WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.360 Good morning. Oh, that's good. Good morning. It's not bad. It's not bad. I'm just going 00:00:07.360 --> 00:00:17.140 to move this up because I'm a little bit taller. Great. It's great to see you this morning. 00:00:17.359 --> 00:00:22.359 Welcome if this is your first time at Watermark. If you've been here since like the beginning 00:00:22.359 --> 00:00:29.980 of time, it's just great to see you. My name's Chris. I'm a teaching pastor here. And I'm 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:34.500 this morning. We're kind of going, continuing our series, looking at the book of Acts. And 00:00:34.500 --> 00:00:41.079 I have to just make a real kind of confession to you this morning because I found this passage 00:00:41.079 --> 00:00:47.280 actually really difficult to know what to say. Not because there isn't a lot to say. In fact, 00:00:47.460 --> 00:00:53.100 there are so many things to say in this passage. Like normally when I'm getting to prepare something, 00:00:53.260 --> 00:00:58.120 I've kind of thought about what I'm really going to say. And it's just kind of sitting for a while. 00:00:58.119 --> 00:01:02.780 And, you know, I really feel I know where I'm going. And I was sitting last night and just kind 00:01:02.780 --> 00:01:06.299 of, I had about a thousand different ideas going through my mind. I'm thinking, God, 00:01:06.379 --> 00:01:13.479 what on earth do you want to say? So, and you know, Kevin's going to come next week and he's 00:01:13.479 --> 00:01:18.799 going to look on a similar kind of passage. And I think I don't want to steal his thunder either. 00:01:19.140 --> 00:01:23.819 And I'm kind of going through this. And I woke up this morning and I just felt God kind of say to me, 00:01:23.819 --> 00:01:30.699 wind, fire, rain. And I'm from Britain. That tells me like weather cycle, you know, but, 00:01:31.219 --> 00:01:37.679 but, um, uh, so that's what we're going to talk about this morning. Wind, fire, rain. Okay. Um, 00:01:37.959 --> 00:01:41.519 and I don't even know precisely where we're going to go. I don't know where we're going to end up 00:01:41.519 --> 00:01:46.560 fully with this. Um, but I think I'd just love you to pray for me as we, as we go through this, 00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:52.280 because I feel this is a passage that we really need as a church. I need this passage. And I think 00:01:52.280 --> 00:01:59.439 God really wants to speak through this passage to us as a church in a way, which really does help us 00:01:59.439 --> 00:02:08.340 to see something of who Jesus wants us to be as his church, us to be as his followers so that we 00:02:08.340 --> 00:02:16.280 don't have what I call a, a pocket size Jesus, you know, a kind of Jesus who just kind of fits in 00:02:16.280 --> 00:02:20.640 conveniently into your schedule and you can kind of bring him out when it's handy, but you know, 00:02:20.680 --> 00:02:26.879 he doesn't really disturb your life too much. And so I just love us to pray, pray right now and 00:02:26.879 --> 00:02:30.539 pray for God to really speak to us. 00:02:35.259 --> 00:02:46.039 Father, you're an awesome God. We stand in awe of your grace and of your mercy and of your goodness 00:02:46.039 --> 00:02:51.659 and of your kindness and of your love. And I pray this morning you would just 00:02:51.659 --> 00:02:58.659 with feeble words, just help me to articulate something of what you're wanting to show us 00:02:58.659 --> 00:03:04.599 in the birthday of the church of something about what it means for us to come and be your people. 00:03:05.739 --> 00:03:11.319 Please just kind of take away anything which is just, um, yeah, we just don't need to hear and 00:03:11.319 --> 00:03:17.319 just speak what you want to hear into our hearts, Lord. Open our eyes, open our ears to hear you. 00:03:17.699 --> 00:03:29.519 In Jesus' name. Amen. So, I'm going to leave that up here. Um, so if you have your passage with you, 00:03:29.520 --> 00:03:36.100 um, we're going to, we're going to look at wind, fire, rain this morning, uh, and then have a, um, 00:03:36.900 --> 00:03:45.280 uh, uh, something of application at the end. But, um, the way I want to do it is, um, Fiona and I, 00:03:46.100 --> 00:03:51.280 probably a little while ago, we, we, outside our flat, I suddenly discovered that there was, 00:03:51.500 --> 00:03:56.740 somebody had put out a whole load of seasons of 24. I don't know if anyone ever watched 24. 00:03:56.740 --> 00:04:01.780 It looks like kind of back in the dark ages. Anyone ever seen 24? You know, it's just, yes, 00:04:01.879 --> 00:04:07.219 a few of you. Well, so someone put like all the whole series, like outside to throw away. 00:04:07.780 --> 00:04:13.020 And so I thought, well, I haven't seen it, so might as well. I, I, I picked it up and I, and I took it. 00:04:13.160 --> 00:04:17.800 And like a couple of nights ago, we were going to go and watch it. And, um, we opened up the box 00:04:17.800 --> 00:04:22.540 and I was going to watch it. And then suddenly I realized that the, the, the, the DVD I was putting 00:04:22.540 --> 00:04:31.140 in was actually episode two and there was no episode one. And, um, and so we kind of started 00:04:31.140 --> 00:04:34.200 episode two. And it's always a little bit disappointing when you start episode two, 00:04:34.260 --> 00:04:37.020 because you're trying to work out what else going on, what's happened, who are these guys? 00:04:37.720 --> 00:04:44.759 And, and as we're looking in Acts, what you're going to see is Luke, who is writing the book of 00:04:44.759 --> 00:04:49.740 Acts and talking about the spread of the gospel as it's going through, how the church is birthed. 00:04:49.740 --> 00:04:56.620 Um, he's going to use some images, which actually, if you don't get what episode one was, which is 00:04:56.620 --> 00:05:01.420 the old Testament images, you're not going to get what, what he's really talking about, 00:05:01.480 --> 00:05:07.040 what he's trying to show us about what it means to be church. Okay. So, so as we think about some 00:05:07.040 --> 00:05:12.420 of the images of wind, fire, rain, I just want us to kind of go back a little bit and, and show you a 00:05:12.420 --> 00:05:16.960 little bit of the, the, the, the storyline of what the Bible is trying to tell us through some of 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:25.299 these, these pictures. So let's start off with, um, with wind. Okay. Remember in this passage, 00:05:25.799 --> 00:05:32.899 okay, what has happened previously is Jesus, the King has come. He's had a load of kind of proud 00:05:32.899 --> 00:05:37.959 followers who wanted all their own kingdom, reserved with their own agendas, but, but he brought them 00:05:37.959 --> 00:05:44.120 together. Jesus died for their sins. He raised again. He, he came back, he met his disciples and 00:05:44.120 --> 00:05:48.920 he said, I'm going to send you out to be my witnesses. Where's he going to send them to? 00:05:51.420 --> 00:05:56.819 This is a test. Okay. This is kind of audience feedback. Okay. So where's the first place to 00:05:56.819 --> 00:06:03.540 Jerusalem? Okay, good. We said that's kind of like Poc Fulam. Okay. And then what's the next place? 00:06:04.579 --> 00:06:10.100 Judea. That's kind of Hong Kong Island. Okay. And then the next place, Samaria. That's kind of 00:06:10.100 --> 00:06:17.500 the dark side of Kowloon and new territories. Okay. And then to the ends of the earth. That's like 00:06:17.500 --> 00:06:23.480 kind of everywhere else. Okay. That's a pretty big term. That's what he said. And then he ascends 00:06:23.480 --> 00:06:31.360 into heaven and he says, just wait for my power to come upon you. Okay. And 10 days after his 00:06:31.360 --> 00:06:38.420 ascension, it's Pentecost. Pentecost, the word means 50 in Greek, because it comes 50 days after the 00:06:38.420 --> 00:06:42.560 Passover, which is a celebration. You know, we Dutched on communion, the celebration of God's 00:06:42.560 --> 00:06:50.939 salvation, which is interesting. Jesus dies at the Passover. Okay. And 50 days after Pentecost was the 00:06:50.939 --> 00:06:55.900 celebration of the beginning of the wheat harvest, the gathering in of the wheat harvest. 00:06:57.340 --> 00:07:01.840 And what you have here, you have all these different people. It's kind of a pilgrimage 00:07:01.839 --> 00:07:08.799 festival. So all these people from all around the nations come to Jerusalem to celebrate this 00:07:08.799 --> 00:07:14.739 festival. You know, it's like if you've ever seen Muslims going to Mecca or people who are in the 00:07:14.739 --> 00:07:19.659 arc team going to Dragon Boat. You know, there's all these people just gather at the Dragon Boat 00:07:19.659 --> 00:07:24.079 Festival. They're all going there. And what you have at this time, there's probably at least two 00:07:24.079 --> 00:07:30.799 million devout Jews in this city going to the house of God to offer sacrifices at the temple 00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:38.720 because that's where they thought God's presence was. But they're continuing their religion. So all 00:07:38.720 --> 00:07:42.780 these Jewish people, they're heading down this direction. It's kind of festival. They're hanging 00:07:42.780 --> 00:07:47.939 out. And then there's another house, which is just kind of nearby the temple. And there's this little 00:07:47.939 --> 00:07:57.879 community of small Jesus followers there. And they're waiting. They're waiting for Jesus to come and give 00:07:57.879 --> 00:08:06.759 them what He's promised. Anyone like waiting? Anyone kind of like, yeah, I just want to spend the whole 00:08:06.759 --> 00:08:13.839 of my life waiting? Isn't waiting just one of the hardest things to do in the world? I don't know about 00:08:13.839 --> 00:08:17.819 any of you, but I don't know if you've got things that you want to see happening in your family, 00:08:18.019 --> 00:08:25.019 in your job, in your health, in your life. And you're just kind of like, I'm waiting for something to 00:08:25.019 --> 00:08:32.299 change. I'm waiting. And you don't know how long it's going to be or what the result is. 00:08:33.579 --> 00:08:40.220 And it's like, we feel so insecure when we have to wait, right? You know, it's like when you, if you've 00:08:40.220 --> 00:08:44.220 ever been to an ice rink and the first time you've gone out skating on the rink and someone kind of 00:08:44.220 --> 00:08:48.759 pushes you in the middle of the rink and you're desperately trying to hold on to the side because 00:08:48.759 --> 00:08:52.000 you don't want to kind of go out because you feel out of control when you're in the middle, right? 00:08:52.000 --> 00:08:59.059 Waiting is a bit like that. It takes away everything that you hold on to. And waiting is actually God's 00:08:59.059 --> 00:09:03.720 preparation time for you to realize you're not in control. The only place you can turn to is God. 00:09:04.259 --> 00:09:08.700 That's what he wants to do when we have to wait. That's what the disciples are doing. They're waiting 00:09:08.700 --> 00:09:12.320 saying, God, you need to show up here because we're going to look pretty stupid if we're just in this 00:09:12.320 --> 00:09:18.259 house for a little bit longer. And they're praying. And as they're praying, 00:09:18.259 --> 00:09:30.620 it says, there was a sound coming from heaven of a mighty rushing wind. Typhoon number 50 00:09:30.620 --> 00:09:45.259 comes in from heaven. Straight in, okay? Now, that's not really normal, okay? Doesn't normally happen in 00:09:45.259 --> 00:09:50.779 your house. What is going on here? What do you got to realize? Let's go back in the story to episode 00:09:50.779 --> 00:09:59.860 one. New Old Testament. In the beginning, God is the king on the throne of heaven and he creates 00:09:59.860 --> 00:10:04.899 everything through his spirit. He creates a man and a woman. And do you know what he does? He 00:10:04.899 --> 00:10:13.439 breathes into them and they come to life. That word for breath in Hebrew is the word ruach. 00:10:14.539 --> 00:10:20.980 It's the same word that is the word used for spirit. It is the same word which is used for wind. 00:10:21.679 --> 00:10:30.419 Because in the Old Testament, God's ruach is what his energizing presence, which brings life, 00:10:30.419 --> 00:10:38.979 when before there was death. That's what his ruach does. It's his presence, which is energizing and 00:10:38.979 --> 00:10:47.439 giving you life, okay? Now, the story continues that humans kind of thought, okay, now we're alive. 00:10:47.599 --> 00:10:53.799 We can kind of get rid of God, dethrone him, set ourselves up as God, and we can basically run the 00:10:53.799 --> 00:11:01.240 world we want and kind of come to God whenever we want him to come. You know, there's an old 1960s 00:11:01.240 --> 00:11:08.439 movie called Bedazzled. I don't know if anyone's seen it. It's about a famous business guy who 00:11:08.439 --> 00:11:14.219 basically sells his soul to the devil for seven wishes. And at one point, the businessman asks the 00:11:14.219 --> 00:11:22.599 devil, he says, what was it like before you got in trouble with God? Okay? And the devil says, 00:11:22.600 --> 00:11:29.480 okay, I'll show you. So he jumps up onto like a post box up like this. And he says, okay, now, 00:11:29.659 --> 00:11:33.700 now to the business guy, what I want you to do is to kind of just walk around me like this and say, 00:11:33.800 --> 00:11:37.180 you're wonderful. Thank you for everything. You're wonderful. You're wonderful. I love you. You're 00:11:37.180 --> 00:11:42.320 amazing. Okay? So the guy starts doing, oh, you're wonderful. You're amazing. You're great. You're 00:11:42.320 --> 00:11:46.820 good and everything. And then he says, oh, I'm getting rather tired of this. Do you want to come down 00:11:46.820 --> 00:11:52.300 and I'll sit up there? And the devil says, that's exactly what happened. Because when 00:11:52.299 --> 00:12:00.699 we took God off the throne, that's what we wanted to try and do. We wanted to dethrone him and put 00:12:00.699 --> 00:12:09.679 ourselves up in his place to be in control, to make ourselves great in our lives. And what happened 00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:18.199 was the life that God had given us in his presence, we got thrown out. And death came into life, 00:12:18.200 --> 00:12:24.900 into our lives. We broke down the relationship with God and his presence. We broke down actually 00:12:24.900 --> 00:12:32.259 the relationship even with each other. Because you know in life, there's only, the throne of our lives 00:12:32.259 --> 00:12:37.780 only has one seat. Did you know that? There's only one seat. And you know like it's getting on the MTR 00:12:37.780 --> 00:12:44.100 and there's only one seat left. And what happens? Everyone starts to fight for that one seat, 00:12:44.100 --> 00:12:49.480 right? Relationships break down when you're trying to fight for the throne in your marriage, when 00:12:49.480 --> 00:12:53.659 you're trying to fight for the throne in your workplace, when you're trying to fight for the 00:12:53.659 --> 00:12:58.580 throne in any kind of relationship. It leads to war, at least attention, at least all those different 00:12:58.580 --> 00:13:05.080 things. You know, most of my arguments with my wife, no, not most, all of my arguments with my wife 00:13:05.080 --> 00:13:09.560 are because I want to be on the throne, she wants to be on the throne, and somewhere in between, 00:13:09.559 --> 00:13:19.959 there's a problem. Because we can't both sit on it, right? And so, if you fast forward in the story 00:13:19.959 --> 00:13:27.639 to the book of Ezekiel, the book of Ezekiel gives a vision of what life is like when you've stopped 00:13:27.639 --> 00:13:34.539 relying on God's ruach and trusting him on the throne. And what you see is this valley filled with 00:13:34.539 --> 00:13:41.579 dry bones, scattered everywhere, like an army has come in and just devastated everything. And all that's 00:13:41.579 --> 00:13:51.179 left in the hot, dry sun are just these bones withering in the hot sun. No energy, no life, no power. 00:13:53.579 --> 00:14:00.740 You know, it's like, have you ever been sailing? I've only been sailing once, okay? And I got really 00:14:00.740 --> 00:14:05.539 excited. It was in our CG, a guy was going to take us out. We went out down to Middle Island, 00:14:05.539 --> 00:14:09.220 and we were going to go sailing. And I was kind of excited because I thought we were going to kind 00:14:09.220 --> 00:14:13.299 of rush out on the wind and everything. So, we get in the boat, I go up with this guy, I'm going into 00:14:13.299 --> 00:14:21.299 the middle of the sea, and there's no wind. And do you know how boring it is when there's no wind? 00:14:21.299 --> 00:14:33.379 You just sit and you don't move. And that is what life without the Spirit energizing you in your life 00:14:33.379 --> 00:14:42.079 is like. You know, if you are not a Christian, the Bible says you are like dry bones. 00:14:42.080 --> 00:14:51.879 Because you can have all the external appearance of looking like you're alive. You can have the 00:14:51.879 --> 00:14:57.580 appearance of looking like a sailor. But if you've got no wind in your sails, if you've got no breath 00:14:57.580 --> 00:15:06.540 of God in you, you're not going anywhere. You have no life before God in you. And do you know what? 00:15:06.539 --> 00:15:12.379 Corpses don't resurrect themselves. Did you know that? Corpses don't do CPR on themselves. 00:15:13.959 --> 00:15:18.279 But the Christian message, and what you begin to see with Ezekiel, 00:15:19.120 --> 00:15:24.360 is you need someone else to come and breathe life into you. 00:15:26.139 --> 00:15:31.799 And if you are not a Christian, what the Bible calls you to do is to repent, say, 00:15:31.799 --> 00:15:35.240 I want to get off the throne of my life. Jesus, I want you on the throne, 00:15:35.240 --> 00:15:41.659 and I'll come and breathe your life into me. And what you see in Ezekiel is God says to Ezekiel, 00:15:41.720 --> 00:15:47.799 I want you to prophesy. I want you to speak to these bones. And he does. 00:15:49.680 --> 00:15:53.379 And what happens is these bones, which are kind of all over the place, suddenly start 00:15:53.379 --> 00:16:00.460 kind of snapping together. You know, it's kind of Frankenstein-like or, I don't know, Walking Dead, 00:16:00.460 --> 00:16:05.500 whatever you like. But there's still corpses on the ground, but they're kind of now bodies. 00:16:06.780 --> 00:16:12.700 And then he says, prophesy again and prophesy breath into them, ruach into them. And do you 00:16:12.700 --> 00:16:18.100 know what happens? The wind comes in, it enters into them, and they stand up like a mighty army. 00:16:18.100 --> 00:16:24.200 And when you fast forward to Pentecost, 00:16:24.740 --> 00:16:34.060 when that mighty rushing wind comes in to the room, what is he saying? He's saying, 00:16:34.580 --> 00:16:40.000 in your own power, you are never going to be able to move in the Christian life by yourself. 00:16:40.800 --> 00:16:44.980 You know, there may be habits in your life you're wanting to change. There may be negative behaviors 00:16:44.980 --> 00:16:49.820 you want to move on. But you will never be able to by yourself because you need God's ruach 00:16:49.820 --> 00:16:55.879 to come in and empower you with his life, his energizing presence in your life. 00:16:58.440 --> 00:17:07.539 We need wind, not gas, wind. We need the church. It's not a church if it's just filled with programs, 00:17:08.059 --> 00:17:14.759 if it's just filled with kind of a great appearance. We're only a church if the Spirit of God 00:17:14.759 --> 00:17:20.099 dwells in us with his presence. That's what the church is. So wind. 00:17:21.940 --> 00:17:29.619 Then there are tongues of fire. Okay. Are you with me, Star? Good. 00:17:31.379 --> 00:17:38.519 Fire. Okay. It says, verse three, tongues, divided tongues of fire appeared to them and rested on each 00:17:38.519 --> 00:17:44.059 one of them. Okay? I mean, imagine, I can't imagine the scene. You know, it can't be great 00:17:44.059 --> 00:17:49.279 for your hairstyle if, you know, fire just starts coming down on your head. But it comes down and 00:17:49.279 --> 00:17:58.559 it divides on each person. And in the Old Testament, go back, fire you see all the time through the Old 00:17:58.559 --> 00:18:06.339 Testament. Fire symbolizes the holy presence of God. Not just the energizing presence of God, 00:18:06.339 --> 00:18:12.159 but the holy presence of God. You see, Moses sees a burning bush. And do you know what God says to him? 00:18:13.579 --> 00:18:21.439 Take off your shoes. Where you're standing is holy ground. Mount Sinai, where God gives the law. Do 00:18:21.439 --> 00:18:26.279 you know what happens? Fire comes down and he says, you can't come up to this mountain. You can't touch 00:18:26.279 --> 00:18:36.099 this because you're going to die. When the temple of God was inaugurated, fire comes down so nobody can 00:18:36.099 --> 00:18:46.159 enter it. Because our God is a consuming fire. His presence is holy. Now, I don't know if you've, 00:18:46.779 --> 00:18:50.199 I think we struggle with this. I think we struggle with this kind of idea because we, 00:18:50.279 --> 00:18:58.019 we don't really think of things which are awesome in our lives too often. You know, we use the word 00:18:58.019 --> 00:19:07.339 awesome for like a hamburger, you know. But when, and I've said this before, when my brother died, 00:19:08.339 --> 00:19:14.059 it was the most awesome moment of my life. And I mean that word in the real sense of the word. 00:19:15.660 --> 00:19:20.599 And I'm not trying to make anything morbid about it, but what I, when my brother died, 00:19:20.599 --> 00:19:32.459 I saw that life and the very breath that I have is not held in my hands. At any moment, 00:19:32.679 --> 00:19:42.439 God could pull the plug and life could drain out of me. My life is held in the hands of a God who 00:19:42.440 --> 00:19:54.019 created the whole universe. I am not in control of my life. And so, if this God who has the power to 00:19:54.019 --> 00:20:01.680 give life and the power to overthrow governments and the power to create galaxies and the power to 00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:07.620 change the stock market, you know, your job, do you realize your job is totally in the hands of God? 00:20:07.619 --> 00:20:14.399 Did you know that? He could click his fingers and you'd lose it tomorrow. Your very breath is in the 00:20:14.399 --> 00:20:25.359 hands of God. You could click your fingers and it would be gone tomorrow. That is awesome. Right? 00:20:26.979 --> 00:20:35.979 And so, when it says that God's fire comes down, his holy presence come down, this kind of God comes down 00:20:35.980 --> 00:20:44.839 to be with us, his people. I don't know when you come to Watermark. I just realized that 00:20:44.839 --> 00:20:53.360 I think we often forget what a privilege it is to be in God's presence. Right? You know, we kind of 00:20:53.360 --> 00:20:58.480 come in, I come in casually, you know, think, okay, let's hope there's an interesting message for me on 00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:03.220 Sunday. And then we hear about, okay, God's presence. And I say, oh, that's cool. I quite like that. And 00:21:03.220 --> 00:21:14.299 when's lunch? Right? But if he's that powerful, we sometimes think, well, why doesn't he just sort 00:21:14.299 --> 00:21:23.440 out my world now? Because that would be nice, right? But he comes on his terms, not ours. 00:21:25.259 --> 00:21:29.819 We often want to reduce God to kind of the pocket-sized God where I can still be on the 00:21:29.819 --> 00:21:34.980 throne of my life just as long as I kind of get a little bit of help from him. But the interesting 00:21:34.980 --> 00:21:38.559 thing is in the Bible, and this is a really challenging thing, I think, for all of us, 00:21:38.939 --> 00:21:44.819 is in the Bible, sinful people who try to dethrone God experience the fire of his anger. 00:21:46.259 --> 00:21:52.720 That's not very PC. You know, if you approach him too casually, you know, touch the arc of his 00:21:52.720 --> 00:21:59.720 presence, and people become like toast. You know? This is kind of a scary kind of size of 00:21:59.720 --> 00:22:04.100 God, which is like, you know, it's not just kind of Jesus is my buddy, me and Jesus kind 00:22:04.100 --> 00:22:09.680 of just hanging out. You know? There's this sense of he is awesome and holy, and holy means 00:22:09.680 --> 00:22:19.420 totally set apart. You know? And the church is a place where God in his holy presence dwells. 00:22:21.360 --> 00:22:25.620 Not just in a church collective, but in every one of you who is a Christian. 00:22:25.619 --> 00:22:33.119 That's why fire comes down on each one of them. But that fire is just, this is not just a kind 00:22:33.119 --> 00:22:38.719 of Old Testament kind of crazy language. New Testament, you go forward to chapter 5 in Acts, 00:22:38.759 --> 00:22:43.879 and it gets a little bit scary. You see, one couple decides to lie in the church about selling 00:22:43.879 --> 00:22:52.119 some property, and they get struck dead. You know, and it says, great fear seized all who heard what 00:22:52.119 --> 00:23:00.539 had happened. Now, church gets a bit real then, right? Because just imagine, like, Graham lies in 00:23:00.539 --> 00:23:09.199 church about his bank account, and then we're taking his funeral. How many of you are going to start 00:23:09.199 --> 00:23:14.619 lying? Right? You're going to be watching your tongue a little bit after that, right? Because it gets 00:23:14.619 --> 00:23:21.379 serious. Now, it's not a great church growth strategy. You know, it's not a great model. God doesn't have 00:23:21.380 --> 00:23:25.940 this kind of great model of how to do church, like, in kind of seeker-friendly, make everybody, 00:23:25.940 --> 00:23:29.320 like, wonderful, and then he strikes somebody dead. I mean, that's not great PR. 00:23:31.860 --> 00:23:36.140 But the church of God grows not by just our programs and all those different things. The 00:23:36.140 --> 00:23:42.620 church of God grows when we actually see how awesome and holy he is. In your life, you will see how awesome 00:23:42.619 --> 00:23:52.219 and holy he is. And you take sin seriously. Because when you start doing that, what's really interesting 00:23:52.219 --> 00:24:01.259 is you'll actually begin to see God's grace more clearly. Because if you notice, the tongues of fire 00:24:01.259 --> 00:24:09.019 come upon this little community, and none of them die. They actually lead to joy, which is like, okay, 00:24:09.019 --> 00:24:17.099 God's holy presence. This is something awesome. And yet they have this joy. Why? Because the Christian 00:24:17.099 --> 00:24:26.660 message, when we look at the cross, is that that burning anger that God had towards you and me 00:24:26.660 --> 00:24:33.779 was diverted onto Christ, and his anger fell on him, not on you. 00:24:33.779 --> 00:24:40.599 I don't know if you know the feeling when you've done something really wrong, and you're going to go 00:24:40.599 --> 00:24:50.539 to someone you love, and you go to them, you kind of go back to face them. You know, I remember, 00:24:50.599 --> 00:24:56.299 and it's not really bad, but I remember when I lost my wedding ring. I didn't want to go and see my wife. 00:24:56.299 --> 00:25:03.720 Because I thought the fury of my wife was going to come upon me, okay? She was incredibly gracious to me. 00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:12.419 There was a story I read in the news about a guy, a lady called Mary Johnson. Her son got murdered by 00:25:12.419 --> 00:25:24.099 a guy called Oshia Israel. He goes to prison for like 15, 20 years. The lady was angry. Wouldn't you be 00:25:24.099 --> 00:25:33.240 if your son got murdered? But she was a Christian, and she began to see what God had done for her in 00:25:33.240 --> 00:25:42.439 her life. And so she actually went to go and visit Oshia in prison. Can you imagine what it was like 00:25:42.439 --> 00:25:51.039 for Oshia Israel to be thinking, waiting, this woman is going to come in, whose son I murdered is going to 00:25:51.039 --> 00:25:57.139 come and meet me? I mean, can you imagine what that felt like? Like, you're just waiting for all this 00:25:57.139 --> 00:26:07.279 tirade of abuse and anger and hatred to be poured out on you. And do you know what Mrs. Johnson said to him? 00:26:08.440 --> 00:26:16.259 First thing she says is, she says, Oshia, I've lost a son who I'll never see married, I'll never see 00:26:16.259 --> 00:26:29.779 have grandchildren again because of you. But I forgive you. And I don't just forgive you. I hope 00:26:29.779 --> 00:26:39.240 one day that I will see you married and graduated and having grandchildren. And do you know what 00:26:39.240 --> 00:26:44.539 happened? That lady, when he came out of prison, she actually adopted him as her son. 00:26:46.299 --> 00:26:53.660 He actually attended as the bride, what do you call them, the best, like the groomsman of a wedding 00:26:53.660 --> 00:26:57.599 that she had when her husband had died. She remarried, became the groomsman. 00:26:57.599 --> 00:27:13.279 You see, if we lose sight of the rightful anger at sin, you'll lose sight of the incredible, 00:27:13.859 --> 00:27:26.379 amazing costliness of grace to you. Imagine what Oshia must have felt when instead of accusation 00:27:26.380 --> 00:27:36.600 and condemnation, he received forgiveness and grace. That's what God offers you for whatever you have done. 00:27:39.080 --> 00:27:44.440 But here's the thing, when you're in the presence of someone who has done that much for you, Christ 00:27:44.440 --> 00:27:53.400 died for you, taking the anger of God against you. Are you just going to treat him casually and then say, 00:27:53.400 --> 00:27:59.920 he's going to forgive me if I do stuff wrong, it's fine. Are you going to treat them like that? 00:28:00.640 --> 00:28:01.940 Or do you see 00:28:01.940 --> 00:28:11.400 his holy presence, you can only come in because he paid that cost for you 00:28:11.400 --> 00:28:16.480 and his grace invites you in to be adopted as his children. 00:28:16.480 --> 00:28:20.640 And that is a privilege. It is not a right. 00:28:22.759 --> 00:28:26.620 And so we come reverently in awe of who he is. 00:28:28.599 --> 00:28:35.620 His wind is his life-giving presence. His fire is his holy presence. 00:28:35.619 --> 00:28:41.359 You know, at this point, I feel we should have earth because then you'd have earth, wind, fire, 00:28:41.439 --> 00:28:47.359 which is a great 1970s pop group. But I think some of you guys, you're just way too young to remember that. 00:28:48.379 --> 00:28:54.939 So the third thing is you have rain. 00:28:54.940 --> 00:29:02.600 Peter, you know, the whole house is filled with the presence of God. 00:29:04.820 --> 00:29:09.380 And Peter, when he's explaining to the crowd what is happening, verse 17, he says, 00:29:09.460 --> 00:29:12.440 in the last days, I will pour out my spirit on all people. 00:29:14.080 --> 00:29:15.460 I will pour out. 00:29:16.460 --> 00:29:19.180 The word means like a downpour, 00:29:19.980 --> 00:29:21.940 like a torrential rain. 00:29:21.940 --> 00:29:27.019 I will pour out my spirit on all people. 00:29:28.299 --> 00:29:30.799 The image comes from the prophets in the Bible. 00:29:31.299 --> 00:29:34.420 Isaiah, Joel, Peter quotes him here. 00:29:35.160 --> 00:29:38.200 And the picture is of a people who've dethroned God, 00:29:38.860 --> 00:29:43.960 who've dethroned God and are now living 00:29:43.960 --> 00:29:49.580 in a parched, dry, barren land. 00:29:49.579 --> 00:29:52.779 People who are thirsty. 00:29:52.899 --> 00:29:56.139 Because when you take away your source of life and your source of water, 00:29:57.000 --> 00:30:01.119 you know, have you ever gone on a run in the heat of summer? 00:30:02.619 --> 00:30:04.939 And probably most of you are not as stupid as me to do that. 00:30:05.720 --> 00:30:07.980 And you forget you've got water. 00:30:07.980 --> 00:30:13.900 And you come back and you're so thirsty that you will drink from anything. 00:30:15.200 --> 00:30:16.440 You'll drink from anything. 00:30:17.079 --> 00:30:18.860 Like, normally I don't drink from the tap. 00:30:19.200 --> 00:30:21.420 But I will just go to the tap and just start drinking. 00:30:22.279 --> 00:30:29.039 Because you're so thirsty that you'll go anywhere looking for something to satisfy your thirst. 00:30:29.039 --> 00:30:32.460 That's kind of the image. 00:30:32.599 --> 00:30:36.039 When you turn away from God, it's not that you just have nothing. 00:30:36.180 --> 00:30:38.220 You'll look for anything to try and satisfy. 00:30:38.839 --> 00:30:39.720 Whether it's your work. 00:30:39.839 --> 00:30:40.779 Whether it's your relationships. 00:30:41.259 --> 00:30:42.839 Whether it's getting other people to like you. 00:30:43.119 --> 00:30:44.599 Whether it's your Facebook account. 00:30:44.819 --> 00:30:47.639 You'll go to anything to try and satisfy that thirst. 00:30:50.960 --> 00:30:51.819 And do you know what? 00:30:51.819 --> 00:30:54.259 I just realized even for myself. 00:30:55.759 --> 00:30:57.939 And I'm going to get some water to satisfy my thirst. 00:31:00.740 --> 00:31:02.519 I realized like last year. 00:31:02.960 --> 00:31:04.839 With everything that was going on with the church. 00:31:04.899 --> 00:31:06.159 And all the stuff that was happening. 00:31:07.899 --> 00:31:11.000 I actually didn't realize at the time. 00:31:11.079 --> 00:31:13.200 But I felt I became dry. 00:31:14.859 --> 00:31:16.500 So many tasks to do. 00:31:16.579 --> 00:31:17.819 So much stuff to do. 00:31:18.039 --> 00:31:20.259 So many things to try and fix. 00:31:20.259 --> 00:31:21.779 But you know. 00:31:22.079 --> 00:31:23.119 Anyone know that thing. 00:31:23.180 --> 00:31:24.140 Where you're just running around. 00:31:24.259 --> 00:31:26.299 Trying to do all kinds of endless activity. 00:31:26.559 --> 00:31:28.200 But you just end up feeling dry. 00:31:30.799 --> 00:31:31.440 You know. 00:31:31.700 --> 00:31:33.819 And there's many things which you just can't control. 00:31:33.980 --> 00:31:34.200 You know. 00:31:34.279 --> 00:31:35.140 The rent got tripled. 00:31:35.220 --> 00:31:36.640 We got all kinds of things happening. 00:31:37.119 --> 00:31:39.640 And even with the kids ministry. 00:31:39.859 --> 00:31:40.140 You know. 00:31:40.339 --> 00:31:42.819 We wanted people to be able to help out. 00:31:42.900 --> 00:31:43.539 Someone to oversee. 00:31:43.660 --> 00:31:45.119 We still don't have someone to oversee. 00:31:45.200 --> 00:31:45.859 And we're waiting. 00:31:45.900 --> 00:31:47.279 We're waiting for something to be fixed. 00:31:47.279 --> 00:31:48.059 And running around. 00:31:48.200 --> 00:31:49.740 Trying to fix things. 00:31:49.740 --> 00:31:50.640 But actually. 00:31:50.859 --> 00:31:52.539 The more I try to fix things. 00:31:52.620 --> 00:31:54.000 The thirsty I become. 00:31:54.660 --> 00:31:56.059 And the drier you become. 00:31:56.120 --> 00:31:56.940 And the more frustrated. 00:31:57.120 --> 00:31:57.920 And the more stressed. 00:31:58.000 --> 00:31:58.700 And the more tired. 00:31:58.980 --> 00:32:00.019 And the more it feels like. 00:32:00.099 --> 00:32:00.339 Oh. 00:32:01.400 --> 00:32:03.120 The world feels on your shoulders. 00:32:03.839 --> 00:32:05.160 Does anyone know what I'm talking about? 00:32:08.980 --> 00:32:09.680 And honestly. 00:32:09.799 --> 00:32:11.599 I think many of us as a church. 00:32:11.680 --> 00:32:13.059 Are also dry. 00:32:15.519 --> 00:32:16.140 We're dry. 00:32:16.140 --> 00:32:17.920 We've been in the heat of life. 00:32:18.660 --> 00:32:20.220 Like those dry bones. 00:32:20.960 --> 00:32:21.780 We're like a. 00:32:22.360 --> 00:32:23.100 We're like a kind of. 00:32:23.300 --> 00:32:24.860 A dry sponge. 00:32:25.980 --> 00:32:26.920 Which is just. 00:32:27.420 --> 00:32:28.220 If you wrung it. 00:32:28.640 --> 00:32:29.840 You get nothing out of it. 00:32:30.820 --> 00:32:31.920 And then you hear messages. 00:32:31.920 --> 00:32:33.400 About how you're supposed to be. 00:32:34.180 --> 00:32:35.400 Speaking the gospel to people. 00:32:35.480 --> 00:32:36.720 How you're meant to be doing all these things. 00:32:36.759 --> 00:32:37.740 And it just feels like. 00:32:37.800 --> 00:32:37.940 Oh. 00:32:38.020 --> 00:32:39.240 I've just got nothing left. 00:32:39.240 --> 00:32:39.880 To give. 00:32:41.880 --> 00:32:42.320 You know. 00:32:42.319 --> 00:32:43.379 We have health issues. 00:32:43.519 --> 00:32:44.419 We have work issues. 00:32:44.539 --> 00:32:45.659 We have family issues. 00:32:45.759 --> 00:32:47.519 We have all kinds of stuff. 00:32:49.220 --> 00:32:50.419 And some of us are dry. 00:32:50.500 --> 00:32:52.179 Just because of this season of life. 00:32:52.319 --> 00:32:52.740 We're in. 00:32:54.700 --> 00:32:55.839 Some of us are dry. 00:32:55.919 --> 00:32:57.500 Because we've been preoccupied. 00:32:57.559 --> 00:32:59.039 With so many things. 00:33:01.359 --> 00:33:02.819 That Christ has just. 00:33:03.079 --> 00:33:04.399 Slipped off the throne. 00:33:04.700 --> 00:33:05.619 In our lives. 00:33:06.559 --> 00:33:08.179 And we've been seeking for. 00:33:08.180 --> 00:33:09.740 Satisfaction. 00:33:10.259 --> 00:33:11.000 And thirst. 00:33:11.600 --> 00:33:12.600 Satisfying thirst. 00:33:12.820 --> 00:33:13.799 In other areas. 00:33:14.900 --> 00:33:16.180 We're trying to be in control. 00:33:16.680 --> 00:33:17.420 Of our lives. 00:33:17.820 --> 00:33:18.000 I mean. 00:33:18.039 --> 00:33:18.560 Just think about it. 00:33:18.580 --> 00:33:19.519 What makes you anxious. 00:33:20.299 --> 00:33:21.039 At the moment. 00:33:21.840 --> 00:33:23.140 What worries you. 00:33:23.200 --> 00:33:25.039 That if you didn't get this in life. 00:33:26.039 --> 00:33:27.799 It would be unbearable for you. 00:33:29.039 --> 00:33:30.320 What are you looking for. 00:33:30.320 --> 00:33:31.100 That at the moment. 00:33:31.320 --> 00:33:31.940 You would think. 00:33:32.740 --> 00:33:34.240 I just need that. 00:33:34.340 --> 00:33:35.180 And then I'll be happy. 00:33:35.180 --> 00:33:38.340 Those are the idols. 00:33:38.539 --> 00:33:39.220 Those are the things. 00:33:39.360 --> 00:33:40.180 That we go to. 00:33:40.279 --> 00:33:41.080 Other than God. 00:33:41.160 --> 00:33:42.860 To try and satisfy our thirst. 00:33:46.840 --> 00:33:47.960 Anyone stressed. 00:33:48.220 --> 00:33:49.320 Anyone parched. 00:33:49.880 --> 00:33:50.779 Anyone dry. 00:33:52.860 --> 00:33:53.820 Let me ask you. 00:33:54.019 --> 00:33:55.240 If God's presence. 00:33:56.180 --> 00:33:57.039 Is really. 00:33:57.160 --> 00:33:57.840 If I was to ask you. 00:33:57.900 --> 00:33:58.700 Is God's presence. 00:33:58.700 --> 00:33:59.620 Really real. 00:33:59.620 --> 00:34:00.340 In your life. 00:34:00.400 --> 00:34:00.840 At the moment. 00:34:01.620 --> 00:34:02.940 Are you just enjoying. 00:34:02.940 --> 00:34:04.480 Sweet times. 00:34:04.480 --> 00:34:05.000 With Jesus. 00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:05.539 At the moment. 00:34:05.600 --> 00:34:06.140 In your life. 00:34:07.100 --> 00:34:08.300 When you read the Bible. 00:34:08.440 --> 00:34:09.760 If you read the Bible. 00:34:09.960 --> 00:34:11.159 Does it come alive. 00:34:11.159 --> 00:34:11.820 To you. 00:34:12.559 --> 00:34:13.400 Is it active. 00:34:13.679 --> 00:34:14.500 In your life. 00:34:14.539 --> 00:34:14.900 In a way. 00:34:15.000 --> 00:34:15.900 Which penetrates. 00:34:15.900 --> 00:34:16.539 In your heart. 00:34:20.539 --> 00:34:21.740 Do you know. 00:34:21.740 --> 00:34:22.740 That clear. 00:34:22.860 --> 00:34:23.740 Vivid sense. 00:34:23.900 --> 00:34:24.840 Of the forgiveness. 00:34:25.300 --> 00:34:25.860 Of God. 00:34:25.940 --> 00:34:26.679 In your life. 00:34:26.860 --> 00:34:27.960 And his fatherly. 00:34:27.960 --> 00:34:28.720 Care for you. 00:34:28.780 --> 00:34:29.500 At this moment. 00:34:30.220 --> 00:34:31.280 Do you know that. 00:34:31.280 --> 00:34:33.900 Because if you don't. 00:34:34.040 --> 00:34:34.720 Then I would say. 00:34:34.820 --> 00:34:35.460 You're dry. 00:34:36.780 --> 00:34:37.580 You're dry. 00:34:40.220 --> 00:34:41.200 And the question is. 00:34:41.260 --> 00:34:42.440 Do I want to stay content. 00:34:42.960 --> 00:34:44.019 With being dry. 00:34:46.100 --> 00:34:47.500 Do I want to stay content. 00:34:47.920 --> 00:34:49.820 Or will I willingly surrender. 00:34:49.980 --> 00:34:51.080 The things which I. 00:34:51.080 --> 00:34:52.400 I'm trying to put on the throne. 00:34:52.460 --> 00:34:53.540 The idols that I have. 00:34:53.560 --> 00:34:54.500 And I lay those down. 00:34:54.580 --> 00:34:55.060 And I say. 00:34:55.060 --> 00:34:55.340 Okay. 00:34:55.740 --> 00:34:56.040 Lord. 00:34:56.200 --> 00:34:57.200 My expectations. 00:34:57.740 --> 00:34:58.360 For my work. 00:34:58.480 --> 00:34:59.160 For my family. 00:34:59.360 --> 00:34:59.440 For. 00:34:59.660 --> 00:35:00.060 For. 00:35:00.059 --> 00:35:01.340 For my relationships. 00:35:01.619 --> 00:35:02.840 I'm willing to lay those. 00:35:02.960 --> 00:35:04.079 Down at your feet. 00:35:04.179 --> 00:35:05.179 And I'm willing to say. 00:35:05.299 --> 00:35:05.500 God. 00:35:05.539 --> 00:35:06.719 I need you to fill me. 00:35:08.460 --> 00:35:09.259 Because you see. 00:35:09.480 --> 00:35:10.259 When he says. 00:35:10.360 --> 00:35:11.559 I will pour out. 00:35:11.719 --> 00:35:12.799 My spirit on you. 00:35:13.659 --> 00:35:14.259 He says. 00:35:14.299 --> 00:35:14.940 It's like this. 00:35:14.980 --> 00:35:15.440 I'm going to. 00:35:15.440 --> 00:35:16.719 I'm going to pour it in. 00:35:16.820 --> 00:35:17.679 And it's going to go everywhere. 00:35:17.799 --> 00:35:18.219 That's okay. 00:35:21.279 --> 00:35:21.920 And you know. 00:35:22.320 --> 00:35:22.619 You know. 00:35:22.699 --> 00:35:23.480 When Jesus says. 00:35:23.659 --> 00:35:24.900 I will baptize you. 00:35:25.000 --> 00:35:25.380 With the spirit. 00:35:25.480 --> 00:35:25.900 Do you know what the word. 00:35:26.199 --> 00:35:26.960 Baptize means. 00:35:26.960 --> 00:35:27.079 It means. 00:35:27.639 --> 00:35:29.159 It means to immerse. 00:35:29.800 --> 00:35:31.320 To plunge. 00:35:31.740 --> 00:35:32.099 In. 00:35:33.240 --> 00:35:33.900 And you know. 00:35:34.019 --> 00:35:34.860 When you plunge. 00:35:34.980 --> 00:35:35.599 Something in. 00:35:35.679 --> 00:35:37.000 And it just soaks up. 00:35:37.179 --> 00:35:37.599 That water. 00:35:37.659 --> 00:35:38.400 And that moisture. 00:35:38.840 --> 00:35:39.780 Do you know what happens? 00:35:43.619 --> 00:35:44.920 It just flows out. 00:35:45.340 --> 00:35:45.539 Afterwards. 00:35:46.840 --> 00:35:47.880 And all those things. 00:35:47.880 --> 00:35:48.740 Which seem to be. 00:35:48.820 --> 00:35:49.000 Oh. 00:35:49.099 --> 00:35:49.840 Such a drain. 00:35:49.960 --> 00:35:50.380 To do this. 00:35:50.460 --> 00:35:51.179 Such a drain. 00:35:51.280 --> 00:35:51.900 To read my Bible. 00:35:52.000 --> 00:35:52.659 Such a drain. 00:35:52.980 --> 00:35:53.599 To come to church. 00:35:53.659 --> 00:35:55.260 I'll do all these things. 00:35:55.260 --> 00:35:56.940 But when you are filled. 00:35:58.320 --> 00:35:59.800 With his satisfying. 00:36:00.740 --> 00:36:01.180 Spirit. 00:36:02.480 --> 00:36:03.340 Revealing Jesus. 00:36:03.620 --> 00:36:04.200 To you. 00:36:08.060 --> 00:36:08.720 Then actually. 00:36:08.820 --> 00:36:09.460 You don't have to look. 00:36:09.560 --> 00:36:09.960 To everywhere. 00:36:10.100 --> 00:36:10.740 All the other stuff. 00:36:10.880 --> 00:36:11.360 Can be happening. 00:36:11.360 --> 00:36:11.980 In your life. 00:36:12.060 --> 00:36:12.900 But you know. 00:36:13.240 --> 00:36:13.960 The gospel. 00:36:14.060 --> 00:36:14.860 Of God's grace. 00:36:14.860 --> 00:36:15.640 In your life. 00:36:15.780 --> 00:36:16.800 And it's freeing. 00:36:18.040 --> 00:36:19.340 You're refreshed. 00:36:19.880 --> 00:36:21.020 That even when you see. 00:36:21.140 --> 00:36:21.760 Your own guilt. 00:36:21.840 --> 00:36:22.260 And sin. 00:36:22.320 --> 00:36:22.920 You just come. 00:36:22.980 --> 00:36:23.780 And you experience. 00:36:23.780 --> 00:36:24.500 His grace. 00:36:24.500 --> 00:36:26.019 And it's just so animating. 00:36:26.579 --> 00:36:27.860 It's so life-giving. 00:36:28.219 --> 00:36:29.500 It's so full. 00:36:31.340 --> 00:36:33.099 That's what church is about. 00:36:33.739 --> 00:36:34.300 It's not. 00:36:34.599 --> 00:36:35.019 You know. 00:36:35.159 --> 00:36:36.119 When I was a kid. 00:36:36.440 --> 00:36:38.320 We had plants around our house. 00:36:38.619 --> 00:36:38.860 And you know. 00:36:38.900 --> 00:36:40.219 My parents went away at one point. 00:36:40.340 --> 00:36:41.539 And I was left in charge. 00:36:41.539 --> 00:36:42.760 Of watering the plants. 00:36:43.000 --> 00:36:44.420 That is a bad idea. 00:36:45.960 --> 00:36:46.980 Because do you know what happened? 00:36:47.059 --> 00:36:49.260 I dutifully watered about two of them. 00:36:49.800 --> 00:36:51.559 And then when my parents came back. 00:36:51.559 --> 00:36:52.820 They found the plant. 00:36:52.900 --> 00:36:54.440 Which I didn't even know existed. 00:36:54.779 --> 00:36:56.159 Which had been right in the sun. 00:36:56.259 --> 00:36:57.099 By the windowsill. 00:36:57.239 --> 00:36:59.659 And it looked like a wilting kind of prune. 00:36:59.920 --> 00:37:01.159 Or whatever they look like. 00:37:02.480 --> 00:37:03.000 And I. 00:37:03.159 --> 00:37:03.619 You know. 00:37:03.779 --> 00:37:04.579 I thought. 00:37:04.679 --> 00:37:04.880 Hey. 00:37:05.000 --> 00:37:05.519 That's. 00:37:06.840 --> 00:37:07.239 Sorry. 00:37:08.099 --> 00:37:08.480 You know. 00:37:08.739 --> 00:37:10.139 This kind of wilty cabbage. 00:37:10.299 --> 00:37:11.119 I thought that was it. 00:37:11.299 --> 00:37:12.360 I thought that was the end. 00:37:13.400 --> 00:37:14.699 And 30 minutes later. 00:37:14.779 --> 00:37:15.920 My mom goes in. 00:37:16.199 --> 00:37:17.500 Puts it under the tap. 00:37:19.079 --> 00:37:19.920 And do you know what happened? 00:37:19.920 --> 00:37:22.860 I looked back. 00:37:22.900 --> 00:37:23.159 And it was like. 00:37:25.360 --> 00:37:25.900 And I was like. 00:37:25.920 --> 00:37:26.720 How did that happen? 00:37:27.619 --> 00:37:28.380 It's a miracle. 00:37:30.579 --> 00:37:31.059 That's what. 00:37:31.220 --> 00:37:32.200 What God wants to do. 00:37:32.300 --> 00:37:33.380 In your spiritual life. 00:37:33.480 --> 00:37:33.740 So that. 00:37:34.000 --> 00:37:35.220 You begin to see. 00:37:35.840 --> 00:37:36.200 Jesus. 00:37:36.880 --> 00:37:38.079 As so beautiful. 00:37:38.980 --> 00:37:40.139 That all the other stuff. 00:37:40.260 --> 00:37:40.420 You know. 00:37:40.539 --> 00:37:42.019 When you have something bigger. 00:37:42.019 --> 00:37:42.920 Than your problems. 00:37:43.039 --> 00:37:43.579 To look at. 00:37:43.780 --> 00:37:45.300 Your problems look so much smaller. 00:37:46.260 --> 00:37:46.659 You see that. 00:37:46.700 --> 00:37:46.820 You know. 00:37:46.840 --> 00:37:47.760 When you're flying in an aircraft. 00:37:48.000 --> 00:37:48.559 And you look over. 00:37:48.559 --> 00:37:48.860 And you think. 00:37:49.099 --> 00:37:49.279 Wow. 00:37:49.299 --> 00:37:50.380 Those people are so small. 00:37:53.299 --> 00:37:54.360 But as a church. 00:37:54.460 --> 00:37:55.940 If we are so worried. 00:37:55.940 --> 00:37:57.039 About our programs. 00:37:57.139 --> 00:37:57.900 We're so worried. 00:37:57.900 --> 00:37:58.199 About. 00:37:58.440 --> 00:37:59.320 About all the stuff. 00:37:59.440 --> 00:37:59.880 Being right. 00:38:00.019 --> 00:38:00.699 We're so worried. 00:38:00.699 --> 00:38:01.679 About all these other things. 00:38:01.679 --> 00:38:02.519 Which distract us. 00:38:02.619 --> 00:38:03.579 And we miss Jesus. 00:38:05.299 --> 00:38:06.340 Do you know what's going to happen? 00:38:06.400 --> 00:38:07.279 You're just going to get dry. 00:38:07.360 --> 00:38:07.960 And your problems. 00:38:07.960 --> 00:38:09.079 Are just going to wrap you up. 00:38:09.099 --> 00:38:10.099 And you're just going to be thirsty. 00:38:12.259 --> 00:38:13.279 And as a church. 00:38:13.360 --> 00:38:14.079 What I believe. 00:38:14.139 --> 00:38:15.519 God is calling us to do. 00:38:15.519 --> 00:38:18.000 And I'm going to finish here. 00:38:19.500 --> 00:38:21.639 What I believe God is calling us to do. 00:38:21.739 --> 00:38:23.320 Is he's calling us to come back. 00:38:23.440 --> 00:38:24.320 And to seek him. 00:38:24.360 --> 00:38:25.199 And to pray. 00:38:27.159 --> 00:38:28.019 To pray. 00:38:28.639 --> 00:38:30.239 Whatever's going on in your life. 00:38:30.340 --> 00:38:30.639 To say. 00:38:30.699 --> 00:38:30.880 God. 00:38:31.940 --> 00:38:33.820 I want you for you. 00:38:33.920 --> 00:38:35.360 Not just for what you can give me. 00:38:36.000 --> 00:38:37.900 I don't just want a pocket sized Jesus. 00:38:38.340 --> 00:38:38.699 Who. 00:38:39.059 --> 00:38:40.039 Who kind of just. 00:38:40.239 --> 00:38:40.480 You know. 00:38:40.559 --> 00:38:42.300 Fits in with my little world. 00:38:42.300 --> 00:38:45.180 I want your presence. 00:38:46.400 --> 00:38:47.519 Your life giving. 00:38:48.140 --> 00:38:48.940 Satisfying presence. 00:38:49.039 --> 00:38:50.560 Because there's so many areas in my life. 00:38:50.620 --> 00:38:51.519 Which I'm powerless. 00:38:51.700 --> 00:38:53.200 I need you to energize us. 00:38:54.000 --> 00:38:55.580 I want your holy presence. 00:38:55.580 --> 00:38:57.100 Because I want to see you. 00:38:57.900 --> 00:38:59.019 In your beauty. 00:38:59.240 --> 00:38:59.940 And your glory. 00:39:00.060 --> 00:39:01.280 And I don't just want to be trivial. 00:39:01.280 --> 00:39:02.460 With the sin in my life. 00:39:02.519 --> 00:39:03.780 I want to take it seriously. 00:39:04.460 --> 00:39:06.519 And where I am chasing after other things. 00:39:06.580 --> 00:39:07.240 I want to repent. 00:39:07.480 --> 00:39:08.180 I want to surrender. 00:39:08.280 --> 00:39:09.400 I want to come off the throne. 00:39:09.600 --> 00:39:10.880 I want you to be on the throne. 00:39:10.940 --> 00:39:11.640 I need you. 00:39:11.639 --> 00:39:13.319 I can't do that by myself. 00:39:16.039 --> 00:39:17.379 And I want us to pray. 00:39:17.759 --> 00:39:19.799 That God would so soak us. 00:39:20.920 --> 00:39:22.400 So we're saturated. 00:39:22.839 --> 00:39:23.339 Because you know. 00:39:23.460 --> 00:39:23.719 When you're. 00:39:23.719 --> 00:39:24.879 When you're overflowing. 00:39:25.159 --> 00:39:25.679 With the spirit. 00:39:25.739 --> 00:39:25.859 You know. 00:39:25.900 --> 00:39:26.519 When you're full. 00:39:26.679 --> 00:39:27.460 And you overflow. 00:39:28.199 --> 00:39:29.699 And somebody's sitting next to you. 00:39:30.420 --> 00:39:31.359 They're going to get wet. 00:39:33.400 --> 00:39:33.799 Right? 00:39:35.779 --> 00:39:37.299 We're a church in this city. 00:39:37.339 --> 00:39:38.659 Which Jesus calls on a mission. 00:39:38.779 --> 00:39:40.799 To be witnesses to the world around us. 00:39:40.800 --> 00:39:42.180 But we can't just do that. 00:39:42.240 --> 00:39:44.500 By kind of chasing after doing a hundred programs. 00:39:44.600 --> 00:39:46.340 We've got to come back to who he is. 00:39:46.539 --> 00:39:47.500 Have his presence. 00:39:47.800 --> 00:39:48.300 Know him. 00:39:48.600 --> 00:39:49.500 Chase after him. 00:39:49.820 --> 00:39:50.580 Pray to him. 00:39:50.840 --> 00:39:52.019 And you'll see. 00:39:52.900 --> 00:39:54.720 Other people in the city will get wet. 00:39:58.480 --> 00:39:59.039 955. 00:39:59.039 --> 00:40:00.779 We're going to be here every Sunday. 00:40:00.779 --> 00:40:00.920 We're going to be here. 00:40:00.920 --> 00:40:01.480 Praying. 00:40:01.699 --> 00:40:02.559 And seeking God. 00:40:04.500 --> 00:40:06.000 Maybe we need to repent. 00:40:06.199 --> 00:40:06.739 Of just. 00:40:07.219 --> 00:40:09.179 The stuff that's just wrapped us up. 00:40:09.739 --> 00:40:11.199 Some of us are just dry. 00:40:11.259 --> 00:40:12.199 Because we're tired. 00:40:13.159 --> 00:40:15.219 And you need to just experience. 00:40:15.219 --> 00:40:16.219 God's rest. 00:40:16.500 --> 00:40:17.360 And pleasure. 00:40:17.360 --> 00:40:18.559 On your life. 00:40:19.259 --> 00:40:19.820 Some of you. 00:40:19.920 --> 00:40:20.920 You're just chasing after. 00:40:21.099 --> 00:40:22.119 So many other things. 00:40:23.059 --> 00:40:24.279 And you just say. 00:40:24.920 --> 00:40:26.700 Do I really want God? 00:40:28.040 --> 00:40:29.560 Do I really want him? 00:40:31.000 --> 00:40:33.300 Because what you see happens in the book of Acts. 00:40:34.620 --> 00:40:38.500 Is when people get how amazing this presence of God is. 00:40:39.600 --> 00:40:41.120 Things just start exploding. 00:40:42.300 --> 00:40:44.280 God's word starts changing lives. 00:40:45.420 --> 00:40:47.440 So my prayer is in our community groups. 00:40:48.040 --> 00:40:49.900 We start getting serious about God. 00:40:49.900 --> 00:40:50.139 God. 00:40:53.820 --> 00:40:54.860 I just want to pray. 00:40:55.039 --> 00:40:55.619 Let's just pray. 00:41:05.280 --> 00:41:06.619 I want you just to spend. 00:41:08.180 --> 00:41:09.019 Just this minute. 00:41:09.200 --> 00:41:09.780 Just thinking about. 00:41:09.900 --> 00:41:10.639 Where am I with God? 00:41:12.780 --> 00:41:13.780 Am I dry? 00:41:16.260 --> 00:41:17.420 Do I feel like I'm. 00:41:18.039 --> 00:41:18.800 Not moving? 00:41:19.900 --> 00:41:21.820 That I'm just striving. 00:41:22.280 --> 00:41:23.320 In so many things. 00:41:23.559 --> 00:41:24.980 So many stuff to do. 00:41:27.880 --> 00:41:30.099 Christ has slipped off the phone on my life. 00:41:34.660 --> 00:41:37.160 Have I lost sight of his incredible love? 00:41:39.240 --> 00:41:40.500 Because I've just. 00:41:41.039 --> 00:41:42.559 Been toying with sin. 00:41:42.559 --> 00:41:43.179 I believe. 00:41:43.179 --> 00:41:43.239 I believe. 00:41:46.199 --> 00:41:47.199 I believe. 00:41:47.519 --> 00:41:49.599 God wants us to right now. 00:41:52.159 --> 00:41:53.219 Come to him. 00:41:57.159 --> 00:41:57.960 And just. 00:41:58.279 --> 00:41:59.659 Some of you need to repent. 00:41:59.900 --> 00:42:01.259 Maybe just spend this time. 00:42:01.400 --> 00:42:02.599 Just repenting before him. 00:42:04.099 --> 00:42:04.880 Ask him. 00:42:05.380 --> 00:42:06.960 For that real sense. 00:42:07.039 --> 00:42:07.900 Of his presence. 00:42:07.900 --> 00:42:08.759 With us. 00:42:08.760 --> 00:42:12.780 Ask him to saturate you. 00:42:14.580 --> 00:42:15.560 In this city. 00:42:15.720 --> 00:42:16.820 Which is so tiring. 00:42:17.040 --> 00:42:17.400 And so. 00:42:18.440 --> 00:42:19.700 So barren. 00:42:19.780 --> 00:42:20.840 In so many ways. 00:42:20.980 --> 00:42:21.880 Let's find. 00:42:22.140 --> 00:42:23.320 That greenery. 00:42:23.600 --> 00:42:24.020 That refreshment. 00:42:25.320 --> 00:42:26.380 That joy. 00:42:26.840 --> 00:42:28.020 That praise. 00:42:28.360 --> 00:42:29.320 That life. 00:42:30.340 --> 00:42:31.020 In him. 00:42:32.280 --> 00:42:33.520 Because that's what he wants to give. 00:42:33.519 --> 00:42:39.480 To just ask him. 00:42:39.539 --> 00:42:40.259 To fill you. 00:42:40.480 --> 00:42:41.039 Afresh. 00:42:43.360 --> 00:42:44.780 Give him your struggles. 00:42:47.219 --> 00:42:48.179 Allow him. 00:42:49.440 --> 00:42:51.099 To breathe into your life. 00:42:51.340 --> 00:42:51.559 Again. 00:42:54.000 --> 00:42:54.960 Jesus name. 00:42:56.340 --> 00:42:56.840 Breathe. 00:42:56.840 --> 00:42:56.900 Amen. 00:42:56.900 --> 00:42:56.960 Amen. 00:42:56.960 --> 00:42:57.460 Amen. 00:42:57.460 --> 00:42:57.900 Amen. 00:42:57.900 --> 00:42:58.519 Amen. 00:42:58.519 --> 00:42:58.599 Amen. 00:42:58.599 --> 00:42:58.659 Amen. 00:42:58.659 --> 00:42:58.699 Amen. 00:42:58.699 --> 00:42:58.759 Amen.