1
Series: Sermon on the mount
Speaker: Sam Low
Date: 28th December 2013
Passage: Matthew 5:1-16
00:00:00 --> 00:00:04 If you can keep that passage open in front of you, we're going to get stuck into that.
00:00:04 --> 00:00:07 But first I'm going to pray and ask that God will give us ears to hear.
00:00:08 --> 00:00:08 So let's pray.
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 Father God, we thank and praise you for your word.
00:00:14 --> 00:00:20 And we thank and praise you for this opportunity tonight to sit and reflect on the life that you have called us to.
00:00:20 --> 00:00:28 Lord, I pray that you would help us to hold loosely to things that might rub against what you're going to teach us.
00:00:28 --> 00:00:31 Give us teachable hearts.
00:00:32 --> 00:00:37 Give us a desire for your will more than for what we know and what's familiar.
00:00:37 --> 00:00:44 And Lord, I pray that by your spirit you would transform us tonight so that we would be more and more the people that you want us to be.
00:00:45 --> 00:00:45 Amen.
00:00:47 --> 00:00:49 I really enjoy this time of year.
00:00:50 --> 00:00:52 That might be hard to believe for those of you who know me.
00:00:52 --> 00:00:55 God's been doing a work in my heart over the past three years.
00:00:55 --> 00:01:02 And I've gone from being the guy that whinges about carols every year round to thoroughly enjoying Christmas Eve and all the singing that goes along.
00:01:03 --> 00:01:07 But I enjoy more than the carols and more than the food and more than the gifts.
00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 I enjoy this bit we're in right now just after Christmas.
00:01:10 --> 00:01:12 It's not the Boxing Day test that I enjoy.
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 It's the bit coming into New Year.
00:01:15 --> 00:01:24 For some reason, whether you're a New Year's resolution person or not, in this little patch of a couple of days, we all take a moment.
00:01:24 --> 00:01:29 Some of us longer, but we all take a moment just to reflect on the year that's been.
00:01:29 --> 00:01:34 It might even just be that moment before you hit the pillow on New Year's Eve.
00:01:34 --> 00:01:38 But there is just that second of, has this been a good year?
00:01:39 --> 00:01:40 Am I happy with what's happened?
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 Is there painful memories?
00:01:42 --> 00:01:45 Is there things, maybe opportunities missed?
00:01:46 --> 00:01:50 And maybe how will it be different in the next 12 months?
00:01:50 --> 00:01:57 It's just this unwritten rule that at this time of year, you think about what has gone before and what will come next.
00:01:57 --> 00:02:00 But I want to push you a little bit further today.
00:02:00 --> 00:02:05 And I want to ask you the question, how do you actually measure whether or not you've had a good year?
00:02:05 --> 00:02:10 And what grid do you use when you're trying to plan the year that's ahead?
00:02:11 --> 00:02:16 Today and for the next three weeks, we're going to do a highlights tour of the Sermon on the Mount.
00:02:17 --> 00:02:18 It really is a highlight.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 We're only going to get to a couple of small bits.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:23 But here, Jesus is preaching to his disciples.
00:02:23 --> 00:02:32 And he begins in chapter 5, in the bit that Tim read out for us, by, I think, redefining what success looks like in life.
00:02:32 --> 00:02:35 Because we do have things that we go to.
00:02:35 --> 00:02:37 We have measures, if you like.
00:02:37 --> 00:02:39 We have a grid that we use.
00:02:39 --> 00:02:44 But tonight, I think, and in this passage, Jesus wants to reshape that grid.
00:02:44 --> 00:02:47 He wants to redefine what it looks like to be blessed.
00:02:48 --> 00:02:52 He wants to redefine what it looks like to be successful in life.
00:02:53 --> 00:02:58 And so whatever ideas you have, and we do have them, we need to loosen our grip a little bit.
00:02:58 --> 00:03:01 There's the stereotypical picture of blessing.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:06 It's the nice house, the nice car, lots of money, the job you want, that sort of thing.
00:03:07 --> 00:03:12 But maybe you have a more noble version of what a good life would be.
00:03:12 --> 00:03:20 Maybe your noble version is something like a good family, your health, enough money but not too much,
00:03:20 --> 00:03:22 some friends, some hobbies you like to do.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:31 It sounds like not a bad thing to aim for, but I wonder, how closely does that line up with what Jesus gives us?
00:03:32 --> 00:03:36 How close do those two examples go to this list?
00:03:36 --> 00:03:37 Poor in spirit.
00:03:38 --> 00:03:38 Mourning.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:40 Meek.
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 Hunger and thirsting for righteousness.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:43 Merciful.
00:03:43 --> 00:03:44 Pure in heart.
00:03:44 --> 00:03:45 Peacemaker.
00:03:45 --> 00:03:46 Persecuted.
00:03:46 --> 00:03:52 Now before we jump into that list and unpack it a bit more, I want to give you a challenge.
00:03:53 --> 00:03:56 There's a lot in there and we're not going to get to pull it all apart tonight.
00:03:56 --> 00:04:00 So I want to give you a challenge between now and New Year's Eve to actually open your Bible up again
00:04:00 --> 00:04:06 and have a look at each of these things and maybe think about where you are on those things in life.
00:04:06 --> 00:04:09 But we are going to get stuck in tonight and see what God has to teach us,
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 but let me give you that challenge and the acknowledgement that there's more in there
00:04:12 --> 00:04:15 than we can squeeze out in the next little while.
00:04:15 --> 00:04:19 So let's look at this list that Jesus has given us.
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 First off, in verse 3.
00:04:22 --> 00:04:26 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
00:04:26 --> 00:04:28 So Jesus opens his definition.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:37 So this is less like a list as kind of a description, an ongoing kind of explanation of what the blessed life looks like.
00:04:37 --> 00:04:40 And he opens it with three connected ideas.
00:04:41 --> 00:04:44 You've got the poor in spirit, those who mourn, and the meek.
00:04:44 --> 00:04:49 And I think that what Jesus is pushing us to recognize is that those who live the blessed life
00:04:49 --> 00:04:54 have to live with their eyes open when it comes to seeing themselves.
00:04:55 --> 00:05:00 What I mean is when he describes the poor in spirit, he's not just saying that they're lacking something.
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 They're aware that they're lacking something.
00:05:03 --> 00:05:07 The blessing is the fact that they know they have a poverty of spirit.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 They know that they are not the people that God has designed them to be.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:16 They know that they are not the people they need to be if they would know God and know his goodness and his love.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:20 And so they recognize that they are unworthy of him.
00:05:21 --> 00:05:25 So necessary to being poor in spirit is at least a little bit of honest reflection.
00:05:25 --> 00:05:29 Looking at your own life and thinking, what have I done today?
00:05:30 --> 00:05:32 What have I done this week?
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 What have I done this year that is dishonoring to God?
00:05:35 --> 00:05:46 And it probably also requires at least some measure of honest and specific and regular confession of whatever it is that you discover.
00:05:46 --> 00:05:48 The second one I think is connected.
00:05:48 --> 00:05:49 Verse 4.
00:05:49 --> 00:05:52 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
00:05:52 --> 00:05:55 This isn't the Jesus endorsement for being emo.
00:05:55 --> 00:05:59 This isn't an affirmation for Christians who look sad all the time.
00:05:59 --> 00:06:04 That may be reality for some people, but that's not what Jesus is encouraging here.
00:06:04 --> 00:06:07 The mourning he wants is a mourning for sin.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:12 He wants us to be offended by the things that offend him.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:15 But the reality is that for most of us, we're not.
00:06:15 --> 00:06:25 We've progressively become more and more comfortable with things that should be disgusting, with things that should be offensive.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:34 I remember a couple of years ago, my grandpa gave me a jumper, just a plain grey jumper that he bought and didn't fit him.
00:06:34 --> 00:06:35 It was just simple.
00:06:36 --> 00:06:37 Sleeves, no neck.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:38 It was a jumper.
00:06:39 --> 00:06:39 Nothing too exciting.
00:06:39 --> 00:06:44 And one time, I decided that would be an appropriate jumper to wear while I was doing some painting.
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 The result was I ended up with paint on this jumper.
00:06:48 --> 00:06:58 And my wife, being the fantastic domestic goddess that she is, washed the jumper and got 99.9% of the paint out of the jumper.
00:06:58 --> 00:07:02 There was just the smallest little splash of white paint on it.
00:07:02 --> 00:07:10 And I pulled the jumper out of the cupboard a little while later and I was wearing it again and she was mortified that there was still paint on the jumper.
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 She wanted me to take it off so she could wash it or soak it.
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 And then she wanted to try and scratch the paint off.
00:07:16 --> 00:07:27 Now, I insisted that that paint was my fashion paint, that that had transformed a boring Lowe's jumper into being the must-have item on this winter's fashion list.
00:07:27 --> 00:07:30 And I don't know why.
00:07:31 --> 00:07:35 But anyway, I just insisted that she couldn't scratch it off, she couldn't wash it, she couldn't do anything.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:40 And sure enough, after enough time of seeing it, she just let it go.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 It wasn't an issue anymore.
00:07:42 --> 00:07:48 She just got comfortable with the fact that the paint belonged on the jumper, that in fact, it was now genuinely a fashion jumper.
00:07:48 --> 00:07:56 And the issue is that as something is there, even if it doesn't belong, the longer it's there, the more comfortable we get with it.
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 We get desensitized to the fact that it shouldn't be there.
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 And that's the reality with sin in our life.
00:08:01 --> 00:08:07 Something that was maybe once disgusting and abhorrent is now just part of who we are.
00:08:08 --> 00:08:09 Yeah, hey, I'm not perfect.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 But Jesus is calling us to see what God sees.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:18 To see that when we sin, we actually reject God.
00:08:18 --> 00:08:22 We actually deny His kingship and His right to rule over our lives.
00:08:22 --> 00:08:24 And we need to see what He sees.
00:08:24 --> 00:08:27 Sin costs Jesus' life.
00:08:29 --> 00:08:34 The sin in our lives should be something that drives us to mourn its existence.
00:08:34 --> 00:08:39 And to desire the day when we will be washed clean and it will be completely removed.
00:08:40 --> 00:08:45 And the third one, which I think still is in this idea of having our eyes open, is verse 5.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:48 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
00:08:48 --> 00:08:49 The meek are not the weak.
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 God is not calling you to get picked on.
00:08:52 --> 00:08:55 And the word meek means strength controlled.
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 Jesus is our model for meekness.
00:08:58 --> 00:09:11 The all-powerful creator and lord and ruler and judge who chose to allow sinful, rebellious, pathetic creation to murder Him on the cross.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:13 Meekness is not weakness.
00:09:14 --> 00:09:15 It's strength controlled.
00:09:15 --> 00:09:18 And essential to meekness is a right view of ourselves.
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 When we recognize our inadequacy.
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 When we recognize our sin.
00:09:23 --> 00:09:27 When we recognize that there is nothing in us that makes us acceptable to God.
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 Meekness is the only response.
00:09:30 --> 00:09:34 No longer does it feel right to fight for what we think we deserve.
00:09:34 --> 00:09:38 Because when you recognize your poverty of spirit.
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 When you mourn your own sin.
00:09:40 --> 00:09:41 You understand that you deserve nothing.
00:09:42 --> 00:09:44 But God has been gracious to you anyway.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:53 I think that this description starts to shift a little bit more into the actions that come out of that right seeing of ourselves.
00:09:53 --> 00:09:57 And so in verse 4, sorry, in verse 6 it says,
00:09:57 --> 00:10:00 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
00:10:01 --> 00:10:03 I want to introduce you to a word tonight.
00:10:03 --> 00:10:05 This is a word which some of you may have heard before.
00:10:05 --> 00:10:11 But it's something that I only discovered earlier in the year that my wife uses to describe me and my son.
00:10:12 --> 00:10:13 It's the word hangry.
00:10:14 --> 00:10:15 I don't know if you've come across it before.
00:10:16 --> 00:10:21 It's the word that describes the state that Bailey and I go into at the point of hunger.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:23 We become quite aggressive.
00:10:23 --> 00:10:25 It doesn't matter how nice or friendly we are.
00:10:25 --> 00:10:29 Before that, at the moment where we want food, that is all consuming.
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 I don't care that you're my wife and I promise to love you unconditionally.
00:10:32 --> 00:10:33 Where is my dinner?
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 I'm exaggerating just so we're clear.
00:10:36 --> 00:10:37 Sally doesn't have to pull up with any of that.
00:10:38 --> 00:10:43 But it's that moment where you get consumed and all you can do is try and get food.
00:10:44 --> 00:10:47 All these other apparently important things kind of fade away.
00:10:47 --> 00:10:54 And when Jesus calls us to hunger and thirst for righteousness, he's talking about that consuming desire.
00:10:55 --> 00:10:58 That need in us that must be met.
00:10:58 --> 00:11:01 Not just a passing interest in living a life that honors God.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 Not just something that you do occasionally or socially.
00:11:04 --> 00:11:08 But that moment where your stomach hurts with desire for food to be in it.
00:11:09 --> 00:11:14 That moment where it is so hot and you are so thirsty and you would give anything for a drop of water.
00:11:14 --> 00:11:22 That desire, that drive is what we are called to if we're going to live this life that Jesus is describing.
00:11:22 --> 00:11:23 In verse 7 he says,
00:11:24 --> 00:11:28 Mercy costs us.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:33 We prefer justice when we've been wrong but we are called to show mercy just as we have been shown mercy.
00:11:34 --> 00:11:35 Verse 8,
00:11:35 --> 00:11:43 As Jesus is going through and this description is growing of this life that we are called to,
00:11:43 --> 00:11:46 this one is really important.
00:11:47 --> 00:11:50 Because you could take away this list and start mourning a lot.
00:11:50 --> 00:11:52 Start crying so that everyone can see.
00:11:52 --> 00:11:55 Come to church with your head in your hands every Sunday morning.
00:11:55 --> 00:11:58 Every time you talk to someone let them know how sad you are because of your sin.
00:11:59 --> 00:12:02 You could begin being the meekest person possible.
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 You could begin never insisting on your own way.
00:12:05 --> 00:12:07 You could begin putting other people's needs first all the time.
00:12:07 --> 00:12:11 You could let everyone know how hangry you are for righteousness.
00:12:12 --> 00:12:17 You could be as merciful as possible but deep down you could just be putting on a show.
00:12:18 --> 00:12:22 The message of this whole sermon and we'll see it come out over the next couple of weeks
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 is that while these actions matter,
00:12:26 --> 00:12:29 they only count if they are the overflow of your heart.
00:12:30 --> 00:12:36 The pure heart that Jesus is talking about is the heart that is undivided in its commitment and desire for God.
00:12:37 --> 00:12:40 In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus goes on to say in verse 33,
00:12:40 --> 00:12:45 Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.
00:12:45 --> 00:12:48 It says don't be distracted by putting on a show.
00:12:48 --> 00:12:51 Don't be distracted by apparent needs and other things in your life.
00:12:52 --> 00:12:53 Seek God with everything.
00:12:54 --> 00:12:59 And the pure heart that Jesus is describing here is the heart that wants to honour God,
00:12:59 --> 00:13:02 wants to honour Jesus as King more than anything else.
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05 Number 7 in verse 9, it says,
00:13:05 --> 00:13:09 Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called sons of God.
00:13:09 --> 00:13:13 Now, just to clarify, it doesn't say blessed are the peacelikers.
00:13:14 --> 00:13:17 Blessed are the people who wear the shirts that say make love not war.
00:13:18 --> 00:13:21 It's blessed are the peacemakers.
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 Blessed are the people who pursue peace.
00:13:24 --> 00:13:27 And not just who rally at anti-war protests,
00:13:28 --> 00:13:30 but in your home when there's a fight.
00:13:32 --> 00:13:34 Are you the one who pursues peace?
00:13:34 --> 00:13:36 Are you the one who seeks to settle tension?
00:13:37 --> 00:13:39 Who seeks to listen impartially?
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 Who seeks to let go of your own prejudice?
00:13:43 --> 00:13:46 Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called sons of God.
00:13:46 --> 00:13:47 And finally,
00:13:48 --> 00:13:51 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
00:13:52 --> 00:13:54 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 Not persecuted for being annoying.
00:13:59 --> 00:14:01 Not persecuted for being the judgmental Christian
00:14:01 --> 00:14:04 who knows how to let everybody else know when they're doing the wrong thing.
00:14:04 --> 00:14:09 Not persecuted for letting everybody else know how much better than them you are.
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 But persecuted for righteousness.
00:14:13 --> 00:14:16 Now, this one rubs, I think, the most.
00:14:16 --> 00:14:19 It's really easy to read this and go, yeah, blessed are the persecuted.
00:14:19 --> 00:14:22 But just let that sit in your mind for a second.
00:14:23 --> 00:14:24 Persecution.
00:14:24 --> 00:14:24 A blessing.
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 How is that possible?
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 As you pray for the next 12 months,
00:14:29 --> 00:14:31 are you going to ask God for persecution?
00:14:31 --> 00:14:35 Because apparently, that's part of this blessed life.
00:14:35 --> 00:14:39 That's part of what success in life looks like, according to Jesus.
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 So how does that work?
00:14:41 --> 00:14:43 The best way that I can understand it is,
00:14:43 --> 00:14:44 it's like paintball.
00:14:44 --> 00:14:46 I don't know if you've ever played paintball before.
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 If you haven't, basically,
00:14:48 --> 00:14:50 there's a bunch of people running around in, like,
00:14:50 --> 00:14:53 camouflage suits with high-powered,
00:14:53 --> 00:14:55 air-pressured guns and little paint pellets,
00:14:55 --> 00:14:58 which leave some nasty bruises and welts on you.
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 Now, it might sound counterintuitive,
00:15:00 --> 00:15:03 but if you come out of a game of paintball without any marks on you,
00:15:03 --> 00:15:05 that's not actually winning.
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 You might think you've won,
00:15:06 --> 00:15:08 but everybody else will look at you as the person who hid
00:15:08 --> 00:15:10 and didn't get involved in the game,
00:15:10 --> 00:15:12 didn't actually engage in what was going on.
00:15:13 --> 00:15:16 Success at paintball is maybe a few less bruises than everyone else,
00:15:16 --> 00:15:18 but you need the war wounds.
00:15:18 --> 00:15:20 That's what says you were in there.
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 Those welts say you were in the game,
00:15:22 --> 00:15:22 you were taking shots,
00:15:23 --> 00:15:23 you were taking risks,
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 you were a part of it.
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 And in the same way,
00:15:26 --> 00:15:29 persecution is the badge of honour
00:15:29 --> 00:15:33 for the Christian who seeks to honour God with their life.
00:15:33 --> 00:15:36 Now, it's not an instruction to go looking for persecution.
00:15:36 --> 00:15:39 Go and find the angriest non-Christian you can
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 and just hover around them until they hit you.
00:15:42 --> 00:15:45 The reality is, if you seek God, it's offensive.
00:15:47 --> 00:15:50 If you continue to do what you know is right,
00:15:50 --> 00:15:52 it will rub against the world around you.
00:15:53 --> 00:15:56 If you continue to refuse to cheat on your tax,
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58 if you continue to refuse to be dishonest at work,
00:15:58 --> 00:16:00 even if it's beneficial for your whole department,
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 you may find you miss out on a promotion.
00:16:03 --> 00:16:06 You may find your work colleagues or your school friends
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 don't want to hang out with you anymore.
00:16:07 --> 00:16:09 You may find it's even harsher than that.
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 They start talking about you.
00:16:11 --> 00:16:13 They start ridiculing you.
00:16:14 --> 00:16:16 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:17 Verse 12,
00:16:17 --> 00:16:30 When you seek God with all your heart, persecution will result.
00:16:30 --> 00:16:33 And maybe we need to ask ourselves a question
00:16:33 --> 00:16:36 as we come to this time of reflection and looking at the new year.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:41 If we have not faced persecution for our righteousness this year,
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 has there been righteousness?
00:16:46 --> 00:16:48 Has there been an obvious love for Jesus
00:16:48 --> 00:16:50 that the world around us could see?
00:16:51 --> 00:16:53 Now I say that gently because again,
00:16:54 --> 00:16:57 Jesus isn't instructing us to go looking for persecution.
00:16:57 --> 00:17:00 But he is saying that where there's righteousness,
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 there'll be persecution.
00:17:02 --> 00:17:04 He says it in John 15.
00:17:04 --> 00:17:06 He says it all through the New Testament.
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 And if I'm honest with you,
00:17:08 --> 00:17:11 as I reflected on these things this week,
00:17:11 --> 00:17:13 I struggled to think of a time
00:17:13 --> 00:17:15 where I have been persecuted for my righteousness.
00:17:17 --> 00:17:19 And so maybe I need to ask God
00:17:19 --> 00:17:22 to help me to seek Him with a greater focus
00:17:23 --> 00:17:25 and a more significant purity of heart
00:17:25 --> 00:17:28 so that the world might see that He is my King.
00:17:29 --> 00:17:31 This is the blessed life.
00:17:31 --> 00:17:34 Poverty of spirit,
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 mourning,
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 meekness,
00:17:36 --> 00:17:38 a hunger and thirst for righteousness,
00:17:39 --> 00:17:39 merciful,
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 pure in heart,
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 peacemaker,
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 and persecuted.
00:17:44 --> 00:17:47 That's what life in the Kingdom of God looks like.
00:17:48 --> 00:17:50 And that is the opposite of everything
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 that we described at the beginning.
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 And if we're honest,
00:17:53 --> 00:17:55 that's the opposite of most of the things
00:17:55 --> 00:17:57 that we want in the next 12 months.
00:17:57 --> 00:18:00 If you're the kind of person who plans and set goals,
00:18:00 --> 00:18:02 I'm not sure that these are the things
00:18:02 --> 00:18:04 that would have rated high on your list.
00:18:05 --> 00:18:08 But this is the grid that Jesus gives us.
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 This is the ruler.
00:18:10 --> 00:18:14 This is the measure of what success looks like.
00:18:15 --> 00:18:18 And Jesus is redefining our worldview.
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 He's redefining what matters.
00:18:21 --> 00:18:23 He's resetting what the goal is.
00:18:24 --> 00:18:27 And so as we dream and we plan for what is to come,
00:18:27 --> 00:18:30 as we reflect on the year that has just passed,
00:18:31 --> 00:18:33 I want to show you two key things
00:18:33 --> 00:18:36 that I think will help us unlock this blessed life.
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 The first one.
00:18:39 --> 00:18:44 Real success is not something that you achieve.
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 It's something you receive.
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 Say that again.
00:18:48 --> 00:18:50 Real success in your life
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 is not something that you earn,
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 that you sweat and toil for.
00:18:53 --> 00:18:56 It's something that you receive helplessly.
00:18:57 --> 00:18:59 When I was growing up,
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 I still have,
00:19:00 --> 00:19:03 but I'm one of three brothers in my family.
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 There's also girls,
00:19:04 --> 00:19:06 but I'm a middle child.
00:19:07 --> 00:19:09 I've got an older brother and a younger brother.
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 And for some reason,
00:19:10 --> 00:19:12 God in His providence decided
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 that I should be the least coordinated.
00:19:14 --> 00:19:16 And this was fairly costly growing up
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 because what do boys do?
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 They beat each other up.
00:19:19 --> 00:19:19 They play sport.
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 And when one of your brothers
00:19:21 --> 00:19:23 is five years younger than you
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 and better than you at everything,
00:19:24 --> 00:19:26 it's not great for the self-esteem.
00:19:26 --> 00:19:28 But I remember one instance in particular
00:19:28 --> 00:19:31 when we lived in the hills,
00:19:31 --> 00:19:33 which is about half an hour away from here,
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 and it was really, really hot.
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 It was one of those days at school
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 where the rumours,
00:19:38 --> 00:19:40 which I'm not sure are true,
00:19:40 --> 00:19:40 start spreading
00:19:40 --> 00:19:42 that if it gets one or two degrees hotter,
00:19:43 --> 00:19:43 school's going to stop.
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 It's going through the playground
00:19:45 --> 00:19:47 and you're praying
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 that it will just peak at that,
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 I don't know what the magical mark was.
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 I think 42 was the figure
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 I remember from school,
00:19:53 --> 00:19:53 although I'm pretty sure
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 we had days hotter than that.
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 It was one of those days
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 and it was so hot,
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 you're not actually working in class
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 because you can't focus.
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 Everyone's mucking around.
00:20:00 --> 00:20:03 And my brother heard a rumour
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 from a friend of his
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 about a new housing estate
00:20:05 --> 00:20:07 with a water reservoir in the middle.
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 Now, I don't mean a dam,
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 I mean the drinking water
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 in those big,
00:20:11 --> 00:20:11 you know,
00:20:11 --> 00:20:13 kind of looks like a big oversized tin can.
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 And they heard
00:20:15 --> 00:20:17 that somebody had cut the chains
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 and you could go swimming in there.
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 So, after school,
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 we all jumped in the car
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 with my brother,
00:20:22 --> 00:20:22 me, my little brother,
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 my older brother,
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 and his friend,
00:20:24 --> 00:20:26 and we drove to this water reservoir.
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 Now, the way they keep people
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 out of water reservoirs
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 is they put a big
00:20:29 --> 00:20:31 eight-foot fence
00:20:31 --> 00:20:33 around the bottom of the ladder
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 that goes to the top
00:20:34 --> 00:20:34 where you would go in.
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 Well, that's one of the ways.
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 And we got there
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 and I looked at it and thought,
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 ooh, that's going to be a hassle.
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 And as I looked
00:20:41 --> 00:20:43 and began to process the obstacle,
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 my brother ran past me,
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 jumped up,
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 grabbed the top,
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 levered himself over
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 and jumped onto the ladder
00:20:47 --> 00:20:47 and went up.
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 My little brother did the same.
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 My brother's friend did the same.
00:20:52 --> 00:20:52 I thought, okay.
00:20:53 --> 00:20:53 So I jumped up
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 and grabbed the edge
00:20:54 --> 00:20:57 and I started to pull myself up.
00:20:58 --> 00:21:00 I got to about here,
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 rested my chin on the top,
00:21:01 --> 00:21:04 and then I lost it
00:21:04 --> 00:21:04 and I dropped off.
00:21:05 --> 00:21:07 And I kind of stood back
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 for a second,
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 caught my breath.
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 I was carrying a bit of extra weight
00:21:10 --> 00:21:12 and I thought,
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 what can I put?
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 There's nothing around to stand on.
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 So I took a running jump
00:21:15 --> 00:21:17 and I run and kind of,
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 you know how you see in the movies,
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 they step on a wall
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 and it's like magical.
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 And I did that
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 and my foot hit the wall
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 and then I fell.
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 I'm looking around
00:21:25 --> 00:21:25 and my brothers,
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 including my five-year younger brother,
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 halfway up the ladder
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 looking down at me in hysterics.
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 They think this is
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 the funniest thing ever.
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 And I'm jumping again,
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 I'm trying over and over,
00:21:35 --> 00:21:37 I'm trying everything I can.
00:21:37 --> 00:21:39 I'm trying to psych myself up for it.
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 My brother's telling me
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 it's all in my head
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 but actually it was probably
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 to do with a lack of bicep.
00:21:44 --> 00:21:46 And I keep trying,
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 keep trying,
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 keep trying
00:21:47 --> 00:21:47 and eventually,
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 after my brother's been
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 swimming in the pool
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 for a little while
00:21:50 --> 00:21:52 and they're sick
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 of watching and laughing at me,
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 he comes down
00:21:54 --> 00:21:54 and he offers me his hand
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 to help me get over.
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 Now, I couldn't accept.
00:21:58 --> 00:21:58 I mean,
00:21:58 --> 00:22:00 it would have been admitting defeat.
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 My little brother
00:22:02 --> 00:22:04 who was like 11 at the time
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 had managed to chin up himself
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 and get over the fence.
00:22:06 --> 00:22:06 I thought,
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 no, no, it's okay,
00:22:07 --> 00:22:07 you keep swimming,
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 I'll be in in a second.
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 And I'm getting hotter
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 and hotter at this point.
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 Remember,
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 it's 42 degrees
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 and I have another couple
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 of cracks at it
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 and then eventually
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 I realize I can't.
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 No matter how much I try,
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 I'm not going to get stronger
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 or taller
00:22:20 --> 00:22:22 or able to jump more
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 in the next 20 minutes,
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 half an hour,
00:22:24 --> 00:22:24 three days,
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 five years.
00:22:25 --> 00:22:27 I'm stuck with the body
00:22:27 --> 00:22:27 God's given me
00:22:27 --> 00:22:29 and so eventually
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 I had to shout out
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 and my brother came down,
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 gave me an arm over
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 and I got to swim
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 for about five minutes
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 because they were already over it.
00:22:36 --> 00:22:38 But until I was willing
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 to put my hand up
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 and accept help,
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 I was in a position
00:22:42 --> 00:22:44 where I could not do
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 what I needed to do.
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 The reality of our life
00:22:47 --> 00:22:49 is that you are like me
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 trying to jump that fence.
00:22:51 --> 00:22:53 Regardless of how successful
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 you might think you are,
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 regardless of the capacity
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 that you think you have
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 to achieve things
00:22:58 --> 00:23:00 or gain things for yourself,
00:23:00 --> 00:23:02 to get into this life
00:23:02 --> 00:23:04 that Jesus is describing here,
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 to experience the favour
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 that God has for you,
00:23:06 --> 00:23:08 the design He has for your life,
00:23:08 --> 00:23:10 you need help.
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 You need to put your hand up.
00:23:12 --> 00:23:14 It's there in the very first thing
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 that Jesus says.
00:23:15 --> 00:23:17 As He begins to describe this life,
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 He says,
00:23:18 --> 00:23:21 blessed are the poor in spirit.
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 The starting point for this life
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 is recognising
00:23:25 --> 00:23:28 that you're not good enough for it.
00:23:29 --> 00:23:31 Recognising that you need Jesus
00:23:31 --> 00:23:33 and then finding the answer
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 in His life.
00:23:35 --> 00:23:37 Your inadequacy is surpassed
00:23:37 --> 00:23:40 by His perfect obedience to God.
00:23:40 --> 00:23:42 He embodies so much of this list.
00:23:43 --> 00:23:45 He is the example of meekness.
00:23:45 --> 00:23:47 He pursued righteousness
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 and got it.
00:23:49 --> 00:23:51 He was and is merciful.
00:23:51 --> 00:23:53 He loved His heavenly Father
00:23:53 --> 00:23:55 with purity of heart.
00:23:55 --> 00:23:57 He brought peace on the earth
00:23:57 --> 00:23:59 and He was persecuted
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 for His righteousness.
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 We need to begin
00:24:02 --> 00:24:04 by recognising our inadequacy,
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 asking for help
00:24:05 --> 00:24:07 and finding the answer
00:24:07 --> 00:24:07 in Jesus.
00:24:09 --> 00:24:09 In His death
00:24:09 --> 00:24:11 and in His resurrection,
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 those who are not good enough,
00:24:14 --> 00:24:16 those who don't deserve it,
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 those who are poor in spirit,
00:24:17 --> 00:24:19 find forgiveness
00:24:19 --> 00:24:21 and blessing
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 and hope
00:24:22 --> 00:24:24 and love.
00:24:25 --> 00:24:27 They find comfort.
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 They inherit the earth.
00:24:30 --> 00:24:30 They will be filled
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 with righteousness.
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 They are shown mercy.
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 They will see God.
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 They will be called sons of God
00:24:36 --> 00:24:39 and theirs is the kingdom
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 of heaven.
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 Real success in life
00:24:42 --> 00:24:44 is not something
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 you toil for.
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 It's something
00:24:46 --> 00:24:48 that you receive
00:24:48 --> 00:24:51 in Jesus
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 from your heavenly Father.
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 The second thing
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 that I think helps us
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 unlock this life
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 that is described here
00:24:57 --> 00:24:59 and take it in our own context
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 is that real success
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 in life
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 is a journey.
00:25:03 --> 00:25:05 I want to take you back
00:25:05 --> 00:25:05 a few years
00:25:05 --> 00:25:07 to June 29,
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 2007.
00:25:08 --> 00:25:11 It is a significant date
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 in the history
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 of the world.
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 I'm fairly confident
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 that none of you
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 will know why.
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 When I tell you,
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 you will remember it
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 as significant
00:25:20 --> 00:25:22 but technology
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 has moved very quickly
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 at different points
00:25:24 --> 00:25:24 in our history.
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 There's been key points
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 where it's jumped,
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 other points
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 where it's been
00:25:29 --> 00:25:29 a bit static.
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 June 29,
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 2007
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 was the release
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 of the first
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 iPhone.
00:25:36 --> 00:25:36 Now,
00:25:36 --> 00:25:38 I know it's a stretch
00:25:38 --> 00:25:38 for some of us
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 in this room
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 but I need you
00:25:40 --> 00:25:40 to think back
00:25:40 --> 00:25:42 to the pre-iPhone days
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 or maybe if you're
00:25:43 --> 00:25:43 really good,
00:25:43 --> 00:25:45 the pre-smartphone days.
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 The reason I picked
00:25:46 --> 00:25:46 the iPhone is
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 because the smartphones
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 before the iPhone
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 were about as big
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 as this stand.
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 I remember having
00:25:51 --> 00:25:53 a 3-1 with the network
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 and one of my housemates
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 used to make fun of me
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 by pretending
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 to answer the phone
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 by picking up a mattress.
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 So,
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 that doesn't really count,
00:26:01 --> 00:26:01 I don't think.
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 There's nothing smart
00:26:02 --> 00:26:02 about carrying around
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 a mattress
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 to make phone calls.
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 But think back
00:26:05 --> 00:26:07 to the pre-iPhone days
00:26:07 --> 00:26:09 to the Nokia 5110
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 which was apparently
00:26:10 --> 00:26:10 the only phone
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 in the world.
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 The Nokia 5110
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 was the phone
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 that enabled you
00:26:15 --> 00:26:15 to play Snake
00:26:15 --> 00:26:17 instead of doing maths.
00:26:18 --> 00:26:18 Now,
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 on the iPhone
00:26:20 --> 00:26:22 you can download files,
00:26:22 --> 00:26:24 you can send emails,
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 you can video chat
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 to people
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 on the other side
00:26:27 --> 00:26:27 of the world.
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 But the iPhone
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 that was released
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 on June 29,
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 2007
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 would be a really
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 annoying phone
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 to have right now.
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 It would be slow,
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 it would be inadequate,
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 it would be frustrating,
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 it wouldn't be able
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 to do things
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 that your new iPhone
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 can do,
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 the camera would only
00:26:46 --> 00:26:48 have like 5 megapixels.
00:26:52 --> 00:26:52 Real success
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 is a journey.
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 When we place
00:26:56 --> 00:26:56 our trust
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 in Jesus
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 and in what
00:26:58 --> 00:26:58 he's done
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 on the cross,
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 it brings
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 radical change
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 in our life.
00:27:03 --> 00:27:03 The Bible
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 describes us
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 as going
00:27:04 --> 00:27:06 from darkness
00:27:06 --> 00:27:06 to light,
00:27:07 --> 00:27:07 from death
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 to life,
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 but it also
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 begins a slow
00:27:11 --> 00:27:13 process of change
00:27:13 --> 00:27:13 in us.
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 At the risk
00:27:16 --> 00:27:16 of stretching
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 the metaphor,
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 Jesus' arrival
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 and his death
00:27:19 --> 00:27:19 and resurrection
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 are like the release
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 of the first iPhone.
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 As we await
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 the perfected iPhone,
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 which I assume
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 will be in heaven
00:27:27 --> 00:27:27 when Steve Jobs
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 is back on the job,
00:27:28 --> 00:27:32 we also await
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 the return of Jesus
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 when this life
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 that is described
00:27:35 --> 00:27:35 here will be
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 fully realised.
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 We are called
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 as Christians
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 to have a contentment
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 and a joy
00:27:43 --> 00:27:43 in what God
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 has given us now,
00:27:45 --> 00:27:47 but at the same time
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 to be discontent,
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 to have a yearning
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 for the more
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 that God
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 has prepared
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 for us.
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 The kingdom
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 has begun
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 because Jesus
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 has died,
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 Jesus has risen
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 and Jesus
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 has ascended
00:27:58 --> 00:27:58 to the throne
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 in heaven,
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 but the kingdom
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 will only fully
00:28:02 --> 00:28:02 be realised
00:28:02 --> 00:28:04 when Jesus returns.
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 That is why
00:28:06 --> 00:28:08 Jesus can say,
00:28:09 --> 00:28:09 blessed are those
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 who are persecuted
00:28:10 --> 00:28:14 because they know
00:28:14 --> 00:28:16 that though they face
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 persecution now,
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 they will live
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 forever
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 and there will come
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 a time when God
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 will wipe away
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 every tear
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 from their eye
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 where there will be
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 no more pain,
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 no more suffering.
00:28:27 --> 00:28:29 Paul describes
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 the Christian life
00:28:30 --> 00:28:30 as joyful
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 yet sorrowing
00:28:31 --> 00:28:34 and I believe
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 the message
00:28:35 --> 00:28:35 from Jesus
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 in this description
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 of the blessed life
00:28:37 --> 00:28:39 is that we must
00:28:39 --> 00:28:39 look forward
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 to heaven
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 when we will
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 know true
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 comfort,
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 when we will
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 inherit the earth,
00:28:47 --> 00:28:47 when we will
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 be filled
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 with righteousness,
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 when we will
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 be shown mercy
00:28:51 --> 00:28:51 eternally,
00:28:52 --> 00:28:52 when we will
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 see God
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 face to face,
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 when we will be
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 called sons of God,
00:28:55 --> 00:28:57 when we will
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 enjoy the kingdom
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 of heaven
00:28:59 --> 00:28:59 in all its glory.
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 But I also
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 think the message
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 is rejoice now.
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 Because Jesus
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 has died,
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 because Jesus
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 has risen,
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 the mourning
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 we have over sin
00:29:13 --> 00:29:15 has a comfort
00:29:15 --> 00:29:15 because there is
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 hope.
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 Because Jesus
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 is alive
00:29:19 --> 00:29:19 and because
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 we can be
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 forgiven,
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 we know that
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 he has begun
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 the process
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 of making us
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 righteous,
00:29:25 --> 00:29:25 we know that
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 when he returns
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 we will be
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 filled with
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 righteousness.
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 In Jesus
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 we have been
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 shown mercy.
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 Because of
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 Jesus we know
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 that we will
00:29:37 --> 00:29:37 get to see
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 God.
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 Because of
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 Jesus we too
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 get to be
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 called sons
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 of God
00:29:44 --> 00:29:46 and because
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 of Jesus
00:29:47 --> 00:29:49 ours is
00:29:49 --> 00:29:49 the kingdom
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 of heaven.
00:29:52 --> 00:29:52 Success
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 success in
00:29:53 --> 00:29:53 life.
00:29:55 --> 00:29:55 The blessed
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 life is a
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 life modelled
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 on Jesus'
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 example.
00:29:59 --> 00:29:59 But more
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 than that.
00:30:01 --> 00:30:01 It's a life
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 that's only
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 possible because
00:30:03 --> 00:30:05 of what Jesus
00:30:05 --> 00:30:05 has done on
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 the cross.
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 And finally
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 it's the life
00:30:09 --> 00:30:09 that wants
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 more than
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 anything
00:30:10 --> 00:30:12 for Jesus
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 to be honoured
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 as the king
00:30:14 --> 00:30:14 that he is.
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 That is God's
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 end point for
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 his creation.
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 Jesus as king
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 over all
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 and the
00:30:21 --> 00:30:21 blessed life
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 anticipates
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 that perfect
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 final day.
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 Let's pray.
00:30:31 --> 00:30:31 Father God
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 we want to
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 acknowledge that
00:30:33 --> 00:30:33 there are so
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 many things
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 that we chase
00:30:35 --> 00:30:35 after.
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 So many things
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 that distract
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 us from the
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 life that you
00:30:39 --> 00:30:39 have won for
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 us.
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 Father we ask
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 that as we
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 reflect on the
00:30:44 --> 00:30:44 year that has
00:30:44 --> 00:30:46 passed, as we
00:30:46 --> 00:30:46 look at the
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 year that's to
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 come and as we
00:30:48 --> 00:30:48 look at the rest
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 of our lives,
00:30:49 --> 00:30:49 Lord may we
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 be consumed
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 with the
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 things that
00:30:52 --> 00:30:52 you desire.
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 Enable us
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 to treasure
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 Jesus as he
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 deserves, to
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 serve him and
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 honour him as
00:31:01 --> 00:31:03 our king, to
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 seek his glory
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 above our own,
00:31:05 --> 00:31:07 to recognise the
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 things in this
00:31:08 --> 00:31:08 world that are
00:31:08 --> 00:31:09 offensive and
00:31:09 --> 00:31:10 dishonouring to
00:31:10 --> 00:31:10 him.
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 Give us a
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 yearning for
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 heaven.
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 Help us to
00:31:16 --> 00:31:16 live every day
00:31:16 --> 00:31:17 now in
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 preparation for
00:31:18 --> 00:31:18 that day.
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 Help us to
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 live every day
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 now recognising
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 Jesus' full and
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 complete kingship.
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 And Father make
00:31:26 --> 00:31:28 us a light that
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 shines the hope
00:31:29 --> 00:31:29 that we have,
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 that shines the
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 majesty and glory
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 of Jesus into a
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 world that is
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 dark and lost
00:31:35 --> 00:31:37 and desperate
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 for this blessed
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 life.
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 Amen.
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 Amen.
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 Amen.
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 Amen.
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 Amen.
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 Amen.
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 Amen.
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 Amen.
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 Amen.
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 Amen.
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 Amen.
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 Amen.
00:31:40 --> 00:31:42 Amen.
00:31:42 --> 00:31:42 Amen.
00:31:42 --> 00:31:44 Amen.
00:31:44 --> 00:31:44 Amen.
00:31:44 --> 00:31:44 Amen.
00:31:44 --> 00:31:44 Amen.
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 Amen.
00:31:45 --> 00:31:45 Amen.
00:31:45 --> 00:31:45 Amen.
00:31:45 --> 00:31:45 Amen.
00:31:45 --> 00:31:45 Amen.
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 Amen.
00:31:46 --> 00:31:46 Amen.