Let's pray.
Gracious Lord, we do indeed thank you for the way you have led us
as we have come this morning and as we church together.
And as Steve has prayed for us,
so indeed we ask that you might work mercifully by your spirit,
through the power of your word,
strip away every distraction,
focus our minds and revolutionise our hearts.
For Christ's sake, Amen.
So, I was really thrilled when I saw the series that you're doing at the moment,
God's Sufficient Grace.
2 Corinthians is one of my favourite books and as the Apostle often does,
it is a book that is full of understatements and there is no greater understatement
than that phrase that titles your series, God's Sufficient Grace.
What does the word sufficient mean?
Sorry?
Enough.
When you say, oh, it's sufficient.
What are you meaning?
It's just enough.
So we're saying, God's just enough grace.
It's interesting, isn't it?
Isn't it not the greatest understatement you've ever heard?
Here we are, the recipients of this lavish,
as John chapter 1 calls it,
grace upon grace upon grace,
and it's meant to be an endless series.
It's like the waves of the ocean.
We don't get this on the western side,
the Indian Ocean is a pond.
But when you go down to DY and you see the waves,
grace upon grace upon grace,
and do they ever stop?
No.
And neither does God's lavish grace.
So when we talk about God's sufficient grace,
let's just bear in mind that we're talking about the understated God,
the God who, when he created all things,
at the end of each day said,
God saw what he had made and behold, it was good.
Good.
Couldn't you have come up with a slightly better adjective?
Couldn't you have just extended yourself a bit?
I mean, like he clearly is an American.
That's awesome!
You know?
Like, you just would go to town.
And I mean, at the end of all six days of creation,
when it was complete,
when it had the crowning glory of the one made in his image,
when it was in perfect harmony,
when love had had its full sway,
can you imagine the dynamic nature of what had been done?
The Lord thought, oh, okay, I better extend myself.
He saw all that he had made,
behold, it was...
Very good.
Great.
So look, just when you come in here
and you think God's sufficient grace,
just recognise the God we serve.
He's not American.
He is understated.
Right?
And we're talking about authentic hope.
And I get the impression from the screen that's been up here
that authentic, true, real.
Very good.
I have no idea what's been going on.
They're held on too hard,
so I can't pull them off.
There's a very good job, whoever did this.
I know nothing about it,
but I'm just wondering why there are only this many.
I mean, how many of us are there here?
There's got to be a hundred plus,
even on Father's Day.
Or how come there's only 20-odd masks on the wall?
Did you take your mask off when you came in today?
Did you take it off?
Because we all wear them, don't we?
Every one of us.
And we are talking about authentic Christian living.
Real.
And I know one of the things that I found breathtaking
was the, as I grew in Christ,
was coming to understand the most practical Christian doctrine there is.
Imputed righteousness.
Justification by faith.
That I am established outside of myself.
And so you can see me as I am.
Even with all that inadequacy,
all that bankruptcy,
all the failings.
Because
all that does is reveal more greatly
the sufficiency of the God we serve.
So,
when we think
and read through,
hear this passage
from
2 Corinthians
chapter 5.
I'll try it again.
I must have hit the wrong button.
It says,
For we know
that if the earthly tent we live in
is destroyed,
we have
a building from God.
An eternal house in heaven.
Not built by human hands.
And when we think
about earthly tents,
there's no place
we should start
more appropriate
than the incarnation.
That the word
became flesh
and dwelt among us
full of grace and truth
and we beheld his glory,
glory as of the only son of the father.
And when you see that little word there
where it says
the word became flesh
and dwelt,
dwelt,
literally that word dwelt
is tented,
tabernacled.
The eternal son
took on flesh
and tented amongst us.
Pitched his tent
as he refers to
this flesh,
this body.
But it says there
that
we know
that if this
earthly tent we live in
is destroyed,
and you've been hearing
about this just last week
as you've looked at
chapters 3 and 4,
but if this earthly tent
is destroyed,
once again,
there is no place
that we should look
more closely
than the destruction
of the body
of Christ.
A body that was
given over for sin.
Everything done
within that flesh
was perfect,
was righteous,
was holy,
was pure,
and yet look.
It's hard to look
at,
isn't it?
It's hard to look
at.
He died my death.
He died your death.
This was the full
curse
of sin
and the full
judgment of God
upon it
poured out
upon his tent,
upon his
earthly body.
But then it says
we have
a building
from God,
an eternal
house
in heaven,
not built
by human hands.
And we look
to the resurrection.
We look
to the resurrection.
The fact
that death,
as the song
says,
could not hold
him down.
when he rose,
it was the
proof.
Do you ever
wonder whether
your sin is
dealt with?
Whether it
will ever
visit you
again?
You only
need to
know that
he rose
to know
that it
is gone
forever.
It will
never visit
you again.
It's not
possible.
Because if
any of your
sin or my
sin was
still hanging,
stuck to
him,
he couldn't
have risen
from the
dead.
He was
doomed
forever.
So,
when we
think about
this
heavenly
dwelling,
meanwhile,
we groan,
longing to
be clothed,
instead,
with our
heavenly
dwelling.
I need
to just
check what
slide we
got here.
We have
got that
one up
already,
haven't we?
Okay.
Alright.
I just
realised it's
not obeying
all the
clicks that
I've put in
it, but
that's alright.
We will
work with
that.
When it
talks about
a new
body,
receiving a
new body,
should I be
thinking about
Chris Hemsworth?
Is that what
I'm going
to get?
You know?
I won't
ask my
wife what
she thinks,
alright?
I don't
really want to
know the
answer to
that, but
can I say
most assuredly
that when we
think of the
new body that
we receive,
that because
Christ has
risen with
an indestructible
body, an
eternal body,
this is not
some airy,
fairy,
spiritual
resurrection,
this is a
resurrection with
substance, a
resurrected body,
and when
Christ raises
with that
body, that
is the
guarantee that
you and I
will have a
new body.
It won't
bear the
impact of
the curse
of sin the
way this
one does.
So does
that mean it
will be like
this?
Well, no.
Because I
want to tell
you, that
body still
bears the
curse of
sin.
We need
to come
back to
seeing what
Christ has
done.
Because what
Christ has
done and
what dominates
his life is
what will
dominate your
life and
your resurrected
glorious body.
body.
I want to
just take
us through
and just
quickly, I
was going to
unfold this
slowly but
it's all up
in front of
you now and
I've realised
that I
struggle to
read all of
this from
this distance
because this
body is
wasting away
and these
eyes are part
of that.
And it
says, but
we have this
treasure in
jars of clay,
body, as
Steve mentioned
before.
Okay, look,
hold on, hold
on a second,
let's just get
this right.
Hold on, I'm
coming down, I'm
going to sit
with you.
We have this
treasure in
jars of clay to
show that this
all-surpassing
power is from
God and not
from us.
We're hard
pressed on
every side.
This is where
you've been
last week.
Hard pressed
on every side,
crushed in
fact.
Perplexed,
but not in
despair.
Persecuted, but
not abandoned.
Struck down, but
not destroyed.
I can't tell you
how many times,
even just in the
last ten years,
I've been struck
down, I felt
crushed, I felt
completely
overwhelmed.
But, his
grace is
sufficient.
We always, it
says in verse
10, carry
around in our
body the death
of Jesus so
that the life
of Jesus may
also be revealed
in our body.
I just realised
we've got a much
better view
looking this
way.
Here I was, I
was looking up
here and I
should have been
looking here.
That's great.
I'll get used to
this place
eventually.
For we who
are alive are
always being
given over to
death for
Jesus' sake so
that his life
may also be
revealed in our
mortal body.
See those words
in bold there?
we carry
around in our
body the
death of
Jesus so
that the
life of
Jesus may
also be
revealed.
It's the
same as when
Paul says,
I did not
come amongst
you with
eloquent
words so
that it
might be
clear to
you that
the power,
the dynamic
for the words
that I speak
comes not
from me,
it comes
from God.
And it
is the
same here.
I am
amazed and
humbled by
the things
that people
have said
about us
and our
ministry over
in the
Northwest,
over in
Wickham.
The things
that people
over there
say about
us and
it is
because the
life of
Jesus is
being revealed
in this
inadequacy.
And it
goes on and
says,
we are always
being given
over to
death so
that his
life may
also be
revealed in
our mortal
body.
Because we
know that
the one who
raised Jesus
from the
dead will
also raise
us with
Jesus and
present us
with you to
himself.
So you
see it is
Jesus'
life and
death and
resurrection
that determines
your course.
And then he
goes on and
says,
therefore we
do not lose
heart.
Though outwardly
we are wasting
away, yet
inwardly we
are being
renewed day
by day.
And this
is the
thing, we
need to
develop a
discipline,
a discipline
of knowing
that it is
solely in
Christ I
live.
You think
of Galatians
2, I
have been
crucified with
Christ.
It's no
longer I
who live,
but Christ
who lives
in me.
And the
life I
now live
in the
flesh, in
this body,
I live by
faith in the
Son of God
who loved
me and gave
himself for
me.
We've got
to start
hanging much
looser to
this body.
When we
read and
we think of
these passages,
so see the
highlighted passage
there where it
says,
meanwhile we
groan,
longing to
be clothed
instead with
our heavenly
dwelling.
Do you
groan?
I'll bet if
you're getting
as old as
me, you
groan.
But is
it because
you're longing
for your
heavenly body?
Is that
why you
groan?
Or do
you groan
because you're
just not
happy, you're
not content
with this
vessel that
the Lord has
given you?
Or you see
it breaking
down?
Are you
walking in a
staunch
resistance?
to the
groaning of
this body?
Not because
you're longing,
longing for
a new body,
a resurrected
body, but
because you
actually want
this one.
That's why
the gyms are
full, isn't
it?
That's why
there is so
much about
the body
beautiful.
And you
might say,
oh Rich,
it's easy
for you to
say that.
You know,
like you
clearly have
been letting
yourself go
for a
while.
You'd be
right.
You'd be
right.
But I've
got to
tell you,
this is
not where
we are
to put
our hope.
authentic
hope is
not in
this.
It is
in the
resurrected
body that
we see
firstly in
Christ as
the first
fruits,
and then
which will
come to
all those
who have
hoped in
him.
he says,
for while
we are
in this
tent,
we groan
and are
burdened
because we
do not,
we do not
wish to be
unclothed,
but to be
clothed
instead with
our heavenly
dwelling.
I want
to encourage
you to
truly groan
and long
for your
heavenly
dwelling.
I've got to
tell you,
that is
hard for
us to
do.
It's
hard for
us to
do.
The first
reading that
we had
was from
the very
start of
Jesus'
public
ministry,
Matthew
chapter 5.
I've only
put up
verses 3
to 6
here.
Blessed
are the
poor in
spirit.
As I
said earlier
when I was
up here
talking with
Steve,
those who
recognise that
they are
completely
bankrupt.
Jesus is
saying,
unless you
realise you
are bankrupt,
you will
not come
to me.
You will
actually
pursue
your own
adequacy.
In fact,
to the
person who
believes that
they are
not
bankrupt,
let me
tell you
this,
grace is
an offence.
Why?
Why is
grace an
offence to
those who
do not
recognise that
in and of
themselves they
are bankrupt?
Can anybody
come back at
me?
Why is
grace an
offence?
grace an
offence?
Why is
it
not
to the
weakness?
Sorry?
It shows up
the weakness?
It does?
But why
does it
offend
me if
I don't
think I'm
bankrupt?
Sorry?
Yeah.
I get
no kudos.
loss.
You think,
what is
at the
very heart
of our
sinful
selves?
I want
to tell
you it
is that
sinful
core of
our pride
that believes
that we
are good
enough for
God without
God.
See,
the nature
of atheistic
humanism
today is
that it
can achieve
everything
that God
would promise
without
him.
And to
atheistic
humanism,
it does
not want
to know
about grace.
It does
not want
to know
about the
greatest
gift of
all time
because
that
actually
detracts
from
it.
And so
Jesus
rightly
starts and
says,
blessed are
the poor
in spirit,
blessed are
those who
realise
their
bankruptcy
before
the Holy
Father,
for theirs
is the
kingdom of
heaven.
Why is
theirs the
kingdom of
heaven?
It's not
because they
stay bankrupt,
it's because
realising their
bankruptcy,
they do
what?
They come
to Christ.
Don't they?
Realising
their bankruptcy,
they come
to Christ.
He goes
on and he
says,
blessed are
those who
mourn,
for they
will be
comforted.
Blessed
are the
meek,
for they
will inherit
the earth.
Blessed
are those
who hunger
and thirst
for righteousness,
for they
will be
filled.
I have
to ask
us this
because
this is
our
challenge
in a
place where
we have
one of
the highest
standards
of living
on earth,
in a
place where
I love
the changes
that have
been done
here,
but can
I tell
you when
Wickham
does not
even have
a place
where it
can gather,
where it
is identified
as the
meeting place
of God's
people,
it's
overwhelming.
When I
see the
poverty,
it is
overwhelming.
when I
see the
needs,
it's
overwhelming.
And we
must ask
the question,
have you
hungered
lately?
Are you
thirsty?
Because what
do we do
as soon as
we're thirsty
physically?
We just
straight away,
as soon as
we're thirsty.
How long
do you wait
and allow
the physical
thirst to
go?
Before you
go,
walk to
the fridge,
open and
get something
that's as
cold as
you want.
It's not
long,
is it?
Before you
get the
beverage of
choice.
But we
know that
we're talking
about a
different
thirst,
aren't
we?
Let's
go back
to Jesus
and the
cross.
What were
one of
his words
that he
spoke from
the cross?
He said,
I thirst.
Did he
go to the
fridge and
get out his
beverage of
choice at
just the
right
temperature?
No.
In fact,
they went
to place
something to
his lips
to dull
the pain,
but he
didn't take
it.
Because what
was he really
doing when he
said,
I thirst?
He was
experiencing
exactly that
which you
and I
experience
as a
result of
living with
the
emptiness,
the
emptiness
of being
a rebel,
of being
without God
and without
hope in
this world.
Now that
you have
come to
Christ,
you
recognize
your
bankruptcy,
you've
come to
Christ,
do you
stop
hungering
and thirsting?
The answer
is no.
In exactly
the same
way as he
says,
blessed are
those who
mourn,
for they
will be
comforted.
What's the
nature of
our mourning?
We have
this all
sufficient
grace and
yet,
even though
we have
that now,
we are
also still
beset with
the weakness,
with this
clay,
broken clay
pot,
with this
tent that is
fading away,
with this
tent that
shows the
signs of
the curse.
And so,
we mourn
what we
see sin
doing here,
what we
see sin
doing in
the world,
what we
see the
powers of
darkness
seeking to
do,
we mourn
these things.
We hunger
and we
thirst.
And I
want to
encourage you
to check
yourself
and ask,
are you
setting up
your life
so there
is only
comfort
and
convenience?
What
happens
when you
hunger?
Every day,
if there is
not hungering
and thirsting
and mourning
within you,
there is
something wrong.
We're missing
something.
Like,
I'm so
thrilled to
see you
younger guys
in here.
Now,
you won't
pick up
everything
that we're
talking about,
that I'm
talking about,
but you
know what?
You know
why it's
so good?
Because you
are confronted
by a world
that is saying
to you,
you need
to pursue
your own
comfort and
convenience.
Jesus is
saying the
opposite.
And he's
saying that
as you
thirst
and hunger
and mourn,
he's
also
saying that
his
spirit
at work
within you
will bring
love,
joy and
peace.
It seems
like a
dichotomy,
doesn't it?
Like a
contradiction.
How can
these things
be going
on at the
same time?
But
constantly,
I guarantee
you,
if you
hunger and
thirst as
Christ did
daily,
then you
will also
know his
peace.
Indeed,
he said,
my peace
I give
to you,
my peace
I leave
with you,
not as
the world
gives,
do I
give.
Not as
the world
gives,
do I
give.
So we
need to be
content
to walk
to the
beat of
a very
different
drum if
we are
to be
authentic
believers
and if
we are
to be
authentic
in hope.
So I
want to
share with
you a
quick story
because one
thing that I
found overwhelming
during the
ministry in
Wickham was
the number
of our
indigenous
people that
I placed
in the
ground.
In a
community,
an indigenous
community of
probably
1500,
there would
be a
death
every week,
maybe two,
sometimes
three.
Think about
that.
We're talking
a population
of 14 to
1500,
maybe at
times up
to 2000,
and there
is a
death every
week.
people in
this land
are literally
passing us
by.
And the
number of
kids I
would
minister to
that are
impacted by
that, that
are orphans,
that have
already lost
both parents.
You see this
boy on the
screen here.
He was the
angriest boy
I had ever
witnessed.
You know
how in
schools you're
not meant to
touch the
kids?
Well, the
local principal,
who was very
suspicious of me
at first, but
eventually I
became a
trusted
confidant,
and she
would ring
and say,
Rich, can
you please
come up?
it's Zane.
And I
would get
there, and
the classroom,
all the kids
would have
been evacuated,
and Zane
would be in
there with a
golf club
destroying the
room.
And she
would need
someone,
because all
the male
teachers have
been taken
out of our
primary schools,
she would
need someone
to go and
disarm
Zane,
and then in
all his
fury,
still him.
And I
would just
hug him.
I would
just hug
him.
I remember
one day when
that happened,
his mum came
up, and she
was so upset,
and she was
so ashamed,
she hit him
around the
ear.
I later found
out that both
he and his
older sister,
both had
perforated
eardrums on
the right-hand
side.
she hit
him,
she clubbed
him,
and then she
grabbed him
by the foot,
and she
dragged him
to the
car.
And this
is him
around that
time.
And
his
mother was
a very
angry woman,
would never
smile.
mother.
But I
want to
introduce you
to her
here.
I cannot
say her
name because
I haven't
asked the
permission of
the family,
and that is
very important
to them.
But see
this beautiful
woman here,
smiling?
smiling.
She's smiling
because she
received God's
sufficient
grace.
And she
was transformed
from a woman
so deeply
gripped and
entrenched in
bitterness
to the
suffering of
her children,
to a woman
that shone
with the
love of
Jesus,
that could
not get
together enough
saying,
pastor,
can we do
some wonga,
which means
God's word?
Can we
open the
Bible?
But of
course,
the impact
of the
entrenched
dysfunction and
bad choices
and behaviours,
the alcohol
meant that
this dear
sister died
only two
years after
this photo,
at the
ripe old
age of
34.
Her
kidneys,
her liver,
everything
chucked it
in.
But hers
was the
favourite
funeral
that I
took.
I took
many.
And it
got to the
point where
the indigenous
pastor there,
he would
get me to
speak because
he'd never
been trained
and while
he faithfully
kept declaring
the core
gospel,
their eyes
they had
closed.
But he
said that
their eyes
would open
and the
screensavers
would come
down and
so he
got me to
just say,
just keep
teaching the
Bible.
I would
just work
my way
through the
Bible with
my largest
congregation,
sometimes up
to 800,
on a weekly
basis.
In fact,
sometimes when
we had two
funerals on
a Saturday,
can you imagine
getting back
here in the
afternoon to
hear Steve
again?
Well,
that was
my
congregation
at
Robben
Cemetery.
But my
favourite
funeral was
this woman's,
this sister,
your sister.
And she,
they produce
a booklet
which is full
of photos and
this booklet
full of
photos always,
always is the
tribute for
their whole
life.
And their
life, their
funeral booklet
means everything
to them.
All these
tributes from
family members,
all these
pictures, and
their story is
at the beginning
and the story
is read, you
know, at the
start of the
service.
And I got to
read her story
and her story
had one paragraph
about where she
was born, who
her parents
was, where
she'd lived,
and then it
said, now
enough of me,
let me tell you
about my
saviour and
what he's done
for me.
And the
whole rest of
her eulogy,
two pages,
was about what
God had done
in her life.
Never seen it
before, where
somebody wrote
their own
eulogy and
they used it
to take the
opportunity to
do just that.
This was a
woman that
was longing
for heaven.
This is her
son now, at
another funeral,
just recently.
You can pray
for him, his
name is Zane.
And the
anger is
going.
He's lost
both his
parents, but
he knows that
his mum is
with Jesus.
Pray that he
will trust
Jesus.
Now, what
we have here
in, is
that it
says, now
the one
who has
fashioned us
for this
very purpose
is God,
who has
given us
the Spirit
as a deposit,
guaranteeing
what is to
come.
It removes
any doubts
because we
know that
the Spirit
has been
given us
this guarantee.
There is no
doubt.
And so he
goes on and
he speaks
of the
confidence
that we
have,
that as
long as
we are
away from
the body,
we might
be away
from the
Lord,
but we
have the
Spirit
living and
working
within us
as a
guarantee.
So,
just looking
at the
clock,
it's time
for me to
finish up.
But I want
to finish up
by just
sharing with
you Philippians
chapter 1.
because I
want to see
if this
becomes the
standard for
how you
live in
regard to
your body
and your
time here.
Have a look
at it.
He says,
I eagerly
expect and
hope that I
will in no
way be
ashamed,
but will
have sufficient
courage so
that now as
always Christ
will be
exalted in
my body.
Christ will
be exalted
in your
body,
whether by
life or by
death.
for to
me to
live is
Christ and
to die is
gain.
Is that
your mantra
and your
motto?
For you
to live is
Christ and
to die is
gain.
He says,
if I am to
go on living
in this body,
this will mean
fruitful labour
for me.
Yet what
shall I
choose?
I don't
know,
I'm torn
between the
two.
I desire to
depart and be
with Christ,
which is better
by far,
but it's
far more
necessary for
you that I
remain in the
body.
Convinced of
this, I
know that I
will remain
and will
continue with
all of you
for your
progress and
joy in the
faith.
Did you see
what Paul's
only reason
was for
staying in
this body?
What was
his only
reason for
staying?
He says,
if I am
to go on
living in
the body,
verse 22,
this will
mean fruitful
labour for
me.
To live in
Christ here
means fruitful
labour.
It means
service of
the gospel.
It means
to operate
for the
progress and
joy in the
faith of
those around
you.
I hope
that your
life is
dominated by
authentic hope.
I hope
that you,
every time
you come
in here,
you take
off whatever
masks this
world might
tempt you
to wear.
And that
you might,
as that
means that
you feel
very vulnerable
and exposed,
that you
might actually
mourn and
hunger and
thirst together,
but be
encouraged because
you are in
the midst
of this
all-sufficient,
this lavish
outpouring of
grace upon
you.
Let me
pray.
Gracious
Lord, we
thank you so
much for
all that you
have given
us in
Christ.
Father, the
outpouring of
your grace upon
us in him
is not
simply
enough or
just enough.
It is
all-sufficient.
There is
never a
time where
my need
or my
lack or
my hunger
or my
thirst or
my mourning
is greater
than what
you give
so lavishly.
so Lord,
let our
lives be a
testimony to
this lavish
grace that
you have
given so
that the
hope that
we live
out,
whether we
are
churching here
with our
brothers and
sisters,
whether we're
at work or
at home,
whether we
are with
those who
love you or
those who
don't,
may our
hope be
revealed in
this profound
assurance that
bring such
comfort,
that bring
such filling,
that bring
such joy and
peace inspired
by your
spirit.
For Christ's
sake we pray.
Amen.