The scripture reading comes from Deuteronomy, chapter 5, starting in verse 1.
Please follow along in your bulletin or Bible.
Verse 1.
And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them,
Hear, O Israel, the statutes and rules that I speak in your hearing today,
and you shall learn them and be careful to do them.
Then in verse 6.
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above
or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth.
You shall not bow down to them or serve them.
For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain,
for the Lord will not hold him guiltless, who takes his name in vain.
Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you.
Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.
On it you shall not do any work,
you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant
or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock
or the sojourner who is within your gates,
that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.
You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt,
and the Lord your God brought you out there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.
Therefore, the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you,
that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
You shall not murder, and you shall not commit adultery,
and you shall not steal, and you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor,
and you shall not covet your neighbor's wife,
and you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, or his male servant,
or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.
This is the word of God.
Great. Thank you, Henrika.
Welcome, everyone, again.
If you don't know me, my name is Chris.
I'm one of the leaders here at Watermark.
And there's a reason that I'm standing here instead of Kevin.
Some of you may know, Kevin at the moment has a chest infection,
and he's just been in hospital for a few days to do some tests.
It's not COVID, so in case you're worrying.
But it would be great for us just to pray for him and for the family at this time
so that we can just support them well.
Again, part of being a church family is actually we care and love each other,
but also we don't want to overwhelm them as well.
We don't have 100 people texting Claire at the moment,
but let's just pray for them during this time.
So please bow your heads and let's pray together.
Father, thank you that you are the God that we need.
You are the God of all creation.
Thank you that you are the God who speaks to us.
Thank you that you are the God who heals us.
Lord, we just want to lift up Kevin and Claire and the whole family to you now.
Lord, we pray for this chest infection.
We pray that they'd find out what it is.
We pray that you give them peace.
We pray that you would heal.
We pray that you would just bring very quick restoration there.
And just even in this process, would they know that you're really close to them
and really walking alongside them at this time?
And Lord, I pray that even today as we listen to your word and engage with it,
I pray that we would just have soft hearts to you,
that we would hear you speak.
And Lord, I pray that you would just take this passage
and just burn it into our hearts, Lord.
Show us just how much, how beautiful, how great you are.
We want to love you with all of our hearts, soul, mind, and strength.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
So for those of you who have been with us for this journey over the last 10 weeks
and now the 11th week, we have been looking at the 10 commandments or the 10 words.
And today we're actually finishing this series.
And we have seen over this time that the 10 commandments are not just a set of rules
of what to do and what not to do.
They actually come out of God rescuing his people out of slavery
and they're a freedom agenda for how God's people are to live in relationship
with a God who pursues his people, redeems his people,
and how that out of that new freedom that he wants to bring them into,
they are then to live in these commands, to live in the freedom that he wants for them.
And he's shown us that these commands are not just about internally,
they're also about how we become a community,
which also as we live out in this freedom of our relationship with God,
that that actually shines out to the world around us.
And we are going to look at this last commandment,
which is really another one of those commandments
which just brings a window on our hearts
and which says, do not covet,
which actually when we begin to think about it,
shows us that we desperately need a savior.
And so we're going to look at this commandment
because this one, with the first commandment,
really frames all the others.
Because the first four are about loving God,
the last five are about loving your neighbor.
And this sixth one, sorry, this tenth one,
I can't count, this tenth one,
is really bringing us not to the external behavior,
it's driving you deep down into what's the internal motivators of your heart,
which drive all the other commandments.
So, we're just going to look at what this command is,
we're going to look at some of the consequences,
and we're going to look at why we covet,
and then we're going to look at how do we desire rightly.
Okay?
So that's where we're going.
So, I don't know if any of you have been into Central.
There's a shop in Central called G-O-D.
God, which actually is goods of desire.
Okay?
You can tell what they were doing when they come up with the name.
What they're doing is actually,
they're hinting that consumerism is actually God.
That actually it can satisfy you buying stuff more than God come.
Because in some ways, I think deep down,
we actually think God is somehow anti-desire.
Okay?
He's a bit of a killjoy, really, if we're honest.
But when you look at scripture, you don't get that picture at all.
Because God, right at the beginning of creation,
he creates a world of desire.
Do you know, humans are wired for desire by God.
And so, why is that?
Because God himself desires.
One example, Psalm 132.
The Lord has chosen Zion, his people.
He has desired it for his dwelling place.
He desires his people.
The Garden of Eden.
Do you know, it said,
it is filled with trees which are beautiful,
which are pleasant.
That's the same word for the word for covet.
It's desirable.
And it says,
God made us with desires,
and then stuff around us,
which is desirable.
It's God's idea.
Buddhism says,
the problem in the world is desire.
So the solution is,
get rid of desires,
and then you'll be fine.
The Bible says,
to be fully human is to desire.
Do you know that?
To be fully human is to desire.
God could have made,
for example,
God could have made reproduction
through vending machines.
Octopus,
boop,
out comes a baby.
That's how he could have done it.
But he creates sexual desire and sex out of it.
And he creates desires for food,
desires for beauty,
desires for approval,
desires for security.
It's God's design.
So then in the story,
when Eve sees the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,
and it says there,
it was to be desired,
it's the same word,
for wisdom,
what does she do?
Her desire for wisdom
overtakes her desire to obey and worship God,
and she takes what wasn't hers to take.
Because you see,
it's not wrong to notice a tree.
It's not wrong to desire a tree.
I mean,
I don't know if you desire trees,
but we desire other things.
But what's the difference?
Coveting,
it's not just desire.
Coveting is desiring anything more
than desiring God and contentment in him.
It's desiring something that is not yours to have.
It is losing contentment in God
because another desire has replaced it.
And so,
if you think about that,
then what that means is
covetousness,
desiring things in that way,
is idolatry.
And if you don't believe me,
Paul says it directly in Colossians 3.
He says,
put to death covetousness,
which is idolatry.
In other words,
the first command
and the last command
are two sides of the same coin.
Do you get that?
And they frame all the other commandments
because if you break the last one,
you're going to break the first one,
and then you're actually going to break
all the others in between.
So,
I mean,
let me give you an example.
Your neighbor's wife.
I mean,
he mentions that.
The story of David and Bathsheba.
If you know that,
David,
king,
got everything,
but sees a woman.
I mean,
he's got a thousand wives,
but actually he wants one more.
So he sees this woman,
Bathsheba,
she's beautiful,
she's married,
he's not his,
but that coveting desire,
he wants what isn't his,
and he takes her,
just like Eve took the fruit.
That's,
what commandment is he breaking?
This is audience participation.
Adultery.
Okay,
do you see where it starts though?
Um,
um,
your neighbor's house.
We go things like,
why do we have to live in this tiny,
run-down flat
when my colleague gets to live in this huge,
amazing apartment complex?
And so what do we do?
We work crazily,
breaking the Sabbath,
to try and upscale our lives.
Or,
you know,
we go,
your neighbor's ox.
Well,
I don't know if you've got many oxes recently,
but,
um,
or their field.
But don't we sometimes go,
hey,
it's not fair that they always get to go to Japan skiing,
or to the Maldives,
and why can't we?
Because we desire,
and then sometimes we get angry,
and resentful,
and we end up breaking the command,
which at root of command,
do not murder,
about getting angry.
You know,
and we could go on and on.
Don't we even sometimes go,
and he goes,
anything that's your neighbor's,
and we go,
oh,
I wish I had his charisma.
I wish I had her body.
I wish I had their spiritual gifts.
And we just inside begin to desire,
increasingly,
increasingly.
You see,
this commandment is not about external behavior,
it's about the root of everything.
It's about our heart's misplaced desires.
And what we do is we go,
I want it.
I must have it.
If I can't get it,
then I can't be content in God.
That's what we say.
That's what's coveting.
And what happens when we do that?
What are the consequences?
James 4 verse 1 says this.
What causes quarrels,
and what causes fights among you?
Okay?
Is it not that your passions,
that's the Greek word for coveting,
are at work within you?
You desire,
and you do not have,
so you murder.
Okay?
He's reading the Ten Commandments.
You covet,
and cannot obtain,
so you fight and quarrel.
You don't have,
because you don't ask.
And when you do ask,
you ask with the wrong motives.
What is he saying?
He's saying,
out of coveting,
we begin to resent,
or not bless,
or celebrate,
those who have what we want,
and they become competitors.
And it breaks relationships.
You know,
what happens in an office,
when it's filled,
not with healthy comparison,
but jealous competitiveness?
Sorry,
healthy competition,
but jealous comparison.
Isn't that what we label office politics?
You know,
because one person wants power,
one person wants approval,
one person wants status,
or control.
Someone else seems to get it,
and there's a struggle,
that goes on.
And has anyone been in that environment?
Is that a really nice,
harmonious,
loving environment to be in?
No,
it breaks relationships.
But it doesn't just break relationships,
it also,
perverts justice.
Micah 2 says this,
they covet fields,
and seize them,
houses,
and take them away.
They oppress a man,
and his house.
Do you know,
Hong Kong has got one of the largest wealth gaps,
in the world.
But that wealth gap,
is not because of a lack of resources.
It's because those of us who have,
just want more.
And we don't want to share it with anybody else.
Because I feel like I haven't got enough.
It perverts justice.
It also robs your joy in Christ.
Have you ever seen anyone,
who is coveting,
someone else's life,
who are genuinely happy and contented?
Have you ever seen someone,
who's really enjoying Jesus,
and they're always wishing,
for somebody else's life,
or circumstances?
No.
I can give you the answer.
They don't exist.
Why?
Because coveting is a robber.
It robs loving relationships,
it robs justice,
and it robs joy.
That's why God says,
don't covet.
Because you know,
God sets up the world,
for maximum pleasure,
long term pleasure,
in him.
And he says,
he doesn't want you to settle,
for some little trifle,
what C.S. Lewis says,
he doesn't want you to settle,
for making mud pies in a slum,
when he wants to give you,
a holiday at the beach.
That's what God says.
That's why he says,
worship me alone,
because I can satisfy your desires,
with good things.
So why don't,
why do we keep coveting?
Why don't we believe this?
Well,
in the Garden of Eden,
and actually we could go anywhere,
in scripture,
scripture,
what you see is,
our desires,
get captured,
by lies,
and by different promises,
and different things,
that are said to us.
And here's three things,
three lies,
that I think we believe,
that then hook onto us,
and we believe them,
and they end up,
capturing us.
Number one,
lie one,
you're missing out,
if you don't get this.
You know,
coveting,
we've said,
is discontentment,
fundamentally,
with what God has given you.
And so,
what does Satan say,
in the Garden of Eden?
He goes,
did God say,
you can't eat of that?
No,
if you eat of that,
you can get life.
God's holding something,
back from you.
God,
he's not good enough,
he's not big enough,
he can't really,
take care of you.
And if you follow his way,
you're going to miss out.
And how does that often work with us?
How it works is,
we begin to focus on what we don't have,
more than what we do have.
You know,
and we've said this before,
Adam and Eve,
they had a gazillion trees,
desirable trees,
in the Garden of Eden,
but they wanted the one,
that they couldn't have.
Because,
if I don't have that one,
maybe I'm just going to miss out.
And,
it's not just Adam and Eve,
isn't that what we all do?
Right?
In life.
Just think about it.
You've got a party,
and you know your friend,
is like the most stylishly dressed person.
They always come in a new outfit,
every single time,
to a new party.
And you go and look in your wardrobe,
which is full of clothes,
and you go,
I've got nothing to wear.
And,
I've got to get that new dress,
or that new shirt,
or that new clothes,
whatever it is.
Otherwise,
you know,
I just,
I just can't go out.
I'm sure nobody is like that in here.
Okay,
maybe some people are.
But,
the thing is,
where's your focus?
Your focus.
Your focus is on the one thing you don't have,
rather the abundance God has given you.
That's the first thing,
you're missing out.
Second,
you deserve better.
You know,
the implication,
when Satan always comes to people,
is,
if God really cared about you,
he'd give you that tree,
because,
you deserve so much more,
than what you're getting.
God's giving you a rough deal,
isn't he really,
in life?
And don't we,
you know,
what's the first kind of words,
that every child,
learns to say?
It's not fair.
It's interesting,
if you go around,
and listen to people,
in different languages,
you'll hear every language,
saying it.
Like,
you're a domestic helper,
and your boss,
makes you work really hard,
and only lets you off,
on statutory holidays,
but your friend's boss,
starts telling,
your friend starts telling you,
about her boss,
and the flexibility you get,
and you've got so much freedom,
and it's such a great time,
and what you begin to start feeling,
is life's not fair,
because,
I work so much harder,
than she does,
I deserve better,
for me.
She doesn't deserve it.
Or,
you're single,
and you've tried to stay faithful,
to God,
and you see the latest,
Facebook post,
from your last remaining,
single friend,
who is always flirting,
with everybody,
and there she is,
with her new boyfriend,
and bitterness,
just begins to creep,
into your heart,
and you go,
why am I the only one,
left now?
I've been faithful to God,
aren't you supposed to,
I haven't been sleeping around,
don't I deserve better,
from you God?
And what we're actually saying is,
what God,
in his grace,
has given to other people,
I deserve for myself.
I'm entitled,
to these things.
Coveting,
always comes out,
of a sense of entitlement.
And you know,
have you ever met,
an entitled person,
who is really thankful,
and grateful?
Spoilt people,
are not fun to be around.
You're missing out,
you deserve better.
Third thing,
third lie,
that comes to us.
You can be someone.
You know,
when Eve looks at the tree,
it was desired,
desirable,
to make her wise.
You see,
Eve lingered at that tree,
which fed that wrongful desire,
because she wanted to be,
a wise person,
independent of God.
You know,
advertising,
thrives off desire,
doesn't it?
It feeds on your sense,
of inadequacy,
on your sense,
of discontentment,
with yourself,
and with who you are,
and by comparing,
with who you could be.
You know,
it says things like,
you are what you wear,
so you better wear,
something better,
than what you're wearing now.
You are what you do,
so you better get an upgrade,
on what you do right now,
if you want to compete.
You can be someone.
You know,
when I was younger,
when I was in youth group,
our youth group,
at church,
was filled,
with amazing musicians.
So like,
almost all of them,
like,
no,
probably two thirds of them,
are now professional musicians,
or music teachers.
And,
and I was starting,
to play the guitar.
And there was one guy,
in the guitar,
he was way better than me.
And,
at first,
it was really inspiring.
It kind of,
you know,
when you see someone better than you,
and it inspires you,
to try and work harder,
and to be better.
Yeah.
But then,
I discovered,
when he played a solo,
on the guitar,
all the pretty girls,
would go up to him afterwards.
And then,
all the guys,
would just give him,
loads of respect.
And I wanted that.
I wanted to be liked.
I wanted to be respected.
And so,
that drove me,
actually,
to practice even harder.
But now,
it wasn't just about inspiration.
Now,
it was about resentment.
Because he was now my competitor,
and not my friend.
You see,
underneath all the stuff,
that we covet,
you know those kind of thoughts,
which go,
how come they thanked,
that person,
but they didn't thank me,
for doing that kind of job.
Under all those kind of things,
is a desire for approval.
A desire to be secure.
A desire to be successful.
It's an identity,
that we want.
We want to be someone.
We feel like,
if I have that,
I'll have worth.
I'll have value.
And that's actually,
what drives people,
to be workaholics.
That's what drives people,
to commit adultery,
and do all kinds of other things.
Breaking every one,
of the other commands.
Those three lies.
You're missing out.
You deserve better.
You could be someone.
So,
how do we desire rightly?
Firstly,
we've got to learn,
that actually,
desire is shaped,
by what you focus on.
Do you know,
my son Etienne,
he's nine months old,
we put him at the dinner table,
and we give him,
amazing food to eat.
You know,
I want to eat it.
It's like,
I'm drooling.
I'm like,
hey,
I get this,
you get that,
that's not fair.
But,
so he starts eating,
and he loves the food,
and then he gets distracted,
by some kind of noise,
over there.
And,
and then after a while,
he's like trying to grab my plate.
He's trying to grab my food,
and I'm kind of,
shooing him away,
and I say,
well,
if you don't want your food,
I'll have it.
But he's trying to grab,
grab,
grab like this,
and then to eventually,
we're trying to refocus him,
and go,
okay,
you can eat this food.
And then suddenly,
once he starts eating,
it's like,
oh,
this is actually really good.
And it's a whole battle.
This kind of goes on,
if you're parents,
you know this idea.
It goes on,
and on,
this kind of battle.
That's actually what you and I are like.
Because the battle for your desires
is a battle for your focus.
It's what you fix your heart,
and your mind on,
in the day-to-day of life.
You know,
the Apostle Paul,
in Philippians 4,
says this amazing statement.
This is just really challenging.
He says,
I have learned,
okay,
I have learned
to be content
in whatever circumstances
I'm in.
I know what it is
to be in need.
I know what it is
to be in plenty.
I have learned
the secret.
So it didn't come automatically.
I have learned
the secret
of being content
in any
and every
situation,
whether well-fed
or hungry,
whether living in plenty
or in one.
I can do all things
through Christ,
through him
who gives me strength.
And you go,
oh, Paul,
that sounds a little intense.
What is he saying?
What does he say?
Firstly,
he says,
you can learn contentment.
You know,
you can invest
in coveting
by always comparing
yourselves
to everybody else
or by meditating
on your circumstances
and all that you don't have.
Or you can invest
in contentment
by focusing
on who Christ is
and all that you have
in him.
You know,
there's this cartoon
of Snoopy.
Does everyone know
Snoopy the dog?
Some of you do.
Some of you don't.
You can check it out
on Google afterwards.
But Snoopy is this dog
and there's this cartoon
where it's Thanksgiving
or Christmas,
I can't remember which,
and he's sitting out
on his dog house
outside
and he's just got
like dog food
while his friend,
Charlie Brown,
and his family
are all inside
enjoying this amazing feast.
And Snoopy is like
complaining,
like it's not fair,
it's miserable,
until the thought
comes into his mind,
it could be worse.
I could have been
born a turkey.
And when coveting
and discontent
knock at your door,
the spirit wants
to remind you
and for you
to tell yourself,
do you know,
it could be way worse
and I don't even
deserve what I've got.
See,
you could be
destined for hell.
You could be
a slave to sin.
You could be
away from God.
You could be
trapped in your guilt
and in your shame
with no future,
no hope.
Instead,
the God of the whole universe,
who doesn't need
to care about you,
but he has
your life
in his hands
and he loves you
enough
to send Jesus
to die
to bring you
into this covenant
relationship
with the Ten Commands
are all about
and if you are now
a Christian,
you're not a nobody,
you're a somebody.
You walk into
friendship circles
not as a lonely
single,
but as a child
of the God
who says,
I will never leave you
nor forsake you.
You go into
your peer groups
not as an underpaid,
underappreciated
parent or employee.
You go as one
who is rich
with nothing to prove,
nothing to lose
because you have
acceptance with the only one
who at the end of time
will really matter
because God's
trice blood
speaks over you
his words of delight
and he says,
is that enough for you?
You are not
the insecure,
fearful person
whose future
is uncertain.
You have an inheritance
held by the one
who will never
let you go.
you will not lack.
Paul himself
says,
my God
will supply
all my needs
according to
his riches
and glory.
Jesus isn't just
concerned about
the spiritual stuff,
he's also concerned
about your life
and your family
and everything else.
and if you're
really honest
with yourself,
hasn't he provided
way more
than just your needs?
Hasn't he actually
even provided
many of our wants
too?
But we forget
about those.
We have
a generous,
rich,
heavenly father.
is there
anyone else
outside of the
people of God
who has that?
And none of us
deserve a single
piece of that.
You haven't done
anything to deserve it.
It's pure
grace.
Do you know,
Romans 1
says,
God gave people
over to their lusts,
to their coveting,
it's the same word,
because they
neither glorified
nor thanked
God.
You see,
coveting
sees life
as earned.
Thankfulness
sees life
as gift.
You see,
it's pure grace
that you can even
breathe today.
Like,
what did you do
to get breath
this morning?
Before you
even woke up,
God was blessing
you with sleep.
God was blessing
you with
tons of things,
which probably,
do you know,
your elbow.
How many of you
thought about
your elbow
this morning?
If your elbow
wasn't working,
would you be
thinking about
your elbow?
But this,
now,
we could go
through every
body part.
We could then
go through
everything in
your flat.
We could go
through everything
in your relationships.
Like,
we would be here
for like the rest
of eternity
just saying all
the blessings
that we have
in God.
And thankful
people
who realize
and focus
on the grace
that God's
given them
are contented
people.
You see,
you can be
thankful,
and when you
are thankful,
and you look
at somebody
else who seems
to be getting
the boss's favor
when you think
you deserve it,
you're going to
have a wrestle.
You're going to
want that respect
or that credit
for yourself,
but you can
go,
it's okay.
It could be
worse.
I could be
unemployed,
but actually,
I don't need
that,
because look
at all that
I have in
Christ,
and now let
me go and
see how I
can bless
that person
rather than
resenting them.
You know,
I heard of
one pastor
who,
whenever someone
asked him
how he was
doing,
he would
reply,
better than
I deserve.
That's someone
who's going
to be contented.
So we focus
on Christ.
Next,
we count
the cost.
Because sometimes,
even when you
get that,
you still go,
but I still
want to be
liked,
I want to be
successful
really,
really badly.
Earlier on
in Philippians
3,
Paul again
says,
and you see
where his
contentment
comes from,
he says,
I count
everything
a loss
compared to
the surpassing
greatness
of knowing
Christ Jesus
my Lord
for whose
sake
I have
lost
everything.
What he's
actually saying
is,
I've actually
had to battle
through this,
but here's
now my
focus.
When I
came to
Christ,
he became
first place
in my life.
No other
gods,
which means
every other
good desire,
not necessarily
bad desires,
good desire,
if necessary,
I can surrender
that and I'm
okay on
missing out.
I can miss
out on
marriage if
I'm single.
I can miss
out on the
respect that
I think I
deserve.
I can miss
out on being
successful,
because knowing
Christ is more
important to me.
You know,
in Hong Kong,
we will miss
out on vacations,
on family time,
on relationships,
on leisure time
for the sake of
our career,
for the sake of
education opportunities,
and we think it's
worth it.
Paul will say
to us,
do you think
Jesus is worth
it?
Because Jesus
says,
I am preparing
a banquet for
you.
Are you going to
trade that in
for a 7-Eleven
sandwich on the
way when I want
to satisfy you
in a way that
these things which
you think will
give you temporary
pleasure never
will?
being a Christian
is not simply
about having the
right ideas about
who Jesus is.
It's about him
changing your
taste buds to
desire him more
than anything
else.
And actually,
that is a process
through which God
has to take you
in surrender to
him.
Some of you,
God is going to
call you and
say,
that thing that's
been gripping
your heart,
are you willing
to lay that
down on the
altar and to
trust me that I
can satisfy your
desires with
something better
than you think?
Will you trust
me?
And if you're
honest,
don't we actually
sometimes go,
actually don't we
often go,
but I can't do
that.
I desire this
thing actually
too much.
Like,
that sounds nice,
but actually I know
in the reality
of life,
my heart just
gets,
like Etienne,
distracted,
captured by
other things.
That's why this
law is here,
you know.
Because this
law is supposed
to bring you
in desperation
onto your knees
to realize,
man,
if you thought
you were a good
keeper of the
Ten Commandments,
don't even begin
to think that.
This is what
hits Paul in
Romans 7.
This is actually
where Jesus goes
with the rich
young ruler.
You've got to
begin to say,
I can't change
my desires by
myself.
Holy Spirit,
you've got to
begin to work
something in me.
Do you know
what the difference,
one of the
differences between
the old covenant,
these Ten Commandments
and the law,
and the new covenant,
the New Testament
is?
Hebrew says,
God has written
his law,
not just on
tablets of stone,
he's written it
now onto your
heart,
through the Holy
Spirit,
and his Spirit's
job is to fill
your heart with
Christ,
but you've got to
sow to the Spirit.
You've got to
keep focusing on
what the Spirit
wants you to
focus on,
which is Jesus,
and to surrender
him, not out of
duty, but out of
joy, because if he
died for you,
don't you think
that he's actually
able to give you
far more than you
could ever imagine?
We focus on
Christ, we need
to count the
cost and surrender
to him, and the
final thing is we
need to just
prioritize Jesus in
the everyday of
our lives.
You know, the Ten
Commandments are
about relationship.
They're about a
redeeming God.
They're about
someone who loves
us so much that
he's brought us
into a relationship
through Christ.
Christ is the one
who fulfills the
Ten Commandments.
He fulfills the
law.
He does what we
couldn't do, and
then he gives us
his Spirit to
empower us to be
not just individuals,
but a community of
joyful obedience in
the trenches of
everyday life.
You know, we can
actually say it's
all very well to
worship Jesus first,
but then we spend
all of our time
listening to all the
adverts, listening to
all of our peers,
listening to all of
our friends who
are all dissatisfied,
all coveting, all
telling us that it's
stupid to Sabbath.
It's stupid not to
give in to your
sexual desires.
It's stupid not to
cover up and to
lie or to steal or
to chase for yourself
or to get that
thing.
All these people
around you are
telling you this.
They're preaching to
you all the time.
And what do we do?
We focus on that a
lot, don't we?
It's just one comment
and it just begins to
eat into you.
Discontent is
infectious.
So we need to be
careful who we're
listening to.
Do you know the
Psalm 19 which
Jeremy's song
references where it
says your law is
more precious, more
desirable.
It's the same word,
coveting.
Your law is more
desirable than gold.
Do you think he just
woke up one day and
said, oh, I love
God's word.
No, like you get a
passion for what you
invest in and what
you spend time in and
what you focus on.
If you focus on just
comparing yourself with
everybody else, you're
covered.
But the alternative is
this.
God wants to call us as
his people to be an
alternative community, to
be a people where we
prioritize Jesus in the
very practical things of
our lives, in your
budget.
Do you go, my
lifestyle comes first or
how can I be generous
first in our budget?
When you go into just
like even thinking about
where am I going to
live?
Where am I going to
stay?
Is the priority in our
lives, I want to find the
most comfortable life for
myself and maybe that
means I've got to get out
of Hong Kong to get that.
Or is it how can we
honor Jesus best and
serve him with even
where we live?
Even the things that
God has provided us
with.
Because if you find a
community, a bunch of
people who are actually
content in Jesus, whether
they have plenty or they
have not a lot, that's
actually really infectious
too.
And I want to call us to
be a people who actually
make it our priority that
we want to pursue
contentment in Jesus more
than anything else.
More than anything else.
Because if you do that,
do you know you will be
infectious.
In a city that is filled
with discontent, imagine
people who go, actually,
I've decided not to move to
that apartment that I could
move to because actually I
want to be able to be
generous and give that
money away and I'm fine.
You know, sure I'd like to
but it's okay.
Or people who would be
going, actually I'm
willing to, I'm willing to
stay in Hong Kong even
though I want to leave
because I see God calling
me here.
And you go, okay, why would
you do anything like that?
John Piper has a famous
quote.
He says, God is most
satisfied in us when we are
most satisfied in him.
The point is not exactly
whether where you stay,
where you live or not where
you live.
It's where your heart is.
It's what you're desiring.
God wants us to be the most
satisfied community in the
whole of Hong Kong.
Whether you have a lot or we
have a little.
Not because we're passively
doing nothing.
But because we've taken the
command to worship no other
gods so seriously that we're
finding joy in Jesus.
I want us to stop for a minute
and just to pray.
We're going to take communion
in a second so I'm going to
ask the communion stewards to
come up.
But I want you to just take a
minute.
We often don't find time in our
weeks to actually stop and go,
what am I really focusing on?
What actually wraps me up in my
week?
Have I actually been sowing into
an obedient lifestyle of wanting
to go, hey, I want to take the
Sabbath.
Sabbath, I want to be honest where
I've been tempted to lie.
I don't want to steal in any way,
shape or form any longer.
I want to honor my parents.
I want to forgive.
I want Jesus, you to be glorified
in whatever I do.
And I want you just to take some
time to confess now before him.
If you're not a Christian, I want
you to consider, is what you are
chasing after really of eternal
value that's going to satisfy you?
And if it's not, Jesus invites you to
come today to pray to him, to
confess that and to receive him.
to be the one who's the center of
your life.
Just allow God to search your heart.
just confess before him.
Maybe there's an area where he's
saying, I want you to focus back on me.
Father, we just want to confess that
so often we actually, we live under
those fears.
Those fears that we're going to miss
out.
Those fears that we don't get what we
deserve.
We live with this sense that our value
is found in all kinds of other stuff.
But Lord, I pray, show us how
beautiful you are.
Let us remember the gift of grace
that you have shown us.
Father, let us not just kind of leave
with that in our heads, but actually
every day this week to be reflecting
and thinking about all that we have in
you.
Lord, I pray that we'd not be Christians
who know the things that we should do,
but actually then walk away.
And it just goes in one ear and out
the other.
Lord, I pray, make us people
who actually will take time this week
every day to go, Jesus, thank you so
much.
Oh, show me more of yourself.
I want to see you.
I want to know you.
That you would be everything to us,
Lord.
Father, thank you that you are
everything.
Thank you that when you return,
we will see that actually the promises
that you made to us were way better
than what we could even imagine now.
Make us contented people, I pray.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.