WEBVTT 00:00:00.300 --> 00:00:06.459 Okay, well good morning everyone. Lovely to see you. Let me encourage you to come expectantly 00:00:06.459 --> 00:00:12.320 to Malachi chapter 1, those verses that we just read. If you do not know where Malachi 00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:18.339 is, feel no embarrassment to turn into the contents page of your Bible. It is the last 00:00:18.339 --> 00:00:21.940 book of the Old Testament. So if you find Matthew, the first book of the New Testament, 00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:27.420 it is just one back from there. If you don't have a Bible, feel free to pick up the Bibles 00:00:27.420 --> 00:00:32.340 on the pews round about. And if you want a Bible, I've got three of these to give away 00:00:32.340 --> 00:00:36.700 this morning. Just come and grab me. It can be yours. I'm going to try and do this every 00:00:36.700 --> 00:00:40.439 week just to get God's word into people's hands. If you want a Bible, come and grab me 00:00:40.439 --> 00:00:48.420 and we'll make that happen for you. But Malachi chapter 1, let me try and get us into the heart 00:00:48.420 --> 00:00:53.180 of the challenge that comes at us in this passage. And I'm going to tell you one of my favourite 00:00:53.180 --> 00:00:56.400 stories. I think I've told this before, but I love it, so I'm telling it again, right? 00:00:56.399 --> 00:01:05.799 Here's my favourite story. It's about two farmyard buds called Chicken and Pig. And their best 00:01:05.799 --> 00:01:09.959 buds, one evening, they're looking out over the farm, they're hanging out together, and 00:01:09.959 --> 00:01:15.759 they see a truck drive past. And on the side of this truck, it just says, eggs and bacon, 00:01:16.599 --> 00:01:23.039 the great British breakfast. And Chicken turns to Pig and says, Pig, Pig, Pig, I've got a wonderful 00:01:23.040 --> 00:01:29.060 idea. You know that farmer, our farmer that we love that gets up at the crack of dawn every single 00:01:29.060 --> 00:01:34.440 morning to feed us, to look after us, to care for us. You know that farmer. Here's an idea. How about 00:01:34.440 --> 00:01:41.180 we get up in the morning and we give him that breakfast? We give him that breakfast. And I tell 00:01:41.180 --> 00:01:47.719 you what we'll do. We'll meet up the next day on this fence and we'll talk about how good the 00:01:47.719 --> 00:01:54.480 breakfast was. And Chicken says, I'm all up for it, Pig. Are you up for it? And Pig says to Chicken, 00:01:54.659 --> 00:01:59.920 he says, I don't think you quite understand, Chicken. When it comes to us giving the farmer 00:01:59.920 --> 00:02:07.960 bacon and eggs, it only costs part of you, but it costs all of me. Now, what this passage is about 00:02:07.959 --> 00:02:17.780 this morning, the question is, are we wholehearted? Are we all in when it comes to worshipping the Lord? 00:02:18.459 --> 00:02:23.379 So here's a question that's been in my head this week. As I particularly thought about off the back 00:02:23.379 --> 00:02:30.340 of Christmas, having spent time with my friends and family, I've asked myself this question in their 00:02:30.340 --> 00:02:37.900 minds as I've lived my life in front of them, what would they conclude is the thing that makes me tick? 00:02:37.900 --> 00:02:46.259 Think about it in your own life, okay? What did people think your life orbits around? What do 00:02:46.259 --> 00:02:51.400 people think that if you didn't have that thing in your life, your life would be the worst for it? 00:02:51.879 --> 00:02:59.159 What do people see as they look at you? Another question as well, what would the Lord see if he 00:02:59.159 --> 00:03:04.640 was to look into your heart deeply this morning? Because what is going to turn Chicken and Pig from being a 00:03:04.639 --> 00:03:12.239 cute illustrating story to a life-transforming concept is the understanding, the view of the God that we 00:03:12.239 --> 00:03:22.459 worship? So let me ask you, who is the God of the Bible in your minds today? Is he who he tells us he is 00:03:22.459 --> 00:03:28.239 in this passage? What does he say? If you've got it there at the end of verse 14, because this generation 00:03:28.240 --> 00:03:36.080 completely forgotten it, he says, for I am a great king, says the Lord of hosts, and my name will be 00:03:36.080 --> 00:03:42.379 feared among the nations. So three quick fire things here we get about this God. He is a king, 00:03:42.879 --> 00:03:48.460 he is the Lord of hosts, that's a military term, he's the Lord of angel armies, and his name will be 00:03:48.460 --> 00:03:55.140 feared among the nations. He is no domestic deity. He is the God of the world. He is the one who laid 00:03:55.139 --> 00:04:04.039 the foundations of the earth. He is the one who spoke the stars into existence. He is the one who 00:04:04.039 --> 00:04:11.299 keeps the world spinning and gives us breath by the power of his word every single moment. And we know 00:04:11.299 --> 00:04:16.019 it's true, don't we, in life that your view of someone affects how you come before them. 00:04:17.459 --> 00:04:21.560 Give you a little example of this. I remember a few months back flicking through the pictures from the 00:04:21.560 --> 00:04:26.540 Queen's Memorial Service as it took place at St. Giles, just down the road on the Royal Mile. Do you 00:04:26.540 --> 00:04:34.079 remember it? Yeah, all the famous Scots turning up, going inside. And this one picture in particular 00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:39.860 caught my mind. It's not the greatest graphic, but it's what I had on my phone. It caught my eye, 00:04:40.019 --> 00:04:44.160 not because of the guy who's in the background. If you're eagle-eyed, you'll see it's our former 00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:49.279 first ministers in the background there, yeah? But it was the guy in the foreground who caught my 00:04:49.279 --> 00:04:52.559 attention. That guy right in the middle there, who's looking like the cat that got the cream, 00:04:53.559 --> 00:05:00.019 is my friend Neil. Now Neil's the pastor of Jen at Cornerstone, just on Morningside Drive. And Neil got 00:05:00.019 --> 00:05:05.819 an invite because he was representing the First, sorry, the Free Church of Scotland. And there he is 00:05:05.819 --> 00:05:09.559 suited and booted. And I was texting him afterwards, and I said, Neil, I feel slightly offended because 00:05:09.559 --> 00:05:16.299 every time you meet me, you're wearing a jeans and a hoodie. And he texted back and he said, yeah, but for 00:05:16.300 --> 00:05:24.520 the queen, I make exceptions. He realizes that to come before the queen, to come into her presence, 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:32.439 to come into that, that's different. And there's nothing of that with this generation as far as the 00:05:32.439 --> 00:05:39.519 Lord is concerned. He says, verse 6, as a son honors his father and a slave his master, there's the logic. 00:05:39.519 --> 00:05:46.079 Do you see? Son honors his father, a slave honors his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due 00:05:46.079 --> 00:05:53.299 to me? If I'm a master, where is the respect due to me, says the Lord Almighty. So the Lord sees in 00:05:53.299 --> 00:05:59.399 their eyes that he is nothing before them. He's like a plumber that you would have in your phone contact 00:05:59.399 --> 00:06:08.099 list, right? Really useful to have in case of an emergency, in case you need to call on him, but not 00:06:08.100 --> 00:06:12.660 someone that's on your mind to send a Christmas card to. That's how they understand the Lord. 00:06:13.920 --> 00:06:19.660 And so they're doing this sacrificial thing as a nation. They're performing the religious rituals 00:06:19.660 --> 00:06:27.439 as a people, all the while forgetting why the Lord had put them into their lives in the first place. 00:06:27.439 --> 00:06:40.899 Why sacrifice? Well, it is the way that a blindingly holy God can live in fellowship with a sinful 00:06:40.899 --> 00:06:52.639 people. It is the way that the Lord has said, you can be right with me. And this is the way that you 00:06:52.639 --> 00:06:58.539 could know peace with me and enjoy fellowship with me forever. And while we're on the subject, 00:06:59.060 --> 00:07:04.399 let me just say that whoever you are today, and whatever you think of the God of the Bible, 00:07:05.099 --> 00:07:12.639 the answer that the Bible would give you to why you are here on earth is to enjoy God and worship 00:07:12.639 --> 00:07:19.240 him forever. That is the reason that you and I were made. If you're thinking what life is all about, 00:07:19.240 --> 00:07:25.600 if Bono's line from that famous song is your line that I still haven't found what I'm looking for, 00:07:25.879 --> 00:07:32.180 then know that the Bible would say categorically to all human life, all human life that is wonderfully 00:07:32.180 --> 00:07:38.800 made and has dignity simply because all human life is made in the image of this God, 00:07:39.660 --> 00:07:46.740 then this is the reason that you and I were made, to worship him and enjoy fellowship with him 00:07:46.740 --> 00:07:52.259 forever. In the words of Augustine, who was a church leader writing in the fourth century, he said 00:07:52.259 --> 00:07:57.639 this, and I remember reading this as a young Christian and thinking, that's true. He said, 00:07:57.720 --> 00:08:04.540 you have made us for yourself, talking about God, oh Lord, and our heart, and get this, is restless 00:08:04.540 --> 00:08:11.740 until it finds its rest in you. Now, if you're here today and you're thinking about the things of the 00:08:11.740 --> 00:08:17.340 Christian faith, and I love that you're here if that's the case, two good books that I'd recommend 00:08:17.340 --> 00:08:21.199 you can just come and grab. I've got three of these to give away this morning to whoever wants them. 00:08:21.560 --> 00:08:26.519 One is to think about the claims of the Christian faith, whether they stack up, and the other one is 00:08:26.519 --> 00:08:31.420 to think about the one, two, three of Christianity. If you're thinking about what this thing is all about, 00:08:31.560 --> 00:08:35.879 come and grab me at the end. I've got books to give away. These will serve you wonderfully. 00:08:35.879 --> 00:08:43.159 Now, the thing is that this generation have lost the thrill of who the Lord is. He's nothing in their 00:08:43.159 --> 00:08:49.759 eyes. Flowing from their hearts that aren't thrilled with a wonderful view of a delightful God, 00:08:50.120 --> 00:08:57.899 they are offering to God half-hearted worship. Half-hearted worship, doing the religious thing, 00:08:58.259 --> 00:09:05.559 but their hearts aren't in it. And flowing downstream from their hearts, you get two things in this passage 00:09:05.559 --> 00:09:11.079 that are going on in the life of the nation. You ready for these? Sound excited? Here's the first one. 00:09:11.500 --> 00:09:18.739 Here's the first one that's going on. Shoddy sacrifices. Shoddy sacrifices. God had said to every 00:09:18.739 --> 00:09:27.799 individual that for your sin against me to be dealt with, bring an animal, a sheep or a bull, without 00:09:27.799 --> 00:09:36.459 blemish, spotless, undefiled. That's the language there. Worth parking that thought for where we end up in this 00:09:36.459 --> 00:09:45.740 this morning. Without blemish, spotless, and present it before me for your sin. And here's what God is saying 00:09:45.740 --> 00:09:52.799 in this day when livestock was in effect what our bank accounts are to us today, where all our wealth and money 00:09:52.799 --> 00:10:00.559 is tied up. God is saying bring your best. Bring your best. And of course you'd only bring your best 00:10:00.559 --> 00:10:07.419 if you thought that the Lord was not only worthy of your best, but actually that everything that we had 00:10:07.419 --> 00:10:15.559 was his in the first place. Right? His are the cattle on a thousand hills. God is saying bring the 00:10:15.559 --> 00:10:24.439 sacrifice before me at the temple and it will be its life instead of yours. Because being right with God 00:10:24.439 --> 00:10:31.879 and knowing life with him, there is no greater thing. And yet what are this generation bringing? 00:10:32.559 --> 00:10:42.319 Do you see in the text, they are bringing, verse 8, blind animals. Do you see? They are bringing those 00:10:42.320 --> 00:10:48.379 that are lame and sick. They are bringing in effect. They are bringing roadkill before the Lord. 00:10:49.879 --> 00:10:54.640 You compare that to what God had asked them to bring. They are bringing very much second best. 00:10:54.900 --> 00:11:00.160 There's even a hint, verse 13, if you read it there, that people are stealing from other people's 00:11:00.160 --> 00:11:06.400 flocks because they're not willing to part with their own. And the thing to see is that their attitude 00:11:06.399 --> 00:11:16.120 to sacrifice reflects their attitude to God. Do you see? He is nothing in their eyes. It was British 00:11:16.120 --> 00:11:23.759 author G.K. Chesterton who once said that the absence of praise reveals a religion that is more 00:11:23.759 --> 00:11:29.699 of a theory than a love affair. I found that really helpful to think about it this week. More of a theory 00:11:29.700 --> 00:11:37.379 than a love affair. And that's this generation to a T. Remember that question right at the start. 00:11:38.400 --> 00:11:43.900 What would people, our friends and family, as they look at our lives, what would they say 00:11:43.900 --> 00:11:51.940 is the most important thing to us? What would they say our life orbits around? Because people look at 00:11:51.940 --> 00:11:57.780 this generation and they ain't concluding the Lord. And it's bad enough that people are bringing 00:11:57.779 --> 00:12:01.839 shoddy sacrifices in this day, but there's something even more sinister going on here. 00:12:02.379 --> 00:12:07.299 Because when the people bring those shoddy sacrifices to the temple, there's one group of people 00:12:07.299 --> 00:12:12.720 that should have looked at them and said, back to the person bringing the offering, you've got to be 00:12:12.720 --> 00:12:20.819 having a laugh. You serious? You're bringing that before the Lord? And this is the second problem. 00:12:20.820 --> 00:12:27.580 We've got phony priests. Now, how would you sum up the main responsibilities that you have 00:12:27.580 --> 00:12:36.160 at work? What do you do as a job? How would you explain to somebody what your job description is, 00:12:36.220 --> 00:12:42.400 what you do? Well, in this day, the priests, they've got two prongs on their job description. 00:12:42.600 --> 00:12:48.040 They are the middlemen, right? They are the go-betweens between God and the people, 00:12:48.039 --> 00:12:54.779 and between the people and God. That's your two-pronged job description. Prong one, 00:12:54.879 --> 00:13:02.879 you represent the people to God. So if people want to know, sorry, you represent God to the people. 00:13:03.000 --> 00:13:09.879 If people want to know who God is, what God is like, what God has said in his words, 00:13:10.079 --> 00:13:16.339 then the people come to you to understand who God is, what he said. We're going to be thinking about 00:13:16.340 --> 00:13:20.980 that prong next week. But the other prong, this is where we are today, is that you represent the 00:13:20.980 --> 00:13:26.680 people to God. See the first one, God to people. Second one, people to God. And that's where we are 00:13:26.680 --> 00:13:32.800 today. And how do you do that? Well, it's your job to take the sacrifices that the people bring 00:13:32.800 --> 00:13:39.740 and offer them to God. And through that work, you bring harmony between the people and God. 00:13:39.740 --> 00:13:46.139 You restore fellowship between God and man. Because that sacrifice, you read it in Leviticus, 00:13:46.700 --> 00:13:52.100 where all these rules are laid out, it becomes a pleasing aroma in the sight of God. 00:13:52.899 --> 00:13:57.080 Things are good. Things are right because sacrifice has been made. 00:13:59.200 --> 00:14:02.379 But when the people, do you see this? What are this generation of priests offering? 00:14:02.899 --> 00:14:06.820 When the people come with their roadkill, instead of saying, on your bike, 00:14:06.820 --> 00:14:12.940 they're offering, verse 7, do you see, polluted sacrifices. And what are they saying to themselves 00:14:12.940 --> 00:14:17.100 as they do it? They're saying, verse 13, what a weariness this is. 00:14:19.340 --> 00:14:24.840 What a weariness this is. Subtext, I can't be bothered. Is this really making a difference? 00:14:24.980 --> 00:14:29.400 Are they almost saying, oh, do you know what? Just let's get it done. Just bung it on and we'll get it done. 00:14:29.399 --> 00:14:36.319 And instead of an awe for the living and holy God who has called them into his service, 00:14:36.840 --> 00:14:40.919 instead of that being the driving heart of everything that they do, 00:14:41.360 --> 00:14:43.379 they're just blase about the whole thing. 00:14:45.340 --> 00:14:48.819 And do you know what? See, if you're priests, and Ruth was talking about leaders just a minute ago, 00:14:49.459 --> 00:14:53.699 if the leaders of God's community aren't fussed about the Lord, 00:14:53.700 --> 00:14:58.940 then the people are going to look at them and think exactly the same. 00:15:00.680 --> 00:15:04.720 You know, I listened to an interview on Radio 4, the end of last year. 00:15:05.740 --> 00:15:12.120 And on this Radio 4 program, they were interviewing a thriller writer. 00:15:12.460 --> 00:15:15.580 You know what I mean by that? Somebody who writes crime novels, thrillers. 00:15:15.680 --> 00:15:18.960 Now, I didn't catch her name, and I really looked hard this week to find her name, 00:15:18.960 --> 00:15:23.620 but I caught what she said. And she talked about this new book that she was working on, 00:15:23.680 --> 00:15:25.680 and they were asking her about it. And do you know what she said? 00:15:25.980 --> 00:15:28.500 She said that for months she's not been able to sleep. 00:15:29.180 --> 00:15:33.700 Not because she's worried, but because she's so frightened by what she's writing. 00:15:34.340 --> 00:15:37.920 She's got to sleep with the lights on because she's so engrossed in this thing. 00:15:38.300 --> 00:15:42.280 And here was her line. She said, this is the sign of a good author. 00:15:42.379 --> 00:15:47.420 If it doesn't scare me, then there's no chance it's going to scare those people who buy my book. 00:15:47.419 --> 00:15:53.740 I love that. Is that not true? You can see right through people who don't believe what they're trying to sell you, can't you? 00:15:54.099 --> 00:15:56.679 I remember trying to negotiate a mobile phone contract recently. 00:15:57.500 --> 00:16:00.740 I'm going to have to pay more than I'm paying already. I said, mate, how does that work? 00:16:02.019 --> 00:16:04.259 And he said, you know what? You've got a good point. 00:16:05.620 --> 00:16:10.699 But it's true, isn't it? That we look to people. Do people really believe what they're trying to sell us? 00:16:10.979 --> 00:16:14.919 And this generation of priests have zero fear of God in their eyes. 00:16:14.919 --> 00:16:19.099 You look at them as the people and you think they don't believe in what they're doing. 00:16:20.979 --> 00:16:23.559 And look how strongly God thinks of it all. Verse 10. 00:16:23.839 --> 00:16:26.779 He says, oh, that you would shut the door of the temple. 00:16:27.679 --> 00:16:31.439 Can you imagine that? God came in here today and said, would a lot of you just get out? 00:16:31.919 --> 00:16:33.099 And would you shut those doors? 00:16:34.000 --> 00:16:36.979 Because honestly, you're just making a mockery of my name. 00:16:38.699 --> 00:16:40.079 And that's stinging, isn't it? 00:16:40.080 --> 00:16:44.580 Honestly, I'd rather you just didn't bother. 00:16:44.700 --> 00:16:47.759 And this is the line, again, just park it for where we finish with this today. 00:16:48.340 --> 00:16:50.120 God says, I've got no pleasure in you. 00:16:51.560 --> 00:16:54.160 Houston, we've got a worship problem. 00:16:55.400 --> 00:16:58.900 And there's a worship problem because there's a sin problem. 00:16:58.899 --> 00:17:06.279 And the solution to their problem is also the solution to our problem. 00:17:07.619 --> 00:17:11.059 And it comes in the shape of the one who came to be for us. 00:17:11.119 --> 00:17:18.619 The answer to this, who came to be for us both the perfect sacrifice and the perfect priest. 00:17:18.619 --> 00:17:22.959 You see, that's where both of these things that God would deliberately, 00:17:23.239 --> 00:17:26.919 had deliberately woven into the fabric of the life of this people, 00:17:27.959 --> 00:17:30.519 helping them understand how this works. 00:17:31.079 --> 00:17:34.839 This is where they would ultimately find their fulfillment. 00:17:35.059 --> 00:17:38.219 And they would find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. 00:17:39.139 --> 00:17:41.899 Now, I've got a friend who refers to the Old Testament part of the Bible 00:17:41.899 --> 00:17:44.919 as almost the pre-match warm-up to the main event, 00:17:44.920 --> 00:17:48.700 which is the arrival, the life, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus. 00:17:48.800 --> 00:17:49.800 I think there's something in that. 00:17:51.220 --> 00:17:52.940 Jesus is the perfect sacrifice. 00:17:54.300 --> 00:17:56.000 He is the perfect sacrifice. 00:17:56.120 --> 00:18:01.180 By his perfect life and by his perfect death on the cross, 00:18:01.660 --> 00:18:06.480 he becomes the unblemished, spotless sacrifice 00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:11.620 that the people need to come before and be right with a holy God. 00:18:11.619 --> 00:18:15.339 He is that perfect sacrifice for us. 00:18:15.779 --> 00:18:17.879 This is how you and I are right with God. 00:18:17.979 --> 00:18:22.019 We are right with God because our unblemished, spotless sacrifice 00:18:22.019 --> 00:18:23.619 has appeared and lived and died. 00:18:24.799 --> 00:18:26.759 You're struggling with your sin this morning. 00:18:27.399 --> 00:18:28.559 How can God forgive me? 00:18:28.699 --> 00:18:30.119 That's how God can forgive you. 00:18:30.539 --> 00:18:33.859 Because Jesus has died in your place, on your behalf. 00:18:33.959 --> 00:18:37.959 Do you see how God is weaving this into the fabric of the thought life of his people? 00:18:37.960 --> 00:18:42.700 To come before me, to be right with me, you need a spotless, sacrificial lamb. 00:18:44.340 --> 00:18:45.680 There is Jesus Christ. 00:18:45.799 --> 00:18:49.759 He is the perfect sacrifice and he is the perfect priest. 00:18:50.519 --> 00:18:56.759 He is the one who perfectly represents us before God 00:18:56.759 --> 00:19:03.000 and brings us to God through his sacrificial work for us on the cross. 00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:05.160 And he is those things. 00:19:06.720 --> 00:19:08.379 He is those things. 00:19:08.879 --> 00:19:14.000 But more than that, he is also, if you imagine the hearts of these people, 00:19:14.960 --> 00:19:17.879 is the true worshiper ever going to come? 00:19:18.440 --> 00:19:22.099 He is also the perfect worshiper. 00:19:23.400 --> 00:19:24.920 He is the perfect worshiper. 00:19:24.920 --> 00:19:28.820 But what does God want in Malachi chapter 1 verse 11? 00:19:28.920 --> 00:19:31.060 What does he desire from his people? 00:19:32.300 --> 00:19:36.259 His heart, his desire that my name will be great among the nations. 00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:40.680 It's ironic really because God isn't being honored among his people 00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:44.720 and yet God has said that is no barrier to me being honored among the nations. 00:19:45.759 --> 00:19:48.440 And are we not just a microcosm of that this morning? 00:19:48.440 --> 00:19:52.779 If we took a straw poll of the countries that we come from, 00:19:54.320 --> 00:19:58.600 God will be honored among the nations all over the world. 00:19:59.100 --> 00:20:02.779 From this, my name will be great among the nations, verse 11, 00:20:02.860 --> 00:20:05.720 from where the sun rises to where it sets. 00:20:05.900 --> 00:20:09.799 In every place, incense and pure offerings will be brought to me 00:20:09.799 --> 00:20:13.500 because my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord Almighty. 00:20:14.100 --> 00:20:15.180 Pure offerings. 00:20:15.180 --> 00:20:17.160 This is what the Lord is after. 00:20:18.620 --> 00:20:21.860 Someone who will live to glorify the Lord's name. 00:20:22.279 --> 00:20:28.660 Someone who will make it their job to spread his name and his fame among the nations. 00:20:30.100 --> 00:20:33.320 And there is Jesus Christ, the perfect worshiper. 00:20:34.779 --> 00:20:38.440 You look at Jesus as you read about him in the gospels, 00:20:38.560 --> 00:20:39.980 Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. 00:20:39.980 --> 00:20:43.920 And if you haven't read them for yourselves, get in there. 00:20:44.980 --> 00:20:48.180 You read about Jesus and you have to say, 00:20:48.900 --> 00:20:53.680 here is a man who knows life to the full. 00:20:53.940 --> 00:20:57.339 Here is a man who is not lacking in joy. 00:20:57.700 --> 00:21:00.519 Here is a man who is not lacking in purpose. 00:21:01.579 --> 00:21:04.460 He is the most alive person who has ever existed. 00:21:04.460 --> 00:21:10.799 And I love the snapshot that you get of Jesus in Luke 22. 00:21:12.720 --> 00:21:14.620 On the eve of his death. 00:21:16.079 --> 00:21:19.480 You know, what would you be doing if you found out you had 24 hours to live? 00:21:21.680 --> 00:21:25.460 Jesus is praying for us. 00:21:25.460 --> 00:21:30.480 With full knowledge of what is painfully ahead of him, he prays, 00:21:30.660 --> 00:21:34.279 Father, not my will, but yours be done. 00:21:34.360 --> 00:21:37.620 Now there is a wholehearted worshiper. 00:21:38.059 --> 00:21:41.779 Such is his desire to accomplish the will of his Father in heaven 00:21:41.779 --> 00:21:45.660 to save captive sinners from hell's grasp. 00:21:47.799 --> 00:21:49.279 And because of that willingness, 00:21:49.279 --> 00:21:51.380 he is the one of whom the Father said, 00:21:51.519 --> 00:21:55.299 in stark contrast to this generation of whom he is not pleased, 00:21:55.460 --> 00:22:00.079 he is the one who said of his Son in Matthew chapter 3, 00:22:00.180 --> 00:22:01.559 his baptism with him, 00:22:02.240 --> 00:22:04.420 I am well pleased. 00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:07.500 And what that means, 00:22:07.640 --> 00:22:09.180 by our faith in him, 00:22:09.920 --> 00:22:11.819 by his Spirit, 00:22:13.299 --> 00:22:14.519 and get your head around this, 00:22:15.319 --> 00:22:17.840 we are being transformed 00:22:17.840 --> 00:22:20.539 more into his likeness, 00:22:21.420 --> 00:22:24.340 more into his image. 00:22:25.460 --> 00:22:28.319 And that's what it means to grow as a Christian believer. 00:22:29.880 --> 00:22:32.880 Wonderful question to ask yourself at the outset of this year. 00:22:34.940 --> 00:22:37.259 As you consider the heart of Jesus, 00:22:38.880 --> 00:22:41.180 in what areas of our life's friends 00:22:41.180 --> 00:22:46.160 do we want to grow more like him? 00:22:46.160 --> 00:22:50.300 Where would you love this year to get the end of the year 00:22:50.300 --> 00:22:50.840 and think, 00:22:51.640 --> 00:22:53.500 in this particular area, 00:22:53.580 --> 00:22:54.759 I grew more like Jesus. 00:22:55.560 --> 00:22:57.120 And that's why it's so important, 00:22:57.259 --> 00:22:58.000 and I love this, 00:22:58.180 --> 00:23:00.320 one of my big takeaways from a time in America in the summer. 00:23:00.500 --> 00:23:02.019 Let's familiarize ourselves 00:23:02.019 --> 00:23:04.180 with the fruit of the Spirit. 00:23:05.180 --> 00:23:07.640 As God works in our lives by his Spirit, 00:23:07.800 --> 00:23:09.720 what are the things that we are producing? 00:23:09.720 --> 00:23:11.519 Love, 00:23:12.500 --> 00:23:12.880 joy, 00:23:13.819 --> 00:23:14.360 peace, 00:23:14.860 --> 00:23:15.400 patience, 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:16.360 kindness, 00:23:17.019 --> 00:23:17.640 self-control. 00:23:17.980 --> 00:23:20.299 These things should be evident in our lives 00:23:20.299 --> 00:23:22.200 as we grow more like Jesus. 00:23:22.519 --> 00:23:24.880 What's the answer to this generation's problem? 00:23:25.019 --> 00:23:26.279 It ain't that they try harder. 00:23:27.140 --> 00:23:28.440 It's that God, 00:23:28.600 --> 00:23:29.600 through his Holy Spirit, 00:23:29.700 --> 00:23:32.440 would transform their inner lives. 00:23:32.440 --> 00:23:35.160 And that's what's on offer to us this morning 00:23:35.160 --> 00:23:37.000 in Jesus Christ. 00:23:37.820 --> 00:23:40.740 As we are transformed more into his image, 00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:42.580 wholeheartedness, 00:23:42.980 --> 00:23:45.299 love and faithfulness to the Lord 00:23:45.299 --> 00:23:49.299 should be the thing that is ever more evident in our lives. 00:23:50.380 --> 00:23:52.279 So let me get real practical real quick, 00:23:52.340 --> 00:23:53.140 and then we'll finish. 00:23:54.080 --> 00:23:55.880 What is this going to look like for us? 00:23:55.940 --> 00:23:56.080 You know, 00:23:56.140 --> 00:23:57.220 some of us here today, 00:23:57.299 --> 00:23:58.779 and I love that you guys are back, 00:23:59.820 --> 00:24:01.860 you're here to finish your university degree. 00:24:02.440 --> 00:24:02.600 Right? 00:24:02.660 --> 00:24:03.180 Your students, 00:24:03.299 --> 00:24:04.039 you guys are back. 00:24:04.360 --> 00:24:04.960 Some of you, 00:24:05.019 --> 00:24:06.039 I know for a fact, 00:24:06.120 --> 00:24:07.140 that the next six months, 00:24:07.220 --> 00:24:09.059 you're on the home run to get your degree. 00:24:09.820 --> 00:24:10.080 Right? 00:24:10.180 --> 00:24:11.299 This is the last sprint, 00:24:11.420 --> 00:24:11.519 what, 00:24:11.580 --> 00:24:13.080 five months before you're finished. 00:24:13.440 --> 00:24:14.880 And as you think about the things 00:24:14.880 --> 00:24:16.539 that are going to characterize your life 00:24:16.539 --> 00:24:17.820 beyond university, 00:24:18.660 --> 00:24:18.880 right, 00:24:18.920 --> 00:24:19.860 the job that you do, 00:24:19.960 --> 00:24:20.799 whatever it is, 00:24:21.460 --> 00:24:23.039 where does serving the Lord 00:24:23.039 --> 00:24:24.420 rank in your priorities? 00:24:25.960 --> 00:24:27.580 Some of us are coming to 00:24:27.580 --> 00:24:29.640 think about retirement. 00:24:31.059 --> 00:24:31.460 Again, 00:24:31.460 --> 00:24:33.559 what is serving the Lord 00:24:33.559 --> 00:24:35.400 going to look like with your time? 00:24:36.720 --> 00:24:38.900 Some of us here will be saving, 00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:40.519 maybe to buy our own home 00:24:40.519 --> 00:24:41.819 for the first time. 00:24:42.220 --> 00:24:43.400 Maybe thinking about renting 00:24:43.400 --> 00:24:44.840 in a different part of the city. 00:24:44.940 --> 00:24:45.900 Let me ask you again, 00:24:46.259 --> 00:24:48.039 where is settling into 00:24:48.039 --> 00:24:49.600 a good local church 00:24:49.600 --> 00:24:51.519 where you are going to grow 00:24:51.519 --> 00:24:53.400 in your affections for Jesus? 00:24:53.960 --> 00:24:55.460 Where does that rank 00:24:56.160 --> 00:24:58.299 in your decision-making priorities? 00:24:58.299 --> 00:25:00.799 Maybe you're doing the sums, 00:25:00.899 --> 00:25:02.319 you're budgeting for the year ahead. 00:25:02.419 --> 00:25:03.680 Maybe there's even a big outlay 00:25:03.680 --> 00:25:04.519 that's on the horizon 00:25:04.519 --> 00:25:05.899 for you this year. 00:25:06.200 --> 00:25:06.599 Again, 00:25:06.700 --> 00:25:07.980 where do God's purposes 00:25:07.980 --> 00:25:10.680 rank in your thinking? 00:25:11.359 --> 00:25:13.899 Where do God's service of him 00:25:13.899 --> 00:25:15.680 factor into the decisions 00:25:15.680 --> 00:25:16.859 that you make? 00:25:18.139 --> 00:25:18.700 Do you see this? 00:25:18.740 --> 00:25:20.319 This call for wholehearted 00:25:20.319 --> 00:25:21.599 worship to the Lord, 00:25:21.680 --> 00:25:22.599 how easy it is 00:25:22.599 --> 00:25:23.960 to offer him second best. 00:25:23.960 --> 00:25:26.180 The call in Romans chapter 12 00:25:26.180 --> 00:25:28.559 is to offer God 00:25:28.559 --> 00:25:30.319 living worship, 00:25:30.480 --> 00:25:32.500 offer our lives as living sacrifices 00:25:32.500 --> 00:25:33.120 to him. 00:25:35.240 --> 00:25:35.640 Friends, 00:25:35.680 --> 00:25:36.279 what would our friends 00:25:36.279 --> 00:25:36.960 and family see 00:25:36.960 --> 00:25:37.600 as they look at us? 00:25:37.640 --> 00:25:38.079 What's the thing 00:25:38.079 --> 00:25:38.840 that makes us tick? 00:25:40.799 --> 00:25:41.860 And what would the Lord see 00:25:41.860 --> 00:25:44.279 as he pulls back our hearts 00:25:44.279 --> 00:25:46.340 and sees the things 00:25:46.340 --> 00:25:47.079 that are going on 00:25:47.079 --> 00:25:48.059 and what we're really about? 00:25:48.200 --> 00:25:48.680 And this is why 00:25:48.680 --> 00:25:49.279 I want to close. 00:25:49.360 --> 00:25:50.900 I've had her in my head all week. 00:25:51.900 --> 00:25:53.060 My friend Amanda. 00:25:55.200 --> 00:25:55.640 So, 00:25:56.220 --> 00:25:57.040 we met Amanda 00:25:57.040 --> 00:25:58.340 when we were in America 00:25:58.340 --> 00:25:58.900 this summer. 00:25:59.019 --> 00:26:00.480 She's in her late 20s. 00:26:00.660 --> 00:26:01.300 She works 00:26:01.300 --> 00:26:03.380 as an intensive care 00:26:03.380 --> 00:26:04.560 pediatric nurse. 00:26:04.640 --> 00:26:04.759 Now, 00:26:04.780 --> 00:26:06.759 that is an intense job. 00:26:08.340 --> 00:26:09.200 And we met her in the States 00:26:09.200 --> 00:26:09.880 because her mum 00:26:09.880 --> 00:26:10.540 was the one who 00:26:10.540 --> 00:26:12.400 hosted us as a family 00:26:12.400 --> 00:26:13.500 when we were over there. 00:26:13.580 --> 00:26:13.880 And I remember 00:26:13.880 --> 00:26:14.660 when we got there, 00:26:14.759 --> 00:26:15.960 Amanda's room was empty 00:26:15.960 --> 00:26:16.700 in this house. 00:26:17.560 --> 00:26:18.100 And so we thought 00:26:18.100 --> 00:26:18.759 we'd try and 00:26:18.759 --> 00:26:20.880 love our guests well 00:26:20.880 --> 00:26:22.160 by doing some housework. 00:26:22.240 --> 00:26:23.640 So I'm hoovering the house. 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:24.160 Okay? 00:26:24.180 --> 00:26:25.460 And I get to Amanda's room 00:26:25.460 --> 00:26:26.040 and I thought, 00:26:26.120 --> 00:26:26.180 well, 00:26:26.180 --> 00:26:26.860 I'll go in and clean it 00:26:26.860 --> 00:26:27.360 because it's empty. 00:26:27.400 --> 00:26:28.340 And I start hoovering. 00:26:28.800 --> 00:26:29.660 And I get to her 00:26:29.660 --> 00:26:30.520 built-in cupboard. 00:26:31.800 --> 00:26:33.060 And I open the cupboard. 00:26:34.200 --> 00:26:35.100 And there's nothing else 00:26:35.100 --> 00:26:35.480 in this room, 00:26:35.540 --> 00:26:36.300 but I open the cupboard 00:26:36.300 --> 00:26:37.640 and all over the cupboard 00:26:37.640 --> 00:26:39.520 are post-it notes. 00:26:40.880 --> 00:26:41.780 And I start reading 00:26:41.780 --> 00:26:42.840 these post-it notes 00:26:42.840 --> 00:26:44.440 and I see things 00:26:44.440 --> 00:26:45.620 like, 00:26:45.780 --> 00:26:46.020 Lord, 00:26:46.140 --> 00:26:46.480 help me, 00:26:46.520 --> 00:26:47.040 I'm struggling. 00:26:48.039 --> 00:26:48.519 Jesus, 00:26:48.680 --> 00:26:49.639 help me to be 00:26:49.639 --> 00:26:50.960 more like you. 00:26:51.740 --> 00:26:53.139 The names of friends 00:26:53.139 --> 00:26:54.059 and family. 00:26:54.599 --> 00:26:55.000 Lord Jesus, 00:26:55.159 --> 00:26:56.339 thank you for dying for me. 00:26:56.420 --> 00:26:57.339 The Bible verses 00:26:57.339 --> 00:26:58.639 which are all over there. 00:26:58.940 --> 00:26:59.539 I love you, 00:26:59.659 --> 00:26:59.859 Lord. 00:27:00.159 --> 00:27:01.139 Work's tough this week. 00:27:01.159 --> 00:27:01.960 Would you help me? 00:27:02.940 --> 00:27:03.859 People in our church 00:27:03.859 --> 00:27:04.839 that she's praying for, 00:27:04.920 --> 00:27:05.720 verses from the Bible. 00:27:05.799 --> 00:27:06.359 And after four 00:27:06.359 --> 00:27:07.079 or five of these, 00:27:07.119 --> 00:27:07.619 I stopped 00:27:07.619 --> 00:27:08.879 because I suddenly realized 00:27:08.879 --> 00:27:09.940 what I'd walked into. 00:27:10.819 --> 00:27:11.680 And this cupboard 00:27:11.680 --> 00:27:12.500 was where she went 00:27:12.500 --> 00:27:13.440 every day to pray. 00:27:13.440 --> 00:27:15.600 Not to the cupboards, 00:27:15.700 --> 00:27:16.580 just at the cupboard, 00:27:16.799 --> 00:27:17.039 okay? 00:27:18.019 --> 00:27:18.660 But this is where 00:27:18.660 --> 00:27:19.660 she went to pray. 00:27:20.340 --> 00:27:21.080 Where she got down 00:27:21.080 --> 00:27:22.140 on her knees every day 00:27:22.140 --> 00:27:23.100 when no one else 00:27:23.100 --> 00:27:23.600 was looking. 00:27:23.720 --> 00:27:24.420 And that's when people 00:27:24.420 --> 00:27:26.140 really say that they see 00:27:26.140 --> 00:27:26.740 what you're about, 00:27:26.840 --> 00:27:27.039 isn't it? 00:27:27.039 --> 00:27:28.100 When no one else is looking, 00:27:28.200 --> 00:27:28.779 who are you? 00:27:29.420 --> 00:27:30.200 And she's down there 00:27:30.200 --> 00:27:30.900 on her knees 00:27:30.900 --> 00:27:32.340 and she's pouring her heart 00:27:32.340 --> 00:27:33.420 out before the Lord. 00:27:34.120 --> 00:27:34.980 Pouring her life 00:27:34.980 --> 00:27:35.779 out before Him. 00:27:37.620 --> 00:27:38.240 And that's 00:27:38.240 --> 00:27:39.120 wholehearted worship. 00:27:40.500 --> 00:27:41.480 When no one else 00:27:41.480 --> 00:27:41.960 is looking, 00:27:41.960 --> 00:27:43.400 pouring out your soul 00:27:43.400 --> 00:27:44.400 before the Lord. 00:27:44.799 --> 00:27:46.079 Just her and her Father. 00:27:46.700 --> 00:27:46.860 You know, 00:27:46.900 --> 00:27:47.759 what is God's will 00:27:47.759 --> 00:27:49.519 for our life in 2023? 00:27:50.920 --> 00:27:52.180 God's primary will 00:27:52.180 --> 00:27:53.160 for our lives 00:27:53.160 --> 00:27:54.299 as His people 00:27:54.299 --> 00:27:56.120 is that 00:27:56.120 --> 00:27:57.279 at the end of this year 00:27:57.279 --> 00:27:57.980 our lives 00:27:57.980 --> 00:27:58.960 would resemble 00:27:58.960 --> 00:28:00.000 more of Jesus 00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:01.259 than they did 00:28:01.259 --> 00:28:01.900 at the start. 00:28:02.799 --> 00:28:04.180 That wonderful hymn 00:28:04.180 --> 00:28:04.640 by 00:28:04.640 --> 00:28:07.299 Isaac was 00:28:07.299 --> 00:28:09.940 with a whole realm 00:28:09.940 --> 00:28:10.880 of nature mine 00:28:10.880 --> 00:28:12.940 that were an offering 00:28:12.940 --> 00:28:13.980 far too small. 00:28:14.160 --> 00:28:15.240 Love so amazing, 00:28:15.440 --> 00:28:16.240 so divine 00:28:16.240 --> 00:28:18.600 demands my soul, 00:28:19.220 --> 00:28:20.080 my life, 00:28:20.180 --> 00:28:20.580 my all. 00:28:21.200 --> 00:28:21.860 And may that be 00:28:21.860 --> 00:28:23.120 our experience this week 00:28:23.120 --> 00:28:24.680 as we savor more 00:28:24.680 --> 00:28:26.260 of the greatness 00:28:26.260 --> 00:28:26.840 of Jesus. 00:28:27.440 --> 00:28:28.340 Let us pray. 00:28:30.740 --> 00:28:31.540 And so this is 00:28:31.540 --> 00:28:32.640 Romans 12, 00:28:32.780 --> 00:28:34.140 chapter 1. 00:28:34.140 --> 00:28:37.360 I appeal to you 00:28:37.360 --> 00:28:37.759 therefore, 00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:38.360 brothers, 00:28:38.480 --> 00:28:39.340 by the mercies 00:28:39.340 --> 00:28:39.880 of God 00:28:39.880 --> 00:28:41.680 to present your bodies 00:28:41.680 --> 00:28:44.240 as a living sacrifice, 00:28:44.740 --> 00:28:45.900 holy and acceptable 00:28:45.900 --> 00:28:46.580 to God, 00:28:46.660 --> 00:28:47.360 which is your 00:28:47.360 --> 00:28:49.380 spiritual worship. 00:28:50.660 --> 00:28:50.980 Father, 00:28:51.040 --> 00:28:51.860 I pray here 00:28:51.860 --> 00:28:52.540 this morning, 00:28:52.700 --> 00:28:53.440 thank you for this 00:28:53.440 --> 00:28:54.300 wonderful picture 00:28:54.300 --> 00:28:55.740 we have of who Jesus is, 00:28:56.300 --> 00:28:58.380 our perfect sacrifice, 00:28:58.940 --> 00:28:59.680 as we'll sing 00:28:59.680 --> 00:29:00.200 in just a minute, 00:29:00.300 --> 00:29:01.640 our perfect priest. 00:29:01.640 --> 00:29:02.400 Thank you, 00:29:02.500 --> 00:29:02.660 Lord, 00:29:02.720 --> 00:29:03.440 that we do not need 00:29:03.440 --> 00:29:04.960 to fear 00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:06.300 your punishment 00:29:06.300 --> 00:29:07.620 because we look at Jesus 00:29:07.620 --> 00:29:09.000 and know he's taken it all. 00:29:09.680 --> 00:29:09.980 And yet, 00:29:10.020 --> 00:29:10.580 because of him, 00:29:10.600 --> 00:29:11.220 we look at you, 00:29:11.300 --> 00:29:12.480 we can call you 00:29:12.480 --> 00:29:13.820 and know you 00:29:13.820 --> 00:29:15.180 as Father. 00:29:16.060 --> 00:29:16.800 And I pray 00:29:16.800 --> 00:29:17.540 that your spirit 00:29:17.540 --> 00:29:18.220 this morning 00:29:18.220 --> 00:29:18.960 would take 00:29:18.960 --> 00:29:20.060 that wonderful 00:29:20.060 --> 00:29:21.300 gospel truth 00:29:21.300 --> 00:29:23.620 and massage it 00:29:23.620 --> 00:29:25.040 home into our hearts. 00:29:26.160 --> 00:29:27.880 May just a sweet 00:29:27.880 --> 00:29:28.640 assurance 00:29:28.640 --> 00:29:29.440 assurance 00:29:29.440 --> 00:29:31.020 of who Jesus, 00:29:31.180 --> 00:29:31.600 our Savior, 00:29:31.800 --> 00:29:32.160 is. 00:29:33.000 --> 00:29:33.780 Oh, Lord, 00:29:33.880 --> 00:29:34.960 may it mold 00:29:34.960 --> 00:29:35.980 and shape 00:29:35.980 --> 00:29:37.460 all of our lives. 00:29:38.420 --> 00:29:38.700 Father, 00:29:38.780 --> 00:29:39.680 we pray these things 00:29:39.680 --> 00:29:40.400 in Jesus' 00:29:40.780 --> 00:29:42.100 worthy name. 00:29:43.020 --> 00:29:43.460 Amen.