WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.200 This is, as I said, it's a long chapter. I hope that you'll take time to read it again 00:00:06.200 --> 00:00:12.599 and pray through it and that God will speak to you beyond this sermon because I'm only 00:00:12.599 --> 00:00:20.440 going to touch on a couple of very important things in this passage, but I can't possibly 00:00:20.440 --> 00:00:29.960 cover it all today. And I am very much focusing on what I believe God has put on my heart 00:00:29.960 --> 00:00:36.920 for you today from this chapter where Jesus is moving from the previous section which 00:00:36.920 --> 00:00:43.399 came after the Sermon on the Mount where he was doing lots of miracles and proclaiming 00:00:43.399 --> 00:00:51.359 indeed his power and his glory. And we come to the second section of teaching where he 00:00:51.359 --> 00:00:58.560 is instructing his disciples what they are to go out and do as they proclaim the kingdom 00:00:58.560 --> 00:01:07.799 of God. And I want to see how we can take that and apply it in our own lives and what 00:01:07.799 --> 00:01:12.079 teaching, some of the teaching we can take from what Jesus, his living word is saying 00:01:12.079 --> 00:01:19.680 to us. So the first thing I want to say is that we have a calling in life. Just as the 00:01:19.680 --> 00:01:26.800 disciples had a very specific calling here, Jesus calls them, he called to them in verse 00:01:26.799 --> 00:01:31.519 1, the twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to cast out to heal every 00:01:31.519 --> 00:01:36.959 disease and afflictions. And then he goes on to name the twelve apostles here, the twelve 00:01:36.959 --> 00:01:47.200 disciples. And we recognize that there's some of the aspects of this chapter and this teaching 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:54.280 was very specifically given as the calling to his twelve disciples. They had specific 00:01:54.280 --> 00:02:01.799 tasks to do, but I do believe there is also commonality. But they were, along with Jesus, 00:02:01.799 --> 00:02:11.400 the apostles and prophets, and Jesus are the foundation of the church. The New Testament 00:02:11.400 --> 00:02:19.039 church is founded on the witness and the testimony and the teaching of these apostles. And Jesus 00:02:19.039 --> 00:02:33.199 here delegates his own power and his own glory. In many ways, what he could do, he gave delegated 00:02:33.199 --> 00:02:40.599 to them to heal every unclean disease, every affliction, and gave them great power to cast 00:02:40.599 --> 00:02:48.599 out spirits, even to raise the dead. And that delegated power and authority was hugely 00:02:48.599 --> 00:02:56.799 important at this foundational time of the very early beginnings of the New Testament 00:02:56.799 --> 00:03:04.719 church. They have his, Jesus, delegated power and authority. So what they said was attested 00:03:04.719 --> 00:03:14.919 by the works they were able to do. We see that in Acts twenty-two, where in the Sermon 00:03:14.919 --> 00:03:21.359 and Pentecost, and this is Pentecost Sunday, men of Israel hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, 00:03:21.359 --> 00:03:26.359 a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through 00:03:26.359 --> 00:03:33.799 him in your midst, as you yourselves know. So the attestation of Jesus' words came from 00:03:33.799 --> 00:03:40.519 these great miracles. And we also see in Hebrews two, four, that God also bore witness by signs 00:03:40.520 --> 00:03:45.320 and wonders and various miracles and by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, distributed according 00:03:45.320 --> 00:03:53.000 to his will, and that went out to these apostles in the early church. We also know that they 00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:57.520 had the task of preaching only to the Jewish people. The gospel was to go out first to 00:03:57.520 --> 00:04:02.360 the Jewish people, and then it was to go out to the Gentiles, and they had that specific 00:04:02.360 --> 00:04:08.000 role of preaching to the Gentiles. And in this role that they had, they knew fierce 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:15.439 oppositions, fierce opposition, especially from their Jewish brothers and sisters and 00:04:15.439 --> 00:04:22.639 from the religious authorities. And in the instructions Jesus gives, there's also prophecy 00:04:22.639 --> 00:04:30.360 in many ways, because many of them were brutally oppressed, were demonized, and were indeed 00:04:30.360 --> 00:04:38.120 martyred for their faith. So in a very specific way, these instructions were given to the 00:04:38.120 --> 00:04:47.040 twelve disciples, as they were called to proclaim the good news of the kingdom. But we too, 00:04:47.040 --> 00:04:54.040 in a broader sense, as disciples of Jesus Christ, are called to mission. And whatever 00:04:54.040 --> 00:05:02.120 else Jesus teaches his own disciples here, he's also reminding us that we have a responsibility, 00:05:02.120 --> 00:05:08.480 every Christian has a responsibility to spread the good news of the gospel. We might, we 00:05:08.480 --> 00:05:15.800 are not foundational to the church. We might not have the gift of evangelism. We might 00:05:15.800 --> 00:05:21.759 not be called to be full-time preachers, but we all have a story to tell. We all have 00:05:21.759 --> 00:05:29.439 his message, his good news to share. And if we don't, it doesn't. If we don't share 00:05:29.439 --> 00:05:36.319 it, it doesn't get shared. Now there's great words in Romans chapter 10 and verses 14 and 00:05:36.319 --> 00:05:41.639 15, I've taken this from the New Living Translation, but how can they call on him to save them 00:05:41.639 --> 00:05:46.560 unless they believe in him? How can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? 00:05:46.560 --> 00:05:51.360 How can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell 00:05:51.360 --> 00:05:56.720 them without being sent? This is why the Scripture says how beautiful are the feet of messengers 00:05:56.720 --> 00:06:04.840 who bring good news. And spiritually, we are all to be those who have beautiful feet. So 00:06:04.840 --> 00:06:10.280 you can ignore what I was saying last week to the children. Spiritually, we are to be 00:06:10.280 --> 00:06:18.160 those who are, we are called as disciples of Jesus Christ. The whole of the church is 00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:25.080 part of the great commission that is given to that New Testament church to make disciples 00:06:25.080 --> 00:06:33.580 in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We can't afford to let fear 00:06:33.580 --> 00:06:39.840 silence us. In verse 28, we have these solemn words, do not fear those who kill the body, 00:06:39.840 --> 00:06:48.080 but cannot kill the soul, rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body and hell. 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:54.519 We recognize the value and the urgency and the significance of the message. We know we're 00:06:54.519 --> 00:07:00.599 valuable to God. We can worship him and adore him. We're not afraid of him, but we can worship 00:07:00.599 --> 00:07:07.199 and adore him, but recognize that he is the judge of all mankind. And we will all stand 00:07:07.199 --> 00:07:12.240 before him in judgment. And the only way to stand before him in judgment is covered in 00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:17.159 the righteousness of Jesus, that Jesus is the one who took our guilt and our punishment 00:07:17.160 --> 00:07:24.520 and our place. And so we have this great, passionate burden to share the gospel because 00:07:24.520 --> 00:07:30.840 we are called to do so. Now, that's one thing we can learn, I think, from this chapter. 00:07:30.840 --> 00:07:36.600 And I'm just looking at it today in broad strokes. Now, what I'm going to say to you, 00:07:36.600 --> 00:07:40.200 you're not going to find easy to hear. None of us will find this easy to hear, but it's 00:07:40.200 --> 00:07:46.280 really important. And the second thing is, therefore, that as the first thing that we're 00:07:46.279 --> 00:07:52.839 all called to mission, the second thing is that it's tough. It's tough. It's tough to 00:07:52.839 --> 00:07:58.519 be a Christian, and it's tough to share the gospel. There's that aspect of it that makes 00:07:58.519 --> 00:08:03.119 it difficult. There's different aspects that make it a challenge to us to live out the 00:08:03.119 --> 00:08:09.779 Christian life and to share the Christian life. As you were reading, maybe you wondered 00:08:09.779 --> 00:08:15.159 about these words in verse 34, do not think I've come to bring peace to the earth. I have 00:08:15.160 --> 00:08:23.960 not come to bring peace but a sword. Well, isn't that a contradiction? In John 14, 27, 00:08:23.960 --> 00:08:30.120 Jesus again speaking to the disciples says to them, peace, I leave you. My peace I give 00:08:30.120 --> 00:08:35.120 you. Not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled. Never, 00:08:35.120 --> 00:08:42.080 neither let them be afraid. So, what is it to be? Is it that Jesus brings us peace? Or 00:08:42.080 --> 00:08:50.639 is it that Jesus brings a sword? What is it? Is it peace? Or is it, well, the sword is 00:08:50.639 --> 00:08:56.000 just really an illustration of division, and he goes on to speak about division in families. 00:08:56.000 --> 00:09:04.360 What's happening here? Well, clearly, when we come to Jesus Christ, we find and have 00:09:04.360 --> 00:09:12.040 peace with God. We are given peace with God. The barrier of sin has been dealt with in 00:09:12.039 --> 00:09:18.279 taking away. We're reconciled with Him. We're no longer enemies to Him, and we're no longer 00:09:18.279 --> 00:09:24.319 separated from Him. We've been brought together by the grace and love of Jesus Christ and 00:09:24.319 --> 00:09:29.319 His finished work in the cross. The cross bridges that gap between ourselves and God, 00:09:29.319 --> 00:09:37.079 and we now have peace with God, reconciled now and eternally. That's really good. That's 00:09:37.080 --> 00:09:47.320 absolutely crucial and significant and fundamental truth of God's Word. Jesus comes to bring 00:09:47.320 --> 00:09:53.600 His peace. But what He's saying here is, when we have peace with Him, when we have turned 00:09:53.600 --> 00:10:00.080 round, because repentance means that turning round, and we've turned round towards God 00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:04.720 and away from sin, then we're no longer going with the flow, and we're going against the 00:10:04.720 --> 00:10:11.320 tide. And that's when the struggle begins, and that's where division begins, because 00:10:11.320 --> 00:10:16.160 when we come to Christ, division starts in our own heart, because there's still remaining 00:10:16.160 --> 00:10:20.920 sin in our lives and in our heart. And so there becomes a battle daily and a division 00:10:20.920 --> 00:10:28.279 between God's will and my own sinful, selfish will, which brings tension into our lives. 00:10:28.279 --> 00:10:36.279 It also brings trouble and tension with the direction we're facing and the world in which 00:10:36.279 --> 00:10:45.159 we live, a world that in many ways is rejected and has clearly rejected Christ and the Lordship 00:10:45.159 --> 00:10:52.879 of God through Jesus Christ. So if you become a Christian, there can be tensions. There 00:10:52.879 --> 00:10:59.720 can be family tensions as spoken of here in the section that we read. Or there can be 00:10:59.720 --> 00:11:06.559 tensions at work with ethics and morality or gossip or the way we want to speak. There 00:11:06.559 --> 00:11:15.200 can be tensions in a marriage where one partner becomes a Christian, where the different values 00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:23.520 and perspectives can become huge. Because when we come to Christ, the priority of our 00:11:23.520 --> 00:11:30.240 love changes, and Christ becomes first. And that's a hard thing to hear, and it's a hard 00:11:30.240 --> 00:11:38.200 thing for people who are not believers to accept. But it's what Christ wants for every 00:11:38.200 --> 00:11:45.160 human being, because He alone is worthy of that first place of worship and of obedience. 00:11:45.159 --> 00:11:50.799 And what it should mean is that as we put Christ first and serve Him, our hearts are 00:11:50.799 --> 00:11:56.319 enlarged, they become bigger. Our capacity to love becomes more. It doesn't mean that 00:11:56.319 --> 00:12:02.360 we don't love our families anymore. It means we should love them more and have more capacity 00:12:02.360 --> 00:12:07.399 to love them. I think it's a much misunderstood verse. It's not that we love them any less. 00:12:07.399 --> 00:12:12.120 It's we should be able to love them more because we have prioritized the love of Christ in 00:12:12.120 --> 00:12:19.799 our lives. And we are living as we are created to live, to love God and love one another. 00:12:19.799 --> 00:12:26.919 And the family is hugely significant in that. It sounds much worse than actually it is if 00:12:26.919 --> 00:12:33.879 we unfold it and play it out. And many Christians have found, many new Christians have found 00:12:33.879 --> 00:12:43.399 as the initial resentment in their families or their work colleagues subsides, they begin 00:12:43.399 --> 00:12:49.620 to realize that as Christians, they're still the same person, but their capacity for forgiveness 00:12:49.620 --> 00:12:59.440 and love and service should grow and develop in their lives. But it can be tough to be 00:12:59.440 --> 00:13:06.600 a Christian to go against the flow and the temptation therefore, as it was in some cases 00:13:06.600 --> 00:13:14.240 with the disciples as we saw in the children's video, to compromise, to play dead, to give 00:13:14.240 --> 00:13:21.840 in, to choose a different kind of peace. There is peace. There is peace in turning away from 00:13:21.840 --> 00:13:28.240 Jesus. If you're a Christian and you feel cold and backslidden because you've searched, 00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:35.159 you've looked for another peace, and you found it because it's much easier. It's the peace 00:13:35.159 --> 00:13:42.680 of not being confronted with the truth of Jesus and the reality of His Lordship. It's 00:13:42.680 --> 00:13:54.000 the peace of the spiritual graveyard where there may be just shallow acceptance of Jesus' 00:13:54.000 --> 00:14:00.759 truth, but our heart is empty to His power and transforming grace. And that's a dangerous 00:14:00.759 --> 00:14:08.240 temptation and it's a destructive one, and it doesn't lead to wholeness and to joy. 00:14:08.240 --> 00:14:11.879 But we do have to think about the reality of the toughness, which this chapter just talks 00:14:11.879 --> 00:14:16.000 about all the time. It's not a comfortable reading for it must, it couldn't have been 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:22.840 for the disciples. But we recognize it's the truth of Scripture that is tough to choose 00:14:22.840 --> 00:14:28.639 Jesus Christ because we know every choice that we make in life has a consequence. You 00:14:28.639 --> 00:14:35.600 know, if I choose to support hyps, I can't support hearts. If you choose independence 00:14:35.600 --> 00:14:40.920 as a Scottish nationalist, you can't be a unionist. If you choose capitalism, you can't 00:14:40.920 --> 00:14:48.519 be a socialist. If you get a job at the BBC, you have to reject a job at Sky. If you choose 00:14:48.519 --> 00:14:58.319 to marry one person, it means you can't marry some other person. And there's an exclusivity 00:14:58.319 --> 00:15:02.720 therefore in that choice, and that's what Jesus is saying. In fact, there's quite a 00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:09.879 good illustration of the whole family dynamic one that seems so tough about, you know, putting 00:15:09.879 --> 00:15:16.079 Jesus before your family and your father and your mother. But when somebody leaves home 00:15:16.080 --> 00:15:21.600 to get married, as the biblical picture there, if someone leaves his father and mother to 00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:27.639 be united to his wife, the two become one flesh, that's the same kind of image is that 00:15:27.639 --> 00:15:35.840 your priority, your first love, your focus has to change. It moves from your birth family 00:15:35.840 --> 00:15:40.960 to this new relationship in this new family where your wife or your husband becomes your 00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:46.879 priority love. It's not that you love your own family any less. Hopefully you can, you 00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:53.840 will still be able to love them more, but the priority of your love changes. 00:15:53.840 --> 00:16:00.120 So I'm saying there will be trouble for you today if you're a Christian, because a giant 00:16:00.120 --> 00:16:05.800 is awoken. Satan and the spiritual forces of darkness will do everything to discourage 00:16:05.799 --> 00:16:11.479 you, to stop you praying, to stop you sharing the good news. And it might be lots of different 00:16:11.479 --> 00:16:15.679 things that he'll bring into your life to discourage you or to make it tough. It might 00:16:15.679 --> 00:16:21.579 be lockdown, it might be circumstances, it might be vague spiritual theories or religious 00:16:21.579 --> 00:16:30.759 half truths. It may be opposition, and Jesus is pointing out some of that here to the disciples. 00:16:30.759 --> 00:16:35.599 It might be opposition from outside. It might be opposition from your own heart. We know 00:16:35.600 --> 00:16:40.560 the battles that Peter went on to have even though he'd been sent by Jesus and we know 00:16:40.560 --> 00:16:50.720 about Judas. So we want to be different, but we can't see the loveliness of Jesus maybe 00:16:50.720 --> 00:16:59.639 and we're battling selfishness and we don't, we still enjoy rebelling and we struggle. 00:16:59.639 --> 00:17:05.680 And it's tough. And you know how it is when you're trying, in different ways, when you're 00:17:05.680 --> 00:17:10.440 trying to lose weight or you're trying to get fit. You know what matters? You know it 00:17:10.440 --> 00:17:15.720 will be good to be fit and to be thinner, to lose weight, but it's so tough and it's so 00:17:15.720 --> 00:17:24.319 difficult. But there's a cost to be counted in that and also in the Christian life. So 00:17:24.319 --> 00:17:30.039 it's tough. Therefore, I ask the question, why not just give up? You say, well, it's 00:17:30.039 --> 00:17:36.319 so tough, why not just give up? And I just want to say two things more related to this 00:17:36.319 --> 00:17:42.559 chapter where the disciples are sent out in mission. We're not alone. Why don't we give 00:17:42.559 --> 00:17:47.839 up because we're not alone? The disciples here, they were sent out by Jesus. They had 00:17:47.839 --> 00:17:55.879 the Spirit of God in them in a kind of temporary way before the pouring out of the Spirit 00:17:55.879 --> 00:18:03.720 Pentecost. And they went out together. Jesus very wisely takes them and he sends them out 00:18:03.720 --> 00:18:16.639 two by two. They don't go out on their own. They go out in twos to do this great work. 00:18:16.640 --> 00:18:25.759 Some of 12 sent out in twos. Jesus knows that we need the encouragement of company. And 00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:33.080 I mentioned that at the beginning about community. We need backup. We need to know that we're 00:18:33.080 --> 00:18:41.920 a sent people as a people together by Jesus. And I think that means it's very important 00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:51.720 to recognize that we are to seek brothers and sisters in arms who will go with us into 00:18:51.720 --> 00:19:01.880 the battle. The importance of having deep spiritual friendships, marriages, companionships, people 00:19:01.880 --> 00:19:10.800 who we share a sense of mission and calling with. I think that's the very foundation of 00:19:10.799 --> 00:19:19.240 evangelism, that sense of teamwork, that sense of not being alone with other Christians 00:19:19.240 --> 00:19:26.079 doing this work. And as a church we're doing this. And as city groups or as church plants, 00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:31.799 we're doing this as a people together. But also, of course, we've got the great truth 00:19:31.799 --> 00:19:41.480 in a unique way of Jesus being with us. And the great commission finishes with this call 00:19:41.480 --> 00:19:45.879 to the disciples to teach them to observe everything that I've commanded you. And behold, 00:19:45.879 --> 00:19:51.119 I am with you always to the end of the age. He wasn't just with the initial disciples. 00:19:51.119 --> 00:19:55.159 He's not just with leaders of the church. He's with every believer till the end of the 00:19:55.160 --> 00:20:03.440 age until he returns. And we have that great reality of not being alone in this battle, 00:20:03.440 --> 00:20:09.120 in this testimony that we're to give to the world in our sharing of the good news. He 00:20:09.120 --> 00:20:16.080 empowers us. And we can do great things when we understand more and more of the greatness 00:20:16.079 --> 00:20:27.240 of Jesus towards us. We participate and partner in His harvest. We are His people. He is 00:20:27.240 --> 00:20:32.960 with us. So can I ask you today, or can I encourage you today, if you, whatever's happening 00:20:32.960 --> 00:20:37.439 in your life as a Christian, whatever battles you're facing, whatever struggles you're 00:20:37.439 --> 00:20:45.039 going through, can I remind you that He will never let go. He will never abandon you. He 00:20:45.039 --> 00:20:51.720 will never give up on you to the very end of your life or until he returns. You have 00:20:51.720 --> 00:20:58.480 some amazing company in your life. And though we're called to be on mission like the disciples, 00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:05.639 we know it's tough like it was for the disciples in a unique way. We're not alone like the 00:21:05.639 --> 00:21:13.079 disciples. And lastly, what I want to say is we can't be coerced to live as Christians 00:21:13.079 --> 00:21:18.960 and to do this work. The disciples weren't coerced into this. And it's very important 00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:25.319 to remember that there's a lot of tough truth in this passage. And I can only imagine what 00:21:25.319 --> 00:21:31.359 it might have been, must have been like for them, for Jesus to say what He said, yes, 00:21:31.359 --> 00:21:36.879 amazing things like healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing lepers, casting out demons. 00:21:36.880 --> 00:21:45.400 But He gave them very specific instructions that were also sharp and stripped back and 00:21:45.400 --> 00:21:51.560 difficult and tight. And there was going to be opposition and brutality, and people wouldn't 00:21:51.560 --> 00:22:02.320 understand them. But yet they went willingly, struggled, yes, battled, clearly, sometimes 00:22:02.319 --> 00:22:08.039 let them down, undoubtedly. But they knew even at this stage that the truth had set 00:22:08.039 --> 00:22:13.359 them free. Jesus was worth it. They had given up everything to follow Him. To whom shall 00:22:13.359 --> 00:22:18.639 we go? Peter said, you alone of the words, eternal life, as we said at the beginning, 00:22:18.639 --> 00:22:22.720 they believed in Him and they trusted in Him. Oh yeah, I know there was hiccups along the 00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:30.039 way to Pentecost and even beyond that. But they were after the resurrection and the ascension, 00:22:30.039 --> 00:22:35.240 they were transformed, they were enlivened, they were willing to lose their lives and 00:22:35.240 --> 00:22:41.720 by all accounts, all of them possibly apart from the Apostle John did lose their life 00:22:41.720 --> 00:22:50.799 in martyrdom. Now that has to be our motivation. Jesus has to be worth it. The battles, the 00:22:50.799 --> 00:22:55.559 struggles, the mission we're called on, it's because we're not alone, because we're redeemed 00:22:55.559 --> 00:23:00.879 and because He's worth it. We have come to know Him, not just about Him, but know Him 00:23:00.879 --> 00:23:07.399 as an amazing person and we know His truth. And His truth is what motivates us, His love, 00:23:07.399 --> 00:23:14.200 His grace and His redemption on our behalf. Think of Ronaldo, Christiane Ronaldo or Usain 00:23:14.200 --> 00:23:24.720 Bol or Tyson Fury and the training they do, the incredible sacrifice they put into their 00:23:24.720 --> 00:23:31.839 support, their chosen support, because for them it's worth it. The wealth, the adulation, 00:23:31.839 --> 00:23:39.480 the self-value, the fame, whatever it might be, they regard it as worth it, even though 00:23:39.480 --> 00:23:49.160 we know for them as it is for everyone, that's a fading value. But we have a great motivation 00:23:49.160 --> 00:23:56.200 as Christians and we oughtn't to be coerced. We have the God of the universe who's touched 00:23:56.200 --> 00:24:04.000 our very small lives and He said, live. And He says, you're okay. He says, we're good, 00:24:04.000 --> 00:24:12.040 you're forgiven. I love you and the best is still to come. Tell others about me. You know 00:24:12.039 --> 00:24:21.019 peace and healing and meaning and forgiveness. And as we have grasped our need and our lostness, 00:24:21.019 --> 00:24:29.159 we have found rescue and we have found identity in Jesus Christ. As we've come before His 00:24:29.159 --> 00:24:36.759 holiness, we recognize that we have been set free. And so that changes our lives and changes 00:24:36.759 --> 00:24:41.159 our thinking from being, yeah, yeah, I've heard it, I know all about Jesus and yeah, 00:24:41.160 --> 00:24:50.279 I've heard another sermon about that to say, wow, He's worth it. We can't be coerced to 00:24:50.279 --> 00:24:55.560 live this life as Christians. It must come from that foundational knowledge of our own 00:24:55.560 --> 00:25:03.040 need and the great question or the great request we've made for Jesus to be a redeemer 00:25:03.040 --> 00:25:07.640 and to save us and to come into our hearts and the transformation that has meant for 00:25:07.640 --> 00:25:13.160 us and the answered prayers that we've seen. Because you see, if you're coerced in your 00:25:13.160 --> 00:25:21.960 Christian life or if you don't see Him as beautiful, as worthy of primacy, first place, 00:25:21.960 --> 00:25:28.800 not second, third, fourth, or dada dada, further down the line, first place, if He's not worthy, 00:25:28.800 --> 00:25:34.759 then either, can I suggest, because we've all experienced this at different times in 00:25:34.759 --> 00:25:42.839 our lives, we'll either be miserable and we'll treat Jesus like a stomach-churning medicine. 00:25:42.839 --> 00:25:50.839 Our life will be full of guilt, law-abiding, and ugly struggle really, and it'll be painful. 00:25:50.839 --> 00:25:56.879 There'll be no easing, there'll be no joy, there'll be no laughter and love in our lives 00:25:56.879 --> 00:26:03.279 and no desire for others to have what we have. So we'll either be miserable or it will be 00:26:03.279 --> 00:26:11.680 superficial, so superficial that we don't want to ruffle any feathers and make any difference, 00:26:11.680 --> 00:26:15.720 and that's exactly what will happen. We'll make no difference in our own lives, our own 00:26:15.720 --> 00:26:24.799 hearts, or to anyone else spiritually. Superficial. Or I think we will give up and we'll give 00:26:24.799 --> 00:26:35.119 in to a compromised life and a divided heart. That's where the sword comes in. We recognize 00:26:35.119 --> 00:26:45.079 He, as we have a whole heart for Jesus, then that brings division in other areas, but if 00:26:45.079 --> 00:26:53.839 we have a divided heart, then everything just falls apart. So either Christ is the ultimate 00:26:53.839 --> 00:27:03.480 truth for us today, as He was for the disciples, or He's a fake. He can't just be a nice guy. 00:27:03.480 --> 00:27:10.439 So what I'm saying from this very superficial, excuse me, look at this chapter, there's a 00:27:10.439 --> 00:27:19.639 cost to following Jesus. There's a calling that we are asked to follow and to respond 00:27:19.640 --> 00:27:28.560 to. Salvation and relationship with Jesus is free, but it isn't cheap. What price eternal 00:27:28.560 --> 00:27:35.640 life? I can't and you can't play around with it. It's far too important. And I've been 00:27:35.640 --> 00:27:40.600 reminded of that if you're doing this passage, and I hope you have been too, and I hope that 00:27:40.600 --> 00:27:45.120 if you want to talk more about it with me or with Thomas or with your pastoral team 00:27:45.119 --> 00:27:52.279 or your elders or anyone in the church, please pick up the phone or text us or speak to us. 00:27:52.279 --> 00:27:58.839 We would love to speak to you more about Jesus. Amen. Let's pray. Father God, we ask 00:27:58.839 --> 00:28:06.119 and pray that you would help us to know and understand more clearly about you and who 00:28:06.119 --> 00:28:13.839 you are. We pray, Lord God, for your love and for your grace to work in our hearts. 00:28:13.839 --> 00:28:22.359 And we pray that we would know, not just about you, but would know you in our hearts, that 00:28:22.359 --> 00:28:28.159 there would be no coercion, but there would be great love, great understanding of your 00:28:28.159 --> 00:28:34.919 presence with us, that you'll never leave us or forsake us or give up on us. And that 00:28:34.919 --> 00:28:41.679 that motivates us and helps us to persevere when it is tough and when we feel the weight 00:28:41.680 --> 00:28:47.880 of our calling. Lord, may you sustain and help us through it. And may people, as a result 00:28:47.880 --> 00:28:54.560 of hearing this message from your word, make that choice of following Jesus, knowing that 00:28:54.560 --> 00:29:00.519 it will enlarge their hearts and give them a love that they otherwise will never know, 00:29:00.519 --> 00:29:11.960 a love for God and a love for their neighbour. We ask it in Jesus' name, for his sake. Amen.