WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.120 This morning we are continuing a study that we've begun on discipleship. We want 00:00:06.120 --> 00:00:11.240 to focus on this because it's a crucial aspect of our lives as Christians. 00:00:11.240 --> 00:00:15.320 Often we can spend a lot of time emphasizing the need to become a 00:00:15.320 --> 00:00:20.240 Christian and rightly so because there's nothing more important than that. But at 00:00:20.240 --> 00:00:24.359 the same time it's essential that we spend time talking and thinking about 00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:30.199 how we live our lives as Christians and that's what we mean by discipleship. And 00:00:30.199 --> 00:00:35.359 in order to help us with this great topic we are using the image of a tree. 00:00:35.359 --> 00:00:40.439 And the reason we're doing that is because it's a theme that runs through 00:00:40.439 --> 00:00:45.239 the whole of Scripture. But in many ways a key text for us is the passage that 00:00:45.239 --> 00:00:49.560 Derek preached on two weeks ago in Jeremiah 17 verses 7 and 8. 00:00:49.560 --> 00:00:54.400 Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a 00:00:54.400 --> 00:01:00.400 tree planted by water that sends out its roots by the stream and does not fear 00:01:00.400 --> 00:01:05.280 when the heat comes for its leaves remain green and it is not anxious in the 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:12.439 year of drought for it does not cease to bear fruit. On the basis of this image of 00:01:12.439 --> 00:01:18.320 a tree we've identified five key aspects of discipleship which all relate to the 00:01:18.319 --> 00:01:22.359 tree image. These are on cards which were issued last week. There's spare ones in 00:01:22.359 --> 00:01:24.759 the table at the back so if you didn't get one there's a weak card that looks 00:01:24.759 --> 00:01:30.319 just like this. As disciples we are first and foremost rooted and living in 00:01:30.319 --> 00:01:34.719 Christ. Just as a tree is rooted to the ground and draws life from the ground as 00:01:34.719 --> 00:01:41.239 disciples we are rooted and living in Christ. But as a tree grows so too do we 00:01:41.239 --> 00:01:46.039 and as disciples we are learning and growing together. A tree has many 00:01:46.040 --> 00:01:51.680 branches each look different but all perform a function as disciples we 00:01:51.680 --> 00:01:58.080 serve together in unity. A tree provides a wonderful sort of shelter and as 00:01:58.080 --> 00:02:04.880 disciples we are to love and protect one another and a tree once it's grown can 00:02:04.880 --> 00:02:10.240 bear fruit for others that people can see and that people can taste and that 00:02:10.240 --> 00:02:14.840 people can benefit from. And so we're going to look at all of these one by one. 00:02:14.840 --> 00:02:20.800 Last week we looked at the first and saw that as disciples we are rooted and 00:02:20.800 --> 00:02:26.439 living in Christ. That's what a Christian is somebody who is united to Jesus and 00:02:26.439 --> 00:02:32.800 on the basis of our union with Christ and in the strength of that union we want 00:02:32.800 --> 00:02:37.439 to live our lives for him. And in many ways that's the overarching truth that's 00:02:37.439 --> 00:02:41.879 why it's the big one in the middle. It is the fact that we are as we are rooted 00:02:41.879 --> 00:02:47.479 and living in Christ that's that's the overarching truth over all our lives as 00:02:47.479 --> 00:02:51.960 disciples. This week we're going to look on to the second aspect that we've 00:02:51.960 --> 00:02:57.199 identified on our card and the fact that as disciples rooted and living in Christ 00:02:57.199 --> 00:03:04.479 we are learning and growing together. You can see it at the top of the card. As we 00:03:04.479 --> 00:03:09.120 do so let's turn back to Ephesians chapter 4. We'll look at various parts of 00:03:09.120 --> 00:03:14.120 this chapter we can read again verses 11 to 13. He gave the apostles, the prophets, 00:03:14.120 --> 00:03:18.000 the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers to equip the saints for the 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:22.560 work of ministry for the building up of the body of Christ until we all attain 00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:27.040 to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to mature 00:03:27.040 --> 00:03:36.000 manhood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Learning is a 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:40.360 crucial aspect of being a disciple. In fact that's what the Greek word for 00:03:40.360 --> 00:03:46.800 disciple actually means. A disciple is a learner and as Christians we follow Jesus 00:03:46.800 --> 00:03:52.800 and we learn from him. That's seen very clearly in the Sermon on the Mount which 00:03:52.800 --> 00:03:56.920 in many ways is the key passage about discipleship in the Bible. As we read at 00:03:56.920 --> 00:04:01.840 the start when Jesus began that sermon Matthew records that seeing the crowds 00:04:01.840 --> 00:04:06.280 Jesus went up on the mountain and when he sat down his disciples came to him 00:04:06.280 --> 00:04:17.360 and he opened his mouth and taught them. As disciples we learn and as we learn we 00:04:17.360 --> 00:04:22.780 grow. So we have this at a foundational level the fact that we are 00:04:22.780 --> 00:04:29.459 united to Jesus rooted and living in him but from that foundation we embark on 00:04:29.459 --> 00:04:34.759 this amazing journey of growth as we learn more and more. Paul speaks about 00:04:34.759 --> 00:04:39.439 that in Ephesians 4. We grow in our knowledge of Jesus and we move towards 00:04:39.439 --> 00:04:42.560 maturity but it's a theme that runs through the whole of the New Testament. 00:04:42.560 --> 00:04:47.639 Peter says the same thing he says grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord 00:04:47.639 --> 00:04:54.719 and Savior Jesus Christ. So I want us to recognize that as we were saying 00:04:54.720 --> 00:05:00.800 last week the New Testament doesn't say to us as disciples you need to be rooted 00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:06.280 and living in Christ because we already are if we are believing in Jesus but the 00:05:06.280 --> 00:05:13.240 New Testament does say that now that you are rooted and living in Christ you need 00:05:13.240 --> 00:05:21.040 to learn and grow together. And all of this means that one of the most 00:05:21.040 --> 00:05:27.640 important aspects of our discipleship is our thinking. In fact one of the 00:05:27.640 --> 00:05:31.319 definitions for the Greek word disciple which I read this week said that a 00:05:31.319 --> 00:05:37.400 disciple is someone who directs their mind towards something. And I think it's 00:05:37.400 --> 00:05:41.160 very important to recognize that because sometimes it's an aspect 00:05:41.160 --> 00:05:44.680 that we can neglect. Sometimes we can think that Christianity is just a 00:05:44.680 --> 00:05:48.920 matter of our hearts. It's about my personal faith, about my relationship with 00:05:48.920 --> 00:05:52.840 Jesus. It's all about my heart. Sometimes we emphasize the fact that our 00:05:52.840 --> 00:05:57.560 Christian lives are all about our outward living. So we need to walk the 00:05:57.560 --> 00:06:01.520 walk, we need to show our faith in action and both of these are absolutely 00:06:01.520 --> 00:06:07.319 true. But alongside the inward condition of our hearts and the outward way in 00:06:07.319 --> 00:06:11.920 which we live our lives we must never ever forget that at the center of biblical 00:06:11.920 --> 00:06:19.199 Christian discipleship is a transformation of our minds. That means 00:06:19.199 --> 00:06:25.720 that as disciples of Jesus we all need to think. And of course that that should 00:06:25.720 --> 00:06:30.120 make perfect sense because if you ask the question how is it that you become a 00:06:30.120 --> 00:06:35.920 disciple? What do you do to enter the kingdom of God? The answer is that we 00:06:35.920 --> 00:06:41.900 repent and believe. That was Jesus's call when he began preaching the Gospel. 00:06:41.899 --> 00:06:48.239 He called us to repent and that word repent what does it mean? It means to 00:06:48.239 --> 00:06:57.359 change the way you think. As disciples we are now to think differently. We're no 00:06:57.359 --> 00:07:02.159 longer unbelievers and we begin this amazing journey of discovery where we 00:07:02.159 --> 00:07:09.519 learn the truth from our teacher and our King Jesus Christ. And one of the reasons 00:07:09.519 --> 00:07:13.319 why it's very important to emphasize that is because I think our culture 00:07:13.319 --> 00:07:17.759 around us thinks that if you're going to have faith then you need to switch off 00:07:17.759 --> 00:07:23.159 your brain. It's the idea that that faith is mindless and irrational but that is 00:07:23.159 --> 00:07:30.719 utterly untrue. Mindless Christianity is absolutely not biblical Christianity. 00:07:30.719 --> 00:07:36.519 The Bible is totally bound up with a concern for the way in which you and I 00:07:36.519 --> 00:07:42.919 think. And really the great message of the Bible is that the truth 00:07:42.919 --> 00:07:48.120 of Scripture is the only way that our minds can make sense of the world 00:07:48.120 --> 00:07:55.120 around us. And I think we would all recognize that in many ways so many of 00:07:55.120 --> 00:08:00.839 our struggles and difficulties come from wrong thinking. So the worries and 00:08:00.839 --> 00:08:06.120 fears and insecurities that we all have they come from thoughts that plague us. 00:08:06.120 --> 00:08:11.120 So many of the mistakes that we make where we hurt ourselves or we hurt other 00:08:11.120 --> 00:08:16.199 people they start out from thinking foolish things. If I look back at my life 00:08:16.199 --> 00:08:22.319 at everything I regret in all of those situations I can say I wish I thought 00:08:22.319 --> 00:08:28.040 differently. And so much of the hostility that we see in the world around us 00:08:28.040 --> 00:08:33.519 comes from a mindset that's broken and corrupted by sin. If you think of a 00:08:33.519 --> 00:08:43.679 terrorist what's the first thing that a terrorist does? He thinks and everything 00:08:43.679 --> 00:08:50.279 follows from there. Paul recognizes this in verses 17 to 19 he emphasizes that at 00:08:50.279 --> 00:08:55.720 the heart of discipleship is turning away from the futile and empty thinking 00:08:55.720 --> 00:09:04.360 of the world around us. As disciples our minds are very important we are learners 00:09:04.360 --> 00:09:11.200 and as we learn we grow. So I want us just to think about this together in a 00:09:11.200 --> 00:09:14.440 wee bit more detail and to do so we're going to ask three very simple questions. 00:09:14.440 --> 00:09:19.240 What do we learn? How do we learn? And why should we learn? But before we do so I 00:09:19.240 --> 00:09:24.639 just want to highlight one very important point. The fact that we that as 00:09:24.639 --> 00:09:31.840 disciples we are learners emphasizes something absolutely crucial. It reminds 00:09:31.840 --> 00:09:38.919 us of the fact that we don't know it all. When we speak about learning and growing 00:09:38.919 --> 00:09:43.600 it's very easy to think well I hardly know anything so I'm not cut out for 00:09:43.600 --> 00:09:49.240 discipleship and it's easy to feel intimidated and inferior but the amazing 00:09:49.240 --> 00:09:53.480 thing is that if you look at yourself and think well I've got so much to learn 00:09:53.480 --> 00:09:58.039 that does not mean that you aren't cut out for discipleship it means that you 00:09:58.039 --> 00:10:04.440 are perfect for discipleship. Every single one of us is a learner. Every 00:10:04.440 --> 00:10:08.080 single one of us has tons to learn. Every single one of us here knows some 00:10:08.080 --> 00:10:12.560 stuff and doesn't know other stuff. Every one of us is learning every day. There 00:10:12.560 --> 00:10:17.920 is absolutely no such thing as a disciple who knows it all. And so if you feel like 00:10:17.919 --> 00:10:24.479 you're standing before Jesus and saying to him I don't know very much I think 00:10:24.479 --> 00:10:31.639 Jesus's reply would be perfect. Follow me. That's why the journey of learning 00:10:31.639 --> 00:10:39.479 and growing as disciples is not intimidating. It's really exciting. So our 00:10:39.479 --> 00:10:45.559 first question what do we learn? Well we could say well at a basic level we need 00:10:45.559 --> 00:10:48.799 to learn Bible stuff as disciples. That's the kind of simple answer to that 00:10:48.799 --> 00:10:52.359 question isn't it? When it comes to being a Christian there's lots of stuff to 00:10:52.359 --> 00:10:56.119 learn. We need to learn things like this. We need to learn theology. We need to learn 00:10:56.119 --> 00:11:01.439 about who God is and what he's done. We need to learn about morality. We need to 00:11:01.439 --> 00:11:04.719 learn that there's certain behavior that's appropriate, certain behavior that's 00:11:04.719 --> 00:11:08.639 inappropriate. We need to learn about church but what it means to be a member 00:11:08.639 --> 00:11:11.399 of the church. We need to learn about what's going on in other parts of the 00:11:11.399 --> 00:11:14.879 church around the world and we need to learn about life in general. How we 00:11:14.879 --> 00:11:19.799 should live our lives. What we should devote our energy. What we should 00:11:19.799 --> 00:11:26.120 prioritize. And that's that's all pretty obvious. There's lots to learn. Some of it 00:11:26.120 --> 00:11:31.439 is very straightforward. So as a disciple you'll go to the Bible and it'll 00:11:31.439 --> 00:11:35.439 teach you that you need to pray and that seems really straightforward and 00:11:35.439 --> 00:11:42.360 obvious. Some of it is completely counter-cultural and it's the opposite to 00:11:42.360 --> 00:11:48.240 what the world around us thinks. Like the fact that as disciples a Christian 00:11:48.240 --> 00:11:53.399 couple will not live together or sleep together until they're married. That's 00:11:53.399 --> 00:11:57.840 the opposite of the way the world around us thinks. So some of it's simple, some of 00:11:57.840 --> 00:12:04.480 it's very counter-cultural and some of it is just mind-blowing. Like the fact that 00:12:04.480 --> 00:12:11.960 God would give his only precious beloved son to suffer and die in utter agony. 00:12:11.960 --> 00:12:21.320 Because he wants to save you and because he loves you that much. So when it comes 00:12:21.320 --> 00:12:25.200 to reading a part of the Bible whether it's the letter to Ephesians here or 00:12:25.200 --> 00:12:28.720 whichever part it may be I hope that as disciples we would all say I want to 00:12:28.720 --> 00:12:33.759 learn what that teaches me about God and I want to learn what this teaches me 00:12:33.759 --> 00:12:39.960 about how I should live. However having said all of that if you look at Ephesians 00:12:39.960 --> 00:12:42.920 4, in fact if you look at the whole of the New Testament you'll discover that 00:12:42.920 --> 00:12:48.680 our learning is not really about knowing Bible stuff. In fact it's not really 00:12:48.680 --> 00:12:55.960 about that at all. As disciples we are not learning in order to get to know 00:12:55.960 --> 00:13:04.519 some things. As disciples we are learning in order to get to know someone. As Paul 00:13:04.519 --> 00:13:09.560 says in this chapter verse 13 we're aiming to grow in the knowledge of the 00:13:09.559 --> 00:13:14.479 Son of God and in the chapter he talks about the fact that we learn Christ and 00:13:14.479 --> 00:13:20.039 the truth that is in him. And that's a really important thing to recognize. 00:13:20.039 --> 00:13:24.599 Discipleship is not really about knowing Bible stuff or church stuff. 00:13:24.599 --> 00:13:32.279 Discipleship is about knowing God through Jesus Christ. And I want you just to 00:13:32.279 --> 00:13:37.679 think about that for a moment. Is there a difference between knowing something 00:13:37.679 --> 00:13:45.479 and knowing someone? There's a massive difference isn't there? Knowing something 00:13:45.479 --> 00:13:52.079 means that you have information. Knowing someone means that you have a 00:13:52.079 --> 00:13:56.919 relationship. And at the heart of being a disciple is the fact that we now have a 00:13:56.919 --> 00:14:02.679 relationship with Jesus as our Lord, our teacher, our brother and our friend. And we 00:14:02.679 --> 00:14:08.959 want to learn not in order to know stuff, even if it's Bible stuff, we want to 00:14:08.959 --> 00:14:14.319 learn in order to know him. And that's really what the Bible means when it 00:14:14.319 --> 00:14:18.959 talks about knowledge. In the biblical sense to know someone means to have a 00:14:18.959 --> 00:14:24.159 relationship with them and to love them in the deepest and most profound way. And 00:14:24.159 --> 00:14:28.240 that's what lies at the heart of the eternal life that Jesus gives us. He 00:14:28.240 --> 00:14:36.159 says this is eternal life that they know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ 00:14:36.159 --> 00:14:43.080 whom you have sent. And all the stuff that we learn and after that the truth 00:14:43.080 --> 00:14:46.000 that we seek to understand, the instructions we aim to follow, the 00:14:46.000 --> 00:14:49.519 standards we strive to meet, the priorities that we endeavor to have. 00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:53.440 None of that is about doing what Christians do because that's the club 00:14:53.440 --> 00:15:01.640 that we're in. It's about doing what Jesus wants because we love him and we're 00:15:01.640 --> 00:15:07.720 getting to know him. And that's why what we learn should have a massive effect on 00:15:07.720 --> 00:15:11.000 the way we live. And throughout the Bible you'll see that there's this constant 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:14.400 emphasis in the fact that what we know should shape the way we live our lives. 00:15:14.400 --> 00:15:18.800 We see that in Ephesians. In the first part of that letter, chapters one, two and 00:15:18.799 --> 00:15:25.079 three, Paul gives us tons of information about what God has done for us in Jesus. 00:15:25.079 --> 00:15:32.199 And then in chapter four he says, therefore walk, in other words, therefore now 00:15:32.199 --> 00:15:37.799 live your lives in the light of all of this truth. Our aim is not to learn so 00:15:37.799 --> 00:15:42.240 that our heads are just full of knowledge. Our aim is to learn so that every part 00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:49.000 of our lives are shaped by the fact that we are rooted and living in Christ. But 00:15:49.000 --> 00:15:54.560 as we learn the various instructions and information that the Bible gives us, it's 00:15:54.560 --> 00:15:59.080 vital that we remember the relationship that lies behind all of that 00:15:59.080 --> 00:16:03.000 information. So you can go to a part of the Bible like Ephesians 4 and you'll 00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:07.519 find lots of instructions telling you to do stuff, telling you to not do stuff. 00:16:07.519 --> 00:16:11.320 There's some examples there. So verse 29 says, let no corrupt in talk comes out 00:16:11.320 --> 00:16:16.440 of your mouth. Verse 31 says put away bitterness. Verse 32 says forgive one 00:16:16.440 --> 00:16:21.560 another and there's many, many more. As disciples we have to learn these 00:16:21.560 --> 00:16:28.640 instructions and we have to live by them. But if that's just bare information, then 00:16:28.640 --> 00:16:33.760 it can seem like just a kind of moral to-do list that we have to try and match 00:16:33.759 --> 00:16:43.799 up to. Just a big long list of do's and don'ts. But the truth is behind all of 00:16:43.799 --> 00:16:51.639 these instructions is a relationship and it's because of the relationship that 00:16:51.639 --> 00:16:56.240 we get these instructions. Jesus is not a slave driver who just wants us to do 00:16:56.240 --> 00:17:05.319 what he says. Jesus is a loving master who knows that corrupt in talk can 00:17:05.319 --> 00:17:16.079 destroy someone's life. Bitterness can eat away at you like a cancer and when 00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:24.359 you are wronged the only way that you can be fully healed is to forgive. In other 00:17:24.359 --> 00:17:31.319 words all of these instructions are given to us because Jesus loves us so much. 00:17:31.319 --> 00:17:38.119 It's really easy to think that if we follow Jesus' instructions he will 00:17:38.119 --> 00:17:46.279 love us more. It's not true. The truth is the whole reason we have these 00:17:46.279 --> 00:17:53.079 instructions is because he loves us already more than we could ever know. 00:17:53.079 --> 00:18:04.679 And that's why his teaching is a brilliant thing to learn. Question two, how do 00:18:04.679 --> 00:18:09.359 we learn? What does learning and growing involve? Well there's a lot that we could 00:18:09.359 --> 00:18:13.039 say here. I just want to highlight some very brief points but I think that 00:18:13.039 --> 00:18:17.039 there's several principles that are involved in learning and growing and 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:22.359 it's maybe helpful to remember these. So first of all, learning involves 00:18:22.359 --> 00:18:27.679 community. That's something we maybe don't think of but it's a crucial aspect of 00:18:27.679 --> 00:18:33.799 all areas of knowledge. Learning is a community activity. So a baby learns from 00:18:33.799 --> 00:18:38.279 her parents. That's a community. A child learns in their classroom. That's a 00:18:38.279 --> 00:18:41.719 community. A sportsman learns from their coach and their teammates. That's a 00:18:41.719 --> 00:18:45.319 community and even if you read a book on your own you're relying on the work of 00:18:45.319 --> 00:18:50.599 the author, the printer, the publisher. That's a community. All learning is a 00:18:50.599 --> 00:18:56.959 community activity. And it's a great example that if one person in the world 00:18:56.959 --> 00:19:02.359 believes that pigs can fly, the rest of the community, the rest of the world 00:19:02.359 --> 00:19:09.959 shows that that's persons not learnt anything. They're actually mad. Learning 00:19:09.959 --> 00:19:15.799 is a community activity. That's true of every area of knowledge. It's especially 00:19:15.799 --> 00:19:21.240 true in discipleship. Even this letter that Paul wrote to the Ephesians, that's 00:19:21.240 --> 00:19:27.079 in a community setting. It's to a group with which he has a connection. And 00:19:27.079 --> 00:19:33.559 that's why we learn and grow together. That's why we're here today, a church 00:19:33.559 --> 00:19:38.319 studying God's word. That's why we have city group and engine room, our midweek 00:19:38.319 --> 00:19:41.359 prayer meeting each week so that we can learn and grow together. That's why we 00:19:41.359 --> 00:19:46.399 want to encourage you to meet up for one-to-one support with another disciple. 00:19:46.399 --> 00:19:51.240 As disciples we're learning together. We learn with each other. We learn from 00:19:51.240 --> 00:19:57.839 each other. We do it as a community. Learning involves commitment. Every 00:19:57.839 --> 00:20:04.439 aspect of learning takes time, whatever that may be, and it's absolutely true in 00:20:04.439 --> 00:20:09.199 the Christian life. If you think of a tree, a tree grows very slowly. It's not the 00:20:09.200 --> 00:20:14.120 finished article overnight. It's a long-term process. Growing and learning 00:20:14.120 --> 00:20:20.360 takes time. And as disciples we are embarking on a journey of learning where 00:20:20.360 --> 00:20:25.519 bit by bit we grow in our knowledge of Jesus. In many ways a disciple is 00:20:25.519 --> 00:20:29.200 committing to a lifetime of learning. In fact a disciple is committing to an 00:20:29.200 --> 00:20:36.000 eternity of learning where we discover more and more about God. But that 00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:41.839 commitment that learning involves is incredibly rewarding. There is so much 00:20:41.839 --> 00:20:48.960 to learn as a follower of Jesus and everything we learn is amazing. That's 00:20:48.960 --> 00:20:55.920 one of the brilliant things about our future as Christians. We will be 00:20:55.920 --> 00:21:01.559 learning forever. That means that we will be saying wow forever as we discover 00:21:01.559 --> 00:21:06.879 more and more about Jesus. So learning is rewarding but it does involve 00:21:06.879 --> 00:21:11.200 commitment. That's why we want to roll up our sleeves and go for it. So whoever you 00:21:11.200 --> 00:21:17.879 are, let's read, let's talk, let's learn about the Bible together. Learning also 00:21:17.879 --> 00:21:22.000 involves humility. As disciples if we are going to be learners that means that 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:27.159 we have to be teachable. And sometimes it can be hard to be teachable. Sometimes 00:21:27.160 --> 00:21:32.560 we can think that we know it all. Surprisingly especially when you're young 00:21:32.560 --> 00:21:40.960 you think it would be the other way around. I remember I think I could sum 00:21:40.960 --> 00:21:46.240 up my teens and twenties as my teens thinking I knew it all and in my 20s 00:21:46.240 --> 00:21:54.320 thinking oh man I was such an idiot. We need to be teachable. Never ever forget 00:21:54.319 --> 00:22:00.679 that in discipleship it is absolutely okay to say I don't know. So you might 00:22:00.679 --> 00:22:03.799 face a situation, you might be asked a question, you might be confronted by 00:22:03.799 --> 00:22:11.119 something. It is absolutely okay to say I don't know. I'll need to ask someone. I'll 00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:17.359 need to find out more. And it's also really good to ask questions. That's a 00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:24.240 wonderful thing to do in our discipleship so that we learn and grow together. 00:22:24.240 --> 00:22:29.439 Learning also involves mistakes. So if you're learning to walk, to talk, if 00:22:29.439 --> 00:22:32.319 you're learning a new language, if you're learning a new piece of technology, one 00:22:32.319 --> 00:22:36.399 thing is guaranteed. You're going to make mistakes and that's too in 00:22:36.399 --> 00:22:41.199 discipleship as well. We all make mistakes. Now that doesn't mean that you can say 00:22:41.199 --> 00:22:45.719 oh well I can make as many mistakes as I want. I can sin as much as I like. Please 00:22:45.720 --> 00:22:49.759 don't ever ever think like that. But at the same time please remember that 00:22:49.759 --> 00:22:58.240 mistakes will happen. Sometimes mistakes are the only things that will teach us. 00:22:58.240 --> 00:23:04.279 And sometimes learning can be a painful process. But ultimately that's for our 00:23:04.279 --> 00:23:10.000 good. So learning involves community, it involves commitment, it involves humility, 00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:16.680 it involves mistakes. Most of all learning involves faith. And that's true in 00:23:16.680 --> 00:23:20.920 in every area of knowledge. Whether it's trusting our senses when we're trying to 00:23:20.920 --> 00:23:26.319 observe the world around us. Whether it's trusting a teacher or a lecturer or an 00:23:26.319 --> 00:23:31.160 author who's telling us something. Whether it's trusting our systems and 00:23:31.160 --> 00:23:36.880 theories to hold true. Or whether it's even trusting our Supreme Court to sort 00:23:36.880 --> 00:23:44.920 out a difficult question. The active principle in all knowledge is faith. 00:23:44.920 --> 00:23:50.960 Learning involves trust. And that's absolutely true in discipleship. All of 00:23:50.960 --> 00:23:56.920 our learning is grounded on our faith in Jesus. We are trusting that he is the 00:23:56.920 --> 00:24:04.000 truth. And we are following him because he is the way. And that raises the question 00:24:04.000 --> 00:24:10.200 that every single person in here has to consider. In terms of what you know. In 00:24:10.200 --> 00:24:16.559 terms of what you would regard as the secure knowledge of your life. In 00:24:16.559 --> 00:24:27.880 terms of the knowledge that you stake everything on. Who are you trusting? We 00:24:27.880 --> 00:24:34.360 learn through community, commitment, humility, mistakes and faith. Finally 00:24:34.360 --> 00:24:39.040 we're going to ask the question why should we learn? What difference does it 00:24:39.040 --> 00:24:44.200 make? And again there's lots we could say. Overall learning is simply the 00:24:44.200 --> 00:24:49.320 natural response to revelation. In the Bible God is speaking to us so it's 00:24:49.320 --> 00:24:54.800 crazy to do anything other than listen and learn what he's saying. And in that 00:24:54.799 --> 00:24:59.759 process of listening and learning there are some wonderful effects that it has 00:24:59.759 --> 00:25:07.519 on us as we grow as disciples of Jesus. Learning encourages us. We see that at 00:25:07.519 --> 00:25:10.720 the beginning of Ephesians. Paul says I do not cease to give thanks for you 00:25:10.720 --> 00:25:14.480 remembering you in my prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father 00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:17.759 of glory may give you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation and the knowledge 00:25:17.759 --> 00:25:22.319 of him. Have in the eyes of your hearts enlightened that you may know what is the 00:25:22.319 --> 00:25:26.960 hope to which he's called you. What are the riches of his glorious inheritance 00:25:26.960 --> 00:25:32.159 in the saints. Here he's saying that the knowledge and enlightening that we have 00:25:32.159 --> 00:25:38.159 can give us hope. And this is where we have to always remember that the Gospel 00:25:38.159 --> 00:25:43.799 is good news. It's a message of hope, of peace, of security, of comfort, of 00:25:43.799 --> 00:25:49.679 friendship, of love. And the more you learn of that the more you can take with 00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:54.440 you into the week ahead and all the challenges that that can bring. Learning 00:25:54.440 --> 00:26:03.480 encourages us. Learning also reassures us. In chapter 2 we see it says but now in 00:26:03.480 --> 00:26:07.039 Christ Jesus you who are once far off have been brought near by the blood of 00:26:07.039 --> 00:26:12.720 Christ for he himself is our peace who has made us both one and 00:26:12.720 --> 00:26:18.640 has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility. Never ever 00:26:18.640 --> 00:26:25.200 forget that the solid truth that we learn in the Bible always trumps the 00:26:25.200 --> 00:26:30.440 stuff that we are being told by our feelings. And there's a great example of 00:26:30.440 --> 00:26:36.800 that in verse 13. Very often we feel that we are far off from God so see the 00:26:36.800 --> 00:26:42.960 two words far off. That's a common feeling for disciples. We 00:26:42.960 --> 00:26:47.440 think that we've mucked up, we've failed God, we are far away from what we should 00:26:47.440 --> 00:26:55.200 be. That's a feeling but the truth is those who are far off have been brought 00:26:55.200 --> 00:27:00.480 near and so the words far off are a feeling we often have but brought near 00:27:00.480 --> 00:27:08.360 is a fact and the fact always trumps the feeling. God has brought you near. He is 00:27:08.360 --> 00:27:16.240 holding you and he will never ever let you go. Learning can reassure us. Learning 00:27:16.240 --> 00:27:20.839 also challenges us. We can see an example of that at the end of Ephesians 4 00:27:20.839 --> 00:27:24.880 with these instructions, let no corrupt in talk come out of your mouths but only 00:27:24.880 --> 00:27:28.640 such as is good for building up as fit for the occasion that it may give 00:27:28.640 --> 00:27:32.039 grace to those who hear. Do not leave the Holy Spirit of God by whom you are 00:27:32.039 --> 00:27:36.160 sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and 00:27:36.160 --> 00:27:40.319 clamour and slander be put away from you along with all malice. Be kind to one 00:27:40.319 --> 00:27:45.120 another, tender hearted for giving one another as God in Christ forgave you. 00:27:45.119 --> 00:27:51.439 Learning will challenge us. It'll challenge us to think differently. It'll 00:27:51.439 --> 00:27:57.519 challenge us to behave differently. It'll challenge us to react differently. But 00:27:57.519 --> 00:28:00.719 if there's one thing that's true of you as a disciple going into the week ahead 00:28:00.719 --> 00:28:09.159 you should be different. So when your colleagues are slagging someone off 00:28:09.160 --> 00:28:17.440 behind their back, when your friends are being critical of somebody who's made a 00:28:17.440 --> 00:28:25.360 mistake, when people around you are being lazy or selfish, we should be really, 00:28:25.360 --> 00:28:33.640 really different. Learning also changes us. Paul speaks about that. He says to put 00:28:33.640 --> 00:28:37.279 off your old self which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt 00:28:37.279 --> 00:28:41.240 through deceitful desires and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds. To 00:28:41.240 --> 00:28:46.559 put on the new self created after the likeness of God in true righteousness 00:28:46.559 --> 00:28:52.119 and holiness. Ultimately discipleship is a great journey of restoration back 00:28:52.119 --> 00:28:58.319 into bearing the image of God. We are learning and growing more and more so 00:28:58.319 --> 00:29:05.639 that we can become more and more like Jesus. Learning equips us. That's what we 00:29:05.640 --> 00:29:08.400 have in verse 11 and 12. He gave the apostles the prophets, the evangelists, 00:29:08.400 --> 00:29:12.520 the shepherds and teachers to equip the saints, the disciples for works of 00:29:12.520 --> 00:29:16.320 ministry. But that's next week's sermon where we look at serving in a bit more 00:29:16.320 --> 00:29:23.400 detail. Two more. Learning protects us so that we may not be no longer children 00:29:23.400 --> 00:29:27.440 tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, 00:29:27.440 --> 00:29:32.400 by human cunning and craftiness in deceitful schemes. Learning gives us a 00:29:32.400 --> 00:29:37.920 stability and it keeps us from being led astray. It protects us from thinking 00:29:37.920 --> 00:29:42.040 that God doesn't like us and that we have to earn his favor. It protects us 00:29:42.040 --> 00:29:44.840 from thinking that sin is not that serious and we can do whatever we like. 00:29:44.840 --> 00:29:48.840 It protects us from thinking that we're not that gifted and can't serve. It 00:29:48.840 --> 00:29:53.040 protects us from thinking that we know it all. It protects us from thinking that 00:29:53.040 --> 00:30:01.519 we're not worth anything. Learning will protect us. But more than anything else, 00:30:01.519 --> 00:30:09.319 learning amazes us. And there's a great example of that in Ephesians 3, just the 00:30:09.319 --> 00:30:14.519 chapter before, that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith that you being 00:30:14.519 --> 00:30:18.400 rooted and grounded in love may have strength to comprehend with all the 00:30:18.400 --> 00:30:23.680 saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love 00:30:23.680 --> 00:30:30.519 of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness 00:30:30.519 --> 00:30:37.139 of God. And it's that statement at the start of verse 19 where we're told that 00:30:37.139 --> 00:30:44.000 that Jesus wants you to learn about the fact that he loves you with a love that 00:30:44.000 --> 00:30:53.119 is bigger and greater and stronger than anything that your mind can cope with. 00:30:53.119 --> 00:30:59.200 It's a love that surpasses knowledge. In other words, he wants you to learn about 00:30:59.200 --> 00:31:09.360 his mind-blowing love for you. That is why learning and growing as disciples is 00:31:09.360 --> 00:31:15.240 amazing. Let's pray together. 00:31:19.559 --> 00:31:24.640 God our Father, we acknowledge that we have so much to learn and so often in 00:31:24.640 --> 00:31:30.640 life we can think that we know it all, that we know who we are, we know what we 00:31:30.640 --> 00:31:39.480 need, we know what life's about. And yet the truth is we are tiny specks in a 00:31:39.480 --> 00:31:47.800 massive universe and we hardly know anything. But we thank you so much that 00:31:47.800 --> 00:31:53.520 you have revealed yourself to us in and through your Son Jesus. And we thank you 00:31:53.519 --> 00:32:00.200 that in Him we find that tiny specks like us are actually incredibly precious 00:32:00.200 --> 00:32:06.720 to you. And we pray, O Lord, that as your disciples we would learn more and more of 00:32:06.720 --> 00:32:12.519 the amazing love that you have for us and that we would apply all the truths of 00:32:12.519 --> 00:32:16.759 your word to every part of our lives. We pray that we will be humble and 00:32:16.759 --> 00:32:24.319 teachable. We pray that we would every week be learning and growing together. In 00:32:24.319 --> 00:32:47.919 Jesus name we pray. Amen.