WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.660 Let me add my good morning. My name is Sam. If I don't know you, hopefully I know most of you. 00:00:05.040 --> 00:00:08.620 I just wanted to, before I started, add two things quickly. I may have just not been paying 00:00:08.620 --> 00:00:13.400 attention enough, but I wanted to let you know that tonight at five o'clock, because we are 00:00:13.400 --> 00:00:18.080 joining you at 9.30 for church this morning, we thought, great, we have an opportunity to gather 00:00:18.080 --> 00:00:23.940 for some prayer, particularly with mission coming up. So it would be fantastic for as many as 00:00:23.940 --> 00:00:28.740 possible of us to gather tonight at five o'clock. It'll be in either this room or that room. If you 00:00:28.739 --> 00:00:32.539 turn up, you won't be able to miss us. We're going to gather, and instead of having a service, 00:00:32.640 --> 00:00:36.280 we're just going to pray, and we're going to praise God, and we're going to ask Him to work 00:00:36.280 --> 00:00:40.859 mightily. So tonight, five o'clock, please come back. It will be very worth the trip for you, 00:00:40.920 --> 00:00:45.939 and it'll be very encouraging for us as we cry out to God to work. The other thing I wanted to 00:00:45.939 --> 00:00:50.859 share with you is a big encouragement, and perhaps a little challenge, as we prepare for mission. 00:00:51.320 --> 00:00:57.640 I wanted to encourage you that our young people are leading the charge on this. On Friday night, 00:00:57.640 --> 00:01:04.480 our young people brought 21 of their friends for the very first time to youth group to hear the 00:01:04.480 --> 00:01:10.920 gospel. If you are not encouraged by that, you need the person next to you to slap you so you can 00:01:10.920 --> 00:01:17.659 wake up. And if you are not challenged by that, you should be. That is exciting, but our young people, 00:01:17.760 --> 00:01:22.960 I want them to keep going even harder, but we as the slightly older generation need to be modelling 00:01:22.959 --> 00:01:27.579 to them what it looks like to be on mission for God. So that's an encouragement and challenge for 00:01:27.579 --> 00:01:33.280 you to file away as we prepare for mission in a couple of weeks. But let me pray, and then we'll 00:01:33.280 --> 00:01:39.979 get stuck into John 17. Father God, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You that You're a God who 00:01:39.979 --> 00:01:45.939 wants to be known. We thank You for the opportunity we have had over this series to wrestle with what it 00:01:45.939 --> 00:01:50.859 means to know You, with who You are, that we have a relationship with. And Lord, we pray that this 00:01:50.859 --> 00:01:56.640 morning as we look again, that our knowledge of You, our relationship with You would begin to shape 00:01:56.640 --> 00:02:02.420 what it means for us to call ourselves Your church, to call ourselves Your followers. God, 00:02:02.519 --> 00:02:08.879 please soften our hearts now, strip away any hard edges or any just established routines that are not 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:14.039 in line with the God that we follow, the God that You are, and instead by Your Spirit, 00:02:14.039 --> 00:02:22.280 shape us to reflect the love that You have shown us. Amen. I want to begin by asking you a question. 00:02:23.500 --> 00:02:31.159 What is it that you think God wants from us as a church? Maybe more specifically, what is it that 00:02:31.159 --> 00:02:38.459 you think God wants from you as an individual? We are preparing for a focused week of mission, 00:02:38.959 --> 00:02:43.620 not a week of mission because we are always on mission. It's one of our core values to have local 00:02:43.620 --> 00:02:51.180 and global impact, but as we approach this focused week of mission, what is it that you think God wants 00:02:51.180 --> 00:03:02.400 from you? Now, before you get too far down answering that question, I want to confess, it's a trick question. 00:03:04.379 --> 00:03:10.900 And yet it's a question that we ask. It's a trick question because if that is our starting point, 00:03:10.900 --> 00:03:17.240 we are betraying that somewhere in our minds, somewhere deep down, we have a picture of God 00:03:17.240 --> 00:03:25.659 that begins with Him wanting something from us, that begins with Him trying to take things from us. 00:03:26.219 --> 00:03:32.860 God becomes almost like a leech to us. He's trying to suck out our energy or our time or our gifts. 00:03:34.140 --> 00:03:38.759 But over the past five weeks, we have wrestled with what it means to know God, with how important it is 00:03:38.759 --> 00:03:44.479 to know God because He is the defining reality. He is the center point for everything that exists. 00:03:44.780 --> 00:03:50.579 He is the anchor. And without a right picture of Him, we get lost and we start to ask questions like 00:03:50.579 --> 00:03:56.359 the one that I just asked you. As you reflect on the things that we have learned through the series 00:03:56.359 --> 00:04:03.019 of knowing God, looking at God as Father, Son and Spirit, I wonder if you can recognize the part of 00:04:03.020 --> 00:04:08.780 God's character that has come out louder than any other. The part of God's character that has come 00:04:08.780 --> 00:04:15.620 out more than any other. We've looked at many aspects of Him as Father, Son and Spirit, but one thing is 00:04:15.620 --> 00:04:27.300 true of Father, Son and Spirit. And I'll give you a clue. It comes in 1 John chapter 4. In 1 John chapter 4, 00:04:27.300 --> 00:04:37.040 we are told God is love. That is the defining attribute. We've seen through the series the 00:04:37.040 --> 00:04:42.560 mutual love that the Father and the Son share. We saw the way that the Spirit serves both the Father 00:04:42.560 --> 00:04:49.519 and the Son out of love. We looked at the love that God has shown us in many ways. And yet still, 00:04:49.660 --> 00:04:56.180 when it comes to something like mission or mission week, we revert back to this picture of God 00:04:56.180 --> 00:05:03.879 who wants something from me, who is just about taking from me. I mean, it's no wonder that so 00:05:03.879 --> 00:05:09.180 many of us balk at the extra commitment of a mission week. It's no wonder we have trouble finding 00:05:09.180 --> 00:05:14.660 enough people to put up the students as billets, or we have trouble finding volunteers to help with 00:05:14.660 --> 00:05:20.120 events, volunteers to walk up to people in the street and tell them about Jesus. If we feel like 00:05:20.120 --> 00:05:25.780 we're doing it out of some duty or some obligation or something that God requires of us, 00:05:26.180 --> 00:05:34.060 if mission is a burden we carry, then we shouldn't be surprised that mission week tends to not look 00:05:34.060 --> 00:05:40.379 that different for most of us. It's a week where we talk about mission and we expect the students and 00:05:40.379 --> 00:05:46.879 the staff to do a whole lot of it. When we have this vision of God as someone who takes, 00:05:47.939 --> 00:05:55.620 it's not a surprise that we struggle with something like mission. But we need to be clear that that is 00:05:55.620 --> 00:06:02.439 not the God who we follow. We need to look again at the vision that has been unpacked for us over the 00:06:02.439 --> 00:06:07.720 last five weeks, and in fact every week when we open the Bible. That is nothing like the God that we 00:06:07.720 --> 00:06:14.459 follow. We need to see Him clearly if we are to understand what it means for us to be on mission. 00:06:15.379 --> 00:06:19.800 And so again, we're going to look at John chapter 17. I know we looked at this last week. 00:06:20.300 --> 00:06:24.240 Think of that as a gentle encouragement that there is always more. You can keep reading the same 00:06:24.240 --> 00:06:29.420 passages, lots and lots and lots. We're going to look at John 17 and see what it means for the God 00:06:29.420 --> 00:06:38.240 who is love to send us on mission. First thing I want to show you is that God is love, 00:06:39.120 --> 00:06:45.759 and that love is a giving love, not a taking love. Look at the way in this passage that the Father's 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:50.600 love for Jesus is marked by generosity. Some of this is recap for where we've been. 00:06:50.600 --> 00:06:56.480 Jesus is given the place of highest honour. It's Jesus who gets glorified by the Father 00:06:56.480 --> 00:07:01.480 in the early verses there, verses 1 and 2. His life, death and resurrection are an opportunity 00:07:01.480 --> 00:07:08.300 for the Son to be lifted up by the Father. And as Jesus reflects on the work that He has completed, 00:07:08.300 --> 00:07:11.879 listened to His words from verse 6. 00:07:14.180 --> 00:07:14.800 Jesus speaking, 00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:33.500 I pray for them. I'm not praying for the world, but for those you have given me. 00:07:33.500 --> 00:07:38.379 And they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you 00:07:38.379 --> 00:07:43.500 sent me. I pray for them. I'm not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, 00:07:44.019 --> 00:07:47.180 for they are yours. And then verse 10, one of the key statements, 00:07:47.680 --> 00:07:56.259 all I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 00:07:56.660 --> 00:08:01.720 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. 00:08:01.720 --> 00:08:08.280 Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, 00:08:09.420 --> 00:08:16.260 so that they may be one as we are one. Everything from the disciples as Jesus followers, 00:08:16.680 --> 00:08:21.140 to the words that Jesus speaks in His earthly mission, to the power He has, 00:08:21.340 --> 00:08:29.040 to the specific tasks that He does, even the name that He carries is given to Jesus by the Father. 00:08:29.040 --> 00:08:36.420 It's not something the Father requires from the Son. It's something the Father gives to Him. It's 00:08:36.420 --> 00:08:43.659 something the Father provides. This is the opposite of divine child abuse. This is not the Father 00:08:43.659 --> 00:08:49.220 forcing the Son to do something. This is abundant, generous love, as even in the cross, 00:08:49.220 --> 00:08:57.519 the Father gives to Jesus. The Father loves the Son even as He dies. Even in the mission that Jesus 00:08:57.519 --> 00:09:04.700 has of drawing people into a relationship with God is a gift from the Father. Sure, it's the Son who 00:09:04.700 --> 00:09:09.840 draws them in and presents them to the Father and unites us with the Father, but it's not His duty. 00:09:09.840 --> 00:09:20.200 It's not something He does out of burden. It's His delight out of love for His Father. It's not the 00:09:20.200 --> 00:09:28.000 demand from the Father, but it is the gift from the Father to exalt the Son as the one who saves. 00:09:28.960 --> 00:09:37.960 It is love from Father to Son which chooses Him for this specific role. If you flick back to John chapter 3, 00:09:37.960 --> 00:09:44.879 a very, very well-known verse, it says that the Father sends Jesus out of love. The loving and the sending 00:09:44.879 --> 00:09:48.740 are actually connected action. Look at chapter 3, verse 16. 00:09:49.780 --> 00:09:57.680 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish 00:09:57.680 --> 00:10:04.639 but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save Him. 00:10:04.639 --> 00:10:12.620 It is love that sends Jesus, not duty, not obligation. The Father actually loves Jesus 00:10:12.620 --> 00:10:21.720 by sending Him into the world. It's not that He loves Jesus and He sends Him. The sending is part of 00:10:21.720 --> 00:10:28.679 His love for the Son. In sending Him, He has chosen Him and He has given Him the path towards ultimate 00:10:28.679 --> 00:10:37.579 exaltation, the path to the name above every name. The Father sends Jesus. He loves Jesus by sending Him to 00:10:37.579 --> 00:10:46.139 earth to reveal the giving love of God. He gives Him that highest of privileges to be the place 00:10:46.139 --> 00:10:54.679 where the rest of us will discover the love of God. And He loves us at the same time. 00:10:54.679 --> 00:11:04.779 In loving His Son, in sending His Son, He also loves us. It's not multiple actions. The love of the Father 00:11:04.779 --> 00:11:13.799 flows to the Son, through the Son, and then outwards towards us. God's love for you is marked by giving. 00:11:15.099 --> 00:11:21.059 It is marked by generosity. He has given Himself to us according to verse 3. That's why Jesus comes, 00:11:21.059 --> 00:11:26.539 that we may know Him, the only true God. He's given us access to Him and He has drawn us 00:11:26.539 --> 00:11:32.779 into the relationship of love that exists between the Father and the Son. Look at verse 23. 00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:38.139 This is Jesus praying for us. We've been reminded of that multiple times. The bishop reminded us two 00:11:38.139 --> 00:11:41.239 weeks ago. And He says this, start at verse 22. 00:11:41.379 --> 00:11:47.239 I have given them the glory that you gave me. Again, the Father gives to the Son and the Son has given to us 00:11:47.240 --> 00:11:54.600 that they may be one as we are one. I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity 00:11:54.600 --> 00:12:02.659 to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 00:12:04.419 --> 00:12:14.680 We are now loved like Jesus. The love that sent the Son now rests on us. 00:12:14.679 --> 00:12:20.759 And Jesus continues to be generously loved by His Father throughout the whole process. 00:12:21.500 --> 00:12:26.179 He sends His Son to die and to rise again so that we might know His love. 00:12:26.939 --> 00:12:32.879 But even in that process, the Son continues to be the object of the Father's affection and delight. 00:12:35.159 --> 00:12:40.459 God's love is so all-encompassing and powerful and outward focus that it flows to the Son 00:12:40.460 --> 00:12:46.920 and through the Son to us without ever stopping the ultimate love that the Father has for the Son. 00:12:47.920 --> 00:12:51.639 God's love is mind-blowingly generous. 00:12:52.900 --> 00:12:56.379 It flows out. It pours out. It overflows. 00:12:56.800 --> 00:12:58.460 And it cannot be contained. 00:12:59.740 --> 00:13:01.800 God's love is missional love. 00:13:02.160 --> 00:13:03.480 It is sending love. 00:13:03.480 --> 00:13:08.560 The God who is love loves outwardly. 00:13:09.920 --> 00:13:14.560 It's not just this contained circle of Father, Son and Spirit, this little ball of love. 00:13:14.779 --> 00:13:16.139 That's not how it works. 00:13:16.759 --> 00:13:18.420 God's love is outward. 00:13:19.139 --> 00:13:20.399 It always was outward. 00:13:20.639 --> 00:13:26.680 It is revealed as outward in Jesus and it will always be outward for all eternity. 00:13:26.679 --> 00:13:33.199 The relationships we have seen between Father, Son and Spirit through this series continue on in heaven. 00:13:33.879 --> 00:13:37.799 The Father will continue to rejoice in His Son who was sacrificed. 00:13:38.779 --> 00:13:43.359 The Son will continue to delight in His Father and point to Him that all glory might go to Him. 00:13:43.839 --> 00:13:48.139 And the Spirit will continue to testify to the glory of both Son and Father. 00:13:48.279 --> 00:13:52.179 The outward love will continue to flow and overflow from God. 00:13:52.179 --> 00:14:03.819 So the question we need to ask with that fresh reminder of the God who we follow is what does that mean for how we approach mission? 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:08.979 I guess in particular, our focused week of mission coming up. 00:14:09.379 --> 00:14:12.799 But what does it mean for how we view the call to go in Matthew 28? 00:14:12.899 --> 00:14:14.099 The call to make disciples. 00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:16.839 Three things. 00:14:16.840 --> 00:14:23.780 Firstly, the mission is God's, not ours. 00:14:24.420 --> 00:14:25.879 The mission is God. 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:27.060 Look at verse 18. 00:14:28.379 --> 00:14:33.460 As you sent me into the world, Jesus speaking, I have sent them into the world. 00:14:34.860 --> 00:14:43.680 The sending of the disciples and by implication the sending of us is the Father's mission which is being carried out by the Son. 00:14:43.679 --> 00:14:50.979 The mission that Jesus is on in His earthly ministry does not end as He is exalted to the throne. 00:14:51.120 --> 00:14:53.759 It continues even as He leaves. 00:14:54.179 --> 00:14:59.039 Jesus continues to be the place where we see the love of God ultimately displayed. 00:15:00.079 --> 00:15:09.079 But now, He will display that love through His disciples and through us as His followers by the power of His indwelling Holy Spirit. 00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:11.819 Jesus' mission continues. 00:15:11.820 --> 00:15:20.520 Jesus continues to point to the Father and His mission of proclaiming the love of God is and always will be God's mission. 00:15:21.300 --> 00:15:24.760 Which by grace, He has included us in. 00:15:25.640 --> 00:15:33.300 The Father gave it to the Son and according to verse 18, the Son now gives it to us by the power of His Spirit. 00:15:33.299 --> 00:15:39.859 It's not so that Jesus can return to heaven and get into His recliner, put His feet up and start relaxing. 00:15:40.399 --> 00:15:41.979 That's not how it works. 00:15:43.219 --> 00:15:47.379 The reason Jesus gives it to us is for our sake. 00:15:48.919 --> 00:15:51.559 It is out of love for us. 00:15:51.559 --> 00:15:58.939 In the same way that the Father gives the mission to Jesus out of love, Jesus gives the mission to us out of love. 00:15:59.139 --> 00:16:01.679 The Father doesn't need Jesus to accomplish His will. 00:16:01.839 --> 00:16:04.819 He is God completely, fully, almighty. 00:16:05.659 --> 00:16:08.159 But He includes Jesus out of love for Him. 00:16:09.299 --> 00:16:11.339 He uses the Son out of love for Him. 00:16:11.340 --> 00:16:17.639 And likewise, we have been included out of love for us. 00:16:18.639 --> 00:16:21.240 It is something that God has given us. 00:16:21.580 --> 00:16:25.000 Even the content of our mission is gifted by God. 00:16:25.460 --> 00:16:29.280 We don't have to come up with a good story or a clever way of explaining the gospel. 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:31.060 Verse 6 tells us, 00:16:31.059 --> 00:16:40.339 Verse 14 says, 00:16:40.339 --> 00:16:46.379 I have given them your word and the world has hated them for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 00:16:46.679 --> 00:16:49.599 The Father has given us His word to speak. 00:16:50.539 --> 00:16:52.439 We don't have to generate anything. 00:16:52.879 --> 00:16:55.979 The Father has given us the word which testifies to Jesus. 00:16:56.139 --> 00:16:58.179 But even more significant, I think, 00:16:58.179 --> 00:17:02.039 God's mission is one of glorifying Himself. 00:17:02.539 --> 00:17:03.879 One of revealing Himself. 00:17:05.500 --> 00:17:07.359 And to empower us to do that, 00:17:08.259 --> 00:17:11.279 He lives in us by His Spirit. 00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:13.940 That's the fulfillment of Jesus' prayer. 00:17:14.039 --> 00:17:15.720 That's the answer to verse 23. 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:17.639 I in them and you in me. 00:17:18.299 --> 00:17:19.339 Father in the Son, 00:17:19.799 --> 00:17:21.379 Son in us by the Spirit. 00:17:22.099 --> 00:17:27.240 The power of God living in us is the provision of God to do the mission of God. 00:17:28.180 --> 00:17:29.920 It's still His mission. 00:17:30.460 --> 00:17:32.920 It is still something that only He can accomplish. 00:17:33.480 --> 00:17:36.700 But He has provided His Spirit so that we may be a part of it. 00:17:36.759 --> 00:17:38.060 This mission is God's mission. 00:17:38.779 --> 00:17:39.480 And He has given, 00:17:40.060 --> 00:17:44.799 He has gifted it to us out of love for our sake. 00:17:45.539 --> 00:17:47.299 First thing, the mission is God's. 00:17:47.320 --> 00:17:48.039 We need to grab that. 00:17:48.039 --> 00:17:48.840 Second thing, 00:17:49.400 --> 00:17:52.580 the mission is for our joy. 00:17:53.860 --> 00:17:54.860 Let me show you what I mean. 00:17:54.859 --> 00:17:57.659 The primary means of our mission 00:17:57.659 --> 00:18:01.379 is God's love in us. 00:18:02.579 --> 00:18:04.979 It's not what you do or don't do. 00:18:05.059 --> 00:18:06.719 It is God's love in us. 00:18:06.779 --> 00:18:07.919 You can see it in Jesus. 00:18:08.459 --> 00:18:11.619 In spite of the opposition that He faces in His earthly ministry, 00:18:12.019 --> 00:18:13.939 He describes in John's Gospel 00:18:13.939 --> 00:18:16.339 that doing the Father's will is like His food. 00:18:17.339 --> 00:18:19.379 The writer of the Hebrews expresses it. 00:18:19.380 --> 00:18:19.740 It says, 00:18:19.820 --> 00:18:21.600 For the joy set before Him, 00:18:21.860 --> 00:18:23.080 He endured the cross. 00:18:23.940 --> 00:18:25.820 The joy that was set before Jesus 00:18:25.820 --> 00:18:27.620 was His glorification, 00:18:28.600 --> 00:18:29.740 His exaltation, 00:18:30.280 --> 00:18:31.500 to the glory of the Father. 00:18:32.500 --> 00:18:34.720 The joy for Jesus was knowing 00:18:34.720 --> 00:18:37.240 that He had been chosen for this incredible mission 00:18:37.240 --> 00:18:40.340 that would ultimately glorify the Father. 00:18:40.339 --> 00:18:43.919 and He knew that this was a gift to Him. 00:18:45.439 --> 00:18:48.919 The Father includes the Son for the Son's sake. 00:18:49.679 --> 00:18:51.419 Jesus delights in His mission 00:18:51.419 --> 00:18:52.959 because central to it 00:18:52.959 --> 00:18:56.740 is the love of the Father being displayed in His life. 00:18:58.039 --> 00:19:00.459 Jesus' mission is to show God the Father 00:19:00.459 --> 00:19:02.559 and the way He shows it 00:19:02.559 --> 00:19:04.899 is by being loved by the Father. 00:19:05.740 --> 00:19:09.039 It is by God's love being so obvious in Jesus' life 00:19:09.039 --> 00:19:11.539 that people cannot deny it. 00:19:12.099 --> 00:19:13.519 Now, it's worth acknowledging 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:15.639 that this doesn't mean Jesus' mission was easy. 00:19:16.079 --> 00:19:17.500 There's plenty of examples in His life 00:19:17.500 --> 00:19:18.379 that we can go to. 00:19:18.960 --> 00:19:20.579 His family didn't understand Him. 00:19:20.639 --> 00:19:21.980 He was rejected in His hometown. 00:19:22.379 --> 00:19:23.519 He was strongly opposed. 00:19:23.659 --> 00:19:25.740 He was ultimately tortured and murdered. 00:19:26.059 --> 00:19:27.240 But through all of this, 00:19:28.099 --> 00:19:29.539 He continued to delight 00:19:29.539 --> 00:19:33.899 in the generous and abundant love of His Father. 00:19:33.900 --> 00:19:37.080 He continued to delight in the fact 00:19:37.080 --> 00:19:38.660 that the Father loved Him enough 00:19:38.660 --> 00:19:41.820 to choose Him to be the Savior and King 00:19:41.820 --> 00:19:42.880 for all creation. 00:19:44.280 --> 00:19:46.420 Even though there was pain and difficulty 00:19:46.420 --> 00:19:48.720 at its core, 00:19:49.180 --> 00:19:51.380 for Jesus being on God's mission 00:19:51.380 --> 00:19:53.660 meant being loved by His Father. 00:19:55.820 --> 00:19:58.680 The mission that Jesus is sending us on 00:19:58.680 --> 00:19:59.840 here in verse 18 00:19:59.839 --> 00:20:03.419 is an opportunity for joy. 00:20:04.339 --> 00:20:06.259 It is an opportunity for us 00:20:06.259 --> 00:20:08.459 to so delight in the love of God 00:20:08.459 --> 00:20:09.679 that it overflows 00:20:09.679 --> 00:20:12.099 and spills into the lives 00:20:12.099 --> 00:20:13.139 of those around us. 00:20:13.799 --> 00:20:16.000 I mean, it's almost like bragging. 00:20:16.539 --> 00:20:18.220 That is what God has called us to 00:20:18.220 --> 00:20:19.500 in being a part of His mission. 00:20:20.319 --> 00:20:22.559 I remember very distinctly 00:20:22.559 --> 00:20:24.039 the Christmas Eve 00:20:24.039 --> 00:20:25.240 about five and a half, 00:20:25.379 --> 00:20:27.139 maybe six and a bit years ago now, 00:20:27.140 --> 00:20:29.420 when my gorgeous wife said, 00:20:29.500 --> 00:20:30.480 yes, she would marry me. 00:20:31.280 --> 00:20:32.320 I can't tell you 00:20:32.320 --> 00:20:33.640 how many people I annoyed 00:20:33.640 --> 00:20:35.220 with that exciting news. 00:20:36.300 --> 00:20:37.700 Every person that I went up to, 00:20:37.780 --> 00:20:38.940 people who didn't even know me 00:20:38.940 --> 00:20:39.680 or her that well, 00:20:39.720 --> 00:20:40.820 I just needed them to know 00:20:40.820 --> 00:20:41.800 that I was marrying 00:20:41.800 --> 00:20:43.160 the most beautiful girl 00:20:43.160 --> 00:20:43.860 that there was. 00:20:44.600 --> 00:20:45.780 And I wanted to rub it in. 00:20:45.840 --> 00:20:46.580 I wanted them to know 00:20:46.580 --> 00:20:47.480 that there was nobody 00:20:47.480 --> 00:20:48.600 who could bring more joy 00:20:48.600 --> 00:20:49.580 to anybody else. 00:20:49.700 --> 00:20:51.259 And I just bragged and bragged. 00:20:51.460 --> 00:20:52.520 And I had a job in a church. 00:20:52.620 --> 00:20:53.259 I was at the front. 00:20:53.360 --> 00:20:54.460 People were stuck listening to me 00:20:54.460 --> 00:20:55.080 all the time. 00:20:55.079 --> 00:20:55.899 And I would just tell them 00:20:55.899 --> 00:20:57.899 how fantastic my fiance was 00:20:57.899 --> 00:20:59.339 because there was nobody 00:20:59.339 --> 00:21:00.480 who brought me joy 00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:01.579 like she did. 00:21:03.559 --> 00:21:04.740 It's the same for us 00:21:04.740 --> 00:21:05.839 as followers of Jesus. 00:21:07.439 --> 00:21:09.039 The call to be on mission 00:21:09.039 --> 00:21:10.919 is a call to rejoice 00:21:10.919 --> 00:21:12.039 in the joy, 00:21:12.699 --> 00:21:13.699 to celebrate, 00:21:13.879 --> 00:21:15.439 to bask in the love 00:21:15.439 --> 00:21:16.879 that God has shown us 00:21:16.879 --> 00:21:17.500 in Jesus. 00:21:18.639 --> 00:21:20.559 To be daily overwhelmed 00:21:20.559 --> 00:21:21.399 and excited 00:21:21.399 --> 00:21:23.259 and to need to just tell somebody 00:21:23.259 --> 00:21:24.879 how good your God is. 00:21:25.079 --> 00:21:27.339 that is a gift. 00:21:28.139 --> 00:21:29.179 That's not a burden. 00:21:30.339 --> 00:21:31.679 Real joy like that 00:21:31.679 --> 00:21:33.059 just comes out. 00:21:34.419 --> 00:21:36.139 I couldn't have kept a secret. 00:21:36.960 --> 00:21:38.379 I remember when I found out 00:21:38.379 --> 00:21:39.619 that Sal was pregnant 00:21:39.619 --> 00:21:40.240 with Bailey. 00:21:40.619 --> 00:21:42.119 It was the hardest thing 00:21:42.119 --> 00:21:42.619 in the world 00:21:42.619 --> 00:21:43.419 not to tell you. 00:21:44.000 --> 00:21:44.639 I found out 00:21:44.639 --> 00:21:45.559 at the four week mark 00:21:45.559 --> 00:21:46.379 and it is a miracle, 00:21:46.500 --> 00:21:47.839 it is an act of the Holy Spirit 00:21:47.839 --> 00:21:48.919 that I kept that secret 00:21:48.919 --> 00:21:50.179 till the 12 week mark. 00:21:50.619 --> 00:21:51.579 If I'm really honest, 00:21:51.619 --> 00:21:52.000 I let it out 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:52.759 to one or two people. 00:21:52.759 --> 00:21:54.220 But even that 00:21:54.220 --> 00:21:56.079 is an act 00:21:56.079 --> 00:21:56.819 of the Holy Spirit 00:21:56.819 --> 00:21:57.759 because I was just 00:21:57.759 --> 00:21:59.180 busting with joy 00:21:59.180 --> 00:22:00.160 at this gift 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:01.140 that I had been given. 00:22:02.460 --> 00:22:04.420 God is infinitely 00:22:04.420 --> 00:22:05.319 better 00:22:05.319 --> 00:22:06.400 than bay, 00:22:06.799 --> 00:22:07.400 than Sal, 00:22:07.480 --> 00:22:08.220 than anything 00:22:08.220 --> 00:22:09.379 that He 00:22:09.379 --> 00:22:10.680 has given us. 00:22:11.920 --> 00:22:12.579 And mission 00:22:12.579 --> 00:22:13.279 is an opportunity 00:22:13.279 --> 00:22:13.980 for us 00:22:13.980 --> 00:22:15.200 to delight in God 00:22:15.200 --> 00:22:15.980 and to let it 00:22:15.980 --> 00:22:17.220 run out of us. 00:22:17.700 --> 00:22:18.440 To let it 00:22:18.440 --> 00:22:19.279 spill over. 00:22:19.279 --> 00:22:20.920 When we lose 00:22:20.920 --> 00:22:22.359 this vision of God, 00:22:22.480 --> 00:22:23.079 when we lose 00:22:23.079 --> 00:22:24.139 this understanding 00:22:24.139 --> 00:22:24.799 of the gift 00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:26.019 that He has given us, 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:27.639 the gift that He is 00:22:27.639 --> 00:22:29.079 to us, 00:22:30.039 --> 00:22:30.980 mission becomes 00:22:30.980 --> 00:22:32.240 the duty of the few 00:22:32.240 --> 00:22:33.500 rather than 00:22:33.500 --> 00:22:34.039 the delight 00:22:34.039 --> 00:22:34.599 of the many. 00:22:35.819 --> 00:22:36.539 When we have 00:22:36.539 --> 00:22:37.539 this leech view 00:22:37.539 --> 00:22:38.079 of God, 00:22:38.899 --> 00:22:39.539 mission becomes 00:22:39.539 --> 00:22:40.480 something we avoid 00:22:40.480 --> 00:22:41.319 at all costs, 00:22:41.899 --> 00:22:42.980 something we outsource, 00:22:43.399 --> 00:22:44.200 something we get a team 00:22:44.200 --> 00:22:44.980 to come in and do 00:22:44.980 --> 00:22:45.680 for us 00:22:45.680 --> 00:22:47.079 rather than something 00:22:47.079 --> 00:22:48.599 we all rejoice in. 00:22:51.740 --> 00:22:52.819 But when we feel 00:22:52.819 --> 00:22:53.299 like that, 00:22:53.939 --> 00:22:55.359 we need to come back 00:22:55.359 --> 00:22:56.699 to who God 00:22:56.699 --> 00:22:57.559 actually is. 00:22:58.779 --> 00:22:59.899 We need to come back 00:22:59.899 --> 00:23:00.480 to the vision 00:23:00.480 --> 00:23:01.839 that He has shown us, 00:23:02.579 --> 00:23:03.659 back to the loving, 00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:04.819 giving God 00:23:04.819 --> 00:23:05.960 who has revealed 00:23:05.960 --> 00:23:07.059 Himself as sovereign 00:23:07.059 --> 00:23:07.919 and supreme, 00:23:08.419 --> 00:23:09.339 the God who loves us 00:23:09.339 --> 00:23:10.119 so much that He 00:23:10.119 --> 00:23:10.819 includes us 00:23:10.819 --> 00:23:12.159 for our sake 00:23:12.159 --> 00:23:13.859 and not because 00:23:13.859 --> 00:23:14.579 He needs us. 00:23:14.579 --> 00:23:17.059 There is an amazing 00:23:17.059 --> 00:23:17.960 testimony 00:23:17.960 --> 00:23:19.500 in the example 00:23:19.500 --> 00:23:20.779 of the Ephesian church. 00:23:21.799 --> 00:23:23.439 If you have time 00:23:23.439 --> 00:23:23.879 later on, 00:23:23.939 --> 00:23:24.639 have a flick through 00:23:24.639 --> 00:23:26.019 Acts 19, 00:23:26.099 --> 00:23:26.759 I think it is. 00:23:27.339 --> 00:23:28.179 Ephesus is a 00:23:28.179 --> 00:23:29.339 significant city. 00:23:30.019 --> 00:23:31.159 It is a port, 00:23:31.259 --> 00:23:32.359 it is a trade centre 00:23:32.359 --> 00:23:34.480 and there are many 00:23:34.480 --> 00:23:35.519 pagan gods there. 00:23:35.599 --> 00:23:36.259 There are temples, 00:23:36.480 --> 00:23:37.659 there is lots going on 00:23:37.659 --> 00:23:39.019 and Paul arrives 00:23:39.019 --> 00:23:40.000 and starts preaching 00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:40.519 Jesus 00:23:40.519 --> 00:23:42.419 and what we see 00:23:42.419 --> 00:23:43.019 is that 00:23:43.019 --> 00:23:44.379 mission happens 00:23:44.379 --> 00:23:45.639 so effectively 00:23:45.639 --> 00:23:47.799 that many of the 00:23:47.799 --> 00:23:48.240 temples 00:23:48.240 --> 00:23:50.639 start to almost 00:23:50.639 --> 00:23:51.619 go out of business. 00:23:52.480 --> 00:23:53.819 The temple of Artemis 00:23:53.819 --> 00:23:54.859 suddenly is concerned 00:23:54.859 --> 00:23:55.359 because they are 00:23:55.359 --> 00:23:56.079 losing the money. 00:23:56.599 --> 00:23:57.440 The silversmiths 00:23:57.440 --> 00:23:58.059 aren't able to keep 00:23:58.059 --> 00:23:58.859 making the little 00:23:58.859 --> 00:24:00.279 idols to be worshipped 00:24:00.279 --> 00:24:01.200 or to be carried around 00:24:01.200 --> 00:24:02.000 because people aren't 00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:03.279 following Artemis anymore. 00:24:03.920 --> 00:24:05.139 The mission is so 00:24:05.139 --> 00:24:06.079 effective and so 00:24:06.079 --> 00:24:06.980 explosive 00:24:06.980 --> 00:24:08.240 that there is, 00:24:08.519 --> 00:24:08.700 you know, 00:24:08.859 --> 00:24:10.099 they try and kill Paul. 00:24:10.460 --> 00:24:11.480 They try and get rid of him, 00:24:11.539 --> 00:24:12.279 they try and have him 00:24:12.279 --> 00:24:12.740 removed. 00:24:12.879 --> 00:24:13.960 The port starts 00:24:13.960 --> 00:24:14.559 to struggle 00:24:14.559 --> 00:24:15.440 because the emphasis 00:24:15.440 --> 00:24:16.240 is no longer 00:24:16.240 --> 00:24:16.879 on the things 00:24:16.879 --> 00:24:18.720 that made the city 00:24:18.720 --> 00:24:19.839 rich and powerful 00:24:19.839 --> 00:24:21.379 and the question 00:24:21.379 --> 00:24:22.000 we need to ask 00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:22.779 is what is it 00:24:22.779 --> 00:24:24.059 that made their mission 00:24:24.059 --> 00:24:24.799 so effective 00:24:24.799 --> 00:24:26.119 when we look at 00:24:26.119 --> 00:24:27.059 so many other churches 00:24:27.059 --> 00:24:28.019 that have zero 00:24:28.019 --> 00:24:29.680 influence on the world 00:24:29.680 --> 00:24:30.220 around them. 00:24:30.639 --> 00:24:31.579 Let me read to you 00:24:31.579 --> 00:24:33.019 from Revelation chapter 2. 00:24:33.819 --> 00:24:34.680 This is obviously 00:24:34.680 --> 00:24:35.519 at the end. 00:24:36.660 --> 00:24:37.259 It says, 00:24:37.259 --> 00:24:38.079 These are the words 00:24:38.079 --> 00:24:39.119 of him who holds 00:24:39.119 --> 00:24:39.960 the seven stars 00:24:39.960 --> 00:24:40.900 in his right hand 00:24:40.900 --> 00:24:41.720 and walks among 00:24:41.720 --> 00:24:43.619 the seven golden lampstands. 00:24:43.619 --> 00:24:44.480 This is a letter 00:24:44.480 --> 00:24:45.279 to the church 00:24:45.279 --> 00:24:45.879 at Ephesians. 00:24:46.599 --> 00:24:47.779 I know your deeds, 00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:49.140 your hard work 00:24:49.140 --> 00:24:50.019 and your perseverance. 00:24:50.720 --> 00:24:51.799 I know that you cannot 00:24:51.799 --> 00:24:53.119 tolerate wicked men. 00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:54.359 You've tested those 00:24:54.359 --> 00:24:55.339 who claim to be apostles 00:24:55.339 --> 00:24:55.960 but are not 00:24:55.960 --> 00:24:57.160 and have found them false. 00:24:57.440 --> 00:24:58.500 You've persevered 00:24:58.500 --> 00:24:59.240 and have endured 00:24:59.240 --> 00:25:00.460 hardships for my name 00:25:00.460 --> 00:25:01.619 and have not grown weary. 00:25:01.960 --> 00:25:02.819 There's this list 00:25:02.819 --> 00:25:03.579 of things that are 00:25:03.579 --> 00:25:04.660 going fantastically. 00:25:05.039 --> 00:25:05.680 They're testing 00:25:05.680 --> 00:25:06.519 false teaching. 00:25:07.039 --> 00:25:08.140 They are persevering. 00:25:08.200 --> 00:25:09.000 They're not tolerating 00:25:09.000 --> 00:25:10.539 wickedness amongst them. 00:25:11.380 --> 00:25:12.519 They're enduring hardship. 00:25:12.700 --> 00:25:13.640 They're not growing weary 00:25:13.640 --> 00:25:16.019 but something is missing 00:25:16.019 --> 00:25:17.880 and it comes in verse 4 00:25:17.880 --> 00:25:18.759 of Revelation 2. 00:25:18.759 --> 00:25:21.259 Yet I hold this against you. 00:25:22.100 --> 00:25:23.340 You have forsaken 00:25:23.340 --> 00:25:25.680 your first love. 00:25:26.820 --> 00:25:27.779 Remember the height 00:25:27.779 --> 00:25:29.200 from which you have fallen. 00:25:29.820 --> 00:25:31.640 Repent and do the things 00:25:31.640 --> 00:25:33.480 you did at first. 00:25:33.480 --> 00:25:35.860 What was it that saw 00:25:35.860 --> 00:25:36.819 the Ephesian church 00:25:36.819 --> 00:25:39.400 explode with the love of God? 00:25:40.279 --> 00:25:43.059 It was love for God. 00:25:44.519 --> 00:25:45.819 What was it that saw 00:25:45.819 --> 00:25:46.799 the Ephesian church 00:25:46.799 --> 00:25:47.720 grow so quickly 00:25:47.720 --> 00:25:48.700 that it was a threat 00:25:48.700 --> 00:25:49.380 to the government 00:25:49.380 --> 00:25:50.339 and the organisations 00:25:50.339 --> 00:25:51.140 around it? 00:25:52.299 --> 00:25:55.319 It was their love for God. 00:25:56.299 --> 00:25:56.980 And sadly, 00:25:57.180 --> 00:25:58.079 somewhere along the way 00:25:58.079 --> 00:25:59.120 they got so caught up 00:25:59.120 --> 00:26:00.140 in all these other things 00:26:00.140 --> 00:26:01.819 that they were required to do 00:26:01.819 --> 00:26:04.019 that they lost 00:26:04.019 --> 00:26:05.399 that first love. 00:26:06.179 --> 00:26:07.179 That first sense 00:26:07.179 --> 00:26:08.700 of gift from God. 00:26:10.139 --> 00:26:10.899 God's mission 00:26:10.899 --> 00:26:12.339 is a gift for our joy. 00:26:13.079 --> 00:26:13.899 The Ephesian church 00:26:13.899 --> 00:26:14.379 at the beginning 00:26:14.379 --> 00:26:15.519 didn't need to be told 00:26:15.519 --> 00:26:16.240 to do anything. 00:26:16.379 --> 00:26:17.259 They were just so 00:26:17.259 --> 00:26:18.679 in love with Jesus 00:26:18.679 --> 00:26:21.139 that people were drawn in. 00:26:22.259 --> 00:26:22.919 God's mission 00:26:22.919 --> 00:26:23.599 is a gift 00:26:23.599 --> 00:26:24.819 for our joy. 00:26:25.859 --> 00:26:26.720 One last thing. 00:26:28.179 --> 00:26:28.619 Missional 00:26:28.619 --> 00:26:30.799 is who we are. 00:26:31.939 --> 00:26:32.339 Mission 00:26:32.339 --> 00:26:33.199 is not something 00:26:33.199 --> 00:26:33.899 that we do 00:26:33.899 --> 00:26:34.719 as God's church, 00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:35.500 as God's people. 00:26:35.659 --> 00:26:36.000 Missional 00:26:36.000 --> 00:26:37.179 is who we are. 00:26:37.299 --> 00:26:37.919 It's part of who 00:26:37.919 --> 00:26:39.239 we've been created to be. 00:26:39.619 --> 00:26:40.619 Mission is not a hobby. 00:26:40.979 --> 00:26:42.159 It's not a pastime. 00:26:42.259 --> 00:26:42.819 It's not something 00:26:42.819 --> 00:26:43.919 we do on the side. 00:26:44.319 --> 00:26:45.799 It's what it means 00:26:45.799 --> 00:26:46.719 to love God 00:26:46.719 --> 00:26:48.359 is to be missional. 00:26:49.219 --> 00:26:50.319 We learnt last week 00:26:50.319 --> 00:26:51.179 we've been drawn 00:26:51.179 --> 00:26:52.879 into the mutual relationship 00:26:52.879 --> 00:26:53.599 of love 00:26:53.599 --> 00:26:55.199 that is in God. 00:26:55.319 --> 00:26:55.839 Verse 20, 00:26:55.899 --> 00:26:56.899 back in John 17, 00:26:56.900 --> 00:26:58.320 verse 20 says, 00:26:58.420 --> 00:26:59.120 my prayer is not 00:26:59.120 --> 00:26:59.880 for them alone. 00:27:00.040 --> 00:27:00.780 I pray also 00:27:00.780 --> 00:27:01.380 for those 00:27:01.380 --> 00:27:02.040 who will believe 00:27:02.040 --> 00:27:02.380 in me 00:27:02.380 --> 00:27:03.259 through their message 00:27:03.259 --> 00:27:04.400 that all of them 00:27:04.400 --> 00:27:05.460 may be one Father 00:27:05.460 --> 00:27:06.880 just as you are in me 00:27:06.880 --> 00:27:08.220 and I am in you. 00:27:08.940 --> 00:27:10.660 May they also be in us 00:27:10.660 --> 00:27:11.800 so that the world 00:27:11.800 --> 00:27:12.460 may believe 00:27:12.460 --> 00:27:13.500 that you have sent me. 00:27:14.360 --> 00:27:15.460 So I said this last week 00:27:15.460 --> 00:27:16.180 but I'll say it again 00:27:16.180 --> 00:27:17.180 because it is amazing. 00:27:17.600 --> 00:27:19.040 The Father in the Son 00:27:19.040 --> 00:27:20.300 and the Son in the Father 00:27:20.300 --> 00:27:21.519 that is the relationship 00:27:21.519 --> 00:27:22.900 we have been drawn into. 00:27:23.259 --> 00:27:24.019 Not the Father 00:27:24.019 --> 00:27:24.519 and the Son 00:27:24.519 --> 00:27:25.620 and then us next to it. 00:27:25.619 --> 00:27:27.579 But Jesus' prayer 00:27:27.579 --> 00:27:28.319 is that we would be 00:27:28.319 --> 00:27:29.639 in them. 00:27:30.679 --> 00:27:31.699 That we would know 00:27:31.699 --> 00:27:32.959 the Father's giving love. 00:27:33.059 --> 00:27:33.519 That we would know 00:27:33.519 --> 00:27:34.659 the Son's obedience, 00:27:34.919 --> 00:27:36.119 sacrificial service 00:27:36.119 --> 00:27:37.159 and love. 00:27:37.719 --> 00:27:38.879 The same unity 00:27:38.879 --> 00:27:40.459 which is a unity 00:27:40.459 --> 00:27:41.219 of love. 00:27:42.000 --> 00:27:43.639 A unity of outward love. 00:27:44.019 --> 00:27:45.719 A unity of missional love. 00:27:46.179 --> 00:27:47.619 A unity of sending love. 00:27:48.619 --> 00:27:50.099 To love God 00:27:50.099 --> 00:27:52.239 is to glorify Him. 00:27:52.240 --> 00:27:54.160 To love God 00:27:54.160 --> 00:27:55.120 is to point to Him 00:27:55.120 --> 00:27:57.160 as the most delightful thing 00:27:57.160 --> 00:27:58.500 because you can't help it 00:27:58.500 --> 00:27:59.720 because you delight in Him. 00:28:00.620 --> 00:28:01.940 That's what the Father 00:28:01.940 --> 00:28:03.180 and the Son do. 00:28:03.279 --> 00:28:05.400 That's how they love each other. 00:28:06.500 --> 00:28:07.960 And their love for each other 00:28:07.960 --> 00:28:09.180 flows out 00:28:09.180 --> 00:28:10.960 and draws us in. 00:28:11.759 --> 00:28:12.599 There is nothing 00:28:12.599 --> 00:28:13.440 one directional 00:28:13.440 --> 00:28:14.240 about the love 00:28:14.240 --> 00:28:15.120 that is in God. 00:28:15.460 --> 00:28:16.660 Even if we just focus 00:28:16.660 --> 00:28:17.559 on the Father's love 00:28:17.559 --> 00:28:18.220 for the Son 00:28:18.220 --> 00:28:19.539 it's not just this. 00:28:19.539 --> 00:28:20.700 it's this 00:28:20.700 --> 00:28:21.399 and this 00:28:21.399 --> 00:28:22.099 and this 00:28:22.099 --> 00:28:24.279 and we are drawn 00:28:24.279 --> 00:28:25.559 into that sort of love. 00:28:26.519 --> 00:28:27.619 So when we call ourselves 00:28:27.619 --> 00:28:29.159 Christians who love God 00:28:29.159 --> 00:28:31.079 our love for God 00:28:31.079 --> 00:28:32.139 is not like this. 00:28:33.700 --> 00:28:34.599 Our love of God 00:28:34.599 --> 00:28:35.119 is the same 00:28:35.119 --> 00:28:35.920 as the Son's love 00:28:35.920 --> 00:28:36.579 for the Father. 00:28:37.000 --> 00:28:38.180 Love that loves the Father 00:28:38.180 --> 00:28:38.940 in such a way 00:28:38.940 --> 00:28:40.200 that it flows out 00:28:40.200 --> 00:28:41.319 to those around. 00:28:41.879 --> 00:28:42.619 Loves the Father 00:28:42.619 --> 00:28:43.420 in such a way 00:28:43.420 --> 00:28:44.259 that it reveals 00:28:44.259 --> 00:28:45.339 the glory of the Father 00:28:45.339 --> 00:28:45.940 to anyone 00:28:45.940 --> 00:28:47.119 who is there to see. 00:28:47.119 --> 00:28:49.719 Our love needs to be 00:28:49.719 --> 00:28:50.979 outward and overwhelming. 00:28:51.879 --> 00:28:53.039 Look at verse 16 00:28:53.039 --> 00:28:53.979 in John 17 00:28:53.979 --> 00:28:55.779 talking about the disciples. 00:28:55.939 --> 00:28:57.000 They are not of the world 00:28:57.000 --> 00:28:58.479 even as I am not of it. 00:28:58.939 --> 00:28:59.619 Sanctify them 00:28:59.619 --> 00:29:00.439 by the truth 00:29:00.439 --> 00:29:01.619 your word is truth. 00:29:02.039 --> 00:29:03.079 As you sent me 00:29:03.079 --> 00:29:03.759 into the world 00:29:03.759 --> 00:29:05.179 I have sent them 00:29:05.179 --> 00:29:06.099 into the world. 00:29:06.279 --> 00:29:07.179 The same love 00:29:07.179 --> 00:29:08.079 that draws us 00:29:08.079 --> 00:29:09.000 out of our sin 00:29:09.000 --> 00:29:09.759 and out of the world 00:29:09.759 --> 00:29:11.059 that is rejecting God 00:29:11.059 --> 00:29:12.579 and into the relationship 00:29:12.579 --> 00:29:13.359 between Father, 00:29:13.500 --> 00:29:14.119 Son and Spirit 00:29:14.119 --> 00:29:15.359 sends us 00:29:15.359 --> 00:29:16.099 straight back 00:29:16.099 --> 00:29:16.699 into the world. 00:29:17.779 --> 00:29:18.339 It says it 00:29:18.339 --> 00:29:18.699 Jesus says 00:29:18.699 --> 00:29:19.799 they are not of the world. 00:29:20.539 --> 00:29:21.379 They have been rescued 00:29:21.379 --> 00:29:22.419 they have been sanctified 00:29:22.419 --> 00:29:23.099 they have been drawn 00:29:23.099 --> 00:29:23.879 into the relationship 00:29:23.879 --> 00:29:24.419 with God 00:29:24.419 --> 00:29:25.539 but then in verse 18 00:29:25.539 --> 00:29:26.519 in the same breath 00:29:26.519 --> 00:29:27.559 Jesus says 00:29:27.559 --> 00:29:28.679 as you sent me 00:29:28.679 --> 00:29:30.500 I have sent them. 00:29:31.759 --> 00:29:32.679 Jesus' prayer is 00:29:32.679 --> 00:29:33.579 don't take them 00:29:33.579 --> 00:29:34.399 out of the world. 00:29:35.159 --> 00:29:36.019 If you take them 00:29:36.019 --> 00:29:36.699 out of the world 00:29:36.699 --> 00:29:37.659 they won't be able 00:29:37.659 --> 00:29:38.679 to practice the love 00:29:38.679 --> 00:29:39.539 that we have. 00:29:40.259 --> 00:29:40.819 They won't be able 00:29:40.819 --> 00:29:42.119 to have that outward love. 00:29:43.439 --> 00:29:44.539 Part of what it means 00:29:44.539 --> 00:29:45.500 to love God 00:29:45.500 --> 00:29:46.940 is to share 00:29:46.940 --> 00:29:47.539 his love. 00:29:48.220 --> 00:29:49.460 It's not two things. 00:29:50.539 --> 00:29:51.740 It is the one action. 00:29:52.960 --> 00:29:54.039 We as a church 00:29:54.039 --> 00:29:55.440 must not be 00:29:55.440 --> 00:29:56.960 just a love club. 00:29:57.920 --> 00:29:59.160 We must not be 00:29:59.160 --> 00:29:59.799 just a place 00:29:59.799 --> 00:30:00.599 where we all love 00:30:00.599 --> 00:30:01.119 one another 00:30:01.119 --> 00:30:02.319 inside these walls 00:30:02.319 --> 00:30:03.220 or in this property 00:30:03.220 --> 00:30:04.460 or in our relationships. 00:30:04.900 --> 00:30:05.960 If that is all we are 00:30:05.960 --> 00:30:06.839 we have failed 00:30:06.839 --> 00:30:08.259 as God's church 00:30:08.259 --> 00:30:09.220 because that is not 00:30:09.220 --> 00:30:10.559 who God is. 00:30:10.559 --> 00:30:12.359 God's love 00:30:12.359 --> 00:30:13.319 is outward. 00:30:14.319 --> 00:30:15.039 For us to love 00:30:15.039 --> 00:30:15.559 one another 00:30:15.559 --> 00:30:16.500 and to love him 00:30:16.500 --> 00:30:17.559 as he loves us 00:30:17.559 --> 00:30:19.299 is to love outwardly. 00:30:19.740 --> 00:30:20.339 For this to be 00:30:20.339 --> 00:30:21.220 a love club 00:30:21.220 --> 00:30:22.079 that spills 00:30:22.079 --> 00:30:22.819 and flows 00:30:22.819 --> 00:30:23.359 and runs 00:30:23.359 --> 00:30:24.440 into Chatswood community 00:30:24.440 --> 00:30:25.359 and throughout the world 00:30:25.359 --> 00:30:25.839 for people 00:30:25.839 --> 00:30:26.960 to see people 00:30:26.960 --> 00:30:27.740 who love God 00:30:27.740 --> 00:30:28.859 and delight in him. 00:30:32.379 --> 00:30:33.559 Part of what it means 00:30:33.559 --> 00:30:34.379 to love God 00:30:34.379 --> 00:30:36.279 is for that love 00:30:36.279 --> 00:30:37.099 to flow outward. 00:30:37.099 --> 00:30:39.619 God's mission 00:30:39.619 --> 00:30:40.539 of loving people 00:30:40.539 --> 00:30:41.559 by revealing himself 00:30:41.559 --> 00:30:43.039 is for our joy. 00:30:43.439 --> 00:30:44.159 It's part of who 00:30:44.159 --> 00:30:45.359 he has made us to be. 00:30:46.439 --> 00:30:47.299 So really quickly 00:30:47.299 --> 00:30:48.179 the last question 00:30:48.179 --> 00:30:48.939 I have is 00:30:48.939 --> 00:30:50.879 in light of that 00:30:50.879 --> 00:30:52.679 how do we go 00:30:52.679 --> 00:30:53.379 from the point 00:30:53.379 --> 00:30:53.939 we are at 00:30:53.939 --> 00:30:54.339 and I know 00:30:54.339 --> 00:30:55.179 it's not for all of us 00:30:55.179 --> 00:30:55.879 but how do we go 00:30:55.879 --> 00:30:56.480 from that point 00:30:56.480 --> 00:30:57.039 of feeling like 00:30:57.039 --> 00:30:58.039 we have to do 00:30:58.039 --> 00:30:58.799 mission 00:30:58.799 --> 00:31:00.819 to delighting 00:31:00.819 --> 00:31:02.199 in mission? 00:31:04.559 --> 00:31:05.899 Remember the Ephesians 00:31:05.900 --> 00:31:09.920 remember our first love. 00:31:11.320 --> 00:31:12.680 Go back to the beginning. 00:31:13.620 --> 00:31:14.860 Remember what it was like 00:31:14.860 --> 00:31:16.660 to see the cross 00:31:16.660 --> 00:31:17.800 for the first time. 00:31:18.800 --> 00:31:19.940 To understand 00:31:19.940 --> 00:31:21.620 that Jesus hung there 00:31:21.620 --> 00:31:23.160 in your place 00:31:23.160 --> 00:31:25.080 paid your price 00:31:25.080 --> 00:31:26.259 offered you life. 00:31:27.680 --> 00:31:28.780 Do you remember 00:31:28.780 --> 00:31:29.740 what it was like 00:31:29.740 --> 00:31:31.540 to be so overwhelmed 00:31:31.540 --> 00:31:32.460 with gratitude 00:31:32.460 --> 00:31:33.259 and joy 00:31:33.259 --> 00:31:34.640 that you just 00:31:34.640 --> 00:31:35.599 had to start 00:31:35.599 --> 00:31:36.259 following him? 00:31:36.960 --> 00:31:37.539 That there was 00:31:37.539 --> 00:31:38.299 nothing else 00:31:38.299 --> 00:31:38.900 you could do 00:31:38.900 --> 00:31:40.160 but fall on your knees 00:31:40.160 --> 00:31:41.559 in thankfulness? 00:31:45.839 --> 00:31:47.200 We need to go back 00:31:47.200 --> 00:31:47.879 to the beginning. 00:31:48.740 --> 00:31:49.640 If it has become 00:31:49.640 --> 00:31:50.079 a later 00:31:50.079 --> 00:31:51.079 or a burden 00:31:51.079 --> 00:31:51.839 for us 00:31:51.839 --> 00:31:52.960 the call 00:31:52.960 --> 00:31:53.559 is the same 00:31:53.559 --> 00:31:54.059 as the call 00:31:54.059 --> 00:31:55.220 to the Ephesian church. 00:31:56.160 --> 00:31:57.460 Remember your first love. 00:31:58.259 --> 00:31:58.960 Remember the joy 00:31:58.960 --> 00:32:00.160 that is only available 00:32:00.160 --> 00:32:00.879 for those 00:32:00.880 --> 00:32:01.620 who belong 00:32:01.620 --> 00:32:02.320 to the Father 00:32:02.320 --> 00:32:03.320 for all eternity 00:32:03.320 --> 00:32:06.060 and let that joy 00:32:06.060 --> 00:32:06.800 and love 00:32:06.800 --> 00:32:08.180 flow out. 00:32:08.920 --> 00:32:09.900 Let it overflow. 00:32:11.580 --> 00:32:12.940 The way you prepare 00:32:12.940 --> 00:32:14.520 to live a life 00:32:14.520 --> 00:32:15.560 of mission 00:32:15.560 --> 00:32:17.920 is by basking 00:32:17.920 --> 00:32:19.520 in the love of God. 00:32:20.900 --> 00:32:22.640 It's by reminding yourself 00:32:22.640 --> 00:32:23.140 daily 00:32:23.140 --> 00:32:24.300 of the love of God 00:32:24.300 --> 00:32:26.760 and allowing that love 00:32:26.760 --> 00:32:28.040 to touch the lives 00:32:28.040 --> 00:32:28.620 around you. 00:32:30.880 --> 00:32:33.160 what a gift 00:32:33.160 --> 00:32:35.040 God has given us. 00:32:36.740 --> 00:32:38.000 His love 00:32:38.000 --> 00:32:39.280 His Son 00:32:39.280 --> 00:32:41.780 and now 00:32:41.780 --> 00:32:42.320 His mission. 00:32:44.200 --> 00:32:45.320 Let's pray. 00:32:53.000 --> 00:32:54.180 Father God 00:32:54.180 --> 00:32:54.600 again 00:32:54.600 --> 00:32:56.040 we are overwhelmed 00:32:56.040 --> 00:32:56.980 with your majesty. 00:32:56.980 --> 00:32:59.019 we are humbled 00:32:59.019 --> 00:33:00.299 with the depths 00:33:00.299 --> 00:33:00.860 and extent 00:33:00.860 --> 00:33:01.559 of your love. 00:33:02.740 --> 00:33:03.640 We acknowledge 00:33:03.640 --> 00:33:04.319 that we fall 00:33:04.319 --> 00:33:05.380 so far short 00:33:05.380 --> 00:33:06.259 of the privilege 00:33:06.259 --> 00:33:07.259 you have called us to 00:33:07.259 --> 00:33:07.759 in loving 00:33:07.759 --> 00:33:09.460 in loving you 00:33:09.460 --> 00:33:10.599 and in loving your world. 00:33:12.819 --> 00:33:13.279 Father 00:33:13.279 --> 00:33:14.360 where we feel burden 00:33:14.360 --> 00:33:15.259 may you lift that 00:33:15.259 --> 00:33:16.120 and replace it 00:33:16.120 --> 00:33:16.740 with gratitude 00:33:16.740 --> 00:33:17.880 and thankfulness. 00:33:19.599 --> 00:33:20.079 God 00:33:20.079 --> 00:33:20.720 where there are things 00:33:20.720 --> 00:33:21.779 that distract us 00:33:21.779 --> 00:33:23.279 may you shine brightest. 00:33:24.779 --> 00:33:25.720 Strip away things 00:33:25.720 --> 00:33:27.259 that we lean on 00:33:27.259 --> 00:33:27.819 and that we take 00:33:27.819 --> 00:33:28.420 pleasure from 00:33:28.420 --> 00:33:29.120 instead of you 00:33:29.120 --> 00:33:30.299 and enable us 00:33:30.299 --> 00:33:31.360 to grab the fullness 00:33:31.360 --> 00:33:32.019 of joy 00:33:32.019 --> 00:33:33.339 that Jesus speaks about. 00:33:34.900 --> 00:33:35.360 God 00:33:35.360 --> 00:33:35.960 we pray 00:33:35.960 --> 00:33:36.740 that we would not 00:33:36.740 --> 00:33:37.640 be a closed 00:33:37.640 --> 00:33:38.539 community 00:33:38.539 --> 00:33:41.140 but that we would be 00:33:41.140 --> 00:33:42.039 a beacon 00:33:42.039 --> 00:33:43.220 for your love. 00:33:43.839 --> 00:33:44.480 That the way 00:33:44.480 --> 00:33:45.380 we love one another 00:33:45.380 --> 00:33:46.440 the way we love you 00:33:46.440 --> 00:33:47.500 would be outward 00:33:47.500 --> 00:33:49.259 would be the same 00:33:49.259 --> 00:33:49.700 as the way 00:33:49.700 --> 00:33:50.700 that you've loved us. 00:33:51.839 --> 00:33:52.299 God 00:33:52.299 --> 00:33:53.059 strengthen us 00:33:53.059 --> 00:33:54.000 by your spirit. 00:33:54.000 --> 00:33:56.079 give us hearts 00:33:56.079 --> 00:33:57.019 that can grasp 00:33:57.019 --> 00:33:57.779 your majesty 00:33:57.779 --> 00:33:59.519 that can love you 00:33:59.519 --> 00:34:00.140 as you deserve 00:34:00.140 --> 00:34:01.519 and Father 00:34:01.519 --> 00:34:02.299 please 00:34:02.299 --> 00:34:03.359 draw other people 00:34:03.359 --> 00:34:04.019 in to know 00:34:04.019 --> 00:34:04.599 that love. 00:34:05.559 --> 00:34:06.619 Please use us 00:34:06.619 --> 00:34:07.240 to show 00:34:07.240 --> 00:34:07.859 the delight 00:34:07.859 --> 00:34:08.340 and joy 00:34:08.340 --> 00:34:09.019 that comes 00:34:09.019 --> 00:34:09.880 from calling you 00:34:09.880 --> 00:34:10.320 Father. 00:34:11.960 --> 00:34:13.239 Please glorify 00:34:13.239 --> 00:34:14.360 yourself in us 00:34:14.360 --> 00:34:15.719 and through us. 00:34:16.719 --> 00:34:16.940 Amen.