We would see Jesus

[0:00] John 12, verse 20. John 12, verse 20, it says, And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast.

[0:10] The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee,! And desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Sir, we would see Jesus.

[0:21] Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for the word of God. Thank you, Lord, for our fellowship. Lord, for your grace that you give day by day. Moment by moment. To hearts that put their faith in you.

[0:33] Lord, we thank you for the grace abounding and ever amazing that gives us such peace within. And for the word of God that it enlightens our way.

[0:45] Lord, help us to hear something that will benefit our souls and help us to see you more clearly. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen.

[0:56] Amen. Certain Greeks came and they had desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. I know I've heard it said that on some pulpits there's a plaque or a statement that is placed there for the preacher.

[1:16] That is our desire, isn't it? He is the one we want to see. He is the one we want to receive from tonight. And a question for you.

[1:26] How is your vision? How is your vision? There's some people with glasses here tonight. I know Brother Kangimo surprised me.

[1:36] He had contact lenses on. His eyes were a different colour and I could notice straight away. There's something different about him. He might have contact lenses on that people don't even know about. But how is your vision today?

[1:48] I know sometimes I've got to wear glasses when I'm driving for my longer distance viewing. And some wear them for close-up reading. How is your vision?

[2:02] As a church, we want to have the right vision, don't we? To have our vision right. And by vision I also mean that sense of purpose. Why are we here? Why is this church here?

[2:13] In this place? In this time? In this world? In this community? Why are we here? We want to see Jesus. We want to see Jesus.

[2:24] That ultimately is what we want, isn't it? To see him. To see our Lord. And as a church we want to clearly see him. To see him glorified.

[2:37] To see his way for us. As the body of Christ. As this little local representation of that body of Christ. In this local body. We receive our identity.

[2:49] And our direction. From Christ our head. Christ our head. His will is what motivates us. What drives us. It all revolves around him.

[3:01] The almightiness of God. God. So. So. They said to Philip. We would see Jesus. And ought in that be our prayer.

[3:14] Our hearts cry. To see Jesus. To be a church. With such a vision. A biblical vision. Functioning biblically.

[3:25] A Christ honouring vision. Glorifying him. And our vision is not one. As some churches would trumpet. Of change. And relativism.

[3:36] But a vision. That is 2,000 years old. Amen. I know it was criticised of Spurgeon. Oh you've not moved on with the times. It's like you're back in the. In the bible days.

[3:48] And he said that's where we want to be. We want to be biblical. We want to be back. In the bible days. In the bible ways. In the bible truths. Having the biblical vision.

[3:58] And our holy God has determined. What is reality and truth. He has set what is right. And what is wrong. And we ought to clearly. Understand that. That those things could.

[4:10] Be clear to us. Those things that count. Those things that are eternal. Because they are truly. The permanent. Truths. That the truth does not get redefined.

[4:21] Or revised. It is the truth. The whole truth. Nothing but the truth. And I put to you it's time. The church repented.

[4:31] Of it's man centred gimmicks. And fans. And bandwagons. And return to. Faithfulness to the bible. To focus on the glory of God.

[4:42] To follow the direction of God's holy spirit. Empowering us. To do his will. To be his witnesses. I read a church statement. That says. Our pastor.

[4:53] Is God's servant. Not ours. He teaches and preaches. Bible based messages. That relate to our daily lives. Refresh us. And lead us.

[5:03] In spiritual growth. The pastor. Is God's servant. Not ours. To teach and preach. Biblical messages. Our vision. Must be biblical.

[5:15] Our preaching. Must be biblical. Our intent. Our programs. Must be biblical. In their intent. In their. Purpose. That ultimately.

[5:27] Underpinning. What we do. It is biblical. We see that. God helping us. In our Sunday school programs. And when we run youth programs.

[5:37] As we. Hope to restart. In time. That we'll see such things. They're biblically founded. They're biblically directed. There's a biblical intention.

[5:48] There's a biblical message. That our. Church communicates. Whenever we can. And our vision. Must be biblical. Do we have.

[5:59] Any vision problems. Vision problems. I put to you. There's some vision problems. People can have. And churches can have. Here's some vision problems.

[6:10] For example. Short sightedness. Where we can see things. Clearly up close. You know. You see some people. I can see this. Clearly up close. But move it away.

[6:21] And the vision gets blurred. The vision gets blurred. And you've got to squint. And screw your eyes up. Or get. Something. Some lens there.

[6:31] In other words. We could have a church. That is only focused. Internally. Only focused. Internally. Such that we have. A holy club. A very holy.

[6:43] Holy club. An exclusive club. That. Only focuses. Internally. And cares. Only. For the internal. That select group.

[6:54] Of. The saints. Of course. We ought to care for the saints. But what a mistake. It would be. If we only focused. On the short sightedness. Of the people.

[7:05] In that immediate. Little. Cloistered. Community. That holy club. That it can become. Sometimes a clicky. Little club. That cares not.

[7:15] For the wider mission. Of the church. To reach out. Short sightedness. Is a vision problem. Another. Vision problem. Is long sightedness.

[7:27] Long sightedness. Meaning that. Objects. That are closer. Are hard to focus on. So you need the. Reading glasses. That's long sightedness. A church like this.

[7:37] Could fail to care. For the edifying. And the neglect. The growth of the members. As its energies. Are poured out. Entirely in outreach. It's another.

[7:49] Balance to find. Isn't it? To be. Long sighted. Such that. It's reaching out. But the. Care of the people. Is lacking.

[8:01] Another vision problem. Is blind spots. Such that. We're doing things. Such a way. And we're. Oblivious. We're.

[8:14] Aware of. Blind spots. For some. Areas. Where we're missing. Something. And it's something critical. Could it be. That.

[8:25] As a church. We might be missing. Something vital. Something needful. For our spiritual life. A blind spot. Is a vision problem too. So now's a good time. To have our eyes tested.

[8:37] Now isn't it good. In Australia. You can get your eyes tested. For free. On Medicare. It's just the glasses. That are going to. Hit your pocket. The hip pocket.

[8:47] Aren't they? Sir. We would see Jesus. It's time to get our eyes tested. Sir. We would see Jesus. I pray that. As a community. Of Christ.

[8:58] That we would pray. That we would seek God's will. That we would have. Those visions. As it were. Those dreams. For tomorrow. That we would honour the Lord. As we seek him.

[9:08] That as a church. We would pray that as a church. Scriptural truth. And loving fellowship. Would go hand in hand. And be that glue. That holds people together.

[9:19] In loving fellowship. As we follow him. Scriptural truth. And loving fellowship. We need to be a visionary church.

[9:29] With that clear and compelling vision. What lies ahead for us. As a church. Some of the vision. I would hope for us to have. Together as a church. Is that we being.

[9:40] Bible centered. That the Bible is central. We won't deviate from the Bible. The word of God. The final. The final authority. For our faith and practice.

[9:51] That biblical authority. Underpins everything. We teach and believe. And where something. We stand for. Or support. Or say.

[10:02] Can be questioned. Where it doesn't align. With the Bible. Question it. And challenge it. We need to be. Bible centered. And we need to be guided.

[10:13] By the Holy Spirit. That our planning. Our decisions. Our activities. Are led by biblical principles. Guided by God's spirit. It's been said. That God's will.

[10:24] Is more like a compass. than a road man. And we need to pray. And seek God's will. Come to that. Understanding. What is God's directing. What is the mind of Christ.

[10:34] In our thinking. What is the Bible basis. For what we do. And sense. His leading. His direction. A church. That's founded. And grounded. In the book. Built on the word of God.

[10:46] That's our prayer. A church. Training people. To know the word of God. Satisfying the spiritually hungry. Discipling people. To do God's work. And I know.

[10:57] We have some. Room for improvement. Don't we? I am dissatisfied. With this church. In the sense that.

[11:09] There's more we can do. There's more that we ought to do. A church founded and grounded. On the book. I know there's different. Ideas.

[11:20] Some brothers have shared. Of having some seminars. There's intent. To have some. Seminar. On biblical authority. Talking about creation.

[11:31] About the fundamentals. Of our faith. Of the. Creation of. The world. These are fundamentals. We need.

[11:41] Knowledge about. So we can communicate. In this. Non-biblical. Worldview. Obsessed world. That we're living in. We've got to counteract that. I know there's good work.

[11:52] Going on with the witnessing. Team. What a blessing. Can we do more? How can we do more? How can we be more effective? I know we've had. Tracks that we've.

[12:04] Published. That we've. Made. We've got. New disciple. Material. That we've. Compiled. And. Framed. And. Can be printed. When we see.

[12:15] Souls saved. We can give them that material. There's more that we can do. To disciple. There's more that we can do. To reach out. Our young. People. The youth group.

[12:26] Program. Has. Kind of. Dwindled. And is not. Current. How can we reach out. To. The next generation. How can we be.

[12:37] More effective. How can we be. A biblically literate. Congregation. Such that. The people. With fellowship here. Have. A good understanding.

[12:49] Of. Key biblical truths. Of sound doctrine. How can we be. Informed. And trained. And equipped. To share the gospel. These are all things that. We want to see.

[12:59] We yearn for that. But. That would be God's best for us. And we know that we're. Falling short of that. I put to you. A church where everything is directed.

[13:11] To biblical ends. Where. Our collective gifts and ministries. Are directed to. Godly.

[13:23] Principles. And. Godly purposes. How we invest ourselves. How we give of ourselves. And of our substance. That it's led by biblical objectives. And principles.

[13:34] That as a church. That we would be a church that teaches. How to live. In victory. How people can overcome. Where they have. Addictions and bondages.

[13:45] I know there's. There's some. In our number. Who. Who feel led in that direction. And we're living in a community. That is rife. With drug abuse. And addiction. And. And people.

[13:56] On the edge. We know this is. The reality. Of where we're living. Of this world that we live. Of this city. Of Adelaide. By and large.

[14:07] It's. It's hell bound. How can we print more gospel tracks. And get them in. Into the hands of people. That will. Be touched. This whole.

[14:18] New communities. All around us. All around us. Right here. And I know there's. Encouraging signs of. Witnessing to Freeling. We can think of Two Wells. And Angle Vale. Some of the outer.

[14:29] Kind of. More regional places. But even. Closer to home. Places. Such as. Air. Is a new suburb. That's a whole new suburb.

[14:41] Opening up. We've got. Places out. Munna Parra Way. Lakes Crossing. There's whole new subdivisions. New families moving in. And even. Locally. In Elizabeth Park.

[14:53] There's new families moving in. That's right. So new suburbs. New developments. What an opportunity. What a harvest field. We're right on the edge of. What a mission field. How can we.

[15:03] Be more effective. What can we envision. How is our. Vision. What can we envision.

[15:15] And I'm not meaning to sound like the. Some. Slick. Gospel. TV person. Saying that. But it is a reality. How can we.

[15:28] Sense God's. Purpose. And will. And how we can be a part of that. That vision. How can we. Envision. Such a place where. Couples grow together.

[15:39] Where we've got. Godly families. Godly husbands. And godly wives. A place where. Children can. Play together. And feel. That they belong here.

[15:50] A place where. Teens and young adults. Can serve God. God. And we see. In some ways. There's a loss there. I know. There's numbers of us.

[16:02] That. We see. Some of the. Younger age. Set. Tent. And not. Always. Always. Always. Always. Always. Integrate. As well. As they could.

[16:14] And you know. It's wonderful. And we see people. From other cultures. Coming in. And we can be brothers. And sisters together. No matter the colour. Of our skin. Or the background. Or countries. Or communities. We come from.

[16:25] And even pommies. Can be welcomed. Such as me. That we can all be. Brothers and sisters together. Even though we hail. From different. Places and communities. And. I'm still learning.

[16:35] How to talk Aussie. That we can be. Such a place. Where we can all be. A big family of God. And. Such that. Prayerfully.

[16:46] There won't be some. Clickiness at all. And it's good. If we can all. Learn to love one another. And to bless one another. And get to know one another. And be that community of God.

[16:58] That little microcosm. Of that heavenly. City to come. A little heavenly colony. Here on earth. In preparation. Of that. Anticipation. Of heaven ahead.

[17:10] And to be such a community. An energetic community. That are gathered. For worship. A haven. In a stormy world. A sanctuary. In a world that is.

[17:21] Torn apart. Lives are getting torn apart. Families torn apart. We can be a sanctuary. And when we see Jesus. I put to you. We're going to see some things. I've got three things here.

[17:31] So I've got to my first point now. When we see Jesus. We will see his community. His community. We will be a church. That invites people. To enjoy community.

[17:42] That we're a little microcosm. A micro community. Of a. As it were. A light to those in acts. Where there was a closeness. There was a. A fellowship.

[17:53] There was. There was a harmony. There was a. A commitment. An intercommitment. To one another. When we see Jesus.

[18:04] Don't we see his community. We see. What the church can be. A deeply committed. Loving. Caring family. Amongst whom. The lonely. And the broken. Can find refuge.

[18:16] Where people can find new hope. And belonging. What a vision that would be. Of a church. Such as that. A safe place. Where people experience. The joy of knowing.

[18:27] Of serving. Of encouraging. One another. To encourage. One another. So you come and encourage. And someone encourages you. Challenging. And loving one another.

[18:39] To be a refuge. For the oppressed. As it were. A church. That is a family of God. That prays together. And even if it be. Small in number sometimes.

[18:51] For where two or three. Are gathered together. In my name. There am I. In the midst of them. Matthew 18. 20. A church. A church that joyfully. Gathers together. To worship God.

[19:03] To hear God's word. A community. Mark 6. 34. It says. And Jesus. When he came out. Saw much people. And he was moved with compassion. Toward them.

[19:15] He saw much people. And he was moved with compassion. Toward them. Because they were as sheep. Without a shepherd. Having not a shepherd.

[19:26] And he began to teach them. Many things. He saw them as sheep. Not having a shepherd. And can we see people. Through the eyes of Jesus. To be a church with that commitment.

[19:38] To genuine worship. To sharing the gospel. The most important. Vital message. A church with inspiring worship. Inspiring worship.

[19:49] Because the words mean something. It's truth. It's doctrine. It inspires us. To glorify God. It engages the heart. The mind. And the emotions.

[20:00] Of people with God. So when we see Jesus. We'll see his community. When we see Jesus. We'll see his compassion. Secondly. Luke 19. 41.

[20:10] And when he was come. Near. He beheld the city. And wept over it. He saw Jerusalem. And when he was come. Near the city. He beheld the city. He had a vision of the city.

[20:23] With his earthly eyes. And he wept over it. Now I put to you. That. 90%.

[20:34] Probably more. Of the people in Elizabeth. Do not go to church. The majority of people. Do not go to church. Any kind of church.

[20:47] And there's a great need. That we have. To be a church. That's creating an impact. Community wide. A church touching people.

[20:59] The untouchables. The hurting. The lonely. The wounded. The wandering. A church touching people. And a church where we can find love.

[21:12] And hope. And help. And encouragement. Where they can find love. And hope. And help. And encouragement. And forgiveness. And guidance. A church that.

[21:24] As Jesus did. This man. Receives sinners. You know. It says. Just as I am. We come. Of course. He doesn't leave us that way. There's a change that happens then.

[21:35] When we come to him. But just as I am. We can come. And he receives sinners. And he does a work within. And transforms lives.

[21:47] There's compassion there. And Mark. 1.41. It says. Mark. 1.41. And Jesus. Moved with compassion. Put forth his hand. And touched him.

[21:58] And saith unto him. I will. Be thou clean. I believe that's the leper. He moved with compassion. He put forth his hand. And touched him. He touched the untouchable.

[22:09] And he saith unto him. I will. I will that thou be clean. I will that thou be healed. Be thou clean. Do we have his vision?

[22:19] The vision of Jesus. Is a vision of compassion. Can we touch. The social and physical needs. Of our community. With our outstretched hands.

[22:31] Of compassion. Can we touch people. For Jesus. To those who desire. To draw near to Jesus. We offer prayer. And compassion. Support.

[22:42] And encouragement. And a listening ear. And it can drain us. I know. There's times where Julie and I. It's draining. But we want to be.

[22:54] A listening ear. Don't we. Where we can. God helping us. To give us the grace. To be. Such a person. And to be. An organised people. An organised team.

[23:05] Of people who care. An organised. Unised. Union. For God's glory. As it were. Trained.

[23:19] And organised. To heal. To protect. To encourage. The hurting. And that's what. Our Lord did. When he sent them out. Two by two. And they went. And impacted.

[23:31] Their world. How can we impact. Our world. God. It's about. Stepping out. Of the comfort zone. Isn't it. And saying. I volunteer.

[23:42] I will. Here am I. In Matthew 25. 40. And the king shall answer. And say unto them. Verily I say unto you. Inasmuch as you have done it.

[23:53] Unto one of the least of these. My brethren. You have done it. Unto me. And sometimes. Stepping outside. Of our own skin. Isn't it. And thinking. What would it be like. To be that person.

[24:03] With what's going on for them. At the moment. And I know. You get compassion fatigue. Of sorts. At times. Where it's hard. And it's hard to. Put yourself out.

[24:16] It's hard to. Look past your own. Little. Bubble. Isn't it. And to think. How can I touch people. How can I have God's passion.

[24:27] For the lost. And the least. The least of these. My brethren. That's interesting. Isn't it. To have. A compassion.

[24:38] For the least. Of these. My brethren. The most downtrodden. And forgotten. People. Are the ones we should. Reach. The ones that our Lord. Commends us to do.

[24:49] To do so. The least of these. And. 1 Thessalonians 5.14. Paul exhorts. Now we exhort your brethren. Warn them. That are unruly.

[25:00] Comfort the feeble minded. Support the weak. Be patient. Toward all men. That. Echoes just about everybody. Doesn't it. Warn the unruly.

[25:10] There's some people. That need a telling off. And that's right. And rightful. To get correction. To give correction. To warn them. They're unruly. To comfort.

[25:21] The feeble minded. Comfort. Encourage. The feeble minded. Those that are. Maybe. A bit emotional. A bit. Stressed.

[25:32] Comfort them. To support the weak. Some people need. That lifting up. That helping hand. Support people. Support them. You're stronger than them.

[25:43] Lift them up. And be patient. Toward all men. So that's. The ones that get under your skin. The ones that bug you. Be patient. Learn patience.

[25:54] It's hard isn't it. Some people. They test your patience. But maybe that's just. Who God wants you to. Minister to. To be patient. Toward all men. And 1 Corinthians 12.

[26:05] 22. It says. Those members of the body. Which seem to be more feeble. Are necessary. It's interesting isn't it. You think. Oh. There's a kind of. You know.

[26:15] Some. In some ways. I can be. I think. Human nature. Can be such that. You kind of grade people. Don't you. It's easy to be like that.

[26:26] Isn't it. I put to you. It's easy to grade people. To. Put people in boxes. And. To categorize people. Have a. Like a caste system.

[26:37] As it were. In India. And such. Where you think. Oh. They're more feeble. But God says. They are. Necessary. That's amazing.

[26:48] Isn't it. Those members of the body. Which seem to be more feeble. Are necessary. And so. It's a challenge for us. Isn't it. To think. Outside of. Our.

[26:58] Our kind of. Square. As it were. Think. How can I reach. Those I don't normally reach. How can I love my neighbour. How can I take this mandate. Seriously.

[27:09] How can I know Christ's compassion. Such that his very heartbeat. His mindset. Is mine. That I would dedicate myself.

[27:21] In such a way. And. As. Our Lord talked about that. Picture of those. The least of thieves.

[27:32] My brethren. The hungry. The poor. The lonely. The imprisoned. And maybe it's prison bars. In their own minds. People get imprisoned. Don't they.

[27:43] They get. Captive. Held captive. They get. In a. A. Prison of their own making. And they can't escape.

[27:53] They need to be set free. They're. Bound. And held prisoner. And we should seek to touch these. The least. The last. And the lost. The least.

[28:05] The last. And the lost. Touch them. Reach them. With the love of Christ. Because that's what we're here for. That's our mission. Such that we be a caring.

[28:17] Selfless community. In word and deed. And to go the extra mile. The extra mile. Sometimes. Oh. I'll put myself out. But I draw the line here. God says.

[28:28] Step over the line. Go the extra. Go that extra bit. Put yourself beyond. That which is your limit. And let God. Take you beyond that. Then Jesus.

[28:38] Called his disciples. Unto him. Matthew 15. 32. And said. I have compassion. On the multitude. I have compassion. On the multitude. Because they continue.

[28:48] With me now. Three days. And have nothing to eat. And I will not send them. Away fasting. Lest they faint. In the way. The Lord Jesus. Cared. Even for the practical.

[29:00] Even for the practical. There's some hungry people. They have nothing to eat. A church caring. For the needs of people. You know.

[29:10] Sometimes it's hard. I know we had. A homeless man here. Last week. And we gave him a gift. It's a questionable thing. Sometimes.

[29:20] Isn't it? He smelt of cigarettes. What's the right thing to do? But. Salvation is what.

[29:31] Is the key. But yet. There was a need there. And. You know. Sometimes you wonder. Okay. What's the right thing to do? But we wanted to.

[29:44] Show love. To him. And. And not. Send him away. With just a God bless you. And a pat on the back. And. There's something tangible there. To help him a little.

[29:56] With his needs. To be such a church. That cares for the needs of people. In Matthew 14. 14. And Jesus went forth. And saw a great multitude. And was moved with compassion.

[30:06] Towards them. And he healed their sick. He was moved with compassion. Toward them. And he healed their sick. Can we be a. Christ. Centred church.

[30:17] That Christ. Motivates us. That we have a Christ. Mindset. To reach out to the. Christless. The searching. The one searching for answers.

[30:28] For direction. For the hurting. And the needy. And such that there's an open door. For that man will come back. Because he saw the love. He was moved. With the gift that we gave him.

[30:41] And so we see. These things. If we would see Jesus. We'll see his community. We'll see his compassion. And thirdly. We'll see his commission.

[30:52] His commission. Matthew 28. Verse 18. The Lord's commission. And Jesus came and spake unto them. Saying all power. Is given unto me in heaven. And in earth.

[31:03] Go ye therefore. And teach. All nations. Baptising them. In the name of the Father. And of the Son. And of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them. To observe. All things whatsoever.

[31:15] I have commanded you. And lo. I am with you. Always. Even unto. The end of the world. Amen. His commission. Can we see Jesus.

[31:26] And see and hear. His commission. To be a church. With a mission to fulfil. To prayerfully seek. To reach the lost. To warn the sinner.

[31:37] To seek conversions. To Christ. And transform lives. Our mission. As a church. Is to help people become. More Christ like.

[31:48] To see them one. And saved. And transformed. Born. Now. Someone has calculated. Six of the ten billion. Who have ever lived. Are alive today.

[31:58] And half of them. Are under the age of 25. And there is a whole mission field. Of the. Under 25s. I think we have only got. Maybe one or two.

[32:09] Under 25s. Here. Today. I wish I was still there. But I am a bit over that now. But. Think of the. Over half. Some. I will say those statistics again.

[32:19] Six of the ten billion. Six of the ten billion. Who have ever lived. Are alive today. And half of them. So. Three billion. Are under the age of 25.

[32:32] What a war we are in. What a mission field. That is all around us. And think of the. Young families. And. The youngsters. Young children. There is a whole mission field there.

[32:44] I know in times past. We have had. A bigger Sunday school. Than we have already. Than we have got now. We were running three buses. And filling them. Sometimes morning and night.

[32:58] And it was largely children. That we are picking up. We endeavoured to do that. It has dwindled somewhat. What a mission field. All around us. The spiritual war rages.

[33:10] Stronger than ever. And we are living in a world. That is Christless. And not just Christless. But anti-Christ. Isn't it? We see.

[33:20] As my dad referred to. The filtered news media. It is all bent. Isn't it? It is biased. And. As I referred to this morning.

[33:33] A Christian goes to a. A heathen land. And gets shot to death. By arrows. And the world laughs at that. And mocks. At the Christians. That they would dare to see.

[33:44] To step into a heathen land. And what a foolhardy thing to do. Yet. It is what we ought to be doing. Isn't it?

[33:55] He. Whether he was. He could have. Thought it through. Perhaps differently. How he did it. He did it. Blessing. The spiritual war rages.

[34:09] Ever stronger. Doesn't it? And the opposition. To the gospel. John 14. 23. Jesus answered. And said unto him. If a man love me. He will keep my words. And my father will love him.

[34:20] And will come unto him. And make our abode with him. Keep his words. In other words. Obey his words. See his directives. His call.

[34:31] His command. His imperative. His mandate. There is no option. We can't opt out. We must respond.

[34:43] With obedience. With courage. With resolve. His commission. Is current. To study. To proclaim. To communicate. The gospel. It's still relevant.

[34:55] More so. Than ever. And I see. As it were. In this vision. As it were. That I trust you share. The same heart. That I'm sharing here. That we see a vision.

[35:06] Of a church driven. To reach our neighborhoods. A church driven. To reach this city. Our nation. Our world. God helping us.

[35:18] How far our reach can be. To take this gospel message. That we can be a local church. With a global impact. A church that cares about. Gospel outreach.

[35:29] Such that God moves on us. To be his witnesses. And I know there's some folk. That drive. Get on buses. And they talk to the person. Next to them. Don't they Dennis? Dennis and Jean.

[35:41] Missionaries. To the city of Elizabeth. And beyond. You know. The person who sits next to. Dennis and Jean. On the bus. Will get the gospel.

[35:52] Amen. Good on you brother. I know my dad's got the. The garage sale ministry. My mum and dad. They go sailing every weekend. Garage sailing.

[36:03] And they go. And they'd like to witness to the people. At the garage sales. And what a ministry that is. So these ministries are not confined to the.

[36:15] You know. The kind of stated ones. The kind of. The ones that I notify you about. The ministry of this church is far and wide.

[36:26] Across. Our. 24 by 7. Isn't it? And. That we can be a Christ centered. Bible based church. That cares about reaching out. And.

[36:37] That. Is a place of second chances too. When people are hurting. And. People get all kinds of. Like Paul's story. Of his. Meandering. Until he found.

[36:48] A sound. Bible preaching church. And. Was soundly converted. And some people are all. Lost in the woods. Aren't they? And false doctrine. And. It's abounding now.

[36:58] Isn't it? With TV evangelists. And. And all kinds of social media. And. Internet web pages. That are propagating. All kinds of. Of wacko. Teachings.

[37:09] It's no wonder people are. Are in a state of confusion. And doctrinal. Kind of. Fog. And. We need to be. And. And sometimes people. They've been there.

[37:20] And done that. They've been in the jazzy. Hyped up churches. And they've seen through. All the. Hoo-ha. And they've. Abandoned it. Yet.

[37:32] They. Are once. Still searching after God. And they get the. Oh. I'm from the kingdom hall. Or whatever it be.

[37:43] Or. Oh. I'm your. Local. Elder. Elder so and such. And. I've come to tell you. Of another gospel. Another testament. And.

[37:54] They're out there. They're out there. I know. And it's worldwide. Isn't it? I know. When I was just a kid. I know. I remember.

[38:05] We went to. We went back to live in England for a time. My homeland. And we had. Our church went over to Germany. For just a week or so.

[38:17] A little. Crusade. And. I was down there. At the. The mall. In. This German town. And they had the Mormons there.

[38:29] With their German. Mormon. Book. Whatever it's called. Book of Morn. And they're out there. Worldwide. Aren't they? No. And. And. What's more.

[38:40] I saw. A. A. Satanische Bible. A. A. Satanische Bible. So it was an actual. Satanic Bible. That was in a bookstore there. And.

[38:50] I know. Wow. They're pretty brazen. That even the Satanists. Are out there. Propagating their stuff. Shouldn't we be. A church. That. That counteracts.

[39:01] This evil tide. That is. Invading our world. How can we be. Such a biblical church. That God can use us. More and more. To reach the lost.

[39:13] And. The Aussies. In this hedonistic. Culture. We live in. That. That. The hell bound. Culture. That is all around. Us. It's a crying.

[39:25] Mission field. Right on our doorstep. And thank God. For people. Who come. From other cultures. And countries. And some of them. Come. With other religions. And confusion.

[39:36] How can we minister. To them. Such that we welcome. One and all. Who will come. Hear the gospel. And give them the truth. To reach more and more people. For the glory of his name.

[39:47] To have that vision. Sirs. We would see Jesus. To see what Jesus. Would care about. To see his seal for outreach. His mission. And to be mobilised.

[39:58] To be such a people. To be an army. A unit. In the army of God. To be mobilised. I'm drawing.

[40:10] To a close here. 1 Corinthians 9. 22. Paul says. To the weak. Became I as weak. That I might gain the weak. I made all things to all men. That I might by all means.

[40:22] Save some. There's a sense where Paul. Went beyond. His comfort zone. I became weak. That I might gain the weak.

[40:33] How can we reach the Aussie. The Aussie bloke. The Aussie Sheila. As it were. How can we reach the.

[40:43] The man on the street. The. The. The international student. How can we reach. Those who. English is a second language.

[40:56] They can't scarcely speak the language. Yet we can communicate. Beyond the language barrier. Can't we. How can we reach the. The military men and women. At Edinburgh.

[41:07] How can we reach. The. The single moms and dads. How can we reach. The broken families. How can we reach. The. The drug addicts.

[41:20] We want to reach others. With the healing message. Of God's forgiveness. Love and mercy. We want to encourage people. To experience God's grace. Because.

[41:31] But for the grace of God. Such. Am I. You know. Julie and I lived in a housing trust house.

[41:42] Just a stone's throw from here. I was working in a factory. Working shifts. And casual work.

[41:53] Trying to scrape together a living. With three kids. And there's people doing it tough. That are like that. All around us. And. They're hurting people.

[42:05] And some are turning to drink. And drugs. Because they've got no hope. There's nothing to live for. For them. They're lost. They're lost. How can we reach them.

[42:19] So friends. I put to you today. How can we see Jesus. See him. And hear him. See how Jesus sees things. How do we employ. Those 168 hours per week.

[42:32] That he has given each of us. Do we use our time. To glorify God. God. Can we be a church empowered. To be the church.

[42:42] He wants us to be. To invest our lives. To glorify God. Such that. This church. This congregation. This assembly. This. Little family.

[42:53] Can be. A place. A people. Where people can be reached. Where the unsafe can come for help. And healing. And. The hurting can come.

[43:05] And be nurtured. And loved. That they can receive. And respond to the word of God. And commit their lives to Christ. That believers can be strengthened. By the word of God.

[43:15] And fellowship. That we can encourage. And exhort one another. So much the more. As we see the day approaching. To have that fellowship. That is. Sincere fellowship.

[43:27] A sincere love. Not a. Pretense. But a sincere love. Love. That goes beyond. Those we might. Feel comfortable with.

[43:39] That there's an environment. Where we're all together. Demonstrating. God's love. And. Each part. Does it share. So we can. Encourage each other. And you know.

[43:50] I want. I want to see. That. There's less of me. And more of you. As it were. In the ministry. Of the church. And it's. In a way.

[44:01] It's a good thing. That. That. We're not here. For a little time. And it helps others. To step in. To step up. To stand up. And deliver. To. Discover.

[44:11] And apply. Our spiritual gifts. And when I come back. Likewise. That there'll be more of that. I know. In times past. I've had. More of a roster. With people. Doing this and that. And I've been.

[44:24] Less organized. In that department. And it hasn't. Been. So well run. But I want to see. More people. Engaged in the ministry. In different ministries. Of course. There's.

[44:34] Some. You know. Confines to that. There's some. Guidelines to. As to how we. Make that happen. Want it to be. Rightful. And proper.

[44:45] And decently. And in order. But that we all can feel. We've got a part to play. And to get into the. Ministry. Of this church.

[44:56] Because the ministry. Of this church. Is much bigger. Than one man. Or you know. Julie and me. And others. It's bigger than. 510. It's the whole.

[45:07] The whole church. A church of ministries. A church of servants. Of God. That we can all discover. And apply. Our spiritual gifts. And that's my vision. That's. I trust your vision.

[45:17] That you can see. How. How can I. Engage. How can I. Be used of God. How can this vision. Become a reality. Are we a people. A vision. Or is our vision.

[45:31] A vision faulting. You know. Just. Maybe a bit too. Cloistered. Or maybe. Missing out. The. Internal ministry.

[45:42] That we need too. Or. Having blind spots. Where we're just carrying on. Doing something. And actually. It's not God's. Best. So let's be. Such a church.

[45:53] That will make an impact. We'll reach out. And reach our city. Because time is short. Amen. How much time have we got? It's like it's a minute to midnight.

[46:03] A minute to midnight. And. And it's like. How much time have we got? We don't know. It could be very short. Couldn't it? The Lord is at hand.

[46:15] The time is short. And. How much time have we got? How can we invest our time. Our energy. To love people. To lift them. To. Reach them. To.

[46:26] Commit our heart. And our energies. To. His divine calling. And that above all. Our vision would be this.

[46:36] To see. Jesus. To see. Jesus. As they came to Philip. And said. Sir. We would. See Jesus. We want to see Jesus. We desire to see Jesus.

[46:49] We hunger and thirst after Jesus. We want Jesus to be glorified. We want to see. Jesus. And see. As Jesus sees. That Jesus would be.

[46:59] Our absolute aim. And focus. His glory. That Jesus would be truly magnified. And lifted up. That we would be a church. Looking unto Jesus.

[47:10] The author and finisher. Of our faith. And friends. Just one final scripture. In Psalm 34. 3. Glorify the Lord with me. Let us exalt his name.

[47:22] Forever. That's a good scripture to. Consider. Psalm 34. Verse 3. Glorify the Lord with me. And let us exalt his name together.

[47:33] That's the purpose of the church. Isn't it? To glorify his name. Together. To exalt his name. Let's praise him. Lord we thank you.

[47:44] That we can honour you. As this little colony. This outpost of heaven. This outpost of heaven. That we are called to be. Your people here in this time and place. Lord to be a people called out.

[47:56] Taken out. And used of you. For your name. To glorify your name. To exalt your name. To bring you honour and praise. Lord to be a fighting force.

[48:08] To be reckoned with. Against the darkness. That prevails around us. Lord to be a people. Activated. For our spiritual gifts. To be harnessed and employed.

[48:21] For your praise. Lord help us to see. As you would see. The people about us. That it's a harvest. We'll lift up our eyes. And see the fields. They're ready.

[48:32] And Lord help. Make us ready. Make us ready. And willing. And able. And that you would move us Lord. With your compassion.

[48:43] In Jesus name. Amen.