WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.200 Well, I'd like us to turn back to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. 00:00:04.200 --> 00:00:10.240 We're going to look at a tiny little phrase that's tucked away in chapter 5, but one that 00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:15.120 is one of the most important statements that the Bible makes. 00:00:15.120 --> 00:00:19.559 You'll find it in verse 7, and it would be great to have verses 6 and 7 on the screen 00:00:19.559 --> 00:00:21.960 as we go through the sermon if that's okay. 00:00:21.960 --> 00:00:29.039 This little phrase is crucial for understanding the nature of Christianity as a belief system, 00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:34.640 and it's crucial for understanding what living as a Christian actually involves. 00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:39.200 So even though it's a very tiny phrase, it's a massive statement, it's something that 00:00:39.200 --> 00:00:41.039 we all need to think about. 00:00:41.039 --> 00:00:42.039 What phrase is it? 00:00:42.039 --> 00:00:44.159 Well, it's the words of verse 7. 00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:48.239 I'll pick up from verse 6 where Paul writes, So we are always of good courage. 00:00:48.239 --> 00:00:54.359 We know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord, for we walk by 00:00:54.359 --> 00:00:58.879 faith, not by sight. 00:00:58.880 --> 00:00:59.880 And that's our title. 00:00:59.880 --> 00:01:02.320 That's the topic I want us to think about, Walking by Faith. 00:01:02.320 --> 00:01:07.439 And I want us to think about that under two headings, understanding the Christian faith 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:11.400 and understanding the Christian's walk. 00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:16.040 Understanding the Christian faith, understanding the Christian's walk. 00:01:16.040 --> 00:01:21.480 So first of all, thinking about the Christian faith as a belief system, the statement being 00:01:21.480 --> 00:01:30.280 made there in verse 7 is crucial for us in order to correct a common and huge misunderstanding 00:01:30.280 --> 00:01:33.480 that exists in relation to Christianity. 00:01:33.480 --> 00:01:40.560 That misunderstanding is the view that there's a conflict between faith and reason. 00:01:40.560 --> 00:01:42.320 And I'm sure you've all come across that. 00:01:42.320 --> 00:01:45.159 Maybe it's something that you've struggled with yourself. 00:01:45.159 --> 00:01:50.280 This whole idea of faith versus reason, it's all around us. 00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:58.879 And there are people who have come to the conclusion that faith in Jesus Christ and robust, rational 00:01:58.879 --> 00:02:01.879 thinking are incompatible. 00:02:01.879 --> 00:02:06.280 And that can manifest itself in lots of different ways, and it can affect both believers and 00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:07.280 unbelievers. 00:02:07.280 --> 00:02:12.920 Believers, those of us who follow Jesus, we can struggle with this hugely because we 00:02:12.920 --> 00:02:18.400 can find ourselves confronted with questions about science, philosophy, history, and we 00:02:18.400 --> 00:02:24.400 respond by saying, well, I don't know, but I just believe. 00:02:24.400 --> 00:02:29.599 And for unbelievers, they'll do the opposite, and they'll see all these questions, and they'll 00:02:29.599 --> 00:02:33.080 say, well, unless you can give me answers, I won't believe, unless you can prove that 00:02:33.080 --> 00:02:37.520 God exists, unless you can prove definitively that Jesus rose from the dead, or that these 00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:42.719 miracles that we never see today actually happened, unless you can prove all these things 00:02:42.719 --> 00:02:46.680 with empirical evidence, I am not going to believe. 00:02:46.680 --> 00:02:51.920 Lots of people think like this, it's all based on the idea that faith and reason cannot 00:02:51.920 --> 00:02:53.560 go together. 00:02:53.560 --> 00:03:00.159 What I want us to see tonight is that the Bible never ever places faith in opposition 00:03:00.159 --> 00:03:01.159 to reason. 00:03:01.159 --> 00:03:06.480 In other words, it never says we walk by faith, not by reason. 00:03:06.480 --> 00:03:09.000 It never says that. 00:03:09.000 --> 00:03:15.879 And it's so crucial for us to recognize this because it's reminding us and teaching us 00:03:15.879 --> 00:03:22.319 that following Jesus does not mean leaving your brain behind. 00:03:22.319 --> 00:03:26.280 And that's such an important thing for us to remember because so many people think that 00:03:26.280 --> 00:03:31.199 it does, people will think that science has disproved Christianity, that history has undermined 00:03:31.199 --> 00:03:36.039 the Bible, that philosophy has brought us to a point where we no longer need God. 00:03:36.039 --> 00:03:41.359 And of course, all of that is actually very easy to show, to be untrue, even just a little 00:03:41.360 --> 00:03:46.000 bit of historical knowledge teaches you that because so many of the greatest scientific 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:50.520 discoveries that have happened in the last 1000 years have either come from Christians 00:03:50.520 --> 00:03:56.360 or have come from people who've grown up in societies that have been grounded on Christian 00:03:56.360 --> 00:03:57.440 influence. 00:03:57.440 --> 00:04:03.200 The Bible has been subjected to 2000 years of historical scrutiny, it's still standing. 00:04:03.200 --> 00:04:06.440 And in fact, today it has more adherence than ever. 00:04:06.439 --> 00:04:11.800 And every philosophy that has rejected God, when it's pushed to its logical conclusion, 00:04:11.800 --> 00:04:20.879 offers us nothing but either empty irrational hope or guesswork, or it leaves us as radical 00:04:20.879 --> 00:04:24.639 skeptics in everything. 00:04:24.639 --> 00:04:33.639 And all of this is reminding us that the Gospel is not asking you to be stupid, blind or ignorant. 00:04:33.639 --> 00:04:38.279 Instead, we're being reminded that faith and reason go hand in hand. 00:04:38.279 --> 00:04:45.879 In other words, Christianity properly understood is a belief system that makes sense. 00:04:45.879 --> 00:04:53.079 And that means that Christianity is not intellectually embarrassing. 00:04:53.079 --> 00:04:58.120 The truth is Christianity is actually incredibly intellectually satisfying. 00:04:58.120 --> 00:05:02.879 And never be afraid to go on that quest because actually the more you think about it, the 00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:08.279 more you delve into the depths of how we are to understand the world, how everything is 00:05:08.279 --> 00:05:12.759 supposed to fit together, the more you will see that the Gospel is the only thing that 00:05:12.759 --> 00:05:15.759 gives you the answers that you crave. 00:05:15.759 --> 00:05:23.839 I would, without hesitation, claim that Christianity is the only worldview that's intellectually 00:05:23.839 --> 00:05:24.839 satisfying. 00:05:24.839 --> 00:05:28.639 Now, there's lots that we could say about this, and we could spend all night looking 00:05:28.639 --> 00:05:29.639 at this. 00:05:29.639 --> 00:05:34.240 We could spend a few minutes looking at an example to try and unpack this a little bit 00:05:34.240 --> 00:05:35.240 more. 00:05:35.240 --> 00:05:38.639 So, we are trying to claim, I'm trying to claim to you tonight, that Christianity is 00:05:38.639 --> 00:05:40.479 not opposed to reason. 00:05:40.479 --> 00:05:42.159 Christianity is not irrational. 00:05:42.159 --> 00:05:43.159 It's the opposite. 00:05:43.159 --> 00:05:50.719 It is the worldview that gives you an explanation of ultimate reality that makes sense for every 00:05:50.719 --> 00:05:52.519 day. 00:05:52.519 --> 00:05:54.839 And that is what we all need. 00:05:54.839 --> 00:06:01.119 We need an explanation for ultimate reality that makes sense of the way we live our lives 00:06:01.119 --> 00:06:02.119 day to day. 00:06:02.119 --> 00:06:10.599 And in order for us to have that, there needs to be consistency between our underlying philosophy 00:06:10.599 --> 00:06:15.159 over here and the specific things that we believe here. 00:06:15.159 --> 00:06:16.159 Okay? 00:06:16.159 --> 00:06:19.620 So, on this side, you've got like the underlying philosophy, like the foundation of how you 00:06:19.620 --> 00:06:20.939 understand the world. 00:06:20.939 --> 00:06:23.959 And then over here, you've got the specific stuff that you hold to be true and that you 00:06:23.959 --> 00:06:26.000 live by day to day. 00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:30.199 These two things have got to be consistent. 00:06:30.199 --> 00:06:35.919 That has to be a consistent correspondence between the stuff that you believe to be true 00:06:35.919 --> 00:06:40.879 day by day and the foundation that all of that stands on. 00:06:40.879 --> 00:06:42.479 All of that needs to fit together. 00:06:42.479 --> 00:06:45.439 I think that that's a reasonable expectation, isn't it? 00:06:45.439 --> 00:06:48.479 Foundation, day to day beliefs, they should fit together. 00:06:48.479 --> 00:06:50.959 That's pretty straightforward. 00:06:50.959 --> 00:07:01.039 So, what I want to argue to you tonight is that Christianity is the only philosophy that 00:07:01.039 --> 00:07:02.039 gives you this. 00:07:02.039 --> 00:07:08.159 It's the only philosophy that will give you a foundation that corresponds to beliefs 00:07:08.159 --> 00:07:10.240 that you can actually live with. 00:07:10.240 --> 00:07:11.240 Okay? 00:07:11.240 --> 00:07:12.240 That's what I want you to think about. 00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:16.079 It's the belief system that will give you a foundation, the only foundation that gives 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:19.839 you beliefs that you can actually live with. 00:07:19.839 --> 00:07:25.839 And to do that, to prove this, I want to look at the example of racism, and I want to start 00:07:25.839 --> 00:07:31.239 with David Hume, who is just down the road, a famous statue just a hundred yards down 00:07:31.239 --> 00:07:32.239 that way. 00:07:32.239 --> 00:07:38.719 You can walk past him on your way home from church, famous Scottish philosopher, and in 00:07:38.719 --> 00:07:42.000 many ways a champion of atheism. 00:07:42.000 --> 00:07:48.439 And he raised questions against the idea of belief in God in lots of different ways. 00:07:48.439 --> 00:07:53.199 One of the ways in which he did that was to present a philosophy that was grounded on 00:07:53.199 --> 00:07:58.319 a kind of radical skepticism that said that you can't really prove a link between a cause 00:07:58.319 --> 00:07:59.319 and an effect. 00:07:59.319 --> 00:08:03.040 And at that time, so many of the arguments that were grounded on the existence of God 00:08:03.040 --> 00:08:06.240 were saying, well, if you think about where did we come from and who came before us and 00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:09.000 who came before us and who came before us, took you all the way back to think that there 00:08:09.000 --> 00:08:12.839 must be an ultimate source, it must be God. 00:08:12.839 --> 00:08:17.879 Everything must start from somewhere, there must be a link, God must be the ultimate cause 00:08:17.879 --> 00:08:18.879 of everything. 00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:24.399 Hume came along and said, you can't prove that. 00:08:24.399 --> 00:08:33.039 You can't prove a link, a constant, consistent link between a cause and an effect. 00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:35.039 And so I tap this lectern, it makes a noise. 00:08:35.039 --> 00:08:36.320 And I tap it again, it makes a noise. 00:08:36.320 --> 00:08:37.320 I tap it again, it makes a noise. 00:08:37.320 --> 00:08:38.320 And again, it makes a noise. 00:08:38.320 --> 00:08:41.679 And I do it a million times, it makes a noise. 00:08:41.679 --> 00:08:44.840 I do it the million and one time and you say, it makes a noise. 00:08:44.840 --> 00:08:49.879 Hume says, you don't know. 00:08:49.879 --> 00:08:52.879 And he's kind of right in a way. 00:08:52.879 --> 00:08:56.200 Don't quite know. 00:08:56.200 --> 00:08:59.879 And he's saying, you can't prove it. 00:08:59.879 --> 00:09:05.720 And so he presented this kind of skeptical philosophy that undermined any idea that you 00:09:05.720 --> 00:09:07.360 could be certain of anything. 00:09:07.360 --> 00:09:09.280 And that's the really important point about David Hume. 00:09:09.279 --> 00:09:16.519 And you can't be certain about anything, you can't really prove anything. 00:09:16.519 --> 00:09:20.360 And that was applied to the existence of God. 00:09:20.360 --> 00:09:22.039 That's one thing that David Hume was famous for. 00:09:22.039 --> 00:09:27.759 The other thing that David Hume was famous for was the fact that he was a racist. 00:09:27.759 --> 00:09:34.279 And like many historical figures that you read about now, you can see that in their 00:09:34.279 --> 00:09:39.559 writings, they will say lots of things that speak about white being superior to other 00:09:39.559 --> 00:09:40.559 races. 00:09:40.559 --> 00:09:44.639 In fact, I think they changed the name of some, the Hume terror or something, because 00:09:44.639 --> 00:09:48.959 they didn't like the fact that they discovered this and they didn't want to name it after 00:09:48.959 --> 00:09:49.959 him. 00:09:49.959 --> 00:09:55.600 So his specific belief over here was that he was a racist. 00:09:55.600 --> 00:10:01.000 And his underlying philosophy over here was that God doesn't exist and you can't really 00:10:01.000 --> 00:10:03.279 prove anything. 00:10:03.279 --> 00:10:07.679 These two positions are intellectually consistent. 00:10:07.679 --> 00:10:09.000 And that's the thing I want you to see. 00:10:09.000 --> 00:10:14.480 These two positions are intellectually consistent. 00:10:14.480 --> 00:10:20.600 And because of that, his philosophy basically undermines any idea that there's an inherent 00:10:20.600 --> 00:10:21.600 worth in humanity. 00:10:21.600 --> 00:10:25.159 When we say, just in the same way, you know, you tap the thing a million times and it makes 00:10:25.159 --> 00:10:27.360 a noise, well, you can't prove that it's going to make a noise. 00:10:27.360 --> 00:10:29.679 We say all humans are equal and valuable. 00:10:29.679 --> 00:10:34.079 David Hume says, well, my philosophy says you can't prove that. 00:10:34.079 --> 00:10:43.439 And there's a correspondence between his underlying philosophy and his specific belief in regard 00:10:43.439 --> 00:10:44.439 to races. 00:10:44.439 --> 00:10:51.519 Now, thankfully today, hardly anybody follows David Hume's racism, but loads of people follow 00:10:51.519 --> 00:10:54.479 his philosophy. 00:10:54.480 --> 00:11:00.399 And that's leaving us in the situation where you will have the typical young Jen Zeddeth 00:11:00.399 --> 00:11:04.800 who is absolutely opposed to racism, rightly so. 00:11:04.800 --> 00:11:07.519 And that's such a good thing. 00:11:07.519 --> 00:11:11.519 But they also hold to David Hume's philosophy where it's like, well, there is no ultimate 00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:20.680 reality and therefore we ultimately can't prove or claim anything. 00:11:20.679 --> 00:11:26.120 And what that means is that even though that anti-racism is brilliant, it's a betrayal 00:11:26.120 --> 00:11:27.839 of their underlying philosophy. 00:11:27.839 --> 00:11:35.839 The two don't fit together because by following the atheistic philosophy that rejects God, 00:11:35.839 --> 00:11:42.679 you pull the foundation away from the moral claims that all people are made equal. 00:11:42.679 --> 00:11:46.919 And so what that means is that so many people today don't actually have a philosophical 00:11:46.919 --> 00:11:54.279 foundation that makes it intellectually impossible to say that racism is okay. 00:11:54.279 --> 00:11:59.399 Now, you might be saying, yes, Thomas, fine, that's maybe all true, but there's loads of 00:11:59.399 --> 00:12:02.599 Christians who have been racists. 00:12:02.599 --> 00:12:05.879 And that's true as well. 00:12:05.879 --> 00:12:11.159 And today there are people who are racist who will claim to be Christians. 00:12:11.159 --> 00:12:16.240 And in history there were times when entire societies were racist, including many people 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:20.000 who would have been genuine believers within that society. 00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:25.200 Now, the same problem exists, but it works the other way around. 00:12:25.200 --> 00:12:30.799 Because as believers, if they were Christians, they hold a philosophy that insists that all 00:12:30.799 --> 00:12:34.320 humanity is made equal in the image of God. 00:12:34.320 --> 00:12:39.680 And the key point is that if they were racist, that's a betrayal of their underlying philosophy. 00:12:39.680 --> 00:12:40.879 The two don't correspond. 00:12:40.879 --> 00:12:44.159 If their underlying philosophy is that we're all made in the image of God, then they are 00:12:44.159 --> 00:12:49.159 making an intellectual contradiction to be racist. 00:12:49.159 --> 00:12:52.480 They're betraying their foundations. 00:12:52.480 --> 00:13:00.199 Their racism is an irrational departure from their philosophical foundation. 00:13:00.199 --> 00:13:03.279 And so you have these contradictory positions. 00:13:03.279 --> 00:13:11.159 Lastly, you can have a Christian who's opposed to racism, which I would hope, I'm sure, the 00:13:11.159 --> 00:13:14.519 vast majority of people in here would say that they are. 00:13:14.519 --> 00:13:19.639 The reason you know that racism is wrong is because your foundational philosophy is based 00:13:19.639 --> 00:13:21.439 on the Bible. 00:13:21.439 --> 00:13:25.240 And that emphatically states that all humanity is equal. 00:13:25.240 --> 00:13:27.879 Every single person is made in the image of God. 00:13:27.879 --> 00:13:31.639 Racism is never, ever anything other than totally, unutterly wrong. 00:13:31.639 --> 00:13:38.120 And that position is intellectually consistent. 00:13:38.120 --> 00:13:44.759 And the key point is that if you say, oh, faith and reason don't go together, it's nonsense. 00:13:44.759 --> 00:13:48.600 It's not true at all. 00:13:48.600 --> 00:13:56.639 In fact, the opposite is to Christianity is the only worldview that gives us an understanding 00:13:56.639 --> 00:13:58.720 of ultimate reality that makes sense. 00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:04.159 That it's the only worldview that gives us an intellectual basis for the truths that 00:14:04.159 --> 00:14:07.159 we live by day to day. 00:14:07.159 --> 00:14:08.879 And racism is just one example. 00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:10.399 There's many, many, many more. 00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:12.279 And all around us, you'll find two things. 00:14:12.279 --> 00:14:15.159 You'll find normal people who live in contradiction. 00:14:15.159 --> 00:14:18.159 So their whole day-to-day beliefs that they actually have no foundation for. 00:14:18.159 --> 00:14:20.679 So that's what you'll find in the majority. 00:14:20.679 --> 00:14:23.719 Normal people who believe things, but they've got no foundation. 00:14:23.719 --> 00:14:29.839 The other thing you'll find is philosophers who believe awful things. 00:14:29.839 --> 00:14:34.439 Because as good philosophers, they will always try to be intellectually consistent. 00:14:34.440 --> 00:14:40.320 So Friedrich Nietzsche will use his nihilistic philosophy to reject the existence of God, 00:14:40.320 --> 00:14:45.560 and he will conclude that the real meaning of life lies in power and in exerting that 00:14:45.560 --> 00:14:46.560 power. 00:14:46.560 --> 00:14:51.640 And he actually criticized Christians because they did something that he thought was stupid. 00:14:51.640 --> 00:14:54.520 Christians helped weak people. 00:14:54.520 --> 00:14:56.800 And Nietzsche thought that was crazy. 00:14:56.800 --> 00:15:00.920 Richard Dawkins, as I'm sure many of you will know, uses his naturalistic philosophy to 00:15:00.919 --> 00:15:04.759 write that ultimately there's no such thing as right and wrong. 00:15:04.759 --> 00:15:09.679 Peter Singer, an Australian philosopher who works in America, you may be heard of. 00:15:09.679 --> 00:15:13.039 He has very, very extreme views. 00:15:13.039 --> 00:15:17.879 And he uses his philosophy of personhood and the equality of humans and animals to say, 00:15:17.879 --> 00:15:24.559 and this is a quote, killing a defective infant is not morally equivalent to killing a person. 00:15:24.559 --> 00:15:27.799 Sometimes it's not wrong at all. 00:15:27.799 --> 00:15:34.039 Everybody can turn to all of these philosophers and say, get lost. 00:15:34.039 --> 00:15:38.599 We are not following you in any of these views. 00:15:38.599 --> 00:15:42.079 And most people agree. 00:15:42.079 --> 00:15:45.679 But the contradiction lies in the fact that they'll follow Nietzsche and say, well, ultimately 00:15:45.679 --> 00:15:46.679 there's no meaning. 00:15:46.679 --> 00:15:50.839 They'll follow Dawkins and say, yeah, the universe is actually a machine. 00:15:50.839 --> 00:15:56.559 And they'll follow Singer, not to his extremist, but they will say, well, actually humans and 00:15:56.559 --> 00:15:58.879 animals should have the same rights. 00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:03.799 And the way they do that is by divorcing what they actually believe from their intellectual 00:16:03.799 --> 00:16:04.799 convictions. 00:16:04.799 --> 00:16:10.000 In other words, they are the ones who separate faith and reason. 00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:13.079 Christianity says you don't have to do that. 00:16:13.079 --> 00:16:17.559 You don't have to do that. 00:16:17.559 --> 00:16:21.119 Christianity tells us that ultimate reality is the God of the Bible. 00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:26.960 He is the God of truth, of order, of beauty, of goodness, of consistency, and most of all 00:16:26.960 --> 00:16:29.360 of love. 00:16:29.360 --> 00:16:35.200 Christianity is the great revelation of that God, of his extraordinary love towards us 00:16:35.200 --> 00:16:40.480 and how that love has been poured out upon us through his son, Jesus Christ. 00:16:40.480 --> 00:16:44.039 Christianity does not draw a contrast between faith and reason. 00:16:44.039 --> 00:16:47.720 It does, however, draw a contrast. 00:16:47.720 --> 00:16:53.279 Not between faith and reason, but between faith and sight. 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:57.200 And that's what you can see in verse seven. 00:16:57.200 --> 00:17:00.360 And that's such an important thing for us to recognize. 00:17:00.360 --> 00:17:04.600 So often we think that we want to go through life walking by sight. 00:17:04.600 --> 00:17:07.360 We want to be able to see where we're going. 00:17:07.360 --> 00:17:11.799 We want to see clearly everything that's going on in our lives. 00:17:11.799 --> 00:17:16.720 And as a result, we want to be able to understand everything that is happening. 00:17:16.720 --> 00:17:20.960 In other words, we don't want to have to be in the situation where we're saying, I can't 00:17:20.960 --> 00:17:23.079 see everything that I want to see. 00:17:23.079 --> 00:17:24.600 I don't know exactly what's going on. 00:17:24.600 --> 00:17:26.559 I don't understand everything. 00:17:26.559 --> 00:17:30.400 Instead, we want everything in our view to fit together. 00:17:30.400 --> 00:17:33.480 We want it to be within our perspective. 00:17:33.480 --> 00:17:35.440 We want it to be clear to us. 00:17:35.440 --> 00:17:40.839 And the gospel says that's not how it works. 00:17:40.839 --> 00:17:44.680 And the gospel is not saying if you believe in Jesus, then you're going to see and understand 00:17:44.680 --> 00:17:45.680 everything. 00:17:45.680 --> 00:17:50.080 That's why Christianity will always involve things that are mysterious. 00:17:50.080 --> 00:17:53.120 It's not going to give you an explanation for everything that you experience in your 00:17:53.120 --> 00:17:54.120 life. 00:17:54.120 --> 00:18:00.799 And there will be times when we will ask questions and our only answer can be, I don't know. 00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:04.200 Christianity is not about walking by sight. 00:18:04.200 --> 00:18:08.080 And for some people, that's off-putting. 00:18:08.080 --> 00:18:12.600 Because when you think about sight, it's very, very appealing. 00:18:12.600 --> 00:18:14.360 For going through life, we want to see where we're going. 00:18:14.360 --> 00:18:15.360 We want a clear view. 00:18:15.359 --> 00:18:17.119 We want to understand it all. 00:18:17.119 --> 00:18:18.519 We want answers. 00:18:18.519 --> 00:18:20.919 Walking by sight appeals because it sounds good. 00:18:20.919 --> 00:18:21.919 It sounds safe. 00:18:21.919 --> 00:18:25.199 It sounds empirical, verifiable, controllable. 00:18:25.199 --> 00:18:27.679 It's easy to think, I want to walk by sight. 00:18:27.679 --> 00:18:30.719 And maybe for some of you here, that's what's holding you back in relation to the gospel. 00:18:30.719 --> 00:18:33.519 You're thinking, well, I want to see and know and understand. 00:18:33.519 --> 00:18:38.719 I need to start from the point where I know what's going on. 00:18:38.719 --> 00:18:40.839 I want to walk by sight. 00:18:40.839 --> 00:18:44.479 You need to think very carefully about that. 00:18:44.480 --> 00:18:48.240 You need to think very carefully about whether you want to do that. 00:18:48.240 --> 00:18:52.319 Because if you want to walk only by sight, what's it going to prevent? 00:18:52.319 --> 00:18:55.079 What's going to prevent, not prevent, prevent? 00:18:55.079 --> 00:19:00.960 What is walking by sight going to stop you from doing? 00:19:00.960 --> 00:19:04.599 It'll stop you exploring. 00:19:04.599 --> 00:19:09.279 Because no explorer can see exactly where they're going. 00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:10.839 It'll stop you being creative. 00:19:10.839 --> 00:19:16.720 No artist or musician can create something by knowing beforehand whether or not it's 00:19:16.720 --> 00:19:20.000 going to be brilliant or rubbish. 00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:24.679 It'll stop you hoping because hope that is seen is not hope. 00:19:24.679 --> 00:19:28.759 And worst of all, it'll stop you loving. 00:19:28.759 --> 00:19:32.639 Because if you love someone, you cannot see for certain that everything is going to work 00:19:32.639 --> 00:19:33.639 out okay. 00:19:33.639 --> 00:19:37.599 You cannot see what life is going to bring into that relationship. 00:19:37.599 --> 00:19:42.279 You cannot see that everything is going to work out. 00:19:42.279 --> 00:19:47.519 Exploration, creativity, hope and love, you cannot do any of them if you walk by sight. 00:19:47.519 --> 00:19:53.319 You can only do them if you walk by faith. 00:19:53.319 --> 00:19:56.919 And that's exactly what Christianity calls us to do. 00:19:56.919 --> 00:20:00.759 And that's exactly what the Christian life involves. 00:20:00.759 --> 00:20:04.039 And that's the second thing I want us to think about. 00:20:04.039 --> 00:20:08.200 This phrase, we walk by faith, not by sight, is teaching us about what it's like to live 00:20:08.200 --> 00:20:09.599 as a Christian. 00:20:09.599 --> 00:20:15.240 It's teaching us about the life of discipleship, about the walk of faith. 00:20:15.240 --> 00:20:20.200 Paul uses this expression in the context of the sufferings that he's experiencing. 00:20:20.200 --> 00:20:25.279 And he compares that to the blessings that we are going to enjoy that await us in the 00:20:25.279 --> 00:20:26.279 future. 00:20:26.279 --> 00:20:28.960 You can see that in 4, 16 and onwards. 00:20:28.960 --> 00:20:33.440 When it says, we do not lose heart, though, outrouterself is wasting away, out inner self 00:20:33.440 --> 00:20:35.480 is being renewed day by day. 00:20:35.480 --> 00:20:40.279 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all 00:20:40.279 --> 00:20:45.920 comparison as we look not to the things that are seen, but to things that are unseen. 00:20:45.920 --> 00:20:52.039 For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 00:20:52.039 --> 00:20:57.240 For both Paul and for the Corinthians that he was writing to, suffering was a reality. 00:20:57.240 --> 00:21:03.559 But those sufferings are part of a journey towards something better. 00:21:03.559 --> 00:21:10.359 That future has an eternal weight of glory, a splendor, a beauty, a magnificence that 00:21:10.359 --> 00:21:14.960 is beyond comparison to the difficulties that we might encounter now. 00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:19.680 In other words, on the Christian walk, the rubbish things that you might be experiencing 00:21:19.680 --> 00:21:26.359 now because of your faith, they are all going to be worth it. 00:21:26.359 --> 00:21:31.759 And here Paul explains more about the difference between faith and sight. 00:21:31.759 --> 00:21:36.679 Sight involves looking at the realities that can be seen in the here and now, all of which 00:21:36.679 --> 00:21:39.199 is transient. 00:21:39.199 --> 00:21:45.479 Faith involves looking towards realities that cannot be seen, things that are beyond the 00:21:45.479 --> 00:21:50.719 here and now, things that are eternal. 00:21:50.719 --> 00:21:55.000 And again, there's loads that we could say about that, even just recognizing the fact 00:21:55.000 --> 00:22:01.920 that there are realities that are unseen is a hugely important thing to think about. 00:22:01.920 --> 00:22:06.279 The point that Paul is highlighting that I want us to see here is the fact that if you 00:22:06.279 --> 00:22:12.240 are a Christian or if you become one, your ultimate home is not here. 00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:16.079 Your ultimate home is not here. 00:22:16.079 --> 00:22:19.079 Paul unpacks that as you come into chapter five. 00:22:19.079 --> 00:22:22.440 We know that if the tent that's at earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from 00:22:22.440 --> 00:22:27.519 God, a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. 00:22:27.519 --> 00:22:32.960 Your ultimate home is when you will be taken to be the Lord, when He inaugurates His new 00:22:32.960 --> 00:22:38.880 creation, when every one of the Lord's people are brought together in that eternal home. 00:22:38.880 --> 00:22:44.160 And that means that every single Christian is on a journey home. 00:22:44.160 --> 00:22:53.600 We're all on a journey home, we're pilgrims, or as Paul says, we're walking. 00:22:53.600 --> 00:22:58.360 Now that has lots of important implications for how we understand this walk, and I want 00:22:58.360 --> 00:23:00.720 to try and piece it together. 00:23:00.720 --> 00:23:04.920 So Paul's telling us if you're a Christian or if you become one, you have a home. 00:23:04.920 --> 00:23:08.320 That home is with God in the future. 00:23:08.320 --> 00:23:13.040 And I want you just to think about that for a moment, because it's incredible. 00:23:13.039 --> 00:23:16.279 That is your true home. 00:23:16.279 --> 00:23:21.039 That's the place where you belong more than anywhere else. 00:23:21.039 --> 00:23:25.119 That's the place where you fit more than anywhere else. 00:23:25.119 --> 00:23:26.559 Our home is with God. 00:23:26.559 --> 00:23:27.720 That's where He is. 00:23:27.720 --> 00:23:29.559 That's where He wants you to be. 00:23:29.559 --> 00:23:34.519 That's where every other Christian who has already passed away is waiting for you to join 00:23:34.519 --> 00:23:35.519 them. 00:23:35.519 --> 00:23:36.519 That's where you belong. 00:23:36.519 --> 00:23:38.480 That's where you will feel most at home. 00:23:38.480 --> 00:23:44.200 That is where you will get the warmest and best welcome that you will ever experience. 00:23:44.200 --> 00:23:45.519 That's your home. 00:23:45.519 --> 00:23:49.519 You have a home, but that home is not here. 00:23:49.519 --> 00:23:51.360 It's in the future. 00:23:51.360 --> 00:23:53.720 Right now, we're on a journey. 00:23:53.720 --> 00:24:00.960 We're on a journey towards that home, a journey that involves mountains and valleys, sunshine 00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:02.599 and storms. 00:24:02.599 --> 00:24:05.519 Every day, you're getting closer. 00:24:05.519 --> 00:24:10.160 And as you carry on that journey, you can't see the destination with your eyes, because 00:24:10.160 --> 00:24:12.720 your eyes can only see things that are transient. 00:24:12.720 --> 00:24:13.720 That's true, isn't it? 00:24:13.720 --> 00:24:18.639 Your eyes, my eyes, we can only see things that are fading away. 00:24:18.639 --> 00:24:21.559 Your home, your eternal home is not transient. 00:24:21.559 --> 00:24:23.119 It's not fading away. 00:24:23.119 --> 00:24:24.519 It's eternal. 00:24:24.519 --> 00:24:29.119 And so we head towards it, not by sight, but by faith. 00:24:29.119 --> 00:24:31.400 So you have a home. 00:24:31.400 --> 00:24:33.680 You're on a journey towards that home. 00:24:33.680 --> 00:24:36.080 That's the destination we aim for. 00:24:36.080 --> 00:24:41.279 That's the path that we are on, and that has one crucial implication for every single one 00:24:41.279 --> 00:24:44.120 of us. 00:24:44.120 --> 00:24:49.640 It means that you cannot stand still. 00:24:49.640 --> 00:24:53.360 Whoever you are, whatever stage you're at in the Christian journey, whether you've not 00:24:53.360 --> 00:24:59.960 even started or whether you are decades down that path, you cannot stand still. 00:24:59.960 --> 00:25:03.960 And that raises the question that you need to ask yourself every single Sunday when you 00:25:03.960 --> 00:25:05.600 come together to worship. 00:25:05.600 --> 00:25:11.960 Every new week that begins as we come together to worship, you have to ask yourself this question, 00:25:11.960 --> 00:25:14.799 what is my next step? 00:25:14.799 --> 00:25:17.000 We're on a journey. 00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:18.000 We have a home. 00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:19.240 We have a destination. 00:25:19.240 --> 00:25:20.799 That's where we're heading. 00:25:20.799 --> 00:25:22.759 What is your next step? 00:25:22.759 --> 00:25:28.200 Maybe for you, the next step is actually the very first step. 00:25:28.200 --> 00:25:35.519 To respond to that call that Jesus is giving you again to say, follow me. 00:25:35.519 --> 00:25:43.039 Maybe for some of you, it's to step back onto a path that you've wandered from, and we all 00:25:43.039 --> 00:25:45.360 wandered at times. 00:25:45.360 --> 00:25:51.640 Maybe for some of you, the next step is to pray for the first time in a very long time. 00:25:51.640 --> 00:25:58.480 Maybe your next step is to read your Bible again or to read it for the first time. 00:25:58.480 --> 00:26:05.000 Maybe your next step is to tell someone else that you actually are already on this path. 00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:09.200 Maybe you are a believer, but you've never had the courage to say to somebody else, 00:26:09.200 --> 00:26:12.640 I'm a follower of Jesus. 00:26:12.640 --> 00:26:18.520 Maybe your next step is to leave a sin behind for good, a sin that has plagued you on your 00:26:18.519 --> 00:26:21.839 journey that you need to leave behind. 00:26:21.839 --> 00:26:25.759 Maybe your next step is to become more involved in the life of the church. 00:26:25.759 --> 00:26:31.039 Maybe your next step is to get alongside someone else to help them in their walk. 00:26:31.039 --> 00:26:36.599 Maybe your next step is to move on into a leadership role to take more responsibility in your home 00:26:36.599 --> 00:26:39.400 or in your church family. 00:26:39.400 --> 00:26:44.200 Everyone has a next step to take. 00:26:44.200 --> 00:26:52.160 Everyone has a next step to take, and the key thing is that that step must be taken 00:26:52.160 --> 00:26:58.680 by faith, not by sight. 00:26:58.680 --> 00:27:05.120 If you rely on sight, if your next step, whatever it is, if it's to follow the Lord for the 00:27:05.120 --> 00:27:08.080 first time, if it's to pray for the first time, if it's to tell someone else that you 00:27:08.080 --> 00:27:11.039 don't believe it, if it's to get more involved in the church, if it's to step into a leadership 00:27:11.039 --> 00:27:18.759 role, if you want to take that step by sight, you'll never do it. 00:27:18.759 --> 00:27:27.200 Because for every single one of these steps, you cannot see what's going to happen. 00:27:27.200 --> 00:27:31.579 And that's why you have to take a step of faith. 00:27:31.579 --> 00:27:41.079 And as you do so, your steps have got to be influenced, not by what's going on around 00:27:41.079 --> 00:27:50.639 you, not by what lies behind you, but by the destination you're heading for. 00:27:50.639 --> 00:27:57.039 That's what needs to influence the step that you need to take. 00:27:57.039 --> 00:27:59.559 And Paul sets that before us so powerfully. 00:27:59.559 --> 00:28:02.119 Let me read verses 9 and 10 of chapter 5. 00:28:02.119 --> 00:28:08.000 Whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him, for we must all appear 00:28:08.000 --> 00:28:12.480 before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may receive what is due for what 00:28:12.480 --> 00:28:15.679 is done in the body, whether good or evil. 00:28:15.679 --> 00:28:19.819 He's talking about that last day when Jesus returns. 00:28:19.819 --> 00:28:27.399 And what happens on that day needs to shape the steps we take on this day. 00:28:27.400 --> 00:28:30.920 And during this week. 00:28:30.920 --> 00:28:34.440 And this is where we see one of the biggest dangers that we face as Christians. 00:28:34.440 --> 00:28:42.320 We all are in danger of devoting our lives to pleasing the wrong thing. 00:28:42.320 --> 00:28:43.320 We're all in danger of that. 00:28:43.320 --> 00:28:44.840 It's so tempting to do it. 00:28:44.840 --> 00:28:49.480 We try to please the things that are around us, whether that's a boss or a spouse or a 00:28:49.480 --> 00:28:55.960 partner or a group of friends or a set of expectations, an inner ambition, an inner resentment, 00:28:55.960 --> 00:28:58.400 an inner fear. 00:28:58.400 --> 00:29:02.600 Our steps will always be influenced by the things that we want to please. 00:29:02.600 --> 00:29:08.440 And we have got to make sure that we don't get that wrong. 00:29:08.440 --> 00:29:09.440 Please think about that. 00:29:09.440 --> 00:29:11.240 Think about the steps that your life is on. 00:29:11.240 --> 00:29:15.200 Think about the directions that you take, the direction that you're traveling, the decisions 00:29:15.200 --> 00:29:16.840 that you take. 00:29:16.840 --> 00:29:18.000 Who's influencing them? 00:29:18.000 --> 00:29:19.000 Who's shaping them? 00:29:19.000 --> 00:29:23.559 Whose opinion do you care about? 00:29:23.559 --> 00:29:26.919 What matters most? 00:29:26.919 --> 00:29:29.919 We've got to make sure that we don't get that wrong. 00:29:29.919 --> 00:29:35.399 And this is why this chapter is so helpful, because it's resetting our perspective. 00:29:35.399 --> 00:29:39.319 It's getting us to think and walk by faith. 00:29:39.319 --> 00:29:43.039 It's getting us to look to Jesus. 00:29:43.039 --> 00:29:46.759 It's getting us to think in terms of eternity. 00:29:46.759 --> 00:29:51.399 And it's reminding us that we're on that walk where we keep walking and we keep walking 00:29:51.399 --> 00:29:52.399 by faith. 00:29:52.400 --> 00:29:55.840 The walking part reminds us that we cannot stand still. 00:29:55.840 --> 00:29:58.080 There's always a next step that we need to take. 00:29:58.080 --> 00:30:04.160 The faith part means that we cannot wait until we can see everything. 00:30:04.160 --> 00:30:11.960 We just need to go for it as individual believers and as a church family together. 00:30:11.960 --> 00:30:18.280 Even if the step is hard, Paul is reminding us that the future promise to the Christian 00:30:18.279 --> 00:30:26.680 is so, so beautiful that every step you take will absolutely be worth it. 00:30:26.680 --> 00:30:34.440 And if you are pushing Jesus away today, then the opposite is also true. 00:30:34.440 --> 00:30:39.399 Because when that day comes, when we appear before the judgment seat of God, when we reach 00:30:39.399 --> 00:30:47.000 that point and Jesus is not our Savior, and we've followed a different worldview that's 00:30:47.000 --> 00:30:55.559 rejected the gospel, it will all be because you didn't take that first step. 00:30:55.559 --> 00:30:59.640 It will all be because you didn't take that first step where Jesus says, follow me, and 00:30:59.640 --> 00:31:03.559 you think, no, I'm not going to take that first step. 00:31:03.559 --> 00:31:09.799 And if that happens, there is one thing that you will be guaranteed to be experiencing in 00:31:09.799 --> 00:31:10.799 that moment. 00:31:10.799 --> 00:31:15.759 You will look back at whatever reason it is in your head right now that makes you want 00:31:15.759 --> 00:31:27.200 to not follow Jesus, and on that day you will look back and think, it wasn't worth it. 00:31:27.200 --> 00:31:32.359 It wasn't worth it. 00:31:32.359 --> 00:31:37.599 All of this is teaching us that the Christians walk as a journey that's moving us towards 00:31:37.599 --> 00:31:39.079 something wonderful. 00:31:39.079 --> 00:31:46.679 It's a journey that's taking us home, and God is calling every one of us onto that journey. 00:31:46.679 --> 00:31:50.919 In that home, there is room for every single one of you. 00:31:50.919 --> 00:31:55.960 Last of all, there's two things that a greater understanding of this walk will bring into 00:31:55.960 --> 00:32:04.919 our lives, and you see them in verse 16 of chapter 4 and verses 2 and 4 of chapter 5. 00:32:04.920 --> 00:32:12.279 First of all, we are being reminded that we do not lose heart. 00:32:12.279 --> 00:32:14.680 We do not lose heart. 00:32:14.680 --> 00:32:20.279 And secondly, we are being reminded that we groan. 00:32:20.279 --> 00:32:23.560 We do not lose heart, and we groan. 00:32:23.560 --> 00:32:30.519 And I want to leave you to think about the fact that both of these are brilliant. 00:32:30.519 --> 00:32:36.279 We all need something that will renew our hearts as we battle through life, and we all need 00:32:36.279 --> 00:32:38.279 something that will make us groan. 00:32:38.279 --> 00:32:41.759 And you might be thinking, really, I don't really want to groan. 00:32:41.759 --> 00:32:47.799 Well, you absolutely do want to groan, because a life when your heart is just distracted 00:32:47.799 --> 00:32:58.079 and doesn't need to be renewed, and a life where you never groan is a shallow life. 00:32:58.079 --> 00:33:03.159 And this is actually part of what makes Christianity so intellectually satisfying. 00:33:03.159 --> 00:33:07.559 It's reminding us that when we look out in the world just now and see that it is so broken, 00:33:07.559 --> 00:33:13.159 when we see so much suffering, so much injustice, so much pain, so much that's wrong, if you 00:33:13.159 --> 00:33:17.759 look at that and you think, this is not how it's meant to be, then you are thinking God's 00:33:17.759 --> 00:33:25.159 thoughts after Him, because that is exactly how God thinks. 00:33:25.160 --> 00:33:31.600 He looks at the damage that our sin has caused to the world and to each other and to ourselves, 00:33:31.600 --> 00:33:34.400 and He groans. 00:33:34.400 --> 00:33:36.840 And He says, that is not what I want for humanity. 00:33:36.840 --> 00:33:41.560 But the amazing thing about God is that He doesn't just groan, He also acts. 00:33:41.560 --> 00:33:46.600 And that's what the whole gospel is about, the fact that God has acted to put right the 00:33:46.600 --> 00:33:47.720 damage of sin. 00:33:47.720 --> 00:33:53.160 Paul explains more of that as the chapter goes on, culminating in his words at the very 00:33:53.160 --> 00:33:59.800 end, speaking about Jesus coming to die in our place, rise again for our salvation. 00:33:59.800 --> 00:34:06.000 And Paul says that for our sake He made Him to be sin, who knew no sin, so that in Him 00:34:06.000 --> 00:34:09.960 we might become the righteousness of God. 00:34:09.960 --> 00:34:13.519 And because of that, your heart can be renewed and refreshed. 00:34:13.519 --> 00:34:22.720 And because of that, we now groan for a better future, for an amazing home where we will 00:34:22.719 --> 00:34:28.879 be with Jesus, we'll be with one another, we'll be with every other believer that has 00:34:28.879 --> 00:34:35.919 come before us and who will come after us, and it will be utterly brilliant. 00:34:35.919 --> 00:34:40.639 It's an amazing walk to be on by God's grace. 00:34:40.639 --> 00:34:47.839 Let's go into a new week and into the rest of our lives walking by faith, not by sight. 00:34:47.839 --> 00:34:48.839 Amen. 00:34:48.839 --> 00:34:50.039 Let's pray. 00:34:50.039 --> 00:34:59.039 Father, we confess that so often we want to see and understand everything so often we 00:34:59.039 --> 00:35:05.239 want our lives to be on our terms so often we want you to meet our expectations. 00:35:05.239 --> 00:35:12.159 We confess that before you, and we pray that you would renew our hearts, turning us to 00:35:12.159 --> 00:35:18.519 have a perspective shaped by the Gospel in every single part of our lives. 00:35:18.519 --> 00:35:24.880 And we pray that we would all go on from here walking by faith, not by sight, looking to 00:35:24.880 --> 00:35:32.679 you, longing for you, trusting you, and serving you this day, this week, and for the rest 00:35:32.679 --> 00:35:33.679 of our lives. 00:35:33.679 --> 00:35:34.679 Amen. 00:35:34.679 --> 00:35:51.679 Thank you.