WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.120 Now, we're going to read a couple of different sections from the New Testament. First of all, 00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:13.660 in the book of Philippians chapter 2. So, if you have your Bibles, you can turn there, 00:00:13.800 --> 00:00:19.740 otherwise the words are up on the screen. Philippians chapter 2, we're going to read 00:00:19.740 --> 00:00:28.280 the first 11 verses, and then we'll turn to 1 Corinthians 13 again. So, let's hear God's Word 00:00:28.280 --> 00:00:36.079 together. Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from 00:00:36.079 --> 00:00:44.719 his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy 00:00:44.719 --> 00:00:52.880 complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in Spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out 00:00:52.880 --> 00:01:00.100 of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not 00:01:00.100 --> 00:01:05.920 looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of others. In your relationships with 00:01:05.920 --> 00:01:13.180 one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus, who, being in very nature God, did not consider 00:01:13.180 --> 00:01:19.680 equality with God something to be used to his own advantage. Rather, he made himself nothing by taking 00:01:19.680 --> 00:01:25.540 the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, 00:01:25.640 --> 00:01:33.040 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God exalted him to 00:01:33.040 --> 00:01:39.700 the highest place, and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee 00:01:39.700 --> 00:01:46.840 should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ 00:01:46.840 --> 00:01:56.320 is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And then turning back to 1 Corinthians chapter 13, 00:01:58.140 --> 00:02:03.480 we're going to read there from verse 3 to verse 7. 00:02:06.240 --> 00:02:13.819 If I give all I possess to the poor, and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, 00:02:13.819 --> 00:02:23.620 but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, 00:02:24.180 --> 00:02:31.439 it does not boast, it is not proud, it does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, 00:02:31.819 --> 00:02:38.859 it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, 00:02:38.860 --> 00:02:50.100 but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 00:02:50.820 --> 00:02:55.780 We're going to be back looking at that second part of verse 4 in just a moment, but let me again 00:02:55.780 --> 00:03:05.140 pray briefly. Lord, with the psalmist, we ask that you would open our eyes to see wonderful things in 00:03:05.139 --> 00:03:13.599 your word. That we would remember that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes 00:03:13.599 --> 00:03:20.139 from the mouth of God. We pray that we would open our mouths, that you would fill us, that you would 00:03:20.139 --> 00:03:30.079 satisfy us, that you would bring us a good news of great joy as we spend time in your word. May we be 00:03:30.080 --> 00:03:39.400 conscious of your spirit opening the word to us. May he open our hearts to receive it. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:03:41.400 --> 00:03:55.520 So love does not envy, it does not boast, and it is not proud. Love is the most excellent way Paul has 00:03:55.520 --> 00:04:01.060 been teaching the church, and we're going to continue to think about that, but we are going to begin, 00:04:01.420 --> 00:04:07.540 at least in our imagination, with a trip to the carnival or to a funfair. Now, I don't know how 00:04:07.540 --> 00:04:13.340 different people feel about them. Some love them, some not so much. Some are thrill seekers, some 00:04:13.340 --> 00:04:20.500 not so much. There are at least two queues at the funfair you would never find me in. The first would be 00:04:20.500 --> 00:04:26.300 the queue for the pirate ship, which looks to me like the greatest form of torture ever devised. You 00:04:26.300 --> 00:04:29.800 know, the way it swings all the way up, and then it swoops back down, it swings all the way up again. 00:04:30.519 --> 00:04:35.339 Paying to be seasick does not strike me as fun. So you wouldn't find me on the pirate ship. I don't 00:04:35.339 --> 00:04:42.040 like those highs and lows. You also would never find me in the hall or the house of mirrors. I get 00:04:42.040 --> 00:04:48.579 claustrophobic very easily, and the thought of being surrounded by reflections of oneself and feeling 00:04:48.579 --> 00:04:59.899 trapped. It seemed like a form of misery and torture again. Today, we are dealing with the topic of 00:04:59.899 --> 00:05:06.459 pride. Pride, Paul is going to say to us, is most definitely not the most excellent way because love 00:05:06.459 --> 00:05:16.219 is. Rather, pride, when it takes root in our lives, can be a lot like that pirate ship experience, 00:05:16.220 --> 00:05:22.840 or like being on a roller coaster, where we will find ourselves emotionally at least experiencing all 00:05:22.840 --> 00:05:30.000 kinds of highs and lows because how we feel about ourselves and how we feel our life is, 00:05:30.820 --> 00:05:38.040 is always related to other people. Do they speak well of us or not? Are they achieving more than us or not? 00:05:38.180 --> 00:05:45.400 Highs and lows that come with pride. Pride can also, can't it be a lot like a hall of mirrors? 00:05:46.220 --> 00:05:53.060 Where it feels like everything is about us. We manage to make everything reflect back to us, 00:05:53.100 --> 00:06:00.380 and when that happens, it's a struggle then to break out of that, to love others well, to think well of 00:06:00.380 --> 00:06:12.180 others. So today, our goal is to remind ourselves of the right center for our identity, that center that 00:06:12.180 --> 00:06:21.180 will give us stability and security to allow us to love others well. So we need to begin with what the 00:06:21.180 --> 00:06:30.639 Bible teaches about ourselves. The Bible teaches that as people, we are made in God's image, in God's 00:06:30.639 --> 00:06:35.720 likeness. As people, whoever we are, wherever we're from, we have value, we have dignity, we have worth. 00:06:35.720 --> 00:06:43.260 And more than just being made in God's image, we are made to know God and to enjoy God and to worship 00:06:43.260 --> 00:06:53.360 God. The right at the center of our identity should be knowing God as Father through Jesus as Savior. 00:06:54.120 --> 00:07:02.280 That's our source of identity, or it should be. The problem for pride then is that rather than looking 00:07:02.279 --> 00:07:10.299 up to God for a sense of our identity, we find ourselves looking around, having to compare 00:07:10.299 --> 00:07:18.139 ourselves to others for a sense of self-worth or dignity, what we can so easily do is we can put the 00:07:18.139 --> 00:07:26.819 self, ourselves, at the center of our existence where God belongs. The Bible uses the image of pride as a 00:07:26.819 --> 00:07:33.219 person who is puffed up. Perhaps we can think of a puffed up balloon. What do we know about that 00:07:33.219 --> 00:07:40.379 balloon? We know that it is fragile. There is always that strong possibility that it will be deflated, 00:07:40.500 --> 00:07:47.579 that someone will come along and burst that bubble of ours. We can also say of a balloon when it's 00:07:47.579 --> 00:07:54.779 blown up that there's a hollowness. We are meant to have a stable center who is God. God is big enough to 00:07:54.779 --> 00:07:59.519 fill all our hopes, our needs, our desires. If we put ourself where God's supposed to be, 00:08:00.299 --> 00:08:05.059 we will find that we are missing something. There will be that sense of hollowness. 00:08:06.459 --> 00:08:13.000 Augustine said our hearts are restless until they find their rest in our God. There is a God-shaped 00:08:13.000 --> 00:08:21.599 hole in all of us. The church in Corinth then, in a sense, stands as a case study of the danger of 00:08:21.600 --> 00:08:27.840 pride as it finds itself in an individual, or indeed as it finds itself playing out in a church. 00:08:28.500 --> 00:08:32.879 So again, you read the whole letter and you find a church where there is jealousy, 00:08:34.019 --> 00:08:39.800 a church where there is selfishness, where they are resenting the success of others or the gifts of 00:08:39.800 --> 00:08:47.240 others, where there are people fighting to be number one. And so Paul brings this answer to the 00:08:47.240 --> 00:08:54.019 church and he returns them to the reality of love that is the greatest, that is the most excellent way. 00:08:55.419 --> 00:09:03.120 That we need to find our identity in knowing the love of God through Jesus if we are to be secure 00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:10.680 as individuals so that we might then love others well, regardless of how their response is, 00:09:10.679 --> 00:09:17.239 regardless of how they are perceived by others, what their standing is, what their gifts are. 00:09:17.939 --> 00:09:23.939 So to help us to think about this, four simple words beginning with the letter C. We're going to 00:09:23.939 --> 00:09:29.859 think about comparison, and we're going to think about contentment, and we're going to think about 00:09:29.859 --> 00:09:38.500 celebration, and then we're going to think about Christ as we think about this truth that love does 00:09:38.500 --> 00:09:45.440 not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. So let's begin with our first C, which is comparison. 00:09:46.399 --> 00:09:51.740 So there was a minister in Govan in Glasgow back in the 17th century by the name of Hugh Binning, 00:09:52.120 --> 00:09:56.740 and he wrote a little book on this chapter, and he has a wonderful little phrase in there where he 00:09:56.740 --> 00:10:04.720 says, pride is a self-admirer. Pride is a self-admirer. And he goes further and he says, 00:10:04.720 --> 00:10:13.379 that pride is fed by constant comparison. That was back in the 17th century, but I imagine that we can 00:10:13.379 --> 00:10:20.820 so easily relate to that reality today in the world in which we live. You may have seen in the news, 00:10:20.840 --> 00:10:26.160 or you may be a social media person, and you will know that Instagram have now made it possible 00:10:26.160 --> 00:10:32.399 that when you post a story, you can hide the likes that you get. It was regarded as being stressful, 00:10:32.399 --> 00:10:39.079 bad for people's mental health. So to give a less pressurized social media experience, you can now 00:10:39.079 --> 00:10:48.720 hide how people respond to your story. The power of comparison and competition, positively or negatively. 00:10:51.000 --> 00:10:55.439 When it comes to pride here, we can think about envy and boasting, as it were, of two sides of the 00:10:55.440 --> 00:11:02.620 same coin. And when we think about comparison, envy is drawing pain, because we think someone is higher 00:11:02.620 --> 00:11:08.200 and better and more than us. Whereas boasting is drawing pleasure from the fact that we think we're doing 00:11:08.200 --> 00:11:15.400 better and we're higher and we're more than another. Perceptions we have of ourselves. 00:11:17.200 --> 00:11:22.760 The categories that we compare one another with, I imagine we could draw almost an endless list. 00:11:22.759 --> 00:11:28.319 All of us will have our own weaknesses, temptations to compare and compete. 00:11:29.559 --> 00:11:34.399 We can think about success, power, reputation, looks, performance, temperament, personality, 00:11:34.580 --> 00:11:39.360 abilities, gifts, you name it, it's possible to compare and compete. 00:11:41.559 --> 00:11:45.980 And the challenge we face in the 21st century is this is being fed by advertising, 00:11:46.700 --> 00:11:49.819 which is saying you will be someone when you have this product. 00:11:49.820 --> 00:11:58.000 You are worth something when you wear this item of clothing. Couple that with the power of social media, 00:11:59.220 --> 00:12:04.360 where we can so easily, and Instagram have recognized it, find ourselves comparing and 00:12:04.360 --> 00:12:08.220 being compared with, and that could be profoundly stressful or lead to boasting. 00:12:09.820 --> 00:12:15.000 It's a day and age as well when you will find in any sort of field, there's so many success 00:12:15.000 --> 00:12:21.019 stories being paraded. We like to celebrate the great and the good, and that can be bad for our 00:12:21.019 --> 00:12:26.440 feeling of self-worth and self-image. It can be so easy to be sucked into the comparison game, 00:12:26.500 --> 00:12:32.960 the competition game. But the question is, why do we have that pressure of comparison? 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:41.040 Well, the Bible would say it's because we're looking for our identity on the horizontal level, 00:12:41.879 --> 00:12:48.100 when we should be finding that secure identity from who we are in Christ. Rather than comparing 00:12:48.100 --> 00:12:53.120 and competing with one another, we should be content knowing that we have the approval of God, 00:12:53.300 --> 00:13:00.120 our Father. The answer, to use the title from Tim Keller's little book, is the freedom of self-forgetfulness, 00:13:00.120 --> 00:13:08.500 to think of self-less, and to think more of the Lord Jesus. What happens when we compare ourselves, 00:13:08.600 --> 00:13:13.759 not to one another, but we compare ourselves to Jesus? What happens as we read the Gospels? 00:13:15.080 --> 00:13:25.120 There we see the one truly perfect human being who is, of course, also fully God. We see His glory, 00:13:25.120 --> 00:13:31.500 we see His perfections, we see His perfect treatment of others, and when we are honest before God's Word, 00:13:31.560 --> 00:13:40.879 that creates a humility. So we look to Jesus to humble ourselves, but we also look to Christ to 00:13:40.879 --> 00:13:47.379 find our stable and secure identity, because the good news of the Bible is that when we are trusting 00:13:47.379 --> 00:13:55.519 in Jesus, God's verdict on us is already in. And that verdict is a positive one, and it's a positive 00:13:55.519 --> 00:13:59.559 one not because of who we are and what we have done and what we are achieving, but because of 00:13:59.559 --> 00:14:07.500 who Jesus is, and what Jesus has done in His dying on the cross and His resurrection to forgive our sin, 00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:10.039 to reconcile us and bring us peace with God. 00:14:10.039 --> 00:14:18.120 So before God, we have a welcome, we have approval, not based on me, but on Jesus. And that's where 00:14:18.120 --> 00:14:23.039 stability comes from. And when we know that, we live out of that, then we can love others well. 00:14:23.860 --> 00:14:31.699 So that's the first C, the C of comparison. Let's move from there to contentment. 00:14:31.700 --> 00:14:40.740 A couple of classic Bible examples of people who were not content. Our Sunday school, they're just 00:14:40.740 --> 00:14:47.560 finishing off the story of Joseph at the moment. And what we discover as soon as we meet Joseph and 00:14:47.560 --> 00:14:54.000 his brothers is that Joseph is hated because he's favored, but he has a dream, doesn't he? He has a 00:14:54.000 --> 00:15:01.620 dream that his mom and his dad and his brothers will all bow down to him. And when he has that dream, 00:15:01.700 --> 00:15:08.580 of that position that God would give to him, his brothers hated him all the more because they were 00:15:08.580 --> 00:15:15.700 jealous. Who is he to claim that kind of status? Another example in the book of Esther is Haman, 00:15:16.520 --> 00:15:22.660 one of the real villains of Old Testament history. Haman was the guy who, in one sense, seemed to have 00:15:22.660 --> 00:15:28.060 it all. He had power, he had respect. People from all over the kingdom were bowing down to him. He'd been 00:15:28.059 --> 00:15:34.879 invited to a feast from Queen Esther, but he couldn't be happy because one man, Mordecai, wouldn't bow 00:15:34.879 --> 00:15:42.879 down to him. In fact, he said to his friends, I won't be happy until Mordecai is dead. The point is that 00:15:42.879 --> 00:15:54.239 pride, when it takes root in our hearts, will suck away contentment from our lives. We will inevitably find 00:15:54.240 --> 00:16:03.399 ourselves on that roller coaster of emotional highs and lows, constantly comparing, constantly competing, 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:14.779 never feeling content. We see one aspect of this in the church in Corinth. In 1 Corinthians chapter 3, 00:16:14.899 --> 00:16:19.919 you can turn there if you have your Bible, we find Paul saying to this church, 00:16:19.919 --> 00:16:25.699 in this one regard, you're not acting like Christians. You're acting in a very worldly way, 00:16:25.860 --> 00:16:32.039 and it was because they were arguing and fighting, there was jealousy and quarreling 00:16:32.039 --> 00:16:39.939 over who was the great spiritual leader that they should follow. Paul says, when one says, 00:16:39.939 --> 00:16:47.939 I follow Paul, and another, I follow Apollos, are you not mere human beings? What, after all, 00:16:47.940 --> 00:16:54.560 is Apollos, and what is Paul? Only servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord has assigned 00:16:54.560 --> 00:17:02.120 to each his task. Yeah, a wonderful example from Paul. He's not fighting to be regarded as number one. 00:17:02.180 --> 00:17:09.900 He considers himself a servant. God's working in him. God's working through him, and he is content with 00:17:09.900 --> 00:17:17.800 that. And he calls them to recognize that in a very real sense, verse 7, neither the one who plants, 00:17:17.880 --> 00:17:25.480 nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow. So they're discontented. 00:17:25.580 --> 00:17:30.740 They're arguing over who's the best, and what does Paul do? Paul says, look to God. God is everything. 00:17:31.200 --> 00:17:37.860 There's where we find our contentment. Now, three aspects of pride that we can think about, 00:17:37.859 --> 00:17:43.579 about envy and boasting, that can steal away contentment, and that can also lead to a lack 00:17:43.579 --> 00:17:51.939 of love and the loss of love within a church, which is obviously a really bad thing. Think about how it 00:17:51.939 --> 00:18:03.819 affects ourselves. If we envy, we will not be content. You know, Paul has said, 1 Corinthians 12, 00:18:03.819 --> 00:18:11.119 God calls people into his church. God assigns people by his Spirit particular gifts, particular 00:18:11.119 --> 00:18:21.439 ministries, particular roles. That's true of life in general. Envy rejects that because we want something 00:18:21.439 --> 00:18:28.460 more. Envy finds it really hard to be thankful because we're always thinking the grass is greener 00:18:28.460 --> 00:18:38.279 and someone else has got what I want. Whereas boasting also lacks contentment because, again, 00:18:38.319 --> 00:18:44.720 we're not happy that we have these gifts or these opportunities or these. We need others to see us, 00:18:45.579 --> 00:18:52.740 to value us. There's still that sense of wanting to be compared against others, and so there's a 00:18:52.740 --> 00:19:02.640 fragility that's connected to boasting. What about as envy and boasting relate to others? 00:19:03.480 --> 00:19:11.259 Well, we see in Joseph's brothers and Haman how quickly envy leads to bitterness and to anger, 00:19:11.519 --> 00:19:18.500 wanting to tear down someone else, where their happiness, their success, their personality, 00:19:18.500 --> 00:19:25.440 their gifts become a rock in our shoe that we just want to get rid of. But then on the other side, 00:19:25.579 --> 00:19:33.200 pride affects the way we look at others, so that we're inclined towards looking down on others, 00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:39.039 perhaps even stepping on others to make sure that our position and our sense of self-worth 00:19:39.039 --> 00:19:48.359 are maintained. And that, that's exhausting. If we're always competing, there's always others who we need to 00:19:48.359 --> 00:19:56.019 show ourselves to be better than, so we are losing that battle for contentment when we are boasting. 00:19:57.819 --> 00:20:07.299 And what about when it comes to God? Envy, as we've already said, is a way of saying, I am unhappy 00:20:07.299 --> 00:20:15.799 with God's providence. I'm unhappy with my circumstances. I'm unhappy with my personality, perhaps. 00:20:15.799 --> 00:20:24.200 I'm unhappy with my gifts and my opportunities. In pride, we say to God, maybe not, maybe we don't 00:20:24.200 --> 00:20:30.200 say it out loud, but in our hearts we're thinking, I deserve more than this. But what about boasting 00:20:30.200 --> 00:20:37.960 as it relates to God? Boasting takes credit to ourselves that rightly belongs to God. Where we're 00:20:37.960 --> 00:20:44.759 saying, I did that? That was on me, not every good gift comes from God. I'm just a servant. 00:20:47.100 --> 00:20:54.799 What are some of the danger signs of discontent in a person's life, in our lives? Perhaps we find 00:20:54.799 --> 00:21:01.000 ourselves daydreaming. If only, if only my life was different, if only I was different, if only I had 00:21:01.000 --> 00:21:12.079 those opportunities. Or it might look like constantly promoting oneself, turning every conversation to 00:21:12.079 --> 00:21:22.519 us, every social media post about me. Or perhaps it's giving too much weight to the words and the 00:21:22.519 --> 00:21:30.680 opinions of others. I can only be happy if all these people say good things of me. We'll be crushed if 00:21:30.680 --> 00:21:39.140 one person says something negative of us. What's the secret to contentment? Don't we want to find 00:21:39.140 --> 00:21:45.080 contentment? Don't we want to be happy in our own skin and able to love others well? Paul said he'd find 00:21:45.080 --> 00:21:56.220 the secret. He said, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Being united to the Lord 00:21:56.220 --> 00:22:08.360 Jesus, drawing life and strength from him, resting in knowing God's love and God's approval. That's where 00:22:08.360 --> 00:22:12.279 contentment is found. That's the only place where true and lasting contentment is found. 00:22:13.440 --> 00:22:18.539 I love the example of John the Baptist, beginning of John's gospel. John the Baptist is a wonderful 00:22:18.680 --> 00:22:25.240 example of pointing away from self and towards Jesus. Remember the bit where, so John had a great 00:22:25.240 --> 00:22:31.039 following as a prophet. But then Jesus comes and John straightaway says, look, here's the Lamb of 00:22:31.039 --> 00:22:34.680 God who takes away the sin of the world. And then there's one point where John's disciples say to him, 00:22:34.720 --> 00:22:39.440 look, your followers are starting to go and follow Jesus. And Jesus is starting to get a bigger crowd 00:22:39.440 --> 00:22:47.240 than you. And what did John say? John knew who Jesus was. He said, he must become greater. I must become less. 00:22:48.700 --> 00:22:53.539 That's where contentment is, where we recognize Jesus is the glorious one. We're not trying to claim 00:22:53.539 --> 00:23:03.779 glory for ourselves. That's contentment. Third C is that of celebration. Celebration. 00:23:04.879 --> 00:23:13.039 We had our niece's first birthday last weekend, which was very exciting and a very fun weekend. 00:23:13.740 --> 00:23:20.379 And we were able to share it with one or two family members. So it was really a special time. 00:23:20.380 --> 00:23:28.960 But imagine if you're at this kid's birthday party or any child's birthday party, if you were there and 00:23:28.960 --> 00:23:37.800 it was past the parcel and the music stopped. And if every time the music stopped, I made that desperate 00:23:37.800 --> 00:23:45.120 grab for the parcel, wrestling it out of a one-year-old's hands even to make sure I got the prize. 00:23:45.119 --> 00:23:56.459 Or after a particularly energetic game of musical bumps, you found me crying and throwing a tantrum 00:23:56.459 --> 00:24:03.739 in the corner because I didn't win. You'd be more than entitled to pull me to one side and say, 00:24:04.319 --> 00:24:12.699 do you know what? It's not your party. And do you know we need to remember that about life? Pride says, 00:24:12.700 --> 00:24:20.779 this is my party. It puts me at the center. Says, I should be celebrated. I should be valued. 00:24:22.640 --> 00:24:29.640 Where the Bible encourages us always, as his people, to make sure that God and his glory and his love 00:24:29.640 --> 00:24:37.640 are at the center of our lives and that that love would flow out from us to others. 00:24:37.640 --> 00:24:49.380 What does envy do, though, when we think about celebration? Envy makes it incredibly difficult 00:24:49.380 --> 00:25:00.200 to truly celebrate the success of others, the happiness of others, the gifts of others, 00:25:00.200 --> 00:25:09.620 if we feel, that should be me. That should be my experience. We can either find ourselves in the 00:25:09.620 --> 00:25:13.240 cycle of despair. I'm a nobody and I'm a nothing because they're achieving all this and I'm doing 00:25:13.240 --> 00:25:20.080 nothing. Or a cycle of bitterness. I can't wait till they fail. But what about boasting? 00:25:20.079 --> 00:25:27.939 If in our mindset, everything must be about us, then we have no time or space. Perhaps we don't even 00:25:27.939 --> 00:25:34.480 notice the successes of others that ought to be celebrated. We certainly don't have time for their 00:25:34.480 --> 00:25:41.619 joy because we're too busy worrying about our own. And when we have that boasting, there's a failure 00:25:41.619 --> 00:25:49.279 in us to be humble. Remember Paul saying, remember, I'm just God's servant. There's a failure to see God's 00:25:49.279 --> 00:25:56.940 hand in any success that we have. And there's still the problem of competition so that we're not free 00:25:56.940 --> 00:26:05.559 to celebrate others. C.S. Lewis, on the subject of pride, said, pride gets no pleasure out of having 00:26:05.559 --> 00:26:15.559 something, only out of having more of it than the next person. That kind of mindset doesn't have room to 00:26:15.559 --> 00:26:21.220 be grateful to God. Doesn't have room to be secure either because what if the next person after that 00:26:21.220 --> 00:26:32.679 gets more of something? It's a challenge for us. A chance for us to examine our hearts. How do we react 00:26:32.679 --> 00:26:39.480 to the success of a colleague in a project that they're involved in, a promotion that they receive 00:26:39.480 --> 00:26:49.120 that you don't? How do we react to the happy family that we see when perhaps we feel sad or lonely? 00:26:51.039 --> 00:26:58.480 How do we react to the thriving church? Down the road we hear wonderful stories of God's grace and 00:26:58.480 --> 00:27:06.680 God at work in them, and we feel that we are small. Are we able to celebrate God's kindness 00:27:06.680 --> 00:27:14.480 to others, the success of others? It can really expose our hearts and expose our pride. 00:27:15.580 --> 00:27:20.220 The answer, when it comes to celebration, is not to find our identity in comparing with others, 00:27:20.680 --> 00:27:25.779 not to find our contentment in relation to how we feel we stack up to others. 00:27:26.480 --> 00:27:34.480 Rather, it's to believe the gospel, to believe what God said through Zephaniah the prophet, that God, 00:27:34.480 --> 00:27:41.660 the holy, perfect, infinite, eternal God, rejoices over his church with singing, that God celebrates, 00:27:42.200 --> 00:27:50.299 saved by grace, sinners. It's to believe that Jesus, eternal Son of God, our perfect Savior, 00:27:50.380 --> 00:27:55.559 he had joy in going to the cross, knowing that he would achieve the Father's will, and knowing that 00:27:55.559 --> 00:28:03.360 he would save sinners and bring us home. This Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers, and that's 00:28:03.359 --> 00:28:09.059 something to celebrate. That's where we find our value, our sense of worth. And then, as we understand 00:28:09.059 --> 00:28:14.959 that, then we're free to rejoice with those who rejoice, and we're able to weep with those who weep. 00:28:16.240 --> 00:28:21.719 Then we are free to celebrate the success of others, to affirm the gifts of others, to enjoy saying, 00:28:21.720 --> 00:28:31.299 it's not my party, it's God's. When Jesus is at the center of our lives, there's stability, and there's 00:28:31.299 --> 00:28:43.299 security. That brings us to our fourth C, which is Christ. When we find ourselves on that emotional 00:28:43.299 --> 00:28:48.839 roller coaster of those highs when people value us and approve of us, and those lows where someone 00:28:48.839 --> 00:28:56.639 devalues or criticizes us, how do we get off? How can we know freedom to love others well, stripped of 00:28:56.639 --> 00:29:05.139 pride? How do we escape that hall of mirrors where we make so much of life all about us, where we feel 00:29:05.139 --> 00:29:13.819 exhausted and anxious and fragile? Where do we find strength and stability? Well, the answer is to look to 00:29:13.819 --> 00:29:19.519 the Lord Jesus. That's why we read from Philippians chapter 2. If you have your Bible, perhaps you can 00:29:19.519 --> 00:29:29.159 turn back to Philippians chapter 2, and here we discover the power of God's love to free us, and the 00:29:29.159 --> 00:29:37.899 pattern of Jesus' love that we are then encouraged to follow in our own lives. There are wonderful truths 00:29:37.900 --> 00:29:49.060 here in verse 1. It says that by faith we recognize that we are united to Christ. 00:29:50.640 --> 00:30:03.800 By faith we draw comfort from His perfect love. By faith we share in the spirit of love. 00:30:03.799 --> 00:30:15.539 Here's the antidote to selfish ambition and pride and envy and boasting. It's found in what we have 00:30:15.539 --> 00:30:22.159 in Christ, and it's what we see in Christ. Verse 5, in your relationships with one another have the same 00:30:22.159 --> 00:30:32.799 mindset as Christ. What do we see in Jesus? We see humble, self-giving love. Verse 6, Jesus, 00:30:32.799 --> 00:30:39.940 being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage. 00:30:41.319 --> 00:30:48.319 This is wonderful truth that Jesus did not grudge leaving the glory of heaven to come to this earth. 00:30:49.839 --> 00:30:57.879 Verse 7, rather, Jesus made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human 00:30:57.880 --> 00:31:08.060 likeness. Jesus did not begrudge becoming one of us. Jesus did not grudge taking the position of a servant, 00:31:08.060 --> 00:31:16.080 becoming the suffering servant to save us. Verse 8, Jesus being found in appearance as a man, 00:31:16.640 --> 00:31:25.640 humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Jesus in humility did not 00:31:25.640 --> 00:31:36.300 grudge becoming obedient to the point of death to be our Savior. And who did he do that for? For proud, 00:31:37.140 --> 00:31:46.460 envying, boastful people like us. But Jesus didn't claim his rights. Rather, he freely gave himself 00:31:46.460 --> 00:31:56.779 to die for us at the cross. And when we see that love, that humble, sacrificial love, when we receive 00:31:56.779 --> 00:32:05.220 that in our hearts, isn't that what strips away pride in our lives? Isn't that what turns us towards 00:32:05.220 --> 00:32:14.900 loving others? When we see that perfect example in Jesus. Jesus, our elder brother, who's not ashamed to 00:32:14.900 --> 00:32:21.700 call us brothers? I was talking to a few different people about big brothers this week. I don't know 00:32:21.700 --> 00:32:29.080 where everyone sits in their family tree, but if you have a big brother or a big sister, I imagine 00:32:29.080 --> 00:32:35.900 the chances are that you, at least at one point in your life, looked up to them. It's certainly true of 00:32:35.900 --> 00:32:42.780 me. I'm only one year younger than my big brother, but he is someone I always looked up to and still do. 00:32:42.779 --> 00:32:51.099 And that's often the case with big brothers, big sisters. We often look up to them. We admire them. 00:32:51.660 --> 00:32:58.359 We want to be like them. That's why we need to look to Jesus, remembering that in God's family, 00:32:58.519 --> 00:33:07.200 Jesus is all our elder brother. And when we admire Jesus and the way that he lived, we recognize 00:33:07.200 --> 00:33:13.759 Jesus didn't envy and Jesus didn't envy and Jesus didn't boast. So, I don't want to. 00:33:15.519 --> 00:33:25.640 Jesus loves others. Jesus celebrated the value of others. And I want to love like that. 00:33:26.559 --> 00:33:33.720 We need to look to Jesus. We'll shortly be coming to the Lord's table. And as Philippians 2, 00:33:33.720 --> 00:33:42.039 our reading continued, this same Jesus who humbled himself to die on the cross to forgive our sin and 00:33:42.039 --> 00:33:49.000 to bring us to God is now, verse 9, exalted to the highest place and given the name that is above 00:33:49.000 --> 00:33:55.240 every name. Jesus exalted above everyone and everything. And yet, 00:33:55.240 --> 00:34:05.259 Jesus will meet with us at his table. In his self-giving love, he will come to graciously 00:34:05.259 --> 00:34:17.539 serve us and strengthen our faith. This is our Savior, a humble Savior, full of love. And since this is true, 00:34:17.539 --> 00:34:27.500 what do we need? We need, first of all, to receive his love today, to receive this offered forgiveness, 00:34:27.860 --> 00:34:36.059 to receive this peace with God by putting our trust in him. And then we need to rest in this love, 00:34:37.059 --> 00:34:42.079 to let this love be what defines us and gives us our sense of self. 00:34:42.079 --> 00:34:52.539 And from that freedom of self-forgetfulness, we would then be enabled by God's grace to love 00:34:52.539 --> 00:34:56.980 one another. Let's pray together briefly. 00:34:59.860 --> 00:35:08.279 Lord, our God, we thank you so much for the humble, self-giving love of the Lord Jesus 00:35:08.280 --> 00:35:19.380 in leaving the glory of heaven for us, in becoming one of us, in becoming our servant and to die on the cross for us. 00:35:20.519 --> 00:35:25.420 Lord, we thank you now that he is exalted over everyone and everything. 00:35:27.360 --> 00:35:34.940 We thank you that he still continues to give us his love, still draws near to meet with us. 00:35:34.940 --> 00:35:44.019 Lord, we pray that you would cause us to know that love in our lives and that it would both humble us 00:35:44.019 --> 00:35:55.539 and give us that sense of stability, to recognize that our true identity as believers is who we are 00:35:55.539 --> 00:36:02.539 in the Lord Jesus Christ. Keep us from fighting and competing and comparing. 00:36:02.539 --> 00:36:16.159 Keep us from discontent. Help us to be able to celebrate others because we find the joy of a God who celebrates over us. 00:36:17.079 --> 00:36:20.039 We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:36:20.039 --> 00:36:30.860 Now, before we come as God's people to share the Lord's Supper, we will hear a very appropriate hymn 00:36:30.860 --> 00:36:39.519 when I survey the wondrous cross. And this will be a good time for us to open our bread and our wine 00:36:39.519 --> 00:36:41.340 if we are sharing them today. 00:36:41.340 --> 00:36:41.400 Amen. 00:36:50.039 --> 00:37:13.179 When I surveyed the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died, 00:37:13.179 --> 00:37:22.119 my richest gain I count but loss, 00:37:22.119 --> 00:37:30.339 and poor contempt on all my pride. 00:37:34.339 --> 00:37:41.619 Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, 00:37:41.619 --> 00:37:50.659 save in the death of Christ my God. 00:37:50.659 --> 00:37:59.460 All the vain things that charm me most, 00:37:59.460 --> 00:38:07.880 I sacrifice them to His blood. 00:38:11.619 --> 00:38:21.359 See from His hand, His hands, His feet, 00:38:21.359 --> 00:38:30.259 Sorrow and love flow mingled down. 00:38:30.260 --> 00:38:38.860 Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, 00:38:38.860 --> 00:38:47.340 For thorns compose so rich a crown? 00:38:47.340 --> 00:39:00.800 Were thou whole realm of nature mine, 00:39:00.800 --> 00:39:09.800 That were a present far too small, 00:39:09.800 --> 00:39:18.539 Love so amazing, so divine, 00:39:18.539 --> 00:39:27.360 Demands my soul, my life, my own. 00:39:27.360 --> 00:39:47.480 Now as we come to this part of our service, 00:39:47.680 --> 00:39:50.099 we come to share the Lord's Supper, 00:39:50.099 --> 00:39:53.699 which is a visible reminder, 00:39:53.699 --> 00:39:57.659 A representation of the death of the Lord Jesus, 00:39:57.659 --> 00:39:59.799 stands at the centre of our faith, 00:39:59.900 --> 00:40:01.159 the centre of our hope, 00:40:02.019 --> 00:40:04.279 where we see God's love demonstrated. 00:40:05.079 --> 00:40:08.420 This meal which is for those who are members of God's church, 00:40:08.539 --> 00:40:10.639 those who've been baptised. 00:40:10.639 --> 00:40:16.440 Let me read a verse from Galatians 6 00:40:16.440 --> 00:40:18.920 that our hymn writer drew on 00:40:18.920 --> 00:40:21.239 as he was writing that wonderful hymn. 00:40:22.039 --> 00:40:23.819 Galatians 6 verse 14, 00:40:23.920 --> 00:40:29.799 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, 00:40:30.219 --> 00:40:33.119 through which the world has been crucified to me 00:40:33.119 --> 00:40:36.199 and I to the world. 00:40:36.199 --> 00:40:43.179 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:40:44.399 --> 00:40:45.259 We sometimes sing, 00:40:45.399 --> 00:40:47.939 Hallelujah, all I have is Christ. 00:40:48.099 --> 00:40:51.799 Hallelujah, Jesus is my life. 00:40:52.059 --> 00:40:55.639 Boasting in what Jesus has done for us, 00:40:55.759 --> 00:40:57.500 who Jesus is to us. 00:40:58.699 --> 00:41:02.599 I am a new creation in Christ. 00:41:02.839 --> 00:41:04.299 That's our hope. 00:41:04.300 --> 00:41:06.800 That's our centre, not what we have done, 00:41:06.900 --> 00:41:10.800 but all that Jesus has done for us. 00:41:11.960 --> 00:41:13.560 So here at the Lord's table, 00:41:13.640 --> 00:41:15.940 we have an opportunity to look back 00:41:15.940 --> 00:41:19.880 and to remember his death for his people, 00:41:20.019 --> 00:41:21.960 for our sin on the cross. 00:41:22.260 --> 00:41:23.700 And as we look back, 00:41:24.980 --> 00:41:27.680 it creates a sense of humility in us 00:41:27.680 --> 00:41:31.400 when we recognise the sinless Son of God did that for us. 00:41:31.400 --> 00:41:35.059 It creates a sense of gratitude in us 00:41:35.059 --> 00:41:37.700 when we recognise our salvation secure 00:41:37.700 --> 00:41:42.099 at the cost of Jesus' body and blood. 00:41:42.760 --> 00:41:46.139 It strips away false pride from us. 00:41:47.139 --> 00:41:49.519 We bring nothing except our sin. 00:41:50.360 --> 00:41:52.880 Salvation belongs to the Lord. 00:41:52.880 --> 00:41:55.880 But then as we come to the table, 00:41:56.000 --> 00:41:59.860 we find ourselves looking around at one another. 00:42:00.940 --> 00:42:01.940 And as we look around, 00:42:02.059 --> 00:42:04.099 we remember in the gospel, 00:42:04.280 --> 00:42:07.860 we are all one in the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:42:08.820 --> 00:42:11.400 We're all loved by our Father in heaven. 00:42:12.260 --> 00:42:14.820 Jesus loved us and gave himself for us. 00:42:14.920 --> 00:42:16.880 There's no place for envy and boasting 00:42:16.880 --> 00:42:20.119 in God's family, in God's church. 00:42:20.740 --> 00:42:23.059 Rather, we are to live lives marked by love. 00:42:24.840 --> 00:42:27.760 And then as we come to the Lord's table, 00:42:27.860 --> 00:42:29.059 as we hear Jesus say, 00:42:29.180 --> 00:42:32.860 do this until I return in remembrance of me, 00:42:33.260 --> 00:42:34.460 we look ahead, don't we? 00:42:34.500 --> 00:42:35.420 We anticipate. 00:42:36.280 --> 00:42:38.800 We anticipate the wedding supper of the Lamb, 00:42:39.500 --> 00:42:42.019 that wonderful picture of eternity 00:42:42.019 --> 00:42:44.380 in the presence of Jesus, 00:42:44.840 --> 00:42:46.139 in a world made perfect, 00:42:46.239 --> 00:42:47.300 when we're free of sin. 00:42:47.460 --> 00:42:48.960 And on that day, 00:42:49.940 --> 00:42:52.400 there'll be no envy in our hearts. 00:42:52.480 --> 00:42:53.800 There'll be no pride in our hearts. 00:42:53.900 --> 00:42:57.679 There'll be no boasting except in the Lord Jesus. 00:42:59.420 --> 00:43:01.940 So we can use this supper to remind us 00:43:01.940 --> 00:43:04.500 and to return us again 00:43:04.500 --> 00:43:07.400 to our faith in the Lord Jesus. 00:43:08.059 --> 00:43:08.980 Let's read. 00:43:09.159 --> 00:43:11.079 Let me read from 1 Corinthians 11, 00:43:11.079 --> 00:43:13.179 these words of institution. 00:43:14.179 --> 00:43:16.659 For I received from the Lord 00:43:16.659 --> 00:43:19.000 what I also passed on to you. 00:43:19.639 --> 00:43:20.619 The Lord Jesus, 00:43:21.179 --> 00:43:22.619 on the night he was betrayed, 00:43:23.579 --> 00:43:24.279 took bread. 00:43:24.880 --> 00:43:26.739 And when he had given thanks, 00:43:26.840 --> 00:43:28.619 he broke it and said, 00:43:28.719 --> 00:43:29.639 this is my body, 00:43:29.980 --> 00:43:31.299 which is for you. 00:43:31.940 --> 00:43:34.980 Do this in remembrance of me. 00:43:36.119 --> 00:43:37.119 So let's pray 00:43:37.119 --> 00:43:39.259 and then we can take the bread. 00:43:39.260 --> 00:43:42.600 Lord God, 00:43:42.680 --> 00:43:44.960 we thank you for this chance 00:43:44.960 --> 00:43:47.440 to stop and to reflect 00:43:47.440 --> 00:43:48.580 and to remember. 00:43:49.860 --> 00:43:51.140 To remember 00:43:51.140 --> 00:43:53.600 your great love 00:43:53.600 --> 00:43:55.620 in sending your son, 00:43:55.900 --> 00:43:56.240 Jesus, 00:43:57.500 --> 00:43:59.320 to be that ransom, 00:44:00.160 --> 00:44:01.360 to set us free 00:44:01.360 --> 00:44:03.000 from our slavery to sin, 00:44:03.600 --> 00:44:05.600 so that by trusting in Jesus, 00:44:05.599 --> 00:44:07.319 we might be forgiven 00:44:07.319 --> 00:44:09.420 and we might be brought home 00:44:09.420 --> 00:44:10.139 to yourself. 00:44:11.500 --> 00:44:12.000 Lord, 00:44:12.059 --> 00:44:12.980 as we consider 00:44:12.980 --> 00:44:14.659 the great cost 00:44:14.659 --> 00:44:15.980 of our salvation, 00:44:16.960 --> 00:44:17.920 may it lead us 00:44:17.920 --> 00:44:18.839 to humility 00:44:18.839 --> 00:44:20.739 and gratitude 00:44:20.739 --> 00:44:23.420 and increased worship. 00:44:25.019 --> 00:44:25.619 Lord, 00:44:25.699 --> 00:44:26.420 may our hearts 00:44:26.420 --> 00:44:27.139 and our lives 00:44:27.139 --> 00:44:28.460 be centred around 00:44:28.460 --> 00:44:29.699 your great love 00:44:29.699 --> 00:44:30.739 for us. 00:44:30.739 --> 00:44:32.839 and may you use 00:44:32.839 --> 00:44:35.000 these elements 00:44:35.000 --> 00:44:35.879 of bread 00:44:35.879 --> 00:44:36.579 and wine 00:44:36.579 --> 00:44:39.439 to strengthen 00:44:39.439 --> 00:44:41.159 our faith 00:44:41.159 --> 00:44:42.119 in the Lord Jesus, 00:44:43.299 --> 00:44:44.219 to be restored 00:44:44.219 --> 00:44:44.859 and renewed 00:44:44.859 --> 00:44:45.679 as we consider 00:44:45.679 --> 00:44:46.739 your great love 00:44:46.739 --> 00:44:48.399 for us. 00:44:49.099 --> 00:44:49.939 We ask that 00:44:49.939 --> 00:44:50.959 by your Spirit 00:44:50.959 --> 00:44:52.439 you would meet with us 00:44:52.439 --> 00:44:54.179 to strengthen us 00:44:54.179 --> 00:44:54.919 in our faith, 00:44:55.459 --> 00:44:56.479 to enable us 00:44:56.479 --> 00:44:57.459 to persevere 00:44:57.459 --> 00:44:58.179 with joy. 00:44:58.919 --> 00:44:59.659 We pray 00:44:59.659 --> 00:45:00.579 in Jesus' name. 00:45:01.239 --> 00:45:01.539 Amen. 00:45:02.259 --> 00:45:03.159 So let's 00:45:03.159 --> 00:45:04.559 take the bread 00:45:04.559 --> 00:45:05.299 and let's 00:45:05.299 --> 00:45:06.799 eat that together. 00:45:17.539 --> 00:45:18.099 Continuing 00:45:18.099 --> 00:45:18.879 our reading 00:45:18.879 --> 00:45:19.839 at verse 25 00:45:19.839 --> 00:45:21.000 in the same way 00:45:21.000 --> 00:45:22.239 after supper 00:45:22.239 --> 00:45:24.259 he took the cup 00:45:24.259 --> 00:45:24.539 saying, 00:45:24.779 --> 00:45:25.219 this cup 00:45:25.219 --> 00:45:26.579 is the new covenant 00:45:26.579 --> 00:45:27.460 in my blood. 00:45:28.279 --> 00:45:28.960 Do this 00:45:28.960 --> 00:45:29.900 whenever you drink 00:45:29.900 --> 00:45:30.099 it 00:45:30.099 --> 00:45:31.220 in remembrance 00:45:31.220 --> 00:45:31.820 of me 00:45:31.820 --> 00:45:33.159 for whenever 00:45:33.159 --> 00:45:33.699 you eat 00:45:33.699 --> 00:45:34.679 this bread 00:45:34.679 --> 00:45:35.699 and drink 00:45:35.699 --> 00:45:36.360 this cup 00:45:36.360 --> 00:45:37.740 you proclaim 00:45:37.740 --> 00:45:38.920 the Lord's death 00:45:38.920 --> 00:45:40.900 until he comes. 00:45:41.760 --> 00:45:42.500 So let's 00:45:42.500 --> 00:45:43.220 take the cup 00:45:43.220 --> 00:45:44.079 and drink. 00:45:44.079 --> 00:45:56.059 and let's 00:45:56.059 --> 00:45:57.440 pray together. 00:46:01.019 --> 00:46:01.539 Lord, 00:46:01.619 --> 00:46:02.019 as we have 00:46:02.019 --> 00:46:02.360 shared 00:46:02.360 --> 00:46:02.960 this very 00:46:02.960 --> 00:46:04.719 simple meal 00:46:04.719 --> 00:46:05.500 we thank you 00:46:05.500 --> 00:46:06.139 for its 00:46:06.139 --> 00:46:07.319 amazing 00:46:07.319 --> 00:46:09.119 significance, 00:46:09.599 --> 00:46:10.500 its saving 00:46:10.500 --> 00:46:11.579 significance 00:46:11.579 --> 00:46:12.460 for the lives 00:46:12.460 --> 00:46:13.400 of your people. 00:46:14.059 --> 00:46:14.840 May you 00:46:14.840 --> 00:46:16.420 strengthen us 00:46:16.420 --> 00:46:17.420 to proclaim 00:46:17.420 --> 00:46:19.039 the Lord's 00:46:19.039 --> 00:46:19.519 death 00:46:19.519 --> 00:46:20.340 until he 00:46:20.340 --> 00:46:20.880 comes, 00:46:21.559 --> 00:46:22.059 to with our 00:46:22.059 --> 00:46:22.639 words 00:46:22.639 --> 00:46:24.360 and in our 00:46:24.360 --> 00:46:24.900 actions 00:46:24.900 --> 00:46:26.740 to demonstrate 00:46:26.740 --> 00:46:27.860 the transforming 00:46:27.860 --> 00:46:28.539 power 00:46:28.539 --> 00:46:29.880 of the love 00:46:29.880 --> 00:46:30.420 of God 00:46:30.420 --> 00:46:31.280 in our lives 00:46:31.280 --> 00:46:32.240 as individuals, 00:46:32.440 --> 00:46:33.000 as families, 00:46:33.179 --> 00:46:34.420 and as your 00:46:34.420 --> 00:46:34.980 church. 00:46:35.980 --> 00:46:36.300 Lord, 00:46:36.380 --> 00:46:37.519 may we go 00:46:37.519 --> 00:46:38.039 from this 00:46:38.039 --> 00:46:38.460 place 00:46:38.460 --> 00:46:39.400 strengthened 00:46:39.400 --> 00:46:41.039 so as 00:46:41.039 --> 00:46:42.320 to serve 00:46:42.320 --> 00:46:42.659 you, 00:46:43.400 --> 00:46:44.179 knowing that 00:46:44.179 --> 00:46:44.800 you have 00:46:44.800 --> 00:46:46.659 so graciously 00:46:46.659 --> 00:46:47.639 and wonderfully 00:46:47.639 --> 00:46:48.900 in the Lord 00:46:48.900 --> 00:46:49.800 Jesus served 00:46:49.800 --> 00:46:50.219 us. 00:46:51.500 --> 00:46:51.880 Amen. 00:46:53.559 --> 00:46:54.400 Now, 00:46:54.599 --> 00:46:55.699 as we 00:46:55.699 --> 00:46:56.199 close, 00:46:56.739 --> 00:46:57.320 Kellen will 00:46:57.320 --> 00:46:59.099 sing for us 00:46:59.099 --> 00:47:00.739 a modern 00:47:00.739 --> 00:47:01.380 rendering of 00:47:01.380 --> 00:47:01.800 the hymn 00:47:01.800 --> 00:47:02.820 Man of 00:47:02.820 --> 00:47:03.440 Sorrows. 00:47:03.440 --> 00:47:21.320 Man of 00:47:21.320 --> 00:47:22.900 Sorrows, 00:47:23.059 --> 00:47:24.519 Lamb of 00:47:24.519 --> 00:47:25.320 God, 00:47:25.780 --> 00:47:27.320 by his 00:47:27.320 --> 00:47:27.960 own 00:47:27.960 --> 00:47:29.099 betrayed, 00:47:29.099 --> 00:47:32.839 sin of 00:47:32.839 --> 00:47:34.199 man and 00:47:34.199 --> 00:47:35.619 wrath of 00:47:35.619 --> 00:47:37.139 God has 00:47:37.139 --> 00:47:38.539 been on 00:47:38.539 --> 00:47:39.779 Jesus' 00:47:39.779 --> 00:47:41.179 lane. 00:47:42.639 --> 00:47:44.119 Silent 00:47:44.119 --> 00:47:45.500 as he 00:47:45.500 --> 00:47:46.599 stood 00:47:46.599 --> 00:47:47.960 accused, 00:47:48.719 --> 00:47:49.500 beaten, 00:47:50.299 --> 00:47:50.880 mocked, 00:47:51.059 --> 00:47:53.119 and scorned, 00:47:54.319 --> 00:47:55.579 bowing 00:47:55.579 --> 00:47:56.960 to the 00:47:56.960 --> 00:47:58.460 Father's 00:47:58.460 --> 00:47:59.079 will, 00:47:59.099 --> 00:48:01.000 he took 00:48:01.000 --> 00:48:02.460 a crown 00:48:02.460 --> 00:48:03.139 of 00:48:03.139 --> 00:48:03.860 love. 00:48:04.920 --> 00:48:05.380 Oh, 00:48:05.460 --> 00:48:06.679 that rugged 00:48:06.679 --> 00:48:07.759 cross 00:48:07.759 --> 00:48:10.460 of salvation, 00:48:11.239 --> 00:48:11.980 where your 00:48:11.980 --> 00:48:13.460 love poured 00:48:13.460 --> 00:48:14.839 out over 00:48:14.839 --> 00:48:16.259 me, 00:48:17.179 --> 00:48:18.199 now my 00:48:18.199 --> 00:48:19.839 soul cries 00:48:19.839 --> 00:48:20.239 out, 00:48:20.639 --> 00:48:22.259 hallelujah, 00:48:23.679 --> 00:48:24.599 praise and 00:48:24.599 --> 00:48:25.739 honor 00:48:25.739 --> 00:48:26.839 unto 00:48:26.839 --> 00:48:28.460 me. 00:48:29.099 --> 00:48:34.599 God's 00:48:34.599 --> 00:48:36.799 God's 00:48:36.799 --> 00:48:37.940 Son of 00:48:37.940 --> 00:48:38.679 heaven, 00:48:38.679 --> 00:48:40.219 God's 00:48:40.219 --> 00:48:40.759 own 00:48:40.759 --> 00:48:41.380 Son, 00:48:41.579 --> 00:48:43.519 to purchase 00:48:43.519 --> 00:48:44.519 and 00:48:44.519 --> 00:48:45.639 redeem. 00:48:48.639 --> 00:48:49.679 Reconciled 00:48:49.679 --> 00:48:51.860 the very 00:48:51.860 --> 00:48:53.759 ones who 00:48:53.759 --> 00:48:55.319 nailed him 00:48:55.319 --> 00:48:57.199 to that 00:48:57.199 --> 00:48:57.639 tree. 00:48:57.639 --> 00:48:58.339 thee, 00:48:58.339 --> 00:48:59.460 oh, 00:48:59.500 --> 00:48:59.779 that 00:48:59.779 --> 00:49:00.739 broken 00:49:00.739 --> 00:49:02.039 cross, 00:49:02.219 --> 00:49:02.539 my 00:49:02.539 --> 00:49:04.460 salvation, 00:49:05.219 --> 00:49:05.980 where your 00:49:05.980 --> 00:49:07.480 love poured 00:49:07.480 --> 00:49:08.719 out over 00:49:08.719 --> 00:49:09.799 me. 00:49:11.079 --> 00:49:12.099 Now my 00:49:12.099 --> 00:49:13.719 soul cries 00:49:13.719 --> 00:49:14.139 out, 00:49:14.559 --> 00:49:16.779 hallelujah, 00:49:17.539 --> 00:49:18.480 praise and 00:49:18.480 --> 00:49:19.339 honor 00:49:19.339 --> 00:49:21.960 unto me. 00:49:21.960 --> 00:49:24.159 God's 00:49:24.159 --> 00:49:25.599 son of a 00:49:25.599 --> 00:49:27.599 son of a 00:49:27.599 --> 00:49:29.800 bill. 00:49:29.800 --> 00:49:30.320 Now my 00:49:30.320 --> 00:49:31.800 debt is 00:49:31.800 --> 00:49:32.300 paid, 00:49:32.300 --> 00:49:33.480 it is 00:49:33.480 --> 00:49:35.000 paid in 00:49:35.000 --> 00:49:36.240 full by 00:49:36.240 --> 00:49:37.760 the precious 00:49:37.760 --> 00:49:39.519 blood that 00:49:39.519 --> 00:49:40.880 my Jesus 00:49:40.880 --> 00:49:41.840 spilled. 00:49:42.260 --> 00:49:43.179 Now the 00:49:43.179 --> 00:49:44.480 curse of 00:49:44.480 --> 00:49:46.000 sin has 00:49:46.000 --> 00:49:47.260 no hold 00:49:47.260 --> 00:49:48.400 on me. 00:49:48.400 --> 00:49:54.780 Oh, the sun sets free, oh, it's free indeed. 00:49:54.780 --> 00:50:06.900 Oh, that rugged cross, my salvation, where your love poured out over me. 00:50:07.260 --> 00:50:17.780 Now my soul cries out, hallelujah, praise and honor unto me. 00:50:18.400 --> 00:50:25.400 Oh, the sun sets free, oh, it's free indeed. 00:50:25.400 --> 00:50:36.400 See the stone is rolled away, behold the empty tomb. 00:50:36.400 --> 00:50:48.400 Hallelujah, God be praised, he's risen from the grave. 00:50:48.400 --> 00:51:00.400 Oh, that rugged cross, my salvation, where your love poured out over me. 00:51:00.400 --> 00:51:12.400 Now my soul cries out, hallelujah, praise and honor unto thee. 00:51:12.400 --> 00:51:19.400 Praise and honor unto thee. 00:51:19.400 --> 00:51:26.400 Praise and honor unto thee. 00:51:26.400 --> 00:51:35.500 We stand for the benediction. 00:51:37.400 --> 00:51:40.300 From the end of Hebrews chapter 13. 00:51:40.300 --> 00:51:41.300 Amen. 00:51:41.300 --> 00:51:53.700 Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will. 00:51:54.300 --> 00:52:02.300 And may he work in us what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. 00:52:02.300 --> 00:52:03.300 Amen. 00:52:03.300 --> 00:52:03.400 Amen.