WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.020 Thank you, Rachel. Good morning, everybody. Good to see you. 00:00:02.800 --> 00:00:05.120 As Craig has said, this is Passion for Life Month. 00:00:05.660 --> 00:00:08.900 ! Churches all around the city here in the East of Scotland Gospel Partnership, 00:00:09.519 --> 00:00:14.540 ! Churches up and down the entire country are wanting to share the good news that we can find life, 00:00:14.540 --> 00:00:16.879 true life, in Jesus Christ. 00:00:18.179 --> 00:00:24.019 Now, something that we all need in life is a sense that our lives are valuable, 00:00:24.820 --> 00:00:30.120 that what we do matters, that we are worthy of respect and love from other people. 00:00:31.780 --> 00:00:36.079 Nevertheless, many of us go through life with a sense that there is something missing, 00:00:36.600 --> 00:00:42.019 that in some way we are lacking, that we are inadequate, that we are unworthy. 00:00:43.079 --> 00:00:46.420 Sometimes we look in the mirror, we wake up, we look in the mirror, and we think to ourselves, 00:00:47.140 --> 00:00:52.340 I'm not enough. I'm not good enough. I'm not smart enough. I'm not fit enough. I'm not pretty enough. 00:00:52.340 --> 00:00:54.080 If the list could go on. 00:00:55.700 --> 00:01:00.560 So where can we find our worth, the worth that we need for a life that is full? 00:01:02.460 --> 00:01:05.180 Well, let me suggest to you, don't go looking at what you're made of. 00:01:05.980 --> 00:01:10.379 I've read that if you were to take a human being, boil them down to their chemical constituents, 00:01:10.640 --> 00:01:16.719 and then sell it, that you would be lucky to make enough money to buy two lattes around the corner at Costa. 00:01:16.719 --> 00:01:21.319 Your worth, when it comes to what you're made of, is not very much. 00:01:22.260 --> 00:01:25.359 So if you want to find your worth in life, you need to look somewhere else. 00:01:26.879 --> 00:01:31.439 And what we're going to see today is that in Christianity, you can discover that you are of infinite, 00:01:31.939 --> 00:01:37.239 inestimable worth, and in the sight of God, and in the person of Jesus Christ. 00:01:39.140 --> 00:01:42.219 But to get there, we're going to start off with a film, maybe one that you have seen. 00:01:42.219 --> 00:01:45.760 But if not, it's called Chariots of Fire, and let me tell you about it. 00:01:46.359 --> 00:01:49.640 Chariots of Fire tells the story of two British Olympic athletes. 00:01:49.799 --> 00:01:52.920 They are competing in the 1924 Paris Olympic Games. 00:01:53.859 --> 00:01:55.900 One of them is Harold Abrahams. 00:01:57.200 --> 00:01:58.840 The other is Eric Little. 00:01:59.359 --> 00:02:01.200 He healed from around the corner here in Edinburgh. 00:02:02.920 --> 00:02:04.719 Now, Abrahams was a Jewish man, 00:02:05.239 --> 00:02:09.500 and he had faced a lifetime of anti-Semitic discrimination and prejudice. 00:02:09.500 --> 00:02:12.000 But that didn't hold him back. 00:02:12.159 --> 00:02:16.460 Rather, it propelled him, motivated him, to try and prove everyone wrong about him. 00:02:17.520 --> 00:02:20.659 He wanted to prove his personal worth by winning a gold medal. 00:02:22.599 --> 00:02:27.000 But in the film, as Harold Abrahams is preparing for the 100-metre sprint final, 00:02:27.699 --> 00:02:30.900 there's this scene where he's in the changing rooms, he's with a friend, 00:02:31.199 --> 00:02:35.780 and he confines in his friend the stress and strain that he is feeling under. 00:02:35.780 --> 00:02:39.939 He says, this is what he's thinking whenever he's going to go out in the track. 00:02:40.360 --> 00:02:46.020 He says, I will raise my eyes and look down that corridor four feet wide 00:02:46.020 --> 00:02:53.039 with ten lonely seconds to justify my whole existence. 00:02:55.719 --> 00:03:00.340 Abraham there is confessing that he believed that his whole worth and significance in life 00:03:00.340 --> 00:03:03.900 rested upon his performance, on his success, 00:03:04.539 --> 00:03:08.699 in how he ran that race and what position he finished in that race. 00:03:11.159 --> 00:03:13.300 But he finishes confessing his self-doubt. 00:03:13.719 --> 00:03:16.259 He has ten lonely seconds to justify his whole existence. 00:03:17.719 --> 00:03:18.580 But will I? 00:03:20.480 --> 00:03:21.500 Will I achieve it? 00:03:22.960 --> 00:03:23.939 Will I be enough? 00:03:23.939 --> 00:03:30.439 Here's a man who is at the peak of his physical fitness. 00:03:30.699 --> 00:03:32.840 Here's a man who has trained for years. 00:03:33.300 --> 00:03:34.479 He's at the top of his game. 00:03:35.699 --> 00:03:37.219 But he doesn't know if it's going to be enough. 00:03:40.419 --> 00:03:43.460 Now, although a few of us here will be Olympic athletes, 00:03:43.699 --> 00:03:46.639 I think a lot of us have something in common with Harold Abrams. 00:03:47.539 --> 00:03:50.979 I think a lot of us are plagued with these kinds of self-doubts, 00:03:50.979 --> 00:03:52.240 these questions. 00:03:53.020 --> 00:03:53.759 Am I enough? 00:03:53.939 --> 00:03:59.379 I think that's partly because we live in a secular society here in 21st century Scotland. 00:04:00.079 --> 00:04:03.599 The scientists and the philosophers, they tell us that we have come from nothing 00:04:03.599 --> 00:04:05.520 for no ultimate purpose. 00:04:06.300 --> 00:04:10.319 That we are blobs of carbon floating from one meaningless existence to another. 00:04:11.759 --> 00:04:15.579 No wonder we feel inherently, intrinsically worthless. 00:04:16.300 --> 00:04:19.839 And that we have to instead invent and achieve our worth. 00:04:19.839 --> 00:04:26.679 And it always feels like Harold Abrams that we have to justify our existence to prove to ourselves, 00:04:26.899 --> 00:04:28.799 prove to other people that we are worthy. 00:04:28.800 --> 00:04:58.800 Every day. 00:04:58.800 --> 00:04:59.300 My value. 00:04:59.300 --> 00:05:04.379 Let me confess to you that I know an awful lot about this way of thinking. 00:05:05.639 --> 00:05:06.879 Tell you a little bit of my story. 00:05:07.319 --> 00:05:09.639 John, thank you for your story this morning, your testimony. 00:05:09.639 --> 00:05:14.399 I grew up in Northern Ireland during a time in our history that was known as the Troubles. 00:05:14.919 --> 00:05:19.800 A time whenever we teetered on the edge of civil war, two communities locked in conflict with each other. 00:05:19.800 --> 00:05:26.840 As a teenager, young teenager, I began to get drawn into trouble myself with the authorities. 00:05:27.759 --> 00:05:30.879 In the end, my family, we had to leave Northern Ireland to get away from it all 00:05:30.879 --> 00:05:34.360 and have a new start here in Scotland in the year 2001. 00:05:36.040 --> 00:05:41.120 And given the chance of that fresh start to leave behind the shame and the embarrassment and the trouble that I was in, 00:05:41.860 --> 00:05:47.560 I threw myself into achievement and performance, trying to atone for my sin and my shame. 00:05:47.560 --> 00:05:54.220 I worked hard to get the best grades, to try to be top of the class, to become head boy of the school, 00:05:54.459 --> 00:05:59.780 to go to a prestigious university, to get a good degree, to build my CV, to get a good job. 00:06:01.879 --> 00:06:04.139 I was falling into the Harold Abraham's trap. 00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:06.379 I was trying to justify my existence. 00:06:07.120 --> 00:06:12.639 I was trying to outweigh my bad, my mess with my accomplishments and achievements. 00:06:15.720 --> 00:06:17.420 Someone's called this treadmill life. 00:06:17.560 --> 00:06:23.480 Having to do more, do better, do it faster, just to keep standing up, 00:06:23.780 --> 00:06:27.720 just to have a modicum of sense for a fleeting second, I'm okay. 00:06:28.100 --> 00:06:29.079 I'm good enough. 00:06:29.319 --> 00:06:30.060 I measure up. 00:06:31.959 --> 00:06:35.019 And let me tell you from my own personal experience, it's exhausting. 00:06:36.060 --> 00:06:37.319 It's not satisfying. 00:06:38.259 --> 00:06:39.399 It's not life-giving. 00:06:42.500 --> 00:06:43.579 Some of you know that too. 00:06:43.579 --> 00:06:48.759 I'm here this morning to tell you the good news that you can get off the treadmill, 00:06:49.500 --> 00:06:53.099 that there is better life available in Jesus. 00:06:54.939 --> 00:06:59.419 And to see that, I want to contrast two very different strategies for finding your worth in life. 00:07:00.060 --> 00:07:03.339 They're going to be illustrated from the film, Chariots of Fire, that we've started with this morning. 00:07:03.339 --> 00:07:10.539 The first strategy is the Harold Abraham's way of life, and it says that your worth must be achieved. 00:07:11.099 --> 00:07:12.539 It's that equation we've already seen. 00:07:12.839 --> 00:07:15.839 My performance equals my worth, my value. 00:07:15.839 --> 00:07:24.939 This is the life of striving for success, to be the best or at least to be better than some other people, 00:07:25.439 --> 00:07:26.979 and then you can feel okay about yourself. 00:07:28.899 --> 00:07:33.879 I think many of us naturally, I think actually all of us come into this world thinking this way. 00:07:34.279 --> 00:07:36.399 This is our default setting, if you like. 00:07:37.939 --> 00:07:41.959 But the question is, does this strategy of achieving our worth, does it actually work? 00:07:42.099 --> 00:07:42.959 Does it pay off? 00:07:42.959 --> 00:07:50.180 And I think you'll find, if you look at the people who have tasted success, who have reached the top, 00:07:50.699 --> 00:07:53.859 I think you'll find that they have discovered it doesn't work. 00:07:54.419 --> 00:07:55.659 It doesn't satisfy. 00:07:56.879 --> 00:07:57.979 Let me give you a few examples. 00:07:59.399 --> 00:08:02.240 There's this man, Johnny Wilkinson, one of England's best rugby players. 00:08:02.879 --> 00:08:06.539 He led England to victory in the 2003 Rugby World Cup. 00:08:06.919 --> 00:08:10.019 He scored his winning kick with only 23 seconds left on the clock. 00:08:10.019 --> 00:08:13.939 A few hours later, he should have been out with his teammates. 00:08:14.180 --> 00:08:15.259 He should have been celebrating. 00:08:15.620 --> 00:08:17.859 This was the greatest achievement of his career. 00:08:19.839 --> 00:08:21.699 But he wasn't out with his friends celebrating. 00:08:22.759 --> 00:08:24.699 He was alone in his hotel room drinking. 00:08:25.479 --> 00:08:28.719 In the grip of performance anxiety, thinking to himself, 00:08:29.039 --> 00:08:31.159 I'm only as good as my last kick. 00:08:31.160 --> 00:08:34.820 Yes, his last kick had won the Rugby World Cup. 00:08:36.139 --> 00:08:37.259 But what about next time? 00:08:38.379 --> 00:08:39.660 What if it went wrong next time? 00:08:40.420 --> 00:08:41.019 Who is he then? 00:08:44.120 --> 00:08:45.019 Johnny Wilkinson. 00:08:46.340 --> 00:08:47.480 Someone else, maybe you know him. 00:08:48.560 --> 00:08:49.120 Jim Carrey. 00:08:49.379 --> 00:08:50.460 Famous film star, comedian. 00:08:50.700 --> 00:08:52.940 He's played many memorable roles on the big screen. 00:08:53.040 --> 00:08:55.000 He's won many awards. 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:56.580 He's loved by many. 00:08:57.639 --> 00:09:02.539 But he confesses that he is nagged by this sense of not being enough and not having enough. 00:09:03.539 --> 00:09:04.639 He once said this, 00:09:05.720 --> 00:09:09.960 I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of 00:09:09.960 --> 00:09:14.539 so they can see that it's not the answer. 00:09:14.539 --> 00:09:19.679 Someone else has reflected. 00:09:20.379 --> 00:09:23.899 People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success 00:09:23.899 --> 00:09:27.120 only to find, once they reach the top, 00:09:27.679 --> 00:09:29.399 that it's against the wrong wall. 00:09:34.079 --> 00:09:37.019 I want to do any of these testimonies resonate with you 00:09:37.019 --> 00:09:39.779 and with the way you think and the way you feel 00:09:39.779 --> 00:09:42.120 and what you have experienced in life. 00:09:44.539 --> 00:09:48.759 I think there will be quite a few of us will resonate something here. 00:09:51.539 --> 00:09:54.159 But just as some people seek to justify their whole existence 00:09:54.159 --> 00:09:56.860 through their academic performance, 00:09:57.139 --> 00:09:58.139 their business success, 00:09:58.279 --> 00:09:59.699 their creative brilliance, 00:09:59.839 --> 00:10:00.919 their political activism, 00:10:02.339 --> 00:10:05.199 many other people around the world approach religion in the same way. 00:10:06.459 --> 00:10:10.199 They use their religious performance to seek the ultimate verdict, 00:10:10.200 --> 00:10:15.040 to earn the approval and the blessing of God Almighty. 00:10:16.300 --> 00:10:18.780 They think that they can do good things 00:10:18.780 --> 00:10:21.300 and work their way up into God's good books. 00:10:23.940 --> 00:10:26.720 You look around the global marketplace of ideas, 00:10:27.320 --> 00:10:28.700 philosophies, religions, 00:10:28.900 --> 00:10:30.620 there are an awful lot of them 00:10:30.620 --> 00:10:32.240 and they're all very different. 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:34.659 But in this one respect, 00:10:34.860 --> 00:10:35.899 most of them are the same. 00:10:37.560 --> 00:10:38.460 It's about you. 00:10:39.259 --> 00:10:41.340 And it hinges on your performance. 00:10:42.240 --> 00:10:45.139 If you are going to receive God's salvation, 00:10:45.320 --> 00:10:45.940 his wisdom, 00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:47.039 his blessing, 00:10:47.899 --> 00:10:49.299 then you better work hard 00:10:49.299 --> 00:10:50.480 because it's on you. 00:10:51.940 --> 00:10:53.500 In Islam, it's the five pillars. 00:10:54.100 --> 00:10:54.899 You've got to do them. 00:10:56.019 --> 00:10:58.139 In Buddhism, it's the five noble truths. 00:10:58.240 --> 00:10:59.220 It's the eightfold path. 00:10:59.299 --> 00:11:00.600 You need to walk it. 00:11:00.600 --> 00:11:04.820 It's almost like there's this ladder 00:11:04.820 --> 00:11:06.240 from earth to heaven. 00:11:06.500 --> 00:11:07.480 And if you're going to get to heaven, 00:11:07.639 --> 00:11:09.040 you've got to climb up the ladder. 00:11:10.279 --> 00:11:11.100 It's on you. 00:11:12.320 --> 00:11:13.200 And if you don't make it, 00:11:13.980 --> 00:11:14.720 well, that's your fault. 00:11:18.600 --> 00:11:20.000 Christian author Tim Keller's written this. 00:11:20.060 --> 00:11:20.420 He says, 00:11:21.379 --> 00:11:22.340 the atheists might say 00:11:22.340 --> 00:11:24.480 they get their self-image from being a good person. 00:11:26.060 --> 00:11:27.379 Performance leads to the verdict. 00:11:28.700 --> 00:11:29.600 For the Buddhists too, 00:11:29.600 --> 00:11:31.720 performance leads to the verdict. 00:11:32.420 --> 00:11:33.500 If you are a Muslim, 00:11:33.980 --> 00:11:36.080 performance leads to the verdict. 00:11:38.820 --> 00:11:40.639 All this means that every day 00:11:40.639 --> 00:11:42.240 you are in the courtroom. 00:11:43.220 --> 00:11:45.899 Every day you are on trial. 00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:48.100 That's the problem. 00:11:48.100 --> 00:11:53.779 That's the problem of all man-made human religion. 00:11:55.480 --> 00:11:56.820 It all hinges on you 00:11:56.820 --> 00:11:58.980 and what you do 00:11:58.980 --> 00:12:00.200 and how well you do it 00:12:00.200 --> 00:12:01.320 and how consistently you do it 00:12:01.320 --> 00:12:02.720 and for how long you do it. 00:12:06.720 --> 00:12:07.759 But there is one religion 00:12:07.759 --> 00:12:08.920 in the global marketplace 00:12:08.920 --> 00:12:10.720 that is not that way at all. 00:12:11.720 --> 00:12:12.740 And it is Christianity. 00:12:12.740 --> 00:12:16.779 It does not hinge upon you 00:12:16.779 --> 00:12:17.720 and what you do. 00:12:17.840 --> 00:12:19.279 It hinges on what God, 00:12:19.460 --> 00:12:19.940 who God is 00:12:19.940 --> 00:12:20.879 and what he has done. 00:12:21.960 --> 00:12:22.879 If there's a ladder, 00:12:23.100 --> 00:12:24.480 well, he's come down the ladder 00:12:24.480 --> 00:12:25.720 and he's done everything 00:12:25.720 --> 00:12:27.680 to lift us up in his hands. 00:12:29.580 --> 00:12:30.159 Kim Keller writes, 00:12:30.220 --> 00:12:31.180 uniquely in Christianity, 00:12:31.620 --> 00:12:33.799 the verdict leads to the performance. 00:12:33.799 --> 00:12:35.579 Jesus Christ, 00:12:35.699 --> 00:12:37.199 he releases us from the courtroom. 00:12:37.699 --> 00:12:39.079 He announces God's verdict 00:12:39.079 --> 00:12:40.099 on the last day, 00:12:40.339 --> 00:12:41.039 this day, 00:12:41.919 --> 00:12:42.939 that we are loved 00:12:42.939 --> 00:12:45.240 and we are pardoned. 00:12:46.679 --> 00:12:47.620 For the Christian, 00:12:48.059 --> 00:12:48.799 because I am loved 00:12:48.799 --> 00:12:49.819 and accepted by God 00:12:49.819 --> 00:12:51.199 and being pardoned for my sins, 00:12:51.240 --> 00:12:52.479 that's why I want to live for God 00:12:52.479 --> 00:12:53.740 and do things for God. 00:12:54.620 --> 00:12:56.359 I live from the verdict, 00:12:57.039 --> 00:12:58.319 not for the verdict. 00:13:00.419 --> 00:13:01.799 So that's the second strategy 00:13:01.799 --> 00:13:02.939 I would like us to think about now. 00:13:03.799 --> 00:13:05.259 The world tells us 00:13:05.259 --> 00:13:07.179 that your worth 00:13:07.179 --> 00:13:08.859 is something that has to be achieved. 00:13:09.859 --> 00:13:10.919 But Christianity announces, 00:13:11.139 --> 00:13:11.959 no, your worth 00:13:11.959 --> 00:13:13.539 is something that can be received 00:13:13.539 --> 00:13:14.559 as a gift 00:13:14.559 --> 00:13:16.759 from the hands of Jesus Christ. 00:13:18.419 --> 00:13:19.120 And Jesus taught 00:13:19.120 --> 00:13:20.379 that all-important life lesson 00:13:20.379 --> 00:13:21.059 in the passage 00:13:21.059 --> 00:13:22.339 that Rachel just read to us 00:13:22.339 --> 00:13:23.779 in Luke chapter 10. 00:13:26.219 --> 00:13:26.819 To set the scene 00:13:26.819 --> 00:13:28.639 a few chapters earlier, 00:13:28.779 --> 00:13:29.859 Jesus began gathering 00:13:29.859 --> 00:13:31.359 his first followers. 00:13:32.099 --> 00:13:33.740 They were called his disciples. 00:13:34.599 --> 00:13:36.299 It just means students. 00:13:37.519 --> 00:13:38.399 In Jewish society, 00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:39.059 there was a great deal 00:13:39.059 --> 00:13:39.699 of prestige 00:13:39.699 --> 00:13:40.719 associated with being 00:13:40.719 --> 00:13:41.339 the student 00:13:41.339 --> 00:13:42.699 or the disciple of a rabbi. 00:13:43.599 --> 00:13:43.919 In fact, 00:13:43.979 --> 00:13:45.059 the rabbis would have 00:13:45.059 --> 00:13:45.719 the ability 00:13:45.719 --> 00:13:47.319 to handpick their disciples, 00:13:47.879 --> 00:13:49.079 usually from the best schools 00:13:49.079 --> 00:13:50.240 or the most rich 00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:51.659 and influential families. 00:13:53.359 --> 00:13:54.079 But that's not the way 00:13:54.079 --> 00:13:54.939 that Jesus went about 00:13:54.939 --> 00:13:57.039 calling his followers. 00:13:57.839 --> 00:13:58.939 He didn't choose 00:13:58.939 --> 00:14:00.519 followers from the elites. 00:14:00.519 --> 00:14:02.500 No, he chose 00:14:02.500 --> 00:14:03.679 ordinary people, 00:14:04.600 --> 00:14:05.399 perhaps people like you 00:14:05.399 --> 00:14:05.720 and me. 00:14:07.500 --> 00:14:08.579 And before these people 00:14:08.579 --> 00:14:09.340 had done anything 00:14:09.340 --> 00:14:10.579 to show themselves 00:14:10.579 --> 00:14:12.159 as being useful 00:14:12.159 --> 00:14:13.419 to Jesus, 00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:14.559 to do anything worthy 00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:16.340 of being recipients 00:14:16.340 --> 00:14:17.460 of Jesus' attention, 00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:19.559 Jesus approached them 00:14:19.559 --> 00:14:20.259 and he invited them, 00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:21.720 come and follow me. 00:14:23.019 --> 00:14:24.039 Come and find what life's 00:14:24.039 --> 00:14:24.480 all about. 00:14:24.559 --> 00:14:25.279 Come and follow me. 00:14:25.279 --> 00:14:28.439 Jesus invited them 00:14:28.439 --> 00:14:29.279 to join his mission 00:14:29.279 --> 00:14:30.279 to spread the good news 00:14:30.279 --> 00:14:31.220 that the kingdom of heaven 00:14:31.220 --> 00:14:32.360 was drawing near 00:14:32.360 --> 00:14:33.259 in himself. 00:14:34.519 --> 00:14:35.220 And after a period 00:14:35.220 --> 00:14:36.019 of living with Jesus 00:14:36.019 --> 00:14:37.399 and learning from Jesus, 00:14:38.439 --> 00:14:39.360 the disciples were commissioned 00:14:39.360 --> 00:14:40.459 to go and share 00:14:40.459 --> 00:14:41.279 the good news 00:14:41.279 --> 00:14:42.059 about Jesus 00:14:42.059 --> 00:14:43.139 with others. 00:14:44.480 --> 00:14:45.259 That's what happens 00:14:45.259 --> 00:14:45.899 at the start 00:14:45.899 --> 00:14:46.879 of Luke chapter 10. 00:14:48.039 --> 00:14:49.139 And then we jump 00:14:49.139 --> 00:14:49.919 to these verses 00:14:49.919 --> 00:14:51.039 midway through the chapter 00:14:51.039 --> 00:14:52.439 when Jesus' followers 00:14:52.439 --> 00:14:53.000 return. 00:14:53.399 --> 00:14:53.879 And they bring 00:14:53.879 --> 00:14:54.699 all their stories, 00:14:54.700 --> 00:14:55.580 all their reports 00:14:55.580 --> 00:14:56.560 of all that they've seen, 00:14:56.660 --> 00:14:57.580 all that they have done. 00:14:58.940 --> 00:14:59.840 And that's when we read 00:14:59.840 --> 00:15:00.680 in verse 17. 00:15:01.879 --> 00:15:03.120 The 72 returned 00:15:03.120 --> 00:15:04.000 with joy saying, 00:15:04.280 --> 00:15:04.520 Lord, 00:15:04.920 --> 00:15:05.740 even the demons 00:15:05.740 --> 00:15:06.640 are subject to us 00:15:06.640 --> 00:15:07.160 in your name. 00:15:08.660 --> 00:15:09.940 And Jesus said to them, 00:15:10.660 --> 00:15:12.000 I saw Satan 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:13.100 fall like lightning 00:15:13.100 --> 00:15:13.640 from heaven. 00:15:15.320 --> 00:15:15.620 Behold, 00:15:15.700 --> 00:15:16.920 I have given you authority. 00:15:19.340 --> 00:15:19.620 Nevertheless, 00:15:19.920 --> 00:15:21.180 do not rejoice in this, 00:15:21.580 --> 00:15:22.360 that the spirits 00:15:22.360 --> 00:15:23.460 are subject to you. 00:15:23.460 --> 00:15:25.120 but rejoice 00:15:25.120 --> 00:15:25.860 that your names 00:15:25.860 --> 00:15:26.920 are written in heaven. 00:15:30.320 --> 00:15:31.080 Now naturally, 00:15:31.180 --> 00:15:31.980 the disciples coming back 00:15:31.980 --> 00:15:32.900 from their mission trip, 00:15:33.180 --> 00:15:34.300 they're full of excitement. 00:15:34.440 --> 00:15:34.900 They're filled 00:15:34.900 --> 00:15:35.860 with stories 00:15:35.860 --> 00:15:36.720 of what they've seen 00:15:36.720 --> 00:15:38.040 God doing through them. 00:15:38.920 --> 00:15:39.300 Their work 00:15:39.300 --> 00:15:40.519 has been a great success. 00:15:41.440 --> 00:15:42.440 They have preached 00:15:42.440 --> 00:15:43.840 powerfully to crowds. 00:15:44.740 --> 00:15:45.720 They have performed 00:15:45.720 --> 00:15:46.700 in Jesus' name 00:15:46.700 --> 00:15:47.960 signs and wonders. 00:15:49.400 --> 00:15:50.340 In the name of Jesus, 00:15:50.340 --> 00:15:51.100 people who have been 00:15:51.100 --> 00:15:51.660 possessed, 00:15:52.120 --> 00:15:52.519 tormented, 00:15:52.700 --> 00:15:53.220 and abused 00:15:53.220 --> 00:15:54.180 by the spiritual 00:15:54.180 --> 00:15:55.200 forces of evil 00:15:55.200 --> 00:15:56.460 have been set free. 00:15:57.680 --> 00:15:58.620 If your words, 00:15:58.720 --> 00:15:59.120 my words, 00:15:59.160 --> 00:16:00.160 had that kind of power 00:16:00.160 --> 00:16:01.879 to transform people's lives, 00:16:02.160 --> 00:16:02.720 then we would be 00:16:02.720 --> 00:16:03.620 pretty excited too. 00:16:04.460 --> 00:16:05.320 We'd be writing about it 00:16:05.320 --> 00:16:05.860 all over our 00:16:05.860 --> 00:16:07.500 social media feeds. 00:16:07.500 --> 00:16:11.379 The reason why 00:16:11.379 --> 00:16:12.220 the disciples speaking 00:16:12.220 --> 00:16:12.960 in Jesus' name 00:16:12.960 --> 00:16:13.799 have so much power 00:16:13.799 --> 00:16:15.960 is because in Jesus, 00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:17.240 the God of heaven 00:16:17.240 --> 00:16:18.600 has come into this world 00:16:18.600 --> 00:16:19.500 to overthrow 00:16:19.500 --> 00:16:20.919 the powers of evil. 00:16:22.399 --> 00:16:23.220 That's why Jesus here 00:16:23.220 --> 00:16:24.200 talks about seeing 00:16:24.200 --> 00:16:25.139 Satan fall 00:16:25.139 --> 00:16:25.879 like lightning. 00:16:26.940 --> 00:16:28.200 He's being cast down 00:16:28.200 --> 00:16:29.080 off his throne. 00:16:30.179 --> 00:16:30.740 His kingdom 00:16:30.740 --> 00:16:31.419 is crumbling. 00:16:32.440 --> 00:16:33.039 His captives, 00:16:33.100 --> 00:16:33.519 his prisoners, 00:16:33.600 --> 00:16:34.679 are being set free 00:16:34.679 --> 00:16:36.819 in the name of Jesus. 00:16:40.219 --> 00:16:41.000 But what I want to 00:16:41.000 --> 00:16:41.739 focus on here 00:16:41.739 --> 00:16:43.439 is how Jesus 00:16:43.439 --> 00:16:44.959 responds to his disciples 00:16:44.959 --> 00:16:46.659 and how he reframes 00:16:46.659 --> 00:16:47.599 their way of thinking 00:16:47.599 --> 00:16:48.399 about life. 00:16:50.339 --> 00:16:51.500 Notice that he 00:16:51.500 --> 00:16:53.139 shifts their focus 00:16:53.139 --> 00:16:55.179 away from what 00:16:55.179 --> 00:16:55.859 they have done 00:16:55.859 --> 00:16:57.019 and their performance, 00:16:57.799 --> 00:16:58.819 what they have done, 00:16:59.919 --> 00:17:01.219 to instead think about 00:17:01.219 --> 00:17:03.159 who they belong to. 00:17:04.680 --> 00:17:06.400 Jesus is changing 00:17:06.400 --> 00:17:07.039 the equation. 00:17:08.539 --> 00:17:09.660 Not my performance 00:17:09.660 --> 00:17:11.080 equals my worth, 00:17:12.279 --> 00:17:12.840 but no, 00:17:12.900 --> 00:17:13.660 my worth comes 00:17:13.660 --> 00:17:14.480 from whom 00:17:14.480 --> 00:17:15.620 I belong to. 00:17:17.039 --> 00:17:18.019 Notice Jesus says, 00:17:18.440 --> 00:17:19.700 don't rejoice in this, 00:17:20.519 --> 00:17:21.259 that the spirits 00:17:21.259 --> 00:17:22.259 are subject to you. 00:17:23.420 --> 00:17:24.420 Instead, rejoice 00:17:24.420 --> 00:17:25.920 that your names 00:17:25.920 --> 00:17:26.900 are written 00:17:26.900 --> 00:17:27.880 in heaven. 00:17:30.360 --> 00:17:31.440 Don't rejoice, guys, 00:17:31.500 --> 00:17:32.060 on what you've done. 00:17:32.059 --> 00:17:34.919 rejoice that you 00:17:34.919 --> 00:17:35.740 belong to God. 00:17:36.519 --> 00:17:37.240 That's the most 00:17:37.240 --> 00:17:37.940 important thing. 00:17:38.779 --> 00:17:39.599 Because even if it had 00:17:39.599 --> 00:17:40.599 gone really badly wrong, 00:17:41.899 --> 00:17:43.099 you would still 00:17:43.099 --> 00:17:43.819 belong to God. 00:17:46.599 --> 00:17:47.480 Jesus says to them, 00:17:47.539 --> 00:17:48.159 don't rejoice in your 00:17:48.159 --> 00:17:48.759 signs and wonders 00:17:48.759 --> 00:17:49.339 you've performed. 00:17:49.579 --> 00:17:50.480 Perhaps Jesus might say 00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:50.879 to us, 00:17:51.200 --> 00:17:52.000 don't rejoice in your 00:17:52.000 --> 00:17:53.079 last essay mark. 00:17:56.139 --> 00:17:57.399 Don't rejoice in your 00:17:57.399 --> 00:17:58.279 job title. 00:17:58.279 --> 00:18:01.359 don't rejoice in the 00:18:01.359 --> 00:18:02.259 letters and qualifications 00:18:02.259 --> 00:18:03.119 after your name. 00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:05.740 Don't rejoice in how 00:18:05.740 --> 00:18:06.819 many goals you've scored 00:18:06.819 --> 00:18:07.700 in the last match or 00:18:07.700 --> 00:18:08.740 your golf handicap when 00:18:08.740 --> 00:18:09.559 you last played. 00:18:11.379 --> 00:18:12.259 Don't rejoice in your 00:18:12.259 --> 00:18:12.920 good looks. 00:18:14.879 --> 00:18:15.720 Don't rejoice in how 00:18:15.720 --> 00:18:16.559 big your house is or 00:18:16.559 --> 00:18:17.940 how flashy your car is. 00:18:19.720 --> 00:18:21.200 Don't rejoice in how 00:18:21.200 --> 00:18:22.220 many people are friends 00:18:22.220 --> 00:18:23.279 of yours on Facebook or 00:18:23.279 --> 00:18:24.059 how many people follow 00:18:24.059 --> 00:18:24.740 you on Instagram. 00:18:24.740 --> 00:18:24.980 Abraham. 00:18:27.779 --> 00:18:28.880 Jesus wants us to see 00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:29.720 that all of these 00:18:29.720 --> 00:18:31.880 performance indicators 00:18:31.880 --> 00:18:32.480 on earth, 00:18:32.880 --> 00:18:34.500 they're not the main 00:18:34.500 --> 00:18:34.740 thing. 00:18:34.799 --> 00:18:35.380 They're not the most 00:18:35.380 --> 00:18:36.099 important thing. 00:18:37.799 --> 00:18:38.539 Instead he says the 00:18:38.539 --> 00:18:39.880 most important thing is 00:18:39.880 --> 00:18:41.740 your name being written 00:18:41.740 --> 00:18:42.299 in heaven. 00:18:44.700 --> 00:18:46.000 I think that means and 00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:47.259 signifies if your name 00:18:47.259 --> 00:18:47.799 is written in heaven, 00:18:47.859 --> 00:18:49.279 it means that you are a 00:18:49.279 --> 00:18:50.039 member of the family of 00:18:50.039 --> 00:18:50.380 God. 00:18:51.160 --> 00:18:52.200 That you have a home 00:18:52.200 --> 00:18:52.960 reserved for you in 00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:53.200 heaven. 00:18:54.740 --> 00:18:55.740 It's a little bit like 00:18:55.740 --> 00:18:56.380 what happened whenever 00:18:56.380 --> 00:18:57.640 you were born into this 00:18:57.640 --> 00:18:58.019 world. 00:18:59.460 --> 00:19:00.319 Your parents when you 00:19:00.319 --> 00:19:00.960 were born they were 00:19:00.960 --> 00:19:02.180 given by the hospital a 00:19:02.180 --> 00:19:04.059 little slip of paper and 00:19:04.059 --> 00:19:04.660 they had to make an 00:19:04.660 --> 00:19:05.839 appointment to go down 00:19:05.839 --> 00:19:07.460 into town to meet the 00:19:07.460 --> 00:19:08.960 registrar and register 00:19:08.960 --> 00:19:09.779 your birth. 00:19:10.819 --> 00:19:11.640 And when they did that 00:19:11.640 --> 00:19:12.660 your name went on the 00:19:12.660 --> 00:19:13.839 central register of 00:19:13.839 --> 00:19:14.640 births. 00:19:14.980 --> 00:19:15.720 And then they got 00:19:15.720 --> 00:19:17.140 usually I think maybe in 00:19:17.140 --> 00:19:17.700 the olden days you got 00:19:17.700 --> 00:19:18.660 to you got for free. 00:19:18.759 --> 00:19:19.539 Now we've got to pay for 00:19:19.539 --> 00:19:20.420 the privilege to get a 00:19:20.420 --> 00:19:21.019 birth certificate. 00:19:21.799 --> 00:19:22.579 So if you've got a 00:19:22.579 --> 00:19:24.000 birth certificate well that 00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:24.859 says well you've been 00:19:24.859 --> 00:19:25.599 born in this country, 00:19:25.720 --> 00:19:26.680 this is your family, 00:19:26.839 --> 00:19:27.680 these are your people 00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:29.660 and it opens up other 00:19:29.660 --> 00:19:29.940 things. 00:19:30.019 --> 00:19:31.019 You can get a passport and 00:19:31.019 --> 00:19:31.640 you can do all these 00:19:31.640 --> 00:19:32.359 other things. 00:19:34.539 --> 00:19:35.539 If your name is on the 00:19:35.539 --> 00:19:38.039 central register, well 00:19:38.039 --> 00:19:39.220 you're in the family. 00:19:40.779 --> 00:19:41.960 This is your home 00:19:41.960 --> 00:19:42.380 country. 00:19:44.660 --> 00:19:45.440 Well if your name is 00:19:45.440 --> 00:19:46.119 written in heaven, well 00:19:46.119 --> 00:19:46.839 that means that that is 00:19:46.839 --> 00:19:47.940 your family too. 00:19:47.940 --> 00:19:49.039 That you are a member of 00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:50.420 God's family and you have 00:19:50.420 --> 00:19:51.359 a home and a place 00:19:51.359 --> 00:19:52.660 reserved for you in 00:19:52.660 --> 00:19:52.940 heaven. 00:19:54.740 --> 00:19:55.560 And Jesus wants us to 00:19:55.560 --> 00:19:56.880 understand that that 00:19:56.880 --> 00:19:57.900 fact is far more 00:19:57.900 --> 00:19:58.480 important. 00:19:59.100 --> 00:20:00.080 Whom we belong to is 00:20:00.080 --> 00:20:01.740 far more important than 00:20:01.740 --> 00:20:02.640 anything else that we can 00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:03.920 do on this earth. 00:20:05.160 --> 00:20:06.019 Our worth, our 00:20:06.019 --> 00:20:07.320 significance, our value 00:20:07.320 --> 00:20:09.440 in life comes through 00:20:09.440 --> 00:20:11.060 knowing the God who made 00:20:11.060 --> 00:20:13.900 us and taking up our 00:20:13.900 --> 00:20:15.279 place in his great story, 00:20:15.420 --> 00:20:16.460 the unique place in his 00:20:16.460 --> 00:20:18.019 great story that he has 00:20:18.019 --> 00:20:19.560 set out for each one of 00:20:19.559 --> 00:20:19.879 us. 00:20:22.519 --> 00:20:23.220 There's a Christian 00:20:23.220 --> 00:20:23.960 psychiatrist called 00:20:23.960 --> 00:20:24.859 Glenn Harrison who's 00:20:24.859 --> 00:20:25.879 written all about this in 00:20:25.879 --> 00:20:26.639 one of his books called 00:20:26.639 --> 00:20:27.740 The Big Eagle Trip. 00:20:28.679 --> 00:20:29.539 As a psychiatrist he 00:20:29.539 --> 00:20:30.099 reviews all the 00:20:30.099 --> 00:20:31.700 literature thinking about 00:20:31.700 --> 00:20:33.240 this phenomenon throughout 00:20:33.240 --> 00:20:34.480 the last 20, 30 years 00:20:34.480 --> 00:20:35.419 that's been trying to 00:20:35.419 --> 00:20:36.579 help people who feel bad 00:20:36.579 --> 00:20:37.740 about themselves feel 00:20:37.740 --> 00:20:40.779 better by boosting their 00:20:40.779 --> 00:20:43.319 self-esteem, by thinking 00:20:43.319 --> 00:20:44.419 more positively about 00:20:44.419 --> 00:20:46.539 themselves, by reciting 00:20:46.539 --> 00:20:48.299 more positive self-talk, 00:20:48.299 --> 00:20:48.359 work. 00:20:50.059 --> 00:20:51.299 But Harrison points out 00:20:51.299 --> 00:20:52.399 that the studies and 00:20:52.399 --> 00:20:54.200 literature shows that it 00:20:54.200 --> 00:20:56.220 doesn't actually work or 00:20:56.220 --> 00:20:56.919 at least it certainly 00:20:56.919 --> 00:20:57.879 doesn't help the people 00:20:57.879 --> 00:20:59.220 who most need the help. 00:21:00.220 --> 00:21:00.839 And he says the reason 00:21:00.839 --> 00:21:02.919 is this, it's really hard 00:21:02.919 --> 00:21:03.539 to believe your own 00:21:03.539 --> 00:21:04.039 propaganda. 00:21:05.419 --> 00:21:06.460 It's really hard to 00:21:06.460 --> 00:21:07.339 believe that things you're 00:21:07.339 --> 00:21:08.460 saying to yourself, I am 00:21:08.460 --> 00:21:09.539 great, I am big, I am 00:21:09.539 --> 00:21:10.359 strong, I am. 00:21:10.899 --> 00:21:11.879 It's really hard to believe 00:21:11.879 --> 00:21:13.299 that for a long time. 00:21:15.259 --> 00:21:17.220 He says we need a better 00:21:17.220 --> 00:21:17.700 story. 00:21:19.279 --> 00:21:20.319 Rather than a bigger, 00:21:20.480 --> 00:21:21.519 better view of ourselves 00:21:21.519 --> 00:21:22.619 that we tell ourselves, 00:21:23.119 --> 00:21:24.539 instead we need a bigger, 00:21:24.680 --> 00:21:26.779 better view of God and 00:21:26.779 --> 00:21:28.359 understand that if he loves 00:21:28.359 --> 00:21:29.980 us, if we are precious and 00:21:29.980 --> 00:21:31.819 valuable in his sight, if he 00:21:31.819 --> 00:21:33.059 has a place for us in his 00:21:33.059 --> 00:21:35.740 great story, well that's the 00:21:35.740 --> 00:21:36.579 thing that gives me worth. 00:21:36.879 --> 00:21:37.779 That's the thing that makes 00:21:37.779 --> 00:21:38.700 my life worth living. 00:21:40.940 --> 00:21:41.740 That's the thing that will 00:21:41.740 --> 00:21:42.359 really help. 00:21:42.359 --> 00:21:47.339 Instead of telling us to love 00:21:47.339 --> 00:21:49.759 ourselves more, Jesus comes 00:21:49.759 --> 00:21:51.079 into this world and tells us 00:21:51.079 --> 00:21:53.439 that in God's sight, you are 00:21:53.439 --> 00:21:53.819 loved. 00:21:55.359 --> 00:21:56.500 And God's love, it is not 00:21:56.500 --> 00:21:58.039 based on our performance, 00:21:58.259 --> 00:21:58.979 because based on our 00:21:58.979 --> 00:21:59.799 performance, God has every 00:21:59.799 --> 00:22:00.979 reason not to love us. 00:22:01.479 --> 00:22:02.719 There is an awful lot that is 00:22:02.719 --> 00:22:04.019 true about us which is 00:22:04.019 --> 00:22:04.699 unlovely. 00:22:05.959 --> 00:22:07.119 We might be able to hide it 00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:07.819 from other people. 00:22:08.399 --> 00:22:09.359 We might be able to put on 00:22:09.359 --> 00:22:10.000 a good front. 00:22:11.220 --> 00:22:12.319 We might be able to filter 00:22:12.319 --> 00:22:13.319 our pictures when it goes up 00:22:13.319 --> 00:22:14.259 on social media. 00:22:15.599 --> 00:22:17.079 But God sees the real us, 00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:18.779 warts and all, when nobody 00:22:18.779 --> 00:22:19.559 else is there. 00:22:19.839 --> 00:22:21.000 He sees what goes on in our 00:22:21.000 --> 00:22:22.319 hearts and what goes on in 00:22:22.319 --> 00:22:23.619 our, sorry, wrong place, 00:22:23.819 --> 00:22:25.059 hearts and minds. 00:22:25.599 --> 00:22:26.659 He sees it all. 00:22:27.139 --> 00:22:27.700 He knows. 00:22:28.220 --> 00:22:29.240 He knows the truth about 00:22:29.240 --> 00:22:29.799 David Nixon. 00:22:30.480 --> 00:22:31.200 It's not pretty. 00:22:33.639 --> 00:22:34.740 It's not lovable. 00:22:37.819 --> 00:22:41.819 But still, he chooses to 00:22:41.819 --> 00:22:42.439 love us. 00:22:43.659 --> 00:22:44.700 Not on the basis of our 00:22:44.700 --> 00:22:46.220 performance, but on the 00:22:46.220 --> 00:22:47.559 basis of his grace. 00:22:48.819 --> 00:22:50.099 God sees us at our worst 00:22:50.099 --> 00:22:51.839 and he still sends Jesus, 00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:53.599 his son, to save us out of 00:22:53.599 --> 00:22:55.279 that mess and to clean us 00:22:55.279 --> 00:22:55.539 up. 00:22:56.740 --> 00:22:58.039 The Bible tells us in Romans 00:22:58.039 --> 00:22:58.980 chapter 5, verse 8, that 00:22:58.980 --> 00:23:00.079 God has demonstrated his 00:23:00.079 --> 00:23:01.659 love for us in this, that 00:23:01.659 --> 00:23:02.779 while we were still sinners, 00:23:03.139 --> 00:23:04.919 Christ died for us. 00:23:04.920 --> 00:23:07.580 Someone has said that the 00:23:07.580 --> 00:23:09.019 cross of Jesus Christ is the 00:23:09.019 --> 00:23:10.340 pulpit of God's love. 00:23:11.539 --> 00:23:12.560 Jesus proclaims to the 00:23:12.560 --> 00:23:15.460 world, God loves you no 00:23:15.460 --> 00:23:17.400 matter what you've done, no 00:23:17.400 --> 00:23:18.600 matter what you've not done. 00:23:20.160 --> 00:23:21.140 He made you. 00:23:21.539 --> 00:23:22.140 He loves you. 00:23:22.640 --> 00:23:23.720 He wants to save you. 00:23:26.120 --> 00:23:27.920 And everyone who responds to 00:23:27.920 --> 00:23:30.039 that, Jesus' invitation, come 00:23:30.039 --> 00:23:30.660 and follow me. 00:23:30.660 --> 00:23:33.500 They're the ones whose names 00:23:33.500 --> 00:23:35.100 are written in heaven. 00:23:40.340 --> 00:23:41.480 The good news about having 00:23:41.480 --> 00:23:42.180 your name written in heaven 00:23:42.180 --> 00:23:43.840 is that just as your name is 00:23:43.840 --> 00:23:45.140 written in heaven, not on the 00:23:45.140 --> 00:23:46.860 basis of your performance, not 00:23:46.860 --> 00:23:47.840 on the basis of anything you've 00:23:47.840 --> 00:23:50.620 done, but that also means that 00:23:50.620 --> 00:23:52.480 it cannot be erased or removed 00:23:52.480 --> 00:23:54.220 on the basis of anything that 00:23:54.220 --> 00:23:55.960 you go on to do or fail to do. 00:23:56.960 --> 00:23:57.700 Do you see that? 00:23:57.700 --> 00:24:00.259 Your name has been written 00:24:00.259 --> 00:24:01.920 there in the blood, the 00:24:01.920 --> 00:24:03.980 indelible ink, the blood of 00:24:03.980 --> 00:24:06.519 Jesus Christ, and it cannot be 00:24:06.519 --> 00:24:07.160 erased. 00:24:07.559 --> 00:24:09.539 You ever got blood on some 00:24:09.539 --> 00:24:10.180 clothes? 00:24:10.559 --> 00:24:11.680 You ever had it woken up and 00:24:11.680 --> 00:24:12.980 your nose been bleeding and 00:24:12.980 --> 00:24:14.259 it's leaked onto your pillow? 00:24:14.519 --> 00:24:15.580 Do you know how hard that is to 00:24:15.580 --> 00:24:16.100 get out? 00:24:16.960 --> 00:24:17.860 Almost impossible. 00:24:19.519 --> 00:24:21.440 Well, your name in heaven has 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:22.860 been written in the indelible 00:24:22.860 --> 00:24:25.080 ink of the blood of Jesus 00:24:25.080 --> 00:24:26.740 Christ, the Son of God. 00:24:26.740 --> 00:24:28.039 It can't be removed. 00:24:28.220 --> 00:24:29.220 It cannot be erased. 00:24:30.299 --> 00:24:32.640 It is safe and secure forever. 00:24:34.620 --> 00:24:35.819 Jesus has done everything that 00:24:35.819 --> 00:24:36.299 is necessary. 00:24:36.440 --> 00:24:37.359 He has come from heaven to 00:24:37.359 --> 00:24:37.680 earth. 00:24:37.960 --> 00:24:39.019 He has gone to the cross 00:24:39.019 --> 00:24:39.859 bearing your sins. 00:24:40.259 --> 00:24:42.120 He has died and risen again to 00:24:42.120 --> 00:24:44.319 bring you back to God, to lift 00:24:44.319 --> 00:24:44.980 you up to heaven. 00:24:48.180 --> 00:24:48.980 Again, Tim Keller has written 00:24:48.980 --> 00:24:51.380 for Christians, the verdict is 00:24:51.380 --> 00:24:51.599 in. 00:24:53.200 --> 00:24:54.880 And now I can perform on the 00:24:54.880 --> 00:24:55.720 basis of the verdict. 00:24:57.040 --> 00:24:58.300 Because God loves me and 00:24:58.300 --> 00:25:00.240 accepts me, I do not have to do 00:25:00.240 --> 00:25:01.220 things just to build up my 00:25:01.220 --> 00:25:01.540 resume. 00:25:02.480 --> 00:25:03.820 I do not have to do things to 00:25:03.820 --> 00:25:04.740 make me look good. 00:25:06.060 --> 00:25:07.620 I can do things for the joy of 00:25:07.620 --> 00:25:08.100 doing them. 00:25:08.680 --> 00:25:09.860 I can help people to help 00:25:09.860 --> 00:25:11.660 people, not so I can feel better 00:25:11.660 --> 00:25:13.860 about myself, not so I can fill up 00:25:13.860 --> 00:25:14.300 the emptiness. 00:25:16.340 --> 00:25:18.020 Jesus faced the trial that should 00:25:18.019 --> 00:25:20.319 be ours so that we do not have to 00:25:20.319 --> 00:25:21.839 face any more trials. 00:25:26.079 --> 00:25:27.500 And so in Luke chapter 10, Jesus 00:25:27.500 --> 00:25:29.819 wants to save and deliver the 00:25:29.819 --> 00:25:31.319 disciples from the performance 00:25:31.319 --> 00:25:32.819 trap mindset. 00:25:34.579 --> 00:25:36.460 He wants to get their eyes off 00:25:36.460 --> 00:25:39.559 what they've done and wants them to 00:25:39.559 --> 00:25:41.920 focus and rejoice instead on whom 00:25:41.920 --> 00:25:43.000 they belong to. 00:25:44.639 --> 00:25:46.039 They don't have to prove themselves. 00:25:46.039 --> 00:25:47.460 They don't have to justify their 00:25:47.460 --> 00:25:47.859 existence. 00:25:48.220 --> 00:25:49.599 They don't have to earn God's 00:25:49.599 --> 00:25:50.119 blessings. 00:25:51.960 --> 00:25:53.440 No, Jesus assures them and he 00:25:53.440 --> 00:25:54.200 assures us. 00:25:55.240 --> 00:25:56.399 The verdict is in. 00:25:57.700 --> 00:25:59.379 We can be loved and accepted on the 00:25:59.379 --> 00:26:01.299 basis of what Jesus has done. 00:26:03.000 --> 00:26:04.159 That changes everything. 00:26:05.420 --> 00:26:06.619 There's no ladder to climb. 00:26:07.779 --> 00:26:09.319 There's no treadmill to have to run. 00:26:10.579 --> 00:26:11.299 It's done. 00:26:11.299 --> 00:26:16.079 Your worth can be received as a gift. 00:26:19.379 --> 00:26:20.539 So we started off with the film 00:26:20.539 --> 00:26:21.339 Chariots of Fire. 00:26:21.480 --> 00:26:22.960 We thought a fair bit about 00:26:22.960 --> 00:26:24.599 Harold Abrahams and that way of 00:26:24.599 --> 00:26:26.000 thinking, that way of working, that 00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:28.039 way of thinking that worth in life 00:26:28.039 --> 00:26:30.099 it has to be achieved by the things 00:26:30.099 --> 00:26:30.779 that we do. 00:26:32.539 --> 00:26:34.240 But there is an alternative as we've 00:26:34.240 --> 00:26:35.159 gone on to see. 00:26:36.200 --> 00:26:38.019 That alternative way of life is what 00:26:38.019 --> 00:26:40.059 we've called your worth being 00:26:40.059 --> 00:26:41.019 received as a gift. 00:26:42.159 --> 00:26:44.419 In the film, Eric Little is the 00:26:44.419 --> 00:26:46.700 personification of this second way 00:26:46.700 --> 00:26:47.359 of living. 00:26:48.480 --> 00:26:49.740 Eric Little was not just a great 00:26:49.740 --> 00:26:51.480 athlete but he was also a Christian. 00:26:53.679 --> 00:26:56.899 He understood that his life did not 00:26:56.899 --> 00:26:58.460 depend upon his performance. 00:26:59.980 --> 00:27:01.720 Little himself went on to win the gold 00:27:01.720 --> 00:27:03.059 medal in a race he shouldn't have run 00:27:03.619 --> 00:27:04.799 that he hadn't trained for. 00:27:04.859 --> 00:27:05.960 He went on to win gold. 00:27:06.940 --> 00:27:07.799 But that wasn't the thing that 00:27:07.799 --> 00:27:08.859 defined him in life. 00:27:09.259 --> 00:27:10.740 In fact, he gave it all up and went 00:27:10.740 --> 00:27:12.139 off to be a missionary in China and 00:27:12.139 --> 00:27:13.659 ultimately would die in a Japanese 00:27:13.659 --> 00:27:14.720 internment camp. 00:27:17.819 --> 00:27:19.980 In the film, there's this scene between 00:27:19.980 --> 00:27:21.359 Eric and his sister. 00:27:22.359 --> 00:27:24.159 He's telling her of his plans to give 00:27:24.159 --> 00:27:25.740 up his athletics career, which had 00:27:25.740 --> 00:27:27.200 brought him so much fame, could give 00:27:27.200 --> 00:27:28.159 him so much fortune. 00:27:28.579 --> 00:27:29.859 But give it all up and go and be a 00:27:29.859 --> 00:27:30.599 missionary to China. 00:27:31.039 --> 00:27:32.299 And his sister is trying to talk him 00:27:32.299 --> 00:27:33.039 out of it, saying, what are you 00:27:33.039 --> 00:27:33.240 thinking? 00:27:33.299 --> 00:27:33.859 What are you doing? 00:27:37.379 --> 00:27:39.980 Eric explains, I believe that God 00:27:39.980 --> 00:27:41.059 made me for a purpose. 00:27:42.039 --> 00:27:42.680 That's China. 00:27:44.059 --> 00:27:45.779 But he also made me fast. 00:27:47.000 --> 00:27:50.359 And when I run, I feel his pleasure. 00:27:52.899 --> 00:27:54.339 You see, Eric Little was able to just 00:27:54.339 --> 00:27:55.819 enjoy life and the gifts that God gave 00:27:55.819 --> 00:27:58.420 him in life because he knew that he was 00:27:58.420 --> 00:27:59.359 running a greater race. 00:27:59.359 --> 00:28:02.439 That his life was part of God's bigger 00:28:02.439 --> 00:28:02.919 story. 00:28:04.259 --> 00:28:05.859 That's where his meaning was. 00:28:06.559 --> 00:28:08.939 That's where his worth came from. 00:28:10.019 --> 00:28:11.439 From the God who made him, who loved 00:28:11.439 --> 00:28:12.179 him, who saved him. 00:28:13.979 --> 00:28:15.179 And that's the kind of life that you and 00:28:15.179 --> 00:28:15.759 I can enjoy. 00:28:16.519 --> 00:28:19.039 If we would hear his invitation, Jesus' 00:28:19.240 --> 00:28:21.479 words to us are, come and follow me. 00:28:23.699 --> 00:28:25.039 And all you have to do is say yes. 00:28:26.399 --> 00:28:27.959 And then you can rejoice that your name 00:28:27.959 --> 00:28:28.639 is written in heaven. 00:28:29.359 --> 00:28:31.879 Didn't get there by anything you did. 00:28:32.879 --> 00:28:34.240 And it can't be taken away by anything 00:28:34.240 --> 00:28:35.759 that you go on to do or fail to do. 00:28:36.799 --> 00:28:39.159 That's where your security and worth 00:28:39.159 --> 00:28:41.159 and value can come from. 00:28:44.139 --> 00:28:45.179 You're here this morning, you don't know 00:28:45.179 --> 00:28:46.500 Jesus and you've never said yes to 00:28:46.500 --> 00:28:46.879 Jesus. 00:28:47.659 --> 00:28:49.219 This morning is a chance to be able to 00:28:49.219 --> 00:28:50.299 say yes to him. 00:28:52.319 --> 00:28:53.559 And maybe in a moment or two, Craig 00:28:53.559 --> 00:28:54.399 is going to come and he's going to tell 00:28:54.399 --> 00:28:56.179 us what you can do to find out more 00:28:56.179 --> 00:28:56.619 about Jesus. 00:28:56.699 --> 00:28:57.579 If you'd like to find out more about 00:28:57.579 --> 00:28:59.799 him and his passion for your life. 00:29:00.099 --> 00:29:02.299 Not just now, but for eternity. 00:29:03.500 --> 00:29:04.220 But first let me pray. 00:29:05.419 --> 00:29:07.519 Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you love us. 00:29:07.960 --> 00:29:09.559 Thank you that you have come to deliver 00:29:09.559 --> 00:29:12.139 us from our sin, 00:29:12.539 --> 00:29:15.159 but also from just the exhausting 00:29:15.159 --> 00:29:18.460 performance trap and all of the anxiety 00:29:18.460 --> 00:29:21.179 that comes from a life lived where all 00:29:21.179 --> 00:29:21.960 depends on us. 00:29:22.379 --> 00:29:22.799 Thank you, Lord. 00:29:22.799 --> 00:29:23.319 It's not true. 00:29:23.379 --> 00:29:24.440 It doesn't have to be that way. 00:29:25.460 --> 00:29:26.460 Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you've come 00:29:26.460 --> 00:29:28.000 and you've done so much for us to show 00:29:28.000 --> 00:29:28.599 us your love. 00:29:29.259 --> 00:29:30.940 Thank you that you have prepared a place 00:29:30.940 --> 00:29:32.859 for each one of us in your great story 00:29:32.859 --> 00:29:35.339 so that we might live for you and make 00:29:35.339 --> 00:29:36.859 a difference for you in this world. 00:29:38.419 --> 00:29:41.000 But thank you, Lord, that our hope is 00:29:41.000 --> 00:29:43.639 that our names can be written in heaven. 00:29:45.980 --> 00:29:48.359 Thank you that it doesn't depend all on us. 00:29:49.079 --> 00:29:50.139 Thank you that it depends on you. 00:29:50.600 --> 00:29:52.259 Thank you for the freedom that represents. 00:29:52.900 --> 00:29:54.640 And I pray that you would help each of us 00:29:54.640 --> 00:29:56.060 to leave here this morning, 00:29:56.180 --> 00:29:57.420 tasting the sweetness of that, 00:29:58.180 --> 00:30:01.040 the lies that we often hear in our heads, 00:30:01.480 --> 00:30:02.600 the things that we think when we look 00:30:02.600 --> 00:30:03.000 in the mirror. 00:30:04.080 --> 00:30:06.320 Pray, Lord, today your voice, your words 00:30:06.320 --> 00:30:08.020 would speak louder than all that stuff, 00:30:09.120 --> 00:30:10.160 that you would set us free. 00:30:11.620 --> 00:30:13.259 We pray these things in Jesus' name. 00:30:13.259 --> 00:30:14.259 Amen.