WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.040 So I looked at the title for today's message, Understanding Sin. 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:11.099 I've got to be honest with you, I really, really, really struggled in putting the message together. 00:00:11.480 --> 00:00:14.839 One is because I know I'm a sinner. 00:00:16.179 --> 00:00:23.400 Two, because the title is perhaps a complex one, 00:00:23.400 --> 00:00:29.740 because the word sin itself doesn't carry a lot of credibility with most of the people 00:00:29.739 --> 00:00:31.079 in the world today. 00:00:31.619 --> 00:00:34.859 It's a word that's just not taken very seriously at all. 00:00:34.899 --> 00:00:38.299 So I thought maybe I'll give it another title, which I'll come to in a moment. 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:43.640 But this whole thing about the word sin, it's not a fashionable word, 00:00:43.659 --> 00:00:50.299 and when it is used, it's generally used in a way that doesn't really take what it's meant to convey 00:00:50.679 --> 00:00:51.519 that seriously. 00:00:51.959 --> 00:00:55.959 Just this week, as I was in the car and I was mulling over, thinking, 00:00:56.079 --> 00:00:57.939 what on earth am I going to say on Sunday? 00:00:57.939 --> 00:01:02.559 I was listening to the radio, and so it was a phone-in thing, 00:01:03.079 --> 00:01:07.299 and there was some guy who was talking, and he said to the presenter, 00:01:07.379 --> 00:01:11.900 he said that he committed the very worst sin. 00:01:12.400 --> 00:01:18.140 He said that his wife came in and she'd had her hair cut, and he didn't notice. 00:01:18.140 --> 00:01:24.840 Now, whilst I couldn't help thinking that probably there are quite a lot of husbands in the UK listening to that 00:01:24.840 --> 00:01:27.319 and can connect with what he was trying to say, 00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:35.340 the point is, is that's the level of seriousness that is attached to the word sin. 00:01:36.280 --> 00:01:37.460 It's used light-heartedly. 00:01:37.560 --> 00:01:38.240 It's used casually. 00:01:38.239 --> 00:01:39.719 It's kind of used as a joke. 00:01:41.259 --> 00:01:49.019 But biblically, it's used to describe something that's really, really vital to understand about our human condition. 00:01:51.679 --> 00:01:55.000 Namely, that there's something deep inside of us as humans. 00:01:55.079 --> 00:01:55.659 All of us. 00:01:56.019 --> 00:01:56.699 All of us. 00:01:58.140 --> 00:01:59.659 It's just not right. 00:01:59.659 --> 00:02:05.060 Why is it that we have this idea of what human perfection should be like? 00:02:05.959 --> 00:02:13.939 We crave for a world that is full of perfection, and yet none of us, none of us can say that we have it. 00:02:14.439 --> 00:02:14.819 Why? 00:02:15.019 --> 00:02:19.479 Why that contradiction within human beings that we grasp for what perfection is? 00:02:19.539 --> 00:02:22.340 We may strive to live for perfection, and yet the harder we try, 00:02:22.340 --> 00:02:26.699 the more we are reminded of the reality of our brokenness and our failure. 00:02:26.699 --> 00:02:33.579 And the Bible presents this concept, and it's something there is no way we can exhaust in just a few minutes, 00:02:34.500 --> 00:02:42.219 but this concept of sin that describes that fundamental brokenness in human beings, 00:02:42.339 --> 00:02:47.780 that imperfection, that bias to do the wrong thing even though we strive to do the right thing. 00:02:49.620 --> 00:02:52.899 That deep-seated sense that there's something just not right. 00:02:52.900 --> 00:02:58.719 And so to just dismiss it by the word sin and just in a light-hearted way simply won't do. 00:02:59.740 --> 00:03:05.659 Because to dismiss the reality of our human brokenness in a light-hearted way simply won't do. 00:03:06.620 --> 00:03:08.159 Imagine one of the following scenarios. 00:03:08.360 --> 00:03:13.340 Imagine that you had a real pain in your leg, and you limped your way to the doctor. 00:03:13.700 --> 00:03:16.500 You know, you've got an appointment with your GP, and you go and you say, 00:03:16.540 --> 00:03:17.780 I've got this pain in my leg. 00:03:17.780 --> 00:03:20.680 And without even examining you, they just say, oh yeah, leg pain. 00:03:20.740 --> 00:03:22.060 Most people have got pain of some sort. 00:03:22.280 --> 00:03:22.879 You'll be all right. 00:03:22.979 --> 00:03:24.979 They don't even ask you any more questions. 00:03:25.120 --> 00:03:26.240 They say, just get on with it. 00:03:26.259 --> 00:03:26.800 You'll be fine. 00:03:28.460 --> 00:03:31.840 Or imagine you have a wobbly tooth, and you go and see your dentist. 00:03:32.180 --> 00:03:34.020 And you get down in the chair, and they say, what's wrong? 00:03:34.060 --> 00:03:35.439 And they say, well, I've got a wobbly tooth. 00:03:35.879 --> 00:03:38.120 They don't even ask you to open your mouth. 00:03:39.599 --> 00:03:41.659 And they just say, well, it's a wobbly tooth. 00:03:41.740 --> 00:03:42.159 Live with it. 00:03:42.180 --> 00:03:42.740 You'll be fine. 00:03:43.199 --> 00:03:43.840 Probably okay. 00:03:43.840 --> 00:03:48.479 Well, imagine you're in your car, and you're driving along, and there's smoke coming out 00:03:48.479 --> 00:03:49.960 of the back, and it's making a horrible noise. 00:03:50.159 --> 00:03:53.039 It feels like something really, really bad is going to happen to that vehicle. 00:03:53.159 --> 00:03:54.020 You don't feel safe. 00:03:54.280 --> 00:03:55.580 You drive to the nearest garage. 00:03:55.680 --> 00:03:56.840 You explain to them the issue. 00:03:57.259 --> 00:03:59.920 They don't even put it up on the ramp, and they just say, oh, it'll be all right. 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:00.960 Just carry on driving. 00:04:01.360 --> 00:04:03.300 Most cars make some kind of noise. 00:04:03.400 --> 00:04:03.960 You'll be fine. 00:04:05.539 --> 00:04:10.840 In any one of those situations, you will come away from it feeling profoundly dissatisfied. 00:04:11.800 --> 00:04:12.080 Why? 00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:17.360 Because you knew that there was something that was not quite right, and yet it was just 00:04:17.360 --> 00:04:17.840 dismissed. 00:04:18.960 --> 00:04:26.520 So why is it that the term that represents something so fundamental to what it is to be a human being, 00:04:27.120 --> 00:04:34.120 namely that there is something spiritually not quite right, how come that is just dismissed, 00:04:34.300 --> 00:04:35.199 that term, sin? 00:04:35.199 --> 00:04:44.659 So let's just spend a few minutes unpacking, with the help of this story of Jesus and his 00:04:44.659 --> 00:04:52.360 experience in his humanity and in his divinity in the desert, to ask ourselves what sin or 00:04:52.360 --> 00:04:53.719 how sin might be understood. 00:04:53.720 --> 00:04:58.080 Now, I told you, I was really struggling this week over trying to think of something fresh, 00:04:58.460 --> 00:05:04.740 something original to say about a word that is either underused or overused, but frequently 00:05:04.740 --> 00:05:06.980 misunderstood, and often because it's dismissed. 00:05:07.080 --> 00:05:08.440 I think, how can I say something that's original? 00:05:08.439 --> 00:05:17.579 So I asked the theologian who I respect probably more than any other, my daughter Eleanor. 00:05:18.620 --> 00:05:21.300 As I do in the car, I've got to do this talk on Sunday about sin. 00:05:21.379 --> 00:05:21.959 What do you reckon? 00:05:22.459 --> 00:05:23.879 What do you think sin is? 00:05:24.600 --> 00:05:27.240 And she quoted a book by Rachel Gardner, wasn't it? 00:05:27.240 --> 00:05:38.819 And Rachel Gardner said this, sin can be understood as trying to put a sign up that says, 00:05:38.939 --> 00:05:41.100 God, keep out. 00:05:43.740 --> 00:05:44.720 That's pretty good. 00:05:45.120 --> 00:05:46.360 Thank you, Rachel Gardner. 00:05:46.780 --> 00:05:47.939 And thank you, Eleanor. 00:05:49.319 --> 00:05:53.699 So I thought, let's switch things around a little bit, and let's roll in thinking over 00:05:53.699 --> 00:05:58.659 the next few minutes with that fundamental guiding question, understanding sin, let's 00:05:58.659 --> 00:06:00.079 put it this way. 00:06:01.339 --> 00:06:06.379 How might you keep God out of your life? 00:06:07.139 --> 00:06:10.599 Now, I like to keep things practical, and I like to keep things down to earth, so what 00:06:10.599 --> 00:06:14.480 I'm going to do is, over these next few minutes, I'm going to share with you five practical 00:06:14.480 --> 00:06:20.120 suggestions, tried and tested hints and tips of how to keep God out of your life. 00:06:20.120 --> 00:06:20.600 Okay? 00:06:21.560 --> 00:06:25.720 And I say this with authority, because I've tried and tested every single one of these 00:06:25.720 --> 00:06:28.180 methods, and I can tell you, they work. 00:06:29.800 --> 00:06:34.899 So what we're going to do is, we're going to unpack the passage that David just read to 00:06:34.899 --> 00:06:41.040 us, Jesus in the wilderness, and ask ourselves the question, how does that story of Jesus entering 00:06:41.040 --> 00:06:43.840 the wilderness and facing Satan? 00:06:44.980 --> 00:06:51.960 How do they help us to understand more about sin, or let's be more practical, how do they 00:06:51.960 --> 00:06:58.280 help us to understand five ways in which we might be able to try and keep God out of our 00:06:58.280 --> 00:06:58.700 lives? 00:07:02.400 --> 00:07:03.700 The first one is this. 00:07:03.699 --> 00:07:13.500 It says that a passage begins by saying that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. 00:07:15.500 --> 00:07:17.659 He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. 00:07:17.860 --> 00:07:19.659 Let's be clear here what the wilderness means. 00:07:20.120 --> 00:07:25.339 If you're tempted to think, well, that means being in a nice open space where you can be 00:07:25.339 --> 00:07:30.099 at one with nature, and you're away from the strains and worries of everyday life, get a different 00:07:30.100 --> 00:07:31.280 image in your head right now. 00:07:32.860 --> 00:07:34.420 The wilderness is terrifying. 00:07:35.620 --> 00:07:41.780 I can remember being in Israel in the year 2000 and being on the safety of a bus and driving 00:07:41.780 --> 00:07:49.620 through just the edge of a wilderness during the day and thinking to be there day and night 00:07:49.620 --> 00:07:52.740 on your own would be terrifying. 00:07:53.420 --> 00:07:58.360 It was a place where there were wild beasts, a place where you could easily get mobbed, ambushed, 00:07:58.920 --> 00:07:59.180 killed. 00:08:00.100 --> 00:08:04.560 And Jesus was there for 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness. 00:08:05.920 --> 00:08:13.320 So, suggestion one, okay, because the wilderness was a place that was not a place of safety. 00:08:13.780 --> 00:08:18.360 It was a place of vulnerability, a place where you're exposed to danger. 00:08:20.020 --> 00:08:23.920 So, advice number one. 00:08:23.920 --> 00:08:31.600 If you want to keep God out of your life, stay away from places where you feel uncomfortable. 00:08:33.180 --> 00:08:34.060 Don't go there. 00:08:34.980 --> 00:08:41.220 Don't go into situations or places where you're going to feel out of your depth or surrounded 00:08:41.220 --> 00:08:42.960 by danger or the unfamiliar. 00:08:42.960 --> 00:08:50.440 There's a reason why there's a statistic and I can't give you the exact statistic but it's 00:08:50.440 --> 00:08:54.860 reckoned that the majority of accidents on the road happen within a mile of where you 00:08:54.860 --> 00:08:55.220 live. 00:08:55.480 --> 00:08:56.400 In other words, yourself. 00:08:56.620 --> 00:08:58.200 You know, the roads with which you're most familiar. 00:08:58.519 --> 00:08:59.600 Probably your own street. 00:08:59.600 --> 00:09:04.920 The most likely place you are likely going to have a crash is on a road that you know very 00:09:04.920 --> 00:09:05.279 well. 00:09:05.980 --> 00:09:06.240 Why? 00:09:07.560 --> 00:09:08.680 Because you're relaxed. 00:09:09.159 --> 00:09:10.019 The guard's down. 00:09:10.019 --> 00:09:14.899 In those environments, when we are most familiar, we feel safe. 00:09:15.220 --> 00:09:16.559 Nothing inherently wrong with that. 00:09:17.340 --> 00:09:22.559 But spiritually, if we try to protect ourselves by never stepping out into those situations 00:09:22.559 --> 00:09:27.000 where we take risks, where we are exposed to new things and we step out of the comfort 00:09:27.000 --> 00:09:34.039 zones, if you just keep yourself in a safe place, then that's the kind of place where you 00:09:34.039 --> 00:09:36.879 can safely say you're unlikely to grow as a Christian. 00:09:36.879 --> 00:09:44.919 If you keep everything safe and never take any risks, that's the sort of place where it's 00:09:44.919 --> 00:09:50.759 less likely that you're going to encounter the transforming power of God's Holy Spirit. 00:09:52.120 --> 00:09:57.580 And I know that when I step into those places that are new, that I find scary, where I'm out 00:09:57.580 --> 00:10:03.059 of my depth, that's where, generally speaking, I tend to find that I grow as a Christian. 00:10:03.059 --> 00:10:12.019 I know that when I keep it safe, when I stay in those places where I don't face new things, 00:10:12.779 --> 00:10:18.019 where I just play it safe, that's where I'm so much more vulnerable to mess up. 00:10:18.879 --> 00:10:19.399 And I do. 00:10:19.959 --> 00:10:20.519 And I have. 00:10:22.279 --> 00:10:23.659 So, advice number one. 00:10:24.779 --> 00:10:27.000 If you want to keep God out of your life, play it safe. 00:10:27.000 --> 00:10:31.100 Don't step out into dangerous places or encounter something new or unfamiliar. 00:10:34.019 --> 00:10:34.919 Second one. 00:10:36.139 --> 00:10:36.899 It's a story. 00:10:38.159 --> 00:10:46.779 It says that the devil came to Jesus and Satan said, if you are the son of God, tell these 00:10:46.779 --> 00:10:47.700 stones to become bread. 00:10:47.820 --> 00:10:49.299 If you are the son of God. 00:10:49.299 --> 00:11:01.059 Well, Satan asks the son of God a question that kind of challenges who he is and challenges 00:11:01.059 --> 00:11:02.759 God's own authority. 00:11:02.939 --> 00:11:04.479 If you are the son of God. 00:11:05.599 --> 00:11:07.240 Now, it takes us back to Eden. 00:11:09.139 --> 00:11:13.819 First time we encounter Satan is when he challenges the authority of God's word. 00:11:14.719 --> 00:11:19.079 As God creates a perfect world and says to Adam and Eve, you can eat the fruit of any 00:11:19.080 --> 00:11:23.000 tree except this particular tree that will give you knowledge of good and evil. 00:11:23.840 --> 00:11:26.220 If you eat of that tree, you'll die the same day. 00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:35.960 Satan comes onto the scene and says, did God really say not to eat of any tree in the garden? 00:11:36.080 --> 00:11:39.000 You see, even in the question, he twists the truth. 00:11:40.080 --> 00:11:44.480 Eve actually latches onto that and says, well, actually, no, God didn't say you can't eat the 00:11:44.480 --> 00:11:46.560 fruit of any tree, but not of this one. 00:11:46.559 --> 00:11:55.699 You see, we see how Satan works by causing us to challenge the authority of God. 00:11:56.839 --> 00:12:01.899 If you want to keep God out of your life, then challenge the authority of God's word. 00:12:03.359 --> 00:12:03.919 Challenge it. 00:12:04.319 --> 00:12:05.819 Don't accept its truth. 00:12:06.919 --> 00:12:08.000 Now, let's be really clear. 00:12:08.059 --> 00:12:09.659 There's two different types of questions here. 00:12:09.659 --> 00:12:16.199 I'm not referring here to the type of questioning that actually can lead us into a closer relationship 00:12:16.199 --> 00:12:16.679 with God. 00:12:17.120 --> 00:12:22.139 There are some questions, a lot of questions, actually, that some people might say, oh, well, 00:12:22.139 --> 00:12:23.399 that's challenging God's authority. 00:12:23.579 --> 00:12:24.480 In Africa, it's the opposite. 00:12:25.179 --> 00:12:32.480 I find that when I drill deeper into questions of life, such as, well, why does God allow situations 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:33.720 of suffering to happen? 00:12:34.040 --> 00:12:36.500 Or, why did Jesus die on the cross for me? 00:12:36.680 --> 00:12:38.600 Or, how can I believe the Bible? 00:12:38.700 --> 00:12:42.379 And those kind of questions that are genuinely searching questions, those are the kind of 00:12:42.379 --> 00:12:45.940 questions that I find lead me into a closer relationship with God. 00:12:47.340 --> 00:12:52.639 Having done Alpha and various different versions of any questions, courses, and gatherings over 00:12:52.639 --> 00:12:56.800 many years now, I find that time and time and time again, when people ask those kind of 00:12:56.799 --> 00:13:01.359 genuine searching questions, those are the times when people are led into the presence 00:13:01.359 --> 00:13:02.959 of God and a relationship with Jesus. 00:13:03.319 --> 00:13:05.519 That's not the type of questioning I'm talking about. 00:13:06.679 --> 00:13:13.259 If you want to keep God out of your life, then stay away from those deep searching questions 00:13:13.259 --> 00:13:19.740 that seek after God, and instead, latch yourself on to those superficial questions that dismiss 00:13:19.740 --> 00:13:21.059 the authority of God's word. 00:13:21.059 --> 00:13:28.619 If you want to keep God out of your life, then just dismiss what the church has taught 00:13:28.619 --> 00:13:34.879 over many, many issues, through its commitment to Scripture, over thousands of years. 00:13:35.739 --> 00:13:37.379 Did God really say that? 00:13:38.079 --> 00:13:39.839 Does the Bible really teach this? 00:13:40.239 --> 00:13:41.879 Does the Bible really teach that? 00:13:41.879 --> 00:13:47.059 You know, the Bible exists for a reason. 00:13:47.879 --> 00:13:53.320 The Judeo-Christian faith is a revelatory faith, which has at its heart the conviction that God 00:13:53.320 --> 00:13:59.200 speaks to us in every age, and that he gives us Scripture that we might grow in a relationship 00:13:59.200 --> 00:13:59.919 with him. 00:14:00.980 --> 00:14:05.259 So if you don't want a relationship with God, if you want to keep God out of your life, 00:14:05.439 --> 00:14:07.419 then dismiss the credibility of Scripture. 00:14:07.419 --> 00:14:13.299 And side with many others, including church leaders today, that will say, well, the Bible 00:14:13.299 --> 00:14:14.620 doesn't really teach this. 00:14:14.860 --> 00:14:18.319 And dismiss what the Bible has taught for hundreds and hundreds of years. 00:14:22.079 --> 00:14:25.860 If you want to keep God out of your life, ditch the Bible. 00:14:27.179 --> 00:14:31.480 Or if you must read the Bible, read those verses that only make you feel comfortable. 00:14:32.559 --> 00:14:36.579 Don't read anything that challenges your lifestyle or your decisions. 00:14:37.419 --> 00:14:44.419 And if you want to really keep God out of your life, if you must read anything, then please, 00:14:44.539 --> 00:14:50.439 please don't engage any serious biblical scholarship that will lead you into a deeper and richer 00:14:50.439 --> 00:14:51.919 and fuller understanding of the Bible. 00:14:52.120 --> 00:14:54.120 Instead, listen to public opinion. 00:14:54.819 --> 00:15:01.879 Go all over the internet and read these little, you know, sort of ten-second nuggets of quotes 00:15:01.879 --> 00:15:06.399 that grab your attention, that dismiss the authority of Scripture. 00:15:07.419 --> 00:15:14.319 If you want to keep God out of your life, then stick with that question, 00:15:14.439 --> 00:15:15.779 did God really say this? 00:15:15.919 --> 00:15:16.740 Probably not. 00:15:18.879 --> 00:15:19.799 Third one. 00:15:22.740 --> 00:15:28.360 Jesus, sorry, the devil comes to Jesus and says that if you're the son of God, 00:15:28.360 --> 00:15:32.600 tell these stones to become bread. 00:15:35.480 --> 00:15:45.879 Now, if Jesus had actually used his divine power to turn what was not bread into something 00:15:45.879 --> 00:15:51.600 that would meet his hunger at that point, he would have been exploiting and using for his 00:15:51.600 --> 00:15:56.360 own personal advantage, his divine power. 00:15:57.960 --> 00:15:59.540 And that's not what he came to do. 00:16:00.800 --> 00:16:03.879 Jesus came not to be served, but to serve. 00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:10.960 So, if you want another, a third way of keeping God out of your life, 00:16:11.340 --> 00:16:11.899 it's this. 00:16:11.899 --> 00:16:20.779 Focus on being in control and using everything you have to keep you in control of everything. 00:16:22.939 --> 00:16:28.980 Eliminate every form of discomfort or the need to rely on God or the power of God. 00:16:29.899 --> 00:16:34.819 Eliminate faith in anything that has to do with him. 00:16:34.820 --> 00:16:40.100 And just trust in what you can see and hear and touch in front of you. 00:16:41.800 --> 00:16:50.580 If you want to get rid of God's presence in your life, seize control of everything you possibly can. 00:16:52.860 --> 00:16:59.460 The fourth, I said there were five, the fourth, moving through the list, the fourth way of putting up a sign that says, 00:16:59.520 --> 00:17:00.240 God, keep out. 00:17:00.240 --> 00:17:09.180 We read here that it says that the devil led Jesus to the highest point. 00:17:09.359 --> 00:17:12.019 They had him stand on the highest point. 00:17:12.880 --> 00:17:15.480 It says to him, if you are the son of God, there it goes again, 00:17:17.039 --> 00:17:18.059 throw yourself down. 00:17:19.819 --> 00:17:22.579 If you're the son of God, if you are, 00:17:23.799 --> 00:17:25.700 throw yourself over the edge. 00:17:26.799 --> 00:17:29.980 For it is written, he will command his angels concerning you, 00:17:29.980 --> 00:17:35.980 and they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 00:17:38.779 --> 00:17:41.220 If you want to keep God out of your life, 00:17:41.539 --> 00:17:47.579 then live a version of Christianity that relies on testing God rather than trusting God. 00:17:50.700 --> 00:17:53.860 How tragic it can be when we lose our faith in God 00:17:53.860 --> 00:17:58.339 because God hasn't answered a particular prayer or a demand that we've made of him. 00:17:58.339 --> 00:17:59.319 Now, I don't say this lightly. 00:18:00.159 --> 00:18:03.539 There are times when we will pray to God to help us in a certain situation, 00:18:03.740 --> 00:18:05.079 and it's right that we do so. 00:18:05.259 --> 00:18:07.859 That's the kind of relationship that God wants of us, 00:18:07.959 --> 00:18:10.259 to reach out to him in every, everything. 00:18:10.259 --> 00:18:18.180 But there's a difference between that and setting out a test and saying, 00:18:18.539 --> 00:18:21.160 God, if you don't do this, then I'm not going to follow you anymore. 00:18:22.700 --> 00:18:28.400 Faith is far more profound, Christian discipleship is far more profound and complex and deeper 00:18:28.400 --> 00:18:33.460 than standing or falling on a particular answer to a particular prayer request. 00:18:33.460 --> 00:18:41.380 You see, God wants disciples that don't stand on the edge of a dangerous place and say, 00:18:41.460 --> 00:18:42.860 all right, I'm going to throw myself off. 00:18:43.039 --> 00:18:45.039 Now catch me, Lord, and prove your reality. 00:18:45.480 --> 00:18:52.360 But rather, God wants us to be able to stand on those places where it feels dangerous 00:18:52.360 --> 00:18:54.079 and it feels like we're about to fall, 00:18:54.279 --> 00:18:58.400 but to trust that he will keep us safe without putting him to the test. 00:18:58.400 --> 00:19:06.980 How often do we almost play that sort of spiritual roulette with God? 00:19:08.300 --> 00:19:12.220 Lord, if you do this, then I'll trust in you. 00:19:13.680 --> 00:19:17.240 There's that old story, isn't there, about the guy who's desperate for a parking space 00:19:17.240 --> 00:19:20.220 and he's driving along in the multi-story car park and saying, 00:19:20.580 --> 00:19:21.960 Lord, I really, really need a space. 00:19:22.060 --> 00:19:23.060 Please give me one right now. 00:19:23.120 --> 00:19:25.600 Lord, if you make this parking space happen for me, 00:19:25.740 --> 00:19:27.620 I will do anything for you. 00:19:27.619 --> 00:19:30.819 I will double what I give to the church. 00:19:31.239 --> 00:19:35.379 I will give all of my time every weekend to serve you 00:19:35.379 --> 00:19:36.439 and every evening I'm free. 00:19:36.519 --> 00:19:37.739 I'll do whatever you want me to do. 00:19:37.779 --> 00:19:39.099 I'll go to the places you want me to go. 00:19:39.179 --> 00:19:40.399 I'll do whatever you want me to do. 00:19:40.500 --> 00:19:42.839 But Lord, please just give me a parking space right now. 00:19:43.079 --> 00:19:47.879 At which point somebody begins to reverse out and the space becomes available. 00:19:48.839 --> 00:19:50.259 He says, it's all right, Lord, I've got it. 00:19:55.479 --> 00:19:57.099 Putting God to the test. 00:19:57.619 --> 00:20:02.439 And building a faith that is constructed purely on our own terms 00:20:02.439 --> 00:20:07.079 and the tests that we devise is a sure way of keeping God out. 00:20:07.679 --> 00:20:10.539 Remember even those that met Jesus in person, 00:20:10.659 --> 00:20:12.539 the Pharisees and the Sadducees, 00:20:12.819 --> 00:20:13.899 the teachers of the law, 00:20:14.039 --> 00:20:17.179 who tried to catch Jesus out time and time again. 00:20:17.180 --> 00:20:23.000 They saw the miracles of Jesus and that wasn't enough for them. 00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:26.500 They had to come up with their own tests that they put his way. 00:20:30.140 --> 00:20:33.519 You know, no matter what happens by the power of God in our lives, 00:20:33.640 --> 00:20:36.640 it's always possible to come up with a reason to rebut it 00:20:36.640 --> 00:20:38.400 and to ask for something else or something more. 00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:43.900 If we're serious about growing in our walk with Jesus, 00:20:44.720 --> 00:20:46.600 it's not about testing God. 00:20:46.680 --> 00:20:47.900 It's about trusting him. 00:20:47.900 --> 00:20:51.840 So if you want to keep God out of your life, 00:20:52.860 --> 00:20:57.200 construct a faith that is based not on trust, but on tests. 00:20:58.960 --> 00:21:01.240 I said there were five and the fifth one is this. 00:21:02.660 --> 00:21:04.560 Satan says to Jesus, 00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:10.879 All this I will give you if you bow down and worship me. 00:21:13.179 --> 00:21:15.639 So he shows him all the splendour of the world. 00:21:17.319 --> 00:21:19.679 You know, this is possibly the best advice you can have 00:21:19.679 --> 00:21:21.799 for keeping God out. 00:21:23.960 --> 00:21:26.200 Focus entirely on material things. 00:21:27.460 --> 00:21:29.839 Make it your focus of meditation. 00:21:29.839 --> 00:21:33.259 Make it the thing that you just pursue 00:21:33.259 --> 00:21:35.139 and that you are preoccupied by. 00:21:35.879 --> 00:21:36.819 Meditate upon it. 00:21:37.059 --> 00:21:37.859 Contemplate on it. 00:21:38.459 --> 00:21:41.079 Make it your goal and your measurement of success 00:21:41.079 --> 00:21:44.699 to accumulate wealth and financial success. 00:21:45.519 --> 00:21:48.119 Make that your goal and forget about everything else. 00:21:49.740 --> 00:21:51.659 And you'll be sure to keep God out. 00:21:54.199 --> 00:21:56.000 Now, I've been thinking about sin 00:21:56.000 --> 00:21:59.519 as that act of keeping God out of our lives. 00:21:59.839 --> 00:22:02.359 One other piece of advice. 00:22:02.539 --> 00:22:05.519 If you do find it hard to keep God out, 00:22:05.619 --> 00:22:06.139 don't worry. 00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:10.519 Just choose one section of your life 00:22:10.519 --> 00:22:12.500 to keep God out of. 00:22:13.039 --> 00:22:15.039 One compartment of your life. 00:22:15.899 --> 00:22:17.099 Whether that's home life, 00:22:17.199 --> 00:22:18.259 whether that's work life, 00:22:18.579 --> 00:22:19.759 whatever it is, 00:22:20.179 --> 00:22:22.759 but just choose one bit of your life 00:22:22.759 --> 00:22:27.679 and just try and keep God out of that one compartment. 00:22:27.680 --> 00:22:30.580 Because over a course of time, 00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:32.180 you'll find that actually, 00:22:32.500 --> 00:22:35.940 if you try to keep God out of one compartment of your life, 00:22:36.640 --> 00:22:40.100 he'll gradually slip out of every compartment of your life. 00:22:40.099 --> 00:22:46.519 Because reality is, 00:22:47.519 --> 00:22:49.899 I might be wrong, 00:22:50.899 --> 00:22:53.519 but I'm guessing most of us in this room 00:22:53.519 --> 00:22:56.879 don't want to keep God out of our lives. 00:22:58.980 --> 00:22:59.859 And in listening to this, 00:22:59.939 --> 00:23:04.000 we're all too aware of the way in which we have done and continue to. 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:11.299 And a tragedy is that often people have this idea 00:23:11.299 --> 00:23:15.359 that God's the one who wants to keep us out. 00:23:16.960 --> 00:23:18.180 Time and time again, 00:23:18.559 --> 00:23:20.819 you will meet somebody who has this preconception 00:23:20.819 --> 00:23:23.180 that the message of Christian faith 00:23:23.180 --> 00:23:24.519 is a message that says, 00:23:24.779 --> 00:23:25.000 keep out, 00:23:25.079 --> 00:23:25.920 you can't come here. 00:23:26.759 --> 00:23:27.779 You're not worthy. 00:23:27.900 --> 00:23:29.480 There's something about you that's not right. 00:23:30.420 --> 00:23:30.720 Well, 00:23:31.180 --> 00:23:33.019 it's a half-truth in the sense that 00:23:33.019 --> 00:23:34.740 there is something about us that's not right. 00:23:36.500 --> 00:23:37.240 But you know, 00:23:37.299 --> 00:23:38.480 the message of the cross 00:23:38.480 --> 00:23:41.480 is not one of keep out. 00:23:42.819 --> 00:23:45.240 The cross is God's message that says, 00:23:45.799 --> 00:23:47.460 come on in. 00:23:49.160 --> 00:23:50.000 You're welcome. 00:23:51.599 --> 00:23:52.440 You're broken. 00:23:52.440 --> 00:23:53.160 Yes, 00:23:54.420 --> 00:23:55.660 there's this thing called sin. 00:23:57.720 --> 00:23:59.420 But you're welcome to come on in. 00:24:01.000 --> 00:24:02.259 So what I'm going to do now 00:24:02.259 --> 00:24:04.480 is I'm going to invite us to spend a few moments 00:24:04.480 --> 00:24:06.340 as we look at the cross 00:24:06.340 --> 00:24:09.920 to reflect on our own lives 00:24:09.920 --> 00:24:12.259 and on those attempts that we might make 00:24:12.259 --> 00:24:13.360 to keep God out, 00:24:13.440 --> 00:24:14.200 to push him out. 00:24:16.360 --> 00:24:19.080 And then after a few moments of stillness and reflection, 00:24:20.080 --> 00:24:21.519 the words are going to come onto the screen 00:24:21.519 --> 00:24:23.420 and I'm going to invite us to join together 00:24:23.420 --> 00:24:26.139 in saying the words of Psalm 51. 00:24:27.599 --> 00:24:29.920 Psalm 51 was written by David 00:24:29.920 --> 00:24:35.240 after he had not only committed adultery 00:24:35.240 --> 00:24:37.680 but actually organised the murder 00:24:37.680 --> 00:24:40.440 of the husband of the woman 00:24:40.440 --> 00:24:43.000 that he slept with. 00:24:44.539 --> 00:24:46.279 It's a multi-layered story, 00:24:46.379 --> 00:24:48.339 a story which tells us of how David, 00:24:48.579 --> 00:24:50.319 who is held up as a hero of faith, 00:24:51.519 --> 00:24:53.400 failed in pretty well 00:24:53.400 --> 00:24:55.819 every single way imaginable. 00:24:59.539 --> 00:25:00.819 If there's hope for David, 00:25:02.440 --> 00:25:04.240 there's hope for every single one of us. 00:25:06.160 --> 00:25:07.359 So let's pause, 00:25:07.900 --> 00:25:09.500 let's take a few moments of stillness 00:25:09.500 --> 00:25:11.799 before we join together 00:25:11.799 --> 00:25:13.539 in saying Psalm 51. 00:25:13.539 --> 00:25:13.680 Psalm 51. 00:25:13.680 --> 00:25:20.920 Lord, as we reflect on our lives now 00:25:20.920 --> 00:25:23.120 and we reflect on the ways 00:25:23.120 --> 00:25:25.900 in which we try to keep you out, 00:25:26.900 --> 00:25:31.680 thank you that you know our lives 00:25:31.680 --> 00:25:33.480 even better than we do. 00:25:33.480 --> 00:25:40.279 thank you that as we confess our sin, 00:25:41.279 --> 00:25:42.940 we don't need to go through 00:25:42.940 --> 00:25:45.440 anybody other than you 00:25:45.440 --> 00:25:49.319 and that you are the God 00:25:49.319 --> 00:25:51.019 who says to us, 00:25:51.279 --> 00:25:52.880 not keep out, 00:25:54.259 --> 00:25:55.880 but come on in to my kingdom. 00:25:55.880 --> 00:26:01.940 So Lord, in the stillness now, 00:26:02.440 --> 00:26:04.600 we confess our sin to you. 00:26:10.760 --> 00:26:12.240 Lord, as we confess to you 00:26:12.240 --> 00:26:13.600 those areas of our lives 00:26:13.600 --> 00:26:15.880 where we have sought to keep you out, 00:26:16.880 --> 00:26:18.680 we ask you to come on in 00:26:18.680 --> 00:26:21.000 and fill us afresh 00:26:21.000 --> 00:26:22.460 with the power of your Holy Spirit, 00:26:22.580 --> 00:26:23.240 with your presence, 00:26:23.240 --> 00:26:24.000 with your peace, 00:26:24.299 --> 00:26:26.180 with that renewed conviction 00:26:26.180 --> 00:26:29.039 that we are forgiven 00:26:29.039 --> 00:26:31.240 and can walk tall 00:26:31.240 --> 00:26:32.420 and can walk confident 00:26:32.420 --> 00:26:34.680 knowing that we are held 00:26:34.680 --> 00:26:35.960 securely in Christ. 00:26:38.059 --> 00:26:39.440 So let's join together 00:26:39.440 --> 00:26:41.380 as we say the words on the screen, 00:26:41.980 --> 00:26:43.279 the words of Psalm 51. 00:26:45.640 --> 00:26:48.200 Have mercy on us, O God, 00:26:48.880 --> 00:26:51.339 according to your unfailing love, 00:26:51.339 --> 00:26:54.279 according to your great compassion, 00:26:55.119 --> 00:26:57.319 blot out our transgressions, 00:26:57.639 --> 00:27:00.619 wash away all our iniquity 00:27:00.619 --> 00:27:03.199 and cleanse us from our sin. 00:27:04.279 --> 00:27:06.519 For we know our transgressions 00:27:06.519 --> 00:27:10.039 and our sin is always before us. 00:27:11.199 --> 00:27:12.220 Against you, 00:27:12.559 --> 00:27:13.459 you only, 00:27:13.720 --> 00:27:14.720 have we sinned 00:27:14.720 --> 00:27:17.059 and done what is evil 00:27:17.059 --> 00:27:18.059 in your sight. 00:27:18.059 --> 00:27:20.299 So you are right 00:27:20.299 --> 00:27:21.299 in your verdict 00:27:21.299 --> 00:27:22.839 and justified 00:27:22.839 --> 00:27:24.279 when you judge. 00:27:25.700 --> 00:27:27.419 Surely we were sinful 00:27:27.419 --> 00:27:28.220 at birth, 00:27:29.200 --> 00:27:30.440 sinful from the time 00:27:30.440 --> 00:27:31.559 we were conceived. 00:27:32.639 --> 00:27:34.059 Yet you desired faithfulness 00:27:34.799 --> 00:27:36.440 even in the womb. 00:27:37.339 --> 00:27:38.679 You taught us wisdom 00:27:38.679 --> 00:27:40.740 in that secret place. 00:27:42.259 --> 00:27:43.000 Cleanse us 00:27:43.000 --> 00:27:44.440 and we will be clean. 00:27:45.399 --> 00:27:46.179 Wash us 00:27:46.180 --> 00:27:48.299 and we will be whiter than snow. 00:27:49.420 --> 00:27:51.740 Let us hear joy and gladness. 00:27:52.740 --> 00:27:54.500 Let the bones you have crushed 00:27:54.500 --> 00:27:55.240 rejoice. 00:27:56.900 --> 00:27:59.060 Hide your face from our sins 00:27:59.060 --> 00:28:02.240 and blot out our iniquity. 00:28:03.340 --> 00:28:06.019 Create in us pure hearts, O God, 00:28:06.019 --> 00:28:09.259 and renew a steadfast spirit 00:28:09.259 --> 00:28:10.259 within us. 00:28:11.460 --> 00:28:12.940 Do not cast us 00:28:12.940 --> 00:28:13.940 from your presence 00:28:13.940 --> 00:28:16.420 or take your Holy Spirit 00:28:16.420 --> 00:28:17.259 from us. 00:28:18.339 --> 00:28:19.460 Restore to us 00:28:19.460 --> 00:28:21.319 the joy of your salvation 00:28:21.319 --> 00:28:23.259 and grant us 00:28:23.259 --> 00:28:24.259 a willing spirit 00:28:24.259 --> 00:28:26.200 to sustain us. 00:28:27.079 --> 00:28:27.639 Amen. 00:28:27.639 --> 00:28:27.859 Amen. 00:28:27.859 --> 00:28:27.879 Amen. 00:28:27.879 --> 00:28:27.920 Amen. 00:28:27.920 --> 00:28:27.940 Amen. 00:28:27.940 --> 00:28:27.960 Amen. 00:28:27.960 --> 00:28:27.980 Amen.