WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.480 Well, hello again, and thank you very much for coming back. 00:00:03.580 --> 00:00:09.380 I admire your stamina, and we're going to look at those verses which Al has just read from us, 00:00:09.460 --> 00:00:15.120 and you'll see the title I've given it is Responsibility and Reward. 00:00:15.560 --> 00:00:21.080 There are two key themes that run through this little section, and I think very important ones. 00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:26.620 Every so often I have to drive into London. 00:00:26.620 --> 00:00:32.820 We live in Oxford, and it's about an hour and a half driving on the M40 to go into London. 00:00:33.500 --> 00:00:42.140 And if you know that part of the motorway system, you go down the M40, and then you hit the M25, the circular around London. 00:00:42.659 --> 00:00:49.960 And as you drive and you get closer to this M25 circular road, the traffic begins to slow down. 00:00:50.040 --> 00:00:52.500 It gets very heavy, and more and more vehicles. 00:00:52.500 --> 00:00:54.939 I mean, it's rather like coming into Edinburgh at 8 in the morning. 00:00:54.939 --> 00:00:57.559 Everything everyone's, or at least they used to, come into offices. 00:00:57.739 --> 00:00:59.559 I don't know if they're back in offices yet. 00:00:59.879 --> 00:01:01.739 But you know how it is in big cities. 00:01:02.359 --> 00:01:03.479 Everything slows down. 00:01:03.519 --> 00:01:04.640 And this was happening to me. 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:10.859 And eventually the traffic was so heavy that we stopped dead, and we were sitting there for a while. 00:01:11.140 --> 00:01:17.120 And I looked over to the left, and there was a huge field with a fence all the way around the field. 00:01:17.120 --> 00:01:23.240 And a graffiti artist had written a message on the fence to all of us commuting into London. 00:01:23.840 --> 00:01:26.200 And the message was just six or seven words. 00:01:26.820 --> 00:01:29.240 Why do I do this every day? 00:01:29.980 --> 00:01:33.900 Sort of words of exhortation to all of us trying to get into London. 00:01:34.620 --> 00:01:40.420 And I've often thought of that as a really significant question that we should ask. 00:01:40.420 --> 00:01:42.920 Maybe I can ask it of you. 00:01:43.920 --> 00:01:45.540 Why do you do what you do? 00:01:45.680 --> 00:01:46.859 What motivates you? 00:01:46.960 --> 00:01:51.099 What are the big reasons for living as you live? 00:01:51.599 --> 00:01:53.900 Why do I do what I do? 00:01:55.379 --> 00:01:58.219 I recently went to a book launch in Oxford. 00:01:58.219 --> 00:01:59.200 Here's the book. 00:01:59.640 --> 00:02:01.780 It's called 4,000 Weeks. 00:02:01.780 --> 00:02:07.460 And the title actually comes from the typical length of your lifespan. 00:02:07.780 --> 00:02:11.120 I've already had 3,800, I think. 00:02:11.819 --> 00:02:14.259 And you've got 4,000. 00:02:14.520 --> 00:02:16.139 I think that's up to 77. 00:02:16.620 --> 00:02:23.240 And the reason why he chose that was to write about time and how to use it. 00:02:24.219 --> 00:02:26.979 And he's particularly in the book. 00:02:27.080 --> 00:02:30.259 It's a really interesting book about the way in which you can redeem time, 00:02:30.259 --> 00:02:36.120 the way you can not be over-anxious about your small span of time left. 00:02:36.340 --> 00:02:37.799 Some people do become very worried. 00:02:37.899 --> 00:02:38.799 I've got to get this done. 00:02:39.459 --> 00:02:44.280 How to live relatively peacefully with your 4,000 weeks. 00:02:44.379 --> 00:02:48.459 But in the question time which followed, someone asked a very good question. 00:02:48.560 --> 00:02:53.039 He said, well, how does your mortality affect the way you live? 00:02:53.439 --> 00:02:55.159 And he didn't answer it. 00:02:55.180 --> 00:02:57.599 He was only into these sort of time management issues. 00:02:57.599 --> 00:03:02.900 I shouldn't devalue all the things he said, which is a very interesting book, a valuable book. 00:03:03.280 --> 00:03:04.259 But it was a good question. 00:03:04.419 --> 00:03:07.859 How does your mortality, the thought of your... 00:03:07.859 --> 00:03:09.459 You may have more than 4,000. 00:03:09.539 --> 00:03:11.639 Some of you here have more than 4,000 weeks. 00:03:12.060 --> 00:03:12.780 I guess you are. 00:03:12.919 --> 00:03:13.900 Is that your hand, Christine? 00:03:16.579 --> 00:03:19.340 Well, fewer or more. 00:03:19.340 --> 00:03:24.620 Well, that's a question that does thinking about your mortality impact you. 00:03:24.659 --> 00:03:26.980 In fact, I had a question which I wasn't able to put. 00:03:27.520 --> 00:03:30.280 And that was, what if the Christian faith is true? 00:03:30.860 --> 00:03:34.379 What if there is a longer horizon to think about? 00:03:34.460 --> 00:03:39.259 Not simply your 4,000 weeks, but a life beyond this. 00:03:39.699 --> 00:03:42.159 How does that shape the way you live? 00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:46.099 Well, that's what we're going to look at just for these next few minutes. 00:03:46.259 --> 00:03:48.460 Why do I do this every day? 00:03:48.460 --> 00:03:50.500 What are my motivations? 00:03:51.040 --> 00:03:55.840 What really matters for us as individuals and indeed as a Christian community? 00:03:56.560 --> 00:04:00.400 And here in Matthew 25, Jesus is again demonstrating that issue. 00:04:00.520 --> 00:04:03.580 How the future impacts the way we live now. 00:04:03.700 --> 00:04:10.159 So if we have Jesus return in our hearts and minds, it will radically impact the way we live. 00:04:10.280 --> 00:04:13.980 It just affects our motivations, our decisions, our manner of life. 00:04:13.979 --> 00:04:21.120 In fact, there are several Bible verses, not just these ones, which encourage us to live life looking forwards. 00:04:21.360 --> 00:04:22.019 There's loads of them. 00:04:22.060 --> 00:04:23.099 I just chose two. 00:04:23.800 --> 00:04:24.980 Here's Hebrews 13. 00:04:25.139 --> 00:04:30.560 For here we have no enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. 00:04:31.620 --> 00:04:33.980 Or Peter, from the passage we've been looking at earlier. 00:04:33.980 --> 00:04:40.980 But in keeping with his promises, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells. 00:04:40.980 --> 00:04:47.460 So living life looking forward is a lovely perspective, isn't it? 00:04:47.460 --> 00:04:51.140 And we find it frequently in the epistles as well as in the gospels. 00:04:51.139 --> 00:04:56.500 It's clear that if we do that, if we live our lives looking forward in the light of Jesus' return, 00:04:56.639 --> 00:04:57.899 there are many Bible passages. 00:04:57.899 --> 00:05:01.819 We'll look at one tomorrow in 1 Thessalonians, which then encourage us to live as we should. 00:05:01.939 --> 00:05:02.800 Live as good disciples. 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:03.699 Live like Jesus. 00:05:04.039 --> 00:05:05.439 It helps us cope with suffering. 00:05:05.899 --> 00:05:07.959 It helps us think about our use of money. 00:05:08.079 --> 00:05:11.620 All kinds of things are tied up with this kind of perspective. 00:05:11.839 --> 00:05:14.620 So here in Matthew 25, there are two stories. 00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:18.979 We're going to look at them very briefly and draw out the conclusions. 00:05:18.980 --> 00:05:23.100 There's a master and servants and then the sheep and the goats. 00:05:23.240 --> 00:05:25.819 So here's the first one, the master and servants. 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:28.939 It's from verse 14 to verse 30. 00:05:29.259 --> 00:05:37.580 And the parable begins in verse 14 with a man going on a journey who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 00:05:38.700 --> 00:05:41.460 Some translations say this is the parable of the talents. 00:05:42.460 --> 00:05:44.220 A talent is a unit of measurement. 00:05:44.220 --> 00:05:49.540 It's not a currency, but depending what you're weighing, a talent could be worth quite a lot. 00:05:49.660 --> 00:05:58.080 In fact, the NIV note, I think, on this passage says that one talent was equivalent to 20 years of a day laborer's work. 00:05:58.180 --> 00:05:59.420 So it's pretty substantial. 00:05:59.960 --> 00:06:00.620 A lot of money. 00:06:01.120 --> 00:06:04.000 My NIV here calls them bags of gold. 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:08.019 Well, you'll notice how the story goes. 00:06:08.220 --> 00:06:11.040 Each servant is given responsibility. 00:06:11.779 --> 00:06:20.560 And he gives five bags of gold to one servant, two bags of gold to the next, and one bag of gold to the other, each according to their ability. 00:06:20.699 --> 00:06:22.540 He assesses what they can manage. 00:06:23.199 --> 00:06:25.899 Every servant is given something to do. 00:06:25.899 --> 00:06:35.060 And then he goes and he leaves them to deploy this money sensibly, responsibly, to invest it in one way or another. 00:06:35.799 --> 00:06:41.759 And the story goes on to show the man with five pots of gold puts that money to work. 00:06:42.279 --> 00:06:43.859 And the end result was another five. 00:06:44.599 --> 00:06:45.819 And he doubled his money. 00:06:45.899 --> 00:06:50.439 And the same happened with the man with two bags, who also doubled it. 00:06:50.919 --> 00:06:51.919 Another two more. 00:06:51.920 --> 00:06:53.560 And then we come to verse 18. 00:06:54.400 --> 00:06:57.060 And the word there is very significant. 00:06:57.319 --> 00:06:58.939 But, you'll notice verse 18. 00:06:59.140 --> 00:07:06.160 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master's money. 00:07:06.319 --> 00:07:07.920 It's quite a forceful emphasis. 00:07:08.660 --> 00:07:12.460 But he dug a hole and hid the money. 00:07:13.439 --> 00:07:17.420 Well, then verse 19, the next stage of the story, the master returns. 00:07:17.420 --> 00:07:21.800 And you'll notice Matthew record Jesus saying, after a long time. 00:07:22.580 --> 00:07:26.000 It's possible that's a little bit of an echo to what we were looking at before coffee. 00:07:26.740 --> 00:07:28.000 This long wait. 00:07:28.160 --> 00:07:31.360 You know, the ten girls waiting for the bridegroom. 00:07:31.780 --> 00:07:35.920 And Noah, as it was in the days of Noah, can be a long delay, a long wait. 00:07:36.040 --> 00:07:36.920 Well, here it is again. 00:07:37.620 --> 00:07:41.480 Eventually, after a long time, the master returns. 00:07:41.480 --> 00:07:47.580 And the key thing is that these servants should not be passive while waiting. 00:07:47.660 --> 00:07:49.140 They should have got on with the job. 00:07:49.759 --> 00:07:57.439 So, the man with five bags, who's managed to double it, the master comes to him. 00:07:57.960 --> 00:07:59.520 And he's overjoyed. 00:07:59.879 --> 00:08:01.379 In fact, it says in verse 21, 00:08:01.379 --> 00:08:13.719 The faithful steward, servant, was rewarded. 00:08:14.420 --> 00:08:16.420 The same happened for the man with two bags. 00:08:17.000 --> 00:08:20.639 He'd made two, and you'll get the same commendation by the master. 00:08:21.500 --> 00:08:26.000 But then by verse 24, we come to the man with just one bag. 00:08:26.439 --> 00:08:28.800 And he's described as the wicked, the lazy servant. 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:30.860 He said to the master, I know that you're a hard man. 00:08:30.920 --> 00:08:34.299 It's a word for harsh, cruel, stern. 00:08:35.060 --> 00:08:36.620 I was afraid, he said. 00:08:36.720 --> 00:08:38.039 So, I hid it in the ground. 00:08:38.100 --> 00:08:39.720 And here's your money, safe and sound. 00:08:40.680 --> 00:08:43.220 And of course, we know how the master responded. 00:08:43.740 --> 00:08:45.120 You wicked, lazy servant. 00:08:45.220 --> 00:08:47.139 You could at least have put it on deposit. 00:08:47.299 --> 00:08:49.580 I mean, if he just put it in the bank, he would have made something, 00:08:49.980 --> 00:08:53.000 some small interest, some return on that investment. 00:08:53.080 --> 00:08:54.240 He didn't even do that. 00:08:55.159 --> 00:08:57.879 And so, the lazy servant is condemned. 00:08:57.879 --> 00:09:04.360 You see from verse 24 onwards, you wicked, you should have put my money on deposit. 00:09:05.419 --> 00:09:08.480 Throw that worthless servant outside into the darkness, 00:09:09.080 --> 00:09:11.799 where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 00:09:13.100 --> 00:09:15.559 Now, it's a very dramatic parable, isn't it? 00:09:15.659 --> 00:09:17.019 The lesson is clear. 00:09:17.019 --> 00:09:24.500 So, I want to just draw out two things which have been on my mind, actually, for some while. 00:09:25.559 --> 00:09:27.399 Responsibility and reward. 00:09:27.620 --> 00:09:31.819 The issue of rewards is in the New Testament, and it's rarely spoken about. 00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:33.379 At least it never was when I was young. 00:09:33.460 --> 00:09:37.399 It was only recently in the last few years I've begun to see how important this theme is. 00:09:37.480 --> 00:09:41.460 So, should we look at those two things, responsibility and reward, from this little story? 00:09:41.460 --> 00:09:44.639 Let's take, first of all, responsibility. 00:09:44.900 --> 00:09:52.200 We saw earlier the importance of being ready, being active, being prepared, watching for Jesus' return. 00:09:52.560 --> 00:09:56.660 And this next parable that we had just read and looked at is saying the same thing. 00:09:56.700 --> 00:09:57.480 Don't be passive. 00:09:57.480 --> 00:10:04.720 You're responsible to live your life in the light of what your gifts might be, 00:10:04.920 --> 00:10:07.039 whatever it is, the responsibility you have. 00:10:07.100 --> 00:10:09.759 You've got to do that faithfully and fruitfully. 00:10:09.899 --> 00:10:12.440 So, it may be that you're a mum. 00:10:13.039 --> 00:10:15.080 Maybe you're an IT worker downtown. 00:10:15.379 --> 00:10:18.680 It may be you're retired and you have some time to do various things. 00:10:18.759 --> 00:10:20.139 It may be that you're a student. 00:10:20.840 --> 00:10:25.820 Whoever you are, invest in that service that God has given you 00:10:25.820 --> 00:10:27.780 so that it honors the Lord Jesus. 00:10:27.940 --> 00:10:28.720 So, it's fruitful. 00:10:28.879 --> 00:10:30.500 It will produce a good outcome. 00:10:31.960 --> 00:10:35.780 Last week, Margaret and I went into the Ashmolean Museum. 00:10:36.200 --> 00:10:38.860 If you're ever in Oxford, you should really visit. 00:10:38.940 --> 00:10:40.280 It's a lovely, lovely museum. 00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:44.460 And they have an exhibition at the moment about the father of Impressionism. 00:10:44.560 --> 00:10:45.540 His name is Pissarro. 00:10:46.440 --> 00:10:47.879 And here he is. 00:10:47.920 --> 00:10:49.000 This is a self-portrait. 00:10:49.000 --> 00:10:50.520 I don't know if you can quite see him on screen. 00:10:50.620 --> 00:10:52.640 It was just a quick shot on my mobile phone. 00:10:53.440 --> 00:10:54.480 He's a French painter. 00:10:54.480 --> 00:10:59.899 And this self-portrait he did in 1903. 00:11:00.920 --> 00:11:04.139 And by that stage, he was about 73 years old. 00:11:05.100 --> 00:11:07.620 Nearly 4,000 weeks, I should mention. 00:11:08.180 --> 00:11:12.420 And he was feeling very physically infirm. 00:11:12.539 --> 00:11:13.740 He was very frail. 00:11:13.840 --> 00:11:17.240 So, he wrote to his children just after his 73rd birthday. 00:11:18.539 --> 00:11:19.220 I think I've got it. 00:11:19.279 --> 00:11:20.340 Yes, let me put it on screen. 00:11:20.340 --> 00:11:32.139 I shall do my best, my utmost, to follow my destiny by working as hard as possible, because the thread that is keeping me here on earth is very near to unraveling completely. 00:11:32.139 --> 00:11:38.860 And what I liked about it, he said that in 1903, he painted his self-portrait in 1903. 00:11:39.100 --> 00:11:40.379 He died in 1903. 00:11:40.500 --> 00:11:42.720 So, he was understanding himself correctly. 00:11:43.100 --> 00:11:44.480 Was it right to the end? 00:11:45.159 --> 00:11:46.419 He wanted to keep working. 00:11:46.960 --> 00:11:49.240 He wanted to fulfill his destiny, as he put it. 00:11:49.279 --> 00:11:52.799 I don't know if there's any Christian conviction behind that sentiment. 00:11:52.799 --> 00:11:57.379 But at least he wanted to be a good steward of the gifts he evidently had. 00:11:57.459 --> 00:12:02.779 He produced some wonderful, wonderful paintings in early and late Impressionism. 00:12:03.579 --> 00:12:06.379 Now, there's an even better example, which I'll put up on screen. 00:12:06.519 --> 00:12:07.500 It's from Paul. 00:12:07.719 --> 00:12:08.979 He said something very similar. 00:12:09.740 --> 00:12:12.019 And I think it's a really impressive statement. 00:12:12.139 --> 00:12:14.879 He was about to leave the Ephesian elders. 00:12:14.879 --> 00:12:32.279 So, when you read that testimony in Acts 20, you say, well, here is a man who has his priorities clear. 00:12:32.980 --> 00:12:34.480 You know, this is how he viewed his life. 00:12:34.559 --> 00:12:37.899 It wasn't a possession that he wanted to hold on to at all costs. 00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:41.720 He wasn't worried about his own security, his own well-being. 00:12:41.720 --> 00:12:44.660 It wasn't a big concern about his own comfort. 00:12:44.800 --> 00:12:48.639 When you read, especially to Corinthians, you see what the man went through. 00:12:49.040 --> 00:12:55.519 He had a very clear purpose, this overriding concern to be faithful to the Lord Jesus who called him 00:12:55.519 --> 00:12:59.100 and to finish the task that he'd been given. 00:13:00.460 --> 00:13:06.480 And do you think that's an echo of what Jesus is saying in his parable about the talents, the bags of gold? 00:13:07.300 --> 00:13:09.259 And Paul was living with the end in view. 00:13:09.259 --> 00:13:10.500 He was going to see the master. 00:13:10.500 --> 00:13:15.039 And at the end of 2 Timothy, he describes that. 00:13:15.100 --> 00:13:16.440 He's looking forward to that day. 00:13:17.080 --> 00:13:23.539 But until then, he's working energetically, wholeheartedly with the job that God had given him to do. 00:13:23.980 --> 00:13:29.139 But he says to Timothy, to whom he's writing in his last letter in 2 Timothy, 00:13:29.139 --> 00:13:33.439 in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, 00:13:33.819 --> 00:13:38.539 and in view of his appearing and kingdom, I give you this charge, Timothy, young Timothy, 00:13:38.960 --> 00:13:39.600 preach the word. 00:13:39.659 --> 00:13:40.939 And he told him, get on with the job. 00:13:41.279 --> 00:13:42.259 So it's the same idea. 00:13:42.340 --> 00:13:48.059 In the light of Jesus' coming, the Lord who will judge the living and the dead. 00:13:48.059 --> 00:13:52.059 So whatever our responsibility, some of us it might be considerable. 00:13:52.759 --> 00:13:58.479 For most of us, perhaps relatively modest, but we have jobs to do that we believe the Lord's called us to do, 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:00.019 whatever it might be. 00:14:00.019 --> 00:14:08.419 And our job is to fulfill that faithfully, wholeheartedly, productively. 00:14:09.620 --> 00:14:12.799 And that should be uppermost in our minds, that the Lord is coming. 00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:17.379 I want to make sure I use what I have for his benefit. 00:14:18.199 --> 00:14:20.039 Do you know the story of Lord Shaftesbury? 00:14:20.039 --> 00:14:28.759 He was a remarkable parliamentarian, but most of all, a fantastic social reformer, philanthropist. 00:14:28.819 --> 00:14:33.899 He did an awful lot to help in the textile mills, in the factories and the mines. 00:14:34.039 --> 00:14:38.199 He tried to improve working conditions for people, especially concerned about children. 00:14:38.339 --> 00:14:39.419 He tackled child labor. 00:14:40.399 --> 00:14:43.279 He championed the education for poor children. 00:14:44.360 --> 00:14:48.159 He did work to try and stop children going up chimneys, his chimney sweeps. 00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:49.759 He was an extraordinary man. 00:14:50.779 --> 00:14:53.719 He made prison reform, helping people in lunatic asylums. 00:14:53.879 --> 00:15:01.000 He was packed out his life with all of the things he wanted to do and introduce into legislation in this country. 00:15:01.860 --> 00:15:07.799 But what's really interesting about this man is not only a very impressive biography, but this is what he said. 00:15:08.579 --> 00:15:14.240 I do not think that in the last 40 years, I have lived one conscious hour 00:15:14.240 --> 00:15:18.539 that was not influenced by the thought of the Lord's return. 00:15:20.060 --> 00:15:20.820 Interesting, isn't it? 00:15:20.860 --> 00:15:28.440 That he was somebody so committed to that future, to a new heaven, a new earth, a new universe, 00:15:29.019 --> 00:15:35.740 that far from wanting to escape from his body or escape from this rather sordid London where he was working, 00:15:35.740 --> 00:15:41.820 No, it threw him into greater service, more responsible actions. 00:15:42.259 --> 00:15:44.360 Well, of course, we are very different from Wilberforce. 00:15:44.500 --> 00:15:48.200 Most of us, although God needs to raise up more like him, I think. 00:15:48.980 --> 00:15:52.519 But we should also have that same attitude of mind. 00:15:52.639 --> 00:15:58.379 Are we going to put our bags of gold to work or are we just going to bury it and wait? 00:15:58.519 --> 00:16:00.840 No, we want to serve the returning king. 00:16:00.840 --> 00:16:04.780 It is something of a paradox, actually, when you think about it. 00:16:04.860 --> 00:16:11.160 I'll put up something that C.S. Lewis once said, that if you have that view of the future 00:16:11.160 --> 00:16:15.820 and of Jesus' return, it makes a huge difference to life now. 00:16:15.960 --> 00:16:17.200 Here's what C.S. Lewis said. 00:16:17.720 --> 00:16:22.360 If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world 00:16:22.360 --> 00:16:25.980 were precisely those who thought most of the next. 00:16:25.980 --> 00:16:30.180 And actually, in Mere Christianity, he goes on. 00:16:30.600 --> 00:16:34.879 It is since Christians have largely ceased to think about the other world, the future, 00:16:35.460 --> 00:16:38.420 that they've become ineffective in this. 00:16:40.500 --> 00:16:43.960 So that's, I think, the key issue from this little parable, 00:16:44.220 --> 00:16:47.519 acting responsibly in the light of what God has called us to do. 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:52.340 But then the second thing is to think for a moment about reward. 00:16:52.340 --> 00:16:59.200 We've seen in the parable how the Lord honored and rewarded the faithful servants, 00:16:59.360 --> 00:17:02.680 the guys who had five gold bags and two gold bags. 00:17:02.759 --> 00:17:07.400 They were using them responsibly, so they were given the reward of doing even more. 00:17:08.720 --> 00:17:12.340 It picks up a theme which, as I said a moment ago, is not so common, 00:17:12.440 --> 00:17:15.059 but I think it's worth reminding ourselves of. 00:17:15.380 --> 00:17:19.400 Here on the screen is a passage from 2 Corinthians 5, 00:17:19.400 --> 00:17:24.100 where Paul had been writing to encourage us to get on with the job of mission, 00:17:24.380 --> 00:17:25.280 to be ambassadors. 00:17:26.019 --> 00:17:29.120 It's a lovely chapter, 2 Corinthians 5, about our Christian motivation. 00:17:30.400 --> 00:17:36.000 And in the middle of it, he reminds us, not only are we compelled by Christ's love, 00:17:36.840 --> 00:17:40.280 and not only are we sent out by Christ the King as ambassadors, 00:17:40.480 --> 00:17:44.060 but we also are responsible to Christ the judge. 00:17:44.059 --> 00:17:46.799 Verse 10 of 2 Corinthians 5, 00:17:46.859 --> 00:17:49.279 we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, 00:17:49.500 --> 00:17:53.460 so that each may receive what is due for the things done while in the body, 00:17:53.539 --> 00:17:54.619 whether good or bad. 00:17:55.079 --> 00:17:58.819 Now what Paul is doing here is describing a future reality. 00:17:59.700 --> 00:18:03.720 This is a judgment for everyone, it seems to be, 00:18:04.099 --> 00:18:08.200 and it's not a judgment about our destiny, our eternal destiny. 00:18:08.200 --> 00:18:11.640 It's a judgment on our stewardship, how we've lived, 00:18:11.740 --> 00:18:14.039 how we've used the resources God has given us. 00:18:14.640 --> 00:18:17.100 And as I've thought about this passage and others, 00:18:17.400 --> 00:18:23.299 I don't think it's intended in any way to cloud our hope for the future, 00:18:23.500 --> 00:18:26.380 or to dampen our joy at the prospect of being with Jesus, 00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:31.019 because the Jesus we're going to meet is the Jesus who gave his life for us, 00:18:31.840 --> 00:18:35.559 and the Jesus who has redeemed us and forgiven us, 00:18:35.559 --> 00:18:37.940 and who's going to welcome us into our home. 00:18:38.679 --> 00:18:41.339 So we don't read these passages with a sense of fear, 00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:45.259 but I think we do read them with a certain sense of responsibility. 00:18:45.619 --> 00:18:47.639 So Paul says, I'm a builder. 00:18:48.440 --> 00:18:50.899 In fact, let me move to the second passage, 00:18:51.440 --> 00:18:53.039 which is in 1 Corinthians 3. 00:18:53.839 --> 00:18:56.919 And he says, I'm a builder, I've laid the foundation. 00:18:57.059 --> 00:18:58.440 The foundation is the Lord Jesus. 00:18:58.740 --> 00:19:01.779 He says, by the grace of God, I've laid this foundation. 00:19:01.779 --> 00:19:06.259 So his own work, as all of our work, is to do with God's grace. 00:19:06.960 --> 00:19:10.299 And then he says, now you have to build on this foundation. 00:19:10.460 --> 00:19:13.099 So if your life is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, 00:19:13.420 --> 00:19:17.700 you're absolutely secure, now and into eternity. 00:19:18.420 --> 00:19:19.899 There is no doubt at all. 00:19:20.319 --> 00:19:24.279 Whoever you are, what you've done, it's all forgiven through Jesus, 00:19:24.940 --> 00:19:26.500 if you've put your trust in him. 00:19:26.559 --> 00:19:27.500 You're on that foundation. 00:19:27.500 --> 00:19:30.819 But, he says, take care how you build. 00:19:31.099 --> 00:19:33.480 You can either build with wood and hay and stubble, 00:19:33.559 --> 00:19:35.339 he says in these verses in 1 Corinthians 3, 00:19:35.640 --> 00:19:38.420 or you can build with things that will last, 00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:41.200 with gold and silver and precious stones. 00:19:42.039 --> 00:19:45.599 And he goes on to say, because our building work will be tested. 00:19:46.019 --> 00:19:51.500 We'll find out if you've been building with things of lasting value. 00:19:52.279 --> 00:19:56.099 Now one day, that building that we've been putting together 00:19:56.099 --> 00:20:00.740 will be tested, as I say, and on that judgment day, 00:20:00.819 --> 00:20:01.799 will it last? 00:20:02.539 --> 00:20:04.859 Or will it just disappear in the cloud of smoke? 00:20:06.379 --> 00:20:08.259 So, as I've put on the screen there, 00:20:08.480 --> 00:20:10.219 it's an encouragement to be a good builder. 00:20:11.119 --> 00:20:13.839 Build for something that will last forever. 00:20:15.299 --> 00:20:17.139 How you build matters. 00:20:18.099 --> 00:20:20.159 How you live your life counts. 00:20:20.160 --> 00:20:23.480 And Jesus spoke a bit about this, didn't he? 00:20:23.600 --> 00:20:25.740 He spoke about putting your treasure in heaven. 00:20:26.519 --> 00:20:27.700 You know, building for something that, 00:20:27.940 --> 00:20:30.300 not just the earthly material possessions, 00:20:30.540 --> 00:20:33.420 but treasure for the future. 00:20:34.740 --> 00:20:38.800 Well, Paul is urging us to be good stewards of our lives. 00:20:39.500 --> 00:20:44.460 And as we think about the rewards to the servants in the parable, 00:20:44.460 --> 00:20:48.539 we can also know that Jesus will give us responsibilities too. 00:20:48.660 --> 00:20:49.680 We don't know much about it. 00:20:50.120 --> 00:20:53.840 But it seems that responsible service now will lead to responsible, 00:20:53.980 --> 00:20:56.460 even greater responsible service in the future. 00:20:56.620 --> 00:20:58.660 I think it's a bit like, you know, the physical and the spiritual. 00:20:58.779 --> 00:21:01.059 I think it was Michael Green who said these things are rather similar. 00:21:01.059 --> 00:21:05.079 So, some of you, you know, work out all the time. 00:21:05.159 --> 00:21:06.419 You've got fantastic muscles. 00:21:06.819 --> 00:21:10.539 And the reward for that is you can carry even heavier bags quite easily. 00:21:11.019 --> 00:21:15.399 But if you don't exercise, I say this as somebody who's guilty, 00:21:15.940 --> 00:21:22.039 if you don't exercise very much, then begin to lose the capacity, don't you? 00:21:22.399 --> 00:21:24.659 Your muscles begin to atrophy. 00:21:24.980 --> 00:21:28.139 Even the relatively few muscles I've got will begin to fade away. 00:21:28.140 --> 00:21:35.320 So, if you're exercising spiritually, doing all the things that God calls you to do in your life, 00:21:35.420 --> 00:21:42.120 you're building the muscle so that in the future you can have even more responsibility, more rewards. 00:21:43.040 --> 00:21:46.580 That, I think, is part of what this little parable is about. 00:21:47.600 --> 00:21:49.200 Well, we come to the final one. 00:21:49.640 --> 00:21:53.560 We've looked at master and servant, now sheep and goats. 00:21:54.240 --> 00:21:58.120 By the way, I've said several things there which you might want to pick up in our question time. 00:21:58.140 --> 00:22:02.140 Because the issues of surrounding rewards is not altogether straightforward. 00:22:02.820 --> 00:22:04.720 Let's revisit that if you'd like to. 00:22:05.060 --> 00:22:07.000 What about the sheep and the goats? 00:22:07.160 --> 00:22:15.560 And Jesus, in this parable, as he closes this chapter, is even more direct in his addressing the theme of judgment. 00:22:16.460 --> 00:22:17.780 And the picture changes again. 00:22:17.920 --> 00:22:23.560 And you'll notice, verse 31, right at the beginning, there are these opening statements about the king. 00:22:23.980 --> 00:22:25.120 Let me put it on screen. 00:22:25.119 --> 00:22:32.239 When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 00:22:32.739 --> 00:22:36.099 All the nations will be gathered before him. 00:22:36.099 --> 00:22:45.240 So, as he begins this final illustration, the first thing to notice about judgment is it is universal. 00:22:46.099 --> 00:22:46.679 Do you see that? 00:22:47.059 --> 00:22:52.459 There echoes from the Old Testament, actually, from prophets like Daniel who said this. 00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:53.939 But all nations are there. 00:22:54.839 --> 00:22:56.079 He's sitting on his throne. 00:22:56.079 --> 00:22:57.399 They're all gathered before him. 00:22:57.460 --> 00:23:04.599 So, every person, they respect their nationality, their ethnicity, their age, male, female, rich, poor. 00:23:04.960 --> 00:23:06.099 Everyone is there. 00:23:07.039 --> 00:23:12.339 And then, second, you'll notice it is Jesus now who is acting as the judge. 00:23:12.419 --> 00:23:15.259 The Son of Man who's going to carry out the judgment. 00:23:15.259 --> 00:23:20.359 In the Old Testament, it was God who was calling the nations before him to be accountable. 00:23:20.720 --> 00:23:22.079 Here, Jesus picks it up. 00:23:22.299 --> 00:23:23.779 It's Jesus who is the judge. 00:23:23.920 --> 00:23:26.299 And we know that from other passages in the New Testament. 00:23:26.720 --> 00:23:28.819 God has given Jesus that responsibility. 00:23:29.539 --> 00:23:34.079 And carefully, this Son of Man separates out people. 00:23:35.200 --> 00:23:38.019 He uses the illustration of a Palestinian shepherd. 00:23:38.019 --> 00:23:39.759 And it's quite common. 00:23:39.819 --> 00:23:43.539 If you've been in that part of the world, you'll see they're very mixed flocks. 00:23:44.420 --> 00:23:48.539 And you can't always tell the difference, actually, between the sheep and goats in the Middle East. 00:23:49.039 --> 00:23:53.279 Some of the sheep actually look dark and scraggy. 00:23:53.359 --> 00:23:58.980 They're not like the beautiful, fluffy, white sheep you have on your Edinburgh hills. 00:24:00.759 --> 00:24:02.839 They're often quite similar to goats. 00:24:02.839 --> 00:24:04.619 So, they're separated out. 00:24:04.619 --> 00:24:13.639 And then, verse 34, to one group, to the sheep on the right, Jesus says, 00:24:13.739 --> 00:24:19.759 Come, you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 00:24:20.679 --> 00:24:22.719 He separates them out between sheep and goats. 00:24:23.119 --> 00:24:30.139 And in this story, what is the basis of the judgment that Jesus is going to make here between sheep and goats? 00:24:30.139 --> 00:24:32.779 And it's repeated, actually, several times in the account. 00:24:32.779 --> 00:24:35.440 Verse 34, I'll put it up on screen. 00:24:35.839 --> 00:24:38.559 But as I say, it's repeated in different ways. 00:24:39.460 --> 00:24:40.700 It's a sequence of things. 00:24:41.259 --> 00:24:43.960 For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. 00:24:44.680 --> 00:24:47.240 I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. 00:24:47.319 --> 00:24:49.319 I was a stranger, and you invited me in. 00:24:49.480 --> 00:24:51.359 I needed clothes, and you clothed me. 00:24:51.539 --> 00:24:53.420 I was ill, and you looked after me. 00:24:53.480 --> 00:24:55.920 I was in prison, and you came to visit me. 00:24:55.920 --> 00:25:02.600 And the other group, the goats, are condemned because they did nothing. 00:25:03.300 --> 00:25:09.920 In the face of overwhelming need, in the face of Jesus himself, I'll just explain that in a moment, 00:25:10.420 --> 00:25:11.800 they don't lift a finger. 00:25:11.799 --> 00:25:15.180 Well, how do we understand this passage? 00:25:15.319 --> 00:25:20.359 And I tell you, a lot has been written about it, and I just offer how I see it. 00:25:21.460 --> 00:25:30.500 For the past century and a half, at least, most people commenting on this passage have said it refers to helping the poor, 00:25:31.220 --> 00:25:35.960 helping the estranged, the imprisoned, the isolated, the vulnerable. 00:25:35.960 --> 00:25:40.640 And, of course, we know that is vital that we do. 00:25:41.660 --> 00:25:50.319 And people have argued, well, what you're doing is you're basically serving Jesus by serving the poor and the communities who are listed here. 00:25:50.400 --> 00:25:58.100 In fact, as I say, prophets like Isaiah and Amos, indeed, Paul himself in Galatians, 00:25:58.200 --> 00:26:03.900 as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. 00:26:03.900 --> 00:26:08.980 So we know Jesus taught this concern for the well-being of the poor. 00:26:09.400 --> 00:26:16.320 But when you look carefully at the basis of judgment in this story, you'll notice it appears twice. 00:26:17.200 --> 00:26:19.040 Sorry, have I got it there or not? 00:26:20.820 --> 00:26:21.640 Yes, there it is, sorry. 00:26:22.259 --> 00:26:31.580 Truly, I tell you, whatever you did to one of these, the least of the brothers, you are doing to me. 00:26:31.579 --> 00:26:40.179 As you look at what Matthew says elsewhere, it seems that when he calls people his brothers and sisters, 00:26:41.000 --> 00:26:45.359 or the least of these my brothers and sisters, he's referring to his disciples. 00:26:45.960 --> 00:26:48.919 He's talking about the believing community. 00:26:48.920 --> 00:27:03.860 So from verses 48 to 50, in chapter 12 of Matthew, he talks about people wanting Jesus to come out to meet his mother and his brothers. 00:27:03.980 --> 00:27:05.019 So if you remember that story. 00:27:05.580 --> 00:27:08.680 And Jesus replies, well, here are my brothers and sisters. 00:27:08.759 --> 00:27:10.580 And he's talking about his disciples. 00:27:11.720 --> 00:27:15.060 Those who do the will of my Father in heaven are my brothers and sisters. 00:27:15.059 --> 00:27:22.720 So I explain this because one way of understanding, and I think probably the better way of understanding this passage, 00:27:22.859 --> 00:27:27.980 is that it's talking about people's response to Jesus' disciples. 00:27:28.220 --> 00:27:38.039 Or if you like, more fully, judgment is based on our attitude to Jesus, and to Jesus' messengers, and to the gospel. 00:27:38.039 --> 00:27:48.299 How you respond to Jesus, the messengers of Jesus, the disciples, and indeed to the gospel itself, 00:27:48.559 --> 00:27:51.740 is the key in terms of judgment. 00:27:53.339 --> 00:27:57.500 We can, again, pick this up if it would be helpful in our discussion. 00:27:57.500 --> 00:28:06.640 But as the king has all the nations before him, how they've responded to Jesus is seen in how they responded to his messengers, 00:28:06.880 --> 00:28:11.259 and to the gospel, and perhaps also for us. 00:28:11.380 --> 00:28:15.059 How have they treated Jesus' faithful servants? 00:28:16.380 --> 00:28:21.039 I think we can ask that question, you know, the way in which we also care for God's people. 00:28:21.039 --> 00:28:27.859 In Brunsfield, or in the global church, one of the things that concerns many of us, of course, 00:28:28.399 --> 00:28:33.319 is the way in which many, many Christian believers around the world are under pressure of persecution. 00:28:34.259 --> 00:28:42.259 Open Doors, in their latest World Watch, reckons 360 million Christians living in contexts 00:28:42.259 --> 00:28:45.779 with high levels of persecution or discrimination. 00:28:45.779 --> 00:28:49.779 That's one in seven Christians worldwide under immense pressure, 00:28:49.779 --> 00:28:51.599 because they name the name of Jesus. 00:28:52.940 --> 00:28:57.859 And the way we pray for them and support them and lobby governments 00:28:57.859 --> 00:29:02.720 and do all we can to help Jesus' brothers and sisters in that context 00:29:02.720 --> 00:29:06.319 is one application, perhaps, of these verses. 00:29:06.559 --> 00:29:10.299 But I think we've got to see that Jesus, on that day, 00:29:10.299 --> 00:29:14.920 will be judging people according to the response they make to the gospel, 00:29:15.639 --> 00:29:19.240 to the gospel messengers, to Jesus himself, therefore. 00:29:19.779 --> 00:29:24.259 And also it reminds us that the way we treat other disciples, brothers and sisters, 00:29:24.259 --> 00:29:27.039 is a reflection of how we treat Jesus. 00:29:27.379 --> 00:29:30.440 After all, we are one body, the body of Christ. 00:29:31.299 --> 00:29:34.240 And Jesus gave the new commandment to love one another. 00:29:35.119 --> 00:29:38.119 Jesus said people will know we're his followers by the way we love. 00:29:39.420 --> 00:29:41.299 And there is that close identification. 00:29:41.460 --> 00:29:44.619 Do you remember when Saul was persecuting the Christians? 00:29:44.619 --> 00:29:48.959 The risen Jesus said, why are you persecuting me? 00:29:49.719 --> 00:29:53.299 So there is this close association between how people treat Jesus 00:29:53.299 --> 00:29:56.099 and how people treat those who follow Jesus. 00:29:56.659 --> 00:29:59.539 And perhaps that's what's going on in this parable. 00:30:00.259 --> 00:30:02.139 How you respond to Jesus. 00:30:03.099 --> 00:30:06.699 Let me say a final thing about this issue of judgment, 00:30:06.700 --> 00:30:09.120 because it's a sober theme, isn't it? 00:30:09.120 --> 00:30:11.539 It's partly why these passages are so demanding 00:30:11.539 --> 00:30:14.600 and why perhaps we don't look at them as much as we should. 00:30:16.400 --> 00:30:18.240 Why does judgment matter? 00:30:18.640 --> 00:30:20.680 And I think there are at least a couple of reasons. 00:30:21.860 --> 00:30:27.740 First of all, it's very important to know that justice will be done. 00:30:28.019 --> 00:30:28.960 There will be justice. 00:30:28.960 --> 00:30:31.039 And I don't know if you would agree with me, 00:30:31.100 --> 00:30:33.740 but I think most people want that to happen. 00:30:34.340 --> 00:30:35.860 They want to see justice. 00:30:36.759 --> 00:30:38.620 So you listen to many people in the media. 00:30:39.019 --> 00:30:41.579 Why do people get away with it? 00:30:41.740 --> 00:30:45.579 Why are we letting people off the hook? 00:30:46.259 --> 00:30:49.539 And in wars, you know, Saddam Hussein or Slobodan Milosevic, 00:30:50.240 --> 00:30:53.860 now people are gathering information on Vladimir Putin, 00:30:53.859 --> 00:30:58.839 because we want to see the international courts call people to account 00:30:58.839 --> 00:31:00.599 for what they're doing. 00:31:00.740 --> 00:31:05.500 So Christian and non-Christian alike, we want to see justice in our world. 00:31:05.579 --> 00:31:07.859 We want to see justice restored. 00:31:09.139 --> 00:31:11.939 And I think that's partly why when you go into the Old Testament 00:31:11.939 --> 00:31:14.119 and you listen to some of the Psalms, like Psalm 96, 00:31:14.919 --> 00:31:18.019 it talks about a joyful response to judgment. 00:31:18.019 --> 00:31:23.379 You know, even the trees are waving at the coming judge. 00:31:23.380 --> 00:31:26.820 Now, why does it talk about that being a joyful thing? 00:31:27.060 --> 00:31:28.660 He is coming to judge the earth. 00:31:29.240 --> 00:31:34.740 And I think the reason is because he is coming to put things back together 00:31:34.740 --> 00:31:35.740 as they should be. 00:31:36.660 --> 00:31:40.120 That's what Jesus is going to do, restore all things. 00:31:40.240 --> 00:31:42.320 I'll say more about that perhaps tomorrow. 00:31:42.780 --> 00:31:45.840 Having said that, we shouldn't read these passages lightly. 00:31:46.740 --> 00:31:50.040 We should read them with a certain sobriety, I think, 00:31:50.039 --> 00:31:55.039 because they imply judgment on people around us. 00:31:55.899 --> 00:32:00.299 And therefore, we don't read them joyfully, but with tears in our eyes. 00:32:01.500 --> 00:32:04.099 The other thing which I wanted to mention, sorry, 00:32:04.240 --> 00:32:10.079 is that judgment demonstrates that our actions are significant. 00:32:10.319 --> 00:32:12.659 You know, we're not just acting randomly in this world. 00:32:12.660 --> 00:32:15.880 And how we act, how we live, it does matter. 00:32:16.840 --> 00:32:18.960 And that, again, is something that we want to remember, 00:32:18.960 --> 00:32:21.600 that we're accountable in all kinds of ways, 00:32:22.140 --> 00:32:24.680 for the way in which we use the resources which God has given us. 00:32:25.420 --> 00:32:28.700 Well, as I say, we can't miss the sober element of what Jesus is saying, 00:32:28.759 --> 00:32:32.040 but I thought it would be good to finish by reminding ourselves also 00:32:32.040 --> 00:32:36.160 of what these parables, and particularly this last one, underline. 00:32:36.160 --> 00:32:38.820 And that is our future hope. 00:32:39.620 --> 00:32:43.480 Do you notice that for the servant who does use his gifts faithfully, 00:32:44.340 --> 00:32:48.680 the master says, well done, good and faithful servant. 00:32:49.200 --> 00:32:51.480 Come and share your master's happiness. 00:32:51.779 --> 00:32:53.420 That's there in verse 23. 00:32:54.519 --> 00:32:58.980 And if you go further down, verse 34, then the king says, 00:32:59.120 --> 00:33:02.800 to those who are on his right, come, you who are blessed by my father, 00:33:02.799 --> 00:33:07.639 take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 00:33:08.500 --> 00:33:13.220 So it's a fantastic invitation, isn't it, to us who are believing in the Lord Jesus. 00:33:13.980 --> 00:33:16.839 Let's be ready for that joyful day. 00:33:17.159 --> 00:33:21.319 Come, the Lord says, you who are blessed by my father. 00:33:21.659 --> 00:33:24.839 You've got an inheritance that God has promised and prepared for you. 00:33:25.200 --> 00:33:27.440 That's the big motivation for living now. 00:33:27.440 --> 00:33:34.080 It's the invitation of grace and mercy that will eventually lead into heaven and into eternity. 00:33:34.600 --> 00:33:38.500 Well, I wonder if you look at these things with a sense of joy. 00:33:38.680 --> 00:33:41.360 Let me give you one final illustration which I found really helpful. 00:33:42.340 --> 00:33:44.080 It's in the book by Jim Packer. 00:33:44.480 --> 00:33:49.039 When he says that thinking about our death and thinking about the future 00:33:49.039 --> 00:33:55.779 should be something which is inspiring not just hope but a sense of anticipation and joy, 00:33:55.899 --> 00:33:57.639 he said, rather like children going on holiday. 00:33:58.680 --> 00:34:03.039 And I resonated it because when I was a young lad, I was brought up in London, 00:34:03.659 --> 00:34:09.519 and every summer for one week my parents took us to a little town on the south coast. 00:34:09.619 --> 00:34:10.219 You might know it. 00:34:10.279 --> 00:34:11.039 It's called Charmouth. 00:34:11.139 --> 00:34:13.759 It's on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset. 00:34:13.760 --> 00:34:15.720 And we loved it. 00:34:15.840 --> 00:34:19.700 And we spent the whole week looking for fossils along that stretch of the Jurassic Coast. 00:34:20.260 --> 00:34:25.360 And I was so excited about the idea of a week's holiday in August. 00:34:25.820 --> 00:34:30.020 And I had my little backpack and my geological hammer ready in Easter. 00:34:30.260 --> 00:34:33.700 You know, months before we were to go, I was looking forward to it. 00:34:34.260 --> 00:34:35.560 And that's what Packer says. 00:34:35.559 --> 00:34:40.460 Each day should find us like children looking forward to their holidays 00:34:40.460 --> 00:34:44.259 who get packed up and ready to go a long time in advance. 00:34:45.259 --> 00:34:47.519 That's how we should look at this future. 00:34:48.239 --> 00:34:51.259 That's how we should look at meeting the Lord Jesus 00:34:51.259 --> 00:34:55.659 and entering this inheritance which God has prepared and welcomes us into. 00:34:56.279 --> 00:35:01.519 So we don't dodge death, not fearful of death. 00:35:01.519 --> 00:35:05.659 We don't dodge our heavenly rejoicing. 00:35:06.099 --> 00:35:07.400 We anticipate it. 00:35:07.860 --> 00:35:08.940 We look forward to it. 00:35:08.980 --> 00:35:10.059 I don't think that's morose. 00:35:10.659 --> 00:35:13.380 I think that's living in the light of eternity. 00:35:13.960 --> 00:35:18.380 It's now living in time for eternity. 00:35:19.039 --> 00:35:24.780 Well, we've seen in this passage that the Lord calls us to be faithful servants 00:35:24.780 --> 00:35:29.119 who are wholeheartedly working in the light of that return. 00:35:29.119 --> 00:35:32.139 And I said a moment ago about Paul in 2 Timothy. 00:35:32.299 --> 00:35:32.539 Do you remember? 00:35:33.099 --> 00:35:36.659 Virtually the last words that Paul wrote in 2 Timothy. 00:35:36.839 --> 00:35:40.339 And right at the very end, it's interesting when you read 2 Timothy 4, 00:35:41.139 --> 00:35:43.819 what he thinks about right at the very end of his life are all his mates. 00:35:43.920 --> 00:35:46.380 Actually, it's a long list of friends he lists. 00:35:47.019 --> 00:35:48.559 But this is what he finally says. 00:35:49.400 --> 00:35:50.940 I have fought the good fight. 00:35:51.339 --> 00:35:52.759 I have finished the race. 00:35:52.940 --> 00:35:54.139 I have kept the faith. 00:35:54.699 --> 00:35:57.420 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness 00:35:57.420 --> 00:36:01.000 which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day. 00:36:01.400 --> 00:36:06.300 And not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 00:36:07.500 --> 00:36:09.180 And isn't that something we could emulate? 00:36:09.460 --> 00:36:11.300 Isn't that a fantastic statement? 00:36:11.880 --> 00:36:12.840 I'd like to say that. 00:36:13.400 --> 00:36:17.340 Would you like to hold that in your hearts, looking to that future? 00:36:17.340 --> 00:36:22.200 To fight the good fight, to finish the race, to keep the faith, 00:36:22.820 --> 00:36:25.320 and to be ready to receive the crown of righteousness. 00:36:27.180 --> 00:36:27.539 Amen. 00:36:27.900 --> 00:36:30.000 Thank you again for listening patiently. 00:36:30.240 --> 00:36:32.100 We're going to pray. 00:36:32.579 --> 00:36:34.400 I think, actually, what I'll do is hand over to Al, 00:36:34.500 --> 00:36:38.180 and you can lead us in how we pray for the closing minutes that we have. 00:36:38.800 --> 00:36:39.700 Thank you very much. 00:36:39.699 --> 00:37:09.679 Thank you.