WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:00.720 Good morning, church. 00:00:01.980 --> 00:00:07.000 Would you turn with me to the book of Colossians, chapter 1, verse 24. 00:00:07.339 --> 00:00:10.439 That's page 983 in the Pew Bible. 00:00:12.939 --> 00:00:15.040 Colossians chapter 1, verse 24. 00:00:17.760 --> 00:00:21.420 This fall we've been studying Paul's letter to the church in Colossae, 00:00:21.679 --> 00:00:27.379 a letter about the greatness of Christ and the all-sufficiency of who he is 00:00:27.379 --> 00:00:28.140 and what he's done. 00:00:28.140 --> 00:00:31.339 And you'll remember if you've been with us the last few weeks that Paul 00:00:31.339 --> 00:00:37.240 had never met this church before, but we find that he greatly cared about them. 00:00:37.780 --> 00:00:44.939 And he's going to describe his ministry in the text before us in order to encourage them. 00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:49.480 So we're picking up in chapter 1, verse 24, and we're going to read, 00:00:49.540 --> 00:00:51.500 I'll read through chapter 2, verse 5. 00:00:53.060 --> 00:00:54.679 This is Paul to the Colossians. 00:00:54.679 --> 00:01:03.619 Now, I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I'm filling up what is lacking 00:01:03.619 --> 00:01:09.960 in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became 00:01:09.960 --> 00:01:16.079 a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you to make the 00:01:16.079 --> 00:01:17.780 word of God fully known. 00:01:17.780 --> 00:01:24.159 The mystery hidden for ages and generations, but now revealed to his saints. 00:01:25.320 --> 00:01:30.960 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this 00:01:30.960 --> 00:01:36.040 mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 00:01:36.040 --> 00:01:42.800 Him, we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom that we may present 00:01:42.800 --> 00:01:44.719 everyone mature in Christ. 00:01:45.120 --> 00:01:49.240 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. 00:01:49.980 --> 00:01:54.960 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and 00:01:54.960 --> 00:02:00.680 for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together 00:02:00.680 --> 00:02:06.560 in love to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:12.939 mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:18.480 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments, for though I am 00:02:18.480 --> 00:02:25.000 absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:26.140 of your faith in Christ. 00:02:26.520 --> 00:02:27.280 Let's pray together. 00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:34.620 God, we ask that you would help us this morning as we come to this passage from your word. 00:02:35.599 --> 00:02:38.400 Lord, help us to hear what your spirit is saying to us, your church. 00:02:39.479 --> 00:02:41.580 Lord, give us minds that understand. 00:02:42.699 --> 00:02:49.259 Lord, we pray that you would give us hearts that receive what it is you are speaking to 00:02:49.259 --> 00:02:49.780 us today. 00:02:49.900 --> 00:02:54.680 God, thank you that you have spoken to us supremely in your Son. 00:02:54.680 --> 00:03:01.460 Lord, he indeed is the image of you, the invisible God, and we thank you for the gift of your Son 00:03:01.460 --> 00:03:01.860 to us. 00:03:01.939 --> 00:03:06.140 Lord, would he be exalted as we attend to this passage this morning. 00:03:06.240 --> 00:03:07.200 We pray in Jesus' name. 00:03:07.400 --> 00:03:07.599 Amen. 00:03:10.099 --> 00:03:17.439 Well, it's been said that the best way to identify a counterfeit is by studying the real thing. 00:03:17.439 --> 00:03:24.159 Whether it's currency or the artwork of an old master, it's best to spend your time learning 00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:26.060 what makes the real thing the real thing. 00:03:26.400 --> 00:03:30.719 Then you can spot whatever imitations happen to come along. 00:03:31.859 --> 00:03:35.419 And apparently, when it comes to money, I've been told, it's not all that difficult. 00:03:35.860 --> 00:03:40.219 There are certain things that you can look for, the security thread, the watermark, the color 00:03:40.219 --> 00:03:40.960 shifting ink. 00:03:40.960 --> 00:03:45.240 These things make spotting the real thing fairly doable. 00:03:46.159 --> 00:03:50.060 Of course, it's helpful to know what a fake looks like too, to compare them side by side. 00:03:50.120 --> 00:03:55.480 But on the whole, if you can know the real thing and what to look for, you can avoid being 00:03:55.480 --> 00:03:57.100 taken in by the counterfeits. 00:03:59.200 --> 00:04:02.219 That's some of what Paul is up to in this paragraph. 00:04:02.219 --> 00:04:07.340 He's showing us what true gospel ministry looks like. 00:04:08.139 --> 00:04:13.699 In order that, he says, no one may delude you with plausible arguments, which is chapter 2, verse 4. 00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:20.740 Now, it seems that many of the spiritual options in the ancient world seemed plausible to the 00:04:20.740 --> 00:04:21.220 Colossians. 00:04:22.160 --> 00:04:27.899 And there were teachers and there were gurus with seeming authority and wisdom and skill who really 00:04:27.899 --> 00:04:30.300 seemed to know what they were talking about. 00:04:30.300 --> 00:04:34.220 And maybe they had a following, seemingly to prove it. 00:04:35.939 --> 00:04:40.740 But you see, for Paul to be taken in by these alternate spiritual options was sort of like 00:04:40.740 --> 00:04:45.080 having a wallet full of counterfeit money without even realizing it. 00:04:45.939 --> 00:04:47.019 You may feel rich. 00:04:47.620 --> 00:04:49.840 Your wallet is seemingly full of cash. 00:04:49.939 --> 00:04:55.259 But when you finally get to the bank and they run your money through that machine, you realize 00:04:55.259 --> 00:04:59.080 that it's not worth a thing and that you're actually broke. 00:05:00.300 --> 00:05:03.100 The same is true for us. 00:05:04.780 --> 00:05:10.879 Imagine going through life thinking that you're spiritually wealthy, only to find that whatever 00:05:10.879 --> 00:05:14.860 you've been believing in and trusting in has been a counterfeit all along. 00:05:16.480 --> 00:05:18.980 Imagine coming to the end of your days and realizing that you're bankrupt. 00:05:18.980 --> 00:05:25.200 Or to change the metaphors for a moment, imagine to find that what you thought was real medicine 00:05:25.200 --> 00:05:26.700 was only a placebo. 00:05:27.280 --> 00:05:33.480 And those benefits that you felt, only a placebo effect, masking the fact that the real problem, 00:05:33.580 --> 00:05:38.560 the real sickness remained untouched, as dangerous and as cancerous as ever. 00:05:38.560 --> 00:05:47.720 So then it's important that we grasp what real biblical ministry looks like. 00:05:48.360 --> 00:05:53.240 Counterfeits abound today as then and our spiritual lives are at stake. 00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:57.360 We don't want to be deluded, as Paul says, by teachers or ministries or movements that have the 00:05:57.360 --> 00:06:00.620 appearance of plausibility but are empty in the end. 00:06:00.620 --> 00:06:05.819 But we need to know what real gospel ministry looks like for another reason. 00:06:06.819 --> 00:06:12.040 Not just so we can spot the real thing, but so that we can do the real thing. 00:06:13.199 --> 00:06:16.459 Later in the book of Colossians in chapter 3 verse 16 we read, 00:06:16.459 --> 00:06:29.620 What Paul is saying here is that the work of ministry, teaching and admonishing is actually 00:06:29.620 --> 00:06:32.439 for every member of the body of Christ. 00:06:32.539 --> 00:06:33.779 We're to do this to one another. 00:06:35.240 --> 00:06:40.079 Some are called to be pastors and elders, yes, but ultimately our job as pastors and elders 00:06:40.079 --> 00:06:42.959 is to equip you, the saints, for the work of ministry. 00:06:42.959 --> 00:06:50.419 So that we can all build one another up in love, as we read in the book of Ephesians. 00:06:51.879 --> 00:06:56.740 So then we need to know what real life giving gospel ministry looks like so that we can actually 00:06:56.740 --> 00:06:59.139 do it, so that we can actually put it into practice. 00:07:00.359 --> 00:07:02.939 And that's how our text this morning is so helpful. 00:07:04.060 --> 00:07:09.919 What Paul is showing us here as we look at it are actually two broad aspects, two critical 00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:15.040 aspects, two necessary components of real gospel ministry. 00:07:15.800 --> 00:07:19.160 And once you learn to see them, they're pretty easy to spot. 00:07:21.280 --> 00:07:27.340 Broadly, we'll look at the manner of true ministry, and then we also see here the message 00:07:27.340 --> 00:07:29.060 of true gospel ministry. 00:07:29.400 --> 00:07:30.180 So that's where we're going. 00:07:30.259 --> 00:07:32.800 Let's look first at the manner of true ministry. 00:07:32.920 --> 00:07:35.240 Of course, there's a lot going on in this paragraph that we just read. 00:07:35.240 --> 00:07:39.000 We could probably do a whole seminar on the doctrine of the church out of this passage, 00:07:39.160 --> 00:07:43.960 but when it comes to the manner of Paul's ministry, three words or three pictures jump 00:07:43.960 --> 00:07:44.240 out. 00:07:45.340 --> 00:07:48.759 Suffering, stewardship, and struggle. 00:07:50.340 --> 00:07:52.040 We see suffering in verse 24. 00:07:52.220 --> 00:07:52.620 Paul says, 00:07:52.720 --> 00:07:57.439 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I'm filling up what is lacking 00:07:57.439 --> 00:08:00.360 in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is the church. 00:08:00.360 --> 00:08:05.699 Now remember that Paul is writing this letter from a prison cell. 00:08:06.960 --> 00:08:14.139 He is no stranger to suffering, and yet he can rejoice in that suffering because, as he 00:08:14.139 --> 00:08:19.819 says, in my flesh I'm filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. 00:08:21.080 --> 00:08:24.639 Now that probably strikes you as a strange phrase at first, right? 00:08:25.000 --> 00:08:26.139 What does Paul mean by that? 00:08:26.199 --> 00:08:28.480 Well, there's one thing that he certainly cannot mean by that. 00:08:28.480 --> 00:08:34.840 Paul can't mean that there's something lacking in Christ's afflictions for our atonement, 00:08:35.120 --> 00:08:35.960 for our salvation. 00:08:36.740 --> 00:08:41.440 Our reconciliation with God was finished once and for all through Christ's suffering on the 00:08:41.440 --> 00:08:44.240 cross, and that lacks nothing. 00:08:44.980 --> 00:08:49.759 The rest of Colossians will say that over and over and over again in a dozen different 00:08:49.759 --> 00:08:55.539 ways, that what Christ has done is completely and utterly abundantly sufficient for us. 00:08:55.539 --> 00:08:58.699 So what is Paul talking about here? 00:09:00.639 --> 00:09:04.679 Rather than talking about Christ's afflictions for our atonement, for our redemption, he's 00:09:04.679 --> 00:09:12.099 talking about the ongoing afflictions that Christ experiences because of his ongoing union 00:09:12.099 --> 00:09:13.299 with his church. 00:09:14.459 --> 00:09:19.519 When the church suffers in this age, Christ himself suffers. 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:23.019 Do you remember Paul's Damascus Road conversion? 00:09:23.799 --> 00:09:28.919 When Jesus appeared to Paul the persecutor, he didn't say, Paul, why are you persecuting 00:09:28.919 --> 00:09:29.480 my church? 00:09:31.240 --> 00:09:33.539 Jesus said, Paul, why are you persecuting me? 00:09:36.079 --> 00:09:39.639 Identifying himself completely with his body on earth. 00:09:39.639 --> 00:09:48.559 The church is, as it says here in verse 24, the body of Christ, inseparably united with 00:09:48.559 --> 00:09:50.379 Christ the head. 00:09:51.659 --> 00:09:59.179 And the road to glory for the church, just like Christ our head, the road to glory, the 00:09:59.179 --> 00:10:03.439 road to the crown of eternal life is by way of the cross. 00:10:03.440 --> 00:10:10.600 Over and over again, the New Testament is very clear that the church will experience affliction 00:10:10.600 --> 00:10:11.300 in this age. 00:10:11.400 --> 00:10:14.840 We will experience Christ's afflictions, as Paul says here. 00:10:15.800 --> 00:10:18.360 That is, we will experience afflictions for Christ. 00:10:18.520 --> 00:10:21.140 We will experience afflictions like Christ. 00:10:22.200 --> 00:10:24.380 We will experience our afflictions with Christ. 00:10:25.740 --> 00:10:26.920 Why is that the case? 00:10:27.020 --> 00:10:29.780 Why does the church experience such hostility from the world at times? 00:10:29.779 --> 00:10:37.839 Because the church, as Christ's body, friends, is the birth of the new creation in the midst 00:10:37.839 --> 00:10:38.360 of the old. 00:10:39.620 --> 00:10:45.059 In the midst of the old humanity, in the old fallen way of doing things, the church is God's 00:10:45.059 --> 00:10:47.819 new thing in the midst of the old. 00:10:49.319 --> 00:10:51.980 And that makes the church a bit like an organ transplant. 00:10:53.600 --> 00:10:57.159 The healthy organ is there to heal the body, to give it life and hope. 00:10:57.159 --> 00:11:03.039 But as we know, sometimes the old body doesn't recognize this new thing and actually attacks 00:11:03.039 --> 00:11:03.939 it as a threat. 00:11:06.139 --> 00:11:10.199 It's a bit like that with the church, the new humanity in the midst of the old. 00:11:11.659 --> 00:11:17.959 And what Paul is saying here is that he, in his vocation as an apostle, is willing to step 00:11:17.959 --> 00:11:24.699 out on behalf of the church and to undergo these Christ-like afflictions to fill up what's 00:11:24.700 --> 00:11:29.080 remaining of the Christ's ongoing walk along the way of the cross. 00:11:29.160 --> 00:11:33.580 He's willing to step out on behalf of the church and to suffer Christ-like afflictions 00:11:33.580 --> 00:11:34.860 for their sake. 00:11:36.100 --> 00:11:40.660 And the overtones of this passage are even, in some sense, in their place so that they 00:11:40.660 --> 00:11:41.340 don't have to. 00:11:41.340 --> 00:11:49.920 So, this becomes then our first window into the manner of real gospel ministry. 00:11:51.139 --> 00:12:00.519 Real, true ministry is willing to gladly suffer hardship and loss or even persecution for the 00:12:00.519 --> 00:12:02.720 sake of the church, Christ's body. 00:12:02.720 --> 00:12:09.240 True ministers of the gospel are willing to stand in front, taking the blow of ridicule 00:12:09.240 --> 00:12:13.259 or hatred or even violence so that the rest of the body might be spared. 00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:18.700 We see that over and over in Paul's ministry, and Paul here is in prison. 00:12:19.019 --> 00:12:23.759 Just like many pastors and church leaders and ministers after him would, in the history 00:12:23.759 --> 00:12:30.060 of the church, also suffer and also land in prison and also face persecution, drawing the 00:12:30.059 --> 00:12:35.959 heat and the animosity of the world's hatred onto itself so that the churches might be spared. 00:12:38.519 --> 00:12:45.899 In other words, if the church is Christ's body, real, true ministry doesn't lord itself 00:12:45.899 --> 00:12:46.859 over the body. 00:12:47.639 --> 00:12:50.739 Rather, it lays itself down for the sake of the body. 00:12:53.579 --> 00:12:59.019 Sadly, many ministries today exist to make a minister great. 00:13:00.059 --> 00:13:02.719 But that is not the way of Christ. 00:13:03.959 --> 00:13:10.019 Real ministry, true, genuine ministry is just the opposite, a willingness and love even to 00:13:10.019 --> 00:13:12.919 suffer for those to whom we minister. 00:13:14.979 --> 00:13:18.399 So, there's our first window into the manner of genuine ministry. 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:20.899 We see the second in verse 25. 00:13:21.419 --> 00:13:23.519 It's not just suffering, it's stewardship. 00:13:24.379 --> 00:13:27.639 If the theme of suffering is connected to the metaphor of the church's Christ's body, 00:13:27.639 --> 00:13:34.019 then this idea of stewardship brings with it the metaphor of the church as God's household. 00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:37.539 Now, an ancient household was a bit different than ours. 00:13:37.639 --> 00:13:42.360 It included not just the immediate family, but also at times the extended family, and also 00:13:42.360 --> 00:13:45.340 the servants and the workers who labored as part of the family estate. 00:13:45.519 --> 00:13:49.840 The household was sort of a big organization, almost a mini business running. 00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:55.960 And within the large household, the head of the house would often appoint someone called 00:13:55.960 --> 00:13:56.879 a steward. 00:13:58.060 --> 00:14:02.639 And the steward's job was to make sure that the food and other resources of the household 00:14:02.639 --> 00:14:07.080 were being distributed and managed wisely and fairly on behalf of the rest of the people 00:14:07.080 --> 00:14:08.000 who made up the household. 00:14:08.580 --> 00:14:12.379 The steward wasn't there to act on his own wishes or plans, but to carry out the wishes 00:14:12.379 --> 00:14:13.680 and plans of the head of the house. 00:14:13.679 --> 00:14:19.339 So, you can see now the kind of picture that Paul is painting in verse 25. 00:14:19.579 --> 00:14:25.099 He says, I became a minister of the church according to the stewardship from God that 00:14:25.099 --> 00:14:28.719 was given to me for you to make the Word of God fully known. 00:14:29.399 --> 00:14:30.699 See the picture he's painting here? 00:14:30.859 --> 00:14:36.379 God is sort of the head of this household, the church, and Paul's been appointed as a steward 00:14:36.379 --> 00:14:42.879 under God's authority to make sure that the Word of God is being distributed to all in 00:14:42.879 --> 00:14:43.439 the house. 00:14:45.820 --> 00:14:49.399 So, this means that the manner of real ministry is not just one of glad, self-giving love for 00:14:49.399 --> 00:14:54.980 the church, but it's also one of faithful teaching and exposition and unfolding and distribution 00:14:54.980 --> 00:14:57.019 of God's Word. 00:14:59.299 --> 00:15:02.240 Real ministry is not just expounding our own opinions or theories. 00:15:03.299 --> 00:15:06.639 Real ministry is a stewardship of the Word of God. 00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:14.059 What God has stored up in the treasuries of His Word, the Gospel, and preserved in the Bible 00:15:14.059 --> 00:15:19.939 is what we, like good stewards, want to bring out at the right time in the right way so that 00:15:19.939 --> 00:15:21.620 the household can be fed and cared for. 00:15:21.620 --> 00:15:28.100 So, then if the manner of real ministry is a stewardship, then biblical teaching becomes, 00:15:28.240 --> 00:15:29.940 in many ways, the central activity. 00:15:33.539 --> 00:15:38.279 And in His devotion to teaching the Bible as God's stewards, real ministry will be appropriately 00:15:38.279 --> 00:15:38.879 humble. 00:15:40.899 --> 00:15:46.139 After all, we are simply servants working on behalf of the head of the house. 00:15:46.139 --> 00:15:49.659 This message doesn't ultimately come from us, but from Him. 00:15:50.379 --> 00:15:54.980 So, there's nothing for us, as we minister as a church, to get sort of self-inflated about. 00:15:55.100 --> 00:15:57.279 This isn't about our own wisdom or our own rescue. 00:15:57.659 --> 00:16:00.120 It's not our own wisdom or our own rescue that we proclaim. 00:16:00.259 --> 00:16:01.980 It's God's wisdom, and it's God's rescue. 00:16:03.059 --> 00:16:06.480 And so, we're humble, exalting God and not exalting self. 00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:15.100 But in addition to being humble, real ministry as stewardship will also, at the same time, 00:16:15.159 --> 00:16:16.399 be appropriately bold. 00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:21.440 After all, we're not doing this on our own authority. 00:16:21.580 --> 00:16:23.639 We are acting in the name of another. 00:16:25.080 --> 00:16:28.620 It is God's Word that we teach and we hold out. 00:16:29.620 --> 00:16:32.279 True ministry need not be sheepish or afraid. 00:16:32.279 --> 00:16:38.220 It need not be blown and tossed by whatever popular ideas might be trending at the time. 00:16:40.600 --> 00:16:43.600 As stewards of the Word, we can be humble and we can be bold. 00:16:46.120 --> 00:16:49.079 So, those are the first two windows into the manner of real gospel ministry. 00:16:49.240 --> 00:16:54.279 Paul's suffering shows us that true ministry is about self-giving love for God's church. 00:16:54.579 --> 00:16:58.779 And Paul's stewardship shows us that ministry is about faithful exposition of God's Word. 00:16:58.779 --> 00:17:02.759 And the third and last thing we see here is that there is struggle. 00:17:03.199 --> 00:17:04.460 Look at chapter 2, verse 1. 00:17:04.519 --> 00:17:12.559 I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face. 00:17:13.579 --> 00:17:18.059 Now, the word struggle here is actually an athletic term. 00:17:18.420 --> 00:17:20.599 It's a term from the world of sports. 00:17:20.599 --> 00:17:27.639 It carries with it an idea of striving for a goal or contending for the crown of victory. 00:17:29.159 --> 00:17:33.719 And what makes struggling different than the suffering that we talked about earlier? 00:17:33.899 --> 00:17:39.099 Well, suffering, sort of as part of a body, has to do with bearing external attack. 00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:48.339 But struggling, like an athlete on a team, has to do with internal desire, with drive. 00:17:48.339 --> 00:17:56.119 This is not the first time Paul will use athletic imagery to describe the work of ministry in 1 Corinthians. 00:17:56.419 --> 00:17:58.139 And in 2 Timothy, he does the same thing. 00:17:58.279 --> 00:18:05.139 Paul will say in those passages that competing like an athlete, training hard, maintaining self-discipline, striving for the crown of victory. 00:18:05.339 --> 00:18:08.559 All of these have something to teach us about real ministry. 00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:19.799 Here in Colossians, the idea of the struggle of ministry is connected to helping fellow believers reach what he calls maturity in Christ. 00:18:22.379 --> 00:18:29.259 Chapter 2, verse 2 describes that maturity that Paul is struggling to bring about in this way. 00:18:29.339 --> 00:18:31.759 It says, we should be encouraged in heart. 00:18:31.759 --> 00:18:34.379 And we should be united in love. 00:18:35.299 --> 00:18:38.019 And we should be fully assured in our understanding. 00:18:39.440 --> 00:18:44.759 This is what Paul strives and struggles like an athlete to see happen in Colossae. 00:18:45.160 --> 00:18:48.779 And in other cities he hasn't even visited yet, like Laodicea as well. 00:18:50.400 --> 00:18:55.779 Struggling, striving, training, working like an athlete, no doubt in prayer for these churches. 00:18:55.779 --> 00:19:00.899 No doubt in his correspondence and in his writing to them, as we see here in Colossians. 00:19:01.720 --> 00:19:07.200 And no doubt in his training and in his sending of ministers to these cities. 00:19:07.440 --> 00:19:10.700 Men like Epaphras that we looked at a few weeks ago who brought the gospel to Colossians. 00:19:10.740 --> 00:19:17.899 In all these ways, Paul is struggling and striving for these churches he hasn't even met yet. 00:19:17.900 --> 00:19:26.060 So the manner of real ministry, how can we spot real genuine gospel ministry when we see it? 00:19:26.920 --> 00:19:33.580 Well, the manner of it is not just self-giving love, not just faithful stewarding of God's word and preaching and teaching, 00:19:34.060 --> 00:19:39.259 but also this metaphor would suggest downright hard work. 00:19:41.259 --> 00:19:43.240 Verse 29 uses the word of toil. 00:19:43.240 --> 00:19:50.440 But lest we get weary just thinking about that, 00:19:51.799 --> 00:19:55.799 we see that this toil and this struggle happens, as he says in verse 29, 00:19:55.960 --> 00:19:59.660 with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. 00:20:02.299 --> 00:20:10.319 As we labor hard, God's power is at work, energizing us for the task. 00:20:13.240 --> 00:20:14.620 And this means two things. 00:20:15.079 --> 00:20:20.759 On the one hand, genuine ministry is not lazy or complacent. 00:20:21.339 --> 00:20:25.279 But on the other hand, neither is it frantic and always on the verge of burning out. 00:20:26.599 --> 00:20:29.799 Genuine ministry is not sort of a sitting around, letting go and letting God, 00:20:30.160 --> 00:20:33.640 nor is it sort of sitting around thinking that everything depends on us at the end of the day, 00:20:33.799 --> 00:20:35.380 and we get completely stressed out. 00:20:36.519 --> 00:20:38.120 See, the balance Paul is striking here. 00:20:38.119 --> 00:20:42.379 We toil, we struggle, but we do so with his power and with his energy. 00:20:44.279 --> 00:20:47.759 I think naturally, dispositionally, we tend to tip one way or the other. 00:20:49.559 --> 00:20:52.319 Can you spot which side you tend to sort of stumble into? 00:20:52.539 --> 00:20:55.559 Are you prone to laziness, or are you proning to burning out? 00:20:56.959 --> 00:21:00.319 Or do you sort of swing back and forth between the two when you sort of sense that you're getting lazy, 00:21:00.399 --> 00:21:02.139 and then you speed over this way and start burning out, 00:21:02.179 --> 00:21:03.439 and then you're like, well, I got to pull back, 00:21:03.440 --> 00:21:07.880 and then you start, you know, getting all lazy again and binging on Netflix for 48 hours 00:21:07.880 --> 00:21:10.519 and catching up on all your shows? 00:21:13.279 --> 00:21:14.779 How do we get off the hamster wheel? 00:21:16.980 --> 00:21:19.500 How does one go about struggling with all his energy, 00:21:19.920 --> 00:21:23.720 as opposed to floundering with all of our energy? 00:21:24.980 --> 00:21:27.960 I think the first thing to say here is that this empowerment happens 00:21:27.960 --> 00:21:30.100 in the act of working itself. 00:21:30.099 --> 00:21:35.639 There's no good waiting around until you, quote-unquote, feel energized, 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:39.219 because God's power meets us in the doing. 00:21:42.099 --> 00:21:45.480 The next thing to say is that prayer is vital here. 00:21:46.619 --> 00:21:50.119 In a couple weeks, we're going to look at Colossians chapter 3, verses 1 through 4, 00:21:50.219 --> 00:21:53.599 where Paul tells us to set our minds on things above, 00:21:53.939 --> 00:21:57.099 that is, on Christ ascended to the Father's right hand. 00:21:57.099 --> 00:22:01.740 And the setting of the mind on Christ in prayer throughout the day, 00:22:02.199 --> 00:22:04.480 remembering where our real identity lies, 00:22:04.659 --> 00:22:07.379 remembering our real glory in the midst of the world, 00:22:07.839 --> 00:22:13.419 that is one of the things that will empower us to labor with all his energy. 00:22:16.839 --> 00:22:20.639 So here are three aspects, three windows into the manner of real gospel ministry. 00:22:20.640 --> 00:22:24.160 So friends, maybe it's worth asking, I wonder, 00:22:24.640 --> 00:22:29.040 do you perhaps have a desire to be a minister in Christ's church? 00:22:31.020 --> 00:22:34.759 Not just an elder or a pastor, but some other kind of ministry. 00:22:37.400 --> 00:22:39.960 Well, we see here that genuine ministry means 00:22:39.960 --> 00:22:41.900 to love the body, 00:22:41.900 --> 00:22:44.600 and to steward the word, 00:22:45.400 --> 00:22:47.740 and to work hard with all his energy. 00:22:50.540 --> 00:22:51.460 And again, remember, 00:22:51.560 --> 00:22:52.880 this isn't just for pastors and elders, 00:22:53.280 --> 00:22:55.240 or campus ministers, or small group leaders. 00:22:56.019 --> 00:22:58.280 Every member of Christ's body 00:22:58.280 --> 00:22:59.259 is a minister. 00:23:00.080 --> 00:23:02.080 As we've been walking through these three elements, 00:23:02.280 --> 00:23:03.560 I'm sure it's been tempting to think, 00:23:04.080 --> 00:23:06.320 man, Pastor Nick's preaching one long sermon 00:23:06.320 --> 00:23:07.460 about himself up there. 00:23:07.640 --> 00:23:09.140 What in the world? Get over it, dude. 00:23:09.640 --> 00:23:11.240 But no, this is for us, church. 00:23:12.720 --> 00:23:14.320 We are called to ministry. 00:23:14.440 --> 00:23:15.900 This is a model for us all 00:23:15.900 --> 00:23:18.040 to love the church, 00:23:18.600 --> 00:23:19.900 and to steward his word, 00:23:20.259 --> 00:23:22.200 and to work hard with his energy. 00:23:24.540 --> 00:23:26.700 God has given you a sphere of ministry 00:23:26.700 --> 00:23:29.160 that no one else has. 00:23:30.180 --> 00:23:32.100 It's there that he's calling you to serve. 00:23:33.060 --> 00:23:35.680 You have opportunities to minister God's word, 00:23:35.780 --> 00:23:37.480 and to see his kingdom advance in places, 00:23:37.600 --> 00:23:39.620 and in relationships that I will never encounter. 00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:41.519 That Pastor Greg, or Pastor Matt, 00:23:41.519 --> 00:23:43.220 or any of the other elders will ever encounter. 00:23:46.019 --> 00:23:47.859 This ministry, this call to ministry, 00:23:47.859 --> 00:23:48.559 is for us all. 00:23:52.559 --> 00:23:54.200 And this window of real gospel ministry, 00:23:54.339 --> 00:23:56.500 these aspects, this manner of gospel ministry, 00:23:56.500 --> 00:23:58.819 it's a good grid for spotting the genuine 00:23:58.819 --> 00:23:59.920 from the counterfeit. 00:24:00.980 --> 00:24:03.160 And we have to be charitable here, I think, 00:24:03.200 --> 00:24:04.839 but it's worth asking at times, 00:24:04.839 --> 00:24:08.559 as we consider maybe joining a particular ministry, 00:24:08.859 --> 00:24:10.959 or being fed by a particular ministry, 00:24:11.179 --> 00:24:13.319 or encountering friends who are engaged 00:24:13.319 --> 00:24:15.240 with a particular ministry or teaching. 00:24:16.500 --> 00:24:19.039 Task along the lines of self-giving love, 00:24:19.119 --> 00:24:21.220 is this ministry, a loving ministry? 00:24:21.220 --> 00:24:25.799 And does it ever speak of suffering 00:24:25.799 --> 00:24:27.620 as part of Christian experience? 00:24:29.200 --> 00:24:30.880 Paul's very clear here that suffering 00:24:30.880 --> 00:24:34.559 is a pretty normal event in the church life. 00:24:35.559 --> 00:24:37.900 Or does this ministry only promise health 00:24:37.900 --> 00:24:39.600 and wealth and worldly prosperity? 00:24:40.220 --> 00:24:42.620 Do the ministers lord their authority over the flock, 00:24:42.839 --> 00:24:43.799 making themselves greater? 00:24:43.880 --> 00:24:45.720 Do they lay their lives down for the sheep? 00:24:45.720 --> 00:24:51.079 Or along the lines of ministry as stewardship, 00:24:51.660 --> 00:24:52.539 we could ask, 00:24:52.700 --> 00:24:54.160 what about this ministry's fidelity 00:24:54.160 --> 00:24:55.279 to the Word of God? 00:24:56.640 --> 00:24:58.120 Is the teaching of the Bible 00:24:58.120 --> 00:24:59.880 central to its life and health? 00:25:00.740 --> 00:25:02.559 Are there certain aspects of God's Word 00:25:02.559 --> 00:25:04.839 that seem to be conspicuously absent? 00:25:06.700 --> 00:25:09.579 Are certain hard passages or ethical demands 00:25:09.579 --> 00:25:12.259 being twisted or ignored or explained away? 00:25:12.259 --> 00:25:16.339 Are other books or other sources of authority 00:25:16.339 --> 00:25:17.579 seen as equal in authority 00:25:17.579 --> 00:25:19.220 or greater authority than the Bible? 00:25:20.859 --> 00:25:21.940 Like the Book of Mormon 00:25:21.940 --> 00:25:24.119 or the Watchtower for Jehovah's Witnesses. 00:25:26.420 --> 00:25:29.480 Lastly, does a ministry struggle with all His energy, 00:25:29.579 --> 00:25:30.460 with all God's energy? 00:25:30.579 --> 00:25:31.640 Is there, on the one hand, 00:25:31.660 --> 00:25:34.279 a bold vision for the growth of the kingdom? 00:25:34.640 --> 00:25:36.799 Is our very real human responsibility 00:25:36.799 --> 00:25:39.599 taken seriously to obey the great commandment 00:25:39.599 --> 00:25:41.279 and to fulfill the great commission? 00:25:42.259 --> 00:25:43.559 And at the same time, 00:25:43.980 --> 00:25:47.940 is there a prevailing sense of joy and peace 00:25:47.940 --> 00:25:50.460 that at the end of the day, 00:25:50.640 --> 00:25:51.640 God is in control 00:25:51.640 --> 00:25:54.859 and His sovereign purpose will prevail? 00:25:56.299 --> 00:25:59.000 And does that joy and peace and confidence 00:25:59.000 --> 00:26:00.779 in God's sovereignty 00:26:00.779 --> 00:26:03.920 flow out in a rich dependence on God 00:26:03.920 --> 00:26:04.879 expressed in prayer? 00:26:04.880 --> 00:26:10.680 That's the manner of real gospel ministry. 00:26:13.740 --> 00:26:15.500 Now, I confess, if we step back, 00:26:15.880 --> 00:26:17.260 all of this might sound, 00:26:17.360 --> 00:26:18.800 on the surface, a bit dour. 00:26:20.560 --> 00:26:23.000 I mean, suffering, stewarding, and struggling. 00:26:23.180 --> 00:26:24.640 On the surface, that is a downer 00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:25.900 of a job description, right? 00:26:25.900 --> 00:26:26.019 Right? 00:26:28.420 --> 00:26:32.460 And yet, Paul does it with joy, 00:26:33.040 --> 00:26:34.820 as he says in the opening of our passage. 00:26:35.920 --> 00:26:36.860 And at the end, 00:26:38.320 --> 00:26:40.140 this whole passage is sort of bookended 00:26:40.140 --> 00:26:42.180 by joy. 00:26:43.500 --> 00:26:44.519 How can that be? 00:26:44.519 --> 00:26:48.519 Well, that brings us to the second big thing 00:26:48.519 --> 00:26:50.220 we see about real gospel ministry. 00:26:50.379 --> 00:26:52.759 We've seen the manner of real ministry, 00:26:53.259 --> 00:26:55.279 and now we come to the message 00:26:55.279 --> 00:26:57.559 of genuine gospel ministry. 00:26:57.680 --> 00:26:59.259 Look with me again at verse 25. 00:27:00.579 --> 00:27:01.000 Paul says, 00:27:01.000 --> 00:27:01.940 I became a minister, 00:27:02.200 --> 00:27:03.519 I became a minister of the church, 00:27:04.160 --> 00:27:05.940 according to the stewardship from God 00:27:05.940 --> 00:27:07.039 that was given to me for you 00:27:07.039 --> 00:27:09.599 to make the word of God fully known. 00:27:10.299 --> 00:27:11.000 The mystery, 00:27:11.680 --> 00:27:13.500 hidden for ages and generations, 00:27:13.799 --> 00:27:15.440 but now revealed to his saints. 00:27:16.559 --> 00:27:17.779 Then God chose to make known 00:27:17.779 --> 00:27:19.160 how great among the Gentiles 00:27:19.160 --> 00:27:22.059 are the riches of the glory of this mystery, 00:27:22.059 --> 00:27:26.019 which is Christ in you, 00:27:26.819 --> 00:27:28.259 the hope of glory. 00:27:28.259 --> 00:27:32.960 The message of real gospel ministry 00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:34.160 is what Paul calls here 00:27:34.160 --> 00:27:35.879 the mystery of God. 00:27:38.099 --> 00:27:39.680 Now you see what Paul means 00:27:39.680 --> 00:27:42.039 by the word mystery in verse 26, right? 00:27:42.299 --> 00:27:43.619 For Paul, God's mystery 00:27:43.619 --> 00:27:46.119 is not something incomprehensible about God 00:27:46.119 --> 00:27:47.079 that we'll never figure out 00:27:47.079 --> 00:27:48.000 with our finite intellect. 00:27:48.200 --> 00:27:50.200 That's how we use the term mystery sometimes, right? 00:27:51.099 --> 00:27:53.059 No, for Paul, God's mystery 00:27:53.059 --> 00:27:54.960 is what was once hidden, 00:27:55.500 --> 00:27:56.779 but now revealed. 00:27:56.779 --> 00:27:58.319 In other words, 00:27:58.379 --> 00:28:01.839 God's mystery is the long-awaited unveiling 00:28:01.839 --> 00:28:03.759 of God's redemptive purpose 00:28:03.759 --> 00:28:05.940 that he's been planning all along, 00:28:06.379 --> 00:28:09.279 and now it's finally being unfurled 00:28:09.279 --> 00:28:10.259 for all to see 00:28:10.259 --> 00:28:13.799 in all its surprising wonder. 00:28:15.379 --> 00:28:16.299 I've been thinking about 00:28:16.299 --> 00:28:18.059 how to sort of capture this idea 00:28:18.059 --> 00:28:19.899 of mystery, biblical mystery, 00:28:20.240 --> 00:28:21.539 and in some sense, 00:28:21.619 --> 00:28:23.720 I think surprise is almost a good word. 00:28:23.720 --> 00:28:26.920 There's been an anticipation for it, 00:28:27.200 --> 00:28:28.400 and now it's here. 00:28:31.220 --> 00:28:32.059 In some sense, 00:28:32.120 --> 00:28:33.620 we couldn't have predicted 00:28:33.620 --> 00:28:35.160 how it was all going to play out, 00:28:35.220 --> 00:28:36.380 but now that it's been revealed, 00:28:36.480 --> 00:28:37.480 it makes sense of everything. 00:28:39.860 --> 00:28:41.480 God's open secret for the world 00:28:41.480 --> 00:28:42.759 of his great redemptive plan, 00:28:42.880 --> 00:28:43.579 God's mystery. 00:28:45.380 --> 00:28:46.360 What is that mystery? 00:28:46.480 --> 00:28:47.680 Paul says in verse 27, 00:28:47.680 --> 00:28:51.660 it's Christ in you, 00:28:52.180 --> 00:28:53.360 the hope of glory. 00:28:53.759 --> 00:28:55.360 This once hidden, 00:28:55.519 --> 00:28:56.440 but now revealed, 00:28:56.700 --> 00:28:58.060 saving plan of God, 00:28:58.220 --> 00:28:59.060 this is the message 00:28:59.060 --> 00:29:00.400 of real gospel ministry. 00:29:00.560 --> 00:29:01.860 Christ in you, 00:29:02.140 --> 00:29:03.080 the hope of glory. 00:29:07.420 --> 00:29:08.560 Let's meditate briefly 00:29:08.560 --> 00:29:09.880 on each part of this message. 00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:10.779 Let's pull it apart 00:29:10.779 --> 00:29:11.539 and soak on it 00:29:11.539 --> 00:29:12.660 for just a little bit together. 00:29:12.660 --> 00:29:13.740 First, 00:29:15.019 --> 00:29:15.700 Paul's telling us 00:29:15.700 --> 00:29:16.640 that our message 00:29:16.640 --> 00:29:18.000 is Christ. 00:29:19.500 --> 00:29:20.420 It's easy to think 00:29:20.420 --> 00:29:21.000 of Christianity 00:29:21.000 --> 00:29:22.980 as simply a system 00:29:22.980 --> 00:29:23.580 of rules 00:29:23.580 --> 00:29:24.880 or religious practices 00:29:24.880 --> 00:29:25.980 or a worldview 00:29:25.980 --> 00:29:27.500 or an intellectual tradition, 00:29:28.180 --> 00:29:29.040 but Christianity, 00:29:29.300 --> 00:29:29.440 friends, 00:29:29.480 --> 00:29:31.519 is ultimately Christ, 00:29:32.620 --> 00:29:33.980 a person. 00:29:35.960 --> 00:29:37.019 Verse 28 says, 00:29:37.540 --> 00:29:39.060 Him we proclaim. 00:29:40.140 --> 00:29:40.880 The message 00:29:40.880 --> 00:29:42.300 is Jesus. 00:29:42.660 --> 00:29:42.779 Jesus. 00:29:44.380 --> 00:29:45.560 When we tell people 00:29:45.560 --> 00:29:46.600 what God is like, 00:29:47.680 --> 00:29:49.380 what do we have to do 00:29:49.380 --> 00:29:49.960 as Christians? 00:29:51.019 --> 00:29:53.140 We have to proclaim Jesus 00:29:53.140 --> 00:29:54.840 because He is the image 00:29:54.840 --> 00:29:55.740 of the invisible God. 00:29:56.640 --> 00:29:57.700 When we tell people 00:29:57.700 --> 00:29:58.759 what God has done 00:29:58.759 --> 00:30:00.300 as Christians, 00:30:00.400 --> 00:30:02.060 we have to proclaim Jesus 00:30:02.060 --> 00:30:03.640 because He is the one 00:30:03.640 --> 00:30:04.440 who has finished 00:30:04.440 --> 00:30:05.300 the work of redemption. 00:30:05.519 --> 00:30:06.720 He has reconciled us 00:30:06.720 --> 00:30:07.340 to the Father 00:30:07.340 --> 00:30:08.480 through His cross. 00:30:10.180 --> 00:30:11.120 And when we tell people 00:30:11.120 --> 00:30:12.080 what God's goal 00:30:12.079 --> 00:30:13.179 or what God's desire 00:30:13.179 --> 00:30:14.579 or what God's future 00:30:14.579 --> 00:30:15.379 is for us, 00:30:15.419 --> 00:30:17.339 we have to proclaim Christ. 00:30:18.859 --> 00:30:20.279 The rest of verse 28 reads, 00:30:20.359 --> 00:30:21.099 Him we proclaim, 00:30:21.519 --> 00:30:22.279 warning everyone, 00:30:22.579 --> 00:30:23.240 teaching everyone 00:30:23.240 --> 00:30:23.960 with all wisdom 00:30:23.960 --> 00:30:25.099 that we may present 00:30:25.099 --> 00:30:27.879 everyone mature in Christ. 00:30:28.759 --> 00:30:30.439 This is what completion 00:30:30.439 --> 00:30:31.259 looks like. 00:30:31.980 --> 00:30:33.460 This is what finality 00:30:33.460 --> 00:30:34.740 and fulfillment 00:30:34.740 --> 00:30:36.799 looks like. 00:30:37.460 --> 00:30:38.099 Maturity. 00:30:38.099 --> 00:30:40.679 it looks like Jesus. 00:30:43.559 --> 00:30:44.599 In Christ, 00:30:44.759 --> 00:30:45.219 chapter 2, 00:30:45.259 --> 00:30:45.899 verse 3 says, 00:30:45.959 --> 00:30:46.319 are hidden 00:30:46.319 --> 00:30:47.679 all the treasures 00:30:47.679 --> 00:30:48.799 of wisdom 00:30:48.799 --> 00:30:50.139 and knowledge. 00:30:51.139 --> 00:30:52.059 Anything you could 00:30:52.059 --> 00:30:52.859 want to know, 00:30:54.019 --> 00:30:54.679 anything you could 00:30:54.679 --> 00:30:55.500 want to be, 00:30:56.319 --> 00:30:56.879 anything that would 00:30:56.879 --> 00:30:57.579 make sense 00:30:57.579 --> 00:30:58.480 of our existence 00:30:58.480 --> 00:31:00.639 is stored up 00:31:00.640 --> 00:31:03.360 to be withdrawn 00:31:03.360 --> 00:31:05.100 from the person 00:31:05.100 --> 00:31:05.600 of Jesus. 00:31:07.600 --> 00:31:08.759 Our goal, 00:31:09.460 --> 00:31:10.560 our ultimate joy 00:31:10.560 --> 00:31:11.780 and future 00:31:11.780 --> 00:31:13.480 is Christ 00:31:13.480 --> 00:31:14.759 Himself. 00:31:17.420 --> 00:31:18.620 In other words, 00:31:19.480 --> 00:31:19.880 friends, 00:31:19.960 --> 00:31:20.980 the Lord Jesus Christ 00:31:20.980 --> 00:31:22.940 is not a means 00:31:22.940 --> 00:31:24.660 to some other end. 00:31:26.259 --> 00:31:27.580 He is not a way 00:31:27.580 --> 00:31:28.700 to get something else 00:31:28.700 --> 00:31:29.420 that's better 00:31:29.420 --> 00:31:30.440 or more lasting. 00:31:31.360 --> 00:31:33.120 Jesus is the end. 00:31:33.500 --> 00:31:34.240 He is the point. 00:31:34.360 --> 00:31:35.140 He is the goal. 00:31:36.140 --> 00:31:36.840 In Him are all 00:31:36.840 --> 00:31:37.240 the treasures 00:31:37.240 --> 00:31:38.000 of wisdom and knowledge. 00:31:38.200 --> 00:31:39.039 Knowing Him 00:31:39.039 --> 00:31:41.080 is eternal life 00:31:41.080 --> 00:31:42.799 and boundless joy. 00:31:45.059 --> 00:31:45.860 And this is what 00:31:45.860 --> 00:31:46.740 Jesus Himself taught. 00:31:47.400 --> 00:31:48.039 Engaging with the 00:31:48.039 --> 00:31:49.319 religious elites 00:31:49.319 --> 00:31:50.000 of His day, 00:31:50.440 --> 00:31:51.420 Jesus said in John 5, 00:31:51.480 --> 00:31:51.700 He says, 00:31:51.779 --> 00:31:51.980 you know, 00:31:52.100 --> 00:31:53.100 you guys are searching 00:31:53.100 --> 00:31:53.680 the Scriptures 00:31:53.680 --> 00:31:55.380 because you think 00:31:55.380 --> 00:31:56.299 that in them 00:31:56.299 --> 00:31:57.720 you have eternal life 00:31:57.720 --> 00:31:58.980 and yet it's they 00:31:58.980 --> 00:31:59.779 that bear witness 00:31:59.779 --> 00:32:00.740 about me. 00:32:01.600 --> 00:32:02.500 Yet you refuse 00:32:02.500 --> 00:32:03.380 to come to me 00:32:03.380 --> 00:32:04.779 that you may have life. 00:32:05.720 --> 00:32:06.240 You see what Jesus 00:32:06.240 --> 00:32:06.799 is saying there? 00:32:07.519 --> 00:32:08.140 He's saying that 00:32:08.140 --> 00:32:08.920 the whole point 00:32:08.920 --> 00:32:09.740 of the Old Testament 00:32:09.740 --> 00:32:11.319 is Him. 00:32:12.240 --> 00:32:12.980 You're searching 00:32:12.980 --> 00:32:13.440 the Scriptures 00:32:13.440 --> 00:32:14.180 trying to find 00:32:14.180 --> 00:32:14.680 eternal life 00:32:14.680 --> 00:32:15.259 and you're missing 00:32:15.259 --> 00:32:16.000 the fact 00:32:16.000 --> 00:32:17.400 that it's all about me. 00:32:19.400 --> 00:32:20.420 I'm the fulfillment 00:32:20.420 --> 00:32:21.880 of God's saving plan. 00:32:22.680 --> 00:32:23.680 I'm the rest 00:32:23.680 --> 00:32:24.980 that you've been longing for. 00:32:25.180 --> 00:32:25.920 I'm the peace 00:32:25.920 --> 00:32:26.740 that you've been hoping for. 00:32:26.740 --> 00:32:27.460 I'm the protection 00:32:27.460 --> 00:32:28.319 you've been seeking. 00:32:29.779 --> 00:32:31.120 I'm the cleanness 00:32:31.120 --> 00:32:31.880 that you've been trying 00:32:31.880 --> 00:32:32.420 to find 00:32:32.420 --> 00:32:33.660 and I'm the justification 00:32:33.660 --> 00:32:34.819 that you've been slaving 00:32:34.819 --> 00:32:35.579 so hard to get. 00:32:35.640 --> 00:32:36.180 It's me. 00:32:39.660 --> 00:32:40.319 It's in Him 00:32:40.319 --> 00:32:40.799 that we find 00:32:40.799 --> 00:32:41.420 eternal life. 00:32:44.859 --> 00:32:45.940 This is how you can spot 00:32:45.940 --> 00:32:46.599 the real message 00:32:46.599 --> 00:32:47.299 of Christianity. 00:32:48.120 --> 00:32:48.799 Ask yourself, 00:32:48.880 --> 00:32:49.480 who is the hero 00:32:49.480 --> 00:32:50.240 of this story? 00:32:52.039 --> 00:32:52.680 Is it me? 00:32:52.819 --> 00:32:53.599 Is it my performance? 00:32:53.759 --> 00:32:54.579 Is it my moral record? 00:32:54.700 --> 00:32:55.359 Is it my achievements? 00:32:55.359 --> 00:32:56.019 Is it the work 00:32:56.019 --> 00:32:56.779 that I have to do? 00:32:56.859 --> 00:32:57.379 Is it some kind 00:32:57.379 --> 00:32:58.039 of program out 00:32:58.039 --> 00:32:58.519 in the world? 00:32:59.459 --> 00:33:00.339 Or is the hero 00:33:00.339 --> 00:33:01.079 of the story 00:33:01.079 --> 00:33:01.819 Christ? 00:33:02.899 --> 00:33:03.779 Is He the beginning 00:33:03.779 --> 00:33:04.539 and the middle 00:33:04.539 --> 00:33:05.259 and the end? 00:33:07.339 --> 00:33:07.899 Because, friends, 00:33:07.939 --> 00:33:08.359 the truth is 00:33:08.359 --> 00:33:08.839 that the gospel 00:33:08.839 --> 00:33:09.859 says that we are sinners 00:33:09.859 --> 00:33:11.619 and we are deserving 00:33:11.619 --> 00:33:12.659 God's just judgment, 00:33:13.399 --> 00:33:14.699 but Christ died 00:33:14.699 --> 00:33:15.979 so that we might live 00:33:15.979 --> 00:33:17.759 a new life. 00:33:18.579 --> 00:33:19.899 Christ is the hero 00:33:19.899 --> 00:33:20.679 of the story 00:33:20.679 --> 00:33:21.679 and His cross 00:33:21.680 --> 00:33:22.440 is the place 00:33:22.440 --> 00:33:23.060 of victory 00:33:23.060 --> 00:33:24.220 where God's wrath 00:33:24.220 --> 00:33:24.900 was satisfied 00:33:24.900 --> 00:33:26.539 and we're reconciled 00:33:26.539 --> 00:33:26.920 to Him 00:33:26.920 --> 00:33:29.279 and the new creation 00:33:29.279 --> 00:33:29.799 begins. 00:33:31.240 --> 00:33:32.200 That is our message. 00:33:32.299 --> 00:33:33.019 Our message 00:33:33.019 --> 00:33:34.519 is Christ. 00:33:37.320 --> 00:33:37.980 But here's where 00:33:37.980 --> 00:33:38.700 things get interesting. 00:33:39.740 --> 00:33:40.580 Even more interesting 00:33:40.580 --> 00:33:40.940 than that, 00:33:40.980 --> 00:33:41.600 if you can believe it. 00:33:42.120 --> 00:33:42.759 Our message 00:33:42.759 --> 00:33:43.920 is not just 00:33:43.920 --> 00:33:45.440 Christ over us 00:33:45.440 --> 00:33:46.100 as our Lord, 00:33:46.600 --> 00:33:48.340 not just Christ for us 00:33:48.340 --> 00:33:49.259 as our crucified 00:33:49.259 --> 00:33:50.079 and risen Savior, 00:33:50.980 --> 00:33:52.640 but also Christ 00:33:52.640 --> 00:33:54.200 in us, 00:33:55.379 --> 00:33:57.059 Christ in you. 00:33:59.220 --> 00:33:59.740 Elsewhere, 00:33:59.839 --> 00:34:00.319 Paul writes, 00:34:00.839 --> 00:34:02.740 I have been crucified 00:34:02.740 --> 00:34:03.420 with Christ. 00:34:04.259 --> 00:34:05.180 It's no longer 00:34:05.180 --> 00:34:06.440 I who live, 00:34:07.119 --> 00:34:07.900 but Christ 00:34:07.900 --> 00:34:08.699 who lives in me. 00:34:09.360 --> 00:34:10.139 And the life 00:34:10.139 --> 00:34:10.900 I now live 00:34:10.900 --> 00:34:11.460 in the flesh, 00:34:11.539 --> 00:34:12.559 I live by faith 00:34:12.559 --> 00:34:13.460 in the Son of God 00:34:13.460 --> 00:34:14.699 who loved me 00:34:14.699 --> 00:34:15.940 and gave Himself 00:34:15.940 --> 00:34:16.460 for me. 00:34:17.579 --> 00:34:18.300 The message 00:34:18.300 --> 00:34:19.519 of real Christianity 00:34:19.519 --> 00:34:21.019 is at least 00:34:21.019 --> 00:34:21.900 twofold, friends. 00:34:22.140 --> 00:34:22.700 It is both 00:34:22.700 --> 00:34:24.480 that we are in Christ 00:34:24.480 --> 00:34:25.840 and so we have 00:34:25.840 --> 00:34:26.660 a new status 00:34:26.660 --> 00:34:27.280 before God, 00:34:27.340 --> 00:34:27.960 we are justified, 00:34:28.160 --> 00:34:28.660 we are forgiven, 00:34:28.920 --> 00:34:30.420 but also that Christ 00:34:30.420 --> 00:34:31.880 is in us 00:34:31.880 --> 00:34:32.780 and we have 00:34:32.780 --> 00:34:33.600 a new nature 00:34:33.600 --> 00:34:35.080 and a new dynamic 00:34:35.080 --> 00:34:35.900 of spiritual life 00:34:35.900 --> 00:34:37.000 pulsing inside. 00:34:39.500 --> 00:34:39.980 Again, 00:34:40.060 --> 00:34:40.580 this is what Jesus 00:34:40.580 --> 00:34:41.280 Himself taught. 00:34:41.360 --> 00:34:41.980 In John 14, 00:34:42.080 --> 00:34:43.140 Jesus says to His disciples, 00:34:43.260 --> 00:34:44.060 and this probably 00:34:44.060 --> 00:34:45.140 was so confusing 00:34:45.140 --> 00:34:45.960 to them at the time, 00:34:45.960 --> 00:34:47.780 He said, 00:34:48.199 --> 00:34:48.960 when He had them 00:34:48.960 --> 00:34:49.539 gathered for the 00:34:49.539 --> 00:34:50.059 Last Supper, 00:34:50.860 --> 00:34:51.559 right before He was 00:34:51.559 --> 00:34:52.260 about to be betrayed 00:34:52.260 --> 00:34:53.039 and go to the cross, 00:34:53.119 --> 00:34:53.800 He's teaching them 00:34:53.800 --> 00:34:54.360 and teaching them 00:34:54.360 --> 00:34:54.920 and teaching them 00:34:54.920 --> 00:34:55.260 and He says, 00:34:55.519 --> 00:34:56.360 because I live, 00:34:56.679 --> 00:34:57.740 you also will live. 00:34:58.119 --> 00:34:58.920 In that day, 00:34:58.980 --> 00:34:59.460 that is the day 00:34:59.460 --> 00:35:00.320 after His resurrection, 00:35:00.539 --> 00:35:01.320 you will know 00:35:01.320 --> 00:35:02.340 that I'm in my Father 00:35:02.340 --> 00:35:03.639 and you in me 00:35:03.639 --> 00:35:04.980 and I in you. 00:35:07.699 --> 00:35:08.900 Christ in you, 00:35:09.679 --> 00:35:10.960 the living Lord, 00:35:11.079 --> 00:35:12.099 the risen Savior, 00:35:12.260 --> 00:35:13.119 alive in you 00:35:13.119 --> 00:35:14.260 through His Holy Spirit. 00:35:14.260 --> 00:35:17.860 You know, 00:35:17.900 --> 00:35:18.040 friends, 00:35:18.120 --> 00:35:18.900 half the battle, 00:35:19.060 --> 00:35:19.900 spiritually speaking, 00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:20.920 is remembering 00:35:20.920 --> 00:35:21.900 who you are 00:35:21.900 --> 00:35:23.480 and who lives 00:35:23.480 --> 00:35:24.280 inside of you. 00:35:25.920 --> 00:35:26.680 This is why Paul 00:35:26.680 --> 00:35:27.880 is always saying things 00:35:27.880 --> 00:35:28.840 in his letters 00:35:28.840 --> 00:35:29.720 like he says in Romans, 00:35:29.860 --> 00:35:30.900 consider yourself, 00:35:31.380 --> 00:35:32.200 reckon yourself, 00:35:32.740 --> 00:35:33.880 tell yourself, 00:35:34.040 --> 00:35:34.980 remind yourself 00:35:34.980 --> 00:35:36.040 that you're dead to sin 00:35:36.040 --> 00:35:36.720 and you're alive 00:35:36.720 --> 00:35:37.720 to God in Christ Jesus 00:35:37.720 --> 00:35:38.800 because that's true, 00:35:38.880 --> 00:35:40.040 that's what's true of you 00:35:40.040 --> 00:35:42.360 and you always forget it. 00:35:44.260 --> 00:35:47.760 remember who you are 00:35:47.760 --> 00:35:49.740 and who lives inside of you 00:35:49.740 --> 00:35:51.140 and live in line 00:35:51.140 --> 00:35:52.320 with that great truth. 00:35:54.260 --> 00:35:55.860 When the besetting sins 00:35:55.860 --> 00:35:57.060 rear their head again, 00:35:57.420 --> 00:35:58.880 when you despair 00:35:58.880 --> 00:35:59.680 about how to handle 00:35:59.680 --> 00:36:00.880 that tricky parenting issue 00:36:00.880 --> 00:36:02.000 or that situation at work, 00:36:02.380 --> 00:36:03.260 when you just look out 00:36:03.260 --> 00:36:04.040 at the brokenness 00:36:04.040 --> 00:36:04.680 of the world 00:36:04.680 --> 00:36:06.120 and just want to give up, 00:36:07.200 --> 00:36:07.760 remember, 00:36:08.680 --> 00:36:09.980 the same Jesus 00:36:09.980 --> 00:36:10.720 who has lived 00:36:10.720 --> 00:36:11.200 and died 00:36:11.200 --> 00:36:11.920 and risen again 00:36:11.920 --> 00:36:12.559 for you 00:36:12.559 --> 00:36:14.159 as Lord of the whole universe 00:36:14.159 --> 00:36:16.340 is now alive in you, 00:36:18.400 --> 00:36:19.680 leading you 00:36:19.680 --> 00:36:21.440 and empowering you 00:36:21.440 --> 00:36:23.119 and sustaining you 00:36:23.119 --> 00:36:24.800 and granting you wisdom 00:36:24.800 --> 00:36:25.680 to speak 00:36:25.680 --> 00:36:26.599 when you need to speak 00:36:26.599 --> 00:36:27.500 and to listen 00:36:27.500 --> 00:36:28.420 when you need to listen. 00:36:30.139 --> 00:36:30.440 Church, 00:36:30.519 --> 00:36:31.400 you are not left 00:36:31.400 --> 00:36:32.940 to your own devices. 00:36:35.400 --> 00:36:36.559 You're not left 00:36:36.559 --> 00:36:37.780 to just sort of wait 00:36:37.780 --> 00:36:40.079 until something else happens. 00:36:40.260 --> 00:36:41.380 Christ is in you. 00:36:41.920 --> 00:36:45.000 If anyone is in Christ, 00:36:46.280 --> 00:36:46.800 there, 00:36:47.260 --> 00:36:48.500 the new creation, 00:36:48.900 --> 00:36:49.400 Paul says 00:36:49.400 --> 00:36:51.019 in 2 Corinthians. 00:36:53.639 --> 00:36:54.920 And we need no longer 00:36:54.920 --> 00:36:55.740 be slaves again 00:36:55.740 --> 00:36:56.260 to fear, 00:36:57.300 --> 00:36:58.980 fear of condemnation, 00:36:59.619 --> 00:37:00.380 fear of repeating 00:37:00.380 --> 00:37:01.400 our worst selves 00:37:01.400 --> 00:37:03.119 over and over again. 00:37:03.340 --> 00:37:04.780 You're God's child now. 00:37:04.920 --> 00:37:05.840 God lives in you 00:37:05.840 --> 00:37:07.559 and He's making you new. 00:37:09.000 --> 00:37:09.960 Do you want to join 00:37:09.960 --> 00:37:10.539 the adventure 00:37:10.539 --> 00:37:11.239 of a lifetime? 00:37:12.679 --> 00:37:13.699 Link your life 00:37:13.699 --> 00:37:14.539 to the Lord Jesus 00:37:14.539 --> 00:37:15.400 and find out 00:37:15.400 --> 00:37:16.059 what happens. 00:37:19.639 --> 00:37:20.480 But there's one more 00:37:20.480 --> 00:37:21.420 part of this message. 00:37:22.739 --> 00:37:23.480 It is Christ 00:37:23.480 --> 00:37:24.440 in you, 00:37:25.500 --> 00:37:26.179 the hope 00:37:26.179 --> 00:37:27.159 of glory. 00:37:28.759 --> 00:37:29.779 Later in Colossians, 00:37:29.900 --> 00:37:30.400 Paul will say, 00:37:30.400 --> 00:37:31.400 when Christ, 00:37:31.760 --> 00:37:33.139 who is your life, 00:37:33.559 --> 00:37:34.180 appears, 00:37:35.599 --> 00:37:36.820 then you will also 00:37:36.820 --> 00:37:37.780 appear with Him 00:37:37.780 --> 00:37:38.820 in glory. 00:37:39.960 --> 00:37:40.360 Now, 00:37:40.420 --> 00:37:40.920 I get a chance 00:37:40.920 --> 00:37:41.820 to preach that passage 00:37:41.820 --> 00:37:42.440 in a couple weeks, 00:37:42.519 --> 00:37:43.160 so I'm not going to steal 00:37:43.160 --> 00:37:43.840 my own thunder. 00:37:44.760 --> 00:37:45.539 But do you see 00:37:45.539 --> 00:37:46.099 what he's saying? 00:37:47.340 --> 00:37:49.200 If Christ is in you now, 00:37:49.460 --> 00:37:50.240 then you will be 00:37:50.240 --> 00:37:50.900 with Him then, 00:37:51.539 --> 00:37:52.360 raised with Him 00:37:52.360 --> 00:37:53.440 to imperishable life, 00:37:53.860 --> 00:37:54.740 reigning with Him 00:37:54.740 --> 00:37:56.160 in a creation made new. 00:37:56.159 --> 00:37:58.219 And friends, 00:37:58.259 --> 00:37:59.139 we've got to hold 00:37:59.139 --> 00:38:00.239 these two things together, 00:38:00.639 --> 00:38:01.819 this Christ in you 00:38:01.819 --> 00:38:03.420 and this hope of glory. 00:38:04.099 --> 00:38:04.399 You see, 00:38:04.659 --> 00:38:05.659 Christ in you 00:38:05.659 --> 00:38:06.259 now, 00:38:06.480 --> 00:38:06.899 working, 00:38:07.199 --> 00:38:07.559 changing, 00:38:07.799 --> 00:38:08.420 transforming, 00:38:08.980 --> 00:38:09.739 breaking open 00:38:09.739 --> 00:38:10.480 this old world 00:38:10.480 --> 00:38:11.739 with the new creation 00:38:11.739 --> 00:38:14.699 and the hope of glory. 00:38:16.500 --> 00:38:17.980 The very real reminder 00:38:17.980 --> 00:38:18.659 that the best 00:38:18.659 --> 00:38:19.839 is still yet to come 00:38:19.839 --> 00:38:20.839 and that there is 00:38:20.839 --> 00:38:21.859 more in store. 00:38:21.860 --> 00:38:24.120 And you see 00:38:24.120 --> 00:38:24.599 how it's helpful 00:38:24.599 --> 00:38:25.200 that we have to hold 00:38:25.200 --> 00:38:26.059 these two things together? 00:38:28.000 --> 00:38:29.079 Because we need to know 00:38:29.079 --> 00:38:30.900 that not every besetting sin 00:38:30.900 --> 00:38:32.180 will simply go away 00:38:32.180 --> 00:38:33.539 this side of Christ's return. 00:38:34.800 --> 00:38:36.620 And not every injustice 00:38:36.620 --> 00:38:38.420 will be put to rest 00:38:38.420 --> 00:38:39.780 this side of Christ's return. 00:38:41.160 --> 00:38:41.640 Now, 00:38:41.720 --> 00:38:42.680 this doesn't stop us 00:38:42.680 --> 00:38:44.079 from pursuing God's kingdom 00:38:44.079 --> 00:38:44.840 and His righteousness 00:38:44.840 --> 00:38:45.720 above all else 00:38:45.720 --> 00:38:46.599 with all His energy 00:38:46.599 --> 00:38:48.260 that He powerfully works in us. 00:38:49.840 --> 00:38:51.220 But it reminds us 00:38:51.219 --> 00:38:53.259 that in this age 00:38:53.259 --> 00:38:55.099 we are still waiting 00:38:55.099 --> 00:38:56.279 for the consummation 00:38:56.279 --> 00:38:57.079 of Christ's work. 00:38:58.679 --> 00:38:59.879 We are in the middle 00:38:59.879 --> 00:39:00.859 of the story, friends, 00:39:00.899 --> 00:39:01.579 not at the end. 00:39:03.159 --> 00:39:04.639 But if Christ is in you, 00:39:05.719 --> 00:39:06.799 then you have the hope 00:39:06.799 --> 00:39:07.279 of glory. 00:39:08.439 --> 00:39:09.899 You will share 00:39:09.899 --> 00:39:11.679 in that glorious hope. 00:39:12.980 --> 00:39:14.259 You can face the future 00:39:14.259 --> 00:39:15.239 with confidence 00:39:15.239 --> 00:39:15.980 no matter what 00:39:15.980 --> 00:39:17.039 that future might hold 00:39:17.039 --> 00:39:19.339 because you know 00:39:19.339 --> 00:39:20.519 how the story ends. 00:39:22.219 --> 00:39:23.339 You may not know 00:39:23.339 --> 00:39:25.000 all the twists and turns, 00:39:25.259 --> 00:39:26.039 all the light 00:39:26.039 --> 00:39:27.079 and dark patches, 00:39:27.219 --> 00:39:27.939 all the conflict 00:39:27.939 --> 00:39:28.579 and resolutions 00:39:28.579 --> 00:39:29.359 that are standing 00:39:29.359 --> 00:39:30.139 between you 00:39:30.139 --> 00:39:31.179 and the coming 00:39:31.179 --> 00:39:31.679 of the kingdom. 00:39:35.259 --> 00:39:36.099 But you know 00:39:36.099 --> 00:39:36.719 the director 00:39:36.719 --> 00:39:38.059 of this drama 00:39:38.059 --> 00:39:38.679 of creation 00:39:38.679 --> 00:39:39.619 and He has shown you 00:39:39.619 --> 00:39:40.539 how the story ends. 00:39:41.239 --> 00:39:42.439 The curtain will rise, 00:39:43.179 --> 00:39:44.019 the King will step 00:39:44.019 --> 00:39:44.839 onto the stage, 00:39:45.459 --> 00:39:46.659 and when the King 00:39:46.659 --> 00:39:47.719 of glory comes in, 00:39:47.819 --> 00:39:49.000 creation will be set free 00:39:49.000 --> 00:39:49.800 from its bondage 00:39:49.800 --> 00:39:50.320 to decay, 00:39:50.639 --> 00:39:51.480 and our hearts 00:39:51.480 --> 00:39:52.219 will be set free 00:39:52.219 --> 00:39:52.920 from sin, 00:39:53.159 --> 00:39:54.059 and every knee 00:39:54.059 --> 00:39:54.659 and every tongue 00:39:54.659 --> 00:39:55.300 will confess 00:39:55.300 --> 00:39:57.400 that He is Lord. 00:39:59.219 --> 00:40:00.199 And those who have 00:40:00.199 --> 00:40:01.199 repented and believe 00:40:01.199 --> 00:40:02.280 will reign with Him forever. 00:40:05.000 --> 00:40:05.880 And the one 00:40:05.880 --> 00:40:06.820 who is directing 00:40:06.820 --> 00:40:07.599 this drama 00:40:07.599 --> 00:40:08.239 of creation 00:40:08.239 --> 00:40:09.239 to its finale 00:40:09.239 --> 00:40:11.420 lives in you, 00:40:12.639 --> 00:40:13.679 giving you wisdom 00:40:13.679 --> 00:40:14.500 to understand 00:40:14.500 --> 00:40:15.440 your role to play, 00:40:16.000 --> 00:40:17.019 giving you the grace 00:40:17.019 --> 00:40:17.860 and the strength 00:40:17.860 --> 00:40:18.980 and the creativity 00:40:18.980 --> 00:40:19.739 to play it, 00:40:21.079 --> 00:40:22.980 Christ in you, 00:40:23.059 --> 00:40:24.019 the hope of glory. 00:40:24.219 --> 00:40:25.360 That's our message, 00:40:25.900 --> 00:40:27.400 and that is the message 00:40:27.400 --> 00:40:27.920 of real, 00:40:28.139 --> 00:40:29.039 genuine Christianity. 00:40:31.599 --> 00:40:32.280 So friends, 00:40:32.320 --> 00:40:32.960 do you have 00:40:32.960 --> 00:40:33.699 the real thing? 00:40:34.800 --> 00:40:35.659 When you look 00:40:35.659 --> 00:40:36.860 in your spiritual wallet, 00:40:38.699 --> 00:40:39.699 do you have 00:40:39.699 --> 00:40:40.380 the real thing? 00:40:41.820 --> 00:40:42.659 Or have you been 00:40:42.659 --> 00:40:43.639 banking on something 00:40:43.639 --> 00:40:44.420 that's an imitation, 00:40:44.699 --> 00:40:45.460 a counterfeit? 00:40:47.019 --> 00:40:48.840 Have you embraced 00:40:48.840 --> 00:40:49.360 the message 00:40:49.360 --> 00:40:50.480 of real Christianity? 00:40:50.719 --> 00:40:51.519 Have you embraced 00:40:51.519 --> 00:40:53.119 the living Christ Himself? 00:40:53.300 --> 00:40:54.400 Not some moral code, 00:40:55.039 --> 00:40:55.900 not a sort of nice 00:40:55.900 --> 00:40:56.519 social group 00:40:56.519 --> 00:40:57.239 to be a part of. 00:40:57.300 --> 00:40:58.659 Have you embraced Him? 00:41:01.179 --> 00:41:02.139 And if not, 00:41:02.340 --> 00:41:02.940 why not? 00:41:04.500 --> 00:41:05.159 What is it 00:41:05.159 --> 00:41:05.860 you're waiting for? 00:41:08.360 --> 00:41:09.519 And if you have 00:41:09.519 --> 00:41:10.380 taken hold of Him, 00:41:11.579 --> 00:41:12.380 then this message 00:41:12.380 --> 00:41:13.219 comes out at us 00:41:13.219 --> 00:41:13.599 and says, 00:41:13.820 --> 00:41:14.759 join the real 00:41:14.759 --> 00:41:15.559 gospel ministry. 00:41:15.559 --> 00:41:17.440 You have been 00:41:17.440 --> 00:41:18.239 shown the manner 00:41:18.239 --> 00:41:19.139 and the message. 00:41:19.279 --> 00:41:19.980 We have been shown 00:41:19.980 --> 00:41:21.340 the marks 00:41:21.340 --> 00:41:22.380 and the message 00:41:22.380 --> 00:41:23.320 of this ministry. 00:41:23.739 --> 00:41:24.599 And we need not 00:41:24.599 --> 00:41:25.119 be deluded 00:41:25.119 --> 00:41:25.719 or taken in 00:41:25.719 --> 00:41:26.480 by counterfeits. 00:41:27.360 --> 00:41:27.779 Rather, 00:41:27.900 --> 00:41:28.539 let us continue 00:41:28.539 --> 00:41:29.019 the work. 00:41:29.840 --> 00:41:30.059 Friends, 00:41:30.099 --> 00:41:30.679 what would happen 00:41:30.679 --> 00:41:31.500 in our city 00:41:31.500 --> 00:41:32.960 if we went forth 00:41:32.960 --> 00:41:34.199 with this message 00:41:34.199 --> 00:41:34.719 of hope 00:41:34.719 --> 00:41:35.139 that we've been 00:41:35.139 --> 00:41:35.799 talking about 00:41:35.799 --> 00:41:36.880 and we held it 00:41:36.880 --> 00:41:37.860 forth in this manner 00:41:37.860 --> 00:41:38.500 of love 00:41:38.500 --> 00:41:38.980 that we've been 00:41:38.980 --> 00:41:39.420 describing? 00:41:41.199 --> 00:41:42.380 What if our neighbors 00:41:42.380 --> 00:41:44.059 saw our self-giving love 00:41:44.059 --> 00:41:46.420 and an energized labor 00:41:46.420 --> 00:41:47.000 that they couldn't 00:41:47.000 --> 00:41:47.619 understand 00:41:47.619 --> 00:41:48.940 and a joyful stewardship 00:41:48.940 --> 00:41:49.639 of this message? 00:41:49.739 --> 00:41:50.559 What if they heard 00:41:50.559 --> 00:41:51.500 from us not merely 00:41:51.500 --> 00:41:52.380 a moral code 00:41:52.380 --> 00:41:53.960 or another religious system 00:41:53.960 --> 00:41:55.199 or another social program 00:41:55.199 --> 00:41:56.779 or another political project, 00:41:56.860 --> 00:41:58.039 but a real message 00:41:58.039 --> 00:41:58.539 of hope? 00:41:59.320 --> 00:42:00.259 Christ in you, 00:42:00.299 --> 00:42:01.079 the hope of glory. 00:42:04.219 --> 00:42:05.179 In the early church, 00:42:05.239 --> 00:42:06.059 we read in the book of Acts 00:42:06.059 --> 00:42:06.840 that God added 00:42:06.840 --> 00:42:07.980 to their number daily 00:42:07.980 --> 00:42:09.119 those who were being saved. 00:42:10.639 --> 00:42:11.599 That's the power 00:42:11.599 --> 00:42:12.840 of the real thing. 00:42:12.840 --> 00:42:14.740 counterfeits 00:42:14.740 --> 00:42:15.680 eventually leave us 00:42:15.680 --> 00:42:16.559 empty and longing 00:42:16.559 --> 00:42:17.059 for more, 00:42:17.460 --> 00:42:18.420 but by God's grace, 00:42:18.519 --> 00:42:19.320 the real thing 00:42:19.320 --> 00:42:20.500 catches fire 00:42:20.500 --> 00:42:21.420 and spreads. 00:42:22.500 --> 00:42:23.140 And it becomes 00:42:23.140 --> 00:42:23.740 a movement 00:42:23.740 --> 00:42:24.780 of hope 00:42:24.780 --> 00:42:25.640 and joy. 00:42:26.640 --> 00:42:27.640 That's what we see 00:42:27.640 --> 00:42:28.519 in the early church. 00:42:29.120 --> 00:42:29.860 The word of God 00:42:29.860 --> 00:42:30.420 goes forth 00:42:30.420 --> 00:42:31.019 and leaves 00:42:31.019 --> 00:42:31.760 in its wake 00:42:31.760 --> 00:42:33.039 joy. 00:42:35.059 --> 00:42:35.760 It becomes 00:42:35.760 --> 00:42:36.200 a movement 00:42:36.200 --> 00:42:36.720 of hope 00:42:36.720 --> 00:42:37.460 to the glory 00:42:37.460 --> 00:42:38.039 of Christ. 00:42:39.440 --> 00:42:40.260 May God 00:42:40.260 --> 00:42:41.120 use us 00:42:41.119 --> 00:42:41.880 as a church 00:42:41.880 --> 00:42:42.339 for such 00:42:42.339 --> 00:42:42.859 a ministry. 00:42:44.519 --> 00:42:45.099 And may 00:42:45.099 --> 00:42:45.920 our city 00:42:45.920 --> 00:42:46.699 and our neighborhoods 00:42:46.699 --> 00:42:47.940 increasingly know 00:42:47.940 --> 00:42:49.079 these glorious riches 00:42:49.079 --> 00:42:49.579 of Christ 00:42:49.579 --> 00:42:50.079 in whom are hidden 00:42:50.079 --> 00:42:50.779 all the treasures 00:42:50.779 --> 00:42:51.179 of wisdom 00:42:51.179 --> 00:42:51.739 and knowledge. 00:42:53.440 --> 00:42:53.679 Friends, 00:42:53.719 --> 00:42:54.239 may this be 00:42:54.239 --> 00:42:55.000 the message 00:42:55.000 --> 00:42:56.019 and the manner 00:42:56.019 --> 00:42:56.819 that we go forth 00:42:56.819 --> 00:42:57.059 in, 00:42:57.440 --> 00:42:58.460 Christ in us, 00:42:58.920 --> 00:42:59.219 the hope 00:42:59.219 --> 00:42:59.719 of glory. 00:43:01.159 --> 00:43:01.440 Amen? 00:43:02.259 --> 00:43:02.940 Let's pray. 00:43:02.940 --> 00:43:03.019 Amen. 00:43:03.019 --> 00:43:03.079 Amen. 00:43:03.079 --> 00:43:03.119 Amen. 00:43:03.119 --> 00:43:03.179 Amen. 00:43:03.179 --> 00:43:03.579 Amen. 00:43:03.579 --> 00:43:03.679 Amen. 00:43:03.679 --> 00:43:03.699 Amen. 00:43:03.699 --> 00:43:03.739 Amen. 00:43:03.739 --> 00:43:04.179 Amen. 00:43:04.179 --> 00:43:05.079 Amen. 00:43:05.079 --> 00:43:05.579 Amen. 00:43:05.579 --> 00:43:05.699 Amen. 00:43:05.699 --> 00:43:05.719 Amen. 00:43:05.719 --> 00:43:05.739 Amen. 00:43:05.739 --> 00:43:05.759 Amen. 00:43:05.759 --> 00:43:05.779 Amen. 00:43:05.779 --> 00:43:06.859 Amen. 00:43:06.859 --> 00:43:06.880 Amen. 00:43:06.880 --> 00:43:07.699 Amen. 00:43:07.699 --> 00:43:07.799 Amen. 00:43:07.799 --> 00:43:07.819 Amen. 00:43:07.819 --> 00:43:08.779 Amen. 00:43:08.779 --> 00:43:08.940 Amen. 00:43:08.940 --> 00:43:08.960 Amen. 00:43:08.960 --> 00:43:08.980 Amen. 00:43:08.980 --> 00:43:09.240 Lord Jesus, 00:43:09.340 --> 00:43:10.000 we ask that you 00:43:10.000 --> 00:43:11.559 would energize us 00:43:11.559 --> 00:43:12.920 with all of your power 00:43:12.920 --> 00:43:15.460 so that we might 00:43:15.460 --> 00:43:16.900 run this race 00:43:16.900 --> 00:43:17.860 set before us 00:43:17.860 --> 00:43:18.460 with endurance. 00:43:19.980 --> 00:43:20.380 Lord, 00:43:20.420 --> 00:43:20.920 would you help us 00:43:20.920 --> 00:43:21.880 to cling to the real 00:43:21.880 --> 00:43:22.159 thing, 00:43:22.219 --> 00:43:23.159 to cling to you, 00:43:23.980 --> 00:43:24.559 and may our hearts 00:43:24.559 --> 00:43:25.300 be overflowing 00:43:25.300 --> 00:43:26.260 with such confidence 00:43:26.260 --> 00:43:26.699 and joy 00:43:26.699 --> 00:43:27.360 and hope in you 00:43:27.360 --> 00:43:28.519 that we can't help 00:43:28.519 --> 00:43:30.059 but simply 00:43:30.059 --> 00:43:32.240 proclaim you 00:43:32.240 --> 00:43:33.079 in our words, 00:43:33.260 --> 00:43:33.940 in our deeds, 00:43:34.380 --> 00:43:34.960 in our homes, 00:43:35.039 --> 00:43:35.860 in our workplaces. 00:43:36.559 --> 00:43:36.900 And God, 00:43:36.960 --> 00:43:37.519 would you 00:43:37.519 --> 00:43:39.039 gather your people 00:43:39.039 --> 00:43:39.920 from every tribe 00:43:39.920 --> 00:43:40.360 and tongue 00:43:40.360 --> 00:43:40.780 and nation 00:43:40.780 --> 00:43:41.320 in this city 00:43:41.320 --> 00:43:42.259 and around the world. 00:43:43.119 --> 00:43:43.380 Lord, 00:43:43.440 --> 00:43:44.320 bring us to yourself. 00:43:44.440 --> 00:43:45.400 Help many more 00:43:45.400 --> 00:43:46.539 to know the hope 00:43:46.539 --> 00:43:47.380 of glory, 00:43:47.539 --> 00:43:48.320 Christ in you 00:43:48.320 --> 00:43:48.860 and our city, 00:43:49.000 --> 00:43:49.199 Father. 00:43:50.199 --> 00:43:50.679 To the glory 00:43:50.679 --> 00:43:51.360 of your great name 00:43:51.360 --> 00:43:51.780 we pray. 00:43:52.599 --> 00:43:52.880 Amen. 00:43:54.340 --> 00:43:54.719 Well, 00:43:54.739 --> 00:43:54.880 friends, 00:43:54.900 --> 00:43:55.340 let's stand. 00:43:55.400 --> 00:43:56.000 We're going to end 00:43:56.000 --> 00:43:56.599 by singing 00:43:56.599 --> 00:43:57.599 the song 00:43:57.599 --> 00:43:58.480 Alive in Us, 00:43:58.539 --> 00:43:58.699 which is 00:43:58.699 --> 00:44:01.039 that's 00:44:01.219 --> 00:44:01.619 Amen. 00:44:05.119 --> 00:44:05.239 Amen. 00:44:05.399 --> 00:44:06.339 Amen. 00:44:06.480 --> 00:44:06.539 Amen. 00:44:06.619 --> 00:44:07.599 Amen. 00:44:20.119 --> 00:44:20.579 Amen. 00:44:20.579 --> 00:44:24.439 Amen.