WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.339 So, we think this morning about gratitude and starting with being grateful for the gift 00:00:08.339 --> 00:00:17.080 of salvation. Something that I encourage others to do, and indeed I try to encourage myself 00:00:17.080 --> 00:00:25.620 to do, although if I'm honest I don't always remember to do it, is to try and keep a written 00:00:25.620 --> 00:00:31.920 note of things to be thankful for. And the reason I think particularly that can be helpful, especially 00:00:31.920 --> 00:00:38.760 at the end of the day, is to have a notebook by the bedside and to jot down up to three things. 00:00:38.859 --> 00:00:44.400 It can be any number you like. One would be fine, but I like to think of three things to be thankful 00:00:44.400 --> 00:00:50.719 for in the course of that day. It can be really ordinary mundane things, but things that can 00:00:50.719 --> 00:00:55.480 easily be eclipsed in the course of everyday life and all the other things that take over our 00:00:55.479 --> 00:01:00.219 thinking processes. And the reason I think it can be particularly helpful to do it at the end of 00:01:00.219 --> 00:01:04.439 the day is it means that no matter what else you might have going on in your head right then, 00:01:05.159 --> 00:01:13.699 you hit the pillow thinking about those good things to be thankful for. It's about cultivating 00:01:13.699 --> 00:01:21.179 an attitude of gratitude. That's good for mental health. It's good for the spirit. And I urge us 00:01:21.180 --> 00:01:29.020 all to do it. Sometimes we have to dig quite deep to do it, but usually if we think hard enough, 00:01:29.200 --> 00:01:35.560 there is something in the course of that day to be thankful for, even if it is something as basic 00:01:35.560 --> 00:01:47.980 as I've made it through this day. But what then about the gift of salvation, about one of those 00:01:47.980 --> 00:01:54.939 things to write down? The reason I ask that question is, is there a sense in which it's such a massive 00:01:54.939 --> 00:02:03.159 thing? It's so big, it's so all-encompassing, and it doesn't necessarily in an obvious way connect 00:02:03.159 --> 00:02:11.120 to the events of that particular day. Is there a sense in which it can kind of like be bypassed, 00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:13.219 and we tend to not think of that? 00:02:16.180 --> 00:02:19.159 Is there a sense in which we can think it's too big, it's too abstract, 00:02:21.500 --> 00:02:28.400 it's too non-specific to the day, that we might not think that that's something at the end of each 00:02:28.400 --> 00:02:32.760 day to give thanks for? Well, what I want to think about over these next few minutes is actually why 00:02:32.760 --> 00:02:39.060 it's really important that we do stay close to remembering the gift of salvation and being 00:02:39.060 --> 00:02:46.560 thankful for it, and also to unpack some of the thinking as to why we might struggle to do that. 00:02:48.159 --> 00:02:54.420 You know, one reason why perhaps it can be a challenge is that that theme of salvation, 00:02:54.419 --> 00:03:01.199 we can perhaps tend to think, well, that's about eternal life. That's about what happens when we die. 00:03:02.500 --> 00:03:05.019 That's about over there, and it feels so distant 00:03:05.019 --> 00:03:10.959 that it can seem removed from the right here and the right now. 00:03:13.439 --> 00:03:15.279 A number of thoughts in response to that one. 00:03:16.439 --> 00:03:19.379 First is this, I don't know if you're familiar with this phrase, 00:03:19.379 --> 00:03:26.560 distant elephants. Have you come across that before? It's in time management thinking. 00:03:27.199 --> 00:03:33.280 The idea of distant elephants, if you're trying to sort of plan for stuff that's going on in life, 00:03:33.740 --> 00:03:42.419 to be aware of the danger of approaching big things that need to be undertaken 00:03:42.419 --> 00:03:48.259 in the same way that you might approach a distant elephant. Let me just explain what I mean. 00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:53.619 Or rather, what the theory means. Imagine you're standing on the African plains, and you see 00:03:53.619 --> 00:04:00.879 some elephants on the distance. They look absolutely tiny when you're a long way off, or they're a long 00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:07.419 way off. But imagine yourself walking towards those distant elephants, and very, very gradually, 00:04:07.419 --> 00:04:14.179 not suddenly, but gradually and slowly. They're not quite so distant. And then you get to the point 00:04:14.179 --> 00:04:22.060 when that elephant's actually looking fairly quite close up. But it happens gradually. And then, 00:04:22.500 --> 00:04:29.620 you think, actually, that thing's pretty big. The theory goes that in time management, as we face our 00:04:29.620 --> 00:04:35.699 tasks, there will be things that are actually really big tasks. But as they're distant, we don't deal with 00:04:35.699 --> 00:04:44.319 them. So they gradually, gradually get closer. And then we realise it's just days away. And that big 00:04:44.319 --> 00:04:49.159 thing that we should have dealt with, perhaps months ago, or started to deal with months ago, 00:04:49.539 --> 00:04:55.459 is right there, right before us. And it's huge. Now, it's a time management principle. 00:04:59.899 --> 00:05:04.339 But it's something to be aware of when it comes to the reality of our human mortality. 00:05:05.699 --> 00:05:12.899 And perhaps we are more prone to this the younger that we are. But the reality of dying and death 00:05:12.899 --> 00:05:18.879 can seem such a distant one, that we just put it on hold. Perhaps we are bury our head in the sand. 00:05:19.120 --> 00:05:28.560 But actually, all the while, we are getting closer to it. We're closer to dying right now than we were 00:05:28.560 --> 00:05:37.660 24 hours ago. In fact, sorry to say this, but you're actually closer by a few minutes than you were before I 00:05:37.660 --> 00:05:44.220 started speaking. That can sound bleak, and I've seen it as the very opposite of bleak thinking. 00:05:44.519 --> 00:05:51.340 But we have to be real. We have to be real and be conscious of our immortality, 00:05:51.339 --> 00:06:00.619 of the limited nature of human life. And to know that every single second of every day, 00:06:00.859 --> 00:06:04.819 we are stepping that bit closer to the reality of death. 00:06:04.819 --> 00:06:15.899 And even if we are more advanced in years, there's the sense in which that reality can just be pushed 00:06:15.899 --> 00:06:20.839 away from, because it doesn't seem to connect, perhaps, perhaps with our everyday lives. 00:06:20.839 --> 00:06:31.479 Being conscious of the gift of salvation, perhaps in some way starts with being conscious 00:06:31.479 --> 00:06:33.819 of our need for that gift of salvation. 00:06:36.459 --> 00:06:41.899 That life won't go on forever in the way that we know it. We are limited mortal beings. 00:06:43.659 --> 00:06:48.120 And because of the Christian gospel, that doesn't have to be a bleak message. 00:06:48.120 --> 00:06:53.660 In fact, it's a message of good news, because we know that we are saved from that. 00:06:55.519 --> 00:07:00.660 But let's be really clear. If we're thinking that actually salvation is something that just seems 00:07:00.660 --> 00:07:05.439 abstract and removed, because it seems distant, then frankly, we're fooling ourselves. 00:07:08.319 --> 00:07:14.079 But let's just take this a little bit deeper, because life, according to the Old and New Testament, 00:07:14.079 --> 00:07:18.419 is not actually presented as just in a linear form. 00:07:18.759 --> 00:07:24.579 And at the end of that linear sequence towards our death, then that's it. 00:07:24.879 --> 00:07:28.099 And then we have eternal life beyond that. 00:07:28.360 --> 00:07:33.240 If we think that in our heads that's what it's like, we're probably missing the point. 00:07:35.000 --> 00:07:40.740 Because in Scripture, it's more of a sense of that we are continually in the presence of God, 00:07:40.740 --> 00:07:42.579 and in the presence of God's eternity. 00:07:43.540 --> 00:07:44.420 Think of it like this. 00:07:45.180 --> 00:07:49.600 Go right the way back to the very opening of what we refer to as the Old Testament, 00:07:49.720 --> 00:07:51.400 the Hebrew Scriptures, the book of Genesis, 00:07:51.740 --> 00:07:54.519 as it narrates the story of the creation of the world. 00:07:56.040 --> 00:08:00.160 And we're told how, in very rich imagery and poetic form, 00:08:00.220 --> 00:08:03.680 how God creates the world and brings life, the universe and everything, 00:08:04.100 --> 00:08:06.220 into being, and sustains it in being. 00:08:06.220 --> 00:08:12.980 And we're told how God speaks to things and brings forth life. 00:08:13.100 --> 00:08:16.100 So he speaks to the water that he has created, 00:08:16.740 --> 00:08:20.440 and says, let there be fish, and brings forth fish. 00:08:21.560 --> 00:08:24.080 He speaks to the earth and to the soil and says, 00:08:24.160 --> 00:08:26.180 let there be trees and plants and flowers, 00:08:26.660 --> 00:08:28.820 and things that grow, and brings them forth. 00:08:29.960 --> 00:08:32.000 When it comes to the bit of the climax of the creation, 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:34.539 where you and I are created, human beings, 00:08:36.279 --> 00:08:39.860 mysteriously, it says that God speaks to himself. 00:08:40.879 --> 00:08:43.000 God the Trinity, Father, Son, and Spirit, 00:08:43.139 --> 00:08:48.000 and says, let us create human beings in our own image. 00:08:49.480 --> 00:08:54.779 So we are created through God speaking to God's self, 00:08:55.039 --> 00:08:58.259 and bringing us forth from God's self in God's image. 00:08:58.259 --> 00:09:01.419 Now think of it like this. 00:09:03.220 --> 00:09:08.299 God speaks into the environment that life depends. 00:09:08.939 --> 00:09:12.899 So when God speaks into the water, let there be fish. 00:09:12.960 --> 00:09:15.580 If you take a fish out of water, it dies. 00:09:17.240 --> 00:09:20.240 If you extract a tree from the soil, 00:09:21.019 --> 00:09:24.679 the very thing from which it was called forth, it dies. 00:09:24.679 --> 00:09:28.259 Why? Because those are the environments 00:09:28.259 --> 00:09:31.439 in which life flourishes for those things. 00:09:33.079 --> 00:09:38.500 In the same way, if a human being is not in God, 00:09:39.399 --> 00:09:41.379 if we are disconnected from God, 00:09:41.579 --> 00:09:44.079 we are removed from that environment 00:09:44.079 --> 00:09:47.159 within which we need to flourish to live and to grow. 00:09:48.439 --> 00:09:51.259 And so the human being in the scriptures is described, 00:09:51.259 --> 00:09:54.360 sorry, the human condition is described 00:09:54.360 --> 00:09:56.639 as a life where we are broken, 00:09:57.200 --> 00:09:58.139 where we are fragile, 00:09:58.399 --> 00:10:00.200 and where ultimately we will die 00:10:00.200 --> 00:10:05.019 because we are not in God as we were created. 00:10:07.559 --> 00:10:09.759 Of course, that is not the end of the story. 00:10:10.439 --> 00:10:14.279 And the gospel says that in fact we are planted back into God, 00:10:14.360 --> 00:10:16.080 we are in Christ, we are saved, 00:10:16.200 --> 00:10:17.399 we are set free to live. 00:10:17.399 --> 00:10:20.639 But when we understand it in those terms, 00:10:20.779 --> 00:10:24.199 we can understand how actually what salvation therefore looks like 00:10:24.199 --> 00:10:25.639 is not just the end point, 00:10:26.159 --> 00:10:29.459 the end of a trajectory of living and dying, 00:10:30.659 --> 00:10:32.480 and as though that's where it really begins. 00:10:32.779 --> 00:10:36.620 But rather salvation is something that is right now in our lives. 00:10:36.799 --> 00:10:38.579 And when you are in Christ, 00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:40.259 when you know that you are saved, 00:10:40.340 --> 00:10:43.699 when you know that death is actually nothing to be frightened of 00:10:43.700 --> 00:10:46.460 because God is there and he has set you free 00:10:46.460 --> 00:10:47.879 because of the cross, 00:10:48.160 --> 00:10:50.040 the death and the resurrection of Jesus, 00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:52.840 you may know that right now, 00:10:52.980 --> 00:10:54.580 every breath that you take 00:10:54.580 --> 00:10:56.920 is there in Christ and in God. 00:10:57.860 --> 00:10:58.820 So salvation, 00:10:59.100 --> 00:11:01.160 far from being the end point of a process, 00:11:02.160 --> 00:11:04.700 is actually right here and right now. 00:11:06.060 --> 00:11:07.520 Let's be thankful for it. 00:11:07.519 --> 00:11:11.919 But you know another reason why perhaps we might struggle 00:11:11.919 --> 00:11:17.220 to see the obvious nature of salvation 00:11:17.220 --> 00:11:21.159 and the reason why to give thanks in our everyday lives, 00:11:22.079 --> 00:11:24.799 and this is perhaps a danger for the longer 00:11:24.799 --> 00:11:26.639 you may have been a Christian believer, 00:11:27.639 --> 00:11:33.779 but the danger is that we become so familiar with the message. 00:11:33.779 --> 00:11:37.079 You know, the more times we've read the Bible, 00:11:37.199 --> 00:11:39.279 the more times we've listened to sermons 00:11:39.279 --> 00:11:41.179 proclaiming the good news of Jesus, 00:11:41.439 --> 00:11:43.220 the more songs that we've sung, 00:11:43.639 --> 00:11:45.779 the more times we've heard that message, 00:11:46.199 --> 00:11:49.699 the more immersed we become within that theme of good news, 00:11:49.939 --> 00:11:53.879 such that we can get used to it. 00:11:54.919 --> 00:11:56.819 And this is why I think it's a great idea, 00:11:56.919 --> 00:11:58.259 the longer you've been a believer, 00:11:58.480 --> 00:12:00.819 to hang out with somebody who's new to faith, 00:12:00.820 --> 00:12:03.420 because they are a continual reminder, 00:12:03.840 --> 00:12:04.580 lest you forget, 00:12:04.980 --> 00:12:07.360 of just how stark the contrast is 00:12:07.360 --> 00:12:10.140 between not knowing Jesus and knowing Jesus. 00:12:13.780 --> 00:12:14.760 Let's tell you a story. 00:12:14.879 --> 00:12:15.420 Two friends. 00:12:16.820 --> 00:12:18.700 They meet up and one of them's looking really, 00:12:18.820 --> 00:12:20.520 really, really, really fed up. 00:12:21.400 --> 00:12:22.280 So the other friend says, 00:12:22.340 --> 00:12:22.860 what's wrong? 00:12:23.320 --> 00:12:25.320 I says, well, it's a long story. 00:12:25.400 --> 00:12:25.900 He said, try me. 00:12:25.980 --> 00:12:27.260 Well, he said, two weeks ago, 00:12:27.300 --> 00:12:28.920 on a Tuesday morning, I get a letter. 00:12:29.180 --> 00:12:29.920 I open it up. 00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:32.360 It's a letter from a solicitor I've never heard of, 00:12:32.839 --> 00:12:34.559 telling me about a relative, 00:12:34.779 --> 00:12:36.860 a very distant one that I've never heard of, 00:12:37.319 --> 00:12:38.159 who's just died. 00:12:38.339 --> 00:12:39.479 He said, I'm sorry to hear that. 00:12:39.719 --> 00:12:40.919 He said, well, that's no big deal, 00:12:40.979 --> 00:12:41.939 because I've never heard of them. 00:12:43.039 --> 00:12:44.799 He said, well, why are you looking so fed up? 00:12:44.839 --> 00:12:46.379 He said, the great news is 00:12:46.379 --> 00:12:48.479 that they've left me quite a lot of money. 00:12:48.599 --> 00:12:49.439 He said, how much money? 00:12:49.679 --> 00:12:50.579 He said, £20,000. 00:12:51.139 --> 00:12:52.439 Well, he said, that's good news, isn't it? 00:12:52.479 --> 00:12:53.039 He said, yeah, 00:12:53.139 --> 00:12:54.579 but I haven't finished telling you this story yet. 00:12:54.779 --> 00:12:56.240 He said, okay, a week later, 00:12:56.399 --> 00:12:57.480 following Tuesday, 00:12:57.480 --> 00:12:59.139 how coincidental is that? 00:12:59.399 --> 00:13:01.820 I get another letter from the same solicitor. 00:13:02.279 --> 00:13:02.740 He said, yeah. 00:13:03.940 --> 00:13:04.300 He said, well, 00:13:04.879 --> 00:13:06.060 telling me that another, 00:13:06.220 --> 00:13:06.899 believe it or not, 00:13:07.180 --> 00:13:08.480 another relative 00:13:09.039 --> 00:13:10.620 that I've never heard of 00:13:10.620 --> 00:13:11.240 has died. 00:13:12.039 --> 00:13:12.320 He said, well, 00:13:13.159 --> 00:13:15.300 I suppose I'm not really meant to say sorry about that, 00:13:15.340 --> 00:13:16.060 because he said, exactly, 00:13:16.059 --> 00:13:17.139 I never knew them, 00:13:17.199 --> 00:13:18.619 so it doesn't really mean anything to me. 00:13:19.000 --> 00:13:20.019 He said, so why is the solicitor 00:13:20.019 --> 00:13:20.599 writing to you? 00:13:20.819 --> 00:13:21.659 He said, believe it or not, 00:13:21.719 --> 00:13:23.079 this solicitor's writing to me 00:13:23.079 --> 00:13:24.459 because this other relative 00:13:24.459 --> 00:13:25.219 that I've never met 00:13:25.219 --> 00:13:25.739 has died, 00:13:25.839 --> 00:13:26.459 and they've left me 00:13:26.459 --> 00:13:27.599 an even bigger sum of money. 00:13:27.719 --> 00:13:28.239 He said, what? 00:13:28.879 --> 00:13:30.039 He said, £100,000. 00:13:32.099 --> 00:13:33.319 He said, so you tell me 00:13:33.319 --> 00:13:34.839 two consecutive Tuesday mornings, 00:13:34.939 --> 00:13:35.719 you've received a letter 00:13:35.719 --> 00:13:36.419 from a solicitor 00:13:36.419 --> 00:13:36.959 telling you, 00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:37.439 first of all, 00:13:37.459 --> 00:13:38.459 you've been left £10,000, 00:13:38.699 --> 00:13:40.299 then you've been left £100,000. 00:13:41.299 --> 00:13:42.819 Why are you looking so miserable? 00:13:44.259 --> 00:13:44.599 He said, well, 00:13:44.600 --> 00:13:45.860 the week has passed, yeah, 00:13:45.980 --> 00:13:47.240 Tuesday morning, yeah, 00:13:48.740 --> 00:13:49.800 postman came this morning, 00:13:49.899 --> 00:13:51.120 no letter from the solicitor. 00:13:54.560 --> 00:13:55.779 The danger is, 00:13:55.899 --> 00:13:57.279 we get so immersed 00:13:57.279 --> 00:13:58.759 in that message of good news. 00:13:58.879 --> 00:13:59.620 Jesus is alive, 00:13:59.720 --> 00:14:00.500 he's died for you, 00:14:00.820 --> 00:14:01.820 death has been broken, 00:14:02.120 --> 00:14:03.460 the cross has set you free, 00:14:03.700 --> 00:14:04.820 you have nothing to fear. 00:14:04.820 --> 00:14:06.560 We hear it over and over 00:14:06.560 --> 00:14:07.379 and over again, 00:14:07.500 --> 00:14:08.220 as we should, 00:14:08.480 --> 00:14:09.360 and we should tell, 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:10.600 and we should rejoice in, 00:14:10.860 --> 00:14:12.300 but we hear it so much, 00:14:12.360 --> 00:14:13.440 we get used to it. 00:14:13.440 --> 00:14:15.460 The author Garrison Kyler 00:14:15.460 --> 00:14:17.640 tells a story about his childhood, 00:14:18.040 --> 00:14:19.100 Thanksgiving dinners 00:14:19.100 --> 00:14:21.360 that he grew up with in America, 00:14:21.620 --> 00:14:24.100 and he describes a relative of his, 00:14:24.180 --> 00:14:25.040 an Uncle John, 00:14:25.340 --> 00:14:27.500 who used to pray the prayers 00:14:27.500 --> 00:14:29.000 at the Thanksgiving dinner 00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:29.720 at the start. 00:14:29.960 --> 00:14:30.800 But he didn't just say, 00:14:31.020 --> 00:14:32.340 Lord, thank you for this food, 00:14:32.500 --> 00:14:32.800 amen, 00:14:33.080 --> 00:14:34.440 and so everyone could get on and eat. 00:14:34.720 --> 00:14:36.900 He used to pray about the whole 00:14:36.900 --> 00:14:38.360 of the Christian gospel message, 00:14:38.660 --> 00:14:39.340 and at length, 00:14:39.460 --> 00:14:41.220 he would pray for minutes, 00:14:41.220 --> 00:14:41.660 and minutes, 00:14:41.660 --> 00:14:42.000 and minutes, 00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:42.379 and minutes, 00:14:42.379 --> 00:14:42.759 and minutes, 00:14:42.820 --> 00:14:42.840 and minutes, 00:14:42.840 --> 00:14:43.800 and stomachs were rumbling, 00:14:44.040 --> 00:14:45.320 and food was going cold. 00:14:45.500 --> 00:14:47.340 He would pray about the good news 00:14:47.340 --> 00:14:48.000 of Jesus. 00:14:49.100 --> 00:14:51.340 Garrison Kyler describes it like this, 00:14:52.040 --> 00:14:54.100 everybody in the family knew 00:14:54.100 --> 00:14:56.000 that Uncle John could not pray 00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:58.279 without talking about the cross 00:14:58.279 --> 00:14:59.600 and crying. 00:15:00.840 --> 00:15:01.720 Sure enough, 00:15:01.860 --> 00:15:02.899 Uncle John prayed, 00:15:03.379 --> 00:15:04.460 talked about the cross, 00:15:04.600 --> 00:15:05.180 and cried. 00:15:06.560 --> 00:15:07.080 Meanwhile, 00:15:07.379 --> 00:15:09.160 the rest of us shifted nervously 00:15:09.159 --> 00:15:11.000 from one foot to the other 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:13.500 and longed for the prayer to end. 00:15:15.439 --> 00:15:16.459 Now get this, 00:15:17.240 --> 00:15:19.039 all of us knew 00:15:19.039 --> 00:15:22.159 that Jesus died on the cross for us, 00:15:23.159 --> 00:15:27.100 but Uncle John had never gotten over it. 00:15:30.199 --> 00:15:31.639 Thanksgiving for salvation 00:15:31.639 --> 00:15:33.620 is never getting over the cross. 00:15:34.959 --> 00:15:36.299 Thanksgiving for salvation 00:15:36.299 --> 00:15:37.980 is knowing that this has happened. 00:15:37.980 --> 00:15:39.500 It was a long time ago 00:15:39.500 --> 00:15:40.940 in a place far, 00:15:41.039 --> 00:15:42.519 far away from here, 00:15:42.740 --> 00:15:45.220 but it happened. 00:15:46.340 --> 00:15:47.759 And it happened for you 00:15:47.759 --> 00:15:48.759 as much as it happened 00:15:48.759 --> 00:15:50.100 for anybody else. 00:15:51.620 --> 00:15:53.139 And being mindful of that 00:15:53.139 --> 00:15:54.659 and being thankful of that 00:15:54.659 --> 00:15:56.120 makes all the difference 00:15:56.120 --> 00:15:57.440 in the way that we face 00:15:57.440 --> 00:15:58.480 our daily challenges. 00:15:59.120 --> 00:16:00.019 When we remember 00:16:00.019 --> 00:16:01.700 that this is not some abstract, 00:16:01.899 --> 00:16:02.220 remote, 00:16:02.420 --> 00:16:03.200 distant theme. 00:16:03.200 --> 00:16:04.940 This is something 00:16:04.940 --> 00:16:06.720 that we need to be remembering 00:16:06.720 --> 00:16:08.420 and being thankful for 00:16:08.420 --> 00:16:10.280 every single day of our lives. 00:16:11.780 --> 00:16:12.980 So let me share with you 00:16:12.980 --> 00:16:14.300 one more image 00:16:14.300 --> 00:16:15.960 before we come to pray. 00:16:17.940 --> 00:16:18.680 And it's an image 00:16:18.680 --> 00:16:20.420 that I picked up. 00:16:20.480 --> 00:16:21.840 You may have heard me share before. 00:16:21.960 --> 00:16:23.060 You may have come across it before. 00:16:23.140 --> 00:16:23.560 Shared by 00:16:23.560 --> 00:16:26.440 a speaker called Francis Chan. 00:16:26.440 --> 00:16:29.680 And I wanted to imagine 00:16:29.680 --> 00:16:32.060 it this way. 00:16:32.220 --> 00:16:32.900 I've got here, 00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:34.400 I'll tell you there's a piece of rope. 00:16:35.020 --> 00:16:36.420 There's a piece of rope here 00:16:36.420 --> 00:16:37.780 on the floor. 00:16:39.220 --> 00:16:40.520 And, oh, it's got a knot in it there. 00:16:40.580 --> 00:16:40.980 That wasn't made up. 00:16:41.020 --> 00:16:42.340 It's not a magic trick, by the way, 00:16:42.400 --> 00:16:43.520 so don't get excited. 00:16:44.300 --> 00:16:45.160 I'm just going to see 00:16:45.160 --> 00:16:46.260 if I can just disentangle 00:16:46.260 --> 00:16:46.920 this bit here. 00:16:46.919 --> 00:16:48.919 But, basically, 00:16:49.579 --> 00:16:50.819 it's just an illustration to, 00:16:51.199 --> 00:16:52.099 I want you to imagine 00:16:52.099 --> 00:16:54.019 that this piece of rope, 00:16:54.519 --> 00:16:56.439 this piece of rope 00:16:56.439 --> 00:16:58.719 goes on 00:16:58.719 --> 00:17:00.539 forever and ever and ever. 00:17:00.899 --> 00:17:02.919 There's no end to this. 00:17:03.000 --> 00:17:04.159 It just is a beginning here, 00:17:04.279 --> 00:17:05.319 but it doesn't end. 00:17:05.379 --> 00:17:06.319 It just goes on and on 00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:07.379 and out through that door, 00:17:07.700 --> 00:17:08.279 round the building, 00:17:08.379 --> 00:17:09.119 down the street, 00:17:09.559 --> 00:17:11.899 right the way down to the coast, 00:17:12.000 --> 00:17:13.319 across the channel, 00:17:13.480 --> 00:17:14.379 right around the world. 00:17:14.440 --> 00:17:15.399 There's no end to it, okay? 00:17:15.400 --> 00:17:17.480 Just imagine that that piece of rope 00:17:17.480 --> 00:17:19.120 goes on forever. 00:17:19.500 --> 00:17:21.200 And what that rope represents 00:17:21.200 --> 00:17:22.019 is eternity. 00:17:22.540 --> 00:17:24.060 Now, we find this so hard 00:17:24.060 --> 00:17:25.380 to get our heads around 00:17:25.380 --> 00:17:27.519 because we only know realities 00:17:27.519 --> 00:17:29.220 that have a beginning and an end. 00:17:29.620 --> 00:17:30.780 So the thought of something 00:17:30.780 --> 00:17:31.780 that doesn't run out 00:17:31.780 --> 00:17:33.280 is so hard for us to imagine. 00:17:34.080 --> 00:17:34.540 But try. 00:17:36.040 --> 00:17:37.120 I want you to imagine 00:17:37.120 --> 00:17:38.420 that that is eternity. 00:17:38.980 --> 00:17:40.380 And this little red bit, 00:17:40.480 --> 00:17:41.320 if you really observe it, 00:17:41.340 --> 00:17:42.420 on the end of the piece of rope 00:17:42.420 --> 00:17:43.400 is your life, 00:17:43.519 --> 00:17:44.680 which did have a beginning. 00:17:45.400 --> 00:17:49.220 And when I say your life, 00:17:49.320 --> 00:17:50.280 what I mean by that 00:17:50.280 --> 00:17:52.700 is your life here on earth, 00:17:53.820 --> 00:17:55.660 in this mortal physical body. 00:17:57.160 --> 00:17:58.200 That's when you were born. 00:17:59.900 --> 00:18:01.720 And that bit where the white begins, 00:18:01.840 --> 00:18:02.680 where the red finishes, 00:18:03.680 --> 00:18:05.580 is the day that you die. 00:18:06.560 --> 00:18:07.940 Now, I know I said earlier 00:18:07.940 --> 00:18:08.660 on all this stuff 00:18:08.660 --> 00:18:10.960 about how actually salvation 00:18:10.960 --> 00:18:13.060 is not just to be understood 00:18:13.059 --> 00:18:14.319 as a linear progression 00:18:14.319 --> 00:18:15.099 to the end. 00:18:15.819 --> 00:18:17.159 But the reality is 00:18:17.159 --> 00:18:18.200 our lives, 00:18:18.619 --> 00:18:21.059 the history of our lives 00:18:21.059 --> 00:18:21.639 in this world 00:18:21.639 --> 00:18:22.899 is a linear one 00:18:22.899 --> 00:18:23.519 in that we have 00:18:23.519 --> 00:18:24.399 a sequence of days 00:18:24.399 --> 00:18:24.919 and we don't know 00:18:24.919 --> 00:18:25.639 how many of those 00:18:25.639 --> 00:18:26.359 they will be, 00:18:26.579 --> 00:18:27.679 but the time will come 00:18:27.679 --> 00:18:28.319 when they will come 00:18:28.319 --> 00:18:28.940 to an end. 00:18:29.279 --> 00:18:29.779 So the purposes 00:18:29.779 --> 00:18:31.500 of this illustration, 00:18:31.639 --> 00:18:32.240 this image, 00:18:32.879 --> 00:18:33.519 which you imagine 00:18:33.519 --> 00:18:35.500 that where the red bit stops 00:18:35.500 --> 00:18:36.859 and the white bit starts, 00:18:37.380 --> 00:18:38.720 is the day your life 00:18:38.720 --> 00:18:39.740 on earth ends 00:18:39.740 --> 00:18:42.180 and then we have eternity. 00:18:44.680 --> 00:18:45.700 Why is it 00:18:45.700 --> 00:18:47.539 that we invest 00:18:47.539 --> 00:18:48.920 our time and our energy 00:18:48.920 --> 00:18:50.940 in worrying about 00:18:50.940 --> 00:18:51.599 all the stuff 00:18:51.599 --> 00:18:52.740 that goes on here 00:18:52.740 --> 00:18:54.440 and yet not thinking 00:18:54.440 --> 00:18:56.339 about all of this stuff 00:18:56.339 --> 00:18:57.420 going on here 00:18:57.420 --> 00:18:58.400 because this 00:18:58.400 --> 00:18:59.680 is so much bigger 00:18:59.680 --> 00:19:02.840 than this. 00:19:05.660 --> 00:19:07.019 And without suggesting 00:19:07.019 --> 00:19:07.779 for one moment 00:19:07.779 --> 00:19:08.360 that that means 00:19:08.360 --> 00:19:08.980 that eternity 00:19:08.980 --> 00:19:10.560 is some kind of abstraction, 00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:11.400 just the opposite. 00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:13.580 Because this is so huge, 00:19:13.799 --> 00:19:14.660 because this just goes 00:19:14.660 --> 00:19:15.500 on and on 00:19:15.500 --> 00:19:16.460 and on and on 00:19:16.460 --> 00:19:17.799 and never ever stops, 00:19:18.759 --> 00:19:19.759 it impacts 00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:21.200 every single day 00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:22.000 or at least 00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:22.920 should impact 00:19:22.920 --> 00:19:24.160 every day of our thinking 00:19:24.160 --> 00:19:25.460 during this bit here 00:19:25.460 --> 00:19:25.920 and yet 00:19:25.920 --> 00:19:27.200 it tends to not. 00:19:29.680 --> 00:19:30.759 As we come 00:19:30.759 --> 00:19:32.000 to give thanks, 00:19:32.620 --> 00:19:33.460 when we think about 00:19:33.460 --> 00:19:34.000 the importance 00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:34.759 of having that 00:19:34.759 --> 00:19:36.060 attitude of gratitude, 00:19:36.259 --> 00:19:37.140 yes, it is important 00:19:37.140 --> 00:19:37.900 that we are thankful 00:19:37.900 --> 00:19:38.860 for all the stuff 00:19:38.860 --> 00:19:39.680 that happens 00:19:39.680 --> 00:19:40.600 in a single day 00:19:40.600 --> 00:19:41.060 of our lives, 00:19:41.120 --> 00:19:41.820 the mundane stuff, 00:19:41.900 --> 00:19:42.460 the ordinary stuff, 00:19:42.519 --> 00:19:43.340 we need to do that. 00:19:45.320 --> 00:19:45.940 But you know, 00:19:46.920 --> 00:19:48.220 because all of this stuff 00:19:48.220 --> 00:19:49.380 is taken care of, 00:19:50.259 --> 00:19:51.720 because of Christ's death 00:19:51.720 --> 00:19:52.580 and his resurrection 00:19:52.580 --> 00:19:53.960 that sets us free 00:19:53.960 --> 00:19:54.820 for all this, 00:19:55.060 --> 00:19:56.160 it means that 00:19:56.160 --> 00:19:56.920 this bit here 00:19:56.920 --> 00:19:57.740 is transformed. 00:19:57.740 --> 00:19:59.640 You know, 00:20:00.160 --> 00:20:00.799 Karl Marx 00:20:00.799 --> 00:20:01.799 and classic Marxist 00:20:01.799 --> 00:20:02.640 thinking would say 00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:03.359 that, well, 00:20:03.460 --> 00:20:03.680 you know, 00:20:03.740 --> 00:20:04.900 that message of eternity 00:20:04.900 --> 00:20:05.940 is just a distraction. 00:20:06.319 --> 00:20:07.500 It's pie in the sky 00:20:07.500 --> 00:20:08.160 when you die 00:20:08.160 --> 00:20:09.640 and it just distracts us 00:20:09.640 --> 00:20:10.339 from the here and now. 00:20:10.539 --> 00:20:11.279 I would actually say 00:20:11.279 --> 00:20:12.019 the very opposite. 00:20:12.380 --> 00:20:13.339 It is precisely 00:20:13.339 --> 00:20:15.059 because of eternity 00:20:15.059 --> 00:20:15.799 and the difference 00:20:15.799 --> 00:20:16.240 it means 00:20:16.240 --> 00:20:17.539 that our time here 00:20:17.539 --> 00:20:17.900 on earth 00:20:17.900 --> 00:20:19.420 is radically transformed. 00:20:21.559 --> 00:20:22.480 And the way 00:20:22.480 --> 00:20:23.440 that we approach 00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:24.960 time and space now 00:20:24.960 --> 00:20:27.299 is different 00:20:27.299 --> 00:20:28.660 because we know 00:20:28.660 --> 00:20:30.740 that we have 00:20:30.740 --> 00:20:32.180 all of this 00:20:32.180 --> 00:20:33.720 ahead. 00:20:36.140 --> 00:20:37.420 Let's give thanks 00:20:37.420 --> 00:20:40.200 not just for this 00:20:40.200 --> 00:20:43.220 but for all of this 00:20:43.220 --> 00:20:44.039 which is to come 00:20:44.039 --> 00:20:46.319 and to know 00:20:46.319 --> 00:20:48.519 that that begins 00:20:48.519 --> 00:20:50.259 right now. 00:20:51.799 --> 00:20:52.840 Let's pray together. 00:20:52.839 --> 00:20:57.179 Lord, 00:20:57.259 --> 00:20:58.319 we thank you 00:20:58.319 --> 00:20:59.279 that the message 00:20:59.279 --> 00:21:00.099 of salvation 00:21:00.099 --> 00:21:00.879 is not 00:21:00.879 --> 00:21:01.879 just some kind 00:21:01.879 --> 00:21:02.500 of abstract 00:21:02.500 --> 00:21:03.679 idea 00:21:03.679 --> 00:21:05.279 that starts 00:21:05.279 --> 00:21:06.079 when we die 00:21:06.079 --> 00:21:08.119 but it's 00:21:08.119 --> 00:21:09.259 a message 00:21:09.259 --> 00:21:10.339 for all eternity 00:21:10.339 --> 00:21:11.179 which means 00:21:11.179 --> 00:21:12.199 it affects 00:21:12.199 --> 00:21:13.199 our whole lives 00:21:13.199 --> 00:21:13.699 now. 00:21:15.459 --> 00:21:16.059 Lord, 00:21:16.119 --> 00:21:16.559 forgive us 00:21:16.559 --> 00:21:17.279 for those times 00:21:17.279 --> 00:21:17.839 when we 00:21:17.839 --> 00:21:18.959 almost perhaps 00:21:18.959 --> 00:21:20.619 pretend it doesn't 00:21:20.619 --> 00:21:20.980 happen 00:21:20.980 --> 00:21:21.900 or we bury 00:21:21.900 --> 00:21:22.299 our heads 00:21:22.299 --> 00:21:22.900 in our sand 00:21:22.900 --> 00:21:23.700 because it 00:21:23.700 --> 00:21:24.059 just seems 00:21:24.059 --> 00:21:24.720 so distant. 00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:26.819 Lord, 00:21:26.900 --> 00:21:27.259 help us 00:21:27.259 --> 00:21:27.980 to remember 00:21:27.980 --> 00:21:29.440 that we 00:21:29.440 --> 00:21:30.039 are forgiven 00:21:30.039 --> 00:21:31.279 and that we 00:21:31.279 --> 00:21:32.039 are set free 00:21:32.039 --> 00:21:32.920 and we can 00:21:32.920 --> 00:21:34.160 dare to 00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:34.880 think about 00:21:34.880 --> 00:21:35.559 mortality 00:21:35.559 --> 00:21:36.120 and death 00:21:36.120 --> 00:21:36.519 and dying 00:21:36.519 --> 00:21:37.259 and the reason 00:21:37.259 --> 00:21:38.180 we can do so 00:21:38.180 --> 00:21:38.680 is because 00:21:38.680 --> 00:21:39.480 you set us 00:21:39.480 --> 00:21:40.120 free from it 00:21:40.120 --> 00:21:40.680 in Jesus. 00:21:42.960 --> 00:21:43.660 So Lord, 00:21:44.000 --> 00:21:45.019 thank you 00:21:45.019 --> 00:21:45.519 that we are 00:21:45.519 --> 00:21:45.900 forgiven. 00:21:46.940 --> 00:21:47.579 Thank you 00:21:47.579 --> 00:21:48.019 that we are 00:21:48.019 --> 00:21:48.599 set free. 00:21:48.599 --> 00:21:51.019 help us 00:21:51.019 --> 00:21:52.839 to remember 00:21:52.839 --> 00:21:53.699 the importance 00:21:53.699 --> 00:21:54.839 of being 00:21:54.839 --> 00:21:55.539 thankful 00:21:55.539 --> 00:21:56.559 and grateful 00:21:56.559 --> 00:21:58.279 not just 00:21:58.279 --> 00:21:58.740 when we go 00:21:58.740 --> 00:21:59.500 to bed at night 00:21:59.500 --> 00:22:01.500 but throughout 00:22:01.500 --> 00:22:02.519 each day. 00:22:04.519 --> 00:22:05.519 Thank you. 00:22:07.099 --> 00:22:07.619 Amen.