1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:07,120 You’re listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open The Bible. 2 00:00:07,120 –> 00:00:15,120 To contact us, call us at 1-877-Open365, Or visit our website openthebible.org. 3 00:00:15,120 –> 00:00:20,719 Let’s get to the message, here is Pastor Colin. 4 00:00:20,719 –> 00:00:25,240 You may remember that earlier in the year we were looking at the words of The Lord Jesus, 5 00:00:25,240 –> 00:00:30,820 which is, how shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world but losses his soul? 6 00:00:30,820 –> 00:00:37,900 And we looked at what the soul is, and how your soul can be saved or how it can be lost. 7 00:00:37,900 –> 00:00:43,299 And then we began to look at how you care for your soul and how important that is. 8 00:00:43,299 –> 00:00:49,180 We said that you care for your money because your money has value, but your soul has greater 9 00:00:49,380 –> 00:00:55,639 value than your money and therefore the way in which you care for your soul is even more 10 00:00:55,639 –> 00:00:57,919 important. 11 00:00:57,919 –> 00:01:01,959 And we began to think together that the very good news that we have in the Bible is that 12 00:01:01,959 –> 00:01:04,440 none of us does this alone. 13 00:01:04,440 –> 00:01:10,040 And I introduced the first of Four Friends for Your Soul. 14 00:01:10,040 –> 00:01:17,040 The Bible speaks about the presence of four in the soul of a Christian believer, and they 15 00:01:18,019 –> 00:01:25,019 are the Son of God, the Word of God, the fear of God, and the love of God. 16 00:01:26,360 –> 00:01:32,440 These four are all spoken of as being in the soul of a Christian believer. 17 00:01:32,440 –> 00:01:36,820 And earlier in the summer, I thought, well now that would be a four point sermon and 18 00:01:36,820 –> 00:01:41,080 we’ll cover the Four Friends for the Soul, and the first of them being the Son of God. 19 00:01:41,080 –> 00:01:42,900 I mean, how wonderful is that? 20 00:01:42,900 –> 00:01:48,980 The Son of God lives in you, Christ lives in me by the Holy Spirit. 21 00:01:48,980 –> 00:01:52,260 Well that took the whole message and so we’ve got the other three still left and 22 00:01:52,260 –> 00:01:54,440 we’ve got three weeks left in August and so 23 00:01:54,440 –> 00:01:57,419 that’s why we’re coming back to this today. 24 00:01:57,419 –> 00:01:59,540 I want us to look today at the second of the 25 00:01:59,540 –> 00:02:02,699 four friends, the Word of God and so 26 00:02:02,699 –> 00:02:08,899 I hope that you will open your bible at Colossians in chapter three and verse 16. 27 00:02:08,940 –> 00:02:14,320 I want to care for my soul and thank God the son of God is present with me as a 28 00:02:14,320 –> 00:02:18,539 Christian believer, present with every Christian by the Holy Spirit, Christ 29 00:02:18,539 –> 00:02:25,919 lives in you and now we’re being told in Colossians chapter 3 and verse 16 that 30 00:02:25,919 –> 00:02:29,919 the word of Christ, the word of God must also live in you. 31 00:02:29,919 –> 00:02:32,860 Let the word of Christ 32 00:02:33,139 –> 00:02:40,899 dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, 33 00:02:40,899 –> 00:02:47,220 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness to God in your 34 00:02:47,220 –> 00:02:53,339 hearts and my prayer for our time together today in the Word of God has 35 00:02:53,339 –> 00:02:59,520 been two-fold. First that God will strengthen our convictions about the 36 00:02:59,520 –> 00:03:05,339 Bible being His Word, and I want to try and show you why that is so critically 37 00:03:05,339 –> 00:03:12,080 important and so very very practical. And then being affirmed in our conviction 38 00:03:12,080 –> 00:03:17,940 that the Bible is indeed the Word of God for us to be encouraged in our actual 39 00:03:17,940 –> 00:03:23,119 use of it in our lives. See here’s the question, does the Word of God dwell 40 00:03:23,240 –> 00:03:32,220 richly in you? Does it remain in you, and is it there in an abundant measure? 41 00:03:32,220 –> 00:03:37,160 Is it dwelling richly in you, or is your experience that the Word of God sort of 42 00:03:37,160 –> 00:03:41,020 you hear a message, and it sort of is something that passes you and brushes 43 00:03:41,020 –> 00:03:46,440 off you in the course of your life? Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. 44 00:03:46,440 –> 00:03:49,960 That’s how you care for your soul. That’s how you nourish your soul. 45 00:03:49,960 –> 00:03:56,860 The Son of God, the Word of God. I want us to look at what the Word, what this Word is, 46 00:03:56,860 –> 00:04:02,880 why it matters, what it produces, and then for us to respond to it together. 47 00:04:02,880 –> 00:04:10,679 We begin here, then, what this Word is. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. 48 00:04:10,679 –> 00:04:16,079 I want you to notice that in this verse God’s communication with us, which is 49 00:04:16,160 –> 00:04:22,720 usually described as the Word of God, is here quite distinctly described as the 50 00:04:22,720 –> 00:04:28,820 Word of Christ. Now that phrase, the Word of Christ, is only used twice in the 51 00:04:28,820 –> 00:04:32,679 entire New Testament. Once here in Colossians 3.16 and the other 52 00:04:32,679 –> 00:04:36,619 time in Romans 10 and verse 17 where we read that 53 00:04:36,619 –> 00:04:44,679 faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ. This phrase, the Word 54 00:04:45,019 –> 00:04:50,619 of Christ, a synonym for the Word of God, reminds us of something that is very 55 00:04:50,619 –> 00:04:55,480 important that we often emphasize here in the archeard which is, that the whole 56 00:04:55,480 –> 00:05:02,519 Bible is one story and all of it is about Jesus Christ. We’re convinced of 57 00:05:02,519 –> 00:05:08,720 that because the Bible tells us about an occasion when the Pharisees, who studied 58 00:05:08,720 –> 00:05:13,559 the Old Testament very diligently, were speaking with Jesus and Jesus said to 59 00:05:13,660 –> 00:05:18,899 them, these scriptures, the Old Testament scriptures speak about Me. And you 60 00:05:18,899 –> 00:05:23,399 remember on the road to Emmaus, Jesus is helping to confuse disciples and he 61 00:05:23,399 –> 00:05:26,239 shows them, from Moses and the Prophets, and all the way through the Old Testament, 62 00:05:26,239 –> 00:05:32,899 the things that are concerning himself. So Jesus is the central figure of 63 00:05:32,899 –> 00:05:37,140 the whole Bible, both the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the Old 64 00:05:37,140 –> 00:05:42,899 Testament He’s hidden, and anticipated in the New Testament, He is revealed and 65 00:05:43,100 –> 00:05:47,839 He is enjoyed. But He is the center of the whole Bible because the whole point 66 00:05:47,839 –> 00:05:52,679 of everything that God communicates to us is that we should come to know, and to 67 00:05:52,679 –> 00:05:58,239 enjoy, and to love, and serve, and believe in, and live for, Jesus Christ the Son of 68 00:05:58,239 –> 00:06:04,079 God, the Savior of the world, and the Lord of all. And this is the great theme 69 00:06:04,079 –> 00:06:08,700 of Colossians that many of us have been studying throughout the summer, it is in 70 00:06:08,700 –> 00:06:14,239 Christ that God had all his fullness dwelling, it is in Christ that God has 71 00:06:14,239 –> 00:06:18,399 triumphed over all of the dark powers, it is in Christ the believers are rooted 72 00:06:18,399 –> 00:06:24,140 and built up and established in the faith. The Bible is God speaking to us 73 00:06:24,140 –> 00:06:33,079 and speaking about and through His Son. Now, the Christian Church has agreed and 74 00:06:33,119 –> 00:06:43,279 affirmed this in overwhelming measure for nearly 2,000 years and I say nearly 75 00:06:43,279 –> 00:06:53,220 2,000 years because about a hundred years ago a new and very different view 76 00:06:53,220 –> 00:07:00,700 of the Bible began to emerge. Charles Darwin had grasped the minds and the 77 00:07:00,700 –> 00:07:05,880 hearts of many people with his theory of evolution suggesting that the world 78 00:07:05,880 –> 00:07:13,179 could be explained entirely by natural causes and processes and it’s a 79 00:07:13,179 –> 00:07:19,299 fascinating thing as a matter of history to trace the way in which some leaders 80 00:07:19,299 –> 00:07:26,040 in the church began in the years that followed to recast their view of the 81 00:07:26,040 –> 00:07:32,359 Bible in the light of evolutionary theory. The conviction of the church had 82 00:07:32,359 –> 00:07:42,299 always been that the Bible is God’s Word to us, that God exists that God has made 83 00:07:42,299 –> 00:07:48,279 himself known, that the Bible tells us what God has said and what God has done 84 00:07:48,799 –> 00:07:56,260 and that the story is about God, it is God’s Word and it is spoken into God’s 85 00:07:56,260 –> 00:08:03,320 world, but you can understand that the new thinking for many seems to turn all 86 00:08:03,320 –> 00:08:09,640 of that on its head. Some began to ask well now wait we’ve been told that the 87 00:08:09,640 –> 00:08:14,260 story is all about God but if it is really the case that the whole of the 88 00:08:14,260 –> 00:08:17,619 world and everything that is around us and even we ourselves can all be 89 00:08:17,640 –> 00:08:21,279 explained by natural processes and causes then it would seem that the 90 00:08:21,279 –> 00:08:27,739 story is actually all about us, and if the story is all about us then what’s 91 00:08:27,739 –> 00:08:34,619 the Bible? Well if the story is all about us then the Bible would not be God’s 92 00:08:34,619 –> 00:08:41,919 Word to us what it would be is the record of our words about God and we 93 00:08:41,979 –> 00:08:47,020 would expect to find that as we developed over time that our words 94 00:08:47,020 –> 00:08:53,559 about God began as being rather crude and harsh and exclusive and that they 95 00:08:53,559 –> 00:08:59,119 refined over time to become more sophisticated more refined and more 96 00:08:59,119 –> 00:09:07,299 inclusive. The Bible then would be viewed as the evolving story of human thinking 97 00:09:07,299 –> 00:09:14,820 about how God might be. Now, you will understand immediately, then, that these 98 00:09:14,820 –> 00:09:23,280 are two entirely different views of the Bible. In one the Bible is God’s word 99 00:09:23,280 –> 00:09:30,340 speaking to us. God’s speaking, and he’s making himself known. In the other it’s 100 00:09:30,340 –> 00:09:34,299 our word about God. We are the ones who are speaking. This is the product of 101 00:09:34,299 –> 00:09:38,440 human thinking and of human insight and so forth and so on, that naturally 102 00:09:38,440 –> 00:09:43,059 changes and evolves and is thought to improve over a period of time, and 103 00:09:43,059 –> 00:09:46,820 the Bible, therefore, is really a record of our reaching out, and trying to 104 00:09:46,820 –> 00:09:51,299 explore, and figure things out, and so forth and so on. Now, these are two 105 00:09:51,299 –> 00:09:58,599 entirely different views, and which one settles in your mind and which one you 106 00:09:58,599 –> 00:10:09,440 most deeply believe will shape how you use the Bible, and how you respond to it. 107 00:10:09,440 –> 00:10:15,020 So if you come to believe that the Bible is essentially human words about God, 108 00:10:15,020 –> 00:10:22,059 then you may use the Bible as a resource, you may go to it for insight, and for 109 00:10:22,059 –> 00:10:28,059 encouragement, but when you find that it does not fit well with your particular 110 00:10:28,200 –> 00:10:33,659 view of life, or your desired direction, or your view of how things should be, you 111 00:10:33,659 –> 00:10:38,219 will feel very free to disagree with it, and disregard it, and choose your own 112 00:10:38,219 –> 00:10:44,340 path. Why? Because if the Bible is simply a collection of human words about God, 113 00:10:44,340 –> 00:10:47,099 you will look at this old book and you will say, 114 00:10:47,099 –> 00:10:54,400 that was then… this is now. And you realize that there are people all around us 115 00:10:54,400 –> 00:10:58,020 across this culture who are approaching the Bible exactly in that kind of way, 116 00:10:58,039 –> 00:11:02,400 and therefore do not feel that it has authority in regards to their lives, but 117 00:11:02,400 –> 00:11:06,039 merely as a source book to kind of evaluate, and to pick up those things 118 00:11:06,039 –> 00:11:12,280 that still seem to be true and relevant and fitting. Now I want to make it very 119 00:11:12,280 –> 00:11:19,260 clear that in this church we do not view the Bible as a collection of human words 120 00:11:19,260 –> 00:11:24,820 or insights about God. That in this Church we regard the Bible as the Church 121 00:11:24,900 –> 00:11:31,400 historically has always regarded the Bible as God’s Word to us, and we affirm 122 00:11:31,400 –> 00:11:35,919 that particularly in our statement of faith, which is a statement of faith 123 00:11:35,919 –> 00:11:39,340 Shared by all of the churches in the denomination to which we belong, the 124 00:11:39,340 –> 00:11:45,299 Evangelical Free Church of America, and it has three sentences in its article on 125 00:11:45,299 –> 00:11:50,280 Scripture, and let me just remind you of them. This is a statement that is 126 00:11:50,280 –> 00:11:55,599 affirmed by every person who becomes a member of this church, and so if you 127 00:11:55,599 –> 00:11:58,619 sign up for the membership class, you’ll be taken through the statement of faith 128 00:11:58,619 –> 00:12:03,239 what we believe about Scripture and about Christ and all the main articles 129 00:12:03,239 –> 00:12:07,640 of faith, and if you’re a member of this church, then you are someone who is 130 00:12:07,640 –> 00:12:13,760 committed to and affirms the faith that we share with regards to Scripture and 131 00:12:13,760 –> 00:12:16,559 we express it in these words. 132 00:12:16,559 –> 00:12:23,640 We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures. 133 00:12:23,640 –> 00:12:26,919 Now you see the key phrase there is, God has spoken. 134 00:12:26,919 –> 00:12:31,799 This isn’t human, a collection of human words about God, this is God Himself doing 135 00:12:31,799 –> 00:12:32,559 the speaking. 136 00:12:32,559 –> 00:12:36,559 And He does it through the words of human authors in both the Old 137 00:12:36,559 –> 00:12:39,320 and the New Testament, through the prophets and the Old Testament 138 00:12:39,320 –> 00:12:42,599 through the apostles in the New Testament, but here’s the thing that matters. 139 00:12:42,599 –> 00:12:44,659 It is God who is doing the speaking. 140 00:12:44,700 –> 00:12:46,140 And it comes from the mouth of God. 141 00:12:47,440 –> 00:12:49,179 Second sentence. 142 00:12:49,179 –> 00:12:51,520 As the verbally inspired word of God, 143 00:12:51,520 –> 00:12:55,820 the Bible is without error, which of course would follow if it’s human words 144 00:12:55,820 –> 00:12:58,400 about God, it’ll be full of errors because humans are full of 145 00:12:58,400 –> 00:13:02,460 errors, but if God is actually spoken God is not in the habit of making mistakes. 146 00:13:04,020 –> 00:13:06,299 And so, when I find something that I cannot understand or 147 00:13:06,299 –> 00:13:09,119 something that I cannot resolve, my first instinct is not to say, 148 00:13:09,119 –> 00:13:13,940 God got it wrong again, but to say, I don’t have enough information at this point, 149 00:13:13,940 –> 00:13:17,099 I’m going to keep my eyes open and my mind open, and I’m going to look and 150 00:13:17,099 –> 00:13:20,799 trust that God will give at some point some understanding that is greater than 151 00:13:20,799 –> 00:13:21,659 what I have right now. 152 00:13:23,619 –> 00:13:27,020 It is the complete revelation of his will for salvation and 153 00:13:27,020 –> 00:13:30,380 the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and 154 00:13:30,380 –> 00:13:31,400 endeavors should be judged. 155 00:13:32,780 –> 00:13:35,059 In other words, we don’t take as our starting point, 156 00:13:35,059 –> 00:13:37,299 let’s look at everything that is being said in the world and 157 00:13:37,299 –> 00:13:39,239 see how it fits with the Bible. 158 00:13:39,239 –> 00:13:40,700 We start with the Word of God and 159 00:13:40,799 –> 00:13:42,840 look at what God has said to us and 160 00:13:42,840 –> 00:13:47,000 lets evaluate what’s going around us in the light of what God has spoken. 161 00:13:47,000 –> 00:13:49,020 It’s a very, very different way of viewing the world. 162 00:13:50,599 –> 00:13:52,239 And here’s the third sentence. 163 00:13:52,239 –> 00:13:56,340 Therefore, this word, is to be believed in all that it teaches, 164 00:13:56,340 –> 00:13:59,580 it is to be obeyed in all that it requires, and 165 00:13:59,580 –> 00:14:04,000 it is to be trusted in all that it promises. 166 00:14:04,000 –> 00:14:08,099 I’m so glad to have the privilege of being part of and 167 00:14:08,359 –> 00:14:12,679 serving in a church that affirms what the church, 168 00:14:12,679 –> 00:14:17,380 throughout it’s history, has always been clear on that the Bible 169 00:14:17,380 –> 00:14:21,659 is the word of God, he has spoken it. 170 00:14:21,659 –> 00:14:23,479 That’s an amen moment by the way. 171 00:14:23,479 –> 00:14:25,140 Don’t you think? You’re glad to be part of that. 172 00:14:25,140 –> 00:14:27,239 It’s a very, very important doubt. 173 00:14:27,239 –> 00:14:29,260 Let’s move on to the second thing. 174 00:14:29,260 –> 00:14:30,739 Why does it matter? 175 00:14:30,739 –> 00:14:33,119 Spoken about the Bible. 176 00:14:33,119 –> 00:14:36,400 The word of God, two very very different views. 177 00:14:36,440 –> 00:14:39,000 Why does it matter? 178 00:14:39,000 –> 00:14:40,880 Now, someone’s gonna be here and saying, 179 00:14:40,880 –> 00:14:44,599 what difference does it make to my life on Thursday 180 00:14:44,599 –> 00:14:47,840 or the pain that I’m going through right now, 181 00:14:47,840 –> 00:14:51,020 whether the Bible is human words about God or God’s word. 182 00:14:51,020 –> 00:14:53,520 It makes all the difference 183 00:14:53,520 –> 00:14:54,780 to what you’re going through right now. 184 00:14:54,780 –> 00:14:57,099 Let me demonstrate how and why. 185 00:14:58,719 –> 00:15:01,020 If God has not spoken, 186 00:15:02,000 –> 00:15:06,559 his promises are replaced by our wishes. 187 00:15:07,979 –> 00:15:10,900 So you think about some of the great promises of Scripture. 188 00:15:11,739 –> 00:15:15,440 I will never leave you, I will never forsake you. 189 00:15:17,440 –> 00:15:22,440 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. 190 00:15:24,239 –> 00:15:27,460 My God will supply all that you need 191 00:15:27,460 –> 00:15:30,099 according to His riches in glory. 192 00:15:30,159 –> 00:15:33,919 Here’s the question, who said these words? 193 00:15:35,859 –> 00:15:38,840 You see, if these words came from the mouth of God, 194 00:15:38,840 –> 00:15:43,840 if God actually said them, if they are the word of God, 195 00:15:44,340 –> 00:15:47,320 they are promises on which you can depend, 196 00:15:47,320 –> 00:15:49,799 they are promises on which you can live 197 00:15:49,799 –> 00:15:52,919 in the difficulties that you are facing this week. 198 00:15:54,840 –> 00:15:56,679 But if these words, I will never leave you, 199 00:15:56,679 –> 00:15:58,159 I will never forsake you. 200 00:15:59,080 –> 00:16:00,780 My God will supply all your need. 201 00:16:00,780 –> 00:16:04,400 I mean, if these words were simply human words about God, 202 00:16:05,380 –> 00:16:08,400 if they simply arose from the aspiration of the souls 203 00:16:08,400 –> 00:16:11,200 of the men who wrote these particular words, 204 00:16:11,200 –> 00:16:14,539 then they are not promises on which you could depend, 205 00:16:14,539 –> 00:16:18,500 but merely wishes that arise from the heart of Paul 206 00:16:18,500 –> 00:16:20,719 or Isaiah or whoever it might be. 207 00:16:20,719 –> 00:16:22,979 They may be wishes that you would all cherish, 208 00:16:22,979 –> 00:16:24,739 but they are not promises on which 209 00:16:24,739 –> 00:16:27,500 you can depend unless God has spoken them. 210 00:16:29,080 –> 00:16:31,359 So, if you come to believe that the Bible 211 00:16:31,359 –> 00:16:35,640 is a word about God rather than God’s word to us, 212 00:16:35,640 –> 00:16:40,200 you actually undermine the very foundation of hope itself. 213 00:16:40,200 –> 00:16:43,280 You cut the cord that leads to hope, 214 00:16:43,280 –> 00:16:45,679 and you replace God’s promises 215 00:16:45,679 –> 00:16:48,820 with a set of human wishes and aspirations. 216 00:16:48,820 –> 00:16:50,500 You can’t live on that this week. 217 00:16:52,039 –> 00:16:55,659 Second, if God has not spoken, 218 00:16:55,659 –> 00:17:00,520 then His truth is replaced by our opinion. 219 00:17:02,119 –> 00:17:06,500 The Bible says, God is gracious, slow to anger. 220 00:17:06,500 –> 00:17:10,880 He is merciful, and He is abounding in steadfast love. 221 00:17:11,839 –> 00:17:14,640 That fourfold description, gracious, merciful, 222 00:17:14,640 –> 00:17:16,520 slow to anger and abounding in love 223 00:17:16,520 –> 00:17:20,859 is repeated no less than seven times in the Old Testament. 224 00:17:21,979 –> 00:17:25,040 The question is, whose words are these? 225 00:17:26,180 –> 00:17:28,760 If God Himself spoke these words, 226 00:17:28,760 –> 00:17:33,020 then they are His own description of who He is. 227 00:17:33,020 –> 00:17:36,579 And we can be sure that He is, indeed, 228 00:17:36,579 –> 00:17:39,119 gracious and merciful and slow to anger 229 00:17:39,119 –> 00:17:40,579 and abounding in steadfast love 230 00:17:40,579 –> 00:17:44,880 because this is what God has told us about Himself. 231 00:17:46,739 –> 00:17:49,099 But if these words were simply the thoughts 232 00:17:49,099 –> 00:17:53,540 of Moses or David or Nehemiah or Jonah, 233 00:17:54,479 –> 00:17:57,119 then we do not have truth on which 234 00:17:57,119 –> 00:17:59,160 we can count for our lives today. 235 00:17:59,160 –> 00:18:01,560 All we have is the experience or opinion 236 00:18:01,560 –> 00:18:03,839 of these particular men, 237 00:18:03,839 –> 00:18:05,479 which may or may not prove to be true 238 00:18:05,479 –> 00:18:06,920 or relevant for us today. 239 00:18:08,219 –> 00:18:11,680 And when people buy into this kind of view of the Bible, 240 00:18:11,680 –> 00:18:14,500 this idea that it’s human words about God, 241 00:18:14,500 –> 00:18:18,060 you end up with vacuous discussions 242 00:18:18,060 –> 00:18:21,520 in Bible study groups that go along the lines of this. 243 00:18:21,599 –> 00:18:23,739 Well, you know, Moses clearly found 244 00:18:23,739 –> 00:18:26,040 that God was gracious and merciful 245 00:18:26,040 –> 00:18:29,680 and slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 246 00:18:29,680 –> 00:18:31,760 But what about you? 247 00:18:31,760 –> 00:18:33,619 What do you think God is like? 248 00:18:33,619 –> 00:18:35,060 Who is God to you? 249 00:18:35,060 –> 00:18:37,160 And you say, so then, everyone throws in 250 00:18:37,160 –> 00:18:39,800 their own opinion, and there’s not solid 251 00:18:39,800 –> 00:18:42,020 foundation of truth for any of it. 252 00:18:45,160 –> 00:18:47,119 It’s merely a conversation. 253 00:18:48,619 –> 00:18:49,959 How do you see God? 254 00:18:51,640 –> 00:18:53,479 See, when the word of God to us 255 00:18:53,479 –> 00:18:55,880 is viewed as our word about God, 256 00:18:55,880 –> 00:18:58,000 not only do we lose the promises 257 00:18:58,000 –> 00:19:00,599 and end up just with a bunch of human wishes, 258 00:19:01,699 –> 00:19:03,280 but we lose the truth 259 00:19:03,280 –> 00:19:05,380 that is the very foundation of faith 260 00:19:05,380 –> 00:19:07,579 on which a person can build life, 261 00:19:07,579 –> 00:19:09,900 and we end up simply with a bunch of human opinions. 262 00:19:09,900 –> 00:19:11,219 What do you think, what do I think? 263 00:19:11,219 –> 00:19:12,979 What difference does it make anyway? 264 00:19:14,319 –> 00:19:15,160 Third. 265 00:19:16,160 –> 00:19:18,140 If God has not spoken, 266 00:19:19,119 –> 00:19:21,540 then his wonderful welcome, 267 00:19:21,540 –> 00:19:24,099 his embrace, and his love 268 00:19:25,479 –> 00:19:28,760 are replaced by our unending journey. 269 00:19:30,060 –> 00:19:31,119 Think about this. 270 00:19:31,119 –> 00:19:33,280 The Bible is a book full of invitations. 271 00:19:33,280 –> 00:19:34,260 It’s all over. 272 00:19:35,780 –> 00:19:37,939 Incline your ear and come to me, 273 00:19:37,939 –> 00:19:39,900 hear that your soul may live. 274 00:19:39,900 –> 00:19:42,739 I will make an everlasting covenant of love with you. 275 00:19:43,699 –> 00:19:48,400 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. 276 00:19:48,400 –> 00:19:51,339 What kind of an invitation is that from the Almighty? 277 00:19:53,260 –> 00:19:56,920 Come, let us reason together, says the Lord. 278 00:19:56,920 –> 00:20:00,300 Though your sins be as scarlet, 279 00:20:01,339 –> 00:20:03,699 they shall be as white as snow. 280 00:20:03,699 –> 00:20:06,839 You hear the invitation in all of these wonderful words. 281 00:20:06,839 –> 00:20:08,780 Question, of course, is who said them? 282 00:20:09,540 –> 00:20:13,160 If God really said these things, 283 00:20:14,560 –> 00:20:19,560 then God Himself is reaching out to you in love. 284 00:20:22,280 –> 00:20:26,079 And we have much more than a God who’s out there somewhere 285 00:20:26,079 –> 00:20:28,319 watching us from a distance. 286 00:20:28,319 –> 00:20:31,380 We have, if God has spoken these words truly, 287 00:20:31,380 –> 00:20:34,439 a God who reaches out to you and in love 288 00:20:34,719 –> 00:20:38,380 and in all of your need even today says, come to me. 289 00:20:40,099 –> 00:20:43,300 And you, on that basis, can come to Him in confidence 290 00:20:43,300 –> 00:20:46,180 and know that you will be received in love 291 00:20:46,180 –> 00:20:49,939 and that you can enjoy an authentic, true relationship 292 00:20:49,939 –> 00:20:53,680 with this living God who loves you and you know it to be so 293 00:20:53,680 –> 00:20:56,339 because He has invited you to come. 294 00:20:56,339 –> 00:20:57,819 He said it Himself. 295 00:20:57,819 –> 00:20:59,579 But if these words, draw near to God 296 00:20:59,579 –> 00:21:00,780 and He will draw near to you, 297 00:21:00,780 –> 00:21:02,660 if they were simply the words of James, 298 00:21:02,660 –> 00:21:05,040 if they were simply the words of Isaiah, 299 00:21:05,040 –> 00:21:06,520 if they were simply a reflection 300 00:21:06,520 –> 00:21:08,060 of what other people have discovered, 301 00:21:08,060 –> 00:21:09,280 how could you possibly know 302 00:21:09,280 –> 00:21:11,079 that the same would be true for you? 303 00:21:12,920 –> 00:21:15,300 And here’s one of the great tragedies of our generation 304 00:21:15,300 –> 00:21:18,160 in which you know there are thousands of people 305 00:21:18,160 –> 00:21:19,439 who would describe themselves 306 00:21:19,439 –> 00:21:22,719 as being on a spiritual journey, on a spiritual search. 307 00:21:22,719 –> 00:21:25,680 And it’s all seeking and there’s hardly any finding. 308 00:21:27,500 –> 00:21:28,479 Why? 309 00:21:28,900 –> 00:21:33,060 Because the word of the living God 310 00:21:33,060 –> 00:21:35,300 who reaches out to us in invitation 311 00:21:35,300 –> 00:21:37,959 and in love and in mercy and in grace 312 00:21:37,959 –> 00:21:40,280 has been ditched and all we’re left with 313 00:21:40,280 –> 00:21:43,060 is our own unending journey. 314 00:21:45,140 –> 00:21:46,900 You have loads of people who will say 315 00:21:46,900 –> 00:21:48,920 I’m seeking after God, 316 00:21:48,920 –> 00:21:50,900 all in their own way, 317 00:21:52,140 –> 00:21:55,500 but losing sight completely of the God of love 318 00:21:55,500 –> 00:21:57,939 who is seeking people. 319 00:21:59,420 –> 00:22:03,079 So do you see how much is at stake here, 320 00:22:03,079 –> 00:22:05,079 do you see how relevant this is to your life 321 00:22:05,079 –> 00:22:06,739 on Thursday or whenever? 322 00:22:07,680 –> 00:22:10,959 If the Bible is our word about God 323 00:22:10,959 –> 00:22:13,660 rather than God’s word to us, 324 00:22:13,660 –> 00:22:16,959 then God’s promises end up being replaced 325 00:22:16,959 –> 00:22:20,280 by our wishes and we lose the basis of hope. 326 00:22:20,280 –> 00:22:22,040 God’s truth ends up being replaced 327 00:22:22,040 –> 00:22:25,180 by our opinions and we lose the foundation of faith. 328 00:22:26,180 –> 00:22:29,380 And God’s wonderful welcome and his reach out to us 329 00:22:29,380 –> 00:22:31,540 in love is replaced by this ongoing, 330 00:22:31,540 –> 00:22:35,180 ongoing journey and we lose the assurance of His love. 331 00:22:35,180 –> 00:22:37,619 All we lose when we lose sight of the scripture 332 00:22:37,619 –> 00:22:39,640 being God’s word is faith, hope, and love. 333 00:22:39,640 –> 00:22:42,439 We lose everything, we lose everything. 334 00:22:43,699 –> 00:22:45,619 And so when you’re speaking with someone 335 00:22:45,619 –> 00:22:47,239 who talks about the Bible in this way, 336 00:22:47,239 –> 00:22:49,300 well you know in the Old Testament 337 00:22:49,300 –> 00:22:50,540 there were just crude ideas 338 00:22:50,540 –> 00:22:52,680 and all this kind of thing and they betray 339 00:22:52,680 –> 00:22:53,680 that they’ve just bought, 340 00:22:53,739 –> 00:22:56,099 cootline and sinker this whole evolutionary 341 00:22:56,099 –> 00:22:57,239 view of the Bible. 342 00:22:58,739 –> 00:23:01,979 You say you really believe that? 343 00:23:03,560 –> 00:23:05,380 And press them on it. 344 00:23:05,380 –> 00:23:06,219 Make this point. 345 00:23:06,219 –> 00:23:07,540 How in all the world do you have 346 00:23:07,540 –> 00:23:09,699 any basis for faith or for hope 347 00:23:09,699 –> 00:23:12,060 or even for the knowledge of the love of God 348 00:23:12,060 –> 00:23:14,619 if God himself has not spoken? 349 00:23:16,500 –> 00:23:17,699 And I feel at this point 350 00:23:17,699 –> 00:23:21,900 I just like breathe a huge sigh of relief 351 00:23:21,959 –> 00:23:23,439 which I hope you’ll be breathing with me 352 00:23:23,439 –> 00:23:28,079 and I just say thank God for the word of Christ, right? 353 00:23:28,079 –> 00:23:31,160 Thank God for the word of Christ. 354 00:23:31,160 –> 00:23:33,119 Thank God that he has spoken 355 00:23:33,119 –> 00:23:36,540 and that he has spoken to us in his Son 356 00:23:36,540 –> 00:23:38,459 and that we have the basis of hope 357 00:23:38,459 –> 00:23:39,760 in the difficulties of life 358 00:23:39,760 –> 00:23:41,420 and we have a foundation of faith 359 00:23:41,420 –> 00:23:43,160 and we have a genuine knowledge 360 00:23:43,160 –> 00:23:44,099 of the love of God 361 00:23:44,099 –> 00:23:46,400 who reaches out to us in Jesus Christ 362 00:23:46,400 –> 00:23:48,199 because he himself has said it 363 00:23:48,199 –> 00:23:50,359 and he himself has done it. 364 00:23:50,579 –> 00:23:53,500 Lose that, and you lose everything. 365 00:23:54,939 –> 00:23:56,800 You’re just adrift on the sea 366 00:23:56,800 –> 00:23:58,859 of some kind of human search 367 00:23:58,859 –> 00:24:02,400 that never turns up any great result. 368 00:24:02,400 –> 00:24:04,459 So thank God for the word of Christ. 369 00:24:04,459 –> 00:24:06,939 What the word is, why it matters. 370 00:24:06,939 –> 00:24:07,880 Now let me encourage you 371 00:24:07,880 –> 00:24:09,140 as soon as we say, 372 00:24:09,140 –> 00:24:10,959 yeah, that’s what we believe, 373 00:24:10,959 –> 00:24:12,160 the word of Christ. 374 00:24:12,160 –> 00:24:13,339 It really is the word of God. 375 00:24:13,339 –> 00:24:14,699 Let me encourage you now 376 00:24:14,699 –> 00:24:17,560 in what it will produce in your life 377 00:24:17,560 –> 00:24:19,979 if you let the word of Christ dwell 378 00:24:20,520 –> 00:24:21,339 in you richly, 379 00:24:21,339 –> 00:24:23,400 which is what we’re being called to here. 380 00:24:24,719 –> 00:24:25,680 Let me point out five things 381 00:24:25,680 –> 00:24:26,760 just very quickly. 382 00:24:27,680 –> 00:24:29,520 The word of God dwells in you richly. 383 00:24:29,520 –> 00:24:33,260 You will grow in strength against temptation. 384 00:24:33,260 –> 00:24:34,719 And I put this one in today 385 00:24:34,719 –> 00:24:37,420 from First John, chapter two and verse 14, 386 00:24:37,420 –> 00:24:40,800 particularly thinking about back to school 387 00:24:40,800 –> 00:24:42,920 and thinking about our younger people. 388 00:24:42,920 –> 00:24:44,660 So middle school students, 389 00:24:44,660 –> 00:24:45,599 high school students, 390 00:24:45,599 –> 00:24:47,000 folks going off to college. 391 00:24:47,959 –> 00:24:50,040 Listen to this from 1 John 2, 14. 392 00:24:51,400 –> 00:24:54,319 I write to you, young men, 393 00:24:55,839 –> 00:24:57,459 because you are strong 394 00:24:58,819 –> 00:25:03,680 and the word of God abides in you 395 00:25:05,219 –> 00:25:07,060 and you have overcome the evil one. 396 00:25:09,000 –> 00:25:11,619 Here is the Apostle John writing to a church 397 00:25:11,619 –> 00:25:14,439 and he says now I’ve got a word for all the young people. 398 00:25:15,420 –> 00:25:17,040 And here’s what I wanna say. 399 00:25:18,180 –> 00:25:21,619 I am thanking God for young people in this church 400 00:25:21,619 –> 00:25:25,520 who have the word of God that has come into their lives 401 00:25:25,520 –> 00:25:30,300 and it’s abiding in them, that’s the word he uses. 402 00:25:30,300 –> 00:25:32,040 It’s remaining in you. 403 00:25:33,219 –> 00:25:35,619 You’ve not chosen to go to some church 404 00:25:35,619 –> 00:25:38,219 that will entertain you and just put on a program 405 00:25:38,219 –> 00:25:39,719 that’ll tickle your fancy. 406 00:25:39,719 –> 00:25:41,939 You’ve immersed yourself in a place 407 00:25:41,939 –> 00:25:44,339 where the word of God comes into, 408 00:25:45,239 –> 00:25:47,219 and here’s the good that comes from that. 409 00:25:47,219 –> 00:25:49,660 Here’s why it’s a good idea for a family 410 00:25:49,660 –> 00:25:51,579 to root itself in a church 411 00:25:51,579 –> 00:25:53,619 that is serious about the Bible. 412 00:25:55,459 –> 00:25:57,859 Because when the word of God remains in you, 413 00:25:57,859 –> 00:26:01,060 that’s what makes you strong going into the college 414 00:26:01,060 –> 00:26:04,500 or the high school or the middle school that you’re facing. 415 00:26:04,500 –> 00:26:07,780 And even though you’re young, there is strength in you 416 00:26:07,780 –> 00:26:11,420 and it’s being seen in victories over the evil one, 417 00:26:11,420 –> 00:26:14,060 standing in the place of temptation 418 00:26:14,079 –> 00:26:16,319 and what’s enabling you to stand 419 00:26:16,319 –> 00:26:19,000 is that the word of God is remaining within you. 420 00:26:20,060 –> 00:26:21,280 Make a covenant today. 421 00:26:21,280 –> 00:26:23,219 At the beginning of a new school year, 422 00:26:23,219 –> 00:26:25,459 I’m gonna take in the word of God every day, 423 00:26:25,459 –> 00:26:27,319 I’m gonna dripfeed it into my life, 424 00:26:27,319 –> 00:26:29,699 I’m gonna give it priority every Sunday 425 00:26:29,699 –> 00:26:32,239 and I’m going to give a space for it everyday 426 00:26:32,239 –> 00:26:34,959 so that the word of God dwells richly in me 427 00:26:34,959 –> 00:26:37,060 because I need to be strengthened by that 428 00:26:37,060 –> 00:26:39,660 if I’m going to stand in the pressures 429 00:26:39,660 –> 00:26:42,119 of the environment in which God is sending me. 430 00:26:42,920 –> 00:26:45,359 But I give you this promise right out of the word of God, 431 00:26:45,359 –> 00:26:46,479 this is what it’s saying that 432 00:26:46,479 –> 00:26:48,140 if the word of God dwells in you richly, 433 00:26:48,140 –> 00:26:50,500 you will be able to stand against temptation 434 00:26:50,500 –> 00:26:51,680 and if you’re the kind of person 435 00:26:51,680 –> 00:26:53,079 that really cracks a Bible open, 436 00:26:53,079 –> 00:26:54,459 don’t be surprised if you’re falling 437 00:26:54,459 –> 00:26:56,660 for temptation all the time. 438 00:26:56,660 –> 00:27:00,319 There’s a connection, there something you can do, 439 00:27:00,319 –> 00:27:02,699 you can let the word of God dwell in you richly, 440 00:27:02,699 –> 00:27:03,680 if you’re not doing that, 441 00:27:03,680 –> 00:27:05,380 I want to give you encouragement today. 442 00:27:05,380 –> 00:27:07,319 Here’s how you can grow in strength. 443 00:27:08,260 –> 00:27:12,260 Second, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly 444 00:27:12,260 –> 00:27:14,439 and you will grow in effectiveness in prayer. 445 00:27:14,439 –> 00:27:17,680 How would you rate the effectiveness of your prayer life? 446 00:27:19,160 –> 00:27:20,920 How could you grow in prayer? 447 00:27:21,880 –> 00:27:24,680 Listen to what Jesus says in John chapter 15. 448 00:27:24,680 –> 00:27:27,599 If you abide in me and watch for it 449 00:27:27,599 –> 00:27:31,859 and my words abide in you, 450 00:27:32,760 –> 00:27:36,140 then ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. 451 00:27:36,300 –> 00:27:37,660 Do you notice what Jesus says? 452 00:27:37,660 –> 00:27:41,280 Effectiveness of prayer arises directly 453 00:27:41,280 –> 00:27:44,780 from the word abiding in your soul. 454 00:27:44,780 –> 00:27:47,439 If my word abides in you, 455 00:27:47,439 –> 00:27:50,300 then effective prayer is going to come out of that. 456 00:27:51,180 –> 00:27:54,680 So how important is it that you should be able 457 00:27:54,680 –> 00:27:56,619 to pray effectively for your children, 458 00:27:56,619 –> 00:27:59,859 your grandchildren, your spouse, your colleagues, 459 00:27:59,859 –> 00:28:02,060 your unconverted friends? 460 00:28:02,060 –> 00:28:03,979 How much does it matter that you should have 461 00:28:03,979 –> 00:28:05,780 an effective ministry of prayer? 462 00:28:05,780 –> 00:28:07,219 Here’s how you can have it. 463 00:28:07,219 –> 00:28:09,359 The Word of God abides in you, 464 00:28:09,359 –> 00:28:11,300 effective prayer will come out of that. 465 00:28:12,560 –> 00:28:14,640 The kind of person that rarely cracks a Bible open 466 00:28:14,640 –> 00:28:16,660 in the course of a week probably isn’t much prayer 467 00:28:16,660 –> 00:28:18,239 that’s coming out of you either. 468 00:28:19,680 –> 00:28:23,800 Number three, you will grow in wisdom and in discernment. 469 00:28:23,800 –> 00:28:26,739 I’m coming back to Colossians 316 here. 470 00:28:26,739 –> 00:28:29,359 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, 471 00:28:29,359 –> 00:28:32,640 teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom. 472 00:28:33,579 –> 00:28:35,380 How am I to navigate my way 473 00:28:35,380 –> 00:28:37,599 through the complexities of life? 474 00:28:38,900 –> 00:28:43,000 How am I to find my way in all of the difficulties 475 00:28:43,000 –> 00:28:45,439 of the environment that I now face? 476 00:28:46,560 –> 00:28:49,239 The answer to these questions is in one word in the Bible, 477 00:28:49,239 –> 00:28:50,459 it’s the word wisdom. 478 00:28:51,319 –> 00:28:54,140 And the best way to cultivate wisdom 479 00:28:54,140 –> 00:28:56,400 and to become a wise and discerning person 480 00:28:56,400 –> 00:28:58,300 who’s able to navigate your way in life 481 00:28:58,300 –> 00:29:02,520 is to go on thinking God’s thoughts after him. 482 00:29:02,520 –> 00:29:04,439 Which is what happens when the scripture’s 483 00:29:04,439 –> 00:29:07,000 having an entrance daily into your life 484 00:29:07,000 –> 00:29:10,500 and it’s remaining in your mind and in your heart. 485 00:29:11,439 –> 00:29:12,760 It shapes wisdom. 486 00:29:13,800 –> 00:29:16,260 It’ll keep you from foolish choices. 487 00:29:17,439 –> 00:29:18,839 That’s how it happens. 488 00:29:19,719 –> 00:29:22,579 Number four, you will grow in usefulness to others. 489 00:29:22,579 –> 00:29:24,920 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. 490 00:29:24,920 –> 00:29:27,780 Teaching and admonishing one another. 491 00:29:27,780 –> 00:29:31,319 Here’s a beautiful picture of a healthy church. 492 00:29:31,479 –> 00:29:34,420 Here are people in whom the Son of God lives 493 00:29:35,199 –> 00:29:37,839 and now the word of God is coming into them 494 00:29:37,839 –> 00:29:40,119 and dwelling richly in their hearts, 495 00:29:40,119 –> 00:29:42,000 and now they’re interacting in the course 496 00:29:42,000 –> 00:29:44,599 of real life together and someone says, 497 00:29:44,599 –> 00:29:47,160 you know, I’m really struggling with what’s 498 00:29:47,160 –> 00:29:49,880 happening with my 13-year-old daughter or whatever it is, 499 00:29:49,880 –> 00:29:51,819 and then someone else says, you know, 500 00:29:51,819 –> 00:29:54,760 here’s the principle that I found in the scriptures 501 00:29:54,760 –> 00:29:57,040 that I tried to apply in that situation 502 00:29:57,040 –> 00:30:00,000 and there’s teaching that’s going on, 503 00:30:00,000 –> 00:30:03,420 helping each other to apply the word of God 504 00:30:04,380 –> 00:30:07,599 to the particular situations and circumstances 505 00:30:07,599 –> 00:30:08,880 of people in the group. 506 00:30:10,239 –> 00:30:13,119 Now that can only happen when the folks within 507 00:30:13,119 –> 00:30:15,459 the group are letting the word of God dwell 508 00:30:15,459 –> 00:30:17,400 richly in their own lives. 509 00:30:17,400 –> 00:30:19,800 Then they’re able to minister to one another 510 00:30:19,800 –> 00:30:21,560 and teach and admonish one another. 511 00:30:21,560 –> 00:30:23,040 So I challenge you with this, 512 00:30:23,040 –> 00:30:26,160 think how much more useful you might be 513 00:30:26,199 –> 00:30:30,920 to other believers if the word of God 514 00:30:30,920 –> 00:30:33,420 was dwelling in you more richly. 515 00:30:35,839 –> 00:30:38,000 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, 516 00:30:38,000 –> 00:30:39,760 it will increase your usefulness to others 517 00:30:39,760 –> 00:30:41,560 and it will bring into your heart 518 00:30:41,560 –> 00:30:43,599 growing joy and thanksgiving, 519 00:30:43,599 –> 00:30:44,579 which is right here. 520 00:30:44,579 –> 00:30:46,880 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly 521 00:30:46,880 –> 00:30:48,000 and what comes out of that? 522 00:30:48,000 –> 00:30:51,079 Singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs 523 00:30:51,079 –> 00:30:53,520 and all with thankfulness to the Lord. 524 00:30:53,520 –> 00:30:55,479 You let the word of God dwell in you richly, 525 00:30:55,540 –> 00:30:57,939 you’re gonna be more thankful than you’ve been 526 00:30:59,439 –> 00:31:01,680 and you’re gonna have greater joy as well. 527 00:31:03,479 –> 00:31:06,359 Now understand what we’re being told here 528 00:31:06,359 –> 00:31:09,319 that a rich diet of the word of God 529 00:31:09,319 –> 00:31:12,319 running through a believers life 530 00:31:12,319 –> 00:31:15,719 is the way in which spiritual life is fed 531 00:31:15,719 –> 00:31:20,599 and it is nourished and the way in which it grows. 532 00:31:22,680 –> 00:31:24,640 And just to underline this, 533 00:31:24,839 –> 00:31:26,300 let me put it this way. 534 00:31:26,300 –> 00:31:31,119 Please understand that when the question 535 00:31:31,119 –> 00:31:33,199 where does spiritual life come from 536 00:31:33,199 –> 00:31:35,939 and how is spiritual life nourished and so forth, 537 00:31:35,939 –> 00:31:37,400 when that question is asked, 538 00:31:37,400 –> 00:31:39,439 there are three very, very different answers 539 00:31:39,439 –> 00:31:40,479 that are out there 540 00:31:41,719 –> 00:31:44,040 and it’s really important to distinguish them. 541 00:31:45,359 –> 00:31:46,880 Where does spiritual life come from? 542 00:31:46,880 –> 00:31:50,060 How is spiritual life nourished? 543 00:31:50,060 –> 00:31:52,400 Let me give you the answer of the cults. 544 00:31:53,400 –> 00:31:57,160 The answer of the cults is it’s in the people around you. 545 00:31:58,540 –> 00:32:00,459 That’s why the cults always say 546 00:32:00,459 –> 00:32:03,599 if you really want spiritual life you’ve got to join us. 547 00:32:03,599 –> 00:32:06,239 You’ve got to be in our group 548 00:32:06,239 –> 00:32:10,020 because the spiritual life lies in this particular group 549 00:32:10,020 –> 00:32:11,459 and it doesn’t lie anywhere else, 550 00:32:11,459 –> 00:32:12,900 it lies in the people around you. 551 00:32:12,900 –> 00:32:14,119 That’s the answer of the cults. 552 00:32:14,119 –> 00:32:16,260 You don’t want to go there. 553 00:32:16,260 –> 00:32:18,439 It also, by the way, was the answer of the Pharisees 554 00:32:18,439 –> 00:32:21,140 and too many evangelical Christians 555 00:32:21,140 –> 00:32:23,260 have had the idea that somehow spiritual life 556 00:32:23,260 –> 00:32:25,060 lies in other people being around us. 557 00:32:25,060 –> 00:32:26,579 Being connected to other people 558 00:32:26,579 –> 00:32:29,260 will not be a source of spiritual life. 559 00:32:30,260 –> 00:32:31,760 That’s not what it comes from. 560 00:32:31,760 –> 00:32:33,099 Oh, it may be a helpful thing 561 00:32:33,099 –> 00:32:33,979 that is a one another 562 00:32:33,979 –> 00:32:35,380 but that’s not what it comes from. 563 00:32:35,380 –> 00:32:38,119 Being connected won’t give you spiritual life, 564 00:32:39,479 –> 00:32:40,939 not in and of itself, 565 00:32:42,619 –> 00:32:43,839 not in those around you, 566 00:32:43,839 –> 00:32:46,920 then there’s the answer of secular psychology 567 00:32:46,920 –> 00:32:48,839 which is of course that spiritual life 568 00:32:48,839 –> 00:32:50,839 all flows from the instincts that are within you. 569 00:32:50,900 –> 00:32:52,699 So you go with that, 570 00:32:52,699 –> 00:32:54,540 you end up on a long, long journey 571 00:32:54,540 –> 00:32:56,099 trawling through everything you’ve ever thought 572 00:32:56,099 –> 00:32:57,859 or felt and all this kind of stuff, 573 00:32:57,859 –> 00:33:00,160 looking for all the answers inside of you. 574 00:33:01,520 –> 00:33:03,479 And what a long journey that is 575 00:33:04,579 –> 00:33:05,760 and how discouraging. 576 00:33:07,520 –> 00:33:09,699 But the Christian answer is not to see 577 00:33:09,699 –> 00:33:12,959 that spiritual life is found in the people around you 578 00:33:12,959 –> 00:33:15,599 nor in the instincts that lie within you 579 00:33:15,599 –> 00:33:17,739 which are a very great mixture indeed. 580 00:33:17,819 –> 00:33:18,739 That’s true. 581 00:33:19,780 –> 00:33:22,500 But that spiritual life is found and it is nourished 582 00:33:22,500 –> 00:33:25,800 and it grows in the word of God that is before you. 583 00:33:25,800 –> 00:33:28,839 You are born again through the living 584 00:33:28,839 –> 00:33:31,260 and enduring word of God. 585 00:33:31,260 –> 00:33:34,640 A man or a woman shall not live by bread alone 586 00:33:34,640 –> 00:33:38,400 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 587 00:33:38,400 –> 00:33:40,900 That’s true for you, Jesus says that. 588 00:33:42,579 –> 00:33:46,300 Sanctify them by your truth, says the Lord Jesus 589 00:33:46,300 –> 00:33:51,300 to the father, your word is truth. 590 00:33:52,939 –> 00:33:55,380 So my question then, as we come to the last part 591 00:33:55,380 –> 00:33:58,260 in these very last moments, our responsibility to the Word, 592 00:33:58,260 –> 00:33:59,739 we’ve seen what it is and why it matters 593 00:33:59,739 –> 00:34:01,939 and what it produces, what it does, 594 00:34:03,540 –> 00:34:06,760 does the word of God dwell richly in you? 595 00:34:08,419 –> 00:34:13,179 Dwell, remain, have an honored place, richly, 596 00:34:13,219 –> 00:34:14,100 richly. 597 00:34:16,219 –> 00:34:17,959 Not a little, but a lot. 598 00:34:19,540 –> 00:34:24,120 In any congregation, dear friends, in any congregation, 599 00:34:25,659 –> 00:34:28,399 the same seed of the word of God 600 00:34:29,459 –> 00:34:33,459 produces very different results in different lives. 601 00:34:35,020 –> 00:34:37,679 With some people, it’s like the seed just lands 602 00:34:37,679 –> 00:34:39,580 on their life and it’s gone by the time 603 00:34:39,580 –> 00:34:41,580 they’re out the door, it doesn’t remain. 604 00:34:41,620 –> 00:34:43,919 Satan picks it up and off to the next thing. 605 00:34:45,899 –> 00:34:47,419 Back next week, same thing. 606 00:34:49,300 –> 00:34:52,899 The greatest tragedies is to sit under a ministry 607 00:34:52,899 –> 00:34:54,760 of the word of God week in week out, 608 00:34:54,760 –> 00:34:56,860 to grow up under it, and for the word of God 609 00:34:56,860 –> 00:34:59,780 not to be in you or to remain in you, 610 00:34:59,780 –> 00:35:00,979 or to be rich in you. 611 00:35:02,979 –> 00:35:05,379 Then you remember how Jesus put it for other people, 612 00:35:05,379 –> 00:35:07,639 the seed does land, and it does get started, 613 00:35:07,639 –> 00:35:08,860 and it does produce something, 614 00:35:08,860 –> 00:35:10,620 but it’s just crowded out. 615 00:35:11,280 –> 00:35:12,739 You say, I’m a Christian. 616 00:35:12,739 –> 00:35:15,219 But this isn’t the thing that’s most important to you. 617 00:35:15,219 –> 00:35:17,159 This isn’t really where your heart is. 618 00:35:19,639 –> 00:35:21,020 It’s just all crowded out. 619 00:35:23,580 –> 00:35:25,340 Then says Jesus, there are others, 620 00:35:25,340 –> 00:35:26,780 like the well-plowed field, 621 00:35:26,780 –> 00:35:30,100 and the seed of the word of God comes into your life, 622 00:35:30,100 –> 00:35:32,300 and it produces an abundant harvest. 623 00:35:34,219 –> 00:35:38,239 It can be 30 and it can be 60 and it can be 100 fold, 624 00:35:38,239 –> 00:35:40,320 and you look at lives over years and you say, 625 00:35:40,320 –> 00:35:42,320 look at what God has done. 626 00:35:44,719 –> 00:35:47,439 Is the word of God dwelling richly in you? 627 00:35:49,020 –> 00:35:51,139 Producing this wonderful fruit? 628 00:35:53,179 –> 00:35:55,959 I encourage you, determined to make the most 629 00:35:55,959 –> 00:36:00,959 of every Sunday, we gather to feast around the word of God 630 00:36:01,840 –> 00:36:04,479 and to nourish strength of faith 631 00:36:04,479 –> 00:36:07,219 to face the realities of life together. 632 00:36:08,760 –> 00:36:11,600 And be part of a life group. 633 00:36:11,600 –> 00:36:15,260 And keep your life group focused on the word of God. 634 00:36:15,260 –> 00:36:17,919 And agree together within your life group, 635 00:36:17,919 –> 00:36:20,879 let’s be the kind of group that really does practice 636 00:36:20,879 –> 00:36:24,500 teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom 637 00:36:24,500 –> 00:36:26,919 as the word of God dwells in us richly. 638 00:36:26,919 –> 00:36:27,879 Let’s do that. 639 00:36:27,879 –> 00:36:31,500 Let’s be that kind of people and that kind of church. 640 00:36:31,500 –> 00:36:33,479 And in order to do that, 641 00:36:34,879 –> 00:36:36,820 maybe you’ll make a commitment today and say you know, 642 00:36:36,820 –> 00:36:39,600 I need to get the Bible open every day in my life 643 00:36:39,600 –> 00:36:41,679 and take something from the word of God 644 00:36:41,679 –> 00:36:43,659 and start feeding myself on it 645 00:36:43,659 –> 00:36:46,360 cause I need more of this wonderful fruit 646 00:36:46,360 –> 00:36:49,760 that is coming from the word of God in my life. 647 00:36:49,760 –> 00:36:54,760 Let friends, the word of Christ dwell in you richly, 648 00:36:57,500 –> 00:36:58,560 richly. 649 00:36:58,560 –> 00:37:01,899 Father, we are so grateful 650 00:37:02,500 –> 00:37:07,500 that You have spoken and made Yourself known. 651 00:37:09,399 –> 00:37:13,620 In scripture and in Your son the word made flesh, 652 00:37:13,620 –> 00:37:16,820 we would be on an endless search 653 00:37:16,820 –> 00:37:19,879 that would never turn up that right result 654 00:37:19,879 –> 00:37:23,739 if we were just left trying to figure our way out to You. 655 00:37:23,739 –> 00:37:25,979 Thank You that in love and in mercy 656 00:37:25,979 –> 00:37:28,199 You have made Yourself known to us. 657 00:37:29,120 –> 00:37:32,780 Let Your word dwell in my life richly, 658 00:37:33,679 –> 00:37:36,040 producing this wonderful fruit I pray, 659 00:37:36,040 –> 00:37:40,159 sustaining within me and nourishing spiritual life 660 00:37:40,159 –> 00:37:43,500 in the soul for Your glory and honor, 661 00:37:43,500 –> 00:37:45,340 Lord, hear my prayer. 662 00:37:45,340 –> 00:37:47,820 In Jesus name, amen. 663 00:37:50,699 –> 00:37:51,959 You’ve been listening to a sermon 664 00:37:51,959 –> 00:37:54,360 with Pastor Colin Smith of Open The Bible. 665 00:37:54,399 –> 00:37:59,360 To contact us, call us at 1-877-OPEN-365 666 00:38:00,500 –> 00:38:02,500 or visit our website, openthebible.org.