WEBVTT 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:01.679 G'day, Watermark. 00:00:02.480 --> 00:00:04.060 How are you all doing? 00:00:05.459 --> 00:00:09.800 So, sorry, that was my very, very poor attempt at an Australian accent. 00:00:10.700 --> 00:00:19.260 And the reason being is that myself and Irina and the kids, we are planning a move to Philistine 00:00:19.260 --> 00:00:22.039 country, otherwise known as Australia. 00:00:23.160 --> 00:00:26.519 And so part of it is learning the language and learning the culture. 00:00:27.199 --> 00:00:30.839 And it's been quite a crazy season for us, right? 00:00:30.899 --> 00:00:36.399 So in two and a half months, our bags will be packed and we will get on an airplane and 00:00:36.399 --> 00:00:37.079 off we go. 00:00:38.299 --> 00:00:44.739 And I think the closer it gets to that time, we're just really excited for a new adventure, 00:00:44.899 --> 00:00:45.420 a new chapter. 00:00:45.879 --> 00:00:51.659 But at the same time, there's this bitter sweetness because there's an incredible sadness that 00:00:51.659 --> 00:00:54.799 comes with leaving a place that is home, right? 00:00:54.799 --> 00:01:01.159 And you guys are just the real thing that tugs on our heartstrings, right, as we come to 00:01:01.159 --> 00:01:02.039 say goodbye. 00:01:02.320 --> 00:01:07.259 So just to start off, just wanted to thank you, everything that you've been to, Irina and 00:01:07.259 --> 00:01:08.359 myself and the kids. 00:01:08.819 --> 00:01:11.199 We really, really are going to miss you. 00:01:12.039 --> 00:01:14.060 But it is a season of change for us. 00:01:14.159 --> 00:01:21.239 And so we're not only changing countries, changing cultures, but I'm going to be moving from education, 00:01:21.239 --> 00:01:25.679 where I've spent many years into ministry, right? 00:01:25.780 --> 00:01:28.239 So that's just a whole new world for me. 00:01:28.339 --> 00:01:30.319 Kind of, I'm going to be a fish out of water. 00:01:30.799 --> 00:01:32.599 Truly something new for me. 00:01:33.299 --> 00:01:39.459 And part of that is that I now have to write a CV for a church that hopefully we're going 00:01:39.459 --> 00:01:40.119 to be part of. 00:01:40.299 --> 00:01:43.919 Like, how do you write a CV to be part of a church, right? 00:01:43.939 --> 00:01:47.959 Are you allowed to say, like, I think I'm good at this and all that kind of thing? 00:01:47.959 --> 00:01:52.059 So as I'm pondering this, I'm thinking this, I read this. 00:01:52.419 --> 00:01:55.500 And this was Paul's CV. 00:01:55.699 --> 00:01:56.539 This was his CV. 00:01:56.659 --> 00:01:57.419 This is what he said. 00:01:58.319 --> 00:02:07.199 He said, I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, 00:02:07.659 --> 00:02:11.280 and been exposed to death again and again. 00:02:12.060 --> 00:02:17.060 Five times I received from the Jews the 40 lashes minus one. 00:02:17.060 --> 00:02:19.819 Three times I was beaten with rods. 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:22.860 Once I was pelted with stones. 00:02:23.140 --> 00:02:26.659 Now that wasn't just like a little stone, throw it at you, get out of town. 00:02:26.719 --> 00:02:29.740 This was big rocks with the intention to kill him. 00:02:30.900 --> 00:02:33.000 Three times I was shipwrecked. 00:02:33.360 --> 00:02:36.740 I spent a night and day in the open sea. 00:02:37.480 --> 00:02:41.480 Now if this stuff had been happening to us, we would be writing a book about it. 00:02:41.699 --> 00:02:42.599 But Paul goes on. 00:02:42.680 --> 00:02:45.680 He says, I've been constantly on the move. 00:02:45.680 --> 00:02:48.260 We are planning a move. 00:02:48.520 --> 00:02:52.719 We get to get on a nice airplane and we get to get taken to a new place. 00:02:52.819 --> 00:02:55.819 Paul was constantly on the move. 00:02:57.280 --> 00:03:02.319 I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, 00:03:02.439 --> 00:03:08.120 in danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at the sea, 00:03:08.280 --> 00:03:10.520 and in danger from false believers. 00:03:10.520 --> 00:03:13.300 I have labored and toiled. 00:03:13.360 --> 00:03:15.120 I have often gone without sleep. 00:03:15.820 --> 00:03:20.939 I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food. 00:03:21.040 --> 00:03:22.840 I have been cold and naked. 00:03:24.040 --> 00:03:31.020 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 00:03:31.660 --> 00:03:31.879 Okay. 00:03:32.080 --> 00:03:32.620 Hands up. 00:03:32.820 --> 00:03:34.020 Who wants to be an apostle? 00:03:34.020 --> 00:03:34.140 Russell. 00:03:35.280 --> 00:03:35.600 Okay. 00:03:36.600 --> 00:03:42.300 So I'm reading this CV and I'm thinking, this is the guy who wrote this letter. 00:03:42.760 --> 00:03:46.060 This is the guy who wrote the letter to Colossians, which we're reading about. 00:03:46.360 --> 00:03:52.280 And if Paul had to walk through those doors into our service today, he's the kind of guy 00:03:52.280 --> 00:03:56.120 we would turn our heads and go, dude, what happened to you? 00:03:56.659 --> 00:04:01.099 His body would have been an absolute mess of scars, broken bones. 00:04:01.620 --> 00:04:06.639 He's not like the cool, trendy preacher who's got the designer jacket, the cool sunglasses. 00:04:07.139 --> 00:04:10.020 He would have been absolutely broken. 00:04:11.599 --> 00:04:17.860 So this is the author who's writing this letter to a church in Colossians. 00:04:17.860 --> 00:04:21.300 Colossians was a church that he didn't know. 00:04:21.379 --> 00:04:23.759 He had never been there, never seen them face to face. 00:04:25.660 --> 00:04:29.460 And it was a church made up of Gentile believers. 00:04:29.980 --> 00:04:36.400 Now in the passage that was so beautifully read by Oti and Lorna, it's often in your Bibles 00:04:36.400 --> 00:04:39.800 labeled Paul's labor for the church. 00:04:40.639 --> 00:04:42.600 But I want to give it to you like this today. 00:04:42.720 --> 00:04:45.259 I am essentially still a teacher at heart. 00:04:45.259 --> 00:04:49.579 So I do things that help me remember, and this is one thing that helps me remember. 00:04:49.659 --> 00:04:50.699 So there's five sections. 00:04:50.860 --> 00:04:54.180 Number one is they all begin with S. 00:04:54.539 --> 00:04:56.439 It's amazing how it worked out that way. 00:04:56.579 --> 00:04:58.219 Okay, one is his suffering. 00:04:59.519 --> 00:05:01.159 Two is his secret. 00:05:01.980 --> 00:05:03.699 Three, his strain. 00:05:04.379 --> 00:05:05.920 Fourth, their seduction. 00:05:06.839 --> 00:05:09.180 And fifth, his solution. 00:05:09.620 --> 00:05:11.420 All right, so you've got five fingers on your hand. 00:05:11.639 --> 00:05:12.860 They all begin with S. 00:05:12.860 --> 00:05:17.740 Later, if anyone asks you what the sermon was about, you just look at your hand and you 00:05:17.740 --> 00:05:18.740 can read them off, right? 00:05:18.800 --> 00:05:23.460 His suffering, his secret, his strain, their seduction, his solution. 00:05:25.120 --> 00:05:29.720 Now Paul begins off this section with his suffering, and he's writing this letter. 00:05:29.819 --> 00:05:33.800 He's probably chained to a Roman soldier, and this is what he says. 00:05:33.800 --> 00:05:38.000 I am so happy about my suffering. 00:05:38.740 --> 00:05:41.740 I'm rejoicing in the fact that I'm suffering. 00:05:41.819 --> 00:05:46.680 Now Paul is not like this weirdo who likes being hurt. 00:05:46.920 --> 00:05:49.420 He likes going through all this bad stuff, right? 00:05:49.420 --> 00:05:57.620 The reason he can say that is because he goes, when I suffer, when I go through these shipwrecks 00:05:57.620 --> 00:06:05.300 and these beatings and this danger, I know that I'm joining with Christ's suffering for 00:06:05.860 --> 00:06:08.680 your sake, for the sake of the church. 00:06:08.680 --> 00:06:19.100 You see, one thing that we need to understand is that Jesus has not stopped suffering for his church. 00:06:19.780 --> 00:06:23.100 Suffering for sin is dealt with, dealt with. 00:06:23.180 --> 00:06:29.920 On the cross, it was this climax, this pinnacle was brought to the atonement for sin. 00:06:30.019 --> 00:06:31.259 It is absolutely finished. 00:06:31.340 --> 00:06:36.259 The whole Old Testament gave us the sacrifices that were needed for atonement, 00:06:36.259 --> 00:06:38.800 that you had to be a blood sacrifice. 00:06:39.800 --> 00:06:40.959 The Lamb of God. 00:06:41.060 --> 00:06:46.159 And on the cross, Jesus took that, and he said, suffering for sin, he cried out, it is finished. 00:06:47.060 --> 00:06:51.699 And when he said it was finished, it was the atonement for sin was paid for once and for all. 00:06:53.219 --> 00:06:57.000 But the suffering for his church continues. 00:06:58.379 --> 00:07:03.180 So we've got two children, right? 00:07:03.180 --> 00:07:08.740 And when Irina found out she was pregnant with Elijah, I still remember it, right? 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:14.280 So we kind of had this idea that she might be pregnant, and we went and got one of those pregnancy tests. 00:07:15.160 --> 00:07:18.100 And anyway, she came out of the bathroom, and she looked at me, and she said, 00:07:18.180 --> 00:07:19.160 you're going to be a daddy. 00:07:20.160 --> 00:07:25.500 And with that, she turned right around, went back in the bathroom, and proceeded to puke, right? 00:07:25.500 --> 00:07:28.060 All the morning sickness kicking in. 00:07:28.060 --> 00:07:34.959 And so anyway, for the next nine months, the suffering continued, right? 00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:43.079 Up until the point of the absolute climax, the day of birth, the suffering just gets more and more intense. 00:07:43.220 --> 00:07:46.660 Anyone who's a mother here will know what this means, right? 00:07:46.660 --> 00:07:53.520 So for us, Irina goes into this 13-hour labor of intense suffering. 00:07:53.640 --> 00:07:59.960 I still have the claw marks in my arm of where between the contractions, and I felt a little bit of that suffering. 00:08:01.000 --> 00:08:04.560 But anyway, after 13 hours, our son is born. 00:08:04.700 --> 00:08:05.460 There's this relief. 00:08:05.580 --> 00:08:06.340 There's this joy. 00:08:06.480 --> 00:08:07.140 It is finished. 00:08:07.240 --> 00:08:10.720 The suffering of bringing a child to birth is dealt with. 00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:18.360 But now, is Irina's suffering as a mother finished? 00:08:21.160 --> 00:08:21.640 No. 00:08:22.440 --> 00:08:24.340 Not even in the slightest, right? 00:08:24.940 --> 00:08:28.760 So every time that your child is sick, that's suffering. 00:08:28.880 --> 00:08:30.960 Every time your child is in trouble, that's suffering. 00:08:31.320 --> 00:08:35.860 And there's this desire as a parent to bring your children to maturity. 00:08:36.500 --> 00:08:38.379 To bring your children to maturity. 00:08:38.519 --> 00:08:40.639 And the suffering that goes along with that. 00:08:41.139 --> 00:08:42.779 And that's what Paul's talking about here. 00:08:42.940 --> 00:08:45.220 I join in with Christ's affliction. 00:08:45.500 --> 00:08:46.879 His suffering for his church. 00:08:47.180 --> 00:08:53.460 And Paul is basically saying, I'm in agony until I see Christ formed in you. 00:08:54.700 --> 00:09:03.580 And Paul's really saying, he goes, my suffering, these things that I'm going through, is actually his suffering. 00:09:04.360 --> 00:09:05.279 Christ's suffering. 00:09:06.540 --> 00:09:09.240 Through my body, for your sake. 00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:15.160 You see, Paul is not adding anything to the cross when he talks about this. 00:09:15.279 --> 00:09:19.060 But he is adding to the maturing of his church. 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:23.080 So I want us to think about this for us. 00:09:23.080 --> 00:09:25.960 Because we can be part of that story too. 00:09:27.740 --> 00:09:35.320 When you go through a time of suffering, do you realize that Jesus is suffering too? 00:09:35.320 --> 00:09:37.320 He feels that pain. 00:09:37.320 --> 00:09:40.820 He feels your doubt. 00:09:42.540 --> 00:09:45.700 His suffering is your suffering too. 00:09:46.780 --> 00:09:48.460 And when did Paul finally get this? 00:09:48.500 --> 00:09:50.300 When did the light go on for Paul, right? 00:09:51.400 --> 00:09:53.800 It's in his very first conversation with Jesus. 00:09:54.020 --> 00:09:55.520 Paul is riding his horse. 00:09:55.620 --> 00:09:56.600 He's going to Damascus. 00:09:56.600 --> 00:09:59.240 Paul is the ultimate anti-missionary. 00:09:59.320 --> 00:10:01.840 He is intent to destroy Christianity. 00:10:02.159 --> 00:10:05.259 And he's going to Damascus to destroy it even more. 00:10:05.800 --> 00:10:07.420 And on his way, he meets Jesus. 00:10:07.580 --> 00:10:10.240 Jesus comes to him, knocks him off his horse. 00:10:10.620 --> 00:10:11.899 And he hears this voice. 00:10:11.980 --> 00:10:12.980 And this voice says to him, 00:10:13.040 --> 00:10:16.080 Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? 00:10:16.220 --> 00:10:19.180 Why are you causing me pain? 00:10:19.179 --> 00:10:22.339 And Paul gets it. 00:10:23.419 --> 00:10:24.239 He gets it. 00:10:24.379 --> 00:10:26.719 And he realizes, like, who are you? 00:10:26.739 --> 00:10:27.799 And he says, I'm Jesus. 00:10:29.279 --> 00:10:32.379 It's like, Jesus, I'm not persecuting you. 00:10:32.939 --> 00:10:33.699 But you are. 00:10:34.699 --> 00:10:37.479 You're persecuting those who follow me. 00:10:37.539 --> 00:10:38.519 And that hurts me. 00:10:38.739 --> 00:10:40.679 That causes me pain and suffering. 00:10:41.559 --> 00:10:42.839 And I always think it's amazing, right? 00:10:42.879 --> 00:10:46.959 Paul went from that to understanding he is the one who's causing some of that pain. 00:10:46.960 --> 00:10:53.940 And then to go to the point to realize that he's actually receiving some of that pain. 00:10:54.580 --> 00:10:55.600 He becomes part of it. 00:10:55.620 --> 00:10:58.420 But this is the part that really blew my mind. 00:11:00.600 --> 00:11:04.180 Paul says he's suffering for people he doesn't know. 00:11:04.900 --> 00:11:05.900 He never knew this church. 00:11:05.980 --> 00:11:06.680 He wasn't known. 00:11:07.060 --> 00:11:08.580 He didn't know them face to face. 00:11:08.960 --> 00:11:13.580 Now, I don't know about you, but I struggle to suffer for people I do know. 00:11:14.500 --> 00:11:16.040 Not even for people I don't know. 00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:20.100 And you see it in Paul's letter, right? 00:11:20.139 --> 00:11:25.580 That little section I read to you from Paul's CV right at the beginning when he says, I'm going through all this. 00:11:25.680 --> 00:11:33.120 All the beatings, all the shipwrecks, all the stonings, all that is nothing compared to my daily concern for the church. 00:11:33.820 --> 00:11:37.280 That was the thing that caused him the most agony. 00:11:37.279 --> 00:11:43.299 And this week I read about the church bombings in Indonesia. 00:11:44.059 --> 00:11:44.480 Did anyone? 00:11:44.679 --> 00:11:45.399 Have you guys read that? 00:11:46.159 --> 00:11:48.439 So if you haven't, there was this family. 00:11:48.440 --> 00:11:54.420 So a father takes his wife and his two daughters. 00:11:54.620 --> 00:11:56.180 He drops them off at a church. 00:11:56.860 --> 00:11:58.160 Bombs strapped to them. 00:11:59.100 --> 00:12:02.580 His sons go to another church and the father himself goes to a third church. 00:12:02.620 --> 00:12:03.860 And they blow themselves up. 00:12:04.440 --> 00:12:09.720 They kill themselves and they kill believers attending a service to worship God. 00:12:09.720 --> 00:12:14.259 And I read that and I go, well, that's terrible. 00:12:14.360 --> 00:12:17.820 But where is my concern for the church in Indonesia? 00:12:17.820 --> 00:12:30.160 And is some of that pain and that suffering that the church is feeling, do I realize that it's actually for the maturing of his church? 00:12:31.620 --> 00:12:39.580 Because you see, for Paul, the key to his suffering, the key in his suffering was Christ. 00:12:39.940 --> 00:12:42.100 Christ is the key in your suffering. 00:12:42.100 --> 00:12:47.820 When you see your suffering, that you are not in it alone, Christ becomes the key, not yourself. 00:12:48.120 --> 00:12:53.259 I don't know about you, but I often talk to people going through a time and they ask this question and I've asked it myself. 00:12:53.779 --> 00:12:56.500 Why am I suffering? 00:12:59.399 --> 00:13:04.080 But very rarely do we actually think, Jesus, you're suffering too. 00:13:05.379 --> 00:13:10.040 In my moment of incredible suffering, you feel that pain too. 00:13:10.039 --> 00:13:15.879 And Paul says, I have a secret to share with you. 00:13:17.500 --> 00:13:22.120 And he goes, I have been appointed as a minister of this gospel. 00:13:22.319 --> 00:13:25.199 He says, the stewardship has been given to me. 00:13:25.259 --> 00:13:29.240 Now the language there is like a master to a servant. 00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:31.759 You do this. 00:13:31.980 --> 00:13:33.559 You go and do this job. 00:13:33.839 --> 00:13:38.719 And Paul's saying, I've basically been assigned my housework from the master. 00:13:38.720 --> 00:13:41.600 In any family, you're now part of the family. 00:13:41.980 --> 00:13:42.620 Welcome in. 00:13:42.960 --> 00:13:44.399 And this is your housework. 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:46.120 This is your part of the family. 00:13:46.300 --> 00:13:48.779 Any family, you have a little bit of housework to do. 00:13:52.379 --> 00:13:53.500 What's your housework? 00:13:54.000 --> 00:13:55.100 You're part of a family. 00:13:55.279 --> 00:13:56.740 We call ourselves Watermark. 00:13:56.740 --> 00:14:01.360 What's the housework God's called you to in this church? 00:14:01.460 --> 00:14:06.259 For Paul, he says, my housework is to preach and to share this secret. 00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:10.440 Now it was the most awesome secret that's ever been kept. 00:14:10.740 --> 00:14:13.200 And it had been hidden for ages and generations. 00:14:13.759 --> 00:14:15.019 It was kept. 00:14:15.379 --> 00:14:16.480 And it wasn't discovered. 00:14:16.659 --> 00:14:17.519 Paul didn't discover it. 00:14:17.539 --> 00:14:18.700 It was revealed to him. 00:14:18.700 --> 00:14:22.500 And when Paul gets it, he goes, that is amazing. 00:14:22.600 --> 00:14:23.280 That's incredible. 00:14:23.660 --> 00:14:25.440 The secret is there. 00:14:27.300 --> 00:14:29.700 Now hopefully you're thinking, what is the secret? 00:14:30.060 --> 00:14:30.940 Tell me the secret. 00:14:31.620 --> 00:14:32.879 Okay, are you guys ready for it? 00:14:33.840 --> 00:14:36.540 This is the secret that got Paul. 00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:41.980 Christ in you, the hope of glory. 00:14:41.980 --> 00:14:49.399 Okay, now I was kind of hoping you guys would go like, yes, that's pretty awesome, okay? 00:14:49.840 --> 00:14:50.779 It's too late, Kev. 00:14:50.820 --> 00:14:51.440 Doesn't count. 00:14:52.120 --> 00:14:52.379 Okay. 00:14:53.060 --> 00:14:57.500 But now, the reason is we're not sitting in Colossae, right? 00:14:58.519 --> 00:15:05.259 But the church in Colossae, when that letter's been read into them, they would have got to that line and it would have blown their minds. 00:15:05.360 --> 00:15:05.879 They would have gone, what? 00:15:06.039 --> 00:15:08.180 Christ in you, the hope of glory. 00:15:08.179 --> 00:15:12.079 They would have had a totally different reaction to ours. 00:15:13.479 --> 00:15:14.479 So let's look at this. 00:15:14.539 --> 00:15:16.120 We're going to camp out here for a while. 00:15:16.739 --> 00:15:18.659 The first three words there. 00:15:18.919 --> 00:15:20.459 Christ in you. 00:15:20.739 --> 00:15:21.979 Quick little Greek lesson. 00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:29.219 In Greek, if you wanted to emphasize a word, you give it the most prominent place in the sentence, right? 00:15:29.279 --> 00:15:31.899 So what we do in English, you bold or you underline. 00:15:31.899 --> 00:15:38.480 In Greek, you want to give the most prominent word in the sentence, you put it in the most prominent place. 00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:40.600 So here we go. 00:15:40.740 --> 00:15:41.579 Christ in you. 00:15:42.220 --> 00:15:46.340 Which of those three words do you think is the prominent one? 00:15:46.600 --> 00:15:49.939 Which is the one Paul is saying, this is the one that deserves your attention? 00:15:50.600 --> 00:15:51.620 Let's vote, okay? 00:15:51.720 --> 00:15:53.199 Hands up if you think it's Christ. 00:15:54.879 --> 00:15:55.079 Okay. 00:15:55.240 --> 00:15:56.460 Hands up if you think it's in. 00:15:57.860 --> 00:15:59.500 Hands up if you think it's you. 00:15:59.500 --> 00:16:03.080 Hands up if you don't like putting your hands up. 00:16:03.820 --> 00:16:03.960 Okay. 00:16:05.720 --> 00:16:13.320 For those of you who put your hands up, when I asked, is the word you? 00:16:14.539 --> 00:16:15.299 You're right. 00:16:17.019 --> 00:16:17.460 Why? 00:16:18.419 --> 00:16:18.580 Okay. 00:16:18.580 --> 00:16:22.259 Now, in the Greek, the word you there is plural. 00:16:22.820 --> 00:16:23.919 So Paul's not speaking. 00:16:24.019 --> 00:16:25.139 He's speaking to you. 00:16:25.600 --> 00:16:26.620 You, right? 00:16:26.740 --> 00:16:27.840 I'm speaking to you. 00:16:27.840 --> 00:16:33.980 Now, if you notice, Paul doesn't say Christ in us. 00:16:34.600 --> 00:16:34.800 Right? 00:16:34.860 --> 00:16:35.920 Because that would have included Paul. 00:16:36.320 --> 00:16:37.019 Christ in us. 00:16:37.780 --> 00:16:39.620 Paul says Christ in you. 00:16:41.660 --> 00:16:44.340 Paul is talking to a Gentile church. 00:16:45.480 --> 00:16:48.480 And Paul himself is Jewish. 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:54.480 Paul's saying, he's saying this incredible thing, right? 00:16:55.700 --> 00:17:01.899 Christ, the Messiah, the Jewish Messiah, is in you, the Gentile church. 00:17:05.940 --> 00:17:10.559 Up until that time, everyone had been expecting a Messiah for the Jews. 00:17:11.299 --> 00:17:12.539 Everyone was expecting. 00:17:12.620 --> 00:17:13.940 It was written in Jewish scripture. 00:17:13.940 --> 00:17:17.460 They were always expecting a Messiah to come and rescue them. 00:17:19.299 --> 00:17:24.259 They were expecting a Messiah that would deliver them from their political enemies. 00:17:25.259 --> 00:17:25.440 Right? 00:17:25.539 --> 00:17:25.940 Rescue us. 00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:27.460 Jesus coming into Jerusalem. 00:17:27.660 --> 00:17:28.700 He's riding on a donkey. 00:17:29.080 --> 00:17:31.059 Everyone's lining the streets and they're shouting. 00:17:31.140 --> 00:17:32.279 Like the royal wedding yesterday. 00:17:32.420 --> 00:17:34.700 But they're shouting, Hosanna, Hosanna. 00:17:35.420 --> 00:17:35.920 Hosanna. 00:17:36.080 --> 00:17:36.519 Hosanna. 00:17:36.779 --> 00:17:38.440 Literally means deliver us now. 00:17:38.619 --> 00:17:39.879 Save us now. 00:17:41.420 --> 00:17:45.700 And they were so hoping that Jesus would be the Jewish Messiah that they were hoping for. 00:17:46.259 --> 00:17:51.759 He was going to deliver them from Roman occupation and give them a kingdom under King David. 00:17:53.019 --> 00:17:55.940 Jesus said, I am the Jewish Messiah. 00:17:56.359 --> 00:17:58.619 But I haven't come to deal with that enemy. 00:17:59.539 --> 00:18:02.819 I've come to deal with a far greater enemy. 00:18:02.819 --> 00:18:07.480 The enemy that is in every one of you. 00:18:08.720 --> 00:18:11.980 The enemy of sin, of a sinful nature. 00:18:12.839 --> 00:18:15.740 The enemy of pride, of self-righteousness. 00:18:16.079 --> 00:18:17.679 The enemy of death. 00:18:20.799 --> 00:18:22.539 And Paul said, guys, don't you get it? 00:18:23.599 --> 00:18:24.679 Don't you get it? 00:18:25.839 --> 00:18:31.500 That now this Jewish Messiah is in you, the Gentile church. 00:18:31.500 --> 00:18:32.819 The secret is open. 00:18:32.940 --> 00:18:34.759 It's not just for the Jews. 00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:36.359 It's for everybody. 00:18:38.079 --> 00:18:39.400 And it's amazing, right? 00:18:39.420 --> 00:18:43.400 If you look at the early church, this was one of their biggest disagreements, right? 00:18:43.400 --> 00:18:45.440 They still didn't quite get it. 00:18:46.460 --> 00:18:48.339 They would always argue over this issue. 00:18:48.440 --> 00:18:52.660 They would argue over whether you actually needed to become Jewish in order to be a Christian, 00:18:52.880 --> 00:18:57.380 whether you needed to be circumcised, whether you needed to obey the full law. 00:18:57.380 --> 00:19:02.600 Paul, and it all comes to a head in Acts 15, where you have these two characters, Paul and Barnabas. 00:19:02.940 --> 00:19:04.540 And they go straight to Jerusalem. 00:19:04.680 --> 00:19:07.160 They go straight to the headquarters of the church. 00:19:07.220 --> 00:19:11.340 And they say, this is what we see God doing among the Gentiles. 00:19:13.140 --> 00:19:15.600 When they see that, they're just like, yes, you're right. 00:19:16.160 --> 00:19:17.020 That's it, right? 00:19:17.120 --> 00:19:17.720 That is it. 00:19:18.060 --> 00:19:20.060 Christ in you. 00:19:20.240 --> 00:19:21.160 What a secret. 00:19:21.600 --> 00:19:22.240 What a secret. 00:19:22.240 --> 00:19:27.279 If the Gentile church would have heard that, wow, everything that was in the Messiah is now available to us. 00:19:29.000 --> 00:19:31.559 And from then on, Paul devoted his life. 00:19:31.680 --> 00:19:32.680 He was just headstrong. 00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:34.940 And he said, this is what I'm devoting my life to. 00:19:34.960 --> 00:19:36.180 I'm going to share this secret. 00:19:36.380 --> 00:19:38.599 I'm going to go, and I'm going to share this secret. 00:19:39.839 --> 00:19:41.440 And he said, but the secret has been unlocked. 00:19:41.559 --> 00:19:43.819 Therefore, I will preach Christ to everyone. 00:19:44.519 --> 00:19:46.779 The secret is available to everyone. 00:19:47.579 --> 00:19:49.660 Everyone is welcome. 00:19:49.660 --> 00:19:52.920 And you look at the fruit of Paul's ministry, right? 00:19:53.660 --> 00:19:58.440 This Jewish guy who looked beaten up, broken. 00:19:59.840 --> 00:20:04.279 And Christianity started off pretty much as like a Jewish sect, right? 00:20:04.380 --> 00:20:07.440 Jewish believers that believed that Jesus was the Messiah. 00:20:08.100 --> 00:20:09.019 And we look at it today. 00:20:09.940 --> 00:20:12.500 It's largely a Gentile church. 00:20:13.600 --> 00:20:16.160 We preach from a Jewish book. 00:20:16.480 --> 00:20:18.420 Most of the authors in this book are Jewish. 00:20:18.420 --> 00:20:24.539 We celebrated communion, which is a Jewish feast, the Passover feast. 00:20:24.920 --> 00:20:26.480 And it's fulfilled in Jesus. 00:20:30.060 --> 00:20:37.279 Jesus is still the Messiah to the Jews, but he is also the Christ of the Gentiles. 00:20:37.279 --> 00:20:41.220 And if that part is good, right? 00:20:41.279 --> 00:20:45.500 They're just like, Christ in us, Christ in you, the Gentiles. 00:20:45.599 --> 00:20:46.579 We never had a hope. 00:20:46.720 --> 00:20:49.119 We never had a hope outside of Christ, right? 00:20:49.259 --> 00:20:53.819 As Gentiles, it was always the Jews that were going to get their savior, their rescuer. 00:20:53.879 --> 00:20:55.740 And now the Gentiles are included in it. 00:20:56.819 --> 00:20:58.059 And it gets better, right? 00:20:58.059 --> 00:20:59.259 It's Christ in you. 00:20:59.259 --> 00:21:02.759 The hope of glory. 00:21:03.379 --> 00:21:04.559 The hope of glory. 00:21:04.640 --> 00:21:05.900 Now, what does that mean? 00:21:07.480 --> 00:21:07.759 Okay. 00:21:07.859 --> 00:21:11.900 So I hope this illustration does justice to it a little bit. 00:21:11.980 --> 00:21:15.900 But I want you to imagine that you have your favorite sports team. 00:21:16.759 --> 00:21:17.019 Okay? 00:21:17.019 --> 00:21:20.319 And your sports team doesn't ever do that great. 00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:25.879 But then you find out they have just bought a star player. 00:21:26.539 --> 00:21:27.799 He is phenomenal. 00:21:28.819 --> 00:21:32.200 And you'll hear people talking about their sports team now. 00:21:32.299 --> 00:21:35.779 Oh, he is our hope for glory. 00:21:35.779 --> 00:21:40.819 Meaning that this player, he is the one who's going to bring us the trophy. 00:21:41.139 --> 00:21:42.399 He's going to bring us victory. 00:21:42.720 --> 00:21:44.899 He is going to bring us the glory, the parade. 00:21:45.039 --> 00:21:48.240 Everything that we hope for is going to be found in him. 00:21:48.519 --> 00:21:50.619 He's going to bring us this victory. 00:21:52.359 --> 00:21:53.960 And that's kind of what he's saying here. 00:21:54.099 --> 00:21:57.399 Christ, he is now our hope for glory. 00:21:58.160 --> 00:22:02.000 And the word there, hope, it's an incredible Greek word, right? 00:22:02.319 --> 00:22:03.440 It's called alpis. 00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:05.100 And I learned that this week. 00:22:05.160 --> 00:22:07.299 And I thought, what an awesome word, alpis. 00:22:07.400 --> 00:22:08.640 It's just got such a ring about it. 00:22:08.759 --> 00:22:09.600 Can we say it together? 00:22:10.340 --> 00:22:10.740 Alpis. 00:22:11.640 --> 00:22:12.259 Okay, there you go. 00:22:12.320 --> 00:22:13.799 Now you know a Greek word, right? 00:22:14.259 --> 00:22:15.320 It's totally useless. 00:22:15.480 --> 00:22:16.660 But anyway, you know a Greek word. 00:22:17.059 --> 00:22:20.600 And the sense of the word alpis means to wait. 00:22:21.340 --> 00:22:23.059 To wait for something. 00:22:23.960 --> 00:22:25.140 What are you waiting for? 00:22:26.259 --> 00:22:27.519 What are you longing for? 00:22:27.559 --> 00:22:28.500 What are you waiting for? 00:22:31.299 --> 00:22:32.580 And now it's ours. 00:22:32.579 --> 00:22:35.159 As a Gentile church, now it's ours. 00:22:35.259 --> 00:22:35.699 There's hope. 00:22:35.839 --> 00:22:36.759 We had no hope. 00:22:36.839 --> 00:22:38.159 Now we have hope in Christ. 00:22:39.119 --> 00:22:40.579 And we have this hope of glory. 00:22:40.679 --> 00:22:42.059 This waiting for glory. 00:22:43.159 --> 00:22:45.740 In Psalm 26, there's a verse that says, 00:22:46.299 --> 00:22:49.039 I love your house, O Lord. 00:22:49.399 --> 00:22:53.179 The place where your glory dwells. 00:22:54.359 --> 00:22:56.199 Now, it's talking about the temple. 00:22:56.200 --> 00:23:00.860 And in the temple, you had the outer courts, the inner courts, and the Holy of Holies. 00:23:01.019 --> 00:23:04.059 The place where God's visible presence was manifest. 00:23:05.299 --> 00:23:14.200 But one priest, once a year, was allowed in to the Holy of Holies for a limited amount of time. 00:23:14.200 --> 00:23:19.279 One priest, once a year, for a limited amount of time. 00:23:19.500 --> 00:23:22.779 To be in the very presence of God. 00:23:23.100 --> 00:23:26.460 The very physical presence, the manifest presence of God. 00:23:26.640 --> 00:23:28.880 Now, Paul's saying that's just blown it wide open. 00:23:29.700 --> 00:23:31.440 It's not just one priest once a year. 00:23:31.519 --> 00:23:35.120 Now we have hope of that glory all the time. 00:23:35.119 --> 00:23:40.599 The promises of the Messiah are now available to us. 00:23:41.159 --> 00:23:41.579 To us. 00:23:43.139 --> 00:23:46.179 Being in His presence. 00:23:46.439 --> 00:23:48.559 And living out His presence. 00:23:48.679 --> 00:23:49.579 That is our hope. 00:23:51.939 --> 00:23:57.179 So, do you remember we had a public holiday beginning of May? 00:23:58.939 --> 00:24:01.239 Everyone remembers holidays in Hong Kong, right? 00:24:01.240 --> 00:24:06.700 So, that day I took Elijah and Daniela out and we went to the playground. 00:24:07.000 --> 00:24:09.980 And we were kicking a football in the playground. 00:24:10.700 --> 00:24:15.339 And as we're kicking a football, an old man comes past. 00:24:15.420 --> 00:24:16.240 And I don't know what happened. 00:24:16.339 --> 00:24:19.339 He must have just got out on the wrong side of bed that day. 00:24:19.400 --> 00:24:20.839 But he wasn't in a good mood. 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:22.680 And Elijah kicks the ball. 00:24:23.019 --> 00:24:25.140 And this old man goes crazy. 00:24:25.240 --> 00:24:26.960 He just starts chewing out Elijah. 00:24:27.579 --> 00:24:28.839 He's like, you can't kick the ball here. 00:24:28.940 --> 00:24:30.180 You can't kick the ball here. 00:24:30.740 --> 00:24:35.960 And there are many times that Elijah does deserve a chewing out, okay? 00:24:36.840 --> 00:24:38.640 This was not one of those times. 00:24:39.620 --> 00:24:42.480 And in that moment, I have to be honest with you. 00:24:42.519 --> 00:24:44.580 I just forgot I was a Christian, okay? 00:24:44.680 --> 00:24:47.240 I just like, oh, no graceful answer here. 00:24:47.799 --> 00:24:50.220 My little boy, you know, he's kind of being there. 00:24:50.440 --> 00:24:51.840 And I just kind of just lying in me. 00:24:51.960 --> 00:24:54.519 And I went up to him and I said, excuse me. 00:24:54.519 --> 00:24:56.539 Do not talk to my son like that. 00:24:56.539 --> 00:25:01.079 And he turned to me and he said, he started chewing me out, right? 00:25:01.519 --> 00:25:04.539 And he says, you're not allowed to kick the ball here. 00:25:05.119 --> 00:25:06.700 This is for Hong Kong people. 00:25:07.960 --> 00:25:09.960 And in that moment, I was like, wow. 00:25:10.240 --> 00:25:13.159 I said to him, I am a Hong Kong person. 00:25:13.399 --> 00:25:15.879 I have as much right to be here as anyone else. 00:25:15.920 --> 00:25:18.079 And he looked at me and he went, you? 00:25:18.859 --> 00:25:20.819 And then he grumbled and he kind of walked on. 00:25:21.720 --> 00:25:25.319 But that same reaction, you're part of Hong Kong? 00:25:25.539 --> 00:25:26.359 No way. 00:25:27.480 --> 00:25:29.619 That's exactly the reaction here. 00:25:30.819 --> 00:25:35.419 You are now included in the promises, the culmination that was built up. 00:25:35.480 --> 00:25:37.179 You're included in those promises. 00:25:37.179 --> 00:25:40.720 All the benefits that Hong Kong brings are now yours. 00:25:40.720 --> 00:25:45.200 All the benefits that the Messiah was promised to are now yours. 00:25:46.339 --> 00:25:51.420 Paul says, because this is true, because this is true, the secret is available to everyone. 00:25:51.500 --> 00:25:52.279 The church is open. 00:25:52.640 --> 00:25:54.779 He goes, I strain. 00:25:55.579 --> 00:25:56.480 I sweat. 00:25:56.620 --> 00:25:57.480 I struggle. 00:25:58.259 --> 00:26:01.839 And the language he uses is kind of like from the athletic world. 00:26:02.400 --> 00:26:05.539 I want you to imagine someone who's doing pull-ups, right? 00:26:05.640 --> 00:26:09.180 And the muscles and the strain and they're straining and they're pulling. 00:26:09.180 --> 00:26:10.720 And Paul says, that's what I do. 00:26:10.960 --> 00:26:16.259 I strain every muscle, every fiber, because I want to proclaim Christ to everyone. 00:26:16.519 --> 00:26:18.660 I want to warn everyone. 00:26:19.799 --> 00:26:23.900 I want to present everyone mature in Christ. 00:26:25.080 --> 00:26:28.539 Paul says, you know, I put in this effort. 00:26:28.820 --> 00:26:31.560 And when I put in this effort, you know what I find? 00:26:32.580 --> 00:26:34.759 I find his energy is there. 00:26:35.080 --> 00:26:36.240 His power is there. 00:26:36.660 --> 00:26:38.740 This limitless supply of his power. 00:26:38.740 --> 00:26:45.259 The more I strain, the more I work, the more I give myself to this, the more he pours himself into me. 00:26:48.440 --> 00:26:51.960 You know, guys, one truth that we have to come through. 00:26:52.039 --> 00:26:54.640 In the Christian walk, there is strain. 00:26:55.220 --> 00:26:56.240 There is effort. 00:26:56.240 --> 00:27:01.180 But there is a limitless supply of Christ's power. 00:27:02.440 --> 00:27:05.440 His grace and his energy available to us. 00:27:06.400 --> 00:27:10.759 And you see in here, as Paul says this, he's just, this is the heartbeat of evangelists, right? 00:27:11.299 --> 00:27:14.120 He's not just interested in bringing people to faith. 00:27:14.160 --> 00:27:15.940 He's interested in bringing them to maturity. 00:27:15.940 --> 00:27:24.779 So, in the 1700s, there were two evangelists from a very small island. 00:27:25.299 --> 00:27:26.000 Very small. 00:27:27.039 --> 00:27:29.440 Significant little place called the United Kingdom. 00:27:30.600 --> 00:27:32.080 And that's for you, Chris. 00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:37.420 And anyway, the two evangelists were called John Wesley and George Whitefield. 00:27:37.420 --> 00:27:41.039 And George Whitefield, both incredible preachers. 00:27:41.140 --> 00:27:45.180 But George Whitefield was probably the more successful of the two. 00:27:45.360 --> 00:27:46.900 He drew bigger crowds. 00:27:47.060 --> 00:27:49.759 More people came to faith under his ministry. 00:27:50.279 --> 00:27:52.539 But they had different strategies. 00:27:52.539 --> 00:28:01.579 And what John Wesley would do is he would go to a place, he would preach, people would come to faith, and then he would go back. 00:28:01.859 --> 00:28:02.480 And he would visit. 00:28:02.579 --> 00:28:05.420 And he would put them in groups called societies. 00:28:06.579 --> 00:28:07.639 And build them up. 00:28:08.659 --> 00:28:12.240 Whereas George Whitefield, he'd go to a new place, new place, new place, new place. 00:28:13.240 --> 00:28:16.180 And at the end of George Whitefield's life, this is what he wrote. 00:28:16.279 --> 00:28:17.539 He wrote to Wesley, right? 00:28:18.259 --> 00:28:18.759 And he says, 00:28:18.759 --> 00:28:21.899 My brother Wesley, you have acted wisely. 00:28:22.539 --> 00:28:28.200 The souls that were awakened under your ministry, you joined into societies. 00:28:29.420 --> 00:28:33.079 And in this way, you preserved the fruit of your labor. 00:28:34.059 --> 00:28:35.720 This I neglected. 00:28:36.960 --> 00:28:40.779 And my people are a rope of sand. 00:28:41.399 --> 00:28:43.279 Have you ever tried to grab a rope of sand? 00:28:44.279 --> 00:28:46.220 And it's not really useful as a rope. 00:28:47.740 --> 00:28:48.039 He says, 00:28:48.759 --> 00:28:50.119 Wesley, you built them up. 00:28:50.539 --> 00:28:51.299 You built them up. 00:28:51.299 --> 00:28:53.279 You aim to bring them to maturity. 00:28:53.799 --> 00:28:55.180 And this is Paul's aim, right? 00:28:55.240 --> 00:28:56.220 In this letter here, he goes, 00:28:56.519 --> 00:28:59.119 Guys, I want you to have a faith that is unshakable. 00:28:59.819 --> 00:29:01.500 I want you to stand firm. 00:29:03.379 --> 00:29:07.079 I don't want arguments that can come in and harm you and destroy your thinking. 00:29:07.339 --> 00:29:10.460 I want to make the word of God fully known. 00:29:10.460 --> 00:29:16.860 So I have to tell you, I'm going to let you in a little bit of a kind of a fly in the wall moment. 00:29:16.940 --> 00:29:23.140 When we have our elders meetings and we sit together, one of the key things that we focus on is, 00:29:23.140 --> 00:29:28.060 Are we committed to preaching the word of God? 00:29:28.060 --> 00:29:31.880 To making the gospel known to us? 00:29:32.660 --> 00:29:43.200 In our deep in our hearts, in our own hearts, in the people's hearts, are we making sure that the gospel, the word of God is really center to what we do as a church? 00:29:44.100 --> 00:29:47.100 And that's why we're committed to a teaching ministry. 00:29:47.220 --> 00:29:49.420 It's why we go through books of the Bible. 00:29:49.559 --> 00:29:52.600 It's because we want you to know the full counsel of God. 00:29:52.660 --> 00:29:54.700 We want you to know the fundamentals of your faith. 00:29:56.080 --> 00:30:01.180 And Paul says, listen, if you want a firm foundation, you want to build, you want to become mature, you're going to need three things. 00:30:01.180 --> 00:30:04.299 And the first thing he says, this is what you're going to need. 00:30:04.360 --> 00:30:05.320 You're going to need courage. 00:30:06.220 --> 00:30:07.759 He says, encouraged in heart. 00:30:08.320 --> 00:30:13.480 And literally, encouraged means to put courage into you, right? 00:30:13.880 --> 00:30:14.940 Put courage into you. 00:30:15.000 --> 00:30:17.019 Paul says, you're going to need courage. 00:30:18.580 --> 00:30:21.240 I don't know about you, but I put myself in this category, right? 00:30:21.960 --> 00:30:26.380 When I go to work, I need courage to speak out the gospel. 00:30:27.019 --> 00:30:29.019 I need courage to live out the gospel. 00:30:29.019 --> 00:30:39.059 I was telling a friend of mine this story about how I struggled to actually talk about my faith in the workplace. 00:30:39.400 --> 00:30:41.940 And he said to me, he said, you don't need opportunities. 00:30:42.480 --> 00:30:43.639 You need courage. 00:30:44.460 --> 00:30:45.039 And it's true. 00:30:45.259 --> 00:30:46.319 I need courage. 00:30:46.579 --> 00:30:48.460 But you know what else it means, what courage means? 00:30:48.539 --> 00:30:52.299 You need courage to ask for forgiveness. 00:30:52.480 --> 00:30:57.460 You need courage to say those three most difficult words to say. 00:30:57.460 --> 00:30:58.539 You know what those three words are? 00:30:59.599 --> 00:31:00.639 You all know them. 00:31:00.879 --> 00:31:02.180 They're very difficult for you too. 00:31:02.779 --> 00:31:05.220 I am sorry. 00:31:06.740 --> 00:31:07.000 Okay. 00:31:07.359 --> 00:31:08.379 Not easy, right? 00:31:08.519 --> 00:31:09.720 We need courage to do that. 00:31:09.779 --> 00:31:11.940 We need courage to live out the gospel. 00:31:14.039 --> 00:31:16.980 And Paul says, secondly, you're going to need community. 00:31:18.019 --> 00:31:20.599 You're going to need to be knit together in love. 00:31:21.119 --> 00:31:22.059 That's what he says. 00:31:22.059 --> 00:31:32.679 You know, when you're standing out there and you're the only Christian in your workplace, you're the only Christian at school, at university, and you need courage to be there. 00:31:32.680 --> 00:31:42.880 But to know that you have a loving fellowship behind you that'll stand with you, that'll pray with you, that knits you together, right? 00:31:42.880 --> 00:31:44.880 You have to have that behind you. 00:31:44.880 --> 00:31:52.140 And there's a beautiful story that I think just illustrates one segment of what community is like. 00:31:52.140 --> 00:32:00.180 So, in 1995, October 1995, two twins are born. 00:32:01.440 --> 00:32:03.220 Brielle and Kari Jackson. 00:32:03.220 --> 00:32:07.660 And they're born 12 weeks premature. 00:32:09.680 --> 00:32:19.980 And as they're born, the doctor comes to the parents and says, you know, 12 weeks, at the moment things are okay, but at any moment things could turn for the worst. 00:32:19.980 --> 00:32:25.299 And for one of the twins, Brielle, that's exactly what happened. 00:32:26.319 --> 00:32:28.880 She developed this massive fever. 00:32:29.299 --> 00:32:30.940 Her heart rate became irregular. 00:32:31.400 --> 00:32:33.880 And the doctors were incredibly worried about her. 00:32:35.279 --> 00:32:38.279 And the nurse there, she has this brilliant idea. 00:32:38.460 --> 00:32:43.259 She says, can I take the stronger twin and put her together with her sister? 00:32:43.259 --> 00:32:49.059 And the doctors are like, no way, this is like cross-twin infection. 00:32:49.460 --> 00:32:50.640 We don't usually do this. 00:32:51.220 --> 00:32:54.019 And the nurse goes to the parents and says, this is what I think we should do. 00:32:54.400 --> 00:32:55.640 And the parents say, go for it. 00:32:55.680 --> 00:32:56.180 Do this. 00:32:56.879 --> 00:32:59.299 So, they take Kari and they put her next to Brielle. 00:33:00.099 --> 00:33:04.559 And as the twins are kind of lying next to each other, it's this awesome little moment, right? 00:33:05.420 --> 00:33:08.819 Kari puts her arm around Brielle. 00:33:08.819 --> 00:33:16.299 And very soon after that, her fever, Brielle's fever begins to come down. 00:33:16.419 --> 00:33:18.519 Her heart rate begins to normalize. 00:33:19.799 --> 00:33:21.480 It's this incredible moment, right? 00:33:21.579 --> 00:33:22.480 So, this is the picture. 00:33:22.599 --> 00:33:23.659 This is Brielle and Kari. 00:33:24.359 --> 00:33:25.019 Let's have a look. 00:33:25.099 --> 00:33:25.759 That's them there. 00:33:27.220 --> 00:33:27.859 Can you see that? 00:33:28.519 --> 00:33:30.859 That moment, you're supposed to go, aww. 00:33:31.460 --> 00:33:33.000 Kari, that's awesome, guys. 00:33:33.819 --> 00:33:37.859 That little moment, that became known as the rescuing hug. 00:33:38.500 --> 00:33:39.660 The rescuing hug. 00:33:41.299 --> 00:33:44.000 Okay, this is Brielle and Kari today. 00:33:44.680 --> 00:33:45.380 So, one more picture. 00:33:46.960 --> 00:33:47.700 There we go. 00:33:47.880 --> 00:33:48.519 Two twins. 00:33:49.180 --> 00:33:52.039 As close as ever, but they were from that moment. 00:33:53.819 --> 00:33:57.700 Guys, that's a little picture of what community is about. 00:34:00.500 --> 00:34:02.339 A rescuing hug, right? 00:34:02.339 --> 00:34:02.419 Right? 00:34:02.740 --> 00:34:07.899 Sometimes, we're all in need of a little bit of a rescuing hug from the week we've had. 00:34:09.039 --> 00:34:13.500 And sometimes, we're there to give a rescuing hug to others. 00:34:15.039 --> 00:34:19.039 And Paul says, the third thing you need, you need full assurance. 00:34:19.179 --> 00:34:20.659 You need a complete understanding. 00:34:20.659 --> 00:34:29.859 I want you to bring you to a place where you're able to say, I know whom I have believed. 00:34:30.359 --> 00:34:31.619 I know Jesus. 00:34:31.779 --> 00:34:34.399 I know whom I have believed. 00:34:34.400 --> 00:34:41.099 And he says, this full assurance, to get there, to get full assurance, you need wisdom and you need knowledge. 00:34:42.660 --> 00:34:50.440 Now, knowledge is the ability to see the truth, to understand the truth, to really grasp it. 00:34:50.440 --> 00:34:56.159 But knowledge also has another side to it, where you're able to present the truth to others. 00:34:56.220 --> 00:34:57.599 You're able to present it clearly. 00:34:57.599 --> 00:35:00.259 And then you have wisdom. 00:35:01.079 --> 00:35:05.199 And wisdom is the ability to apply that knowledge in the right situation. 00:35:05.199 --> 00:35:12.480 Okay, now that all sounds great, but I don't know about you, but that's a problem to me, okay? 00:35:12.739 --> 00:35:15.519 All this knowledge, all this wisdom, how am I going to get it? 00:35:15.559 --> 00:35:16.399 Like, what does that mean? 00:35:16.460 --> 00:35:17.659 Do I have to go to seminary? 00:35:17.899 --> 00:35:19.419 Do I have to read a million books? 00:35:20.859 --> 00:35:21.839 What do I have to do? 00:35:23.319 --> 00:35:26.559 The good news is that there's a shortcut. 00:35:27.239 --> 00:35:28.019 There's a secret. 00:35:29.279 --> 00:35:30.219 There's a key. 00:35:30.219 --> 00:35:39.399 And the key is, say it with me, guys, the key is Christ. 00:35:39.779 --> 00:35:40.959 The key is Christ. 00:35:41.379 --> 00:35:42.639 And Paul gives this example. 00:35:42.799 --> 00:35:46.439 He says, all the treasures, I want you to imagine a treasure chest. 00:35:47.119 --> 00:35:54.079 And inside this treasure chest is all the wisdom and all the knowledge that you will ever need is inside this treasure chest. 00:35:54.239 --> 00:35:55.359 But it's padlocked. 00:35:55.359 --> 00:35:57.959 It's got this huge chain on it, and there's this huge padlock on it. 00:35:57.960 --> 00:36:04.139 And the only way to get all that wisdom and all that knowledge is, is to open that padlock. 00:36:04.860 --> 00:36:05.880 But you need a key. 00:36:07.039 --> 00:36:08.039 You need a key. 00:36:09.220 --> 00:36:10.059 What's the key? 00:36:10.940 --> 00:36:13.740 The key is Christ. 00:36:15.320 --> 00:36:16.679 You need Christ. 00:36:17.659 --> 00:36:19.440 You only need one thing. 00:36:19.780 --> 00:36:24.880 You need the person of Christ to unlock all that wisdom and all that knowledge that's available to you. 00:36:24.880 --> 00:36:35.140 You know, the person who knows Christ knows more than the greatest philosopher that doesn't know Christ. 00:36:35.139 --> 00:36:48.719 And the whole reason Paul is building them up to this point, why they need to get this, why they need to be brought back to the fact that Christ is the key, is because there's a little bit of trouble in Colossae. 00:36:48.960 --> 00:36:50.839 And this is where he gets to their seduction. 00:36:51.500 --> 00:36:52.519 They're being seduced. 00:36:54.759 --> 00:36:56.960 Paul's saying, I'm concerned about you guys. 00:36:56.960 --> 00:37:01.679 He says, don't let anyone deceive you. 00:37:02.559 --> 00:37:05.980 Okay, guys, I need to stop and ask us a question here. 00:37:07.059 --> 00:37:08.119 Okay, it's a question. 00:37:08.280 --> 00:37:08.960 Just look at me. 00:37:09.039 --> 00:37:09.820 This is the question. 00:37:10.240 --> 00:37:12.220 I want you to think about this and answer it honestly. 00:37:13.340 --> 00:37:15.579 Is it hard to follow Jesus? 00:37:15.579 --> 00:37:16.579 Yes. 00:37:19.860 --> 00:37:20.299 Yes. 00:37:20.559 --> 00:37:20.920 Okay. 00:37:21.119 --> 00:37:24.500 If you said no, that's amazing, but it's not true. 00:37:24.799 --> 00:37:26.019 Is it hard to follow Jesus? 00:37:26.539 --> 00:37:26.940 Yes. 00:37:28.440 --> 00:37:28.860 Okay. 00:37:28.860 --> 00:37:32.159 Your family thinks you ate something and you've gone crazy. 00:37:32.880 --> 00:37:36.779 Your coworkers think you're an idiot and they're quite happy to tell you. 00:37:36.780 --> 00:37:45.560 Plus that we live in a culture which tempts us morally every day, but it also attacks us mentally. 00:37:46.440 --> 00:37:48.680 It challenges our thoughts, right? 00:37:49.400 --> 00:37:52.480 And Paul's saying, he goes, they're clever talkers. 00:37:53.019 --> 00:37:56.000 And the language there is they smooth with their tongue. 00:37:56.620 --> 00:38:02.000 And they come in between you and they're giving you this wisdom and this knowledge. 00:38:02.960 --> 00:38:04.300 But it's without the key. 00:38:05.320 --> 00:38:06.280 It's without the key. 00:38:07.360 --> 00:38:09.180 And he says, it's a danger to your faith. 00:38:09.240 --> 00:38:11.040 It's leading you away from Christ. 00:38:12.460 --> 00:38:17.040 Guys, we face the same dangers today. 00:38:17.040 --> 00:38:21.720 The dangers still persist today where we have this thought attacking us. 00:38:21.960 --> 00:38:25.720 So I love the way Ravi Zacharias talks about this. 00:38:25.780 --> 00:38:29.340 He talks about it as mass spiritual marketing. 00:38:30.240 --> 00:38:33.280 And the person he uses as an example is Oprah. 00:38:33.720 --> 00:38:35.380 So sorry if you like Oprah. 00:38:35.380 --> 00:38:37.400 I'm going to slag her for a bit here. 00:38:38.740 --> 00:38:44.920 But Oprah only shows us that there is a hunger and a thirst for the spiritual. 00:38:44.920 --> 00:38:50.139 There is a hunger and a thirst for the spiritual in every human being. 00:38:51.180 --> 00:38:53.440 Are we supposedly becoming more scientific? 00:38:54.180 --> 00:38:57.599 The heart of man is religious beyond all else. 00:38:58.139 --> 00:39:00.639 We want to know that there is something greater than us. 00:39:00.639 --> 00:39:06.819 And Oprah fills that void with this knowledge and this wisdom which sounds so good. 00:39:07.900 --> 00:39:09.099 But there's no key. 00:39:09.319 --> 00:39:10.420 There's no key. 00:39:10.539 --> 00:39:11.819 There's no Christ in there. 00:39:11.820 --> 00:39:16.400 And Paul's saying, don't let anyone persuade you. 00:39:16.620 --> 00:39:19.080 The key is Christ. 00:39:20.920 --> 00:39:24.539 When you stop using Christ, it's a danger to your faith. 00:39:24.600 --> 00:39:28.460 Because you see, Jesus is not just a clue. 00:39:28.900 --> 00:39:31.800 He's not just a good moral figure. 00:39:32.000 --> 00:39:33.740 He's not just a teacher. 00:39:33.860 --> 00:39:34.840 He's not just a guideline. 00:39:34.840 --> 00:39:38.600 He is the key. 00:39:38.780 --> 00:39:39.400 He's the key. 00:39:39.500 --> 00:39:41.079 He's the one that binds it all together. 00:39:42.200 --> 00:39:49.640 You know, and the simplest Christian with the key has more understanding of truth than the most brilliant sinner. 00:39:49.639 --> 00:39:57.619 You know, the most offensive thing Jesus ever said about himself was this. 00:39:59.079 --> 00:40:03.859 He said, I am the way, the truth, the life. 00:40:04.460 --> 00:40:09.900 Now, if Jesus had just said, I'm a way, a truth, a life, fine, no problem. 00:40:10.099 --> 00:40:11.679 No one's got a problem with that, right? 00:40:11.960 --> 00:40:13.440 Sure, you believe, good for you. 00:40:13.539 --> 00:40:14.339 He's a way. 00:40:14.699 --> 00:40:16.219 But Jesus made it exclusive. 00:40:16.219 --> 00:40:19.879 He said, I am the way, the truth, the life. 00:40:20.099 --> 00:40:24.139 No one comes to the Father except through me. 00:40:24.679 --> 00:40:29.459 Jesus is saying, I'm the key. 00:40:29.819 --> 00:40:30.500 I'm the key. 00:40:32.519 --> 00:40:35.559 And Paul looks at this church and he goes, this is the solution, guys. 00:40:35.980 --> 00:40:36.959 Here's my solution. 00:40:40.419 --> 00:40:43.199 And he starts off, right, with this incredible statement. 00:40:43.199 --> 00:40:47.739 Paul says, I'm absent from you in body, but I'm with you in spirit. 00:40:48.119 --> 00:40:49.339 Now, have you ever said that? 00:40:50.339 --> 00:40:51.659 Now, we use it today, right? 00:40:52.039 --> 00:40:58.460 But usually when we say, oh, I'll be with you in spirit, we kind of mean like, oh, I'll be thinking of you or something. 00:40:58.559 --> 00:40:59.939 That's not what Paul means here. 00:41:00.319 --> 00:41:10.199 When he says, I'm absent from body, with you in spirit, Paul's actually saying, I see what is going on in your church by my spirit. 00:41:10.199 --> 00:41:13.279 It's been revealed to me what is happening in your church. 00:41:13.439 --> 00:41:14.539 I know what is happening. 00:41:14.739 --> 00:41:21.039 So we probably need to be a little bit more careful when we say, I'll be with you in spirit, to what actually Paul's meaning here. 00:41:23.199 --> 00:41:24.639 And he says this. 00:41:24.719 --> 00:41:27.279 He goes, I delight in your good order. 00:41:28.000 --> 00:41:30.480 Now, he's using a military term there. 00:41:31.039 --> 00:41:32.059 A military term. 00:41:32.639 --> 00:41:34.039 And they would have understood this, right? 00:41:34.039 --> 00:41:36.480 So it's a term he says, you guys have got it right. 00:41:36.860 --> 00:41:37.840 You guys have got it right. 00:41:38.099 --> 00:41:42.039 And what they would have done is they would have formed a square. 00:41:42.300 --> 00:41:43.340 They would have linked arms. 00:41:43.440 --> 00:41:44.639 They would have formed a square. 00:41:44.860 --> 00:41:47.679 So they're facing out the enemy, but they join together. 00:41:47.960 --> 00:41:49.759 And right in the middle would have been the general. 00:41:50.840 --> 00:41:54.079 Right in the middle would have been the general protecting the troops, right? 00:41:54.139 --> 00:41:55.420 Giving orders to the troops. 00:41:56.239 --> 00:41:57.059 And that's what Paul says. 00:41:57.079 --> 00:41:57.759 That's what I see. 00:41:57.920 --> 00:41:59.460 You guys are joining in together. 00:41:59.659 --> 00:42:00.159 You're linking. 00:42:00.360 --> 00:42:02.039 You're forming a square. 00:42:02.039 --> 00:42:02.719 You're looking out. 00:42:02.980 --> 00:42:05.119 And right in the center is Jesus. 00:42:05.360 --> 00:42:07.179 Right in the center is the Christ. 00:42:08.119 --> 00:42:12.099 And that's good, guys, because when an argument comes, you guys are standing firm. 00:42:12.179 --> 00:42:13.000 You're standing together. 00:42:13.519 --> 00:42:14.579 You're not going to be budged. 00:42:14.659 --> 00:42:15.380 You're not going to be moved. 00:42:15.440 --> 00:42:20.860 It's going to be okay because you're standing close to him. 00:42:22.400 --> 00:42:24.219 I'm going to use a lion example. 00:42:24.619 --> 00:42:27.119 I'm from Africa, so I'm allowed to use a lion example. 00:42:27.119 --> 00:42:32.359 But when lions hunt, okay, so it's the lioness. 00:42:32.480 --> 00:42:34.659 It's the girl lion who hunts, right? 00:42:34.819 --> 00:42:42.039 And when they hunt and they're looking at any herd that they're hunting, doesn't matter what it is, zebra, wildebeest, whatever, 00:42:43.000 --> 00:42:44.380 they will lie in wait. 00:42:44.980 --> 00:42:48.659 And they're looking for the one that becomes separated from the herd. 00:42:48.659 --> 00:42:54.079 The ones that are always safest in the herd are the ones who are closest to the leader. 00:42:55.000 --> 00:42:56.460 They're the ones closest to the head of the herd. 00:42:56.519 --> 00:42:57.159 They are the safest. 00:42:57.579 --> 00:43:00.379 But every now and then, one will become separated from the herd. 00:43:00.539 --> 00:43:02.719 And that's the one the lion attacks. 00:43:02.960 --> 00:43:05.480 They look for the ones that are wandering, and those are the ones that attack. 00:43:06.619 --> 00:43:07.799 And that's what Paul's saying here. 00:43:07.859 --> 00:43:09.399 He goes like, don't wander. 00:43:09.679 --> 00:43:10.299 Don't wander. 00:43:10.719 --> 00:43:11.480 Be together. 00:43:11.859 --> 00:43:12.359 Be together. 00:43:12.539 --> 00:43:13.699 Be close to the leader. 00:43:13.779 --> 00:43:14.719 Be close to Jesus. 00:43:15.000 --> 00:43:16.019 And you're going to be fine. 00:43:16.840 --> 00:43:17.780 You're going to be fine. 00:43:19.699 --> 00:43:26.599 I was told once, never ever preach a sermon without telling the people what you want them to do about it. 00:43:27.219 --> 00:43:31.259 So I gave you the five S's, right, of Paul's sermon. 00:43:31.259 --> 00:43:35.400 And now I'm going to give you the three C's that he wants us to take away. 00:43:36.420 --> 00:43:41.340 And the first one is Christ. 00:43:43.480 --> 00:43:43.980 Christ. 00:43:43.980 --> 00:43:49.400 Just make sure that Christ is the key to the things you are facing. 00:43:51.199 --> 00:43:59.639 In your suffering, in your confusion and your doubts and your wondering, make sure that Christ is the key. 00:43:59.760 --> 00:44:02.079 You see him in your suffering too. 00:44:02.079 --> 00:44:12.579 When you're declaring the secret of the gospel that's available to everyone, make sure that it's Christ that you preach. 00:44:12.579 --> 00:44:23.519 When you are straining and you're working hard and you need his power and his energy, make sure that you come to Christ. 00:44:23.519 --> 00:44:35.659 And those moments when you feel that you're being seduced and you're wondering and you're doubting and you're wondering away from the flock, come back to him. 00:44:36.480 --> 00:44:38.599 Make sure that Christ is the key. 00:44:38.599 --> 00:44:48.119 And finally, in your solution, when you're standing firm and you're on him, rejoice in Christ. 00:44:48.940 --> 00:44:50.159 Rejoice in Christ. 00:44:51.819 --> 00:44:54.960 And the second thing we all need is courage. 00:44:55.079 --> 00:44:56.799 The second C is courage, right? 00:44:56.940 --> 00:44:58.819 Courage to stand firm. 00:44:58.820 --> 00:45:00.559 Paul writes, right? 00:45:00.620 --> 00:45:01.800 This is the great apostle Paul. 00:45:01.880 --> 00:45:06.160 He says, pray that I might preach and declare the gospel as I should. 00:45:07.059 --> 00:45:07.220 Right? 00:45:07.280 --> 00:45:13.660 If Paul needed boldness to declare the gospel, to live out the gospel, my goodness, so do we. 00:45:14.760 --> 00:45:15.800 In love. 00:45:17.680 --> 00:45:19.580 Courage to preach the gospel in love. 00:45:19.579 --> 00:45:25.679 Guys, if you're new to Watermark, please understand that you are coming into a broken church. 00:45:26.440 --> 00:45:30.500 We're full of broken people with our own messed up traits. 00:45:30.980 --> 00:45:32.679 But we are on a journey. 00:45:33.139 --> 00:45:36.099 We're laying down the thing where we're determined to follow Jesus. 00:45:36.920 --> 00:45:38.219 We're determined to follow Jesus. 00:45:38.340 --> 00:45:40.880 In our brokenness, you're not going to find perfection here. 00:45:41.400 --> 00:45:45.619 But you are going to find a community that is determined to follow him. 00:45:46.079 --> 00:45:47.559 And it's going to hold him up high. 00:45:47.559 --> 00:45:50.259 We need courage to do that. 00:45:51.480 --> 00:45:55.159 And the third thing is we need community. 00:45:55.360 --> 00:45:56.159 We need each other. 00:45:56.699 --> 00:46:00.599 We need to be knitted together as we walk this journey. 00:46:02.639 --> 00:46:05.820 We need to be a community of rescuing hugs. 00:46:06.860 --> 00:46:08.820 Community group is going to be awesome this week, right? 00:46:08.840 --> 00:46:10.159 Everyone is going to be hugging each other. 00:46:10.599 --> 00:46:11.759 It's going to be great. 00:46:12.360 --> 00:46:14.360 But really, there's an element there, right? 00:46:14.360 --> 00:46:18.180 Jesus wants you to be knitted together. 00:46:19.059 --> 00:46:20.680 And then you grow to maturity. 00:46:23.820 --> 00:46:25.099 I'm going to pray for us. 00:46:25.140 --> 00:46:26.760 And I need to pray for myself here. 00:46:28.039 --> 00:46:29.120 And then we're going to worship. 00:46:29.220 --> 00:46:32.680 And I'd ask you to stand as we sing this song. 00:46:32.740 --> 00:46:34.660 We've been singing it for a couple of weeks, right? 00:46:34.659 --> 00:46:38.799 But it's about the holiness of God. 00:46:39.179 --> 00:46:42.599 It's about asking him to reveal who he is to us. 00:46:43.119 --> 00:46:48.960 And as we sing it as an act of worship, I would ask us to really turn it into a prayer. 00:46:49.960 --> 00:46:50.759 God, show me. 00:46:50.879 --> 00:46:53.799 Open up my eyes to the wonder of who you are. 00:46:53.980 --> 00:46:56.079 Build my life upon your love. 00:46:56.839 --> 00:46:58.399 Let me be firm in you. 00:46:58.400 --> 00:47:02.160 Let me find the joy and the hope that is in you. 00:47:02.900 --> 00:47:05.039 Lead me in love to others. 00:47:05.599 --> 00:47:07.000 Help me to serve others. 00:47:07.119 --> 00:47:08.539 Help me to love them. 00:47:09.480 --> 00:47:11.300 And help me to die to myself. 00:47:12.320 --> 00:47:13.079 Let us pray. 00:47:14.220 --> 00:47:20.039 Father, I want to thank you that you have revealed Christ to us. 00:47:20.039 --> 00:47:27.820 Lord, I pray that you bless us with the Jewish Messiah and all the promises that are now ours in Christ Jesus. 00:47:28.699 --> 00:47:33.960 Lord, I pray that the reality of knowing Jesus would be real to us this week. 00:47:34.759 --> 00:47:43.739 As we walk out of this church service, may our time of worship not just end, but may we truly reflect on who you are. 00:47:44.619 --> 00:47:46.880 Lord, I pray that our hearts would be encouraged. 00:47:46.880 --> 00:47:54.780 I pray, Lord God, that we would come to a place where we are knitted together in love to serve one another, Lord. 00:47:55.760 --> 00:48:00.619 And Lord, above all, I pray, help us to know you more, to love you more. 00:48:01.099 --> 00:48:02.000 In Jesus' name.