WEBVTT 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:01.860 Thanks very much, Anne. Hello again. 00:00:03.720 --> 00:00:08.779 Why was I born? Why am I living? What do I get? What am I giving? 00:00:09.900 --> 00:00:14.460 Why do I want a thing I daren't hope for? What can I hope for? 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:16.559 I wish I knew. 00:00:17.719 --> 00:00:21.440 That cheerful ditty was written almost 100 years ago by Oscar Hammerstein, 00:00:22.199 --> 00:00:25.039 but for many people it would resonate today as well. 00:00:25.039 --> 00:00:29.740 What is the point? Is there any purpose in life? 00:00:30.239 --> 00:00:32.340 What should we be looking for? 00:00:33.280 --> 00:00:37.539 It was maybe put a bit more succinctly and more recently by Lana Del Rey. 00:00:37.700 --> 00:00:39.120 She wrote in one of her songs, 00:00:39.539 --> 00:00:42.439 You and I, we were born to die. 00:00:43.899 --> 00:00:47.379 Quite depressing, isn't it, to think of life without a purpose? 00:00:48.260 --> 00:00:50.539 And yet I think many people today feel that, 00:00:51.140 --> 00:00:52.900 that life is a bit pointless, 00:00:52.900 --> 00:00:54.659 they don't know where they're going, 00:00:54.780 --> 00:00:56.140 they don't know why they're here, 00:00:56.659 --> 00:00:59.659 they don't know what's going to happen to them. 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:04.519 There's a website many of you may be familiar with called Quora. 00:01:05.159 --> 00:01:10.760 On Quora, people can post questions on practical, intellectual, philosophical things, 00:01:11.120 --> 00:01:13.780 and lots of people will pile in with their replies. 00:01:14.780 --> 00:01:16.379 And if you type in something like, 00:01:16.620 --> 00:01:18.079 Why was I born to die? 00:01:18.640 --> 00:01:21.099 You might get answers that sound something like this. 00:01:21.099 --> 00:01:26.759 We exist because of evolutionary pressures from the environment among us, 00:01:27.319 --> 00:01:29.259 occurring over millions of years. 00:01:30.359 --> 00:01:32.459 There is no purpose to our existence, 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:37.340 because evolution has no goal in mind or vision for how we should be. 00:01:38.259 --> 00:01:40.599 Evolution doesn't have a mind, we just exist. 00:01:40.599 --> 00:01:46.799 Any meaning or purpose we ascribe to life or death is manufactured by humans 00:01:46.799 --> 00:01:49.599 to make our lives easier to get through, 00:01:50.239 --> 00:01:54.659 because it's hard for people to accept a meaningless thing. 00:01:55.919 --> 00:01:57.019 Depressing, isn't it? 00:01:57.899 --> 00:02:00.239 Well, what I want us to take from this morning 00:02:00.239 --> 00:02:02.879 is that life does have a purpose, 00:02:02.879 --> 00:02:07.239 and our lives can have real purpose to them. 00:02:08.079 --> 00:02:10.939 And we're going to see that because we're looking at the person 00:02:10.939 --> 00:02:15.719 who had the most awareness of the purpose on his life of anyone, 00:02:16.280 --> 00:02:17.139 Jesus Christ. 00:02:17.799 --> 00:02:20.060 We're going to think about what that purpose was. 00:02:20.599 --> 00:02:23.259 We're going to think about some of the people Jesus met 00:02:23.259 --> 00:02:26.659 and interacted with in the passage that I read to us, 00:02:26.879 --> 00:02:30.000 and the challenge that comes to us through them. 00:02:31.179 --> 00:02:33.879 Now, usually I'm going to start in the middle this morning, 00:02:34.219 --> 00:02:37.280 because I think that's where the core of the passage is, 00:02:37.599 --> 00:02:41.919 and it's where we get most of the background to it from. 00:02:42.039 --> 00:02:44.939 So we're going to start, I'm going to read verses 27 and 28, 00:02:45.120 --> 00:02:47.620 where Jesus is speaking, and he says, 00:02:47.620 --> 00:02:51.519 Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 00:02:51.520 --> 00:02:54.280 Father, save me from this hour. 00:02:55.320 --> 00:02:59.020 No, it was for this very reason that I came to this hour. 00:02:59.860 --> 00:03:01.640 Father, glorify your name. 00:03:02.540 --> 00:03:03.980 Then a voice came from heaven. 00:03:04.560 --> 00:03:09.439 I have glorified it and will glorify it again. 00:03:10.680 --> 00:03:12.840 As we read through John's Gospel, 00:03:13.360 --> 00:03:15.660 something that we find referred to many times 00:03:15.660 --> 00:03:18.939 is the hour, Jesus' hour. 00:03:18.939 --> 00:03:23.840 Three times in the earlier part of the Gospel we've looked at up till now, 00:03:24.199 --> 00:03:26.859 Jesus says, My hour has not yet come. 00:03:27.539 --> 00:03:30.139 That was when he did his first miracle at Cana, 00:03:30.439 --> 00:03:33.159 and twice when people tried to seize him and couldn't, 00:03:33.539 --> 00:03:35.879 because the time hadn't yet come. 00:03:37.139 --> 00:03:40.400 And three times he says, My hour has come. 00:03:41.060 --> 00:03:42.960 So it was at the start of the passage we read, 00:03:43.039 --> 00:03:45.719 or at the start of the section that I'm looking at just now, 00:03:45.719 --> 00:03:47.680 in verse 23. 00:03:48.539 --> 00:03:51.080 He says it again, or said again about him, 00:03:51.180 --> 00:03:54.120 in John 13 at the start of his upper room ministry, 00:03:54.599 --> 00:03:56.460 and then again at John 17, 00:03:56.780 --> 00:03:59.280 as the Lord prays to his Father. 00:04:00.419 --> 00:04:04.319 The whole of Jesus' life was centered around the fact 00:04:04.319 --> 00:04:07.159 that there was an hour coming. 00:04:07.300 --> 00:04:08.079 What was that hour? 00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:10.100 It was when he was crucified, 00:04:10.820 --> 00:04:13.420 when he died on the cross for us. 00:04:14.080 --> 00:04:17.460 And the whole of his life was building up to that moment 00:04:17.460 --> 00:04:19.360 when he would go to the cross, 00:04:19.620 --> 00:04:23.180 and when he would take our sins on himself. 00:04:24.360 --> 00:04:26.780 I think we can learn three things about the hour 00:04:26.780 --> 00:04:29.699 from the verses that I read just now. 00:04:30.639 --> 00:04:33.860 First of all, it was an hour of agony. 00:04:33.860 --> 00:04:37.180 Secondly, Jesus, as he looked forward to it, 00:04:37.580 --> 00:04:38.560 he was troubled. 00:04:38.680 --> 00:04:40.100 He says, Now my soul is troubled. 00:04:40.199 --> 00:04:41.180 What shall I say? 00:04:41.639 --> 00:04:44.840 Father, save me from this hour. 00:04:46.020 --> 00:04:47.699 Mostly in the Gospels, we read, 00:04:47.840 --> 00:04:50.920 Jesus is going resolutely towards Jerusalem. 00:04:51.740 --> 00:04:54.180 He knows that it's God's will that he should suffer 00:04:54.180 --> 00:04:55.740 and die on the cross, 00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:59.400 and he is determined to fulfill that will. 00:04:59.399 --> 00:05:02.120 But just once or twice, 00:05:02.500 --> 00:05:05.399 we get a glimpse into what Jesus really felt 00:05:05.399 --> 00:05:07.839 about what was going to happen. 00:05:08.379 --> 00:05:11.259 The other obvious time is in the Garden of Gethsemane, 00:05:11.639 --> 00:05:12.339 when he says, 00:05:12.620 --> 00:05:16.399 Father, if it's possible, let this cup pass from me. 00:05:17.239 --> 00:05:17.959 And he says, 00:05:18.239 --> 00:05:19.199 What shall I say? 00:05:19.359 --> 00:05:22.039 Father, save me from this hour. 00:05:22.519 --> 00:05:26.699 Because what was in front of Jesus was truly awful. 00:05:26.699 --> 00:05:32.479 I think at times it's easy to think of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross 00:05:32.479 --> 00:05:35.060 and to kind of have almost in our minds, 00:05:35.360 --> 00:05:36.240 well, he was God. 00:05:36.339 --> 00:05:38.920 It wasn't as bad for him as it would have been for us. 00:05:40.139 --> 00:05:44.240 Well, Jesus was man, fully man, as well as God. 00:05:44.980 --> 00:05:47.199 And the betrayal by his friends, 00:05:47.659 --> 00:05:50.319 the mockery, the whipping, 00:05:50.319 --> 00:05:55.939 and the agony of crucifixion were very, very real to him, 00:05:56.159 --> 00:05:58.319 as they would be to us. 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:02.879 We can perhaps begin to feel what that is like. 00:06:03.620 --> 00:06:07.839 What I think is much more difficult for us to imagine and to understand 00:06:07.839 --> 00:06:11.180 is that when Jesus was dying on the cross, 00:06:11.539 --> 00:06:15.300 he was completely separated from his Father God. 00:06:15.300 --> 00:06:19.379 Jesus took our sins on himself. 00:06:20.340 --> 00:06:22.819 And a holy God can't look on sin, 00:06:23.259 --> 00:06:28.300 and Jesus felt he had been abandoned, forsaken by his Father. 00:06:29.319 --> 00:06:33.060 And that, I believe, was the greatest suffering of all, 00:06:33.100 --> 00:06:35.519 as he took the punishment for sin, 00:06:35.960 --> 00:06:39.000 as he was separated from God. 00:06:39.620 --> 00:06:42.180 And so he's looking forward as he comes to his hour, 00:06:42.180 --> 00:06:47.600 and he is looking forward with dread to what is about to happen to him. 00:06:48.860 --> 00:06:52.000 Second thing, though, it's an hour of obedience. 00:06:52.840 --> 00:06:53.280 So he says, 00:06:53.400 --> 00:06:55.600 Shall I say, Father, save me from this hour? 00:06:56.360 --> 00:07:01.699 No, it was for this very reason that I came to this hour. 00:07:02.879 --> 00:07:05.720 When we think of reasons why Jesus came into the world, 00:07:05.840 --> 00:07:06.840 there are several. 00:07:07.680 --> 00:07:10.399 He came to show us what God is like. 00:07:10.399 --> 00:07:14.799 So we look at Jesus, and we can see God among us, 00:07:14.859 --> 00:07:16.299 and how God lives. 00:07:16.959 --> 00:07:18.879 He came to be an example to us, 00:07:19.199 --> 00:07:21.120 to show us how we should live, 00:07:21.620 --> 00:07:25.039 the kind of lives that should characterize us. 00:07:25.699 --> 00:07:27.259 He came to bring us God's words. 00:07:27.339 --> 00:07:29.239 We were thinking of that in the early service this morning, 00:07:29.620 --> 00:07:34.679 that Jesus came with the word of God to speak to us. 00:07:34.680 --> 00:07:38.639 But above all, he came to die. 00:07:39.259 --> 00:07:45.639 The reason he came into this world was that he should die for our sins. 00:07:46.199 --> 00:07:50.040 Only if someone was able to take the penalty for our sins, 00:07:50.139 --> 00:07:52.600 take the punishment that was due to us, 00:07:52.960 --> 00:07:54.460 could we be forgiven. 00:07:54.459 --> 00:07:58.459 And no one but Jesus could have done that. 00:07:58.539 --> 00:08:02.879 He was the only one who met the requirement of being absolutely sinless, 00:08:03.379 --> 00:08:06.459 and therefore able to take the punishment for us. 00:08:08.039 --> 00:08:09.659 And so whatever the cost, 00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:14.259 Jesus was determined he was going to obey the will of his Father, 00:08:14.779 --> 00:08:18.979 and he was going to go and to die on the cross. 00:08:18.980 --> 00:08:24.740 The hour of agony was also an hour of obedience. 00:08:25.360 --> 00:08:28.379 Obedience even to death on a cross. 00:08:29.540 --> 00:08:33.399 Then the third thing is that it is an hour of glory. 00:08:34.460 --> 00:08:37.360 Now you might think, looking at it superficially, 00:08:37.480 --> 00:08:41.460 that someone dying on a cross is perhaps the least glorious thing 00:08:41.460 --> 00:08:43.700 almost that you could imagine. 00:08:44.379 --> 00:08:46.779 It's humiliation, it's shame, it's pain, 00:08:46.779 --> 00:08:49.159 it's the mockery of people round about. 00:08:49.279 --> 00:08:51.899 What is glorious about that? 00:08:53.120 --> 00:08:54.639 And yet Jesus says, 00:08:55.079 --> 00:09:00.419 the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 00:09:01.100 --> 00:09:01.799 And then he says again, 00:09:01.939 --> 00:09:03.579 Father, glorify your name, 00:09:03.899 --> 00:09:06.159 and the confirmation comes from God. 00:09:06.500 --> 00:09:08.179 I have glorified it, 00:09:08.480 --> 00:09:10.980 and will glorify it again. 00:09:11.559 --> 00:09:14.779 This is one of only three times when we hear that voice from heaven. 00:09:14.779 --> 00:09:16.860 The others were at Jesus' baptism, 00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:18.740 and at the transfiguration, 00:09:19.240 --> 00:09:23.039 and at this third really significant moment in his life, 00:09:23.240 --> 00:09:26.480 he gets again the affirmation from his Father. 00:09:27.439 --> 00:09:30.179 Through the cross, Jesus is glorified. 00:09:30.839 --> 00:09:33.600 Through the cross, God is glorified. 00:09:34.399 --> 00:09:39.919 And Jesus gives us a little indication of what that was in the following verses. 00:09:39.919 --> 00:09:42.459 So in verse 31, he says, 00:09:42.579 --> 00:09:45.139 Now is the time for judgment on this world. 00:09:45.779 --> 00:09:50.479 Now the prince of this world will be driven out. 00:09:51.759 --> 00:09:57.479 The cross at Calvary might have seemed at that time to many people to be defeat for Jesus. 00:09:58.519 --> 00:10:02.299 He had traveled around Galilee and Judea for three years. 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:04.759 He had enjoyed a lot of popularity. 00:10:04.759 --> 00:10:08.100 We'll come back to the early verses of his entry into Jerusalem. 00:10:08.220 --> 00:10:09.819 He enjoyed a lot of popularity. 00:10:10.639 --> 00:10:13.080 And then he was nailed to a cross. 00:10:13.919 --> 00:10:15.240 And people looking at that thought, 00:10:15.340 --> 00:10:16.840 Well, that's him defeated. 00:10:16.980 --> 00:10:18.600 I think the disciples felt that too, 00:10:18.659 --> 00:10:22.600 because they didn't really understand what was going on. 00:10:23.279 --> 00:10:24.080 But Jesus says, 00:10:24.200 --> 00:10:25.419 No, it's not defeat. 00:10:25.819 --> 00:10:26.639 It's victory. 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:29.580 When I die on the cross, 00:10:29.779 --> 00:10:34.439 I will overcome the evil one once and for all. 00:10:35.299 --> 00:10:38.659 The world is going to be judged through my action. 00:10:39.319 --> 00:10:43.220 And the evil one, the print of the world, will be driven out. 00:10:43.279 --> 00:10:44.620 Now that was not an immediate thing. 00:10:44.980 --> 00:10:46.960 We still have the work of the devil. 00:10:47.139 --> 00:10:51.059 We still have evil in our world as we see every day. 00:10:51.659 --> 00:10:54.460 And yet the devil has been defeated. 00:10:54.460 --> 00:10:56.759 And one day that will be obvious. 00:10:57.320 --> 00:11:00.820 And he was defeated by Jesus dying on the cross. 00:11:01.300 --> 00:11:03.040 By the punishment Jesus took, 00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:05.220 and by the fact that he could shout at the end, 00:11:05.519 --> 00:11:06.480 It is finished. 00:11:06.920 --> 00:11:09.639 The work that God had given him, he had done. 00:11:09.700 --> 00:11:11.340 And that is glorious. 00:11:12.700 --> 00:11:14.960 The other glorious thing is in verse 32. 00:11:16.100 --> 00:11:16.820 Jesus says, 00:11:17.019 --> 00:11:18.980 I, when I am lifted from the earth, 00:11:19.320 --> 00:11:22.639 will draw all people to myself. 00:11:22.639 --> 00:11:26.779 This little incident was prompted originally 00:11:26.779 --> 00:11:28.600 by a question for some Greeks. 00:11:28.679 --> 00:11:29.019 She said, 00:11:29.120 --> 00:11:30.879 We want to see Jesus. 00:11:31.779 --> 00:11:34.039 And I think that is what triggered Jesus to say, 00:11:34.139 --> 00:11:36.039 My hour has now come. 00:11:36.759 --> 00:11:39.559 Because God's word was about to go beyond 00:11:39.559 --> 00:11:41.259 just the confines of Israel, 00:11:41.419 --> 00:11:43.039 beyond just the Jewish nation, 00:11:43.399 --> 00:11:46.840 and to go into the whole world through Jesus. 00:11:47.759 --> 00:11:48.819 And how did that happen? 00:11:48.820 --> 00:11:51.780 It happened by being lifted up on a cross 00:11:51.780 --> 00:11:54.540 and dying for our sins. 00:11:55.280 --> 00:11:57.640 And the glory of Jesus on the cross 00:11:57.640 --> 00:12:00.420 is what has attracted many of us to him. 00:12:00.920 --> 00:12:03.820 And we are part of his reward 00:12:03.820 --> 00:12:08.140 for what he did as he died for our sins. 00:12:08.139 --> 00:12:11.039 So the hour that Jesus is talking about 00:12:11.039 --> 00:12:12.039 is an hour of agony. 00:12:13.080 --> 00:12:15.000 It's an hour of horrific suffering. 00:12:15.699 --> 00:12:17.519 But it's also an hour of obedience, 00:12:18.100 --> 00:12:19.559 of obedience to God. 00:12:19.919 --> 00:12:21.460 And it's an hour of glory 00:12:21.460 --> 00:12:23.299 as evil is defeated, 00:12:23.919 --> 00:12:27.600 as Jesus is able to bring the whole world to him, 00:12:27.600 --> 00:12:30.019 all those who will believe. 00:12:30.799 --> 00:12:32.639 Before we go back and look at the rest of the passage, 00:12:32.799 --> 00:12:34.639 let's just take this challenge for ourselves. 00:12:34.639 --> 00:12:37.279 Do we believe that? 00:12:37.819 --> 00:12:39.439 When we look back on Jesus, 00:12:39.580 --> 00:12:41.019 when we look back on the cross, 00:12:41.419 --> 00:12:44.240 do we understand how much he went through for us? 00:12:44.480 --> 00:12:47.980 Do we understand the extent of his obedience to God? 00:12:48.639 --> 00:12:50.960 Do we understand the glory that is there? 00:12:51.080 --> 00:12:53.120 And have we taken him for ourselves? 00:12:53.580 --> 00:12:57.620 Have our sins been forgiven by trusting in him? 00:13:00.319 --> 00:13:01.580 Now let's go back, 00:13:01.580 --> 00:13:03.000 and we'll just walk quite quickly 00:13:03.000 --> 00:13:04.940 through the whole of the passage. 00:13:05.420 --> 00:13:06.800 And this time as we go through, 00:13:06.860 --> 00:13:08.440 what I particularly want to look at 00:13:08.440 --> 00:13:10.960 is how Jesus challenges us 00:13:10.960 --> 00:13:13.800 and how people respond to him. 00:13:13.940 --> 00:13:15.600 So there'll be two things there as we go along, 00:13:15.860 --> 00:13:16.980 the challenge of Jesus 00:13:16.980 --> 00:13:20.300 and the response of the people. 00:13:21.420 --> 00:13:23.300 So I've headed the first part of the passage, 00:13:23.600 --> 00:13:24.820 coming as a king. 00:13:25.360 --> 00:13:27.980 This is the very familiar story to most of us 00:13:27.980 --> 00:13:30.899 of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, 00:13:31.100 --> 00:13:31.860 Palm Sunday. 00:13:33.259 --> 00:13:35.080 John tells us slightly differently 00:13:35.080 --> 00:13:36.139 from the other Gospels, 00:13:36.180 --> 00:13:37.500 and I want to focus particularly 00:13:37.500 --> 00:13:40.639 on what John has to say to us through it. 00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:42.940 And the first thing we might notice 00:13:42.940 --> 00:13:45.080 is that there are two crowds 00:13:45.080 --> 00:13:47.560 in the section from verse 12 00:13:47.560 --> 00:13:49.840 through to verse 19. 00:13:50.840 --> 00:13:52.580 There's a crowd that's come to Jerusalem 00:13:52.580 --> 00:13:53.600 for the festival. 00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:57.019 Many of them probably had come from Galilee, 00:13:57.560 --> 00:13:59.320 so they would have seen the miracles 00:13:59.320 --> 00:14:01.700 that Jesus did when he was there, 00:14:01.960 --> 00:14:03.759 and they already would have an idea 00:14:03.759 --> 00:14:06.320 of how special he was. 00:14:07.180 --> 00:14:09.100 The second crowd is in verse 17, 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:11.399 and that is the crowd that had witnessed 00:14:11.399 --> 00:14:12.659 the raising of Lazarus 00:14:12.659 --> 00:14:14.720 that we looked at two or three weeks back. 00:14:15.060 --> 00:14:16.940 That miraculous event 00:14:16.940 --> 00:14:18.920 where Jesus brought back to life 00:14:18.920 --> 00:14:21.860 someone who had been dead for four days. 00:14:21.860 --> 00:14:24.200 And these people too would be coming 00:14:24.200 --> 00:14:25.460 in the crowds, 00:14:25.759 --> 00:14:27.060 and they were talking to others 00:14:27.060 --> 00:14:28.879 about the wonderful things 00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:30.240 that they had seen. 00:14:31.139 --> 00:14:33.659 And as these two crowds come together 00:14:33.659 --> 00:14:35.759 and others along with them, 00:14:36.379 --> 00:14:39.100 the atmosphere becomes one of celebration 00:14:39.100 --> 00:14:41.340 and one of anticipation. 00:14:42.419 --> 00:14:44.800 So they see Jesus coming into Jerusalem, 00:14:45.360 --> 00:14:47.539 and they think this could be the moment 00:14:47.539 --> 00:14:50.620 when Jesus frees us from the Romans. 00:14:50.620 --> 00:14:54.179 We have this great, powerful man 00:14:54.179 --> 00:14:56.159 who can do such wonderful things, 00:14:56.580 --> 00:14:58.220 a charismatic figure. 00:14:58.539 --> 00:15:00.779 He's the one who's going to finally 00:15:00.779 --> 00:15:03.639 free us from the bondage of Rome. 00:15:04.679 --> 00:15:06.039 And what does Jesus do? 00:15:06.820 --> 00:15:08.220 He sits on a donkey. 00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:09.919 He finds a donkey, 00:15:10.320 --> 00:15:13.460 and he sits on it to go through the crowd. 00:15:14.460 --> 00:15:16.100 It would have been a familiar sight 00:15:16.100 --> 00:15:17.100 in many cities 00:15:17.100 --> 00:15:19.779 for a victorious emperor or general 00:15:19.779 --> 00:15:21.000 to come back 00:15:21.000 --> 00:15:22.159 and for the crowds 00:15:22.159 --> 00:15:23.540 to throng around him. 00:15:24.340 --> 00:15:25.740 And he would be on a war horse, 00:15:25.820 --> 00:15:27.480 the biggest horse you could imagine, 00:15:28.060 --> 00:15:29.060 so that he was seen 00:15:29.060 --> 00:15:30.639 as someone who was really powerful 00:15:30.639 --> 00:15:33.840 and was really to be feared. 00:15:34.800 --> 00:15:36.620 Jesus chooses to come 00:15:36.620 --> 00:15:38.920 and to sit on a donkey. 00:15:40.180 --> 00:15:40.840 And by that, 00:15:40.920 --> 00:15:41.840 I think he's saying 00:15:41.840 --> 00:15:44.139 that his kingship at that time 00:15:44.139 --> 00:15:47.139 was not in overthrowing the Romans. 00:15:47.899 --> 00:15:49.240 He was coming as a king, 00:15:49.320 --> 00:15:50.899 but he was coming as God's king 00:15:50.899 --> 00:15:54.259 as the one who would do God's will. 00:15:55.180 --> 00:15:57.920 And I think that's the quotation from Zechariah 00:15:57.920 --> 00:15:58.879 that the disciples say 00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:00.240 they only understood later. 00:16:00.800 --> 00:16:02.540 That's the significance of that. 00:16:03.080 --> 00:16:04.320 It's the king coming, 00:16:04.660 --> 00:16:06.160 but he's coming in humility. 00:16:06.420 --> 00:16:07.800 He's coming as the servant king. 00:16:07.799 --> 00:16:09.699 He's coming as the savior king 00:16:09.699 --> 00:16:11.359 rather than as one 00:16:11.359 --> 00:16:13.079 who is going to come at that stage 00:16:13.079 --> 00:16:15.240 with military might. 00:16:16.359 --> 00:16:18.620 And yet the people don't understand. 00:16:19.659 --> 00:16:21.579 Most of the people want him to be king 00:16:21.579 --> 00:16:22.399 and want him to go 00:16:22.399 --> 00:16:24.079 and overthrow the Romans. 00:16:25.059 --> 00:16:27.039 The disciples may be rather confused. 00:16:27.219 --> 00:16:28.939 John says they only understood later 00:16:28.939 --> 00:16:31.620 the significance of what was happening. 00:16:32.399 --> 00:16:34.339 And the rulers, the Pharisees, 00:16:34.679 --> 00:16:35.519 they were worried. 00:16:35.519 --> 00:16:37.399 They thought he's becoming 00:16:37.399 --> 00:16:39.419 just a bit too popular. 00:16:40.019 --> 00:16:41.120 And so that would have made them 00:16:41.120 --> 00:16:42.460 even more resolved 00:16:42.460 --> 00:16:44.539 that they would get rid of him, 00:16:44.620 --> 00:16:47.799 that they would ensure that he died. 00:16:48.279 --> 00:16:49.799 But he was coming as a king, 00:16:50.019 --> 00:16:51.379 but not as a king 00:16:51.379 --> 00:16:52.840 that the people expected. 00:16:54.299 --> 00:16:55.279 The middle section, 00:16:55.360 --> 00:16:56.699 and we've talked quite a lot about that already, 00:16:56.819 --> 00:16:57.740 so we'll go through it 00:16:57.740 --> 00:16:58.819 a little more quickly now, 00:16:59.059 --> 00:17:01.740 I've called going like a grain. 00:17:02.340 --> 00:17:03.840 And there's this wonderful picture 00:17:03.840 --> 00:17:04.980 at the centre of it 00:17:04.980 --> 00:17:06.279 of the grain of wheat 00:17:06.279 --> 00:17:07.700 that falls into the ground 00:17:07.700 --> 00:17:09.059 and dies. 00:17:10.019 --> 00:17:11.360 Now again, we might think about 00:17:11.360 --> 00:17:12.319 some of the reactions 00:17:12.319 --> 00:17:14.220 around to what's said here. 00:17:14.299 --> 00:17:14.880 The Greeks, I think, 00:17:14.920 --> 00:17:17.460 were more than just curious sightseers. 00:17:17.579 --> 00:17:19.019 They actually genuinely wanted 00:17:19.019 --> 00:17:21.480 to see and to understand Jesus. 00:17:22.539 --> 00:17:24.160 At the end, the people were saying, 00:17:24.279 --> 00:17:25.180 well, we don't understand. 00:17:25.400 --> 00:17:26.759 They couldn't accept 00:17:26.759 --> 00:17:29.420 what Jesus was saying to them. 00:17:30.180 --> 00:17:30.940 But in the middle, 00:17:31.060 --> 00:17:32.380 there is this challenge. 00:17:33.400 --> 00:17:34.039 The hour has come 00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:35.480 for the Son of Man to be glorified. 00:17:35.600 --> 00:17:35.980 Jesus says, 00:17:36.080 --> 00:17:36.920 unless a grain of wheat 00:17:36.920 --> 00:17:38.640 falls into the ground and dies, 00:17:38.960 --> 00:17:40.820 it remains only a single seed. 00:17:41.220 --> 00:17:42.080 But if it dies, 00:17:42.140 --> 00:17:44.019 it produces many seeds. 00:17:44.460 --> 00:17:45.240 Now we look at that 00:17:45.240 --> 00:17:46.640 and think that is true of Jesus. 00:17:47.380 --> 00:17:49.080 That is what has happened with Jesus. 00:17:49.320 --> 00:17:50.740 Jesus died on the cross 00:17:50.740 --> 00:17:51.840 for our sins, 00:17:52.120 --> 00:17:53.340 and he brought many, 00:17:53.460 --> 00:17:54.759 many millions of people 00:17:54.759 --> 00:17:55.960 to know God 00:17:55.960 --> 00:17:58.220 and to have eternal life. 00:17:58.220 --> 00:18:01.660 And yes, it certainly is true of Jesus. 00:18:02.740 --> 00:18:04.460 But the application he gives 00:18:04.460 --> 00:18:05.900 is not to himself. 00:18:06.360 --> 00:18:07.500 It's to us. 00:18:08.779 --> 00:18:09.600 The grain of wheat 00:18:09.600 --> 00:18:10.600 that falls into the ground 00:18:10.600 --> 00:18:12.140 and dies and then springs up, 00:18:12.600 --> 00:18:13.380 Jesus says, 00:18:13.799 --> 00:18:15.759 we should be like that. 00:18:16.539 --> 00:18:18.240 Anyone who loves their life 00:18:18.240 --> 00:18:18.960 will lose it, 00:18:19.019 --> 00:18:20.299 or anyone who hates their life 00:18:20.299 --> 00:18:21.059 in this world 00:18:21.059 --> 00:18:23.819 will keep it for eternal life. 00:18:24.660 --> 00:18:25.700 Whoever serves me 00:18:25.700 --> 00:18:26.660 must follow me 00:18:26.660 --> 00:18:28.580 and where I am, 00:18:28.960 --> 00:18:31.400 my servant also will be. 00:18:31.960 --> 00:18:33.160 My father will honour 00:18:33.160 --> 00:18:36.039 the one who serves me. 00:18:37.100 --> 00:18:38.819 So the challenge to us is, 00:18:38.980 --> 00:18:40.680 are we willing and able 00:18:40.680 --> 00:18:43.299 to follow the example of Jesus? 00:18:44.259 --> 00:18:46.600 Are we willing to give our lives 00:18:46.600 --> 00:18:47.200 for him, 00:18:47.319 --> 00:18:48.120 perhaps literally, 00:18:48.539 --> 00:18:49.600 but certainly in terms 00:18:49.600 --> 00:18:50.700 of the sacrifices 00:18:50.700 --> 00:18:53.440 that we are prepared to make? 00:18:53.440 --> 00:18:56.080 Jesus never promises 00:18:56.080 --> 00:18:57.120 that life with him 00:18:57.120 --> 00:18:58.180 will be easy. 00:18:59.100 --> 00:18:59.559 Indeed, 00:18:59.640 --> 00:19:00.220 at the moments 00:19:00.220 --> 00:19:01.940 of his greatest popularity, 00:19:02.600 --> 00:19:03.500 these are the moments 00:19:03.500 --> 00:19:04.160 when he issues 00:19:04.160 --> 00:19:05.539 these kinds of challenges. 00:19:06.620 --> 00:19:07.460 John chapter 6, 00:19:07.519 --> 00:19:08.740 defeating of the 5,000. 00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:09.920 The people want 00:19:09.920 --> 00:19:10.779 to make him king. 00:19:11.460 --> 00:19:12.460 And then Jesus gives 00:19:12.460 --> 00:19:14.340 some very difficult teaching 00:19:14.340 --> 00:19:16.200 about the bread of life 00:19:16.200 --> 00:19:17.220 and what that means. 00:19:17.620 --> 00:19:19.180 And most people then decide, 00:19:19.299 --> 00:19:19.660 well, actually, 00:19:19.740 --> 00:19:20.960 we're not going to follow him. 00:19:20.960 --> 00:19:23.600 because their trust in him 00:19:23.600 --> 00:19:25.059 was very superficial. 00:19:26.039 --> 00:19:26.680 And maybe he's doing 00:19:26.680 --> 00:19:27.620 the same thing here. 00:19:28.579 --> 00:19:29.340 You've got people 00:19:29.340 --> 00:19:30.759 who feel he's very popular, 00:19:31.480 --> 00:19:32.700 who feel he's someone 00:19:32.700 --> 00:19:33.720 really to be admired 00:19:33.720 --> 00:19:34.700 and looked up to. 00:19:35.140 --> 00:19:35.819 You've got others 00:19:35.819 --> 00:19:36.259 who are wanting 00:19:36.259 --> 00:19:37.819 to find out more about him. 00:19:38.539 --> 00:19:39.620 And Jesus says, 00:19:40.160 --> 00:19:41.539 if you follow me, 00:19:41.740 --> 00:19:43.640 it will be difficult. 00:19:44.779 --> 00:19:46.140 Don't come expecting 00:19:46.140 --> 00:19:46.980 just to be part 00:19:46.980 --> 00:19:48.319 of a victorious army 00:19:48.319 --> 00:19:49.939 that will sweep the land 00:19:49.939 --> 00:19:51.460 and will get rid 00:19:51.460 --> 00:19:52.339 of all the Romans. 00:19:52.799 --> 00:19:54.079 If you follow me, 00:19:54.179 --> 00:19:55.319 you have to be willing 00:19:55.319 --> 00:19:57.099 to make sacrifices. 00:19:58.539 --> 00:20:00.079 I think that's a very good lesson 00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:01.579 for us as well. 00:20:02.399 --> 00:20:03.480 If we're Christians, 00:20:03.599 --> 00:20:04.259 if we believe 00:20:04.259 --> 00:20:05.200 in the Lord Jesus, 00:20:05.639 --> 00:20:07.159 we need to be willing 00:20:07.159 --> 00:20:08.480 to make sacrifices 00:20:08.480 --> 00:20:09.720 for him. 00:20:11.299 --> 00:20:12.299 Often when we think 00:20:12.299 --> 00:20:13.399 about Christian service 00:20:13.399 --> 00:20:14.299 and we talk to people, 00:20:14.419 --> 00:20:15.000 and if you become 00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:15.799 a new member of the church, 00:20:15.859 --> 00:20:16.319 we talk to you 00:20:16.319 --> 00:20:17.319 about how you can serve. 00:20:17.319 --> 00:20:18.740 Often we think about 00:20:18.740 --> 00:20:19.460 what are the things 00:20:19.460 --> 00:20:20.659 people will enjoy? 00:20:20.980 --> 00:20:21.679 What are the things 00:20:21.679 --> 00:20:22.659 they're good at? 00:20:22.899 --> 00:20:23.819 These are the things 00:20:23.819 --> 00:20:25.659 that we'll ask them to do. 00:20:25.720 --> 00:20:26.279 And quite right, 00:20:26.439 --> 00:20:27.079 we want people 00:20:27.079 --> 00:20:28.359 to enjoy their service. 00:20:28.759 --> 00:20:30.119 We want them to do things 00:20:30.119 --> 00:20:32.119 they're really gifted for. 00:20:33.019 --> 00:20:35.019 But not all Christian service 00:20:35.019 --> 00:20:36.079 is like that. 00:20:36.919 --> 00:20:37.919 And in our service, 00:20:38.059 --> 00:20:38.819 there will be times 00:20:38.819 --> 00:20:39.559 when there are things 00:20:39.559 --> 00:20:40.839 that are really hard 00:20:40.839 --> 00:20:43.159 that God calls us to do. 00:20:43.700 --> 00:20:44.619 And like Jesus, 00:20:44.619 --> 00:20:46.119 we need to be willing 00:20:46.119 --> 00:20:47.239 to do them. 00:20:48.899 --> 00:20:50.179 I talk frequently 00:20:50.179 --> 00:20:51.000 and I don't apologise 00:20:51.000 --> 00:20:52.199 for it about my grandparents. 00:20:52.299 --> 00:20:52.699 My grandparents 00:20:52.699 --> 00:20:53.819 were missionaries in India. 00:20:54.500 --> 00:20:56.859 And one of the yearly events 00:20:56.859 --> 00:20:57.939 of the missionaries in India 00:20:57.939 --> 00:20:59.239 was a festival 00:20:59.239 --> 00:21:00.279 at a place called 00:21:00.279 --> 00:21:01.339 Antarvedi. 00:21:01.799 --> 00:21:02.779 It was just a few miles 00:21:02.779 --> 00:21:03.179 from there 00:21:03.179 --> 00:21:04.359 where they were working. 00:21:04.819 --> 00:21:05.799 And it was a massive 00:21:05.799 --> 00:21:06.699 Hindu festival. 00:21:06.839 --> 00:21:07.679 But a quarter million 00:21:07.679 --> 00:21:09.259 or more Hindu people 00:21:09.259 --> 00:21:10.119 used to come 00:21:10.119 --> 00:21:10.699 on pilgrimage 00:21:10.699 --> 00:21:11.919 every year. 00:21:11.920 --> 00:21:13.900 And they came to bathe 00:21:13.900 --> 00:21:15.400 at the junction 00:21:15.400 --> 00:21:17.019 where the Godafri River 00:21:17.019 --> 00:21:18.940 flows into the Bay of Bengal 00:21:18.940 --> 00:21:20.160 to bathe, I think, 00:21:20.259 --> 00:21:22.259 for washing away of sins. 00:21:22.519 --> 00:21:23.660 But it was a huge event 00:21:23.660 --> 00:21:25.700 and a real festive atmosphere 00:21:25.700 --> 00:21:26.440 and there were stalls 00:21:26.440 --> 00:21:27.860 and all sorts of things there. 00:21:28.700 --> 00:21:29.380 And the missionaries 00:21:29.380 --> 00:21:30.620 used to go every year 00:21:30.620 --> 00:21:32.200 and they would stand 00:21:32.200 --> 00:21:33.440 and they would hand out tracts, 00:21:33.539 --> 00:21:34.680 they would sell gospels 00:21:34.680 --> 00:21:36.039 and they would talk to people 00:21:36.039 --> 00:21:37.420 who were willing to listen. 00:21:38.320 --> 00:21:39.440 And more often than not, 00:21:39.440 --> 00:21:41.740 they had a really hard time. 00:21:42.840 --> 00:21:45.059 People would shout abuse at them 00:21:45.059 --> 00:21:46.360 and sometimes they would 00:21:46.360 --> 00:21:46.880 throw things 00:21:46.880 --> 00:21:48.019 and it was only the rubbish 00:21:48.019 --> 00:21:48.840 the missionaries feel 00:21:48.840 --> 00:21:50.660 they got off fairly lightly. 00:21:51.380 --> 00:21:52.240 I was struck by something 00:21:52.240 --> 00:21:53.480 that one of the missionaries 00:21:53.480 --> 00:21:54.380 wrote about this. 00:21:54.960 --> 00:21:55.380 He says, 00:21:55.500 --> 00:21:56.720 we attend in fear 00:21:56.720 --> 00:21:59.279 and shall be very glad 00:21:59.279 --> 00:22:00.080 when it's over 00:22:00.080 --> 00:22:01.360 kind of feeling. 00:22:02.200 --> 00:22:03.440 It was something they felt 00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:05.240 was God's will for them to do. 00:22:05.320 --> 00:22:06.820 It was the right thing to do. 00:22:07.220 --> 00:22:08.480 But it was really difficult. 00:22:08.480 --> 00:22:09.799 They didn't look forward to it. 00:22:09.819 --> 00:22:10.940 They didn't enjoy it. 00:22:11.120 --> 00:22:12.319 But they had the satisfaction, 00:22:12.460 --> 00:22:12.680 I'm sure, 00:22:12.759 --> 00:22:13.380 looking back, 00:22:13.620 --> 00:22:14.940 of knowing that they had done 00:22:14.940 --> 00:22:17.220 what they thought was right. 00:22:18.099 --> 00:22:18.880 And for us too, 00:22:19.319 --> 00:22:20.500 there may be situations 00:22:20.500 --> 00:22:22.240 which are really hard for us. 00:22:22.779 --> 00:22:24.120 Perhaps when we put somewhere 00:22:24.120 --> 00:22:25.980 where people are not sympathetic 00:22:25.980 --> 00:22:26.920 to Christians 00:22:26.920 --> 00:22:29.400 and we need to let people know 00:22:29.400 --> 00:22:30.500 who we believe in 00:22:30.500 --> 00:22:32.500 and what we stand for. 00:22:32.920 --> 00:22:34.200 And that can be really, 00:22:34.559 --> 00:22:35.839 really difficult. 00:22:35.839 --> 00:22:38.220 And yet we can know 00:22:38.220 --> 00:22:39.619 that Jesus has been through 00:22:39.619 --> 00:22:40.459 something much, 00:22:40.579 --> 00:22:41.359 much more difficult 00:22:41.359 --> 00:22:42.759 than we ever will. 00:22:43.299 --> 00:22:44.599 And that when we face 00:22:44.599 --> 00:22:45.379 these things, 00:22:45.799 --> 00:22:47.519 he will be with us. 00:22:48.339 --> 00:22:49.419 We are the grains 00:22:49.419 --> 00:22:50.619 of wheat 00:22:50.619 --> 00:22:52.399 that need to be willing 00:22:52.399 --> 00:22:53.959 to sacrifice ourselves 00:22:53.959 --> 00:22:56.379 for the great harvest 00:22:56.379 --> 00:22:58.699 that can come from it. 00:23:01.240 --> 00:23:01.720 Finally, 00:23:01.799 --> 00:23:02.500 just very briefly, 00:23:02.619 --> 00:23:03.659 let's look at the last 00:23:03.659 --> 00:23:04.639 couple of verses. 00:23:04.640 --> 00:23:07.080 Verses 35 and 36. 00:23:07.360 --> 00:23:08.160 Jesus told them, 00:23:08.259 --> 00:23:09.340 you're going to have the light 00:23:09.340 --> 00:23:10.700 just a little while longer. 00:23:11.660 --> 00:23:12.980 Walk while you have the light 00:23:12.980 --> 00:23:14.980 before darkness overtakes you. 00:23:16.380 --> 00:23:17.500 The theme of light 00:23:17.500 --> 00:23:18.480 is one that we get 00:23:18.480 --> 00:23:19.700 throughout John's Gospel. 00:23:20.520 --> 00:23:21.600 I think as we come 00:23:21.600 --> 00:23:22.340 to the end 00:23:22.340 --> 00:23:23.920 of Jesus' public ministry, 00:23:24.540 --> 00:23:25.780 John is very deliberately 00:23:25.780 --> 00:23:26.620 reminding us 00:23:26.620 --> 00:23:27.740 of the very start 00:23:27.740 --> 00:23:28.900 of his Gospel. 00:23:28.900 --> 00:23:30.700 where John says 00:23:30.700 --> 00:23:32.600 the light came into the world 00:23:32.600 --> 00:23:34.860 and the darkness, 00:23:35.340 --> 00:23:36.340 now shone in darkness, 00:23:36.560 --> 00:23:37.240 and the darkness 00:23:37.240 --> 00:23:39.400 could not overcome it. 00:23:40.259 --> 00:23:41.840 Then we have chapters 8 and 9 00:23:41.840 --> 00:23:43.000 where Jesus talks about 00:23:43.000 --> 00:23:44.240 being the light 00:23:44.240 --> 00:23:45.200 of the world. 00:23:45.280 --> 00:23:46.300 We have that great miracle 00:23:46.300 --> 00:23:48.320 where he gives the blind man 00:23:48.320 --> 00:23:50.060 back his sight. 00:23:51.060 --> 00:23:51.880 And now at the end 00:23:51.880 --> 00:23:53.120 of his public ministry, 00:23:53.820 --> 00:23:55.280 Jesus gives a very 00:23:55.280 --> 00:23:56.820 stern warning. 00:23:56.819 --> 00:23:58.099 He says, 00:23:58.159 --> 00:23:58.899 you've had the light. 00:23:59.480 --> 00:24:00.579 I've been with you. 00:24:01.099 --> 00:24:02.019 You've had the opportunity 00:24:02.019 --> 00:24:03.079 to believe 00:24:03.079 --> 00:24:05.439 and to follow me. 00:24:06.200 --> 00:24:07.079 And that opportunity 00:24:07.079 --> 00:24:09.279 is about to go. 00:24:09.740 --> 00:24:11.019 I won't be here 00:24:11.019 --> 00:24:12.899 very much longer. 00:24:13.619 --> 00:24:15.619 What is your response 00:24:15.619 --> 00:24:16.579 to that? 00:24:17.179 --> 00:24:18.240 Will you believe 00:24:18.240 --> 00:24:18.939 in the light 00:24:18.939 --> 00:24:20.359 while you still have time? 00:24:20.960 --> 00:24:22.220 Or will you choose 00:24:22.220 --> 00:24:23.559 still to walk in darkness 00:24:23.559 --> 00:24:24.919 and to walk 00:24:24.919 --> 00:24:27.139 in your own way? 00:24:28.139 --> 00:24:29.359 If you have the light, 00:24:29.440 --> 00:24:30.220 you can live life 00:24:30.220 --> 00:24:30.899 with a purpose. 00:24:31.480 --> 00:24:32.119 You can see 00:24:32.119 --> 00:24:32.980 where you're going. 00:24:33.099 --> 00:24:33.460 You can see 00:24:33.460 --> 00:24:34.480 what the right thing 00:24:34.480 --> 00:24:35.619 is to do. 00:24:36.279 --> 00:24:37.200 If you're walking 00:24:37.200 --> 00:24:37.899 in darkness, 00:24:38.059 --> 00:24:39.099 then life does become 00:24:39.099 --> 00:24:40.200 a bit aimless 00:24:40.200 --> 00:24:40.919 like we were thinking 00:24:40.919 --> 00:24:41.940 about at the beginning. 00:24:42.659 --> 00:24:43.799 Only in the light 00:24:43.799 --> 00:24:45.179 is there true 00:24:45.179 --> 00:24:46.119 fulfillment. 00:24:46.119 --> 00:24:49.039 Now, we're not 00:24:49.039 --> 00:24:50.319 in an identical situation. 00:24:51.099 --> 00:24:52.119 Jesus hasn't been 00:24:52.119 --> 00:24:54.059 physically among us. 00:24:54.719 --> 00:24:55.979 But in many ways, 00:24:56.179 --> 00:24:57.639 it's very similar. 00:24:58.659 --> 00:25:00.139 The call still comes 00:25:00.139 --> 00:25:02.119 to walk in the light. 00:25:03.019 --> 00:25:04.099 To look at Jesus 00:25:04.099 --> 00:25:06.000 and to see in him 00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:08.039 everything that we should be 00:25:08.039 --> 00:25:10.599 and to take his guidance 00:25:10.599 --> 00:25:11.500 through the Spirit 00:25:11.500 --> 00:25:14.039 about how we should live. 00:25:14.039 --> 00:25:15.859 And for all of us, 00:25:15.920 --> 00:25:16.859 there will come a time 00:25:16.859 --> 00:25:18.399 when that's no longer 00:25:18.399 --> 00:25:19.240 possible. 00:25:19.960 --> 00:25:20.619 We don't know 00:25:20.619 --> 00:25:21.740 how long we've got 00:25:21.740 --> 00:25:23.099 in this world. 00:25:23.740 --> 00:25:25.099 And it's really important 00:25:25.099 --> 00:25:26.039 while we have 00:25:26.039 --> 00:25:26.899 the opportunity 00:25:26.899 --> 00:25:28.779 to trust in Jesus, 00:25:29.579 --> 00:25:31.240 to accept forgiveness 00:25:31.240 --> 00:25:32.399 through him, 00:25:32.859 --> 00:25:34.379 and to live lives 00:25:34.379 --> 00:25:35.859 that are obedient to him, 00:25:35.920 --> 00:25:36.559 that are walked 00:25:36.559 --> 00:25:37.659 in the light, 00:25:38.200 --> 00:25:38.879 that are walked 00:25:38.879 --> 00:25:39.680 the way 00:25:39.680 --> 00:25:40.599 that Jesus 00:25:40.599 --> 00:25:41.759 walked. 00:25:42.619 --> 00:25:43.700 Let's all make sure 00:25:43.700 --> 00:25:45.420 that we do live 00:25:45.420 --> 00:25:46.480 in the light 00:25:46.480 --> 00:25:47.740 of Jesus. 00:25:49.380 --> 00:25:50.500 Let me end by going back 00:25:50.500 --> 00:25:50.920 to where we were 00:25:50.920 --> 00:25:51.440 at the beginning 00:25:51.440 --> 00:25:53.440 and talking about purpose. 00:25:54.240 --> 00:25:55.200 One of the most 00:25:55.200 --> 00:25:56.660 influential Christian books 00:25:56.660 --> 00:25:57.620 of this century 00:25:57.620 --> 00:25:59.460 was by Rick Warren 00:25:59.460 --> 00:26:01.319 from Saddleback Church 00:26:01.319 --> 00:26:02.140 in California 00:26:02.140 --> 00:26:03.039 called 00:26:03.039 --> 00:26:05.059 The Purpose Driven Life. 00:26:06.180 --> 00:26:06.660 And Rick Warren 00:26:06.660 --> 00:26:08.000 identifies five 00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:09.299 particular purposes 00:26:09.299 --> 00:26:10.980 that each Christian 00:26:10.980 --> 00:26:11.620 should have. 00:26:11.619 --> 00:26:12.419 and they're very much 00:26:12.419 --> 00:26:13.279 connected 00:26:13.279 --> 00:26:14.899 and not surprisingly 00:26:14.899 --> 00:26:16.059 with the kind of purposes 00:26:16.059 --> 00:26:17.039 that we as a church 00:26:17.039 --> 00:26:17.819 would have, 00:26:17.899 --> 00:26:18.539 the priorities 00:26:18.539 --> 00:26:19.959 that we would give. 00:26:20.959 --> 00:26:21.659 And the challenge 00:26:21.659 --> 00:26:22.159 for us 00:26:22.159 --> 00:26:23.079 if we're Christians 00:26:23.079 --> 00:26:24.039 is 00:26:24.039 --> 00:26:25.279 do we fulfil 00:26:25.279 --> 00:26:26.319 all 00:26:26.319 --> 00:26:27.500 these purposes? 00:26:28.299 --> 00:26:29.139 Or are there some 00:26:29.139 --> 00:26:29.959 where we think 00:26:29.959 --> 00:26:30.819 yes, that's quite good 00:26:30.819 --> 00:26:31.139 and others 00:26:31.139 --> 00:26:32.519 we're not really 00:26:32.519 --> 00:26:34.279 taking heed of? 00:26:34.459 --> 00:26:35.279 So the five purposes 00:26:35.279 --> 00:26:36.399 I've paraphrased slightly. 00:26:36.799 --> 00:26:38.119 We want to worship God. 00:26:38.119 --> 00:26:38.959 We want to recognise 00:26:38.959 --> 00:26:40.459 the greatness of our God 00:26:40.459 --> 00:26:41.659 and to bring to him 00:26:41.659 --> 00:26:42.319 the worship 00:26:42.319 --> 00:26:43.699 of our voices 00:26:43.699 --> 00:26:44.399 but the worship 00:26:44.399 --> 00:26:45.299 of our lives 00:26:45.299 --> 00:26:46.299 as well. 00:26:46.859 --> 00:26:48.199 We want to love others. 00:26:48.799 --> 00:26:49.919 We want to show 00:26:49.919 --> 00:26:51.319 the love that Christ had 00:26:51.319 --> 00:26:52.539 to everyone 00:26:52.539 --> 00:26:53.759 round about us 00:26:53.759 --> 00:26:54.679 and to do it 00:26:54.679 --> 00:26:55.899 unselfishly. 00:26:55.979 --> 00:26:57.139 To look for the interests 00:26:57.139 --> 00:26:57.859 of others 00:26:57.859 --> 00:26:59.039 rather than 00:26:59.039 --> 00:27:00.599 our own interests. 00:27:01.559 --> 00:27:02.619 We want to become 00:27:02.619 --> 00:27:03.579 like Jesus. 00:27:03.699 --> 00:27:04.379 That's what we call 00:27:04.379 --> 00:27:05.259 discipleship. 00:27:05.599 --> 00:27:06.619 Becoming like Jesus 00:27:06.619 --> 00:27:07.859 and following 00:27:07.859 --> 00:27:09.019 his example. 00:27:09.899 --> 00:27:11.059 We want to serve God 00:27:11.059 --> 00:27:12.279 serve him in the church 00:27:12.279 --> 00:27:13.359 and serve him 00:27:13.359 --> 00:27:14.659 among one another. 00:27:15.359 --> 00:27:16.419 And we want to reach out 00:27:16.419 --> 00:27:17.319 we want to witness 00:27:17.319 --> 00:27:17.939 to others 00:27:17.939 --> 00:27:19.059 to tell them 00:27:19.059 --> 00:27:20.599 about Jesus. 00:27:21.819 --> 00:27:22.679 Are these not 00:27:22.679 --> 00:27:24.339 five great purposes 00:27:24.339 --> 00:27:25.979 for us to have? 00:27:26.679 --> 00:27:27.659 Life is not 00:27:27.659 --> 00:27:28.319 meaningless. 00:27:29.299 --> 00:27:30.239 Life is not 00:27:30.239 --> 00:27:31.079 pointless. 00:27:32.119 --> 00:27:33.019 Life that is 00:27:33.019 --> 00:27:33.819 truly lived 00:27:33.819 --> 00:27:34.599 to the full 00:27:34.599 --> 00:27:35.980 it is life 00:27:35.980 --> 00:27:36.519 that seeks 00:27:36.519 --> 00:27:37.819 to glorify God 00:27:37.819 --> 00:27:39.079 as Jesus did 00:27:39.079 --> 00:27:40.139 in everything 00:27:40.139 --> 00:27:41.339 we do. 00:27:41.919 --> 00:27:42.659 And that's reflected 00:27:42.659 --> 00:27:43.379 by our attitude 00:27:43.379 --> 00:27:44.039 to God 00:27:44.039 --> 00:27:44.659 our relationship 00:27:44.659 --> 00:27:45.339 with him 00:27:45.339 --> 00:27:46.399 it's reflecting 00:27:46.399 --> 00:27:47.179 our relationships 00:27:47.179 --> 00:27:48.559 with one another 00:27:48.559 --> 00:27:50.059 and it's reflected 00:27:50.059 --> 00:27:51.079 in our relationships 00:27:51.079 --> 00:27:51.639 with those 00:27:51.639 --> 00:27:52.480 who don't yet know 00:27:52.480 --> 00:27:53.219 the Lord Jesus 00:27:53.219 --> 00:27:54.619 as we would seek 00:27:54.619 --> 00:27:55.339 to witness 00:27:55.339 --> 00:27:56.399 to them. 00:27:57.059 --> 00:27:58.339 Let's live life 00:27:58.339 --> 00:27:59.579 with a purpose. 00:28:00.079 --> 00:28:00.500 Make sure 00:28:00.500 --> 00:28:01.119 that we know 00:28:01.119 --> 00:28:01.539 Jesus 00:28:01.539 --> 00:28:03.099 as our saviour 00:28:03.099 --> 00:28:04.079 but also 00:28:04.079 --> 00:28:04.879 that we follow 00:28:04.879 --> 00:28:05.279 him 00:28:05.279 --> 00:28:06.619 as our Lord. 00:28:07.000 --> 00:28:07.759 Let's pray together. 00:28:09.500 --> 00:28:10.379 Father we thank you 00:28:10.379 --> 00:28:10.819 for your word 00:28:10.819 --> 00:28:11.240 this morning. 00:28:11.379 --> 00:28:12.039 Thank you for the 00:28:12.039 --> 00:28:12.920 challenge that Jesus 00:28:12.920 --> 00:28:13.720 brings us 00:28:13.720 --> 00:28:15.059 that we should be 00:28:15.059 --> 00:28:15.680 like him 00:28:15.680 --> 00:28:17.220 that we should be 00:28:17.220 --> 00:28:17.920 willing to give 00:28:17.920 --> 00:28:18.960 our lives 00:28:18.960 --> 00:28:20.240 for your glory. 00:28:20.700 --> 00:28:21.180 And we thank you 00:28:21.180 --> 00:28:21.980 for the tremendous 00:28:21.980 --> 00:28:23.099 example he sets 00:28:23.099 --> 00:28:23.839 and particularly 00:28:23.839 --> 00:28:25.019 for his death 00:28:25.019 --> 00:28:25.579 on the cross 00:28:25.579 --> 00:28:26.680 that great purpose 00:28:26.680 --> 00:28:27.500 for which he came 00:28:27.500 --> 00:28:28.259 into the world 00:28:28.259 --> 00:28:29.420 that hour 00:28:29.420 --> 00:28:30.200 that was always 00:28:30.200 --> 00:28:31.080 in his mind 00:28:31.080 --> 00:28:32.180 as he went 00:28:32.180 --> 00:28:32.660 around 00:28:32.660 --> 00:28:34.039 and that hour 00:28:34.039 --> 00:28:35.440 when he took 00:28:35.440 --> 00:28:36.140 on himself 00:28:36.140 --> 00:28:37.440 our sins 00:28:37.440 --> 00:28:38.660 and the punishment 00:28:38.660 --> 00:28:40.140 that we deserve. 00:28:40.640 --> 00:28:41.519 We thank you for him 00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:42.420 and pray that all of us 00:28:42.420 --> 00:28:43.319 will put our trust 00:28:43.319 --> 00:28:43.779 in him 00:28:43.779 --> 00:28:44.940 and will choose 00:28:44.940 --> 00:28:45.840 to follow him 00:28:45.840 --> 00:28:47.160 and to enjoy 00:28:47.160 --> 00:28:48.140 real purpose 00:28:48.140 --> 00:28:49.460 in our lives. 00:28:50.080 --> 00:28:51.100 We give you our thanks 00:28:51.100 --> 00:28:51.940 and we commit ourselves 00:28:51.940 --> 00:28:52.620 to you now 00:28:52.620 --> 00:28:53.880 in Jesus name. 00:28:54.840 --> 00:28:55.160 Amen.