WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.820 Well, we had our reading just now in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, and there's one verse that we're 00:00:08.820 --> 00:00:12.900 going to focus on in our thoughts over these next few minutes, and it's this. 00:00:14.300 --> 00:00:20.000 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. 00:00:21.160 --> 00:00:27.760 You see, as I reflect on those words, there's one core thing that, to me, I find personally 00:00:27.760 --> 00:00:34.120 deeply challenging, that it's not about us, it's about God. 00:00:35.920 --> 00:00:41.260 It's not about us, it's not about the way we think, we feel, it is about God. 00:00:42.439 --> 00:00:46.980 Now, in these next few minutes, I just want to suggest five different aspects of our lives 00:00:46.980 --> 00:00:51.600 as Christians, as a church, that this is the case. 00:00:52.500 --> 00:00:55.439 It's about church, it's not about us, it's about God. 00:00:55.760 --> 00:00:57.460 Mission is not about us, it's about God. 00:00:57.460 --> 00:00:59.780 Worship is not about us, worship is about God. 00:01:00.700 --> 00:01:02.600 Prayer is not about us, it's about God. 00:01:02.920 --> 00:01:05.939 And faith is not about us, it's about God. 00:01:06.879 --> 00:01:11.280 Of the many different words that appear within the scriptures, within the Bible, to describe 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:13.920 God, one of them is the Hebrew, El Shaddai. 00:01:14.840 --> 00:01:22.200 And there's debate among translators as exactly how that should be translated from the Hebrew 00:01:22.200 --> 00:01:23.439 into the English. 00:01:23.439 --> 00:01:32.319 It's often, in English translations of the Old Testament, El Shaddai is translated into 00:01:32.319 --> 00:01:33.239 God the Almighty. 00:01:33.620 --> 00:01:35.200 Sometimes it's God all-powerful. 00:01:35.319 --> 00:01:36.759 Sometimes it's God all-sufficient. 00:01:37.319 --> 00:01:40.819 The one who sheds forth, the one who blesses, the one who sustains. 00:01:40.819 --> 00:01:47.979 But one commentator suggests that a good working translation, in practical terms, of that term 00:01:47.979 --> 00:01:49.739 for God, El Shaddai, is this. 00:01:50.699 --> 00:01:52.319 God the enough. 00:01:53.439 --> 00:01:54.719 God the enough. 00:01:55.799 --> 00:02:00.219 Think about what that might mean for you right now, just for a few moments. 00:02:01.659 --> 00:02:04.219 God the enough. 00:02:04.219 --> 00:02:04.280 God the enough. 00:02:07.900 --> 00:02:10.539 Now let's have a look at those five different things that I just mentioned. 00:02:10.680 --> 00:02:11.039 Church. 00:02:12.319 --> 00:02:14.680 Church is not about us. 00:02:14.780 --> 00:02:18.060 We might look around, see one another, and think, yeah, it's about us. 00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:19.039 But it's not. 00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:20.620 It's not about us as human beings. 00:02:20.780 --> 00:02:22.460 It is about God. 00:02:22.879 --> 00:02:28.439 I've just recently read a book called If Entrepreneurs Ran the Church. 00:02:29.180 --> 00:02:35.520 It's a book of interviews with eight entrepreneurs, and by that I mean extremely successful businessmen 00:02:35.520 --> 00:02:35.900 and women. 00:02:37.099 --> 00:02:40.120 And they happen to also be Christians. 00:02:40.419 --> 00:02:41.859 And each chapter is an interview. 00:02:42.439 --> 00:02:47.340 And the interview sets out, which says, okay, so as an entrepreneur, I want you to imagine 00:02:47.340 --> 00:02:51.840 that you've just been made chief executive officer of the entire UK church. 00:02:52.139 --> 00:02:57.740 All of the denominations, all of the people, all of the structures and the buildings and 00:02:57.740 --> 00:02:59.939 the finances, what are you going to do with it? 00:03:00.040 --> 00:03:00.920 It's fascinating. 00:03:01.960 --> 00:03:08.540 And reading through what these entrepreneurs would do if they were running the church is 00:03:08.540 --> 00:03:16.480 interesting stuff because it really drills home the message how we need, as church in 00:03:16.480 --> 00:03:22.600 the widest possible sense, to be a lot more robustly critical in the way we do things, in 00:03:22.599 --> 00:03:29.039 our structures, in the way we manage our finance, the way that we manage our buildings, and all 00:03:29.039 --> 00:03:29.780 of those things. 00:03:31.039 --> 00:03:36.699 But one thing struck me more than anything else in the interviews, and it was a comment 00:03:36.699 --> 00:03:39.419 made by one entrepreneur, and I can't remember which one it was now. 00:03:39.659 --> 00:03:40.359 That's irrelevant. 00:03:40.699 --> 00:03:41.740 The comment was this. 00:03:41.740 --> 00:03:50.939 He said that there is no business in the world, no matter how big or how successful it has 00:03:50.939 --> 00:03:57.740 been, no business in the history of the world has ever lasted more than a couple of hundred 00:03:57.740 --> 00:03:58.240 years. 00:03:59.040 --> 00:03:59.560 Never. 00:04:01.040 --> 00:04:04.340 Now, I happen to work for the Methodist church. 00:04:04.439 --> 00:04:08.960 I don't feel strongly about that denomination, but that's who pays my wages. 00:04:08.960 --> 00:04:12.500 And the Methodism alone is older than that. 00:04:12.900 --> 00:04:17.759 The Church of England, which is the other ecumenical partner within Christchurch, is older still. 00:04:18.180 --> 00:04:26.900 But when we look in the widest sense, the church has been around for over 2,000 years. 00:04:29.100 --> 00:04:34.759 And it always will be, simply because God ordains it to be. 00:04:34.759 --> 00:04:39.779 Now, that's no excuse for us to lapse into passivity and to think, well, God's got it 00:04:39.779 --> 00:04:44.819 all in hand, then it doesn't matter how much of a hash we make of it with our human programs 00:04:44.819 --> 00:04:47.259 and all our weaknesses that go with it. 00:04:47.899 --> 00:04:55.060 Now, if we're not prepared to make the changes to keep up with the Holy Spirit, then God will 00:04:55.060 --> 00:04:55.879 make those changes. 00:04:56.620 --> 00:04:58.420 God will simply choose someone else to do it. 00:04:58.599 --> 00:05:00.579 That's the pattern that history has followed. 00:05:00.579 --> 00:05:07.039 But, be sure, the Church will never die. 00:05:07.659 --> 00:05:12.779 And the reason the Church will never die is it's not about us, it's about God. 00:05:14.680 --> 00:05:17.360 Connected to that is the second thing, and that's mission. 00:05:17.639 --> 00:05:20.639 Mission is not about us, mission is about God. 00:05:20.719 --> 00:05:25.139 Now, of course, we need to be asking questions all the time about what it means in real practical 00:05:25.139 --> 00:05:30.319 terms for us to be missionary people where we live, how we can engage our communities. 00:05:30.479 --> 00:05:33.939 We need to ask practical questions as to what that looks like. 00:05:35.039 --> 00:05:41.939 But let's not allow those questions to eclipse what is at the very heart of Christian mission. 00:05:43.519 --> 00:05:49.839 Namely, not about how we make it relevant, but rather that we simply point towards the God 00:05:49.839 --> 00:05:51.060 who is at the centre of it all. 00:05:51.060 --> 00:05:56.800 A story that comes from a friend of mine from Uganda, I heard many years ago. 00:05:57.540 --> 00:06:03.899 And he tells a story of how somebody that he knew was in Uganda one day in a marketplace, 00:06:04.139 --> 00:06:09.899 I'm not sure which city it was, but he was in the marketplace, and he was trying to sell 00:06:09.899 --> 00:06:10.560 mangoes. 00:06:10.779 --> 00:06:15.639 He had a massive pile of mangoes to sell, but nobody would buy a single mango. 00:06:15.639 --> 00:06:20.360 And the reason why nobody was interested in his mangoes is that even though he thought 00:06:20.360 --> 00:06:24.279 they were great, everybody had them growing on their own trees in their own homes already. 00:06:24.599 --> 00:06:26.419 So why would anybody want to buy them? 00:06:27.060 --> 00:06:30.300 So he stood there for a couple of hours, he didn't sell a single item of fruit. 00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:33.500 Until somebody else came along and said, are these all right then? 00:06:33.579 --> 00:06:34.459 He said, they're the best. 00:06:35.159 --> 00:06:36.180 He said, do you really think that? 00:06:36.240 --> 00:06:37.099 He said, yes, I do. 00:06:38.099 --> 00:06:40.459 He said, in which case, eat one. 00:06:41.479 --> 00:06:42.019 I said, what do you mean? 00:06:42.079 --> 00:06:43.459 He said, just eat one in front of me. 00:06:43.459 --> 00:06:51.579 So he took one of his mangoes and he stood there and just ate this thing. 00:06:52.279 --> 00:06:57.099 As he did so, the juice just came out of the fruit and spilt down his chin, down his arm, 00:06:57.139 --> 00:06:57.719 onto the floor. 00:06:58.539 --> 00:07:02.479 And he stood there and soon forgot that he was actually there to sell them because he 00:07:02.479 --> 00:07:04.359 was enjoying this thing so much. 00:07:05.259 --> 00:07:09.759 And as people passed by, they stopped and saw the look of enjoyment written all over this 00:07:09.759 --> 00:07:13.539 man's face and began to get curious and began to ask questions. 00:07:14.539 --> 00:07:15.379 He sold the lot. 00:07:18.120 --> 00:07:25.039 You see, he forgot that he was trying to sell a product and remembered the thing that was 00:07:25.039 --> 00:07:26.480 the very centre of it all. 00:07:27.639 --> 00:07:30.360 Mission is not about us. 00:07:31.500 --> 00:07:32.639 Mission is about God. 00:07:32.639 --> 00:07:39.899 Worship is not about us. 00:07:41.259 --> 00:07:42.719 Worship is about God. 00:07:43.019 --> 00:07:47.639 And the reason I say that is very often when we get onto the subject of worship in Christian 00:07:47.639 --> 00:07:52.579 circles, when we start talking about it, we very, very quickly, most of the time without 00:07:52.579 --> 00:08:00.099 even noticing we're doing it, get onto the subject of what we like and what makes us feel 00:08:00.099 --> 00:08:00.500 good. 00:08:00.500 --> 00:08:05.899 And sometimes we might even think to ourselves, worship, you know, I don't really feel like 00:08:05.899 --> 00:08:06.180 that. 00:08:06.680 --> 00:08:10.660 And we might think, you know, I don't really feel like coming to church to worship today. 00:08:10.860 --> 00:08:16.180 Or perhaps if I'm at home, I might not feel like worshipping God because I don't feel in 00:08:16.180 --> 00:08:18.600 a particularly strong spiritual place right now. 00:08:18.660 --> 00:08:20.240 I don't feel up there. 00:08:20.399 --> 00:08:22.319 I don't feel spiritually awake. 00:08:22.319 --> 00:08:26.060 I'm feeling really low or worried or anxious or depressed or run down or whatever. 00:08:26.399 --> 00:08:28.120 I don't feel like worship. 00:08:28.120 --> 00:08:34.419 If you ever feel, or should I say, think that way about the way you feel, I've got good news 00:08:34.419 --> 00:08:34.840 for you. 00:08:35.019 --> 00:08:40.200 It doesn't matter how you feel because worship is not about how we feel. 00:08:40.399 --> 00:08:42.460 It is all about God. 00:08:42.960 --> 00:08:48.139 That is why in that very same passage from Thessalonians, it says, pray continually. 00:08:48.139 --> 00:08:50.620 That means all the time. 00:08:51.699 --> 00:08:54.019 Give thanks in all circumstances. 00:08:54.740 --> 00:08:56.139 Now think about that for a moment. 00:08:56.779 --> 00:09:02.139 You probably don't have to think very far before you think of certain circumstances in 00:09:02.139 --> 00:09:04.000 which you really do not feel like praying. 00:09:04.799 --> 00:09:11.840 But that's okay because the urge here is not give thanks for all circumstances. 00:09:11.840 --> 00:09:15.639 It's give thanks in all circumstances. 00:09:16.259 --> 00:09:20.460 And when we can do that, when we can look at things in a way that doesn't focus in on 00:09:20.460 --> 00:09:26.139 how we're feeling and our emotional state in our mood at that particular point in time, 00:09:26.639 --> 00:09:30.780 then our attention shifts onto the one who it is all about. 00:09:30.920 --> 00:09:32.160 Then things change. 00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:35.019 The circumstances may not be that pretty. 00:09:35.540 --> 00:09:37.600 We might not be feeling that great. 00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:42.639 But when we make God our focus, things can start to change. 00:09:43.460 --> 00:09:44.779 A few years ago, I was on holiday. 00:09:44.899 --> 00:09:45.659 I can't remember where it was. 00:09:45.779 --> 00:09:49.620 And I saw, when we were out on a walk, saw a rather interesting object. 00:09:49.779 --> 00:09:51.800 You may have seen one before because I've since noticed there. 00:09:52.460 --> 00:09:54.340 You see them in all sorts of different places. 00:09:54.740 --> 00:09:58.779 By this wall, there was this little metal pole sticking out of the wall. 00:09:59.040 --> 00:10:01.399 On the end of the pole was a chain hanging down. 00:10:01.480 --> 00:10:03.399 And on the end of the chain was dangling a rock. 00:10:04.200 --> 00:10:06.860 And there was a little sign next to this thing. 00:10:06.860 --> 00:10:09.700 And it was describing what it was. 00:10:10.039 --> 00:10:12.019 It said it was a weather rock. 00:10:13.220 --> 00:10:14.360 Anybody seen these? 00:10:15.240 --> 00:10:19.440 It had a list of instructions as to how you read the weather rock. 00:10:20.740 --> 00:10:23.940 It said, if the rock, i.e. the one dangling on the end of the chain, 00:10:24.360 --> 00:10:27.019 if the rock is wet, it's raining. 00:10:29.159 --> 00:10:32.659 If the rock is swinging, it's windy. 00:10:32.659 --> 00:10:37.459 If the rock is hard to see, it's foggy. 00:10:38.379 --> 00:10:41.419 If there's white stuff on top of the rock, it's snowing. 00:10:42.039 --> 00:10:45.039 If the rock is underwater, it's flooding. 00:10:45.919 --> 00:10:47.939 If the rock is warm, it's sunny. 00:10:48.759 --> 00:10:52.059 If there's no rock there at all, there has recently been a tornado. 00:10:52.059 --> 00:10:59.599 Not a very accurate way of getting meteorological information. 00:11:00.519 --> 00:11:02.579 Not a reliable guide to the weather. 00:11:03.059 --> 00:11:08.439 Yet, how often do we do something not completely dissimilar with our emotions? 00:11:08.440 --> 00:11:13.120 I don't feel like this, therefore I won't worship. 00:11:13.300 --> 00:11:15.720 I don't feel quite this way about God, 00:11:15.840 --> 00:11:19.060 therefore I'm not quite sure that the claims of Scripture are true. 00:11:19.340 --> 00:11:25.680 The thing is, moods are hardly ever, ever a reliable guide to truth. 00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:28.940 About anything, actually, except ourselves. 00:11:29.980 --> 00:11:33.680 See, our emotions do tell us how we're feeling. 00:11:34.519 --> 00:11:38.000 Our emotions, our moods, do tell us about ourselves. 00:11:38.959 --> 00:11:41.719 But they tell us nothing about our circumstances. 00:11:42.679 --> 00:11:47.519 They might tell us a lot about how we are reacting at that point in time to circumstances, 00:11:47.919 --> 00:11:50.120 but they don't tell us about the circumstances themselves. 00:11:51.179 --> 00:11:55.139 Our moods and our emotions don't tell us about other people. 00:11:55.139 --> 00:11:59.539 They do tell us about the responses that have been triggered within ourselves 00:11:59.539 --> 00:12:01.419 to those other people, perhaps, 00:12:01.419 --> 00:12:04.039 but they don't tell us about the actual people. 00:12:04.579 --> 00:12:08.299 In fact, they can blind us to the truth at times. 00:12:08.639 --> 00:12:13.379 Because the one thing we see is what's going on within our own emotional machine 00:12:13.379 --> 00:12:17.019 rather than what's going on external to it. 00:12:18.219 --> 00:12:19.879 And so if we can say that about circumstances, 00:12:20.179 --> 00:12:21.579 we can say it about people, 00:12:22.199 --> 00:12:24.299 we can most definitely say it about God. 00:12:25.299 --> 00:12:27.399 Now that's not to say that feelings aren't important. 00:12:27.399 --> 00:12:28.340 Of course they are. 00:12:29.840 --> 00:12:33.159 But not as a measure of God's truth. 00:12:35.139 --> 00:12:39.059 You see, it's not about us. 00:12:40.059 --> 00:12:42.480 It is about God. 00:12:42.480 --> 00:12:48.500 My favourite guitar player in the whole world 00:12:48.500 --> 00:12:51.080 is an Australian guitarist called Tommy Emanuel. 00:12:51.480 --> 00:12:53.259 He's not that famous, actually. 00:12:53.320 --> 00:12:54.920 He is in Australia, where he's from, 00:12:55.240 --> 00:12:58.039 and a lot of guitar players will know of him. 00:12:58.460 --> 00:13:01.159 But I think he's an amazing guy. 00:13:01.220 --> 00:13:02.960 If you've never come across him, look him up on YouTube. 00:13:03.080 --> 00:13:06.539 What he can't do with six strings is absolutely amazing. 00:13:06.659 --> 00:13:07.460 He's an amazing player. 00:13:07.460 --> 00:13:10.100 But he said something a few years ago, 00:13:10.200 --> 00:13:13.220 which I've actually got written down on a plug, 00:13:13.420 --> 00:13:15.780 on my wall next to my guitar, 00:13:16.019 --> 00:13:17.680 to bring me inspiration, 00:13:17.900 --> 00:13:19.440 because I think it's an amazing quote. 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:20.840 He says this, 00:13:21.280 --> 00:13:24.240 One day you can pick up a guitar 00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:26.440 and feel like you're a great master. 00:13:27.580 --> 00:13:30.320 And the next day you can feel like a complete fool. 00:13:30.320 --> 00:13:34.140 It's because we're different every day. 00:13:34.940 --> 00:13:37.560 But the guitar is always the same. 00:13:38.760 --> 00:13:42.460 Now, whether you like the sound that the guitar makes or not 00:13:42.460 --> 00:13:43.120 is irrelevant. 00:13:43.620 --> 00:13:45.820 In fact, it applies not simply to a guitar, 00:13:45.960 --> 00:13:47.379 but to any musical instrument. 00:13:47.760 --> 00:13:49.200 In fact, you could say even more broadly, 00:13:49.320 --> 00:13:51.080 to anything that requires discipline. 00:13:51.780 --> 00:13:55.380 The thing itself pretty much stays the same. 00:13:56.440 --> 00:13:57.780 But we change. 00:13:57.779 --> 00:14:00.799 And our moods can have a massive impact 00:14:00.799 --> 00:14:02.319 on the way we perceive ourselves 00:14:02.319 --> 00:14:03.399 and our own abilities, 00:14:03.579 --> 00:14:05.939 about whether we feel like doing something or not. 00:14:06.839 --> 00:14:09.819 It's so important that we remember that about emotions, 00:14:10.139 --> 00:14:12.279 because most of the time we tend to be guided 00:14:12.279 --> 00:14:15.299 by our moods at a particular time and space. 00:14:15.419 --> 00:14:17.319 I'm as guilty as anybody else of that. 00:14:18.679 --> 00:14:20.519 But the truth of God 00:14:20.519 --> 00:14:23.579 is something so much bigger and so much greater. 00:14:23.580 --> 00:14:29.000 Let's remember that it's not about us 00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:31.639 and about our emotions or our moods. 00:14:31.639 --> 00:14:33.139 It's all about God. 00:14:33.980 --> 00:14:35.940 Because whilst we may change, 00:14:36.740 --> 00:14:39.180 God is always faithful and consistent. 00:14:40.960 --> 00:14:41.360 Prayer. 00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:44.980 Prayer is not about us. 00:14:45.220 --> 00:14:46.300 Prayer is about God. 00:14:46.400 --> 00:14:49.140 And again, it's so important to remember that. 00:14:49.139 --> 00:14:52.819 If, like me, you find it hard to concentrate in prayer, 00:14:52.899 --> 00:14:53.340 and I do. 00:14:53.879 --> 00:14:56.639 I'm somebody that has always found it really hard 00:14:56.639 --> 00:14:59.360 to concentrate for a length of time. 00:14:59.639 --> 00:15:02.840 Oh, I can easily get into prayer for a few moments 00:15:02.840 --> 00:15:03.939 where I sense the need. 00:15:04.080 --> 00:15:05.699 I think probably most people can, 00:15:05.939 --> 00:15:08.659 particularly if we're suddenly surrounded by situations 00:15:08.659 --> 00:15:09.939 like, this is urgent, I've got to pray. 00:15:10.080 --> 00:15:10.240 Right. 00:15:11.100 --> 00:15:13.799 I'm talking about that sense of prayer 00:15:13.799 --> 00:15:15.659 over a period of time. 00:15:15.659 --> 00:15:18.980 I'm talking about praying for a great length of time 00:15:18.980 --> 00:15:20.899 without the mind wandering off, 00:15:21.219 --> 00:15:21.779 thinking about, 00:15:21.899 --> 00:15:24.019 well, what am I going to do about this later on today? 00:15:24.339 --> 00:15:25.620 Or, just remember, 00:15:25.719 --> 00:15:27.059 I haven't sent that person an email. 00:15:27.240 --> 00:15:28.439 Or, I've got to make that phone call. 00:15:28.699 --> 00:15:29.980 Or, what am I going to have for dinner? 00:15:31.539 --> 00:15:31.839 You know, 00:15:32.559 --> 00:15:34.059 our minds as human beings 00:15:34.059 --> 00:15:35.360 are naturally distracted 00:15:35.360 --> 00:15:37.459 when we try to pray and to concentrate. 00:15:38.799 --> 00:15:39.759 And I sense, 00:15:40.100 --> 00:15:42.799 and I'm sensing more and more and more and more of this, 00:15:42.799 --> 00:15:44.979 that the problem with that 00:15:44.979 --> 00:15:47.500 is when we regard prayer 00:15:47.500 --> 00:15:49.159 as an activity, 00:15:49.719 --> 00:15:51.419 as something that we do, 00:15:52.099 --> 00:15:54.519 rather than an ongoing reality 00:15:54.519 --> 00:15:55.539 that we are called, 00:15:55.659 --> 00:15:57.979 we are invited to be a part of. 00:16:00.620 --> 00:16:01.539 You see, prayer, 00:16:01.979 --> 00:16:04.679 prayer might be something 00:16:04.679 --> 00:16:07.199 that involves our actions, 00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:09.079 but essentially, 00:16:09.500 --> 00:16:12.159 rather than being an isolated activity 00:16:12.159 --> 00:16:13.480 that takes place 00:16:13.480 --> 00:16:16.059 in isolation from everything else, 00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:17.120 it's rather, 00:16:17.259 --> 00:16:19.579 it's rather picking up on that conversation 00:16:19.579 --> 00:16:21.019 that actually runs through all the time. 00:16:21.100 --> 00:16:22.059 God is always there. 00:16:22.759 --> 00:16:23.519 He always is. 00:16:23.620 --> 00:16:24.159 Most of the time, 00:16:24.219 --> 00:16:25.179 we tend to forget that, 00:16:25.600 --> 00:16:26.459 but He is there. 00:16:26.819 --> 00:16:28.159 In all of those situations 00:16:28.159 --> 00:16:30.339 to which our minds become distracted 00:16:30.339 --> 00:16:31.819 whilst we're trying to pray. 00:16:32.219 --> 00:16:33.299 So, He's already there. 00:16:33.439 --> 00:16:34.199 He's already there. 00:16:34.439 --> 00:16:35.039 He always has been, 00:16:35.079 --> 00:16:35.839 He always will be. 00:16:36.919 --> 00:16:38.159 But prayer is, 00:16:38.480 --> 00:16:39.079 I think, 00:16:39.319 --> 00:16:39.639 yes, 00:16:39.639 --> 00:16:41.379 it is good to have that time 00:16:41.379 --> 00:16:43.399 when we focus 00:16:43.399 --> 00:16:45.679 in a sort of time, 00:16:45.819 --> 00:16:47.159 set aside time away, 00:16:47.580 --> 00:16:48.960 but most fundamentally, 00:16:49.159 --> 00:16:50.259 what is important is that 00:16:50.259 --> 00:16:52.960 is to cultivate that sense of awareness 00:16:52.960 --> 00:16:54.220 that God is there 00:16:54.220 --> 00:16:55.659 throughout our whole days 00:16:55.659 --> 00:16:59.919 in a way that is not compartmentalised. 00:17:01.500 --> 00:17:01.779 You see, 00:17:01.960 --> 00:17:03.379 relationship with God 00:17:03.379 --> 00:17:05.180 is not something 00:17:05.180 --> 00:17:06.819 that we go to. 00:17:06.819 --> 00:17:08.339 So, when we sense 00:17:08.339 --> 00:17:09.639 that we need to pick it up, 00:17:09.919 --> 00:17:11.460 relationship is not with God, 00:17:11.740 --> 00:17:12.559 is not something 00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:13.419 that we go to. 00:17:13.659 --> 00:17:13.980 Rather, 00:17:14.139 --> 00:17:15.159 in Christian faith, 00:17:15.539 --> 00:17:16.759 our relationship with God 00:17:16.759 --> 00:17:17.599 is the thing 00:17:17.599 --> 00:17:19.839 that we actually work out of. 00:17:20.859 --> 00:17:21.759 Very often, 00:17:22.119 --> 00:17:22.720 when we think 00:17:22.720 --> 00:17:24.039 of the story of Jesus, 00:17:24.859 --> 00:17:25.559 in which we have 00:17:25.559 --> 00:17:26.960 the greatest model ever 00:17:26.960 --> 00:17:28.059 of what it means 00:17:28.059 --> 00:17:29.439 to commune with the Father, 00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:31.460 we perhaps have this idea 00:17:31.460 --> 00:17:32.079 in our head 00:17:32.079 --> 00:17:33.319 that the story of Jesus 00:17:33.319 --> 00:17:34.000 is a story 00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:34.500 which tells 00:17:34.500 --> 00:17:35.659 of great things that He did, 00:17:35.660 --> 00:17:36.660 great miracles, 00:17:36.820 --> 00:17:37.560 great teachings, 00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:39.259 and then every now and then, 00:17:39.480 --> 00:17:40.840 that life of His activity, 00:17:41.019 --> 00:17:41.660 His ministry, 00:17:42.040 --> 00:17:43.120 is punctuated 00:17:43.120 --> 00:17:44.640 with those moments of prayer 00:17:44.640 --> 00:17:45.420 where we're told 00:17:45.420 --> 00:17:46.120 He withdrew 00:17:46.120 --> 00:17:47.279 and went off to pray. 00:17:48.840 --> 00:17:49.279 Whereas, 00:17:49.400 --> 00:17:50.120 I think it is better 00:17:50.120 --> 00:17:50.860 that we look at it 00:17:50.860 --> 00:17:51.880 the other way around. 00:17:53.120 --> 00:17:54.300 That Jesus' life 00:17:54.300 --> 00:17:55.680 was actually a whole life 00:17:55.680 --> 00:17:56.720 of intimate communion 00:17:56.720 --> 00:17:57.519 with His Father. 00:17:58.300 --> 00:17:59.360 Every now and then, 00:17:59.460 --> 00:18:01.300 we get these little snapshots 00:18:01.300 --> 00:18:02.960 through His ministry, 00:18:03.140 --> 00:18:03.759 through His words, 00:18:03.880 --> 00:18:04.420 through His actions, 00:18:04.560 --> 00:18:05.240 through His miracles. 00:18:05.660 --> 00:18:07.279 the snapshots 00:18:07.279 --> 00:18:08.279 that punctuate 00:18:08.279 --> 00:18:09.140 the relationship. 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:11.779 It is the communion 00:18:11.779 --> 00:18:12.660 with His Father 00:18:12.660 --> 00:18:14.380 that is at the very heart 00:18:14.380 --> 00:18:14.860 of it all. 00:18:15.820 --> 00:18:16.800 Because prayer 00:18:16.800 --> 00:18:18.400 is not about 00:18:18.400 --> 00:18:19.500 the stuff that we do. 00:18:20.300 --> 00:18:21.540 It's about God. 00:18:22.400 --> 00:18:23.880 The one who calls you 00:18:23.880 --> 00:18:24.460 is faithful 00:18:24.460 --> 00:18:26.140 and He will do it. 00:18:27.240 --> 00:18:28.019 Last point. 00:18:28.900 --> 00:18:29.340 Faith. 00:18:30.080 --> 00:18:31.340 Faith itself. 00:18:31.800 --> 00:18:32.019 Yes, 00:18:32.060 --> 00:18:32.920 we may think about 00:18:32.920 --> 00:18:33.560 what that means 00:18:33.560 --> 00:18:35.240 from a human point of view 00:18:35.240 --> 00:18:36.019 what it means 00:18:36.019 --> 00:18:37.140 to talk of the psychology 00:18:37.140 --> 00:18:38.220 of how we have faith, 00:18:38.299 --> 00:18:39.160 how we trust, 00:18:39.500 --> 00:18:40.099 how we can 00:18:40.099 --> 00:18:41.519 make ourselves 00:18:41.519 --> 00:18:42.759 vulnerable before God. 00:18:43.420 --> 00:18:43.980 But ultimately, 00:18:44.240 --> 00:18:45.180 faith is not about 00:18:45.180 --> 00:18:46.400 us as human beings. 00:18:46.579 --> 00:18:48.059 It is about God 00:18:48.059 --> 00:18:49.299 in who we place it. 00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:49.900 The writer, 00:18:50.079 --> 00:18:51.640 Andy Stanley, 00:18:52.019 --> 00:18:52.599 he's a writer 00:18:52.599 --> 00:18:53.420 and a church leader 00:18:53.420 --> 00:18:54.000 in America. 00:18:54.519 --> 00:18:55.240 He said this, 00:18:55.240 --> 00:18:58.140 between information 00:18:58.140 --> 00:19:00.380 and ignorance 00:19:00.380 --> 00:19:02.339 there is a gap 00:19:02.339 --> 00:19:05.180 and we can fill it 00:19:05.180 --> 00:19:06.920 either with suspicion 00:19:06.920 --> 00:19:09.039 or trust. 00:19:10.299 --> 00:19:11.900 Let me say that again 00:19:11.900 --> 00:19:13.640 because it's pretty deep stuff. 00:19:14.880 --> 00:19:16.240 Between information 00:19:16.240 --> 00:19:17.120 and ignorance 00:19:17.120 --> 00:19:18.279 there is a gap 00:19:18.279 --> 00:19:20.559 and we can fill it 00:19:20.559 --> 00:19:21.740 either with suspicion 00:19:21.740 --> 00:19:23.720 or trust. 00:19:25.759 --> 00:19:26.319 You see, 00:19:26.380 --> 00:19:26.920 we don't know 00:19:26.920 --> 00:19:27.680 what lies ahead 00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:28.380 in our future. 00:19:29.759 --> 00:19:30.579 We are given 00:19:30.579 --> 00:19:31.180 the promises 00:19:31.180 --> 00:19:32.460 of God 00:19:32.460 --> 00:19:33.079 in Scripture. 00:19:34.539 --> 00:19:35.620 But because we haven't 00:19:35.620 --> 00:19:36.259 got there yet, 00:19:36.339 --> 00:19:37.220 it's offered to us. 00:19:37.299 --> 00:19:37.859 We haven't yet 00:19:37.859 --> 00:19:38.740 encountered it 00:19:38.740 --> 00:19:39.599 in all its fullness. 00:19:40.059 --> 00:19:40.480 So therefore, 00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:41.859 we live in that place 00:19:41.859 --> 00:19:42.519 of not knowing. 00:19:43.099 --> 00:19:44.079 We are called 00:19:44.079 --> 00:19:45.640 to trust. 00:19:46.339 --> 00:19:47.000 We are called 00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:47.779 to have faith. 00:19:47.779 --> 00:19:50.420 But what that faith 00:19:50.420 --> 00:19:50.980 is all about 00:19:50.980 --> 00:19:51.539 is not about 00:19:51.539 --> 00:19:52.319 our feelings 00:19:52.319 --> 00:19:54.299 or our concerns 00:19:54.299 --> 00:19:55.440 or our misgivings. 00:19:56.000 --> 00:19:57.079 It's about God. 00:19:58.200 --> 00:19:59.519 I love the story 00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:00.519 of when 00:20:00.519 --> 00:20:02.180 Jesus walked 00:20:02.180 --> 00:20:02.740 on the water 00:20:02.740 --> 00:20:04.619 and Peter 00:20:04.619 --> 00:20:05.579 was in the boat 00:20:05.579 --> 00:20:06.160 and he looked out 00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:06.940 and he saw him 00:20:06.940 --> 00:20:07.700 and he gets out 00:20:07.700 --> 00:20:08.099 of the boat 00:20:08.099 --> 00:20:08.839 and he starts 00:20:08.839 --> 00:20:10.099 to walk towards 00:20:10.099 --> 00:20:10.660 Jesus 00:20:10.660 --> 00:20:11.839 on the water 00:20:11.839 --> 00:20:12.279 too. 00:20:14.019 --> 00:20:14.500 Everything 00:20:14.500 --> 00:20:15.200 seems to be 00:20:15.200 --> 00:20:15.859 working out 00:20:15.859 --> 00:20:16.359 fine 00:20:16.359 --> 00:20:18.299 until we're told 00:20:18.299 --> 00:20:20.000 that his attention 00:20:20.000 --> 00:20:20.799 was turned 00:20:20.799 --> 00:20:21.459 away 00:20:21.459 --> 00:20:23.399 from Jesus 00:20:23.399 --> 00:20:25.079 and to 00:20:25.079 --> 00:20:26.159 the threat 00:20:26.159 --> 00:20:26.979 that the waves 00:20:26.979 --> 00:20:27.799 and the winds 00:20:27.799 --> 00:20:29.019 presented to him. 00:20:30.139 --> 00:20:30.519 You see, 00:20:30.659 --> 00:20:31.679 when Jesus 00:20:31.679 --> 00:20:32.559 was no longer 00:20:32.559 --> 00:20:33.479 his focus, 00:20:34.179 --> 00:20:34.979 when his thoughts 00:20:34.979 --> 00:20:35.619 went back 00:20:35.619 --> 00:20:36.839 to his circumstances 00:20:36.839 --> 00:20:37.519 and himself 00:20:37.519 --> 00:20:38.819 within those circumstances, 00:20:39.339 --> 00:20:39.919 when God 00:20:39.919 --> 00:20:40.500 was no longer 00:20:40.500 --> 00:20:41.199 at the centre, 00:20:43.000 --> 00:20:43.919 then he began 00:20:43.919 --> 00:20:44.459 to sink. 00:20:46.359 --> 00:20:47.359 One last image 00:20:47.359 --> 00:20:47.899 to lead us 00:20:47.899 --> 00:20:48.479 into prayer. 00:20:49.399 --> 00:20:49.919 And it's something 00:20:49.919 --> 00:20:50.519 I've shared 00:20:50.519 --> 00:20:51.139 before, 00:20:51.240 --> 00:20:51.679 so you may 00:20:51.679 --> 00:20:52.240 remember it, 00:20:52.279 --> 00:20:53.199 but as I was 00:20:53.199 --> 00:20:53.899 thinking about this, 00:20:53.939 --> 00:20:54.719 I couldn't get away 00:20:54.719 --> 00:20:55.379 from this image 00:20:55.379 --> 00:20:56.299 and I'd like us 00:20:56.299 --> 00:20:58.379 to take this image 00:20:58.379 --> 00:20:59.039 into prayer 00:20:59.039 --> 00:20:59.779 as we think about 00:20:59.779 --> 00:21:00.779 what these things 00:21:00.779 --> 00:21:02.259 mean for our own lives. 00:21:02.939 --> 00:21:03.519 I've got a glass 00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:04.479 of water here 00:21:04.479 --> 00:21:06.479 and I realise 00:21:06.479 --> 00:21:07.000 that at the back 00:21:07.000 --> 00:21:07.699 this may be difficult 00:21:07.699 --> 00:21:07.979 to see 00:21:07.979 --> 00:21:08.939 because it's quite small, 00:21:09.039 --> 00:21:09.740 but I've got a little 00:21:09.740 --> 00:21:10.939 metal washer 00:21:10.940 --> 00:21:12.519 and if I drop 00:21:12.519 --> 00:21:13.660 the little metal washer 00:21:13.660 --> 00:21:15.059 into the water, 00:21:16.180 --> 00:21:18.039 it sinks. 00:21:19.279 --> 00:21:20.160 It goes straight 00:21:20.160 --> 00:21:20.759 to the bottom. 00:21:22.299 --> 00:21:22.820 Sometimes 00:21:22.820 --> 00:21:23.720 what we can feel 00:21:23.720 --> 00:21:24.140 life 00:21:24.140 --> 00:21:25.820 and the circumstances 00:21:25.820 --> 00:21:26.299 of life 00:21:26.299 --> 00:21:27.500 that are presented 00:21:27.500 --> 00:21:28.039 to us, 00:21:28.299 --> 00:21:28.700 due to us, 00:21:28.779 --> 00:21:29.340 we feel like 00:21:29.340 --> 00:21:29.840 we're sinking. 00:21:31.519 --> 00:21:32.400 I've got here 00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:32.940 a little strip 00:21:32.940 --> 00:21:33.900 of polystyrene. 00:21:34.960 --> 00:21:35.720 If I drop this 00:21:35.720 --> 00:21:36.519 onto the water, 00:21:37.519 --> 00:21:39.420 it floats. 00:21:40.940 --> 00:21:41.539 Now, 00:21:41.740 --> 00:21:42.360 if I take 00:21:42.360 --> 00:21:43.220 the metal washer, 00:21:44.600 --> 00:21:45.840 I can try 00:21:45.840 --> 00:21:46.640 to rest it 00:21:46.640 --> 00:21:47.140 on top 00:21:47.140 --> 00:21:48.180 of the polystyrene 00:21:48.180 --> 00:21:51.500 and it might 00:21:51.500 --> 00:21:52.380 just about float 00:21:52.380 --> 00:21:52.860 for a moment, 00:21:53.940 --> 00:21:54.960 but it quickly 00:21:54.960 --> 00:21:55.559 falls off. 00:21:56.600 --> 00:21:57.420 Sometimes we might 00:21:57.420 --> 00:21:58.519 think that faith 00:21:58.519 --> 00:21:59.700 is about leaning 00:21:59.700 --> 00:22:00.299 on God. 00:22:00.440 --> 00:22:01.240 We might embrace 00:22:01.240 --> 00:22:02.140 that sort of language. 00:22:02.539 --> 00:22:03.320 We might think of it 00:22:03.320 --> 00:22:04.000 in those terms 00:22:04.000 --> 00:22:04.580 and think that 00:22:04.580 --> 00:22:05.880 to trust in God 00:22:05.880 --> 00:22:06.920 is about leaning 00:22:06.920 --> 00:22:07.440 on Him. 00:22:07.779 --> 00:22:08.700 In a sense, 00:22:08.799 --> 00:22:09.360 it might be, 00:22:09.360 --> 00:22:09.880 but it's not 00:22:09.880 --> 00:22:10.720 the full picture. 00:22:11.759 --> 00:22:11.960 You see, 00:22:12.059 --> 00:22:12.799 sooner or later, 00:22:13.080 --> 00:22:13.820 we fall off 00:22:13.820 --> 00:22:14.980 and we sink. 00:22:16.000 --> 00:22:17.080 There is a way 00:22:17.080 --> 00:22:17.799 in which 00:22:17.799 --> 00:22:20.440 this little metal washer 00:22:20.440 --> 00:22:21.860 can float 00:22:21.860 --> 00:22:24.460 and it's when we take 00:22:24.460 --> 00:22:26.160 this piece of polystyrene 00:22:26.160 --> 00:22:27.720 and we put it 00:22:27.720 --> 00:22:28.360 through the middle. 00:22:30.059 --> 00:22:30.320 You see, 00:22:30.380 --> 00:22:31.340 it's only when we make 00:22:31.340 --> 00:22:32.680 God the very centre 00:22:32.680 --> 00:22:33.380 of our lives, 00:22:33.420 --> 00:22:34.259 not simply one 00:22:34.259 --> 00:22:35.400 who we lean to, 00:22:36.680 --> 00:22:37.940 but when we recognise 00:22:37.940 --> 00:22:39.320 that He's at the very centre, 00:22:39.319 --> 00:22:41.839 that it's not about us, 00:22:42.339 --> 00:22:43.839 that it is about God, 00:22:44.779 --> 00:22:46.960 that we float. 00:22:49.960 --> 00:22:50.779 What does that mean 00:22:50.779 --> 00:22:51.519 for you right now? 00:22:53.519 --> 00:22:54.480 Is there perhaps 00:22:54.480 --> 00:22:55.939 a part particularly 00:22:55.939 --> 00:22:56.599 of your life 00:22:56.599 --> 00:22:57.099 where you feel 00:22:57.099 --> 00:22:58.339 that God might be saying, 00:22:58.460 --> 00:22:58.579 look, 00:22:59.480 --> 00:23:00.139 trust me, 00:23:00.140 --> 00:23:03.860 just take your gaze 00:23:03.860 --> 00:23:04.480 away 00:23:04.480 --> 00:23:06.600 from the circumstances 00:23:06.600 --> 00:23:08.520 and put me 00:23:08.520 --> 00:23:09.080 at the centre. 00:23:11.600 --> 00:23:12.960 It's not about us, 00:23:12.960 --> 00:23:14.840 it is about God. 00:23:14.840 --> 00:23:14.860 It is about God.