Father, we are abundantly rich in so many things.
You are the Father of all blessing, and you have blessed us with so much
that if we were to name everything we have, our thanksgiving would fill a library of books.
Father, you are the one who is worthy of all praise because you are the fountain of all life.
So often our thanksgiving only focuses on the physical blessings we receive,
as if they deserve the greatest mention.
And yet you, the sovereign God, the creator of everything, who has no need of us,
who has every right to turn away from us and ignore us and reject us,
yet you choose to come down to us and call us to yourself through your Son.
I pray that we would never forget the privilege that it is that we are your children.
May it stun and amaze us that you would love us so much.
Forgive us where we become so familiar with the gospel that it fails to wow us again.
Please work in our hearts, Lord.
Excite us with the glory of your name and how beautiful you are.
Father, I want to thank you so much for ICF.
Thank you for what you're doing in the lives of Irina and Fred and just so many other students.
We pray that right there on that campus where there's so much pressure to perform,
that they would have such a big God-centered view of things,
that they would be so different from those around them,
that they'd be a light, a beacon, Lord, to all those around,
that they would have this confident security,
that their worth is not found in how great their grades are,
but their worth is found in how great you are and the love that you have poured on them.
Father, I pray for the local church in Hong Kong.
Thank you so much for the faithful witness of men and women over decades and decades
of being a light, Lord, in this city.
I want to think of Holy Light Church in Yuen Long and Pastor Paul there.
Lord, thank you for them and their faithful ministry.
Would you let the gospel go deeper and richer into that church
as they celebrate 80 years of being in the city?
And would they just not rest on their past,
but would they push into you more as they reach out to local kids
and the elderly up in Yuen Long?
Would they be a beacon of light to draw other people to know you?
Father, I want to pray for the Filipino community in this city.
Many of them have religious backgrounds since their childhood,
and yet many of them have never truly known you.
Father, we want to pray for Janet and Arlene and Julie and Jonah and Zari and Leonara
and the whole foundations of faith fellowship in our midst, Lord,
as they are seeking to reach out to their Filipino and Indonesian friends and neighbors.
Lord, please, would they know the calling on their lives?
Would they know the love that you have for them?
And would you use them mightily in reaching out to this community?
I pray for all of us.
Lord, I'm just so challenged by the fact that when we have so much,
sometimes our faith can be so small.
We can think we're following you,
and yet I know so much in my own life and our own lives
that our lives are consumed by little trinkets
and not by the calling you have on us.
We worry far more about things that people who have far less do not worry about.
But may we lay our lives down before you with open hands,
not assuming that you have to meet our expectations of convenience and comfort,
but seeing your faithful goodness will lead and guide us,
and we can trust you with whatever's going on in our lives right now.
Father, we just lay ourselves before you.
We thank you that you are good.
We need you.
Change us.
Speak to us.
In Jesus' mighty name.
Amen.
I'd love to invite Janet to come and read the scripture to us this morning.
Thank you so much.
The scripture reading comes from Matthew chapter 4.
Please follow along in your bulletins or on the screen.
Now, when Jesus heard that John has been arrested,
he withdrawed in Galilee.
And leaving Nazareth, he went and left in Capernaum by the sea,
in the territory of Zebulun in Naptali,
so that what was spoken by Prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled.
The land of Zebulun in the land of Naptali,
the way of the sea beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles.
The people dwelling in darkness have been a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
on them a light has dawned.
For that time, Jesus began to preach, saying,
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
While walking by the sea of Galilee,
he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter,
and Andrew, his brother,
casting on it into the sea,
for they were fishermen.
And he said to them,
Follow me, and I will make you a fisher of men.
Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
And going on from there,
he saw two other brothers,
James, the son of Zebedee,
and John, his brother,
in the boat with Zebedee, their father,
mending their nets,
and he called them.
Immediately they left the boat and their father
and followed him.
And he went throughout all Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues
and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom
and healing every disease
and every affliction among the people.
So his fame spread throughout all Syria,
and they brought him all the sick,
those afflicted with various diseases and pains,
those oppressed by demons,
those having seizures and paralytics,
and he hallowed them.
The great crowd followed him
from Galilee and the Decapolis
and from Jerusalem and Judea
and from beyond the Jordan.
And this is the word of God.
Great.
If you don't know,
my name is Chris.
I'm one of the leaders here at Watermark.
And we're continuing in our series
of going through Matthew's gospel.
And so,
I don't know if you've had a recent performance review
at your work,
but what happens when you do a performance review
is you look back
over your past history
of what you've done,
whether in the last three months,
six months,
or year,
and you evaluate it,
and then you hope that you will actually,
from the mistakes that you've learned
and the good things you've done,
you'll actually move forward
to not repeat the same things
and to grow and improve.
That's the idea,
I think.
Well,
the people of Israel,
God's people,
had been given enough performance reviews
by God
throughout a thousand years of history
and every single performance review
they'd failed.
Every one of them,
they'd made exactly the same mistakes
that the previous generation had made
again and again and again and again.
They never seemed to learn.
And yet,
God had been so good to them
that they kept trusting in other gods.
God kept showing them His goodness.
He brought them out of Egypt,
out of slavery.
He brought them through the wilderness
and provided for them.
He brought them again and again,
provision and grace,
and again and again,
they refused to trust Him.
Every trial,
every test,
they failed.
I don't know if any of you
have ever felt like that.
But that is actually
not just Israel's story,
that's our story.
before a holy God.
And Matthew,
in his gospel,
has been showing
how the story of Israel,
their life,
it needs a rewrite.
It needs someone to come
and rewrite the story
so that their future
will be different from their past.
And so John the Baptist
has come proclaiming,
repent for the kingdom of God is near.
There's a new future coming.
And there's someone who's coming,
the only person
who can actually rewrite your future.
The only person who's actually
passed the performance review,
which is Jesus Christ,
who comes.
And so Matthew has been showing us
how he's been baptized in the Jordan,
just like Israel went through the Red Sea.
He's led into the wilderness,
just like Israel did.
But where they failed,
he succeeded.
Where they failed the test,
he didn't.
And now John the Baptist's ministry
of saying,
pointing to this one
who's going to come
to bring in the future,
John the Baptist got arrested.
His deal is done.
And he's passing on the baton
to Jesus.
And Jesus heads into his time of ministry.
And this is where the rest
of the book of Matthew is going.
And we're going to see his teaching
coming up in the Sermon on the Mount.
But before that,
we're going to see some key things
about what Jesus is doing
in gathering a new people,
a new community,
who know how to repent
and follow him.
So what we're going to do,
I'm going to go through
three key points today.
The first one,
Jesus goes out into the darkness.
And the last one,
which is going to be about
Jesus calls us to something
bigger than ourselves,
they're going to be short.
The middle one,
which is going to be
about Jesus calls us to himself,
is going to be most of our time.
So if you're wondering
at the end of the second point,
are we ever going to end?
Take courage.
We will.
So let's kind of dive in.
If you've got your bulletin with you,
the first point,
Jesus goes into the darkness.
This is verses 12 to 16.
What you'll see,
it says,
Jesus withdrew into Galilee.
And he's called Galilee of the Gentiles.
It says,
the people dwelling in darkness
have seen a great light.
And for those dwelling in the region
and shadow of death,
on them a light has dawned.
And Jesus,
in fulfillment of a prophecy from Isaiah
700 years before,
which was related to this place,
Galilee,
in the north of Israel,
from where in Isaiah's time,
Assyria had brought God's judgment
for their sin
onto the people of Israel.
But now,
into that same place,
Jesus is heading.
Now what you probably don't realize
is it's Galilee of the Gentiles
is not a compliment
for a Jewish writer.
If you think about,
you know,
the walled city in Kowloon
that got knocked down 25 years ago,
you know its reputation
was kind of like this den of iniquity,
of like prostitution, gambling,
all kinds of darkness there.
Well,
that's the same kind of idea for Galilee.
That it was a place of compromise
where unclean,
non-Jewish people
had settled there
with their different religions.
And Matthew quotes Isaiah saying,
this people there,
they dwell in a darkness.
They dwell in the shadow of death.
And what's really interesting
is Matthew has actually changed
the word that Isaiah used.
Isaiah said,
the people walk in darkness.
But Matthew says,
he uses the word,
they dwell in darkness.
The word dwell means to sit,
to sit down,
to settle.
And he's making a point.
He's trying to say
that the people in this area,
they hadn't just switched off
the light temporarily,
but they were still up
so they could switch it back on
and see again.
He's saying,
they were so entrenched in darkness
it was like Norway in winter time.
There was no daylight.
And they were never going to get back up
out of their spiritual darkness.
There is spiritual death
hung over them like a shadow.
Like a no hope slum.
Many of you,
maybe you feel like your workplaces
feel like that.
A toxic environment
filled with self-interest and greed.
Sometimes some of your family gatherings,
you're worried about
Chinese New Year coming up
because they can feel like that.
Places that sometimes feel so dark,
you wonder,
can light ever really break through
in those places?
That was Galilee.
And just as we write off
places and people,
it's precisely into that place
that Matthew says Jesus headed.
And he says this,
light has dawned.
It's been a long night in Galilee,
but the sun is beginning to rise
over the horizon
because Jesus is here.
And because Jesus doesn't just go
into the comfortable suburbs,
he heads right into the place
where he knows that the message
of repentance,
that the kingdom of God is near,
is needed more than anywhere.
Because he's saying the king
and his kingdom is within reach.
The king has arrived
and when the king arrives,
what does this king do?
What does he do when he comes?
And that's my second point.
Jesus calls people to himself.
You know, Kevin talked about repentance
three weeks ago.
And repentance is the entry point
into coming into God's new kingdom,
his new future,
but it's also the ongoing life
of those who are in God's kingdom.
And Matthew wants to show us now
what repentance looks like.
So let's have a look at this story,
which you're going to see
from 18 through to 22.
Jesus is out for a stroll
by the lakeside,
getting some air.
And then he sees
these two disciples,
Simon and Andrew.
And this isn't the first time
Jesus has seen them.
Because we know from John 2
that he actually spent
at least a whole day with them,
maybe a bit more,
so it's not cold.
But these guys are right
in the middle of their work day.
Okay?
But some of us think
that the disciples
are just these kind of
poor working class people.
But actually that's not true.
The disciples,
though they were uneducated,
they were probably
not desperately poor
in their terms of that time.
Because they have
a small family fishing business,
which we know from Mark 1,
that actually they have
employees as well.
So this is like an SME.
Okay?
This is their small,
medium business,
and they're right in the middle
of trying to get a catch
to sustain their cash flow.
This is the equivalent
of them on the trading floor,
them in the meeting room,
them in the classroom,
them in the hospital ward,
them taking the kids to school.
It's a normal day,
it's the normal events
that happen at work,
they're fishermen,
and Jesus comes along
and he says,
follow me,
I will make you fishers of men.
There's a few things
that I want to pull out of this,
because I want to really unpack
this phrase,
because this is dynamite
if we get this.
First thing that this says,
who takes the initiative
to call the disciples?
Jesus does.
Do you know,
that was really unusual
in that day,
because if you had a rabbi,
rabbis didn't go out
to find disciples,
they actually waited
for disciples to come to them.
And so,
Jesus,
though,
where is he?
Jesus is in Galilee,
a place in darkness.
Nobody's getting up
to go and find him.
And so,
nobody there was going,
Jesus,
we'd love to be your disciple,
please make us your disciple.
They're not doing that.
He is the one
who has to reach out
down to them
in their darkness.
That's actually the same
for us.
Do you know that?
How many of you here
saved yourself?
No,
because the only reason,
if you are a Christian
here today,
the only reason
you are a Christian
is not because
you made some smart
intellectual decision
to think,
yeah,
that sounds reasonable
to me to follow Jesus.
Okay,
I'm going to do it.
It's not that.
The only reason
you are a Christian,
it's not because
you were born
in a Christian family.
It's because
Jesus called you
and Jesus saved you.
Nobody saves themselves
and he's calling
us today
to himself,
whether you are
a Christian
or not a Christian,
again and again.
But you know
when Jesus calls you,
it's the second thing.
He's always
going to disrupt
your life.
You see,
the disciples
didn't go away
from meeting Jesus
saying,
oh,
that was a nice
time we had,
nice guy.
Let's just get
back on with fishing.
Because
he says,
he doesn't say
either,
follow me
and all your
problems
are going
to go away.
Because you see,
when you meet
with Jesus,
you will never be,
and you truly
follow his call,
you will never be
the same afterwards
as you were before.
There's always
going to be a different
before and after shot.
He's coming
to disrupt
your life
and your plans
and your dreams.
And if you're
not living
and feeling
the tension
with living
for his kingdom,
if you don't feel
the disruption
in some of the way
that you wish
your life was,
then it may be
you're actually
not living
for his kingdom
at all.
Because maybe
you're just living
for your own plans.
Because Jesus
is calling you today
just like he was
calling the disciples
and he's going
to call you
to disrupt
your life.
Anyone
still on board?
Okay,
second thing.
Now,
when he comes
to disrupt
your life,
what's the call?
The call is
follow me
and I will
make you
fishers of men.
That was the call
to these four
men that day.
It's the call
to every person
who throughout
history,
every other
disciple
that's the same
call.
And there are
three words here
which he calls
these disciples
to which would
change their
lives forever.
Three words
which if they
had not responded
positively to,
we would not
be here today
talking about
these people
2,000 years later.
These are three
words which
everything changed.
Do you know
which three words
they are?
You see,
some of you
are confused
because in
English you
only see two
words which
are follow me.
But in Greek
there are three
words which
literally are
come after me
or come behind
me.
That's what the
Greek says.
And so I want
to spend a little
bit of time
unpacking these
three words
one by one
because they are
challenging words
and we need to
hear this.
the first word
is come.
When I say
come here,
what am I
doing?
Okay,
so does one.
If I say come
here, what am I
doing?
I'm giving you a
command, right?
I'm saying come
here now.
If I say come
and join me,
what am I doing?
I'm inviting you.
It's an invitation.
What's common
between a command
and an invitation?
Basically, we're
trying audience
participation here.
Both of them
require a response.
Both of them
require a response.
You see, if you
answer on Facebook
maybe, that is
not a response.
Or in fact, it is
a response.
You're trying to
postpone a response
but actually your
response is no,
not now.
Right?
You see, Jesus
also had other
people.
He said, follow me
to some other
people in Matthew
8 and they go,
hey, I'm busy.
I've got a family
funeral.
I've just got some
work stuff.
And Jesus is
straight down the
line.
He goes, maybe
and not now
means no.
It means I've got
other priorities,
not you.
But do you notice
in the passage
what the response
of the disciples
is.
It says, Simon
and Andrew
immediately, they
left immediately.
Do you see that?
And then James
and John in
verse 20, it
says, they
immediately, they
left.
Do you see that?
Immediately.
20 and 22.
He's saying
procrastination is
not an option.
Jesus is calling
you today and you
have to respond to
him.
How are we going
to respond?
That's the third
thing.
He takes the
initiative.
He responds.
He's going to
disrupt your life.
He calls for a
response.
Next thing is the
next word.
After or behind.
The response that
we are to give is
always a call to
surrender to his
leading.
Because there were
many, when Jesus
says, follow me,
follow after me,
come after me,
there were many
rabbis at the
time.
And you could
tell whose
rabbis a person
were by the
behavior of the
disciples.
Because they'd
seek to imitate
their rabbi in
everything.
So if Rabbi
Leo had a
three-inch beard,
then all of his
disciples would
have a three-inch
beard.
You've got to
grow a little
bit.
If Rabbi
Leo had a
nervous twitch
like this,
and walking
down the road
you saw a
whole load of
people doing
this, you
would know
they were all
disciples of
Rabbi Leo.
You see, I
visited Cambodia
a couple of
years ago.
We went to a
landmine museum.
And one of the
boards in the
museum told the
story of a guy
called Aki Ra.
And he'd been
responsible for
putting down
landmines for
the Khmer Rouge
government.
But then later
on he felt such
guilt for what
he'd done that he
actually became
this kind of ninja
landmine remover.
So he would go
out into landmines
walking barefoot
with just his
hands and a
stick, and he
would remove
thousands and
thousands of
landmines.
And so when the
UN expert landmine
removers came in,
they asked for his
help.
Because he knew
everything.
And so what
happened was when
he would go in
front of all the
other UN experts,
and he would say,
listen, just put
your foot in the
same place that I've
put my foot.
Just put your foot
in the same place.
Don't put it
anywhere else.
Because if you put
it anywhere else,
you may get blown
to smithereens.
You've got to put
your footprint in
my footprint, because
I'm going to lead
you into safety.
You see, that is
exactly what Jesus
is saying here.
when he says,
follow me.
Come after me.
Don't think that to
be a Christian is to
get a ticket to
heaven, and then you
can kind of plot your
own course through the
minefield of life, and
hope that maybe he can
just give you some
guidance occasionally
when you're having a
few problems.
That is not
Christianity, because
you'll get blown up.
God, I want you to
He's saying, I want you
to entrust and surrender
every part of your life
to me.
Let me lead you.
You are my path, is
what he's saying.
You are the shape and
direction of my life, for
my finances, for my
relationships, for my
work.
That's what every
believer would try to
say, God, I want to
discern where are you
leading?
Right now, in your
life, where are you
leading?
I don't want to go my
own way.
I don't want to go the
way that everyone else
says.
I want to go your way.
The response is a call
to surrender to his
leading.
Next, he takes the
initiative.
He's going to disrupt
your life.
He calls you to
respond, and it's a
call to respond in
surrender.
Then he said, the
call of Jesus is
costly.
You know, these guys
are fishermen.
They're fishermen.
Their money is in
fish.
No fish, no cash.
That's their financial
security.
No food to feed their
families if they don't
get fish.
And we know that right
here, Peter is married
as well because he's
got a mother-in-law.
So he's got a whole
family to look after.
And when Jesus says,
come after me, follow
me, he's asking him
to put a blank check
on the table and to
say, Jesus, you can
fill this in however
you like.
You can fill in my
future how you like.
You can fill in my
career path how you
like.
You can fill in my bank
balance how you like.
You can, you know, I've
got my savings plan.
I've got my NPF.
I've got my investments.
But that's held loosely
for you to guide me.
And you can lead me
anywhere.
And for Peter and
Andrew, that meant
leaving behind their
business dreams.
I don't know what it's
going to mean for you.
But it's costly.
You see, Jesus then
walks along.
He said, hey, your
financial things to
Peter and Andrew.
But then he walks along
and then he sees James
and John.
And they're there with
their dad.
And you notice in the
passage, he actually
repeats the dad's name
twice.
He says, he's the son
of Zebedee.
And then he calls him
Zebedee.
And then they say,
their father twice.
Because Matthew is
making a point here.
When he calls them to
follow him, James and
John are not only just
walking off with Jesus
and leaving behind all
their potential cash in
the nets behind them.
They're also leaving the
most precious thing in
Jewish society, which was
their family.
Their dad had hopes and
expectations for them, I'm
sure.
And probably most of
those were tied up in the
family business.
And so, in the dad's
opinion, really counted.
A rebellious son was shame
on the family.
And you think about it, for
many of us, our parents'
opinion counts a lot.
Some of us, it has carried
so much weight over us that
it actually has stifled our
own call to follow Jesus.
You know, you fear what they
would say if ever you made a
decision to adopt a child or
to choose a different career
path than they would expect.
We live under the weight of
parental expectations.
And Jesus is clear, we're
meant to honor our parents,
we're meant to listen to
them because they have great
wisdom, but your parents are
not your ultimate guide in
life.
Sometimes the call to follow
Christ puts you in tension
with even the most close
people to you, even your
parents.
And Jesus is saying, I'm
calling you to put your feet
after me, not just after your
mom or your dad.
And that's challenging.
That's challenging.
But he's saying, will you
write a blank check for me?
Will you write a blank check
and let me lead you?
Let me lead you.
Come after me.
You see, this is
challenging, right?
But our response
is based
on who
Jesus is.
You see, Jesus isn't asking
you to just leave everything
for a series of doctrines.
You know, Islam
will tell you,
follow the Quran,
follow the five pillars.
Buddhism will tell you,
follow the ninefold path.
Judaism will tell you,
follow the law.
Marketism says,
follow the market analysts.
Careerism says,
follow whatever your boss
tells you.
Fashion.
Just think,
you're always a disciple
of somebody.
You're always a disciple
of somebody.
Fashion is just clothing
discipleship.
Right?
Culture is just society
discipleship.
Like, why does everyone
in Hong Kong want to be
a lawyer, doctor, engineer,
or finance and business guy?
Why?
We're just following along.
Right?
And look at actually
how that often enslaves
many of us
who actually wish
we weren't one of those
but we've just been
shoved into that.
We're all disciples
of someone
because we've all
got to trust someone.
But I'd like you to think
if you received this text,
I don't know if you can see that.
Let me just move the curtain.
Hey Chris,
great meeting you
the other day.
I want you to quit
your job,
your neighborhood,
and your family
and follow me
wherever I go.
Let me know
by the end of the day.
What questions,
if you received that text,
would be going
through your mind?
Sure.
Who are you?
Yes.
Any other questions?
What do you want?
Yes.
Sorry.
Block.
Yes, block.
Why block?
Weird.
Yeah, like,
like,
where are you going?
Like,
what's in it for me?
Yeah,
what do you want?
What about money?
What about my family?
Are you going to just
mess up my life?
What if that's a scam?
What if you're just
trying to play with me?
What if?
Right?
A lot of questions
we have.
Because doesn't
that kind of call
actually raise
a whole load of fears
within us?
A whole load of
what ifs?
Because we don't
precisely know
A,
who this is
really
and where
they're taking us.
You see,
we want to have
the five-year plan
ahead of us.
But sometimes
in discipleship,
there's an element
of it's like a mist
where you can just see
the two meters
in front of you.
It's uncertain.
And when you can't
see your way,
we often try and
clutch onto the things
that we feel are secure.
But the call
of discipleship
is always
the call
to answer
those two questions.
Who are you
and can I trust you?
Who are you
and can I trust you?
That is the
ultimate questions
for deciding
a discipleship.
You know,
who here has ever
played Assassin's Creed?
Okay,
this is admission time.
Mike has.
You know who
the original
Assassins were?
The original
Assassins were
not a video game.
They were a Muslim sect
which had,
at one point,
they had one leader
who to prove
his authority
to people around him
would,
when they came up
to him,
he would order
some of his followers
to just jump off a cliff
at his command.
And they would follow.
They would run
and they would jump
off a cliff
to their death.
I think that's
sometimes what we
think God is like.
We actually think
that this call
is actually a call
to either make my life
miserable,
lonely,
hard,
or just make me suffer.
You're going to ruin
my life.
Because
we maybe know
the doctrine
about who Jesus
is up here,
but we don't really
know who are you?
Can I trust you?
And the whole of Matthew
in his first four chapters
has been trying
to tell us
again and again
who Jesus is
so that we can say
I can trust you.
You know,
in a world
where every politician,
every boss,
every spouse,
every friend
will let you down
at some point,
Matthew says
he's the promised Messiah
who is always faithful
to his word.
He always delivers
on his promises
and he will never
use or manipulate you.
Do you know him?
In a lonely world
where we're craving
acceptance and love,
Jesus draws near
as Emmanuel,
the creator God,
God with us
to love us,
to save us,
to deliver us.
Do you know him?
In a world
which is power hungry,
filled with nationalism,
filled with division,
filled with self-interest,
Jesus is the global king
who calls people
from all nations
in unity
to come and worship him.
In a world of injustice
with families
and communities
torn apart
by greed
and oppression,
Jesus is the
unbribable judge
who has a winnowing fork
in his hand
and he will bring
justice to bear
on this world.
Heaven and hell
are in his hands.
Do you know him?
In a world of indulgence
and faithlessness
and where we lack
self-control,
Jesus is the faithful,
obedient one
who has never failed.
Do you know him?
In a world
where it's every man
who seeks to exalt
themselves,
Jesus humbles himself,
identifies with us
in his baptism,
in our weakness,
takes our sin
on the cross
to lift us up
and bring him
to himself.
Do you know him?
In a world
where the strong
eat the weak,
Jesus is the tender king
who will not break
a bruised reed,
but he lifts up
those of us
who right now
feel crushed
and broken.
In a world
where we're called
to be disciples
of fashion
and technology
for the sake
of increasing
business profit margin,
Jesus is calling you
to himself
for the sake
of his glory
and your good.
Do you know him?
It was 1783.
George Washington
was facing a mutiny
from his troops.
They hadn't been paid
for ages.
And they were refusing
to fight for him
and they were
on the verge
of going to the parliament
to overthrow the parliament
to get what they wanted.
Washington stood up
and he made a speech
to try and persuade
all of his troops
to trust him
and to follow him.
But they refused
to listen.
None of them trusted.
And then at one moment
he went to get a letter
from a senator
to prove
that the troops
were going to get paid.
And as he did
he pulled out
of his pocket,
he fumbled in his pocket
and he kind of pulled out
a pair of glasses
that not one of his
even closest officers
had ever seen him wear.
And as he pulled
and opened the letter
and held it up
he said this,
he said,
Gentlemen,
I,
you must pardon me
for I have grown
not only grey
but blind
in the service
of my country.
All the troops
were stunned.
Many just started weeping.
Washington read
the letter
and he walked out
within ten minutes
the mutiny
was called off.
Every troop
swore allegiance
to Washington
because they trusted him.
Because they saw
who he was
and the sacrifice
he had paid
for this cause.
He wasn't just
saying words.
He had paid for it
with his very own body
and his life.
Jesus didn't just
grow old,
didn't just grow blind
and grey for us.
He died
for you and me
on a cross.
He's not going to call you
to jump off a cliff
because he's already
jumped off the cliff
for you.
He's already taken
the hit for you
and for me
though we did not
deserve it
so that he can lead you
to safety
and wholeness
and freedom
to the kingdom of God
that he wants you
to be involved
and be part of.
And so he calls
every single one
of us today.
Will you follow me?
It's a costly call.
It's a call
to go into the unknown
wherever he leads.
But it's a call
to trust the one
who has loved you
more than anyone
has ever loved you
or ever will.
Will you follow?
You know,
as I've been reflecting
on this,
I realize
how so many
of my fears
come from that fact
that I don't really
know him well.
And my prayer,
I've been a Christian
over 30 years.
I can never assume
that I already
know him enough.
Is our prayer
that we want
to know him more
so we can trust him
more so that we
can walk with him?
If you are not
a Christian today,
he's calling you
to respond to him.
Some of you
have been in church
for a long time.
You know the message,
but you've been saying
maybe.
Today is a day
where God says,
no, today I'm calling
you to respond to me.
Will you lay down
and write that blank check
in repentance
and say,
I want you to lead me
wherever.
Forgive me for leading
my own life
my own way.
Some of you
may have more questions.
We're going to be
starting a Christianity
Explored course
in a few weeks' time
in March.
That's going to be
an opportunity
for you to respond
and just say,
I want to come
to know Jesus
more.
But if you're
a Christian
this morning,
I don't know
where you are.
I don't know
what God has been
saying to you,
but I know
that he is calling
you right now
with whatever
you're wrestling with
to lay that blank
check on the table
and to say,
Jesus,
you can take me.
I surrender
to you today.
Would you lead me?
That's what repentance
looks like.
That's what repentance
looks like.
It's a daily thing.
I was going to share
another point,
but I think I'm going to
just stop
and allow us
just to close your eyes
for a minute.
I want you
just to ask God,
where are you
calling me today?
Where are you
calling me?
And I want you
right now
to just do
some business
with God.
Just lay before him
your life.
Lay before him
the things which
have been wrapping
you up.
Lay before him
the things which
have consumed you.
Are you willing
to say,
as he's calling you
to follow him,
to lay down
with open hands
to say,
God,
would you speak
to me?
Jesus,
I want you
to lead me
wherever.
And I'm scared,
but I can trust you
because you're good.
If the musicians
just want to come up.
You know,
some of us,
we've been saying,
oh, Jesus,
you would never
call me to
dot, dot, dot.
You would never
call me
to take a
lower-paid job.
You'd never
call me
to quit my job.
You'd never
call me
to place
my kids
in a school
which none
of my peers
would dream
of sending
their kids
to.
Jesus,
you'd never
call me
to move
to a less
comfortable
neighborhood.
We say that a lot.
Jesus,
you'd never.
But if you're
laying a blank
check before him
today,
just give him
all the you
would nevers
and just say,
you can lead me.
And for some
of that,
that will be
him leading
you on his
mission,
maybe to
another country,
maybe into
ministry.
For some
of you,
that will be
leading you
into Morgan
Stanley,
leading you
into the
hospital,
leading you
into the
Chinese New
Year
gatherings,
with a heart
to pray for
those who
don't know
him.
with a heart
to be his
instrument,
as he goes
into the
darkness,
that you
will be
there
following
him
as a
light,
because he
loves the
people around
you.
But I
maybe ask
even just
in the
prayer team
if you'd
like to
come
forward.
I think
that maybe
some of
you,
God's
just
speaking
to you
right
now,
and you
just need
to come
forward to
have
prayer.
Maybe
there are
things you
feel like
you've been
holding on
to for a
long time.
Maybe you've
been saying
no,
you've been
saying maybe,
you've been
saying wait.
Maybe you
just come and
say,
Jesus,
I need to
know you
more.
I just
need to
know you
more.
Show me
yourself.
Father,
thank you
that your
love for
us is
immeasurable.
And yet we
are so afraid
sometimes to
follow you
because it
feels like,
it feels
sometimes that
our own
securities are
more trustworthy
than you who
have given
everything for
us.
forgive us,
change our
hearts.
Would we
hear and
see you
this week
and immediately
follow you?
Father,
have your
way.
Thank you
that you're
so good to
us.
We love
you.
Jesus'
name.
Amen.