100:00:00,000 –> 00:00:11,320When God says, do not be overcome by evil. The plain implication of the fact that he200:00:11,320 –> 00:00:17,219says that is that this is something that can happen. Something that does happen and that300:00:17,219 –> 00:00:18,320he’s saying to his people,400:00:18,320 –> 00:00:20,260make sure that it does not happen to you.500:00:20,940 –> 00:00:24,860Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I am David Pick. Glad you could be600:00:24,860 –> 00:00:29,740with us today. And Colin, most people listening today I think will be thinking, I don’t want700:00:29,760 –> 00:00:34,240that to happen. But also some may be thinking, how do I make sure?800:00:34,240 –> 00:00:37,720Well, there’s multiple ways in which it does happen. Let me give just one example.900:00:37,720 –> 00:00:45,660I mean it is possible, for example, to absorb wall to wall news coverage and to end up absolutely1000:00:45,660 –> 00:00:50,939in the grip of fear for a Christian to be in the grip of fear in a way that is perhaps1100:00:50,939 –> 00:00:53,639even more than is the case with other people in the world.1200:00:53,759 –> 00:00:56,660And what is that but to be overcome by evil?1300:00:56,680 –> 00:01:03,900So there’s one example of a very simple way in which all that is around us can end up1400:01:03,900 –> 00:01:04,919overcoming us.1500:01:04,919 –> 00:01:08,519And the Lord is saying to us, do not be overcome by evil.1600:01:08,519 –> 00:01:13,980Instead of being overtaken by fear and by a sense of gloom and pessimism with everything1700:01:13,980 –> 00:01:19,739that is around us, we’re those who are called to point the way of faith in the Lord Jesus1800:01:19,739 –> 00:01:22,279Christ and putting our confidence in Him.1900:01:22,400 –> 00:01:26,040So we’re learning how to do that and we’re learning it together from Roman and chapter 12.2000:01:26,040 –> 00:01:30,879So join us today if you can, as Colin just said, in Romans and chapter 12 as we continue2100:01:30,900 –> 00:01:33,580the message Overcoming evil with good.2200:01:33,580 –> 00:01:34,500Here’s Colin.2300:01:34,500 –> 00:01:40,660Shortly after the book of Romans was written, false charges were brought against the apostle2400:01:40,660 –> 00:01:43,660Paul in a place called Caesarea.2500:01:43,660 –> 00:01:45,900And he was arrested.2600:01:45,900 –> 00:01:51,919Serious charges that people wanted the death penalty should be applied to him.2700:01:52,120 –> 00:01:55,940They wanted to stop him from preaching the gospel.2800:01:55,940 –> 00:02:02,459But Paul was a Roman citizen and so any Roman citizen who was charged with a crime had the2900:02:02,459 –> 00:02:07,519right of appeal to be tried in Rome itself, rather than in one the provinces that had3000:02:07,519 –> 00:02:10,100been conquered by Rome.3100:02:10,100 –> 00:02:16,360And so, having been arrested, the Apostle Paul said, and this is recorded in Acts 25,3200:02:16,360 –> 00:02:20,039I appeal to Caesar.3300:02:20,039 –> 00:02:24,679And the local governor, Manbathanam of Festus, said to him, well, to Caesar you have appealed3400:02:24,679 –> 00:02:26,580and to Caesar, you will go.3500:02:26,580 –> 00:02:29,479And so, you can read this at the end of the Book of Acts.3600:02:29,479 –> 00:02:34,679What followed was that Paul was taken by an armed guard, on a ship, to Rome, the ship3700:02:34,679 –> 00:02:35,699got shipwrecked.3800:02:35,699 –> 00:02:41,279But finally, in the last chapter of Acts, the Apostle Paul actually arrives in Rome3900:02:41,279 –> 00:02:43,800itself.4000:02:43,800 –> 00:02:50,479And the Book of Acts ends with two years in which we’re told Paul was effectively under4100:02:50,479 –> 00:02:59,119a kind of house arrest in Rome, and these would have been the years 60 and 61.4200:02:59,119 –> 00:03:06,199Two years after that, we know that the Apostle Peter was in Rome, and while he was there,4300:03:06,199 –> 00:03:11,539he wrote what we have in the New Testament, the first letter of Peter.4400:03:11,600 –> 00:03:17,259Removed by the Holy Spirit while he was in Rome, he writes these words, chapter 4 and4500:03:17,259 –> 00:03:18,259verse 12.4600:03:18,259 –> 00:03:27,979—Do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you.4700:03:27,979 –> 00:03:33,119Now he speaks prophetically there, surely, the fiery trial, when it comes upon you, there’s4800:03:33,119 –> 00:03:36,979going to be a fiery trial, he says.4900:03:37,240 –> 00:03:38,419That’s AD 63.5000:03:38,419 –> 00:03:40,779What happened one year later?5100:03:40,779 –> 00:03:42,279The great fire of Rome.5200:03:42,279 –> 00:03:45,660Rome, the whole city, set ablaze.5300:03:45,660 –> 00:03:51,139And the Roman historian Tacitus records there were fourteen precincts in the city.5400:03:51,139 –> 00:03:53,899Only four of them were unaffected.5500:03:53,899 –> 00:03:57,539The rest of the city utterly devastated.5600:03:57,539 –> 00:04:03,660And Tacitus also records that at the very time that Rome burned, Nero got on his platform5700:04:03,660 –> 00:04:04,740and was singing.5800:04:05,380 –> 00:04:06,940He was happy about this.5900:04:06,940 –> 00:04:07,940Why?6000:04:07,940 –> 00:04:12,539Because the fire was giving the opportunity for the building of a grander and more glorious6100:04:12,539 –> 00:04:13,539city.6200:04:13,539 –> 00:04:18,040And that’s, by the way, where you get the phrase fiddling while Rome burns, because6300:04:18,040 –> 00:04:21,500he was rejoicing while the city was being destroyed…6400:04:21,500 –> 00:04:22,720Extraordinary thing.6500:04:22,720 –> 00:04:29,339Now, of course, people perceived and quickly got that actually Nero himself was behind6600:04:29,339 –> 00:04:34,660the fire and that was widely believed and widely spread around.6700:04:34,660 –> 00:04:41,380And so Nero needed a scapegoat, someone else to blame for starting this fire.6800:04:41,380 –> 00:04:46,859And the scapegoat that he chose was Christians.6900:04:46,859 –> 00:04:53,140Now, the Roman historian Tacitus, again, no friend of Christianity, records and I quote7000:04:53,140 –> 00:04:55,500his exact words.7100:04:56,059 –> 00:05:05,059To scotch the rumor, Nero substituted as culprits and punished with the utmost refinements of7200:05:05,059 –> 00:05:11,640cruelty a class of men whom the crowd styled Christians.7300:05:11,640 –> 00:05:21,500Christus, from whom they got their name, had been executed by the sentence of the procurator7400:05:22,179 –> 00:05:26,399Pilate when Tiberius was the emperor.7500:05:26,399 –> 00:05:31,839First, then, those who confessed themselves Christians were arrested.7600:05:31,839 –> 00:05:42,200Next, on their disclosures, a vast multitude were convicted, not so much on the charge7700:05:42,200 –> 00:05:47,660of arson, because there wasn’t any evidence whatsoever that any of them were involved7800:05:47,839 –> 00:05:48,839in the fire.7900:05:48,839 –> 00:05:50,320None of then were.8000:05:50,320 –> 00:06:00,100A vast multitude of them were convicted, not so much on the charge of arson, but for hatred8100:06:00,100 –> 00:06:03,700of the human race.8200:06:03,700 –> 00:06:05,880Oh!8300:06:05,880 –> 00:06:09,299Any echoes coming to your mind there?8400:06:09,299 –> 00:06:13,140You see, the Christians weren’t going in the direction of the culture, and so what8500:06:13,140 –> 00:06:14,440did the culture say about them?8600:06:14,480 –> 00:06:18,079You folks must be haters.8700:06:18,079 –> 00:06:22,100You must just be people who hate everyone else.8800:06:22,100 –> 00:06:25,799You must be haters of the human race, and if you’re haters of the human race, there’s8900:06:25,799 –> 00:06:28,359no place for you here in the human race.9000:06:28,359 –> 00:06:31,359I continue to quote Tacitus.9100:06:31,359 –> 00:06:34,579Their death was made a matter of sport.9200:06:34,579 –> 00:06:40,220They were covered in wild beasts’ skins and torn to pieces by dogs, or were fastened9300:06:40,359 –> 00:06:47,279to crosses and set to fire in order to serve as torches by night when daylight failed.9400:06:47,279 –> 00:06:55,100Hence, and this is Tacitus, the Roman historian, hence there arose a feeling of pity.9500:06:55,100 –> 00:07:02,880Ordinary people had pity towards Christians because it was felt that they were being sacrificed9600:07:02,920 –> 00:07:11,320not for the common good, but to gratify the savagery of one man.9700:07:11,320 –> 00:07:14,420Now notice how quickly the world changed for Christians.9800:07:14,420 –> 00:07:20,119In the late fifties, Paul could say, I appeal to Caesar and be very confident that if he9900:07:20,119 –> 00:07:27,239was in Rome, even under a bad Emperor, the Roman system of justice was sufficiently strong10000:07:27,239 –> 00:07:30,339that it could protect his liberty to preach the Gospel.10100:07:31,179 –> 00:07:35,739He said, I’ll be tried there, I’ll get a fair trial there.10200:07:35,739 –> 00:07:40,600Within about six years, five or six years, of the Apostle Paul saying that, what do you10300:07:40,600 –> 00:07:41,600have?10400:07:41,600 –> 00:07:44,859You have Christians being thrown into the lions in Rome.10500:07:44,859 –> 00:07:48,540And here is where it comes home for us today because you’ll have heard many resonances10600:07:48,540 –> 00:07:50,619in the account that I have given to you.10700:07:50,619 –> 00:07:57,820When you find yourself saying it seems that our freedoms are under threat, when you find10800:07:58,799 –> 00:08:05,600saying that morality as we have known it, seems to be swept away, remember this, Friends,10900:08:05,600 –> 00:08:09,380Christians have been here before!11000:08:09,380 –> 00:08:11,720The church has been here before and you know what?11100:08:11,720 –> 00:08:18,000The church is alive and well today and the Roman Empire is not, remember that.11200:08:18,000 –> 00:08:22,119You’re listening to Open The Bible With Pastor Colin Smith and a message called overcoming11300:08:22,119 –> 00:08:23,739evil with good.11400:08:23,739 –> 00:08:27,700Don’t forget if you ever miss one of pastor Colin’s messages or if you want to go back11500:08:27,700 –> 00:08:28,859and listen again.11600:08:28,859 –> 00:08:34,359You can do that by coming online to our website.11700:08:34,359 –> 00:08:37,739There you’ll find all the messages which have already been broadcast.11800:08:37,739 –> 00:08:42,080You can also find them as a podcast and those are on all the main podcast sites you’ll find11900:08:42,080 –> 00:08:45,739them by searching for Open The Bible UK.12000:08:45,739 –> 00:08:48,260Back to the message now we’re in Romans 12.12100:08:48,260 –> 00:08:49,580Here’s Colin.12200:08:49,580 –> 00:08:56,979Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.12300:08:57,340 –> 00:09:01,299What I want you to see as we take this journey through Romans in chapter 12 then12400:09:01,299 –> 00:09:05,940over these weeks is that these are the very words of God that were spoken to12500:09:05,940 –> 00:09:10,979His own people after they had endured all the excess of Caligula and while12600:09:11,780 –> 00:09:15,679they were in the middle of the nightmare of Nero.12700:09:15,679 –> 00:09:20,200How were Christians to respond to days of rapid social change?12800:09:20,200 –> 00:09:25,039What does God say to them and therefore what by definition does He say to us as we face12900:09:25,059 –> 00:09:29,000particular challenges today? Here we have it, the Living Word of God.13000:09:29,000 –> 00:09:34,799Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.13100:09:36,260 –> 00:09:42,260Now, these words are a kind of summary, the bottom line that sums up everything13200:09:42,260 –> 00:09:47,260that has been said from verse 9 through to verse 21 and if you look back to verse 913300:09:47,260 –> 00:09:53,340you’ll see that these verses are almost like bookends on the Word of God13400:09:54,159 –> 00:09:59,200to direct his people at this time. They say almost exactly the same thing you13500:09:59,200 –> 00:10:05,739see verse 9, abhor what is evil and cling to what is good verse 21 do not be13600:10:05,739 –> 00:10:13,140overcome by evil but overcome evil with good. So, although this last statement13700:10:13,140 –> 00:10:17,619because it is a kind of summary statement I’m regarding it almost as a13800:10:17,619 –> 00:10:21,739headline at this is what the whole section is about and what we’re going to13900:10:21,859 –> 00:10:27,140look at over these weeks is an unpacking of what it looks like to overcome evil14000:10:27,140 –> 00:10:36,059with good. Now, notice that in this wonderful Word From God, there are two14100:10:36,059 –> 00:10:42,919possibilities quite clearly announced. The first is that it is possible to be14200:10:43,119 –> 00:10:53,580overcome by evil. When God says, do not be overcome by evil, the plain implication14300:10:53,580 –> 00:10:58,260of the fact that he says that is that this is something that can happen,14400:10:58,260 –> 00:11:02,640something that does happen, and that he’s saying to his people, make sure that it14500:11:02,640 –> 00:11:12,140does not happen to you. Do not be overcome by evil. Now, what would it look14600:11:12,340 –> 00:11:18,739like for a person to be overcome by evil? Let me give you some examples. Here is a14700:11:18,739 –> 00:11:26,659person who at home fills her mind and her heart with the drip-feed fear14800:11:26,659 –> 00:11:34,419mongering of the news channels. It’s always on in her house, and over time,14900:11:34,419 –> 00:11:37,619though she doesn’t really notice it herself, she becomes increasingly weighed15000:11:37,859 –> 00:11:42,640down, more and more burdened, more and more gripped by fear. It’s all in her15100:11:42,640 –> 00:11:48,500conversation, and gradually she loses her peace and she loses her joy. What is that15200:11:48,500 –> 00:11:55,219but to be overcome by evil? To so subject yourself to a drip-feed of fear15300:11:55,219 –> 00:11:59,780mongering that you actually imbibe and become a kind of embodiment of fear15400:11:59,780 –> 00:12:05,960yourself. That is to be overcome by evil. Don’t let that happen to you. Here is a15500:12:05,960 –> 00:12:11,599student on a sports team at school. Most of the team are pursuing a completely15600:12:11,599 –> 00:12:16,219different lifestyle from what this lad has learned at the home in which he’s15700:12:16,219 –> 00:12:20,280been raised, but he feels a lot of pressure to conform now that he’s on the15800:12:20,280 –> 00:12:26,479team. So he goes to the parties and he tries the drugs, and he experiments in15900:12:26,479 –> 00:12:33,760different ways with sex, and what is that but to be overcome by evil? Here is a16000:12:34,320 –> 00:12:42,739work. The culture is brutal in this company. It’s dog-eat-dog in this16100:12:42,739 –> 00:12:49,580business. It’s devour or be devoured. Pride fills the air in that office.16200:12:49,580 –> 00:12:54,840Cynicism is rife, understanding and compassion are hardly to be found, and16300:12:54,840 –> 00:12:59,960over time, as you work in that environment, almost unnoticed there is a16400:13:00,039 –> 00:13:05,719growing hardness and a growing cynicism that is creeping into your own heart.16500:13:05,719 –> 00:13:12,719What is that but to be overcome by evil? I mean, I ask you, please think about this16600:13:12,719 –> 00:13:19,960with me. What evil have you suffered in your life that might threaten to16700:13:19,960 –> 00:13:30,219overcome you? Have you suffered violence? Have you been discriminated against? Have16800:13:30,219 –> 00:13:39,140you been abused? Verbally, physically, sexually? As I’ve been preparing for16900:13:39,140 –> 00:13:43,039today, I’ve been thinking about and praying again for people whose names and17000:13:43,039 –> 00:13:48,520faces come to mind. In this congregation, members of The Orchard, who have been17100:13:48,520 –> 00:13:54,320scarred by neglect or abuse from parents who should have loved them? I think of17200:13:54,320 –> 00:14:03,140people who have been wrongfully accused, falsely accused, wrongfully imprisoned,17300:14:03,140 –> 00:14:07,340and I think of people in our own congregation whose own loved ones have17400:14:07,340 –> 00:14:16,479been violently killed. These are great evils. Now whatever is the greatest evil17500:14:16,599 –> 00:14:21,919in your life, the greatest evil that you have experienced and encountered, you17600:14:21,919 –> 00:14:26,020will know that the toughest challenge you face is to make sure that it does not17700:14:26,020 –> 00:14:36,400overcome you. How easy it would be to live off a hatred of a person who has done17800:14:36,400 –> 00:14:43,520this or that to you. How easy it would be to move through life with a kind of inner17900:14:43,559 –> 00:14:50,619rage that never really is at peace. How easy it would be to move through life18000:14:50,619 –> 00:14:56,260with the wounds that you have experienced, defining you so that you18100:14:56,260 –> 00:15:00,760lose confidence to go and do things. So that you lose your peace, and you lose18200:15:00,760 –> 00:15:12,200your joy to be overcome by evil. Do not let that happen to you, God says, because18300:15:12,239 –> 00:15:18,299there is another way that you can go. You don’t have to be overcome by evil18400:15:18,299 –> 00:15:23,539because there is another possibility, there is another path that by His grace18500:15:23,539 –> 00:15:34,239is a possible path for you. Do not be overcome by evil. Here’s what you can do.18600:15:34,239 –> 00:15:41,080Overcome evil with good. Now remember again that the apostle Paul here is18700:15:41,119 –> 00:15:47,059writing to these Christians in Rome under Nero. And you see what he’s saying?18800:15:47,059 –> 00:15:54,500The evils that you have suffered, he’s saying, do not need to define you.18900:15:54,500 –> 00:16:02,000The evils of this culture in which you live do not need to shape you. You can overcome,19000:16:02,000 –> 00:16:08,320overcome, that’s the word he uses, you can overcome what has been done against you19100:16:08,340 –> 00:16:12,359and you can overcome this awful evil that is around you.19200:16:12,359 –> 00:16:17,640So do you see, this is the most marvelous message of hope. This is bringing to us the19300:16:17,640 –> 00:16:24,500light of hope in the darkness of this world. You do not have to be overcome by evil. By19400:16:24,500 –> 00:16:28,200the grace of God, there is another possibility here.19500:16:28,200 –> 00:16:35,200Now, what does it look like to overcome evil with good?19600:16:35,200 –> 00:16:40,320Well, that’s what we’re going to learn together over the next seven weeks. Right?19700:16:40,320 –> 00:16:46,380Because that’s what Romans 12, 9-21 is. It’s an unpacking of what it means, step19800:16:46,380 –> 00:16:53,059by step, to overcome evil with good. So I do hope that you will make the commitment19900:16:53,059 –> 00:16:59,080to be part of this journey and that together, as we immerse ourselves in this wonderful20000:16:59,119 –> 00:17:06,719part of scripture, that God will enable us to overcome our fears and renew our hope,20100:17:06,719 –> 00:17:10,199and that in His great mercy He’ll strengthen our resolve. But I can’t just leave you20200:17:10,199 –> 00:17:13,880there. So let me just, in these last few moments, let me just give you a trailer. Just20300:17:13,880 –> 00:17:20,260a trailer, okay? As to what’s to come. Everything in Romans 12 is written to people20400:17:20,260 –> 00:17:26,079who are in Christ, and notice right at the beginning of the chapter you have the word20500:17:26,199 –> 00:17:33,119therefore. I appeal to you, therefore, brothers. So, everything in Romans 12 is to be read20600:17:33,119 –> 00:17:38,920not only against the awful background of what was happening in Rome, but against the wonderful20700:17:38,920 –> 00:17:44,359background of everything that is taught in Romans chapter 1 through 11. And if you want20800:17:44,359 –> 00:17:50,160a quick summary of everything in Romans chapter 1 through 11, it would be just two words.20900:17:51,060 –> 00:17:56,060In Christ. All the time Paul is talking about that. He talks about the righteousness of21000:17:56,060 –> 00:18:00,880faith that is in Christ Jesus, the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. No condemnation21100:18:00,880 –> 00:18:07,579for those who are in Christ Jesus. He makes it very clear that faith joins you to Jesus21200:18:07,579 –> 00:18:14,420in the bond of a living union. And when you’re joined to Jesus Christ, what you were is buried21300:18:14,420 –> 00:18:19,140because of his death. And now you’re brought into a new life because of his resurrection21400:18:19,339 –> 00:18:23,599in which the power of his Spirit, the Holy Spirit is given to you to give you the hope21500:18:23,599 –> 00:18:29,459of living anew in a different life. Therefore, the evils that you have suffered may define21600:18:29,459 –> 00:18:38,939what you were but if you are in Christ, they cannot possibly define what you are because21700:18:38,939 –> 00:18:46,119what you are is defined by being in Christ. And nothing can separate you from the love21800:18:46,199 –> 00:18:58,479of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. No one ever faced more evil than Jesus did. Think21900:18:58,479 –> 00:19:03,119about the evils that were perpetrated against him. Some of you have been thinking about22000:19:03,119 –> 00:19:07,880the injustice that you have suffered and the great evil that is. Think about the injustice22100:19:07,880 –> 00:19:13,599he suffered. Think about the violence – some of you have thought about the experiences22200:19:13,599 –> 00:19:20,760of violence that have scarred your life. Think about the violence that he suffered. Think22300:19:20,760 –> 00:19:27,359about the physical and verbal abuse that was poured out on him – people mocked him, people22400:19:27,359 –> 00:19:35,520spat on him. They took a stick and they beat him over the head, the scripture says, again22500:19:35,859 –> 00:19:46,540and again. No one ever endured evil in the way that Jesus did, but Jesus was not overcome22600:19:46,540 –> 00:19:56,319by evil. He overcame evil with good. And the good with which he overcame evil – and here’s22700:19:56,319 –> 00:20:03,119where we’re going over these next weeks – the good of faith, that even when he did22800:20:03,319 –> 00:20:11,719not know all that was happening in that darkness. He said, My God, my God, why? There’ll be22900:20:11,719 –> 00:20:15,839times when in the darkness you say, God why are you allowing this. What did he do then.23000:20:15,839 –> 00:20:22,160He said, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. So he trusted the Father in the23100:20:22,160 –> 00:20:31,579darkness in the middle of this great torment and all that he did not at that moment grasp.23200:20:31,619 –> 00:20:37,939The good of faith, the good of hope. How did he get through all of that appalling evil23300:20:37,939 –> 00:20:42,979that was unleashed on him? He endured the cross for the joy that was set before him.23400:20:42,979 –> 00:20:47,260That’s how he was able to deal with all the shame. He was able to put it behind him because23500:20:47,260 –> 00:20:52,280he was looking ahead to what would be accomplished the glorious outcome of all that he would23600:20:52,280 –> 00:20:58,959suffer, the gathering together of the entire company of the redeemed. And he overcame this23700:20:58,959 –> 00:21:07,520evil with the good of love. They’re nailing him to the cross and out of agony, what does23800:21:07,520 –> 00:21:16,439he say? Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing. And with compassion,23900:21:16,439 –> 00:21:22,780even in the face of such great evil, he prays to the Father and in that prayer, he creates24000:21:23,459 –> 00:21:31,579a room for evil men to repent.24100:21:31,579 –> 00:21:35,739Now a good response to God’s word today would surely therefore be for everyone of us to24200:21:35,739 –> 00:21:44,819say something like this, Lord, I don’t want to be overcome by evil. I don’t want to be24300:21:44,819 –> 00:21:52,400overcome by the fear of it. I don’t want to be overcome by participation in it. I don’t24400:21:52,760 –> 00:22:01,619want to be defined by the evils I have suffered and I do not want to be shaped by the evils24500:22:01,619 –> 00:22:07,199of this world in which I live. And as you come to that place as we enter on this new24600:22:07,199 –> 00:22:15,739series today, the good news is there is hope for you in Jesus Christ today. Evil did not24700:22:15,739 –> 00:22:27,140overcome him and if this Jesus Christ is for you and with you, and in you, evil will not24800:22:27,140 –> 00:22:33,160overcome you. You’ve been listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and a message24900:22:33,160 –> 00:22:39,900called Overcoming Evil With Good, it’s the first part of our series Overcoming Evil,25000:22:39,900 –> 00:22:43,780and if you ever miss any of the series, don’t forget, you can always catch up or go back25100:22:43,780 –> 00:22:50,540and listen again online. Come to our website, that’s at openthebible.org.uk, or find us25200:22:50,540 –> 00:22:55,680as a podcast, and those are on all the main podcast sites. Search for Open the Bible UK25300:22:55,680 –> 00:23:01,099and subscribe if you want to receive updates. You’ll also find a link to the podcasts25400:23:01,099 –> 00:23:07,219on our website. Also on our website and available as a podcast you’ll find Open the Bible25500:23:07,219 –> 00:23:12,979Daily, and that’s a series of 2 to 3-minute reflections, based on Pastor Colin’s teaching25600:23:12,979 –> 00:23:15,640and read in the UK by Sue MacLeish.25700:24:12,979 –> 00:24:15,459and your energy is exhausted and gone.25800:24:15,660 –> 00:24:16,699He’s going to guard you.25900:24:16,900 –> 00:24:18,099He’s going to sustain you.26000:24:18,300 –> 00:24:23,060Is going to love you all the days of your life and eventually bring you into his26100:24:23,260 –> 00:24:26,579nearer presence. I mean, a month fixing your mind and heart26200:24:26,760 –> 00:24:27,579on Jesus Christ.26300:24:27,579 –> 00:24:28,339The good shepherd.26400:24:28,339 –> 00:24:30,020Is going to renew your strength.26500:24:30,219 –> 00:24:32,180Is going to encourage you greatly.26600:24:32,380 –> 00:24:34,219And that’s what psalm 23 does.26700:24:34,219 –> 00:24:38,180And I think that’s why it’s the one of the best known and best loved chapters26800:24:38,380 –> 00:24:39,540in all of the Bible.26900:24:39,619 –> 00:24:41,219So that’s Pastor Colin Smyth’s27000:24:42,180 –> 00:24:43,859devotion and all green pastures, still waters.27100:24:44,020 –> 00:24:46,73931 days in psalm 23.27200:24:46,939 –> 00:24:51,300And it’s our gift to you if you’re able to set up a new donation to the work of27300:24:51,459 –> 00:24:55,780Open the Bible in the amount of 5£ per month during the course of this month.27400:24:55,979 –> 00:25:00,780Full details on our website, Openthebible.org.uk.27500:25:00,780 –> 00:25:02,540For Open the Bible and Pastor Colin Smith, I’m David Pick.27600:25:02,579 –> 00:25:06,459And I hope you’ll be able to join us again next time.27700:25:12,020 –> 00:25:15,979If you were trying to overcome evil, where would you begin?27800:25:16,180 –> 00:25:19,780Find out what God says next time on Open the Bible.