WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:12.160 Good evening everyone, as you obviously recognise that I am not live with you tonight because 00:00:12.160 --> 00:00:18.400 I didn't realise, I'm speaking at the Board of Ministry report at the General Assembly 00:00:18.400 --> 00:00:26.640 and I didn't realise until yesterday that the report was from 6.30 in the evening. I 00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:35.760 had understood that it was on Wednesday afternoon so I had mostly prepared my talk this evening 00:00:35.760 --> 00:00:42.880 so I thought the best thing to do would just be to record it so that you can listen to it 00:00:42.880 --> 00:00:50.159 and not try and get someone else at the last minute to prepare something and that you can then head 00:00:50.159 --> 00:00:55.840 into prayer and we can follow on in the series that we're doing on Gospel conversations and 00:00:55.840 --> 00:01:02.480 hunters very happily agreed to lead the meeting tonight and Hunter I'm very grateful to you 00:01:02.480 --> 00:01:09.760 for doing that. So really I just want to spend a little time as we carry on in our discussions 00:01:09.760 --> 00:01:17.120 on Gospel conversations to look at loving the lost and the importance of that. The chapter that I'm 00:01:17.120 --> 00:01:28.080 looking at and some scripture obviously as well is from Matt Smithers before you share your faith 00:01:28.640 --> 00:01:33.200 and it's the chapter on loving the lost which is chapter three and I would encourage you to read 00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:38.240 that because I'm not going to be referring to a great deal tonight but it'll be helpful to read 00:01:38.240 --> 00:01:42.560 it before the city group and because some of the questions might be related to the 00:01:42.560 --> 00:01:51.600 chapter instead or some of the points that are raised in the chapter. So loving the lost it seems 00:01:51.600 --> 00:01:59.520 a very obvious thing to say and yet very important but I do think that when it comes to sharing our 00:01:59.520 --> 00:02:05.680 faith we're always fighting well I certainly am and I'm sure most of us are to a greater or less 00:02:05.680 --> 00:02:13.520 degree we're fighting our natural instincts and we have several natural instincts that maybe 00:02:14.159 --> 00:02:23.120 resist or work against us sharing the Gospel and maybe the first is safety first and we want to stay 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:31.520 safe within the Christian family and that's right isn't it? Corey preached on that last Sunday 00:02:31.520 --> 00:02:36.480 morning about the importance and the significance the centrality of Christian family that's absolutely 00:02:36.480 --> 00:02:47.040 central and it's vital for us to be linked in and secure and committed to our church family but 00:02:48.800 --> 00:02:56.560 sometimes we can use that as a reason for being in a Christian bubble and never coming out of that 00:02:56.560 --> 00:03:04.560 and maybe we also hear the message of society with regard to privatisation of everything 00:03:04.560 --> 00:03:11.039 including our faith and so we compartmentalise our lives and we keep our faith to ourselves 00:03:11.759 --> 00:03:20.080 and we stay within the Christian community and this Christian family and we just survive in 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:27.200 the outside world without seeing the need to take risks of faith so safety first is a natural 00:03:27.200 --> 00:03:34.560 instinct with us so it's actually I think for us finding fault comes very naturally to us in our 00:03:34.560 --> 00:03:43.920 sinful nature really we look at the world and rather than using discernment about the world 00:03:43.919 --> 00:03:49.919 we simply judge the world and we take the place of God we love being in the judgment seat of God 00:03:50.479 --> 00:03:56.319 and I heard an interesting thing recently we said that when it comes to and this is maybe a 00:03:56.319 --> 00:04:04.560 different thing but it comes to our own faults we act like a defence lawyer when it comes to the 00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:10.399 faults of others we act like a judge and that's very true is that we see the sin in the world 00:04:10.400 --> 00:04:15.599 around us and the behaviour of people in the immorality maybe and the unbelief and the atheism 00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:19.680 or whatever it might be we condemn it or we're shocked or we're coiled and we declare we've 00:04:19.680 --> 00:04:25.120 got nothing in common and what is light to do with darkness and so we isolate further 00:04:27.920 --> 00:04:36.160 and yeah sometimes if we have the wrong attitude in that we feed that sense of taking God's place 00:04:36.160 --> 00:04:43.680 being judges and it fosters pride within us because we are to discern we are to have a hatred of sin 00:04:43.680 --> 00:04:49.200 but we're not to be in the seat of judgment so finding fault is another natural reaction 00:04:49.200 --> 00:04:56.000 and a third one is fear within us I'm not going to talk much about fear because that's subject 00:04:56.000 --> 00:05:05.520 for another week but very often when we separate ourselves from the world we don't take time to 00:05:05.519 --> 00:05:11.919 understand people we don't take time to think about them as estranged children from their father 00:05:12.799 --> 00:05:19.919 and rather we see them to be avoided and we become afraid of people because we don't really know them 00:05:20.560 --> 00:05:31.279 and we also fear their response and their opposition and we become just paralysed by fear 00:05:31.279 --> 00:05:40.399 because we don't get to know and love people but also sometimes fear is caused by our longing for 00:05:40.399 --> 00:05:49.199 popularity and it's popularity is so important to us and we have no problem and no trouble making 00:05:49.199 --> 00:05:53.279 friends in the world, the other issue we have no problem making friends with people who are not 00:05:53.279 --> 00:05:58.399 Christians and be very close to them and acting in many ways like them but we fear their response 00:05:58.399 --> 00:06:04.319 if we share the gospel with them or share the message of Christ or challenge them in their life 00:06:04.319 --> 00:06:11.679 so we remain silent and fear again paralyses us so these are some of the natural responses of our 00:06:11.679 --> 00:06:18.000 heart that cause us to struggle to share our faith but I think it's really important for 00:06:20.399 --> 00:06:25.919 to recognize that every part of our Christian walk encompasses at least two foundational truths 00:06:25.920 --> 00:06:31.600 there are two really important truths to think about when we think about the gospel and sharing 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:36.800 our faith and loving people first is that we're new creations we're new creations 00:06:40.319 --> 00:06:45.439 in your in the city groups so maybe look at 2 Corinthians 5 11 to 21 which speaks about us 00:06:45.439 --> 00:06:52.400 being new creations in Christ and what that means and that speaks about identity doesn't it? 00:06:52.399 --> 00:06:58.959 it reminds us that we are loved that we have belonging that we're right with God and we're 00:06:58.959 --> 00:07:04.479 right with God because of Jesus' sacrificial love he took my sins from himself and across 00:07:04.479 --> 00:07:11.839 and we're part of a community of believers that that also recognize that and we help and encourage 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:21.439 each other to grow in that grace and to share together in that identity to encourage one 00:07:21.439 --> 00:07:29.040 another and to encourage one another to share that great identity that we have in Christ that takes away 00:07:30.480 --> 00:07:41.839 fear and reminds us the love that secures our identity and the second foundation not just 00:07:41.839 --> 00:07:48.399 that we're new creations but that we're being transformed by that love itself Romans 12 two 00:07:48.399 --> 00:07:54.879 reminds of that we're not to be conformed to the world but be transformed because of the love of 00:07:54.879 --> 00:08:02.479 Jesus Christ in this so that we're not therefore to capitulate to our natural desires our natural fears 00:08:02.479 --> 00:08:10.639 and our natural desires to find fall or to be safe and cocooned but we're to recognize that 00:08:10.639 --> 00:08:18.719 God's transforming our love and our heart for the lost and also for himself of course and we know 00:08:18.719 --> 00:08:27.519 that that's a battle for us and our whole Christian lives is to recognize that we're to be transformed 00:08:27.519 --> 00:08:35.039 in our heart and our life and our attitudes and our responsibilities are being turned upside down 00:08:35.039 --> 00:08:44.079 by Jesus very often I think we can we feel safe and relaxed without recognizing the huge battle that 00:08:45.439 --> 00:08:51.279 is at work in our own hearts because of what Jesus has done so these two foundational truths are 00:08:51.279 --> 00:08:56.079 very important first we are loved we're a new creation in Christ and we're really loved by him 00:08:56.719 --> 00:09:02.480 and that love is a transforming love that changes us and changes our attitudes the way we think 00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:09.039 not only as we love him and love one another but also as we love our enemies or love the lost as well 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:16.320 however we term whatever term we use so sharing if we're going to be sharing our faith how is it 00:09:16.320 --> 00:09:22.879 that we love the lost well how is it that we can love the lost well well I think there's a few things 00:09:22.879 --> 00:09:30.879 I just want to say quickly about Jesus and using Jesus as an example for us here and the first is 00:09:30.879 --> 00:09:41.759 Jesus' own reputation it reminds us of how to love the lost well in Luke's Gospel chapter 7 and 00:09:42.879 --> 00:09:51.919 verse 34 we have the Pharisees speaking about Jesus the Son of Man or Jesus saying in response to 00:09:51.919 --> 00:09:57.360 the Pharisees the Son of Man came eating and drinking and you say he is a glutton and a drunkard 00:09:57.360 --> 00:10:05.200 a friend of tax collectors and sinners that's in response to his behavior as opposed to John the 00:10:05.200 --> 00:10:11.840 Baptist's behavior so Jesus' reputation among the religious leaders of his community was that he was 00:10:11.840 --> 00:10:20.960 a friend of sinners tax collectors and sinners in other words he was known for associating with 00:10:20.960 --> 00:10:30.720 those who are lost and who are regarded as unclean or outcasts and or undesirables he was wrongly 00:10:30.720 --> 00:10:35.200 accused and this is very important he's wrongly accused obviously of being a drunkard and a 00:10:35.200 --> 00:10:43.759 glutton yet he clearly committed himself to people who weren't Christians who weren't believers who 00:10:43.759 --> 00:10:51.519 didn't have faith he attended situations of feasting and drinking and he was willing to risk 00:10:51.519 --> 00:10:57.039 being misunderstood and it's very important to remember that it was a misunderstanding he wasn't 00:10:57.039 --> 00:11:04.319 a drunk and he wasn't a glutton and I think sometimes we can use that text as an excuse to 00:11:04.320 --> 00:11:14.640 be in the world and of the world as well but he clearly intentionally chose to make friends 00:11:15.440 --> 00:11:23.920 with the lost with those who weren't believers and to accept the risk of that and I think 1st 00:11:23.920 --> 00:11:33.200 Thessalonians chapter 2 verses 7 I may also reflect Paul following his master's example 00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:40.879 where he says in verse 7 and 8 so we cared for you because we loved you very much we were delighted 00:11:40.879 --> 00:11:46.320 to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well so many of these Christians 00:11:46.320 --> 00:11:52.640 in Thessalonica became Christians because Paul and the apostles shared their lives and became friends 00:11:52.640 --> 00:11:59.920 with them and maybe at risk being misunderstood so Jesus' reputation helps us to understand a little 00:11:59.919 --> 00:12:07.839 more about how to love the lost well but also Jesus' motivation and I'm going to read a longer 00:12:07.839 --> 00:12:14.159 passage here if you'll bear with me it's mark chapter 10 verse 17 I'm reading from the NIV here my own 00:12:14.879 --> 00:12:20.240 Bible as Jesus started on his way a man ran to him and fell on his knees before him good teacher 00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:25.759 he asked what must I do to inherit eternal life why do you call me good Jesus answered no one is 00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:30.559 good except God alone you know the commandments you shall not murder you shall not commit adultery 00:12:30.559 --> 00:12:36.319 shall not steal you shall not give false witness you shall not defraud honor your father and mother 00:12:36.879 --> 00:12:42.960 teacher he declared all these I have kept since I was a boy Jesus looked at him and loved him 00:12:43.840 --> 00:12:48.879 one thing he said you lack go sell everything you have and give to the poor you will have treasure 00:12:48.879 --> 00:12:56.639 in heaven then come and follow me at this man's face fell he went away sad because he had great wealth 00:12:57.360 --> 00:13:01.600 Jesus looked ground and said to his disciples how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God 00:13:02.399 --> 00:13:08.960 disciples were amazed as words but Jesus said again children how hard it is to enter the kingdom of 00:13:08.960 --> 00:13:13.519 God it's easier for the camel to go through the eye of a needle than someone who's rich to enter the 00:13:13.519 --> 00:13:18.960 kingdom of God the disciples were even more amazed and said to each other who then can be saved 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:25.360 Jesus looked at them and said with man this is impossible but not with God all things are possible 00:13:25.360 --> 00:13:32.559 to God and Peter spoke up we've left everything to follow you truly I tell you Jesus replied no one 00:13:32.559 --> 00:13:38.240 who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and for the 00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:44.000 gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age homes brothers sisters 00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:49.279 mothers children in the fields along with persecutions and the age to come eternal life 00:13:49.279 --> 00:13:56.000 but many who are first will be last and the last first and we see there Jesus teaching but also 00:13:56.000 --> 00:14:04.159 Jesus motivation this rich man comes to him and he just got these lovely words in verse 21 Jesus 00:14:04.159 --> 00:14:14.319 looked at him and loved him so he just loved this guy and it's such a beautiful verse that he loved 00:14:14.319 --> 00:14:22.240 the lost and he was fulfilling his own teaching from Matthew 5 in the sermon on the mount about 00:14:22.240 --> 00:14:27.919 loving an enemy good to look at that passage again and do good pray for those who persecute you 00:14:27.919 --> 00:14:35.199 and so we see his motivation leads him to a conversation with this rich man and the answer 00:14:35.199 --> 00:14:41.519 the asking of a provocative question and he had time to converse with him he gave him 00:14:41.519 --> 00:14:50.240 of his precious time but in doing so he loved him but he he didn't hold back the truth he exposed 00:14:50.240 --> 00:14:56.320 the reality of this man's heart and maybe in ways that we can't in the same way although we seek 00:14:56.320 --> 00:15:01.680 God's wisdom so to do in our lives and and as we pray and as we depend on the Father 00:15:02.560 --> 00:15:09.600 amazing things can happen but Jesus didn't hold back in the truth despite the apparent 00:15:10.320 --> 00:15:17.120 obedience of the life of this man and yet he exposed the idol in his heart and I think one of 00:15:17.120 --> 00:15:22.240 the interesting things here is there's no evidence whatsoever that this was a successful 00:15:22.240 --> 00:15:29.039 encounter in the sense of this man becoming this rich man becoming a believer we don't know 00:15:29.919 --> 00:15:37.360 he went but we do know he went away sad so this isn't about successful evangelism I'm speaking 00:15:37.360 --> 00:15:45.200 at this point it's just about the example of Jesus who loved this man and shared the gospel 00:15:45.200 --> 00:15:52.640 shared the truth with him and because his motivation was so significant and then from that we get Jesus 00:15:52.640 --> 00:15:59.600 teaching to towards the end of that section where he makes clear that the journey of faith or coming 00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:05.920 to faith is tough it's a battle it's a battle particularly for those who are rich maybe even 00:16:06.720 --> 00:16:12.080 especially physically rich or materially rich but also those who feel rich in themselves and 00:16:12.080 --> 00:16:18.960 who don't feel poverty stricken it's just hard it's it's hard for them to come to faith and 00:16:19.600 --> 00:16:27.120 it's it's hard to see results and even Jesus the Son of God here his words don't bring this man to 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:32.320 faith as far as we're aware in fact it's not it's just hard it's actually impossible you know the 00:16:32.320 --> 00:16:37.120 disciples see what really the earth can be saved then Jesus said look this is impossible with us 00:16:37.120 --> 00:16:44.639 but it's not impossible with God and that's the thing you know when we love people and what we see 00:16:44.639 --> 00:16:53.200 about Jesus he reminds us that he he loves people enough just to tell them the truth and we need to 00:16:53.200 --> 00:17:00.799 do that as well even though it's tough and but there must be this recognition that our love for 00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:07.680 them is such that we will tell them the truth and overcome the fears that we might have and the 00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:16.159 natural instincts that we have our inclinations and recognize that our task is impossible and it 00:17:16.159 --> 00:17:25.519 will we will have butterflies in our stomach and we will be opposed even but recognize that what we 00:17:25.519 --> 00:17:33.839 think is impossible and and is impossible for us in many ways to do both naturally and because of 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:40.240 the condition of people's hearts it's not impossible for God you know but with God all things are 00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:49.039 possible Jesus says and so it's the reminder to us really that we're we're coming to God about 00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:56.720 this we're coming to God asking for the impossibility of loving the way he loves loving our enemies 00:17:56.720 --> 00:18:04.159 loving those who are lost taking the risks of faith and making unbelieving friends maybe especially 00:18:04.159 --> 00:18:15.519 among people that are social outcasts maybe are the unexpected or those who are not our natural 00:18:15.519 --> 00:18:21.680 friends but but but whatever we do to do it in such a way that we're we're willing to risk being 00:18:21.680 --> 00:18:29.119 misunderstood but also avoid and compromise you know that's that's why we need the impossible 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:35.519 grace and strength of God to do this you know that we don't become friends with the world in order to 00:18:35.519 --> 00:18:41.039 be just like the world and to become drunkards and glutton's you know and others engaging in 00:18:41.039 --> 00:18:47.839 sinful pleasure and to in the name of evangelism which is easy to do it's easy to get into that 00:18:47.839 --> 00:18:55.279 rut and but to see how great are the riches we've received amazing gifts we've been given by God 00:18:55.279 --> 00:19:03.759 amazing life we have and to see that that life is precious and is transforming our hearts changing 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:11.839 our softening our hearts and working with the not working against the natural and sinful inclinations 00:19:12.559 --> 00:19:19.759 of our heart not to share the gospel or to judge and be separate from others or maybe even to share 00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:28.079 the gospel in a harsh and and critical or or a loveless way a proud way whatever it might be 00:19:28.079 --> 00:19:35.839 we need we need the grace and the the strength and the help of the Holy Spirit and God 00:19:35.839 --> 00:19:42.399 and to take time the impossibility of that all and to love the way he loves and when we do so 00:19:42.399 --> 00:19:48.399 we know that there will be opposition he says that in verse 30 along with persecutions it's part of 00:19:48.400 --> 00:19:57.120 what we've we've received when we deceive Christ but it's this it's this transformation where he says 00:19:57.120 --> 00:20:02.320 that those who are first will be last and the last will be first it's upside down everything is 00:20:02.320 --> 00:20:13.759 changing the rich man the person we speak to the friend that we have may well go away sad but that 00:20:13.759 --> 00:20:22.480 might not be the end of the story and the story is not being written by us and we are simply to 00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:32.720 plow this turf furrow but to do it in love and to share our faith and it may be that some people 00:20:32.720 --> 00:20:39.440 will persecute us or give us a hard time but we know that others will believe because it's God 00:20:39.440 --> 00:20:48.720 who saves and God is sovereign God is us in His kingdom and He uses us to do that it's His sovereign 00:20:48.720 --> 00:20:56.880 work and that gives us great comfort we are simply called to be transformed to depend on Him to love 00:20:56.880 --> 00:21:05.519 like Him to love Him love others who are our brothers and sisters and love the lost and love our 00:21:05.519 --> 00:21:12.960 spiritual enemies as it were pass on the good news and that's a remarkable privilege and 00:21:14.240 --> 00:21:23.519 it's something we need His help to do so I think often our lack of sharing our faith is because 00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:33.519 we don't love like Jesus and that's because we've forgotten it's impossible to love like Jesus 00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:40.079 without being dependent on God and without seeing the need for our own hearts to be transformed 00:21:40.079 --> 00:21:47.599 to have the mercy and the loving kindness and the concern for people that Jesus Himself had 00:21:47.599 --> 00:21:54.240 so it's just really a taster there are many things that you will discuss differently maybe at the 00:21:54.240 --> 00:22:00.240 city group but I hope that that has at least read your appetite to think a little bit more 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:07.599 about the nature of what God's wanting to do in us before and during and as we seek to 00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:17.680 love the lost be willing to be misunderstood but also be willing to be courageous and in love 00:22:17.680 --> 00:22:22.640 share the good news of Jesus as He is transforming us so He will change 00:22:22.640 --> 00:22:31.120 redeem and make new creation of others thanks