What is it that’s got you running from God. Welcome to Open the Bible
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with Pastor Colin Smith. I’m David Pick and Colin I think many people don’t
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think peace with God is is actually possible. Many can’t even find peace with
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themselves. Yeah everyone wants peace, we all want to get there. We don’t want to
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be in a situation of conflict. But here’s my question. If you were able to resolve
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every conflict in your life, all of the relational conflict that’s there, and you
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did not have peace with God, where would that leave you? See, if you sort out
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everything else that’s going wrong in your life, even if that were possible and
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you were not at peace with God, what that means is that the biggest, longest
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lasting, eternal conflict, the greatest issue, is not settled in your life. And as
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long as that is the case you cannot ultimately have peace. And that’s why
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peace with God actually is the beginning of experiencing peace in relation to the
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other difficulties of life. It’s not the last thing we come to. It has to be the
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first thing, it’s the root from which peace of heart eventually grows. Well
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let’s look at what the Bible has to say about this from 1 Thessalonians chapter
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3 and verses 16 to 18. As we begin the message the peace and presence of God.
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Here’s Colin. Now this is the last message in our series from 2
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Thessalonians. And many of you have said to me over these last weeks that you
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have spoken to us in a very special way through this letter. I have to tell you.
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I feel the same way too. 2 Thessalonians I think from this time on will always
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have a very special place in my life. I think I will always associate it with
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this time in the life of our church. Now we come today to the ending of the
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letter which is as rich as everything that has gone
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before. It is a prayer for God’s blessing on his people. It is a
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benediction, if you like. Benediction simply means a good word,
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a word of blessing. That’s what we say at the end of the service,
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when that prayer is given. And we’ve seen that this whole letter
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is peppered with prayers. Paul’s teaching, to these people in this
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prayer, is shot through with his praying for these people. And
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that in and of itself reminds us of something very important. It
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is a mark of authentic ministry. You have to pray for the people
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that you teach. Do you teach a Sunday school class? Whatever
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your teaching role is, you have to pray for the people you
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teach. And Paul models this so wonderfully here. So, as we’ve
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seen many prayers going through this letter, we come to the last
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one of them in verse 16, and Paul is saying, now here is what
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I am praying for you. May the Lord of peace himself give you
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peace at all times and in every way. Now remember that the
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church here had been birthed in great turmoil. Paul had
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preached the message of Christ in this town of Thessalonica.
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And these people had come to faith. He had grounded them in
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preaching. He used to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus
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Christ. But then after just three weeks, uh, Paul had to
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leave the city. You read an extra chapter 17 the story, if
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you want to follow it through there, there was a mob that
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gathered from the marketplace and they stirred up trouble. And
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so Paul has to leave the city, he’s banned from the city. You
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cannot come back. And so these believers, after just three
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weeks of being grounded in their new faith, they’d knew nothing
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of Christianity before. They faced hostility right from the
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very beginning, from the first day that they trusted Christ.
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And it was still going on. So you may remember from chapter
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one and verse four, Paul is saying among God’s churches, we
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boast about your perseverance and your faith in all the
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persecutions and trials you are enduring, it was still going on.
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So here are people who just a few months after trusting Christ,
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their being rejected by their families. Youngsters are being
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ridiculed at school. They’re in the eye of the storm.
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Some of you are in the eye of the storm. And Paul says to them
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at the end of the letter, I am praying that you will have
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peace. Peace. Now let’s look at this wonderful prayer and see
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how it applies to us. He says, may the Lord of peace himself
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give you peace at all times and in every way. Now that wonderful
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phrase, in all times means in all circumstances, may God give
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you peace, whatever you are facing in this week that lies
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ahead. But I think there’s something more here than that
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at all times means in every season of your life, and I find
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it helpful just to ponder that this week, think about this
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with me for a moment at all times throughout your life,
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so you arrive at middle school and your body is coming
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to life if you see what I mean, and you begin to wonder
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in a way you didn’t wonder before, who likes me?
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Well, for all of you who are there,
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may God give you his peace.
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Then you go to high school and you feel under pressure.
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Maybe for the first time, really,
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and you wonder now, who am I and does anybody care?
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Some of you are there.
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May God give you peace.
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You head to college and you wonder,
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can I establish myself on a really big campus?
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Do I have anything to offer in this vast crowd of people?
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May God give you his peace.
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You get into your 20s and if you are single,
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you may wonder, will I ever marry?
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Does God have someone special for me?
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And then some who are married, you wonder,
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will we ever have children?
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May God give you his peace.
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Some of you are young parents
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and maybe feeling the weight of responsibility
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of a tiny life that has been trusted into your hands.
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May God give you his peace.
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And then a few years later, you’ve stopped asking,
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will I be a good parent?
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Now all you’re asking is,
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since when did I become a taxi driver?
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Well, may God give you his peace.
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Last week we thought a little bit
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about the special pressures that come in midlife,
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remember?
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Staying at a level without the stimulus that got you there.
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May God give you his peace.
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Beyond these years lie your sixties and your seventies
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when you begin to notice changes in yourself.
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You become more concerned about your health.
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You maybe didn’t think about it very much before.
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And you begin to wonder more.
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Now, what have I really accomplished?
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Did I do the right things?
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What else might I have done with these years?
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May God give you his peace.
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And then beyond into your older years
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Faith for life is our gathering of seniors in this church
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on Thursday afternoons, and I ran in this week,
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ran into some of the folks who were leaving
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from that wonderful meeting this week.
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I spoke to one dear brother who was coming out
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of the church and he was on a frame
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and he was obviously moving with great, great difficulty.
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I chatted to him for a bit.
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And I said to him, are you in pain?
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And he said, no pastor, he said I’m not in pain
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but it doesn’t get any easier you know.
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May God give you his peace.
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At all times, in every circumstance,
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through the whole of life, in all of its sweep,
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wherever you are, whatever you’re struggling with,
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whatever you are up against, at all times.
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You’re listening to Open The Bible
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with Pastor Colin Smith and a message today
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called The Peace of God.
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Peace and presence of God.
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It was originally part of a series
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called Staying the Course
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when you’re tired of the battle.
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And it’s been one of the most
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requested and downloaded programmes
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of the last 12 months.
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We’ve bundled it up with
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a number of other really popular broadcasts
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under the title, Listener Favourites.
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And if you miss any of the series,
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don’t forget you can always
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go back and listen again
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or catch up with any you’ve missed,
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online as Literally the Bible
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or by finding us as a podcast,
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they’re all on there as well.
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And those are available
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on your favourite podcast site
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by searching for open the Bible UK,
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back to the message now.
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Here’s Colin.
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And then notice what else he says,
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may the Lord of peace himself
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give you peace at all times
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and in every way.
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You say, how many ways are there
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to have peace?
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Answer, at least three.
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There’s peace with God,
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which is what Paul speaks about
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in Romans chapter five.
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In verse one,
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since we have been justified through faith
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we have peace with God
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through our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Here is the good news of the gospel today.
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And I urge you to believe it.
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The Lord Jesus Christ died for your sins
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and he rose for your justification.
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That means so that you could be forgiven.
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And faith makes what Jesus has accomplished yours.
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That is how you have peace with God.
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Now, what do you know of this?
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Do you have peace with God today?
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Are you running from God?
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Do you feel afraid of God?
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Do you feel like hiding from God,
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as Adam and Eve did?
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Are you reluctant to pray?
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What is it that’s got you running from God?
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Do you feel that God is against you?
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Do you feel that He has it in for you?
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That He’s condemning you?
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Do you feel today then that you would like
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to have peace with God?
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It’s a wonderful gift.
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And not only is there peace with God,
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there’s a gift of peace within yourself.
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Philippians chapter four in verse seven
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speaks about the peace of God
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that passes all understanding,
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guarding your heart and guarding your mind in Christ Jesus.
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You see, it is possible to have peace with God,
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that is to be forgiven, to be justified
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and yet still to have a turmoil in yourself.
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Now, what do you know about this?
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Can you say to yourself, be at rest Oh, my soul,
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because God has been good to you.
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That’s Psalm 116, and verse seven.
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What do you know of peace within your own soul?
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And then there’s a third kind of peace
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and that is of course, peace towards others.
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Romans chapter 12, and verse 18.
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Paul says, if it is possible,
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as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
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Now you see the importance of what he’s saying?
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You can’t control what others do,
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in a situation of conflict, you can’t control
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what other people say to you or about you.
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But what God says is now look at your own part here.
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And as far as it depends on you,
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live at peace with everyone.
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In other words, if someone hurts you deeply,
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it will open up wounds, and when you are wounded,
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these wounds can easily fester with bitterness,
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and with pride, and even with hatred.
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And then you hear, as a Christian,
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Jesus say now love your enemies
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and pray for those who persecute you.
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What do you know of this?
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Do you need to know more of the peace
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that would enable you to do that?
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So this is a remarkable, wonderful,
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profound
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life-long prayer.
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Not only that you will have peace,
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but that you will have it at all times
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and that you will have it in every way,
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peace with God, peace in yourself,
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and as far as it depends upon you,
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even when you’re wounded,
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that there will be a peace, not hatred,
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that emanates from you towards others.
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That’s what He’s asking God for.
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It’s a remarkable prayer, isn’t it?
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Now when you think about the prayer
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and you see the scope of it,
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peace at all times and in every way,
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inevitably you will ask this question,
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as I have asked the question coming to the Bible,
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well now how is this possible?
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How is it possible for an ordinary person
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like you or like me to have peace at all times
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and in every way?
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And I want you to notice here how he introduces
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the person of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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And he introduces the Lord Jesus Christ
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by this wonderful name in verse 16,
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he calls him, gives him this title the Lord of Peace.
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The Lord of Peace.
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By the way, the Bible uses so many names
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and titles for our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Human language can barely convey the depth,
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the wonder, the glory of who Jesus Christ is
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and what Jesus Christ does.
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And so here is one of many, many, many titles of Christ
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that are given to us in the scripture,
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he is the Lord of Peace.
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Now you say now what does that mean?
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Well it means first that he has peace,
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he has it in himself.
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He has peace that is why he is able to say
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to his disciples, my peace, I give to you.
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What I have in myself, I can give to you.
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It means that Christ makes peace.
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That’s what it means that he’s the Lord of Peace.
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This is why he came into the world.
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He came to make peace between God and us.
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We celebrate this today around the Lord’s table
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as we take bread and wine in a few minutes time.
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This is why the angels said when the Lord Jesus Christ
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was born into the world, peace to men
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because this is why he was born.
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He has made this peace, how?
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By shedding his blood that is what he did on the cross.
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He’s the Lord of Peace not only because he has peace
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and because he makes peace but because he gives peace
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and that’s the particular point that Paul is making
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in this verse.
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May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace.
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He has peace, he makes peace, he gives peace.
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That’s what it means for him to be the Lord of Peace,
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the Lord of Peace.
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The word Lord has authority in it, doesn’t it?
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That means he has command over peace.
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Peace goes where he sends it.
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And of course the most obvious illustration of that
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is the occasion when Jesus was in a boat.
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You remember this story well.
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And the storm rises on the Sea of Galilee
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and the whole lake is in turmoil
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and the disciples are there in a panic
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and Jesus speaks, and remember what he says,
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”Peace be still.’
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And as he speaks, he imparts peace to the lake.
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He imparts it.
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That’s what it means to be the Lord of peace.
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Now Paul is saying, this is what I am asking
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this Lord Jesus Christ, your savior, to do for you.
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May the Lord of peace give you peace,
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the peace that is in himself.
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Because he is Lord over peace.
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That means he commands it.
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He gives it, he sends it.
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He says to peace,
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go fill the heart of that anxious person.
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He’s the Lord of peace
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and peace goes where he sends it.
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And notice that this is something
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that Jesus Christ does himself.
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May the Lord of peace himself give you peace.
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This is a direct ministry of Jesus Christ to your soul
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and he knows what you’re worried about.
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He knows what you’re anxious over
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and he’s able to do this
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and Paul says, as I think of all that you’re facing,
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this is what I’m on my knees praying for you
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that the Lord of peace himself will give to you
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peace at all times and in every way.
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So this peace can be yours.
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It’s a peace that Christ has died to secure
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and it is a peace that Christ lives to give.
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This is a wonderful prayer that you can make to your own.
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We’ve been learning how to pray throughout this series.
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Add this to your prayer list.
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Here’s something for you to pray for yourself.
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Here is something for you to pray for your friends.
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May the Lord of peace himself give you peace
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at all times and in every way.
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It’s a beautiful prayer.
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Now I’m reading through this chapter
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and when I get to this point, I’m asking a question.
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Why doesn’t he end there?
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Don’t you think that would be the perfect ending
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for this letter?
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Don’t you think you could just put a period
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at the end of that and say, that’s the perfect close?
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May the Lord himself give you peace.
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And then you look and you say,
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he goes on about writing greetings in his own hand
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and adding a couple of things here,
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you think now, what’s happening?
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Why’s he going?
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Why didn’t he just stop?
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Let me suggest this to you
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and I think there is something very wonderful here.
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We need not only to ask for peace,
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but we also need to know how to receive it.
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You need that, I need that.
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I pray and what do I do next?
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I need to know, not only that I can ask the Lord of Peace
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for this marvelous gift,
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but I also need to know how can I receive it?
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And remember this is a real letter that is being written
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to these people who are facing
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extraordinary difficulties, like us.
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They didn’t know what the future holds.
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They have many fears.
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They have to know how to get up on Monday and face life
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just as you have to do that
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in the week that lies ahead of you.
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What if the unthinkable happens?
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What if you face the nightmare scenario
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that you’re trying not to admit
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that you can push away all the time?
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Well here’s what you can do in these times.
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You can ask Christ to give you peace
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and that’s why the letter doesn’t end here.
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You can remind yourself
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of the foundation on which peace rests.
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That’s a great way to finish today’s program
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to remind ourselves of the foundation on which peace rests.
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You’ve being listening to Pastor Colin Smith
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on Open the Bible
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and a message entitled The Peace and Presence of God.
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It’s been one of our most requested
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and downloaded programs of the past 12 months
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and if you ever miss any of our programs,
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don’t forget you can always catch up
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or go back and listen again online
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at our website openthebible.org.uk.
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We’re also available as a podcast
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if that’s a better way for you
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to keep up with pastor Colin’s teaching
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and those are available
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either by following a link on our website
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or by searching for Open the Bible UK
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00:22:25,520 –> 00:22:28,719
and subscribing to receive regular updates.
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Pastor Colin’s teaching is also available
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in a series of daily reflections.
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We call it Open the Bible Daily
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and those are available also on our website
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or as a podcast
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and they’re read in the UK by Sue MacLeish.
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There’s a fresh one every day
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and many Christians find it’s a great way to start the day.
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Open the Bible is able to stay on this station
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00:22:50,760 –> 00:22:54,000
and on the internet because of your generosity.
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00:22:54,000 –> 00:22:56,359
Open the Bible is a listener supported ministry
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so thank you for giving and supporting Open the Bible.
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00:23:00,160 –> 00:23:02,680
If that’s something that you’re thinking about doing,
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00:23:02,680 –> 00:23:04,520
if you’re able to set up a new gift
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00:23:04,520 –> 00:23:07,400
of five pounds per month or more this month,
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00:23:07,400 –> 00:23:09,560
we’d like to thank you by sending you a copy
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of Pastor Colin’s new book, Flying Through the Bible.
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And Colin, when you do this kind of high-altitude flight
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over the entire Bible story,
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there’s so much in there that you really have to focus in,
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so what are the themes
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that you’ve focused on in this new book?
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Well, it really is a high-altitude
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flight over the Bible story.
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I mean, we’re talking about around 100 pages
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so it’s covering at a great speed.
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But you know you can get an overview
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of the Bible very simply
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by thinking about five people in the Old Testament,
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Adam, and Abraham, and Moses, and David, and Ezra,
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if you get the stories of these five people,
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you’ve really got a broad outline
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of the Old Testament story.
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Then when we come to the gospels,
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we look at five events
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in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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He was born, he was tempted, he was crucified,
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he is risen, and he has ascended.
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Grasp these five events
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and you have a broad outline
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of what you need to know about the Lord Jesus Christ.
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And then in the New Testament letters,
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there are five marvelous gifts
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that God gives to all who believe.
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The gift of the Holy Spirit,
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the gift of faith,
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the gift of forgiveness,
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the gift of the Church,
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and the gift of heaven itself.
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So there’s a very quick fly through the Bible.
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It’s cookies on the bottom shelf
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and I hope folks are going to find it
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00:24:36,260 –> 00:24:37,540
really helpful.
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00:24:37,540 –> 00:24:39,099
Well, we’d like to send you a copy
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00:24:39,099 –> 00:24:41,459
of Pastor Colin’s book, Flying Through the Bible,
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00:24:41,500 –> 00:24:43,099
to say thank you for supporting
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00:24:43,099 –> 00:24:44,900
Open the Bible this month.
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Full details of this offer are on our website.
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That’s at openthebible.org.uk.
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For Pastor Colin Smith, I’m David Pick,
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and I hope you’ll be able to join us again soon.
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How is it possible for ordinary people
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like you and me,
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to have peace at all times and in every way?
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Find out next time on Open the Bible.
