WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.240 Good evening, everyone. Great to be in church with you tonight. We're three weeks into our 00:00:04.240 --> 00:00:09.759 vision series and three weeks into this new orientation in our church, and there's a whole 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:14.759 heap of benefits, one of which that in preaching now, when I'm not restricted to a particular area, 00:00:14.820 --> 00:00:19.580 I've got a headset, I actually worked half a kilometre in preaching at 9.30 this morning, 00:00:19.600 --> 00:00:25.060 so it's doing good for my health, hopefully as it is for us as a church as well. Let's pray before 00:00:25.059 --> 00:00:31.899 we jump in to vision series number three. Heavenly Father, we want to thank you for what you have 00:00:31.899 --> 00:00:39.259 been doing in us as a church. We want to pray, Lord, that you'll continue to reform our hearts. 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:47.159 We ask that we might treasure the Lord Jesus above all things. We pray, Lord, now as we look at your 00:00:47.159 --> 00:00:54.320 word that it would not just be an intellectual exercise in any sense, Lord, that we would love 00:00:54.320 --> 00:01:01.159 you, that we would love your word, that we'd be obedient disciples of yours. Help us to see your 00:01:01.159 --> 00:01:08.280 worldview in all things and for our lives to be conformed to it and be shaped by it. Lord, if 00:01:08.280 --> 00:01:14.340 there's any call of obedience, may it be a sense of joy, not duty, because of what we have in the Lord 00:01:14.340 --> 00:01:20.039 Jesus. So send your spirit now so that we might love what you love and hate what you hate, and we ask 00:01:20.040 --> 00:01:28.520 it for your glory. Amen. Possibly the most devastating statistic that comes out of the 20th century 00:01:28.520 --> 00:01:37.080 is the fact that Adolf Hitler exterminated six million innocent Jews in concentration camps, 00:01:37.560 --> 00:01:42.820 and that's to say nothing of the Poles and the Gypsies and the homosexuals. And what makes this 00:01:42.819 --> 00:01:52.259 information far more terrifying is the fact that Hitler did not succeed in his mass murder by himself. 00:01:54.099 --> 00:02:01.959 Nor did he recruit thousands of extermination helpers from the planet Mars. 00:02:01.959 --> 00:02:12.759 The majority of Hitler's assistants in genocide were recruited from the pews of Germans, Lutheran, 00:02:12.759 --> 00:02:20.699 and Roman Catholic churches after they'd been told by their clergy to obey the civil authorities of 00:02:20.699 --> 00:02:28.560 their day. And so you've got to ask the question, why did Lutheran and Catholic Nazis go about their 00:02:28.560 --> 00:02:37.180 daily routines of extermination? Why didn't they stop? Why didn't they repent? Why didn't they just go, 00:02:38.120 --> 00:02:41.860 isn't this different from what we read in the Bible or what we've been doing at church? 00:02:44.439 --> 00:02:50.300 And part of the answer is they've been led to believe in a cheapened form of God's grace that 00:02:50.300 --> 00:02:56.680 would save them. Now please don't think that this is my interpretation of history. Dietrich Bonhoeffer 00:02:56.680 --> 00:03:02.700 was a German theologian who was head of a seminary for the Confessing Church. He was imprisoned by the 00:03:02.700 --> 00:03:13.800 Nazis in 1943. He was hanged by them on the 9th of April in 1945 at Flossenberg Concentration Camp, 00:03:13.879 --> 00:03:20.960 two weeks before it was liberated by the American troops. And he was at the heart of writing what is 00:03:20.960 --> 00:03:26.100 known as the Theological Declaration of Barmen in, it sounds like it's written in a pub, doesn't it? 00:03:26.099 --> 00:03:33.139 Theological Declaration of Barmen. He wrote that, it might have been, in 1934 with Karl Barth, 00:03:33.599 --> 00:03:43.879 which called Christians in Germany to oppose Hitler's national socialism. And very few actually did. 00:03:45.699 --> 00:03:53.500 And it was in this context that in 1937, Bonhoeffer wrote this book called The Cost of Discipleship. 00:03:53.500 --> 00:04:04.400 And the first line of the first chapter says, cheap grace is the deadly enemy of the church. 00:04:05.500 --> 00:04:13.360 He writes, in such a church, the world finds cheap covering for its sins. No contrition is required, 00:04:13.539 --> 00:04:18.720 still has any desire to be delivered from sin. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without 00:04:18.720 --> 00:04:25.820 repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession, grace without 00:04:25.820 --> 00:04:33.400 discipleship. In other words, grace alone does everything. It's all the work of God. 00:04:36.200 --> 00:04:43.000 Everything therefore remains as it was before, Nazi uniform and all, Auschwitz and all. 00:04:43.000 --> 00:04:51.339 And Bonhoeffer describes how this cheapening, this preaching of a cheap grace led to German 00:04:51.339 --> 00:04:57.740 Christians believing in the 1930s that my only duty as a Christian is to leave the world for an hour 00:04:57.740 --> 00:05:05.819 or so on a Sunday morning to go to church to be assured that my sins are forgiven. One hour, 00:05:05.819 --> 00:05:10.240 Sunday morning, Sunday morning, forgiven, off you go back to Auschwitz. 00:05:12.060 --> 00:05:19.199 Now, according to Bonhoeffer, this thinking in Germany in the 1930s is that the passage, 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:25.420 like the one that was just read out for us tonight from 2 Corinthians 5 and 6, is not for normal 00:05:25.420 --> 00:05:34.199 Christians. This is a passage for the select few like the Apostle Paul and maybe some missionaries. 00:05:34.199 --> 00:05:42.259 And Bonhoeffer suggested it's that kind of thinking that was the cancer that made it possible for 00:05:42.259 --> 00:05:52.039 Lutherans and Catholic church members to become Nazi guards. And what Bonhoeffer called the church in 00:05:52.039 --> 00:05:58.740 Germany to in the 20th century is what the Apostle Paul called the Corinthian church to in the 1st century 00:05:58.740 --> 00:06:05.340 is what I would call us to today at St. Paul's in the 21st century. It's 2 Corinthians 6.1. 00:06:05.920 --> 00:06:11.000 As God's co-workers, we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. 00:06:13.259 --> 00:06:16.379 Over the past two weeks, I've been unpacking our vision statement. 00:06:17.100 --> 00:06:22.819 In view of who we are as a church, we aim to be united in our desperation for the world around us 00:06:22.819 --> 00:06:28.500 to encounter Jesus and in our desire to represent the diversity of Chatswood. And I preached on what 00:06:28.500 --> 00:06:34.339 unity looks like, unity in Christ. I've looked at what diversity looks like for us and talked about 00:06:34.339 --> 00:06:39.319 it last week as a trans-cultural church. And over the next two weeks, I want to focus on that part of 00:06:39.319 --> 00:06:43.620 our vision statement that reads, desperation for the world around us to encounter Jesus. 00:06:44.399 --> 00:06:49.379 That part of the vision says something about us, which is my focus tonight, and also something about 00:06:49.379 --> 00:06:55.939 our world, which I'm going to focus on next week. And what has been put in front of us already in the 00:06:55.939 --> 00:07:06.019 last two weeks, and again tonight, is effectively a worldview. And it's a worldview that trumps all other 00:07:06.019 --> 00:07:14.120 worldviews. It shapes, clarifies, it defines what we value, what we treasure, how we live, 00:07:14.120 --> 00:07:23.319 day by day, 24-7. It is God's vision of all things for all time, and how we fit as part of God's vision 00:07:23.319 --> 00:07:29.920 for all things for all time. It's God's global plan, his global agenda. We see it again in 2 Corinthians 5 00:07:29.920 --> 00:07:36.720 and 6. And like last week, where we got a graphic picture of the end of all things from Romans 5, 00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:42.520 we get a similar end of picture, graphic picture of the end of all time in 2 Corinthians 5.10. Look at it. 00:07:42.860 --> 00:07:48.480 This is how... Open your Bibles. That'd be great if you haven't got your Bibles open. 2 Corinthians 5 00:07:48.480 --> 00:07:52.260 verses 10 to 6.10. 00:07:56.180 --> 00:08:01.840 This reveals, 2 Corinthians 5.10 reveals how high the stakes are for people right now. 00:08:01.839 --> 00:08:07.679 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him 00:08:07.679 --> 00:08:13.959 for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. That is, what that's clearly saying is 00:08:13.959 --> 00:08:20.579 that God will hold all people accountable for their life. Notice that the judgment seat of Christ here 00:08:20.579 --> 00:08:27.479 is universal. We must all appear. That's everyone. No exceptions. And notice too that while it is 00:08:27.480 --> 00:08:37.120 everyone, we will all be judged individually. Each one must give an account. Each life will be exposed 00:08:37.120 --> 00:08:41.759 for what it is. And my mates and my family and everyone else is not going to be there saying, 00:08:41.840 --> 00:08:49.980 oh, come on, give him a break. Romans 2 verses 5 to 11 gives a vivid account of what that day will look 00:08:49.980 --> 00:08:55.639 like. It says, because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath 00:08:55.639 --> 00:09:01.639 against yourself for the day of God's wrath when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 00:09:02.220 --> 00:09:06.240 God will give to each person according to what he has done. And then we read 00:09:06.240 --> 00:09:13.840 that there are only two outcomes for the final reckoning with the Lord Jesus. It's in verse 7 of 00:09:13.840 --> 00:09:19.580 Romans 2. It says, to those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, 00:09:19.580 --> 00:09:25.419 he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking who reject the truth and follow evil, 00:09:25.419 --> 00:09:31.279 there will be wrath and anger, there will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, 00:09:31.419 --> 00:09:36.779 first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. But glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good. 00:09:37.479 --> 00:09:43.159 See the description there? The description is stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, 00:09:44.679 --> 00:09:51.959 self-seeking, and you reject the truth and follow evil. That is a great description of what the Bible 00:09:51.960 --> 00:10:02.620 refers to as sin. Sin is a universal problem. Sin is not just for the bad people of this world, 00:10:02.740 --> 00:10:09.860 the criminals, the axe-wielding people. It's a problem here for the clean, middle-class people 00:10:09.860 --> 00:10:17.920 who are deeply committed to their nice boy and good girl wickedness of pride and unbelief and indifference 00:10:17.919 --> 00:10:22.740 and ingratitude and impurity and greed and comfort and personal ambition. 00:10:24.299 --> 00:10:29.759 Romans 3 says that everyone has sinned and has fallen short of what God requires of us. 00:10:30.139 --> 00:10:37.539 And the terrible consequences of that kind of life is what Romans 2 verse 8 calls wrath and anger. 00:10:38.219 --> 00:10:42.379 And let me tell you, you go to any commentary, you go to any sermon on this, 00:10:42.379 --> 00:10:51.779 on what wrath and anger looks like, and there is no one, no one, who has ever overstated the terrors 00:10:51.779 --> 00:10:53.980 of what those words mean. 00:10:57.559 --> 00:11:01.960 You see, Paul painted a picture of eternal life in the first part of Romans, 00:11:02.200 --> 00:11:06.720 sorry, in the first part of 2 Corinthians 5, verses 1 to 9. 00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:12.000 And eternal life is infinitely wonderful to imagine. 00:11:12.160 --> 00:11:16.120 Eternal life of the presence of Jesus is infinitely beautiful to contemplate. 00:11:16.500 --> 00:11:22.759 And if eternal life with God is the most glorious reality that you could ever imagine, 00:11:23.800 --> 00:11:33.920 eternal life without God is the most appalling reality that you can ever imagine. 00:11:36.720 --> 00:11:41.379 It is a Holocaust. 00:11:44.220 --> 00:11:50.360 I remember watching Band of Brothers, it's a war thing, World War II, 00:11:50.940 --> 00:11:58.160 and I remember the scene, the most gripping, gripping part of the whole series for me 00:11:58.160 --> 00:12:03.460 was when they, the American troops, walked into a concentration camp 00:12:03.460 --> 00:12:06.300 and liberated the concentration camp. 00:12:06.420 --> 00:12:07.680 It's a TV series, right? 00:12:09.300 --> 00:12:15.680 They were so graphic in revealing, trying to capture the horror of the American soldiers 00:12:15.680 --> 00:12:17.780 walking in liberating concentration camp. 00:12:18.019 --> 00:12:22.720 I remember watching the scene, and I remember bursting into tears as I watched it, 00:12:22.800 --> 00:12:26.879 realising this is a graphic picture of what happened in real life. 00:12:26.879 --> 00:12:34.240 And even that doesn't grip what this wrath and anger looks like. 00:12:35.500 --> 00:12:40.700 Revelation 4.11 is probably the most graphic New Testament statement 00:12:40.700 --> 00:12:42.779 of the eternal suffering of the unrepentant sinner. 00:12:43.320 --> 00:12:43.679 It says, 00:12:43.679 --> 00:13:04.599 And so Paul writes in verse 11, 00:13:04.600 --> 00:13:14.860 Now, the fear of God is a right motivation, but it isn't our only motivation. 00:13:15.259 --> 00:13:23.320 You see, the fear of hell and of God doesn't actually give proof that you actually treasure Jesus, 00:13:23.600 --> 00:13:24.980 that you actually love God. 00:13:24.980 --> 00:13:31.120 But we do not, but if we do not believe in our hearts, 00:13:31.740 --> 00:13:35.980 the awful truth of the enmity that exists between us and God, 00:13:36.100 --> 00:13:40.080 and all its terrifying consequences, that God will hold us accountable for that, 00:13:40.560 --> 00:13:43.320 and his judgment will be right, it will be true, 00:13:44.019 --> 00:13:48.500 then I believe, with Bonhoeffer, that our love for Christ will be shallow, 00:13:48.639 --> 00:13:49.620 and it will be flawed. 00:13:49.620 --> 00:13:55.120 Without the fear, my love for Christ will be taken for granted, 00:13:55.440 --> 00:13:56.820 it will be passionless, 00:13:57.159 --> 00:13:59.980 and my entry into all the joys of the eternal kingdom, 00:14:00.440 --> 00:14:02.159 into the presence of God in heaven, 00:14:02.240 --> 00:14:04.860 will just be the next thing I expect him to do for me. 00:14:07.120 --> 00:14:12.000 That is, without the fear, cheap grace is the result. 00:14:12.659 --> 00:14:16.620 And so friends, may we believe and feel the horror of eternal condemnation, 00:14:16.620 --> 00:14:20.539 and may we flee from it into the loving arms of Jesus, 00:14:20.679 --> 00:14:22.259 where there is no condemnation. 00:14:22.940 --> 00:14:25.560 And so what follows from here is, 00:14:25.799 --> 00:14:29.679 are verses that are rich in the wonder of God's love for us, 00:14:29.700 --> 00:14:32.919 and his plan of redemption of all things in Jesus. 00:14:33.080 --> 00:14:35.379 Verse 18, 2 Corinthians 5, 18, 00:14:35.720 --> 00:14:38.960 God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ. 00:14:39.039 --> 00:14:40.460 And again in verse 19, 00:14:40.860 --> 00:14:45.000 God was reconciled the world to himself in Christ. 00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:53.220 To reconcile is to render two parties to be no longer opposed to each other. 00:14:53.519 --> 00:14:57.200 It is to win over from hostility into friendship. 00:14:58.779 --> 00:15:02.720 It is to make two opposites consistent and compatible. 00:15:03.320 --> 00:15:06.419 And these verses say that it is God who has done that. 00:15:06.500 --> 00:15:09.500 He has taken the initiative to reconcile us to himself. 00:15:09.659 --> 00:15:10.679 It's the work of God. 00:15:11.720 --> 00:15:14.360 Verse 18, all this is from God. 00:15:14.360 --> 00:15:18.259 Verse 19, God was reconciling the world to himself. 00:15:18.480 --> 00:15:19.300 Again, verse 21, 00:15:19.720 --> 00:15:22.460 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us. 00:15:22.779 --> 00:15:27.560 The initiative, the momentum, the purpose of reconciliation are all from God. 00:15:28.200 --> 00:15:34.460 Does God here, does something about the sin that causes the enmity between us, 00:15:34.500 --> 00:15:35.659 that causes the division? 00:15:36.960 --> 00:15:42.920 And verse 19 is a preliminary explanation of how the reconciliation is brought about. 00:15:42.919 --> 00:15:47.079 It says, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, 00:15:47.299 --> 00:15:50.599 not counting men's sins against them. 00:15:52.779 --> 00:15:53.939 How is that possible? 00:15:54.779 --> 00:15:59.740 How is it possible that God would not count our sins against us? 00:16:01.699 --> 00:16:03.559 He's not just going to ignore it. 00:16:03.719 --> 00:16:04.899 That wouldn't be righteous. 00:16:05.019 --> 00:16:06.259 It wouldn't be right. 00:16:06.659 --> 00:16:08.219 It wouldn't be fair if he just ignored it. 00:16:08.220 --> 00:16:12.700 And so verse 21 describes how it's possible that God doesn't count our sins against us. 00:16:12.960 --> 00:16:16.200 It says, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, 00:16:16.420 --> 00:16:19.320 so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 00:16:21.759 --> 00:16:24.139 In other words, there's a swap that's happened. 00:16:24.440 --> 00:16:26.580 This is a picture of an account book. 00:16:26.580 --> 00:16:33.340 Verse 21 says that my sin is not put to my account, 00:16:34.120 --> 00:16:37.259 but put to Jesus' account instead. 00:16:38.139 --> 00:16:42.259 My account of sin, my record of sin has been put by God 00:16:42.259 --> 00:16:45.120 to the account of his sinless son, 00:16:45.320 --> 00:16:47.560 and Jesus has taken my place, 00:16:47.720 --> 00:16:50.600 and he's borne my sins on his body on the cross. 00:16:52.700 --> 00:16:55.020 It means that he's been judged in my place. 00:16:55.019 --> 00:16:56.399 He was made sin. 00:16:57.079 --> 00:17:01.559 The sin of the world has been placed by God onto his son, the Lord Jesus. 00:17:01.559 --> 00:17:04.180 And not only is my sin placed to Jesus, 00:17:04.660 --> 00:17:11.519 but his perfect, unblemished record has been put into my account. 00:17:12.220 --> 00:17:16.079 I cannot be condemned because there is no debt. 00:17:16.220 --> 00:17:17.059 There's nothing. 00:17:17.379 --> 00:17:18.079 I'm not guilty. 00:17:18.900 --> 00:17:20.700 It's like I woke up this morning, 00:17:20.700 --> 00:17:23.380 and my bank balances, 00:17:23.660 --> 00:17:26.100 which got a whole lot of red there all over the place, 00:17:27.059 --> 00:17:29.360 and all of a sudden I wake up 00:17:29.360 --> 00:17:31.880 and I've got billions of dollars to my name. 00:17:32.480 --> 00:17:33.279 I look at the account. 00:17:33.400 --> 00:17:34.160 It's like, it's ridiculous. 00:17:34.299 --> 00:17:35.580 It's got Steve Jeffrey written on top of it. 00:17:35.600 --> 00:17:36.220 That's not right. 00:17:37.960 --> 00:17:39.120 The bank's made a mistake, 00:17:39.240 --> 00:17:41.600 and Gina Reinhart wakes up this morning and goes, 00:17:41.799 --> 00:17:42.180 what the? 00:17:42.680 --> 00:17:45.360 Where did it all go? 00:17:45.359 --> 00:17:45.519 No. 00:17:47.319 --> 00:17:49.000 The accounts are being swapped, 00:17:49.119 --> 00:17:50.379 and it's not a mistake. 00:17:51.659 --> 00:17:53.579 It's a deliberate plan of God. 00:17:56.319 --> 00:17:58.199 That's what happens when you become a Christian. 00:17:58.459 --> 00:18:01.639 You bring all of your sin and your moral bankruptcy to him, 00:18:01.759 --> 00:18:02.919 and he receives them, 00:18:02.979 --> 00:18:05.979 and he counts them to his son, the Lord Jesus. 00:18:06.179 --> 00:18:08.240 And Jesus' perfect record is given to me. 00:18:08.519 --> 00:18:11.139 I have perfect standing with God. 00:18:11.140 --> 00:18:17.140 And the reconciliation of the world to God 00:18:17.140 --> 00:18:20.380 happens through the death and the resurrection of Jesus. 00:18:20.480 --> 00:18:23.160 The word world in verse 19 is staggering, 00:18:23.380 --> 00:18:25.100 and let's not forget about this point. 00:18:25.660 --> 00:18:29.540 It says that what God did through the death of his son 00:18:29.540 --> 00:18:34.100 on a hill just outside the city walls of Jerusalem around AD 33 00:18:34.100 --> 00:18:38.560 concerns the reconciliation of the whole world to its maker. 00:18:41.140 --> 00:18:44.540 That is the extraordinary claim of the New Testament. 00:18:45.460 --> 00:18:48.320 It is the claim of verses 14 and 15. 00:18:49.280 --> 00:18:51.820 We are convinced that one died for all, 00:18:51.940 --> 00:18:53.100 and therefore all died, 00:18:53.660 --> 00:18:55.940 and he died for all. 00:18:57.160 --> 00:19:00.640 Jesus' death and resurrection has universal significance. 00:19:00.800 --> 00:19:02.960 It crosses all generations and all cultures. 00:19:03.360 --> 00:19:04.920 You don't need anything more than Jesus, 00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:06.520 but you can't have anything less than Jesus. 00:19:07.100 --> 00:19:09.380 Understand what that passage is saying. 00:19:09.380 --> 00:19:12.340 We are convinced that one died for all, 00:19:12.340 --> 00:19:13.940 and therefore all died, 00:19:14.200 --> 00:19:15.880 and he died for all. 00:19:16.200 --> 00:19:17.200 In other words, 00:19:17.520 --> 00:19:19.940 he's not one way to get to God. 00:19:20.020 --> 00:19:22.440 He is the way to get to God. 00:19:22.680 --> 00:19:25.340 There is no reconciliation without God 00:19:25.340 --> 00:19:26.760 outside the person of Jesus. 00:19:27.280 --> 00:19:28.400 The religions of the world 00:19:28.400 --> 00:19:30.440 are just not another form 00:19:30.440 --> 00:19:33.740 at all. 00:19:34.740 --> 00:19:35.920 There is only one way. 00:19:35.920 --> 00:19:38.800 It's an exclusive claim here. 00:19:42.320 --> 00:19:44.740 Everyone needs to receive the benefit of reconciliation 00:19:44.740 --> 00:19:46.440 to God through the Lord Jesus. 00:19:46.620 --> 00:19:47.519 And can I just say, 00:19:47.620 --> 00:19:49.120 if you're someone sitting here right now 00:19:49.120 --> 00:19:50.000 in this room, 00:19:50.060 --> 00:19:51.560 and if you're someone who does not trust 00:19:51.560 --> 00:19:52.779 in the Lord Jesus, 00:19:52.960 --> 00:19:53.740 then I want to say, 00:19:53.860 --> 00:19:55.259 suggest to you that the stakes 00:19:55.259 --> 00:19:56.980 could not be high for you right now. 00:19:57.240 --> 00:19:59.400 It says in chapter 6, 00:19:59.480 --> 00:20:01.100 2 Corinthians 6, verse 2, 00:20:01.460 --> 00:20:03.120 now is the time of God's favor, 00:20:03.240 --> 00:20:04.900 now is the day of salvation. 00:20:04.900 --> 00:20:06.300 So I want to implore you, 00:20:06.360 --> 00:20:07.700 as the Apostle Paul does here, 00:20:08.200 --> 00:20:11.320 to be reconciled to God 00:20:11.320 --> 00:20:12.600 through Jesus tonight. 00:20:13.759 --> 00:20:15.660 Tomorrow is the devil's timing. 00:20:17.220 --> 00:20:18.580 God's timing is, 00:20:19.120 --> 00:20:19.780 right now, 00:20:19.900 --> 00:20:20.920 is the day of salvation. 00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:22.720 If that's you, 00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:24.900 I'd love to talk to you tonight 00:20:24.900 --> 00:20:25.820 after the service. 00:20:26.019 --> 00:20:26.860 I'd love to do that. 00:20:28.280 --> 00:20:28.620 Now, 00:20:28.840 --> 00:20:30.460 that's the message of reconciliation, 00:20:30.780 --> 00:20:31.900 is what God has done 00:20:31.900 --> 00:20:32.680 and can only do 00:20:32.680 --> 00:20:34.000 through the person of the Lord Jesus. 00:20:34.920 --> 00:20:36.680 This message reorientates 00:20:36.680 --> 00:20:38.119 and changes the course of your life. 00:20:38.220 --> 00:20:38.920 Those who receive 00:20:38.920 --> 00:20:40.059 the message of reconciliation 00:20:40.059 --> 00:20:41.500 are now given 00:20:41.500 --> 00:20:43.859 the ministry of reconciliation. 00:20:44.299 --> 00:20:45.279 And this is what God 00:20:45.279 --> 00:20:47.140 can only do through us. 00:20:49.039 --> 00:20:49.339 Okay? 00:20:49.460 --> 00:20:50.359 Message of reconciliation 00:20:50.359 --> 00:20:51.799 is what God does through Jesus 00:20:51.799 --> 00:20:52.920 and only through Jesus. 00:20:53.079 --> 00:20:54.180 The ministry of reconciliation 00:20:54.180 --> 00:20:55.599 is what God does through us 00:20:55.599 --> 00:20:57.000 and only through us. 00:20:57.380 --> 00:20:58.000 And the stakes 00:20:58.000 --> 00:20:59.039 couldn't be high for us too. 00:20:59.039 --> 00:21:00.339 God calls those 00:21:00.339 --> 00:21:02.299 who are reconciled to God 00:21:02.299 --> 00:21:03.680 to attend to this matter, 00:21:03.839 --> 00:21:05.240 to be desperate 00:21:05.240 --> 00:21:06.899 for the world around us 00:21:06.899 --> 00:21:08.099 to encounter Jesus. 00:21:08.700 --> 00:21:09.259 Verse 20, 00:21:09.619 --> 00:21:11.200 we are therefore Christ's ambassadors 00:21:11.200 --> 00:21:12.159 as though God 00:21:12.159 --> 00:21:13.619 were making his appeal 00:21:13.619 --> 00:21:15.259 through us. 00:21:15.379 --> 00:21:16.059 Verse 18, 00:21:16.379 --> 00:21:17.579 all this is from God 00:21:17.579 --> 00:21:19.139 who reconciled us to himself 00:21:19.139 --> 00:21:19.799 through Christ 00:21:19.799 --> 00:21:21.279 and gave us 00:21:21.279 --> 00:21:22.420 the ministry 00:21:22.420 --> 00:21:23.740 of reconciliation. 00:21:24.700 --> 00:21:26.019 The ministry is given to us, 00:21:26.059 --> 00:21:26.639 not Christ, 00:21:26.720 --> 00:21:27.299 not the angels. 00:21:27.299 --> 00:21:28.019 Verse 19, 00:21:28.139 --> 00:21:29.399 and he committed to us 00:21:29.399 --> 00:21:31.000 the message of reconciliation. 00:21:31.359 --> 00:21:32.099 That's given to us, 00:21:32.180 --> 00:21:32.619 not Christ, 00:21:32.700 --> 00:21:33.259 not the angels. 00:21:33.720 --> 00:21:34.079 Verse 20, 00:21:34.180 --> 00:21:34.379 again, 00:21:34.460 --> 00:21:35.839 we are therefore Christ's ambassadors. 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:36.940 God were making his appeal 00:21:36.940 --> 00:21:37.559 through us. 00:21:37.839 --> 00:21:38.859 He does it through us. 00:21:39.019 --> 00:21:39.639 Not Christ, 00:21:39.740 --> 00:21:40.440 not the angels. 00:21:41.000 --> 00:21:41.539 Verse 20, 00:21:42.259 --> 00:21:42.720 he makes, 00:21:43.379 --> 00:21:44.700 verse 20 makes our ministry 00:21:44.700 --> 00:21:45.359 very clear. 00:21:45.519 --> 00:21:47.940 We are Christ's ambassadors. 00:21:49.099 --> 00:21:49.240 Now, 00:21:49.299 --> 00:21:50.480 our ambassador's job 00:21:50.480 --> 00:21:51.940 is a really distinguished one. 00:21:52.039 --> 00:21:52.779 We speak 00:21:52.779 --> 00:21:54.299 and we behave 00:21:54.299 --> 00:21:55.980 on behalf 00:21:55.980 --> 00:21:57.200 of a sovereign power. 00:21:58.119 --> 00:21:59.159 We represent 00:21:59.159 --> 00:22:00.379 a sovereign power 00:22:00.379 --> 00:22:02.299 and the honor 00:22:02.299 --> 00:22:03.839 of that sovereign power 00:22:03.839 --> 00:22:04.659 is at stake. 00:22:05.019 --> 00:22:06.419 We do not make up 00:22:06.419 --> 00:22:07.940 what we want to say 00:22:07.940 --> 00:22:09.399 and what we want to do 00:22:09.399 --> 00:22:10.259 as an ambassador. 00:22:11.899 --> 00:22:12.740 And that is 00:22:12.740 --> 00:22:14.000 an overwhelming thought. 00:22:14.720 --> 00:22:15.720 In his death, 00:22:15.839 --> 00:22:17.099 Jesus represented us. 00:22:17.200 --> 00:22:17.819 In his absence, 00:22:17.940 --> 00:22:18.899 we represent him. 00:22:19.759 --> 00:22:20.119 And so, 00:22:20.200 --> 00:22:20.899 if you've received 00:22:20.899 --> 00:22:22.079 the message of reconciliation, 00:22:23.019 --> 00:22:23.960 you then have 00:22:23.960 --> 00:22:24.680 the responsibility 00:22:24.680 --> 00:22:26.140 of the ministry 00:22:26.140 --> 00:22:27.039 of reconciliation. 00:22:27.500 --> 00:22:28.039 See the connection 00:22:28.039 --> 00:22:28.799 in verse 15 00:22:28.799 --> 00:22:29.680 of 2 Corinthians 5? 00:22:30.360 --> 00:22:30.700 He, 00:22:30.900 --> 00:22:31.600 that's Christ, 00:22:32.600 --> 00:22:33.660 died for all 00:22:33.660 --> 00:22:35.960 that those who live 00:22:35.960 --> 00:22:37.380 should no longer 00:22:37.380 --> 00:22:38.420 live for themselves 00:22:38.420 --> 00:22:39.360 but for him 00:22:39.360 --> 00:22:40.759 who died for them 00:22:40.759 --> 00:22:41.740 and was raised again. 00:22:42.900 --> 00:22:44.500 As a recipient 00:22:44.500 --> 00:22:45.700 of the message 00:22:45.700 --> 00:22:46.440 of reconciliation, 00:22:46.440 --> 00:22:48.500 my whole life 00:22:48.500 --> 00:22:49.160 is now 00:22:49.160 --> 00:22:50.500 redeployed 00:22:50.500 --> 00:22:51.620 to the diplomatic service. 00:22:52.180 --> 00:22:52.860 I speak 00:22:52.860 --> 00:22:53.559 and I live 00:22:53.559 --> 00:22:54.460 in such a way 00:22:54.460 --> 00:22:55.480 that Jesus 00:22:55.480 --> 00:22:56.279 looks like 00:22:56.279 --> 00:22:57.360 the magnificent treasure 00:22:57.360 --> 00:22:58.600 that he actually is. 00:22:58.599 --> 00:23:01.740 and this means 00:23:01.740 --> 00:23:02.559 that those 00:23:02.559 --> 00:23:03.099 to whom 00:23:03.099 --> 00:23:03.899 we represent 00:23:03.899 --> 00:23:04.679 Jesus 00:23:04.679 --> 00:23:07.139 individually, 00:23:07.419 --> 00:23:08.279 wherever we work, 00:23:08.319 --> 00:23:08.819 our families 00:23:08.819 --> 00:23:09.439 and connections 00:23:09.439 --> 00:23:10.740 and whatever it is, 00:23:11.059 --> 00:23:11.919 but also for us, 00:23:11.980 --> 00:23:12.839 corporate as a church 00:23:12.839 --> 00:23:13.980 here in this community, 00:23:14.759 --> 00:23:16.339 they make their judgment 00:23:16.339 --> 00:23:17.299 about Jesus 00:23:17.299 --> 00:23:18.419 by what they observe 00:23:18.419 --> 00:23:18.919 in us. 00:23:21.879 --> 00:23:22.619 And so, 00:23:22.719 --> 00:23:23.299 I'm convinced 00:23:23.299 --> 00:23:23.980 that the ministry 00:23:23.980 --> 00:23:24.839 of reconciliation 00:23:24.839 --> 00:23:26.959 cannot be exercised 00:23:26.960 --> 00:23:27.799 in a detached 00:23:27.799 --> 00:23:29.600 or a cold manner. 00:23:30.480 --> 00:23:31.140 The language 00:23:31.140 --> 00:23:31.840 that is used 00:23:31.840 --> 00:23:32.640 here in 2 Corinthians 00:23:32.640 --> 00:23:34.299 is deeply emotional 00:23:34.299 --> 00:23:35.079 and passionate. 00:23:36.039 --> 00:23:36.640 Appeal, 00:23:36.980 --> 00:23:37.720 implore, 00:23:38.120 --> 00:23:38.700 persuade 00:23:38.700 --> 00:23:39.880 and that's why 00:23:39.880 --> 00:23:41.420 we have deliberately 00:23:41.420 --> 00:23:42.500 included the word 00:23:42.500 --> 00:23:42.940 desperate 00:23:42.940 --> 00:23:45.100 in our vision statement. 00:23:45.279 --> 00:23:46.660 It's an emotive word. 00:23:46.920 --> 00:23:47.720 It's meant to be 00:23:47.720 --> 00:23:48.620 an emotive word. 00:23:49.360 --> 00:23:49.779 We are meant 00:23:49.779 --> 00:23:50.940 to feel something 00:23:50.940 --> 00:23:51.779 in such a way 00:23:51.779 --> 00:23:52.360 that we are, 00:23:52.539 --> 00:23:53.240 we are meant to, 00:23:54.079 --> 00:23:54.920 when we read 00:23:54.920 --> 00:23:55.759 that statement, 00:23:55.759 --> 00:23:58.220 meant to feel something, 00:23:58.319 --> 00:23:59.160 it meant to drive us, 00:23:59.259 --> 00:23:59.900 to move us 00:23:59.900 --> 00:24:00.740 in some direction 00:24:00.740 --> 00:24:02.960 and it's just as emotive, 00:24:03.240 --> 00:24:04.960 if not quite as emotive, 00:24:05.299 --> 00:24:06.660 as what I wrote 00:24:06.660 --> 00:24:07.839 in our core value 00:24:07.839 --> 00:24:09.240 of local and global impact 00:24:09.240 --> 00:24:10.440 back in 2009. 00:24:10.900 --> 00:24:11.640 If you get the 00:24:11.640 --> 00:24:12.720 Vision 2020 booklet 00:24:12.720 --> 00:24:13.440 and look like, 00:24:13.539 --> 00:24:14.339 read it down, 00:24:14.660 --> 00:24:15.299 you will read 00:24:15.299 --> 00:24:16.500 something like this. 00:24:17.019 --> 00:24:17.299 In fact, 00:24:17.339 --> 00:24:18.460 you'll read exactly this. 00:24:18.779 --> 00:24:19.680 As a church, 00:24:19.960 --> 00:24:20.859 we are committed 00:24:20.859 --> 00:24:22.059 to the whole church 00:24:22.059 --> 00:24:23.379 pursuing a 00:24:23.379 --> 00:24:24.980 wartime mindset, 00:24:24.980 --> 00:24:26.559 relating to the 00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:27.000 Holocaust 00:24:27.000 --> 00:24:29.059 of perishing people 00:24:29.059 --> 00:24:30.140 and the use 00:24:30.140 --> 00:24:31.299 of our resources. 00:24:34.079 --> 00:24:34.700 That's why 00:24:34.700 --> 00:24:35.539 the Apostle Paul 00:24:35.539 --> 00:24:36.019 says, 00:24:36.259 --> 00:24:37.259 I don't regard 00:24:37.259 --> 00:24:38.120 anyone from a 00:24:38.120 --> 00:24:38.980 worldly point of view 00:24:38.980 --> 00:24:39.440 anymore. 00:24:42.120 --> 00:24:43.539 He sees the horror, 00:24:43.640 --> 00:24:44.240 the reality 00:24:44.240 --> 00:24:44.940 of what people 00:24:44.940 --> 00:24:45.460 are confronted 00:24:45.460 --> 00:24:46.220 with in Jesus. 00:24:48.740 --> 00:24:49.960 When you see yourself 00:24:49.960 --> 00:24:50.579 as an ambassador 00:24:50.579 --> 00:24:51.279 to the Lord Jesus, 00:24:51.500 --> 00:24:52.519 chapter 5, 00:24:52.559 --> 00:24:52.960 verse 20, 00:24:52.960 --> 00:24:53.700 and as God's 00:24:53.700 --> 00:24:54.220 co-worker 00:24:54.220 --> 00:24:54.880 in chapter 6, 00:24:54.920 --> 00:24:55.200 1, 00:24:55.380 --> 00:24:56.600 I think there's 00:24:56.600 --> 00:24:57.180 an inevitable 00:24:57.180 --> 00:24:58.220 drivenness 00:24:58.220 --> 00:24:59.500 about our service. 00:25:01.759 --> 00:25:02.380 And I think 00:25:02.380 --> 00:25:02.920 that if you are 00:25:02.920 --> 00:25:03.420 casual, 00:25:03.640 --> 00:25:04.279 if you are laid 00:25:04.279 --> 00:25:04.559 back, 00:25:04.640 --> 00:25:04.980 if you are 00:25:04.980 --> 00:25:05.380 comfortable, 00:25:05.740 --> 00:25:06.400 if you're happy 00:25:06.400 --> 00:25:07.120 just to meander, 00:25:07.240 --> 00:25:07.720 to cruise, 00:25:07.819 --> 00:25:08.259 to warn, 00:25:08.340 --> 00:25:08.880 to dawdle, 00:25:09.380 --> 00:25:10.279 then I would 00:25:10.279 --> 00:25:11.200 encourage you 00:25:11.200 --> 00:25:12.500 to take another 00:25:12.500 --> 00:25:13.360 look at the 00:25:13.360 --> 00:25:14.319 grace of God 00:25:14.319 --> 00:25:14.900 to you. 00:25:16.620 --> 00:25:17.539 And have you 00:25:17.539 --> 00:25:18.519 embraced a 00:25:18.519 --> 00:25:19.200 cheap grace? 00:25:19.200 --> 00:25:21.960 look at 00:25:21.960 --> 00:25:22.680 Paul's lifestyle 00:25:22.680 --> 00:25:23.519 here in 00:25:23.519 --> 00:25:24.700 verses 3 to 00:25:24.700 --> 00:25:25.120 10. 00:25:25.860 --> 00:25:26.580 This is the 00:25:26.580 --> 00:25:27.740 lifestyle of a 00:25:27.740 --> 00:25:28.500 desperate 00:25:28.500 --> 00:25:29.539 ambassador 00:25:29.539 --> 00:25:30.840 who is the 00:25:30.840 --> 00:25:32.120 honour of his 00:25:32.120 --> 00:25:33.220 great treasure, 00:25:33.420 --> 00:25:34.259 the Lord and 00:25:34.259 --> 00:25:34.779 Saviour, 00:25:35.180 --> 00:25:35.920 is at stake. 00:25:35.980 --> 00:25:36.660 It's a lifestyle 00:25:36.660 --> 00:25:37.480 that commends the 00:25:37.480 --> 00:25:38.140 greatness and the 00:25:38.140 --> 00:25:38.680 glory and the 00:25:38.680 --> 00:25:39.319 wonder of the 00:25:39.319 --> 00:25:39.920 Lord Jesus 00:25:39.920 --> 00:25:41.920 to the world. 00:25:42.279 --> 00:25:43.299 And this is the 00:25:43.299 --> 00:25:43.840 lifestyle of 00:25:43.840 --> 00:25:44.220 ambassadors. 00:25:44.360 --> 00:25:44.759 So when you 00:25:44.759 --> 00:25:45.420 read through this 00:25:45.420 --> 00:25:45.980 list, you 00:25:45.980 --> 00:25:47.000 ought not have 00:25:47.000 --> 00:25:47.960 the High 00:25:47.960 --> 00:25:48.759 Commissioner to 00:25:48.759 --> 00:25:49.539 New Zealand 00:25:49.539 --> 00:25:51.440 in mind when 00:25:51.440 --> 00:25:52.279 you think about 00:25:52.279 --> 00:25:52.920 your diplomatic 00:25:52.920 --> 00:25:53.700 service. 00:25:54.660 --> 00:25:55.440 Think about 00:25:55.440 --> 00:25:56.559 diplomatic service 00:25:56.559 --> 00:25:57.440 you're working 00:25:57.440 --> 00:25:58.600 for President 00:25:58.600 --> 00:26:00.380 Trump in a 00:26:00.380 --> 00:26:01.519 hostile Muslim 00:26:01.519 --> 00:26:02.120 environment. 00:26:02.299 --> 00:26:02.700 Think about 00:26:02.700 --> 00:26:03.500 that, or maybe 00:26:03.500 --> 00:26:03.980 Mexico. 00:26:04.880 --> 00:26:05.440 Think about 00:26:05.440 --> 00:26:06.380 that, the 00:26:06.380 --> 00:26:06.740 difficulty 00:26:06.740 --> 00:26:07.539 associated with 00:26:07.539 --> 00:26:07.740 that. 00:26:07.860 --> 00:26:08.220 So it says 00:26:08.220 --> 00:26:09.019 in verse 4, 00:26:09.100 --> 00:26:09.640 chapter 6, 00:26:09.779 --> 00:26:10.660 rather, he 00:26:10.660 --> 00:26:11.240 says, rather 00:26:11.240 --> 00:26:11.740 than being a 00:26:11.740 --> 00:26:12.360 stumbling block 00:26:12.360 --> 00:26:13.039 and discrediting 00:26:13.039 --> 00:26:13.900 the ministry 00:26:13.900 --> 00:26:14.819 and of the 00:26:14.819 --> 00:26:15.259 Lord Jesus, 00:26:15.400 --> 00:26:15.600 he says, 00:26:15.819 --> 00:26:16.319 rather as 00:26:16.319 --> 00:26:17.079 servants of God, 00:26:17.079 --> 00:26:17.799 we commend 00:26:17.799 --> 00:26:18.279 ourselves in 00:26:18.279 --> 00:26:18.679 every way, 00:26:18.759 --> 00:26:19.039 in great 00:26:19.039 --> 00:26:19.619 endurance, in 00:26:19.619 --> 00:26:20.399 trouble, in 00:26:20.399 --> 00:26:20.980 hardships, in 00:26:20.980 --> 00:26:21.740 distresses, in 00:26:21.740 --> 00:26:22.179 beatings, in 00:26:22.179 --> 00:26:22.759 imprisonments, in 00:26:22.759 --> 00:26:23.240 riots, in 00:26:23.240 --> 00:26:23.779 hard work, 00:26:23.859 --> 00:26:24.500 sleepless nights, 00:26:24.799 --> 00:26:25.659 in hunger, in 00:26:25.659 --> 00:26:27.299 purity, understanding 00:26:27.299 --> 00:26:29.259 patience and 00:26:29.259 --> 00:26:30.559 kindness, in the 00:26:30.559 --> 00:26:31.339 Holy Spirit, in 00:26:31.339 --> 00:26:32.519 sincere love, in 00:26:32.519 --> 00:26:33.480 truthful speech, and 00:26:33.480 --> 00:26:34.059 in the power of 00:26:34.059 --> 00:26:35.159 God, with weapons 00:26:35.159 --> 00:26:35.980 of righteousness, in 00:26:35.980 --> 00:26:36.799 the right hand, and 00:26:36.799 --> 00:26:37.460 in the left. 00:26:39.019 --> 00:26:40.859 In other words, the 00:26:40.859 --> 00:26:41.559 Apostle Paul is 00:26:41.559 --> 00:26:43.139 saying, when you 00:26:43.139 --> 00:26:43.779 have reconciliation 00:26:43.779 --> 00:26:45.639 with God, through 00:26:45.640 --> 00:26:46.800 Jesus, you can 00:26:46.800 --> 00:26:48.120 lose everything 00:26:48.120 --> 00:26:49.259 with joy. 00:26:50.740 --> 00:26:51.840 It's all joy. 00:26:53.100 --> 00:26:54.100 Let me take you to 00:26:54.100 --> 00:26:54.620 the bulletin 00:26:54.620 --> 00:26:54.900 blurb. 00:26:55.080 --> 00:26:55.920 This is in your 00:26:55.920 --> 00:26:57.900 vision booklet, and 00:26:57.900 --> 00:26:58.600 I know you've all 00:26:58.600 --> 00:26:59.300 read it, but let me 00:26:59.300 --> 00:27:00.460 just show it to you 00:27:00.460 --> 00:27:00.800 again. 00:27:02.700 --> 00:27:04.120 I quote from John 00:27:04.120 --> 00:27:05.720 Stott's book, The 00:27:05.720 --> 00:27:07.220 Radical Disciple, and 00:27:07.220 --> 00:27:07.900 this is what he 00:27:07.900 --> 00:27:08.240 wrote. 00:27:08.980 --> 00:27:10.080 This is the last 00:27:10.080 --> 00:27:11.360 book that John, not 00:27:11.360 --> 00:27:11.800 this book, sorry, 00:27:12.140 --> 00:27:13.180 Radical Disciple is 00:27:13.180 --> 00:27:14.240 the last book that 00:27:14.240 --> 00:27:15.420 John Stott wrote, 00:27:16.700 --> 00:27:18.000 after a long and 00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:19.500 stellar ministry. 00:27:20.059 --> 00:27:21.000 He says, Christianity 00:27:21.000 --> 00:27:22.839 offers life, eternal 00:27:22.839 --> 00:27:23.799 life, life to the 00:27:23.799 --> 00:27:25.440 full, but it makes it 00:27:25.440 --> 00:27:26.519 plain that the road 00:27:26.519 --> 00:27:28.140 to life is death. 00:27:29.259 --> 00:27:30.259 Life through death 00:27:30.259 --> 00:27:30.799 is one of the 00:27:30.799 --> 00:27:32.359 profoundest paradoxes 00:27:32.359 --> 00:27:33.599 in both the 00:27:33.599 --> 00:27:34.339 Christian faith and 00:27:34.339 --> 00:27:35.200 the Christian life. 00:27:35.839 --> 00:27:36.519 The radical, 00:27:37.319 --> 00:27:38.299 biblical perspective 00:27:38.299 --> 00:27:40.299 is to see death not 00:27:40.299 --> 00:27:41.539 as the termination of 00:27:41.539 --> 00:27:43.120 life, but as the 00:27:43.120 --> 00:27:44.220 gateway to life. 00:27:44.240 --> 00:27:46.319 In short, the 00:27:46.319 --> 00:27:47.859 Bible promises life 00:27:47.859 --> 00:27:49.400 through death, and 00:27:49.400 --> 00:27:51.380 it promises life on 00:27:51.380 --> 00:27:53.740 no other terms. 00:27:56.519 --> 00:27:59.120 What we are doing in 00:27:59.120 --> 00:28:00.940 this vision series, as 00:28:00.940 --> 00:28:02.240 we do every vision 00:28:02.240 --> 00:28:04.120 series, is I'm asking 00:28:04.120 --> 00:28:05.880 St. Paul's to die a 00:28:05.880 --> 00:28:07.319 little more to self. 00:28:08.279 --> 00:28:09.339 That's what we're 00:28:09.339 --> 00:28:09.539 doing. 00:28:09.539 --> 00:28:12.759 And the paradox of 00:28:12.759 --> 00:28:13.700 this life through 00:28:13.700 --> 00:28:15.059 death has profound 00:28:15.059 --> 00:28:16.000 implications for the 00:28:16.000 --> 00:28:17.000 life of discipleship, 00:28:17.000 --> 00:28:18.200 and Jesus himself 00:28:18.200 --> 00:28:19.159 puts it even more 00:28:19.159 --> 00:28:20.879 bluntly than John 00:28:20.879 --> 00:28:22.099 Stott, when he 00:28:22.099 --> 00:28:23.299 says, then he 00:28:23.299 --> 00:28:24.279 called the crowd to 00:28:24.279 --> 00:28:25.759 him along with his 00:28:25.759 --> 00:28:26.539 disciples, and he 00:28:26.539 --> 00:28:27.539 said, whoever wants 00:28:27.539 --> 00:28:29.399 to be my disciple must 00:28:29.399 --> 00:28:30.720 deny themselves, take 00:28:30.720 --> 00:28:31.619 up their cross, and 00:28:31.619 --> 00:28:33.159 follow me, for whoever 00:28:33.159 --> 00:28:34.480 wants to save their 00:28:34.480 --> 00:28:35.539 life will lose it. 00:28:35.539 --> 00:28:39.159 whoever wants to lose 00:28:39.159 --> 00:28:40.139 their life for me and 00:28:40.139 --> 00:28:41.079 the gospel will save 00:28:41.079 --> 00:28:41.259 it. 00:28:42.759 --> 00:28:43.839 The condemned 00:28:43.839 --> 00:28:45.359 criminal on the way to 00:28:45.359 --> 00:28:47.180 execution is the 00:28:47.180 --> 00:28:48.440 dramatic image that 00:28:48.440 --> 00:28:50.799 Jesus chose to help 00:28:50.799 --> 00:28:51.940 his disciples to 00:28:51.940 --> 00:28:53.700 understand what it 00:28:53.700 --> 00:28:55.259 meant to be his 00:28:55.259 --> 00:28:56.879 disciple, what it 00:28:56.879 --> 00:28:57.579 meant to be his 00:28:57.579 --> 00:28:58.240 follower. 00:28:58.240 --> 00:29:02.039 What he expects of 00:29:02.039 --> 00:29:03.240 those who call on 00:29:03.240 --> 00:29:03.940 his name. 00:29:04.500 --> 00:29:05.519 And Dietrich Bonhoeffer 00:29:05.519 --> 00:29:06.779 wrote in the Cost of 00:29:06.779 --> 00:29:07.960 Discipleship, when 00:29:07.960 --> 00:29:10.960 Christ calls a man, he 00:29:10.960 --> 00:29:12.440 bids him to come and 00:29:12.440 --> 00:29:12.859 die. 00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:16.180 Now, Jesus' words here 00:29:16.180 --> 00:29:17.539 about, which is the 00:29:17.539 --> 00:29:18.579 same as Bonhoeffer, about 00:29:18.579 --> 00:29:19.660 saving and losing our 00:29:19.660 --> 00:29:22.500 life, is not restricted 00:29:22.500 --> 00:29:23.400 to martyrdom, although 00:29:23.400 --> 00:29:24.099 throughout church 00:29:24.099 --> 00:29:25.900 history it has been 00:29:25.900 --> 00:29:26.339 that. 00:29:26.339 --> 00:29:28.139 But the word life 00:29:28.139 --> 00:29:29.740 there equals self. 00:29:30.899 --> 00:29:32.259 And so to paraphrase 00:29:32.259 --> 00:29:33.459 Jesus a little bit, 00:29:34.899 --> 00:29:35.819 it would be something 00:29:35.819 --> 00:29:37.220 like this, whoever is 00:29:37.220 --> 00:29:38.919 determined to hold on to 00:29:38.919 --> 00:29:40.039 themselves and to live 00:29:40.039 --> 00:29:42.439 for themselves, will 00:29:42.439 --> 00:29:43.359 lose themselves. 00:29:44.819 --> 00:29:45.740 But whoever is willing 00:29:45.740 --> 00:29:46.759 to die to lose 00:29:46.759 --> 00:29:47.899 themselves, to give 00:29:47.899 --> 00:29:49.480 themselves away in the 00:29:49.480 --> 00:29:51.119 service of Christ and in 00:29:51.119 --> 00:29:52.839 the gospel will, in that 00:29:52.839 --> 00:29:54.039 moment of complete 00:29:54.039 --> 00:29:54.679 abandon, 00:29:54.680 --> 00:29:57.039 they will find 00:29:57.039 --> 00:29:57.539 themselves. 00:29:58.360 --> 00:29:59.580 And they will discover 00:29:59.580 --> 00:30:01.279 their true identity and 00:30:01.279 --> 00:30:02.539 their deepest satisfaction 00:30:02.539 --> 00:30:03.380 and joy. 00:30:04.060 --> 00:30:05.480 You see, Jesus promises 00:30:05.480 --> 00:30:09.279 true self-discovery at the 00:30:09.279 --> 00:30:10.600 cost of self-denial. 00:30:12.080 --> 00:30:14.620 True life at the cost of 00:30:14.620 --> 00:30:15.039 death. 00:30:15.039 --> 00:30:15.119 death. 00:30:17.759 --> 00:30:19.059 That's what 2 Corinthians 00:30:19.059 --> 00:30:20.279 5.15 says. 00:30:20.940 --> 00:30:22.879 Jesus died for all, that 00:30:22.879 --> 00:30:24.379 those who live should no 00:30:24.379 --> 00:30:25.619 longer live for themselves, 00:30:25.740 --> 00:30:27.579 but for him who died for 00:30:27.579 --> 00:30:30.039 them and was raised again. 00:30:30.519 --> 00:30:31.720 That we might no longer live 00:30:31.720 --> 00:30:32.339 for ourselves. 00:30:33.680 --> 00:30:34.920 In other words, as Jesus 00:30:34.920 --> 00:30:35.519 says, 00:30:37.559 --> 00:30:37.839 you, 00:30:37.839 --> 00:30:41.039 when you embrace Jesus, 00:30:41.039 --> 00:30:43.059 you cannot serve something 00:30:43.059 --> 00:30:43.599 else. 00:30:44.240 --> 00:30:45.559 That Matthew 6 reading, 00:30:45.699 --> 00:30:47.000 you cannot serve two 00:30:47.000 --> 00:30:47.419 masters. 00:30:47.819 --> 00:30:48.819 You cannot be 00:30:48.819 --> 00:30:51.079 the diplomatic service 00:30:51.079 --> 00:30:52.919 for two sovereigns. 00:30:56.059 --> 00:30:57.359 So let me just, there's 00:30:57.359 --> 00:30:59.139 masses of implications for 00:30:59.139 --> 00:31:01.139 this, for us, to do with 00:31:01.139 --> 00:31:02.199 our idols, and we're going 00:31:02.199 --> 00:31:03.299 to get to that in a moment. 00:31:03.299 --> 00:31:06.399 But one of the biggest 00:31:06.399 --> 00:31:07.359 sovereigns, one of the 00:31:07.359 --> 00:31:08.299 biggest treasures, one of 00:31:08.299 --> 00:31:09.379 the biggest masters that 00:31:09.379 --> 00:31:10.480 competes with Jesus for 00:31:10.480 --> 00:31:11.879 our allegiance in a 00:31:11.879 --> 00:31:12.899 materialistic Western 00:31:12.899 --> 00:31:15.279 society is money. 00:31:15.859 --> 00:31:16.859 In fact, Jesus was 00:31:16.859 --> 00:31:18.019 explicit with it in Matthew 00:31:18.019 --> 00:31:20.519 6, before there was a 00:31:20.519 --> 00:31:21.460 materialistic Western 00:31:21.460 --> 00:31:22.000 society. 00:31:22.339 --> 00:31:23.740 He says, you cannot serve 00:31:23.740 --> 00:31:24.759 both God and money. 00:31:25.139 --> 00:31:26.399 Jesus could have picked a 00:31:26.399 --> 00:31:27.700 billion things, but he 00:31:27.700 --> 00:31:30.000 chose money as the rival 00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:32.000 affection for our hearts 00:31:32.000 --> 00:31:32.720 and our allegiance. 00:31:33.299 --> 00:31:34.539 He put money up there as 00:31:34.539 --> 00:31:35.599 the major alternative 00:31:35.599 --> 00:31:37.680 treasure and affection 00:31:37.680 --> 00:31:38.259 for our heart. 00:31:38.319 --> 00:31:39.359 The alternative God to 00:31:39.359 --> 00:31:40.039 be worshipped, the 00:31:40.039 --> 00:31:43.139 alternative God to idol 00:31:43.139 --> 00:31:44.259 that demands our 00:31:44.259 --> 00:31:44.700 allegiance. 00:31:46.500 --> 00:31:47.779 Money has a hole in us 00:31:47.779 --> 00:31:48.940 because we trust it to 00:31:48.940 --> 00:31:50.180 deliver what only God can 00:31:50.180 --> 00:31:51.200 deliver to us. 00:31:52.680 --> 00:31:53.720 Purpose, significance, 00:31:53.940 --> 00:31:55.940 worth, identity, and 00:31:55.940 --> 00:31:57.059 that's why it captures our 00:31:57.059 --> 00:31:58.240 hearts so much. 00:31:58.240 --> 00:32:02.900 It is so easy for us to 00:32:02.900 --> 00:32:04.019 give our money to what is 00:32:04.019 --> 00:32:05.799 our Savior, what is our 00:32:05.799 --> 00:32:06.960 Lord, what is our hope, 00:32:07.079 --> 00:32:08.120 what is our happiness, our 00:32:08.120 --> 00:32:09.160 meaning, our significance, 00:32:09.279 --> 00:32:11.279 our security, our identity. 00:32:13.880 --> 00:32:15.420 My ongoing battle, I've told 00:32:15.420 --> 00:32:16.900 you this many, many times, my 00:32:16.900 --> 00:32:18.920 ongoing battle is the temple 00:32:18.920 --> 00:32:19.720 called Bunnings. 00:32:19.720 --> 00:32:22.160 I find it terribly easy to 00:32:22.160 --> 00:32:24.200 pay homage there too often 00:32:24.200 --> 00:32:27.799 with my money in exchange for 00:32:27.799 --> 00:32:30.360 tools or things that I can use 00:32:30.360 --> 00:32:31.100 my tools on. 00:32:32.100 --> 00:32:33.059 Why is that? 00:32:33.299 --> 00:32:38.180 It's because my identity, part 00:32:38.180 --> 00:32:39.559 of my connection is a sense of 00:32:39.559 --> 00:32:41.579 identity for me about being 00:32:41.579 --> 00:32:42.680 useful and practical. 00:32:43.759 --> 00:32:44.960 That's a real issue. 00:32:45.059 --> 00:32:45.700 That's the idol. 00:32:45.700 --> 00:32:47.680 I was affirmed as a young 00:32:47.680 --> 00:32:50.259 person in skills that I had to 00:32:50.259 --> 00:32:51.880 do things practical and to 00:32:51.880 --> 00:32:52.660 work hard. 00:32:53.240 --> 00:32:56.319 And so I find it easy to spend 00:32:56.319 --> 00:32:58.480 money on what fuels that part of 00:32:58.480 --> 00:32:59.100 my identity. 00:33:01.700 --> 00:33:03.580 Now, some of you think of 00:33:03.580 --> 00:33:05.140 Bunnings and go, Bunnings. 00:33:05.840 --> 00:33:07.759 I mean, I've convinced my girls 00:33:07.759 --> 00:33:08.920 it's the greatest shop in the 00:33:08.920 --> 00:33:09.240 world. 00:33:13.519 --> 00:33:14.819 But there are other things. 00:33:14.819 --> 00:33:17.980 Let me tell you that goes even 00:33:17.980 --> 00:33:19.259 slightly deeper and slightly more 00:33:19.259 --> 00:33:20.139 personal for me. 00:33:20.559 --> 00:33:23.220 When I was in my early stages of a 00:33:23.220 --> 00:33:24.819 teenager, someone said something, 00:33:25.500 --> 00:33:26.799 someone very close to my heart, 00:33:27.279 --> 00:33:28.819 someone who I tried to get 00:33:28.819 --> 00:33:30.220 approval from in one way or 00:33:30.220 --> 00:33:31.659 another, said something 00:33:31.659 --> 00:33:35.299 incredibly derogatory about me, 00:33:35.539 --> 00:33:36.579 about my appearance. 00:33:38.480 --> 00:33:40.919 And I still remember where I was. 00:33:41.119 --> 00:33:42.339 This is a long time ago, in early 00:33:42.339 --> 00:33:42.700 teens. 00:33:42.759 --> 00:33:43.679 It was a long time ago for me. 00:33:43.680 --> 00:33:45.140 I mean, I'm forgetting all sorts of 00:33:45.140 --> 00:33:46.340 stuff, but I don't forget this one. 00:33:47.700 --> 00:33:49.539 I can still remember where I was. 00:33:50.120 --> 00:33:51.180 I can still remember the tone in 00:33:51.180 --> 00:33:51.799 which they said it. 00:33:51.799 --> 00:33:52.920 And I can still remember how I felt 00:33:52.920 --> 00:33:53.580 when they said it. 00:33:53.579 --> 00:34:04.039 And that means that if I'm not careful, 00:34:05.039 --> 00:34:07.199 I can spend an enormous amount of money, 00:34:08.539 --> 00:34:11.039 easily drop money on things to do with my 00:34:11.039 --> 00:34:11.480 identity. 00:34:14.599 --> 00:34:16.239 Sorry, about my appearance. 00:34:17.860 --> 00:34:19.619 Easy to spend money on my appearance. 00:34:19.619 --> 00:34:28.299 Even back in the days, it's seen me go from a 00:34:28.299 --> 00:34:31.500 progression from a flanny wearing, you know, 00:34:32.079 --> 00:34:36.380 Bogan country guy to wearing pink shirts. 00:34:36.380 --> 00:34:40.200 There's been a transition for me. 00:34:41.280 --> 00:34:43.320 I used to, even when I worked, 00:34:43.700 --> 00:34:46.640 even when I wore a uniform to work for the 00:34:46.640 --> 00:34:48.559 national parks many, many years ago, 00:34:49.619 --> 00:34:52.079 I used to get comments from people about how I 00:34:52.079 --> 00:34:53.579 used to wear the uniform compared to how everyone 00:34:53.579 --> 00:34:54.680 else used to wear the uniform. 00:34:54.679 --> 00:34:58.980 I was concerned about how I looked because 00:34:58.980 --> 00:35:02.659 something cut me deep in terms of my identity. 00:35:04.099 --> 00:35:07.619 And so it's very easy for me to spend money where my 00:35:07.619 --> 00:35:09.099 identity and my idol's attached. 00:35:12.480 --> 00:35:17.679 And so the question is, is, sorry, and it is for you too. 00:35:18.639 --> 00:35:20.019 I'm just giving you an example. 00:35:20.359 --> 00:35:21.299 It is for you too. 00:35:21.300 --> 00:35:24.820 If you're someone who says, well, I don't spend any 00:35:24.820 --> 00:35:29.500 money at all, you know, I hang my tea bags on the, 00:35:29.500 --> 00:35:32.720 you know, clothesline to dry them out so I can reuse 00:35:32.720 --> 00:35:32.900 them. 00:35:33.820 --> 00:35:35.180 You know, you're really, really frugal. 00:35:35.320 --> 00:35:37.500 You squirrel all your money away in investments and stuff 00:35:37.500 --> 00:35:38.120 like that. 00:35:38.780 --> 00:35:41.220 You have an idolatry that has to do with security. 00:35:42.920 --> 00:35:46.539 You want to control your world via your investments. 00:35:46.820 --> 00:35:47.920 So security is your idol. 00:35:49.080 --> 00:35:50.760 You have the same issue, just a different idol. 00:35:52.000 --> 00:35:54.580 So the question is, is my identity wrapped up in Christ 00:35:54.580 --> 00:35:57.580 or in who I am in him or because of people think I'm 00:35:57.580 --> 00:36:01.800 useful, practical in the way that I dress or my appearance 00:36:01.800 --> 00:36:02.800 in some kind of way? 00:36:04.820 --> 00:36:07.060 Well, in one level, it's both, which is why the battle 00:36:07.060 --> 00:36:07.960 rages for me. 00:36:08.080 --> 00:36:09.980 Every time I go to Bunnings, every time I go down to 00:36:09.980 --> 00:36:13.980 Westfield, the battle rages for me in a way that it doesn't 00:36:13.980 --> 00:36:16.440 rage for me, as I've said before, if I go into spotlight. 00:36:16.440 --> 00:36:19.420 There's no battle for me there. 00:36:19.420 --> 00:36:22.159 I'm not tempted to part with my money in spotlight. 00:36:23.119 --> 00:36:24.720 It's just not me. 00:36:27.420 --> 00:36:31.740 For some of you, it will be the bookstore or for your education. 00:36:31.739 --> 00:36:37.199 I know people who finish one degree and do another degree and then finish that degree 00:36:37.199 --> 00:36:39.359 and just keep going on and on and on with education. 00:36:40.439 --> 00:36:46.259 And they buy libraries and libraries of books and resources because at some point in their 00:36:46.259 --> 00:36:47.739 life, they've been made to feel stupid. 00:36:47.739 --> 00:36:55.579 So there's identity wrapped up in there and so they'll throw money at trying not to be made 00:36:55.579 --> 00:36:56.319 to feel stupid. 00:36:59.639 --> 00:37:05.719 For some of us, it's philanthropy because you've been affirmed in giving money away. 00:37:05.719 --> 00:37:09.899 And so ironically, the very thing that I'm calling you to do tonight is the thing that 00:37:09.899 --> 00:37:13.139 might challenge your idol or affirm your idol. 00:37:13.139 --> 00:37:19.319 Well, the point is what I'm saying is that money reveals what we truly treasure. 00:37:19.679 --> 00:37:24.219 And it seems to me that if we do not have the freedom to joyfully give our money away 00:37:24.219 --> 00:37:28.619 in eye-popping proportions, it's because something besides Jesus is our functional Lord and Savior. 00:37:29.420 --> 00:37:34.299 We're giving our money to some other God, some other Savior, some other Lord. 00:37:35.279 --> 00:37:38.699 And so how do we break the power that money has over us? 00:37:38.920 --> 00:37:42.619 Is to see the gospel of the Lord Jesus, see everything that we have in him and to realize 00:37:42.619 --> 00:37:45.739 the thing that we're putting our money into will not give us the very thing that we need. 00:37:47.500 --> 00:37:51.079 You can have all the money in the world, a GFC here, so you don't have security. 00:37:53.159 --> 00:37:55.519 Jesus offers you security for eternity. 00:37:57.119 --> 00:37:59.119 He's the one who gives you what you need. 00:37:59.500 --> 00:38:03.500 Radical generosity is not a different subject than knowing and being known by God through 00:38:03.500 --> 00:38:04.179 the Lord Jesus. 00:38:04.679 --> 00:38:07.940 Radical generosity is a value that displays the wonder of the gospel. 00:38:08.400 --> 00:38:11.359 Paul puts it like this in 2 Corinthians 8, a couple of chapters later than what we've been 00:38:11.360 --> 00:38:11.820 looking at. 00:38:12.320 --> 00:38:17.460 The Corinthians are failing to follow through in their commitment to raise money for ministry. 00:38:17.880 --> 00:38:20.760 And he says, see that you also excel in the grace of giving. 00:38:21.000 --> 00:38:25.300 I'm not commanding you, but I want a test and sincerity of your love. 00:38:26.660 --> 00:38:30.180 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich here, for your sakes 00:38:30.180 --> 00:38:32.760 he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 00:38:32.760 --> 00:38:39.340 Every single person sitting in this room tonight has set their heart on something. 00:38:40.560 --> 00:38:45.720 And whatever it is, you will do anything for it, you will pay any cost for it, anything 00:38:45.720 --> 00:38:47.680 to maintain it, sustain it, reclaim it. 00:38:47.960 --> 00:38:51.000 And Jesus Christ came and died for us. 00:38:51.320 --> 00:38:52.960 And why would he do that? 00:38:53.020 --> 00:38:56.660 At least one answer is that you and I are his heart's treasure. 00:38:56.659 --> 00:39:04.039 Every other treasure in this world will insist that you die, that you purchase it, that you 00:39:04.039 --> 00:39:06.000 sacrifice in order to obtain it. 00:39:06.239 --> 00:39:11.460 I have spent copious amount of money in Bunnings over a very long time. 00:39:11.519 --> 00:39:12.579 And before that it was Mitre 10. 00:39:12.799 --> 00:39:14.440 Over a very, very long time. 00:39:15.239 --> 00:39:16.639 Very, very long time. 00:39:17.599 --> 00:39:18.920 And in clothing stores. 00:39:18.920 --> 00:39:20.820 Over a very, very long time. 00:39:20.820 --> 00:39:28.519 And not one single cent that I've spent has ever, ever dealt with the identity issue. 00:39:29.139 --> 00:39:29.559 Ever. 00:39:33.220 --> 00:39:39.760 Every other treasure will insist that you keep purchasing, that you keep sacrificing in order 00:39:39.760 --> 00:39:42.519 to give you what it cannot give you. 00:39:43.599 --> 00:39:46.300 And Jesus is the only treasure that died to purchase us. 00:39:46.300 --> 00:39:51.039 And so the way that we break the hold of money over our lives and the other treasures and 00:39:51.039 --> 00:39:55.680 the idols of our lives is to think about the radical generosity of Christ to us. 00:39:56.000 --> 00:40:02.019 To dwell on the infinite value of Jesus until we get the freedom to joyfully give generously. 00:40:02.600 --> 00:40:08.460 And when we see Jesus dying on the cross because he so loved the world, that he so loved you, 00:40:08.560 --> 00:40:11.760 then only then and only then will we love him. 00:40:11.760 --> 00:40:17.900 When we see that we are his greatest treasure, then he will become our greatest treasure. 00:40:18.280 --> 00:40:21.480 And the advice of the Apostle Paul here is don't sit down with a calculator. 00:40:21.980 --> 00:40:23.320 Sit down with the cross. 00:40:25.020 --> 00:40:26.480 Think about Jesus. 00:40:27.240 --> 00:40:33.800 What he did, what he's given, what he has promised until it causes us to be generous like he is generous. 00:40:34.200 --> 00:40:38.660 Now let me tell you, this is so essential for us on a very practical level right now as a church. 00:40:38.659 --> 00:40:42.359 For us all to grapple with. 00:40:42.960 --> 00:40:48.099 The vast majority, the financial resources of this church come from 20% of our people. 00:40:49.319 --> 00:40:51.940 And when I say vast resources, I mean the vast. 00:40:52.799 --> 00:40:53.359 20%. 00:40:53.359 --> 00:40:57.219 We are heavily weighted to a very small portion of people. 00:40:57.219 --> 00:41:04.879 And that's why I do not believe that the 12% increase of giving that we're looking for for next year, 00:41:05.000 --> 00:41:07.879 that's just to pay the bills that we currently got. 00:41:09.079 --> 00:41:14.559 Or the 70,000 that Jimmy told us about that we're seeking to raise next week, 00:41:14.819 --> 00:41:17.259 I don't believe either of those goals are impossible. 00:41:20.959 --> 00:41:21.480 Why? 00:41:21.480 --> 00:41:24.440 Because we've already got the money. 00:41:25.719 --> 00:41:26.820 That's the good news. 00:41:28.440 --> 00:41:33.179 The bad news is it's in your pockets and wallets and bank accounts. 00:41:33.280 --> 00:41:34.219 That's the bad news. 00:41:35.300 --> 00:41:41.480 All it would take is for the majority of us to be captured by God's vision of all things 00:41:41.480 --> 00:41:43.059 and for Jesus to be our greatest treasure. 00:41:43.460 --> 00:41:44.940 And so here's what you do in the next week. 00:41:44.940 --> 00:41:47.619 is as we head towards Vision Sunday, 00:41:48.659 --> 00:41:52.599 is to get your Vision Series devotion, devotion booklet. 00:41:53.880 --> 00:41:56.139 I'm so grateful for Sam for putting these together. 00:41:57.420 --> 00:41:59.720 And what I want to encourage you to do is to grab this, 00:42:00.179 --> 00:42:02.539 go to number 1, 12, 13, 14, and 15. 00:42:03.139 --> 00:42:04.400 Five in the next seven days. 00:42:04.840 --> 00:42:06.159 1, 12, 13, 14, and 15. 00:42:09.220 --> 00:42:10.159 Pour over them. 00:42:12.019 --> 00:42:13.000 Pray over them. 00:42:14.940 --> 00:42:19.320 And having done that, plan to take one step further in treasuring Jesus. 00:42:19.760 --> 00:42:27.519 I'm asking you, as a church, to take one further step to dying to self. 00:42:29.340 --> 00:42:29.940 That's it. 00:42:30.900 --> 00:42:33.099 If you're currently not giving, start giving. 00:42:34.460 --> 00:42:36.639 If you're a regular giver, start giving regularly. 00:42:36.840 --> 00:42:40.539 If you're a regular giver, but you're only giving a really small portion of your income, 00:42:40.539 --> 00:42:45.699 which is standard practice across churches in our country, 00:42:46.519 --> 00:42:50.300 take a step towards getting into God's ballpark of the 10% at least. 00:42:50.619 --> 00:42:52.519 And if you're a regular and you're a proportional giver, 00:42:52.860 --> 00:42:56.440 take a step towards extravagant giving beyond 10%. 00:42:56.440 --> 00:42:58.219 I don't believe it's ever meant to be a limiter. 00:42:58.320 --> 00:42:59.619 I think it's meant to be a starting point. 00:43:00.139 --> 00:43:04.659 I firmly believe that our experience in giving will be joy 00:43:04.659 --> 00:43:08.699 when we see and we savour Jesus as our greatest treasure. 00:43:08.859 --> 00:43:12.019 And I believe the way we do it is by making things like, 00:43:12.079 --> 00:43:16.639 passages like Philippians 3, 7 to 8, more and more real for us. 00:43:17.059 --> 00:43:18.159 In my words again, 00:43:18.159 --> 00:43:43.199 Yeah, I love that last bit. 00:43:43.199 --> 00:43:45.879 I have suffered the loss of all things. 00:43:45.880 --> 00:43:48.960 He's not moping about it. 00:43:49.260 --> 00:43:51.079 He's saying, actually, they're rubbish. 00:43:52.619 --> 00:43:56.980 In order that I might gain more and more and treasure Jesus more and more. 00:43:57.760 --> 00:44:04.119 We are united in our desperation for the world around us to encounter Jesus.