WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:12.120 About a hundred years ago in the American Midwest, a boy grew up absolutely fascinated 00:00:12.120 --> 00:00:19.640 with circuses. He just heard so many things about the circus and all through his childhood 00:00:19.640 --> 00:00:26.280 he just dreamt of possibly seeing one one day. So you can imagine how excited he was 00:00:26.280 --> 00:00:32.520 when one day a poster went up in the town where he lived announcing that a circus was coming 00:00:32.520 --> 00:00:40.320 the following month. It cost a dollar to go in which hundreds or so years ago was quite 00:00:40.320 --> 00:00:46.840 a lot of money to him. He pleaded with his parents and they said that provided he did 00:00:46.840 --> 00:00:53.600 some work around the farm then they would give him the dollar and he could go to the circus. 00:00:53.600 --> 00:00:58.340 So he worked really hard and he got so excited about this big event and eventually the big 00:00:58.340 --> 00:01:04.640 day came round and he went into the farmhouse kitchen. His mother gave him his one dollar 00:01:04.640 --> 00:01:11.299 bill and he ran as fast as he could across the fields into the town. As he approached 00:01:11.299 --> 00:01:16.560 he stood there and he could hear the sounds of the circus and he could hear the sounds 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:24.560 of music. He could, as he stood by the side of the road, he then watched as the circus walked 00:01:24.560 --> 00:01:31.600 past and he saw acrobats, he saw jugglers, sword swallowers, fire eaters, he saw animals, 00:01:31.600 --> 00:01:36.840 he saw all sorts of different things. And eventually after what seemed like quite a long time feeling 00:01:36.840 --> 00:01:43.920 really really excited and really full of the experience, he took out his dollar bill and handed 00:01:43.920 --> 00:01:52.799 it to a passing clown before making his way back home. He thought he'd seen the circus. 00:01:54.320 --> 00:01:58.240 He had, but it wasn't. It was the circus parade. 00:02:00.640 --> 00:02:04.719 Now you may have heard me tell that story before, it's quite an old one, but I share it with you 00:02:04.719 --> 00:02:14.000 today because it helps us understand, it helps us into what is a really really vital thing when it 00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:21.919 comes to Christian discipleship. The longer you've been a follower of Jesus, the more at risk you are 00:02:22.479 --> 00:02:27.919 at thinking that you've experienced all there is to experience of him. 00:02:27.919 --> 00:02:35.199 And the longer that you've been coming to church, the more familiar you are with the songs and the 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:39.439 words of the Bible and Christian books that you may have read and talks you may have heard, the more 00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:42.479 you can feel that you've been there and you've done it and there's nothing more to be had. 00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:49.599 Such that if we're not careful, and particularly when we combine that with the emphasis that we 00:02:49.599 --> 00:02:55.599 quite rightly place on Christian faith being something that you have to make a decision for, 00:02:55.599 --> 00:03:02.000 and that it's something that we need to decide over, you know, someone else can't make a decision for you, 00:03:02.000 --> 00:03:11.039 you need to decide to follow Jesus. We emphasize that so much, such that we can end up unwittingly 00:03:11.039 --> 00:03:17.919 with a version of the gospel which effectively says that becoming a Christian is an event that 00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:24.240 happens in a time and a place, or maybe a build-up gradually to it, but that moment of decision is made, 00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:31.840 and we lose sight of the reality that the Christian gospel and everything that it says is not about 00:03:31.840 --> 00:03:40.320 just that moment of decision initially to follow Jesus, but a whole life of growing and maturing in 00:03:40.320 --> 00:03:47.760 Jesus. And that is what we're talking about when we talk about discipleship. That the gospel is not 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:53.759 about a message that you make a decision over and then that's it, but rather it's a message that we 00:03:53.759 --> 00:03:59.599 need to be refilled with and refilled with, a message that says to us that God is somebody who wants us to 00:03:59.599 --> 00:04:05.919 know and to grow in him, in us, more and more and more every single day. 00:04:05.919 --> 00:04:19.439 During the great revivals of the 1700s in this country, broadly speaking, there were many more, 00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:28.240 but there were two particular key figures. One was Whitfield and the other was Wesley. And it was often 00:04:28.240 --> 00:04:35.839 said that of the two preachers, Whitfield was more dynamic. People would come to hear him and perhaps 00:04:35.839 --> 00:04:42.479 more initially changed by his message. But of Wesley, although he was also pretty dynamic, 00:04:43.919 --> 00:04:51.120 the thing that set apart the whole what came to be known as the Methodist movement was because 00:04:51.120 --> 00:05:00.479 Wesley understood that coming to faith in Christ, yes it may be an event, but it's just the beginning, 00:05:00.480 --> 00:05:07.520 not the end point. Such that he invested everything, not just into telling people about Jesus, but in 00:05:07.520 --> 00:05:14.160 in arranging people into groups and they called them classes in those days, but people that would join 00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:22.000 these groups and meet in people's homes and with the expectation that they would grow and keep on 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:29.680 growing. And this found its way into Wesley's theology. He said this, when you have attained a measure of 00:05:29.680 --> 00:05:38.560 perfect love, when God has enabled you to love him with all your heart and all your soul, get this, he said, 00:05:38.560 --> 00:05:49.680 think not of resting there. That is impossible. And here he goes, he gets really black and white about this. 00:05:49.680 --> 00:05:56.000 You cannot stand still. You must either rise or fall. 00:05:58.079 --> 00:06:01.120 Rise higher or fall lower. 00:06:04.160 --> 00:06:12.960 Now in this last week, it was a bit of a marker for me because it was 25 years ago this last week that I started 00:06:12.960 --> 00:06:17.680 ordained ministry. And as I look back at all the different people that I've met over the years in 00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:22.400 the years in different places from different ages and different walks of life, it breaks my heart that 00:06:22.400 --> 00:06:30.319 there's a pattern that I've noticed that repeats itself over and over again. And as I say, it's not 00:06:30.319 --> 00:06:36.319 confined to any particular background or to any particular age group, but I encountered it fairly 00:06:36.319 --> 00:06:40.079 early on when I first became a minister and have encountered it ever since. 00:06:40.079 --> 00:06:45.439 And now I will get into a conversation and it will go something like this. Somebody will be saying to me, 00:06:45.439 --> 00:06:45.680 you know, 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:54.560 I used to kind of get really excited about faith. And I remember when I first heard about Jesus and 00:06:54.560 --> 00:07:00.159 and when I first started coming to church and it was great, but somehow I haven't got that spark anymore. 00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:03.120 And it feels like things have just dried up. 00:07:04.560 --> 00:07:11.040 And I'm not really sure that church is relevant and I'm not sure that that that where I am with faith anymore. 00:07:11.439 --> 00:07:18.879 Now, I'm talking very broad brush terms, but in different forms, I've had those sorts of conversations 00:07:18.879 --> 00:07:27.680 over and over and over again. And the single unifying factor that I noticed over and over again is that when you 00:07:27.680 --> 00:07:35.199 begin to drill down into that person's story and that experience, it would seem that it comes down to 00:07:35.199 --> 00:07:44.480 one and the same thing, almost without exception, and it is this, that whether they were aware of it or not, 00:07:44.480 --> 00:07:53.680 but the understanding of their faith in Jesus seems to be such that it was confined to that moment of 00:07:53.680 --> 00:08:02.319 coming to him. To the point that it eclipsed the equally important theme that being a follower of 00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:09.120 Jesus is not just the initial coming to him, but it is a daily recognition that he is there and that 00:08:09.120 --> 00:08:16.639 as you set out with every day, yes, every day, whatever situation you are in, he is there for you, 00:08:16.639 --> 00:08:23.439 wanting you to know him more and to grow in that knowledge that he is there and that knowledge of 00:08:23.439 --> 00:08:28.719 his love and to know the reality, to grow and to keep on growing and to keep on growing. 00:08:30.319 --> 00:08:35.840 And I think that that is what Wesley was getting at when he said, you cannot stand still. 00:08:36.960 --> 00:08:43.439 You can either rise or fall. If you have an idea that becoming a Christian is a static thing, 00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:47.520 then don't be surprised when your faith becomes static. 00:08:53.280 --> 00:08:59.120 Tragically, we can have this idea of the Christian message of grace, of coming to Jesus, 00:08:59.120 --> 00:09:05.200 that is almost transactional. You give your life to Jesus and you get eternal life back and that's it. 00:09:05.200 --> 00:09:08.640 Thank you, Jesus. I'll see you in heaven. 00:09:11.840 --> 00:09:19.120 There's that, the late Dallas Willard, who was a brilliant Christian philosopher who died not that 00:09:19.120 --> 00:09:27.440 long ago, a few years ago. He said this in his book called The Great Omission. He said, 00:09:27.440 --> 00:09:37.520 we have multitudes of professing Christians who may well be ready to die, but obviously are not ready to live. 00:09:40.320 --> 00:09:45.280 See, being a follower of Jesus is not just about taking out an eternal insurance policy, 00:09:46.560 --> 00:09:52.160 but when eventually you depart from this mortal coil, then you're okay for eternity. 00:09:52.159 --> 00:10:02.399 It starts now. And that means that when you become a follower of Jesus, it's not just a waiting around, 00:10:02.399 --> 00:10:09.600 waiting for eternity to happen, but rather it really does begin now in a way that is, well, 00:10:09.600 --> 00:10:14.639 there's a suddenness about it, but there will be a gradual thing that doesn't stop in this life. 00:10:15.519 --> 00:10:20.879 And that's why Christianity is not just a pie in the sky when you die thing. 00:10:22.159 --> 00:10:29.039 And it's not even, as somebody once put its steak on a plate while you wait. It's a living reality 00:10:29.600 --> 00:10:35.279 that is relevant to every single life situation you can possibly find yourself in. Why? Because 00:10:35.279 --> 00:10:40.879 Jesus is there in that situation saying, okay, so here we are. How are we going to face this then? 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:44.799 And as we face those decisions, how are you going to grow closer? 00:10:44.799 --> 00:10:49.519 Now that's exciting. That's really exciting. 00:10:50.959 --> 00:10:57.679 As John Mark Comer puts it in this book, which is in fact, in some ways, his book, Practising the Way, 00:10:58.240 --> 00:11:03.679 is nothing new. It's old truths, but they're just presented in a really fresh way, I think. 00:11:04.399 --> 00:11:11.199 But I think as he rather brilliantly puts it, he says, salvation is less about getting you into heaven, 00:11:11.200 --> 00:11:14.960 and is more about getting heaven into you. 00:11:17.120 --> 00:11:24.480 See, following Jesus is that eternal promise, but that eternal promise that you can live in the light of now, 00:11:24.800 --> 00:11:26.960 and that can live in you now. 00:11:26.960 --> 00:11:38.639 As far as I'm aware, as far as I can tell, nowhere, anywhere in the Gospels did Jesus ever talk about 00:11:38.639 --> 00:11:46.300 following him as a one-in-time thing. The Gospel was never presented as a thing that just happens once and then that's it. 00:11:47.360 --> 00:11:53.379 Rather, it was all about this theme of growing into the kingdom of God, 00:11:53.379 --> 00:11:59.320 of call to repentance, which means a turning around in a dynamic, not a static way, 00:12:00.179 --> 00:12:04.700 whereby we know him and we get to know him more and more and more and more, 00:12:05.340 --> 00:12:08.019 which is why he says, come, follow me. 00:12:10.120 --> 00:12:12.419 Jesus never spoke about making converts, 00:12:13.220 --> 00:12:15.679 only ever about making disciples. 00:12:15.679 --> 00:12:20.059 What does it mean to be a follower, to be a disciple? 00:12:20.299 --> 00:12:23.719 Well, in Jesus' day and culture, 00:12:24.879 --> 00:12:26.459 to have followed him 00:12:26.459 --> 00:12:28.939 would have been like following a rabbi, 00:12:31.079 --> 00:12:33.039 a great religious teacher, 00:12:33.319 --> 00:12:34.219 a spiritual leader. 00:12:35.639 --> 00:12:37.899 Of course, Jesus was so much more than just that. 00:12:37.899 --> 00:12:44.159 But, to our 21st century Western ears, 00:12:44.279 --> 00:12:47.659 perhaps the closest we can get to understanding that 00:12:47.659 --> 00:12:49.720 is the idea of being an apprentice. 00:12:51.840 --> 00:12:52.980 You see, to be an apprentice 00:12:52.980 --> 00:12:56.279 means that you are following somebody oh so closely, 00:12:57.279 --> 00:12:59.639 that you do what they do, 00:12:59.740 --> 00:13:00.860 you learn from them, 00:13:01.399 --> 00:13:03.559 you listen so carefully to what they say, 00:13:03.679 --> 00:13:06.480 so that you would copy them and do the same things, 00:13:06.480 --> 00:13:08.440 and eventually become like them. 00:13:09.879 --> 00:13:11.100 To be an apprentice 00:13:11.100 --> 00:13:18.019 is to strive to be able to do what the Master shows you. 00:13:20.620 --> 00:13:23.159 Now, every analogy eventually breaks down, 00:13:23.379 --> 00:13:24.960 but stay with me for this. 00:13:26.539 --> 00:13:28.060 That being a follower of Jesus 00:13:28.060 --> 00:13:30.080 is in many ways like being an apprentice. 00:13:30.860 --> 00:13:32.159 It's so much more than that. 00:13:32.220 --> 00:13:35.060 But it involves doing the things that Jesus did, 00:13:35.059 --> 00:13:37.419 learning more about how he does things, 00:13:38.219 --> 00:13:39.539 that we might copy him 00:13:39.539 --> 00:13:41.319 and become more like him. 00:13:41.339 --> 00:13:42.719 And that's a lifelong process 00:13:42.719 --> 00:13:44.939 that never, ever stops. 00:13:45.739 --> 00:13:46.979 And over these next few weeks, 00:13:47.000 --> 00:13:48.419 we're going to be thinking a little bit about 00:13:48.419 --> 00:13:50.679 more what that means in practical terms. 00:13:51.439 --> 00:13:53.339 But what I want to do now 00:13:53.339 --> 00:13:56.359 is just come to the last part of that reading 00:13:56.359 --> 00:13:58.399 that Catherine read to us just now, 00:13:58.599 --> 00:14:00.439 because it really unpacks it 00:14:00.439 --> 00:14:01.779 in a very powerful way. 00:14:01.779 --> 00:14:03.339 Philippians 2, 00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:05.019 just those last two verses, 00:14:05.220 --> 00:14:06.439 12 and 13, 00:14:07.500 --> 00:14:08.319 where Paul writes, 00:14:09.059 --> 00:14:11.839 continue to work out your salvation 00:14:11.839 --> 00:14:14.519 with fear and trembling. 00:14:15.899 --> 00:14:18.259 For it is God who works in you 00:14:18.259 --> 00:14:20.699 to will and to act 00:14:20.699 --> 00:14:23.839 in order to fulfil his good purpose. 00:14:23.840 --> 00:14:29.340 It seems to me that in Philippians in general, 00:14:29.440 --> 00:14:30.740 and in those verses in particular, 00:14:30.860 --> 00:14:34.220 we have two things that are caught up there. 00:14:35.180 --> 00:14:37.259 Firstly, Paul talks about 00:14:37.259 --> 00:14:39.120 working out your salvation. 00:14:41.180 --> 00:14:42.820 Salvation is something you've got to work out. 00:14:43.980 --> 00:14:45.560 Now notice he does not say 00:14:45.560 --> 00:14:48.240 you've got to work for your salvation. 00:14:49.460 --> 00:14:50.759 As he calls us here, 00:14:50.820 --> 00:14:52.360 as he rallies people to say, 00:14:52.360 --> 00:14:54.320 look guys, you've got to make some effort here 00:14:54.320 --> 00:14:55.759 to grow as Christians, 00:14:56.419 --> 00:14:59.180 effort does not mean earning. 00:15:00.440 --> 00:15:02.779 Quite clearly, Paul is not talking about that 00:15:02.779 --> 00:15:05.320 because throughout his entire message, 00:15:05.639 --> 00:15:07.120 throughout the whole of the New Testament, 00:15:08.259 --> 00:15:08.960 faith is, 00:15:09.680 --> 00:15:09.919 sorry, 00:15:10.100 --> 00:15:11.960 the gospel is presented as something 00:15:11.960 --> 00:15:14.340 that we don't have to earn God's favour, 00:15:14.500 --> 00:15:15.120 it's a given. 00:15:16.700 --> 00:15:17.200 But nevertheless, 00:15:17.500 --> 00:15:18.899 we are called to work out. 00:15:19.139 --> 00:15:20.580 It's from that place of knowing 00:15:20.580 --> 00:15:22.379 knowing that God loves you unconditionally, 00:15:22.540 --> 00:15:24.300 he has accepted you and set you free 00:15:24.300 --> 00:15:26.259 and gifted you with eternal life 00:15:26.259 --> 00:15:27.720 and his presence now. 00:15:27.860 --> 00:15:29.540 It is from that knowledge 00:15:29.540 --> 00:15:31.300 that we are called to work out 00:15:31.300 --> 00:15:33.540 with fear and trembling 00:15:33.540 --> 00:15:36.300 what it means to be a follower of Jesus. 00:15:38.800 --> 00:15:41.180 But secondly, equally important, 00:15:42.120 --> 00:15:44.160 that gift of salvation 00:15:44.160 --> 00:15:45.379 is precisely that. 00:15:45.379 --> 00:15:48.580 It is 100% God's gift to you. 00:15:49.139 --> 00:15:49.799 Two stories, 00:15:49.879 --> 00:15:51.039 just to unpack those two things. 00:15:51.120 --> 00:15:52.159 The first one is this. 00:15:53.939 --> 00:15:55.139 Paul goes on to say 00:15:55.139 --> 00:15:57.379 in the following chapter of Philippians, 00:15:57.460 --> 00:15:57.700 he says, 00:15:57.799 --> 00:15:59.419 I press on towards the goal. 00:16:00.299 --> 00:16:00.759 In other words, 00:16:01.080 --> 00:16:05.159 that call to work out salvation 00:16:05.159 --> 00:16:06.939 is like running a race. 00:16:07.059 --> 00:16:08.379 It's going to involve effort. 00:16:08.379 --> 00:16:12.019 In 1968, 00:16:12.360 --> 00:16:14.000 the Olympics took place 00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:15.299 in Mexico City. 00:16:16.740 --> 00:16:19.939 And John Stephen Aquari 00:16:19.939 --> 00:16:21.259 was a runner. 00:16:21.740 --> 00:16:23.939 He represented Tanzania 00:16:23.939 --> 00:16:24.740 in the marathon. 00:16:25.700 --> 00:16:27.080 Now, Aquari was an elite runner. 00:16:27.240 --> 00:16:28.279 He'd won many 00:16:28.279 --> 00:16:32.299 marathons across Africa. 00:16:33.559 --> 00:16:35.159 But at Mexico City, 00:16:35.240 --> 00:16:35.799 in the Olympics, 00:16:35.799 --> 00:16:37.240 he encountered something 00:16:37.240 --> 00:16:38.719 that he hadn't encountered before. 00:16:38.899 --> 00:16:41.159 And it was a massive altitude change. 00:16:42.419 --> 00:16:43.479 Such that, 00:16:43.839 --> 00:16:45.559 even though he easily qualified 00:16:45.559 --> 00:16:47.399 to run in the Olympics, 00:16:48.740 --> 00:16:50.099 midway through the race, 00:16:51.359 --> 00:16:53.699 he suffered extreme cramps. 00:16:54.719 --> 00:16:57.859 And he eventually fell down, 00:16:58.579 --> 00:16:59.939 dislocating a knee. 00:17:02.199 --> 00:17:04.579 But Aquari wasn't to be beaten by this. 00:17:04.579 --> 00:17:06.899 He eventually got up 00:17:06.899 --> 00:17:08.839 and he limped his way 00:17:08.839 --> 00:17:10.159 through the second half 00:17:10.159 --> 00:17:10.899 of that marathon. 00:17:12.199 --> 00:17:13.179 When he eventually 00:17:13.179 --> 00:17:14.599 got into the stadium, 00:17:15.419 --> 00:17:16.559 the stadium had virtually 00:17:16.559 --> 00:17:17.859 emptied of the crowds. 00:17:18.220 --> 00:17:18.579 There was just 00:17:18.579 --> 00:17:19.859 about 100 people there, 00:17:19.939 --> 00:17:20.279 apparently. 00:17:21.460 --> 00:17:23.679 But he came in 00:17:23.679 --> 00:17:24.960 around about an hour 00:17:24.960 --> 00:17:26.759 after the winner of the race. 00:17:29.419 --> 00:17:29.939 Afterwards, 00:17:30.079 --> 00:17:30.679 he was interviewed. 00:17:31.799 --> 00:17:32.839 And the person interviewing 00:17:32.839 --> 00:17:33.679 said to Aquari, 00:17:33.819 --> 00:17:35.339 why didn't you just give up 00:17:35.339 --> 00:17:37.179 when your knee seized up like that? 00:17:37.279 --> 00:17:38.099 And he said this, 00:17:39.240 --> 00:17:41.439 my country did not send me 00:17:41.439 --> 00:17:42.839 5,000 miles 00:17:42.839 --> 00:17:44.419 to start the race. 00:17:45.500 --> 00:17:47.599 They sent me 5,000 miles 00:17:47.599 --> 00:17:48.740 to finish the race. 00:17:50.919 --> 00:17:52.439 Being a follower of Jesus 00:17:52.439 --> 00:17:54.179 means that we come to him. 00:17:54.259 --> 00:17:55.000 It might be suddenly, 00:17:55.119 --> 00:17:55.980 it might be gradually. 00:17:56.799 --> 00:17:57.879 But Paul talks about it 00:17:57.879 --> 00:17:58.859 in terms of being a race 00:17:58.859 --> 00:18:00.059 not as something 00:18:00.059 --> 00:18:00.959 that we've got to somehow 00:18:00.959 --> 00:18:01.979 work really hard 00:18:01.979 --> 00:18:02.839 in order to earn 00:18:02.839 --> 00:18:03.579 our salvation, 00:18:03.959 --> 00:18:05.099 but rather because 00:18:05.099 --> 00:18:06.119 this message 00:18:06.119 --> 00:18:07.919 that death is defeated, 00:18:08.299 --> 00:18:09.199 that we are set free 00:18:09.199 --> 00:18:10.139 for all eternity, 00:18:10.439 --> 00:18:11.479 means that we can 00:18:11.479 --> 00:18:13.240 face the battles 00:18:13.240 --> 00:18:14.359 of everyday life now. 00:18:15.439 --> 00:18:16.979 Expect it to be hard work 00:18:16.979 --> 00:18:18.039 and expect to have 00:18:18.039 --> 00:18:18.799 to make effort, 00:18:19.799 --> 00:18:21.179 but we do so 00:18:21.179 --> 00:18:22.839 knowing that God 00:18:22.839 --> 00:18:23.439 is there 00:18:23.439 --> 00:18:24.740 and that he set us free 00:18:24.740 --> 00:18:25.459 in order to run 00:18:25.459 --> 00:18:26.099 that race. 00:18:26.099 --> 00:18:28.879 And the second story 00:18:28.879 --> 00:18:29.539 I want to share with you 00:18:29.539 --> 00:18:31.259 is just to illustrate 00:18:31.259 --> 00:18:32.740 actually that 00:18:32.740 --> 00:18:34.839 it is 100% 00:18:34.839 --> 00:18:36.679 God's gift to us 00:18:36.679 --> 00:18:38.139 in case we're tempted 00:18:38.139 --> 00:18:39.059 to think otherwise. 00:18:39.980 --> 00:18:40.959 Because notice that 00:18:40.959 --> 00:18:41.740 he says 00:18:41.740 --> 00:18:43.299 that Paul writes 00:18:43.299 --> 00:18:44.559 that, you know, 00:18:44.619 --> 00:18:45.319 it is God 00:18:45.319 --> 00:18:46.519 who works in you 00:18:46.519 --> 00:18:47.959 to will and to act 00:18:47.959 --> 00:18:48.599 in order to fill 00:18:48.599 --> 00:18:49.459 his good purpose. 00:18:51.459 --> 00:18:51.939 There's a story, 00:18:52.119 --> 00:18:53.179 it's about this boy 00:18:53.179 --> 00:18:54.319 who went into 00:18:54.319 --> 00:18:55.500 a sweet shop one day 00:18:55.500 --> 00:18:57.240 and he went in 00:18:57.240 --> 00:18:57.759 with his mum. 00:18:58.160 --> 00:18:58.759 She was buying 00:18:58.759 --> 00:19:00.039 a present for a cousin. 00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:01.359 So she went over 00:19:01.359 --> 00:19:01.960 to the other side 00:19:01.960 --> 00:19:02.400 of the shop 00:19:02.400 --> 00:19:03.059 and she was looking 00:19:03.059 --> 00:19:04.039 for something to buy 00:19:04.039 --> 00:19:04.880 and the boy was 00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:05.579 standing there 00:19:05.579 --> 00:19:06.180 at the counter 00:19:06.180 --> 00:19:07.579 and it was one of those 00:19:07.579 --> 00:19:09.000 old-fashioned sweet shops 00:19:09.000 --> 00:19:09.700 with the jars 00:19:09.700 --> 00:19:11.660 and the shopkeeper 00:19:11.660 --> 00:19:13.000 saw this boy 00:19:13.000 --> 00:19:13.859 just staring 00:19:13.859 --> 00:19:14.859 at this particular 00:19:14.859 --> 00:19:15.740 jar of sweets. 00:19:16.160 --> 00:19:16.640 There was no one 00:19:16.640 --> 00:19:17.220 else around 00:19:17.220 --> 00:19:18.240 so he grabbed 00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:19.519 the shopkeeper, 00:19:19.619 --> 00:19:20.980 grabbed the jar down, 00:19:21.480 --> 00:19:22.339 took the lid off 00:19:22.339 --> 00:19:23.180 and held it out 00:19:23.180 --> 00:19:23.740 in front of the boy 00:19:23.740 --> 00:19:24.059 and he said, 00:19:24.120 --> 00:19:24.220 look, 00:19:24.579 --> 00:19:26.220 you can help yourself, 00:19:26.359 --> 00:19:26.720 you can have 00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:27.880 a handful of sweets. 00:19:29.140 --> 00:19:30.359 The boy just stared 00:19:30.359 --> 00:19:30.900 back at him 00:19:30.900 --> 00:19:31.539 not quite knowing 00:19:31.539 --> 00:19:32.140 what to say. 00:19:32.279 --> 00:19:32.420 He said, 00:19:32.440 --> 00:19:32.539 no, 00:19:32.559 --> 00:19:32.759 go on, 00:19:32.779 --> 00:19:32.920 quick, 00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:33.440 before someone 00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:34.019 else comes in 00:19:34.019 --> 00:19:34.680 you can have 00:19:34.680 --> 00:19:35.700 a handful of sweets. 00:19:36.799 --> 00:19:37.359 Still the boy 00:19:37.359 --> 00:19:38.559 was frozen to the spot. 00:19:39.279 --> 00:19:39.519 He said, 00:19:39.579 --> 00:19:39.740 look, 00:19:40.059 --> 00:19:40.799 have a handful 00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:41.259 and the boy 00:19:41.259 --> 00:19:41.779 would do nothing 00:19:41.779 --> 00:19:42.559 so eventually 00:19:42.559 --> 00:19:43.460 the shopkeeper 00:19:43.460 --> 00:19:44.279 reached his hand 00:19:44.279 --> 00:19:45.140 into the jar, 00:19:45.579 --> 00:19:46.180 filled his hand 00:19:46.180 --> 00:19:46.640 with the sweets 00:19:46.640 --> 00:19:47.299 and gave them 00:19:47.299 --> 00:19:47.740 to the boy 00:19:47.740 --> 00:19:48.200 who put them 00:19:48.200 --> 00:19:48.680 in his pocket. 00:19:50.160 --> 00:19:50.640 Well eventually 00:19:50.640 --> 00:19:51.220 him and his mum 00:19:51.220 --> 00:19:52.200 got out of the shop 00:19:52.200 --> 00:19:52.660 and they were 00:19:52.660 --> 00:19:53.960 standing outside 00:19:53.960 --> 00:19:54.360 and his mum 00:19:54.360 --> 00:19:55.220 who'd overheard 00:19:55.220 --> 00:19:55.559 all this, 00:19:55.640 --> 00:19:55.860 he said, 00:19:55.960 --> 00:19:56.680 why on earth 00:19:56.680 --> 00:19:57.620 did you not 00:19:57.620 --> 00:19:59.200 accept the handful 00:19:59.200 --> 00:19:59.660 of sweets 00:19:59.660 --> 00:20:01.940 when the shopkeeper 00:20:01.940 --> 00:20:03.240 offered it to you? 00:20:04.819 --> 00:20:05.339 He said, 00:20:05.360 --> 00:20:05.779 his hands 00:20:05.779 --> 00:20:06.420 were so much 00:20:06.420 --> 00:20:07.160 bigger than mine. 00:20:14.839 --> 00:20:16.120 It's not what we do, 00:20:16.200 --> 00:20:17.140 it's what God does. 00:20:17.140 --> 00:20:20.140 That's the message 00:20:20.140 --> 00:20:21.080 that Paul is getting 00:20:21.080 --> 00:20:21.920 so excited 00:20:21.920 --> 00:20:22.820 and so passionate 00:20:22.820 --> 00:20:23.759 about as he writes 00:20:23.759 --> 00:20:25.400 to the Philippian people. 00:20:25.800 --> 00:20:26.200 When he says, 00:20:26.340 --> 00:20:26.759 run the race, 00:20:26.840 --> 00:20:27.720 but run the race 00:20:27.720 --> 00:20:29.040 and work out 00:20:29.040 --> 00:20:29.660 your salvation 00:20:29.660 --> 00:20:30.480 and make the effort 00:20:30.480 --> 00:20:31.460 not because 00:20:31.460 --> 00:20:32.560 you've got to 00:20:32.560 --> 00:20:33.580 somehow win that race 00:20:33.580 --> 00:20:34.240 because it's already 00:20:34.240 --> 00:20:35.500 been won for you 00:20:35.500 --> 00:20:36.340 and not because 00:20:36.340 --> 00:20:36.780 you've somehow 00:20:36.780 --> 00:20:38.120 got to earn salvation 00:20:38.120 --> 00:20:38.680 because it's already 00:20:38.680 --> 00:20:39.720 been given to you 00:20:39.720 --> 00:20:40.900 but because 00:20:40.900 --> 00:20:42.000 that is that 00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:42.420 precious, 00:20:42.600 --> 00:20:43.200 precious gift. 00:20:44.540 --> 00:20:45.940 Know that it is yours. 00:20:48.040 --> 00:20:49.360 Own it with confidence. 00:20:51.340 --> 00:20:52.240 Grow in it 00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:53.880 and keep on growing. 00:20:55.660 --> 00:20:56.560 So as we start 00:20:56.560 --> 00:20:57.420 this series today 00:20:57.420 --> 00:20:58.180 and over these 00:20:58.180 --> 00:20:58.820 next few weeks 00:20:58.820 --> 00:20:59.259 we're going to be 00:20:59.259 --> 00:21:00.000 thinking more about 00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:00.860 what that means. 00:21:02.600 --> 00:21:03.420 To grow 00:21:03.420 --> 00:21:05.740 and to keep on growing. 00:21:07.380 --> 00:21:08.620 We're going to pray now 00:21:08.620 --> 00:21:10.480 and as we come to pray 00:21:10.480 --> 00:21:12.340 let's just bring 00:21:12.340 --> 00:21:13.060 our own lives 00:21:13.060 --> 00:21:14.020 before God now 00:21:14.020 --> 00:21:15.220 and ask him 00:21:15.220 --> 00:21:17.240 wherever we are at 00:21:17.240 --> 00:21:19.799 however we feel 00:21:19.799 --> 00:21:20.759 about our own 00:21:20.759 --> 00:21:22.120 faith right now 00:21:22.120 --> 00:21:24.079 let's ask him to 00:21:24.079 --> 00:21:27.500 in a way that 00:21:27.500 --> 00:21:29.440 will probably be unique 00:21:29.440 --> 00:21:30.220 to each and every one 00:21:30.220 --> 00:21:30.960 of us in the room 00:21:30.960 --> 00:21:33.299 let's ask him 00:21:33.299 --> 00:21:34.680 to help us to grow. 00:21:36.200 --> 00:21:36.960 Let's pray. 00:21:40.839 --> 00:21:41.600 Lord God 00:21:41.600 --> 00:21:43.000 each and every one of us 00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:44.420 will be at a different 00:21:44.420 --> 00:21:44.980 point 00:21:44.980 --> 00:21:47.140 in that 00:21:47.140 --> 00:21:49.640 journey of discipleship. 00:21:49.859 --> 00:21:50.619 It may be that 00:21:50.619 --> 00:21:51.680 we've not been 00:21:51.680 --> 00:21:52.640 Christians for long 00:21:52.640 --> 00:21:54.700 it might be 00:21:54.700 --> 00:21:55.220 that perhaps 00:21:55.220 --> 00:21:55.960 we haven't even 00:21:55.960 --> 00:21:57.259 made that decision 00:21:57.259 --> 00:21:58.119 for you yet 00:21:58.119 --> 00:22:00.220 or it might be 00:22:00.220 --> 00:22:00.720 that we've made 00:22:00.720 --> 00:22:01.240 that decision 00:22:01.240 --> 00:22:01.799 for you 00:22:01.799 --> 00:22:03.200 a long time ago 00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:05.859 it may be 00:22:05.859 --> 00:22:06.960 that we do feel 00:22:06.960 --> 00:22:08.079 that we're drying up 00:22:08.079 --> 00:22:08.700 spiritually 00:22:08.700 --> 00:22:09.819 or it might be 00:22:09.819 --> 00:22:10.319 that we feel 00:22:10.319 --> 00:22:11.119 really excited 00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:12.059 and are passionate 00:22:12.059 --> 00:22:12.859 about our faith 00:22:12.859 --> 00:22:13.339 and we're just 00:22:13.339 --> 00:22:15.339 poised and expectant 00:22:15.339 --> 00:22:16.899 to do the things 00:22:16.899 --> 00:22:17.759 that you want us to do 00:22:17.759 --> 00:22:18.739 but Lord 00:22:18.739 --> 00:22:19.639 whatever our 00:22:19.639 --> 00:22:20.619 experience is 00:22:20.619 --> 00:22:21.439 right now 00:22:21.439 --> 00:22:22.579 thank you 00:22:22.579 --> 00:22:23.779 that you know us 00:22:23.779 --> 00:22:24.539 even better 00:22:24.539 --> 00:22:25.139 than we know 00:22:25.139 --> 00:22:25.799 ourselves 00:22:25.799 --> 00:22:29.299 and so like 00:22:29.299 --> 00:22:30.679 Lord right now 00:22:30.679 --> 00:22:33.000 whatever is going on 00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:34.199 in our own lives 00:22:34.199 --> 00:22:36.439 meet us there 00:22:36.440 --> 00:22:40.740 Lord right now 00:22:40.740 --> 00:22:42.000 come Holy Spirit 00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:45.500 come Holy Spirit 00:22:45.500 --> 00:22:49.100 come Holy Spirit 00:22:49.100 --> 00:22:53.200 let's just take a moment 00:22:53.200 --> 00:22:54.000 just to wait 00:22:54.000 --> 00:22:55.480 on him 00:22:55.480 --> 00:23:01.759 Lord whatever 00:23:01.759 --> 00:23:03.299 we might feel 00:23:03.299 --> 00:23:03.860 about you 00:23:03.860 --> 00:23:04.900 or think about you 00:23:04.900 --> 00:23:08.440 meet us in that place 00:23:08.440 --> 00:23:12.180 Lord we are sorry 00:23:12.180 --> 00:23:12.780 for the things 00:23:12.780 --> 00:23:13.500 that we have said 00:23:13.500 --> 00:23:13.820 or done 00:23:13.820 --> 00:23:14.759 or not said 00:23:14.759 --> 00:23:15.280 and done 00:23:15.280 --> 00:23:17.759 that has slowed 00:23:17.759 --> 00:23:18.580 down that 00:23:18.580 --> 00:23:20.700 that growth 00:23:20.700 --> 00:23:23.800 Lord we thank you 00:23:23.800 --> 00:23:24.460 that your message 00:23:24.460 --> 00:23:25.580 to us is consistent 00:23:25.580 --> 00:23:29.040 your message is that 00:23:29.040 --> 00:23:29.880 we are loved 00:23:29.880 --> 00:23:30.580 we are forgiven 00:23:30.580 --> 00:23:33.060 and that you want us 00:23:33.060 --> 00:23:33.540 to know that 00:23:33.540 --> 00:23:34.380 and to grow in that 00:23:34.380 --> 00:23:35.640 so Lord help us 00:23:35.640 --> 00:23:36.240 to grow 00:23:36.240 --> 00:23:39.080 Lord as we face 00:23:39.080 --> 00:23:40.380 whatever comes 00:23:40.380 --> 00:23:41.820 in this next week 00:23:41.820 --> 00:23:44.660 may we grow 00:23:44.660 --> 00:23:46.120 through each conversation 00:23:46.120 --> 00:23:47.240 each decision 00:23:47.240 --> 00:23:49.600 each set of circumstances 00:23:49.600 --> 00:23:50.580 that comes our way 00:23:50.580 --> 00:23:53.820 help us to be 00:23:53.820 --> 00:23:55.220 apprentices to you 00:23:55.220 --> 00:23:58.140 to grow 00:23:58.140 --> 00:24:00.480 and to keep on growing 00:24:00.480 --> 00:24:07.400 Lord as we continue 00:24:07.400 --> 00:24:08.580 to worship you now 00:24:08.580 --> 00:24:11.300 move among us 00:24:11.300 --> 00:24:12.080 in your spirit 00:24:12.080 --> 00:24:16.060 in Jesus name 00:24:16.060 --> 00:24:18.200 Amen 00:24:18.200 --> 00:24:19.200 to the Lord 00:24:19.200 --> 00:24:35.740 I...