Church for all People
Series: For all People
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 29th August 2021
00:00:00 --> 00:00:05 Well, good morning, St. Paul's. It's great to connect in with you again, even if it is
00:00:05 --> 00:00:12 once again on the live stream. We are, I think I've lost count. We're Groundhog Day, I think
00:00:12 --> 00:00:19 nine weeks into this lockdown. And over the course of this time, our connection really
00:00:19 --> 00:00:26 has been a digital connection. Although there was a great joy yesterday when my family and
00:00:26 --> 00:00:31 I, we went for a walk and we ran into another St. Paul's family yesterday. It was just a
00:00:31 --> 00:00:40 joy to see faces in such close proximity. This season that we're in is an awkward and a difficult
00:00:40 --> 00:00:47 season, and yet it's also a season that we can get comfortable with as well. This technology
00:00:47 --> 00:00:54 that we have utilizing over these weeks are an enormous blessing for us to be able to stay
00:00:54 --> 00:01:02 connected in some way. And yet this is not the future of the church. Some are arguing this
00:01:02 --> 00:01:07 could be the future of the church, this blessing that we're in. And I want to argue it's not
00:01:07 --> 00:01:12 the future of the church. It's not a substitution for the church. In fact, in her sobering book,
00:01:13 --> 00:01:20 Alone Together, Sherry Turkle from Massachusetts Institute of Technology writes,
00:01:20 --> 00:01:30 Digital connections may offer the illusion of companionship, but without the demands of friendship.
00:01:31 --> 00:01:40 Our networked life allows us to hide from each other, even as we are tethered to each other,
00:01:41 --> 00:01:47 alone together. That's a great description of our digital age. And the danger of thinking
00:01:47 --> 00:01:55 that checking into a live stream once a week is in fact church, that I've done church,
00:01:55 --> 00:02:03 or that in fact this could be the future of the church. I'm convinced that like nothing else in
00:02:03 --> 00:02:10 our culture, the church has got something very significant to offer our society, and right now
00:02:10 --> 00:02:16 offer our society, and beyond this lockdown. This passage that we are launching into today,
00:02:16 --> 00:02:25 in Acts 20, says a lot about the significance of the church, the church who we are at St. Paul's,
00:02:25 --> 00:02:34 and increasingly church that we seek to be at St. Paul's. So having been separated and locked down
00:02:34 --> 00:02:41 for eight, nine weeks, or whatever it's been, and there'll be another month or more before we
00:02:41 --> 00:02:47 gathered together again. It could be, in fact, just before Christmas. This message, I think, today is a
00:02:47 --> 00:02:55 really helpful message as a reminder message, as a refocusing message, as a let me check my priorities
00:02:55 --> 00:03:05 message. What we have here in Acts 20 is truth, change lies because of truth,
00:03:05 --> 00:03:15 and the deep relationships that truth can form amongst us. So let's jump into Acts 20 and see
00:03:15 --> 00:03:19 that in action. If you've got the St. Paul's app, it'd be great if you could open up there,
00:03:19 --> 00:03:25 and you'll notice that I've got three points. I want to highlight three characteristics of the church
00:03:25 --> 00:03:33 for all people. And you'll notice that those three headings are three of our seven core values here at
00:03:33 --> 00:03:38 St. Paul's. Bible-saturated, humble authenticity, and treasuring Jesus together. So let's jump straight
00:03:38 --> 00:03:49 into this. This is a passage that is often used as a job description for ministers. That is, Paul is
00:03:49 --> 00:03:56 addressing the elders of the Ephesian church here. However, what is particularly, particularly crucial
00:03:56 --> 00:04:04 at this point in Acts, in the development of Acts, is that this passage in Acts 20 is the only speech
00:04:04 --> 00:04:12 in the whole of Acts that's given directly to Christians. So this is not just a message for church
00:04:12 --> 00:04:17 leaders, although it's got something quite significant about that and what gospel ministry looks like,
00:04:17 --> 00:04:26 but it's a message for all of us, all Christians. So let's jump straight in. Paul spent three years
00:04:26 --> 00:04:34 building the church at Ephesus. In verses 18 to 24, he summarizes his ministry to the church,
00:04:35 --> 00:04:41 and we read part of that summary in verses 20 and 21, and they kind of want to focus on this one just
00:04:41 --> 00:04:46 for a bit. You know that I've not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you
00:04:46 --> 00:04:54 but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks
00:04:54 --> 00:05:03 that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. So Paul says here,
00:05:04 --> 00:05:11 I have preached and I have taught in Ephesus. That is the essence of the church's purpose in the
00:05:11 --> 00:05:17 world captivated right there. That is what the church has, the Christian church has, it has a body of
00:05:17 --> 00:05:28 content that must be communicated. Our purpose is to convey truth to the world. Paul has preached
00:05:28 --> 00:05:36 and he has taught and he has propagated and defended and guarded a body of truth for three years in Ephesus.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:47 And this is the job that he now hands down to the elders at Ephesus. And not just to them, but to the church
00:05:47 --> 00:05:52 down through the centuries. So this is important. This is really crucial.
00:05:52 --> 00:06:03 The reason why it's crucial is that if you want to know who I am, you can't just believe anything that
00:06:03 --> 00:06:10 you want about me if you want to know who I am. You know, if someone comes up to me and says,
00:06:11 --> 00:06:18 Steve, you know, you know, I just really like to think of you as a Colombian coffee merchant based out
00:06:18 --> 00:06:26 of Dubai who does salsa dancing as a hobby. I just, that's what I want to, I just envisage you as being that.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:34 Now, I do like my coffee. I'd admit that. Salsa dancing, another thing altogether.
00:06:35 --> 00:06:42 And it is, it is a free country. And so you can believe that about me if you like, and no one's going to
00:06:42 --> 00:06:51 arrest you for that. But it's not the truth. It's not who I am. If you want to know someone,
00:06:51 --> 00:06:57 you need to know what is true about them. And what you know to be true about them is what they
00:06:57 --> 00:07:04 communicate to you about them. What is the evidence? And it's the same as God. You can't just believe
00:07:04 --> 00:07:13 anything you want about him if you want to know him. Let me go one step further and say, you need to
00:07:13 --> 00:07:22 know him if you want to know yourself. That's the difference. You can know anything you want about
00:07:22 --> 00:07:27 me, make up anything you like about me, but it will have very little impact on you. Not so with God.
00:07:27 --> 00:07:38 God. If you want to know about yourself, you must know God as he is. You see, our modern world says
00:07:38 --> 00:07:46 that, well, you know, Steve, you're just a body. You're nothing more than a physical being. There's
00:07:46 --> 00:07:54 no soul. There's no spirit. You're just a physical being. And the Bible says, well, actually, you're much
00:07:54 --> 00:08:00 more complex than that. You are soul and body. Our modern world says that I'm a product of an
00:08:00 --> 00:08:07 evolutionary process. I am a product of biology. I'm a DNA, genes, culture, environment, all those
00:08:07 --> 00:08:13 kind of things. The Bible says, actually, it's even more complex than that because you are made
00:08:13 --> 00:08:22 in the image of a creator God. And the reality is both accounts of those, both accounts claim to be true,
00:08:22 --> 00:08:28 true, but they both can't be right. One form of truth actually has to be wrong.
00:08:31 --> 00:08:40 We need to know the truth if we are to truly know who we are. You see, Christianity declares
00:08:40 --> 00:08:49 that the Bible's account of who we are and who God is, is true. The Bible, therefore, must be
00:08:49 --> 00:08:56 central to the church. It must be preached. It must be taught. It must be defended. It must be guarded.
00:08:56 --> 00:09:03 And Paul also modeled here how we should do this when he says to the elders,
00:09:04 --> 00:09:09 you know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:17 There's two things here. He says, without hesitation and what was helpful.
00:09:17 --> 00:09:24 Paul didn't, in other words, shrink back. He had no hesitation. He did not shrink back. He wasn't
00:09:24 --> 00:09:31 afraid. Biblical truth will always offend somebody somewhere.
00:09:34 --> 00:09:39 But the Christian must lift up the message of the Bible and not shrink back from it when it offends.
00:09:39 --> 00:09:51 But it's also crucial that we must mix boldness with helpfulness. It's not just boldness. It's not just,
00:09:51 --> 00:09:57 you know, just coming out there and declaring the truth and I don't care what anyone's offended by it.
00:09:57 --> 00:10:04 It's also a helpfulness. Notice how Paul speaks with helpfulness in verse 32.
00:10:04 --> 00:10:20 That is, truth is never something that we believe for its own sake.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:27 Truth should never lead us to a position of pride where we communicate and we behave and we think
00:10:27 --> 00:10:38 that we are better than other people. Truth is a means to an end. Truth is food for your heart.
00:10:38 --> 00:10:45 It is food for your soul. It is food for your character. All lack of health in our hearts and our
00:10:45 --> 00:10:54 souls and our character is because truth is not dwelling in us richly. That is, the truth in that instance
00:10:54 --> 00:11:02 is not helpful. If we lack courage, if we lack love, if we lack joy, if we lack peace, hope, patience,
00:11:03 --> 00:11:11 it is because we are not dwelling on the truth and applying it to our lives. We're not driving it down
00:11:11 --> 00:11:19 in our hearts, into our being so that it transforms us from the inside out. How do we do that?
00:11:19 --> 00:11:30 How do we drive it down? We do it together. Paul preaches and teaches without hesitation and helpfully,
00:11:30 --> 00:11:36 he says here both publicly, like I'm doing now, sort of publicly, like I'm doing now,
00:11:37 --> 00:11:46 but also from house to house is what he says. The truth is not just to be proclaimed and conveyed
00:11:46 --> 00:11:55 and protected and guarded like I might be doing right now, but also in small groups and in personal
00:11:55 --> 00:12:00 one-to-one relationships. Now, I want to push something really crucial here right now.
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 So if you'll just sort of flag it off, I want you to hear this one.
00:12:07 --> 00:12:13 Just turning up to a live stream once a week and listening to a sermon like this
00:12:13 --> 00:12:25 will never be enough truth for it to produce health in your soul and in your heart and in your life.
00:12:27 --> 00:12:32 Once a week live stream will not be enough.
00:12:34 --> 00:12:38 Sometimes our sermons here at St. Paul's are okay.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:43 Sometimes they are blisteringly good.
00:12:44 --> 00:12:48 Sometimes, eh, they miss the mark.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:59 But even if every single Sunday they were blisteringly good and you walked away with tears
00:12:59 --> 00:13:04 and you felt convicted and you spent an hour or so in prayer just applying it to you,
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 it still wouldn't be enough.
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 It still would not be enough.
00:13:08 --> 00:13:15 Where truth really gets applied in our lives, where it really gets driven down into our hearts
00:13:15 --> 00:13:21 is when we study, when we linger over, when we have conversations and accountability with others,
00:13:21 --> 00:13:26 when someone brings a word of truth to my life and helps me to see how it connects.
00:13:29 --> 00:13:34 It takes close personal relationships, house to house.
00:13:34 --> 00:13:37 Now, I acknowledge there's restrictions at the moment, but take the point.
00:13:38 --> 00:13:46 Close personal relationships in Christian community where we discover the truth and we apply the truth in our lives.
00:13:46 --> 00:13:55 A crucial part of that community we see here in this passage are leaders.
00:13:57 --> 00:14:06 Leaders who take us on the journey of truth, helping us discover the truth and keep us accountable to the truth.
00:14:06 --> 00:14:10 Paul has a word here for the leaders in verse 28.
00:14:11 --> 00:14:17 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.
00:14:18 --> 00:14:23 Be shepherds of the church of God, which he brought, bought with his own blood.
00:14:23 --> 00:14:30 In every church community, some people are appointed as shepherds.
00:14:31 --> 00:14:36 Shepherds are still sheep, but they have a responsibility to lead the sheep.
00:14:37 --> 00:14:41 They have an authority here as overseers of the flock.
00:14:41 --> 00:14:47 They oversee the flock by bringing the word of God to them.
00:14:47 --> 00:14:50 That is, the word of the chief shepherd to the sheep.
00:14:51 --> 00:14:54 That is, they preach and they teach God's word.
00:14:54 --> 00:14:59 They bring the word of God and they apply it into our lives, corporately and individually.
00:14:59 --> 00:15:10 Let me just go on a little bit of a side point to this, which I think is also quite helpful.
00:15:11 --> 00:15:18 In our individualistic West, there are way too many people who identify themselves as Christian.
00:15:19 --> 00:15:22 And because they've got access to Christian bookshops,
00:15:23 --> 00:15:27 they prefer to do their own work of biblical interpretation and application
00:15:27 --> 00:15:31 and create their own faith journey.
00:15:33 --> 00:15:36 That is, they prefer to do it by themselves.
00:15:37 --> 00:15:40 That is not God's design.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 It's not God's design.
00:15:44 --> 00:15:48 He gives us shepherds and he gives us each other.
00:15:48 --> 00:15:53 For truth to make a difference in our life,
00:15:53 --> 00:15:58 it must be disseminated within a Christian community.
00:15:59 --> 00:16:04 It must be pushed into our hearts in community.
00:16:06 --> 00:16:08 And so if I might just plug here,
00:16:08 --> 00:16:10 if you've not joined a community group yet,
00:16:10 --> 00:16:13 right now is a brilliant season for you
00:16:13 --> 00:16:16 because I'm concerned the longer this goes on,
00:16:16 --> 00:16:19 the more individual our journey becomes.
00:16:19 --> 00:16:23 Contact the church office,
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 contact James Barnett,
00:16:25 --> 00:16:27 get into a community group now.
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 Also,
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 I want to ask,
00:16:32 --> 00:16:36 have you had the opportunity to share what God is teaching you
00:16:36 --> 00:16:39 in your engagement in God's word
00:16:39 --> 00:16:42 with someone else during this lockdown?
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 We continue to encourage,
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 as I do here now,
00:16:46 --> 00:16:50 for you to pick up your Bible in personal devotional life
00:16:50 --> 00:16:52 and share it with someone else,
00:16:52 --> 00:16:54 what God is doing with you right now.
00:16:56 --> 00:16:58 Why not, in fact,
00:16:58 --> 00:17:00 do that as a community group this week?
00:17:01 --> 00:17:05 Maybe just drop the study that you got planned
00:17:05 --> 00:17:07 and just share with one another
00:17:07 --> 00:17:10 what God is teaching you through his word.
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 Secondly,
00:17:13 --> 00:17:15 what we see here about the sort of church you want to be
00:17:15 --> 00:17:17 is humbly authentic.
00:17:18 --> 00:17:22 The shepherd here is not just to bring the word of God
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 to the flock.
00:17:24 --> 00:17:26 Paul says that they must also live it out.
00:17:27 --> 00:17:29 The shepherd's life is to be on display
00:17:29 --> 00:17:32 that they themselves are under the chief shepherd,
00:17:32 --> 00:17:34 that they are being transformed.
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 By the word of God.
00:17:37 --> 00:17:39 Primarily, the shepherd leads with humility,
00:17:40 --> 00:17:43 compassion, passion, grace, integrity.
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 In verse 24,
00:17:44 --> 00:17:48 we see Paul's own vision of his life
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 since he met Jesus.
00:17:49 --> 00:17:49 He says,
00:17:49 --> 00:17:52 I consider my life worth nothing to me
00:17:52 --> 00:17:54 if only I might finish the race
00:17:54 --> 00:17:57 and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me,
00:17:57 --> 00:17:59 the task of testifying
00:17:59 --> 00:18:02 to the gospel of God's grace.
00:18:02 --> 00:18:05 So Paul sees here
00:18:05 --> 00:18:07 that he's given the task of testifying
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 to God's grace
00:18:08 --> 00:18:11 because that is something that he has experienced
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 in his own life.
00:18:12 --> 00:18:15 Something that transformed his own life.
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 See,
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 this is the Paul
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 who once described himself
00:18:19 --> 00:18:22 as the chief of all sinners.
00:18:22 --> 00:18:24 a blasphemer,
00:18:25 --> 00:18:27 a persecutor of the Lord Jesus
00:18:27 --> 00:18:27 and his church.
00:18:27 --> 00:18:29 He consented to the murder,
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 to the beatings
00:18:30 --> 00:18:32 and the false imprisonment of Christians.
00:18:33 --> 00:18:35 And the gospel of God's grace
00:18:35 --> 00:18:37 helped him see
00:18:37 --> 00:18:39 that he was off the spectrum,
00:18:40 --> 00:18:42 more wicked and sinful
00:18:42 --> 00:18:44 than he could ever possibly imagine.
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 Paul,
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 Paul,
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 the religious man,
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 was self-righteous.
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 And the gospel helped him to see
00:18:54 --> 00:18:56 that in fact he was covered in shame and guilt.
00:18:57 --> 00:18:59 The good news tells us
00:18:59 --> 00:19:02 the worst possible news
00:19:02 --> 00:19:04 about ourselves.
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 Oh,
00:19:07 --> 00:19:09 but when we grasp that news,
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 when we understand
00:19:10 --> 00:19:13 how sinful we are
00:19:13 --> 00:19:15 and we believe that reality,
00:19:16 --> 00:19:16 that truth
00:19:16 --> 00:19:19 and do what verse 21 says
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 and turn to God
00:19:20 --> 00:19:20 and repentance
00:19:20 --> 00:19:22 and have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ,
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 that's the moment
00:19:23 --> 00:19:26 we receive the best possible news.
00:19:28 --> 00:19:30 Because of what Jesus has done for us
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 in dying on the cross,
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 we have God's love,
00:19:33 --> 00:19:35 we have God's regard,
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 God's life.
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 And it's in no way
00:19:39 --> 00:19:41 subject to our own performance
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 in life.
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 In Jesus,
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 God loves us
00:19:47 --> 00:19:49 as much right now
00:19:49 --> 00:19:51 as he will love us
00:19:51 --> 00:19:53 a billion years from now.
00:19:55 --> 00:19:57 And that means that in Jesus,
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 finally,
00:19:59 --> 00:20:01 because of the security
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 and the love
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 that we have in Jesus,
00:20:03 --> 00:20:03 the acceptance
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 we have in Jesus,
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 finally,
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 the mask
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 can come off.
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 We don't need
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 to pretend anymore.
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 We don't need
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 to hide
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 our failings
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 and our flaws.
00:20:19 --> 00:20:19 That's what the truth
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 does for you
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 in your life.
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 It transforms
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 your character.
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 We don't need
00:20:25 --> 00:20:25 to be anxious
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 about people noticing
00:20:26 --> 00:20:28 that we are anxious.
00:20:28 --> 00:20:30 we don't need
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 to pretend
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 that we've got
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 this lockdown
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 all sorted.
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 Our social media
00:20:37 --> 00:20:39 posts can reveal
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 that, in fact,
00:20:40 --> 00:20:40 I actually do
00:20:40 --> 00:20:42 have bad hair days.
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 Not me,
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 they're all the same,
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 but we do have
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 bad hair days.
00:20:48 --> 00:20:50 Our Facebook posts
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 can reveal
00:20:51 --> 00:20:51 to the world
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 that I am
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 just as ordinary
00:20:53 --> 00:20:55 as every other
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 parent.
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 My house
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 is just as big
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 of a mess.
00:21:01 --> 00:21:01 My kids
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 actually don't
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 have fun
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 every single day.
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 I'm not the parent
00:21:06 --> 00:21:08 who programs
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 good things
00:21:09 --> 00:21:09 for them
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 every day.
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 This is so
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 counter-cultural
00:21:13 --> 00:21:15 to the digital age
00:21:15 --> 00:21:15 in which we live
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 and the culture
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 that we live in
00:21:17 --> 00:21:17 in Sydney.
00:21:17 --> 00:21:19 Our society
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 values
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 power,
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 success,
00:21:23 --> 00:21:23 competence,
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 strength,
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 progress.
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 Our culture
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 values us
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 being on top
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 of everything.
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 We don't talk
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 about the hard
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 things.
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 And so that
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 means very rarely
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 do we ever
00:21:41 --> 00:21:43 feel deep inside
00:21:43 --> 00:21:43 of us that we
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 ever measure
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 up.
00:21:45 --> 00:21:47 we are
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 always
00:21:48 --> 00:21:48 insecure.
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 And you
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 don't need to
00:21:52 --> 00:21:52 go much
00:21:52 --> 00:21:52 further than
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 your Instagram
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 account and
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 your other
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 social media
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 to realise
00:21:56 --> 00:21:58 other people's
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 lives always
00:21:59 --> 00:21:59 appear to be
00:21:59 --> 00:21:59 better than
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 mine.
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 But in the
00:22:03 --> 00:22:03 gospel,
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 in Jesus,
00:22:06 --> 00:22:06 we have the
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 praise of the
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 praiseworthy.
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 Not the
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 praise of a
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 thousand Facebook
00:22:13 --> 00:22:13 friends,
00:22:14 --> 00:22:14 but the
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 praise of the
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 praiseworthy.
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 We can be
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 real with
00:22:20 --> 00:22:20 him,
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 authentic.
00:22:23 --> 00:22:23 The gospel
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 both brings
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 us to our
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 lowest point,
00:22:27 --> 00:22:27 but it also
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 fills us up
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 in a way that
00:22:29 --> 00:22:29 we never
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 could be.
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 It changes
00:22:32 --> 00:22:32 us.
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 And Paul
00:22:35 --> 00:22:35 reveals here
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 the authentic
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 gospel-shaped
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 life in verse
00:22:38 --> 00:22:38 18.
00:22:38 --> 00:22:40 You know
00:22:40 --> 00:22:40 how I lived
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 the whole time
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 I was with you.
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 I served the
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 Lord with
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 great humility
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 and we
00:22:46 --> 00:22:46 tears,
00:22:47 --> 00:22:49 although I
00:22:49 --> 00:22:49 was severely
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 tested by the
00:22:50 --> 00:22:50 plot of the
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 Jews.
00:22:52 --> 00:22:52 In other
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 words, what
00:22:53 --> 00:22:53 Paul says
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 here, this
00:22:54 --> 00:22:56 truth of the
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 gospel transformed
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 my life.
00:22:58 --> 00:22:58 life.
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 And my
00:23:01 --> 00:23:01 life was on
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 display and
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 it revealed
00:23:03 --> 00:23:05 the good
00:23:05 --> 00:23:05 news of the
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 gospel of
00:23:06 --> 00:23:06 Jesus Christ.
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 All parts
00:23:08 --> 00:23:08 of his
00:23:08 --> 00:23:08 life were
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 on display.
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 Humility,
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 honesty,
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 industry,
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 hard work,
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 meeting needs
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 and generosity
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 were just some
00:23:16 --> 00:23:16 of the
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 characteristics of
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 his life.
00:23:18 --> 00:23:18 life.
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 If I can
00:23:24 --> 00:23:24 push this
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 point a
00:23:25 --> 00:23:25 little bit
00:23:25 --> 00:23:25 further.
00:23:28 --> 00:23:28 If
00:23:28 --> 00:23:30 Christ-centered
00:23:30 --> 00:23:30 biblical
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 saturation,
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 if the
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 truth of
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 the gospel
00:23:35 --> 00:23:37 is something
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 that we
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 declare that
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 we are as
00:23:40 --> 00:23:40 a church,
00:23:40 --> 00:23:40 that we
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 hold to as
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 a church,
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 it must
00:23:43 --> 00:23:45 show itself
00:23:45 --> 00:23:47 in gospel
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 transformation
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 in life.
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 If it
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 does not,
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 we have
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 missed the
00:23:55 --> 00:23:55 truth.
00:23:58 --> 00:23:58 Biblical
00:23:58 --> 00:24:00 truth must
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 lead to
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 authentic
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 humility.
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 Or we
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 need to go
00:24:06 --> 00:24:06 back and
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 revisit the
00:24:07 --> 00:24:07 truth.
00:24:09 --> 00:24:11 This is so
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 crucial for
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 us as we
00:24:13 --> 00:24:13 reflect on
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 God's agenda
00:24:14 --> 00:24:14 for the
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 gospel to
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 go out to
00:24:16 --> 00:24:16 the ends
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 of the
00:24:17 --> 00:24:17 world as
00:24:17 --> 00:24:17 we go
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 through
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 Acts and
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 mission
00:24:19 --> 00:24:19 month.
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 Paul often
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 talked of
00:24:23 --> 00:24:23 his weakness
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 and his
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 hardship in
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 ministry as
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 he does
00:24:26 --> 00:24:26 here.
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 Paul was
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 often
00:24:29 --> 00:24:29 overwhelmed
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 in ministry.
00:24:31 --> 00:24:31 He often
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 had tears,
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 but in
00:24:34 --> 00:24:34 Paul's
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 weakness,
00:24:35 --> 00:24:35 others
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 experienced
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 the power
00:24:37 --> 00:24:37 of God
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 at work.
00:24:41 --> 00:24:41 A
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 pastor,
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 a
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 preacher,
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 a
00:24:45 --> 00:24:45 counselor,
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 a friend,
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 a youth
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 leader,
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 who is
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 weak
00:24:49 --> 00:24:52 and not
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 altogether,
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 who is
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 clearly humbled
00:24:56 --> 00:24:56 by the
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 gospel,
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 moved by
00:24:59 --> 00:24:59 the gospel,
00:25:01 --> 00:25:01 will
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 authentically
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 reveal a
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 crucified
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 savior to
00:25:05 --> 00:25:05 the world.
00:25:05 --> 00:25:09 a person
00:25:09 --> 00:25:09 who is
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 trembling
00:25:10 --> 00:25:12 and feeling
00:25:12 --> 00:25:12 inadequate,
00:25:12 --> 00:25:14 but filled
00:25:14 --> 00:25:14 with love
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 and humility
00:25:15 --> 00:25:17 will show
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 a crucified
00:25:18 --> 00:25:20 savior to
00:25:20 --> 00:25:20 another better
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 than a
00:25:21 --> 00:25:21 polished,
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 altogether
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 biblical and
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 theological
00:25:25 --> 00:25:25 scholar.
00:25:27 --> 00:25:29 Unless the
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 gospel transforms
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 our identity
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 humility and
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 humbles us,
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 then and
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 only then,
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 then and
00:25:39 --> 00:25:39 only then,
00:25:40 --> 00:25:40 will people
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 want to
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 come into
00:25:42 --> 00:25:42 this community
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 and embrace
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 the truth.
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 Only then.
00:25:46 --> 00:25:46 Only then.
00:25:46 --> 00:25:52 if I may
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 push it
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 harder around
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 the other
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 way,
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 I care
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 very little
00:25:57 --> 00:25:57 about your
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 grasp of
00:25:58 --> 00:25:58 the Bible
00:25:58 --> 00:26:00 if there's
00:26:00 --> 00:26:00 no transformation
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 of life.
00:26:06 --> 00:26:06 We want
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 to be a
00:26:07 --> 00:26:07 church that
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 doesn't shrink
00:26:08 --> 00:26:08 back from
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 the truth,
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 want to be a
00:26:11 --> 00:26:11 church that
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 is sure
00:26:12 --> 00:26:12 about the
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 truth,
00:26:13 --> 00:26:13 want to be a
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 church that
00:26:14 --> 00:26:14 is growing
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 in the
00:26:15 --> 00:26:15 truth,
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 we're going
00:26:17 --> 00:26:17 to be a
00:26:17 --> 00:26:17 church that
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 is so
00:26:18 --> 00:26:18 keen to
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 proclaim the
00:26:19 --> 00:26:19 truth,
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 and yet a
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 church that
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 is so
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 humbled,
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 so
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 transformed of
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 character that
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 the skeptic,
00:26:28 --> 00:26:28 the doubter,
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 the unbeliever
00:26:30 --> 00:26:33 will experience
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 such grace
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 and humility
00:26:35 --> 00:26:37 and warmth
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 amongst us
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 that the
00:26:39 --> 00:26:39 person who
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 walks in with
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 another idea
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 is not going
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 to experience
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 them being
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 shut down.
00:26:46 --> 00:26:48 that's the
00:26:48 --> 00:26:48 church I
00:26:48 --> 00:26:48 want to
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 be.
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 So
00:26:52 --> 00:26:52 finally,
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 I'm
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 convinced that
00:26:55 --> 00:26:55 when we
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 have a
00:26:56 --> 00:26:56 biblical
00:26:56 --> 00:26:58 truth that
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 matches a
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 real genuine
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 change in
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 character,
00:27:01 --> 00:27:03 development of
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 humility in
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 the individual,
00:27:06 --> 00:27:06 we will see
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 deep relational
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 ties.
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 We will
00:27:11 --> 00:27:11 treasure Jesus
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 together.
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 one of the
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 things that
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 builds friendships
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 and community
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 is common
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 beliefs and
00:27:18 --> 00:27:18 convictions.
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 But you
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 also can't
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 have genuine
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 friendships and
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 community without
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 humility and
00:27:25 --> 00:27:27 vulnerability and
00:27:27 --> 00:27:29 transparency and
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 sharing of the
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 real you,
00:27:32 --> 00:27:32 your real
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 struggles,
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 your real
00:27:34 --> 00:27:34 hurts.
00:27:36 --> 00:27:38 No community
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 can be built
00:27:39 --> 00:27:41 if everyone is
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 just revealing
00:27:42 --> 00:27:44 the airbrushed
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 versions of
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 themselves.
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 Multiple
00:27:48 --> 00:27:48 times people
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 have asked me
00:27:49 --> 00:27:49 in the last
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 number of
00:27:50 --> 00:27:50 weeks,
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 say,
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 how are you
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 getting on?
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 My default
00:27:53 --> 00:27:56 thing is I'm
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 okay.
00:27:58 --> 00:27:58 You know,
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 a little hard
00:27:59 --> 00:27:59 but I'm
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 okay.
00:28:00 --> 00:28:00 The reality
00:28:00 --> 00:28:02 is I am
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 okay but it's
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 significantly
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 harder than
00:28:05 --> 00:28:05 that.
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 I have moments
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 where I am
00:28:07 --> 00:28:07 deep.
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 I've got moments
00:28:08 --> 00:28:08 where I'm
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 feeling I'm
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 languishing,
00:28:10 --> 00:28:10 that I'm
00:28:10 --> 00:28:10 unsure.
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 I am
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 struggling on
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 so many
00:28:13 --> 00:28:13 days to
00:28:13 --> 00:28:15 concentrate on
00:28:15 --> 00:28:15 anything.
00:28:16 --> 00:28:16 This sermon
00:28:16 --> 00:28:18 took me most
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 of last week
00:28:19 --> 00:28:19 to write.
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 That is highly
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 unusual for me.
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 This is a
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 struggle we're
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 in right now.
00:28:29 --> 00:28:29 And to be
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 honest with you,
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 I'm even
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 finding it hard
00:28:32 --> 00:28:32 to pray.
00:28:32 --> 00:28:37 when we have
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 truth and
00:28:38 --> 00:28:38 humility,
00:28:38 --> 00:28:40 then we have
00:28:40 --> 00:28:40 the ingredients
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 of authentic
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 deep relationships.
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 At the end
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 of this chapter
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 and the beginning
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 of the next
00:28:47 --> 00:28:47 chapter,
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 I think is
00:28:49 --> 00:28:49 quite moving.
00:28:50 --> 00:28:50 Have a look at
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 verse 36 with
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 me.
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 When Paul had
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 finished speaking,
00:28:55 --> 00:28:55 he knelt
00:28:55 --> 00:28:57 down with all
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 of them and
00:28:58 --> 00:28:58 prayed.
00:28:58 --> 00:29:00 they all
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 wept as
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 they embraced
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 him and
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 kissed him.
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 And then at the
00:29:05 --> 00:29:05 beginning of the
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 next chapter,
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 after we had
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 torn ourselves
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 away from
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 them,
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 we put out
00:29:11 --> 00:29:11 to sea.
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 Now that
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 is genuine,
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 deep
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 relationship.
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 They had to
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 tear
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 themselves away
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 from each
00:29:22 --> 00:29:22 other.
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 people
00:29:23 --> 00:29:23 together.
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 These are
00:29:25 --> 00:29:25 not
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 acquaintances.
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 This is not
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 Paul and his
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 parish council.
00:29:30 --> 00:29:32 These are not
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 associates here.
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 They prayed,
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 they wept,
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 they embraced,
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 they kissed,
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 they had to
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 tear each
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 other from
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 each other
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 away from
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 each other.
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 This is
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 deep
00:29:42 --> 00:29:42 relationship
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 that is
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 based on
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 truth that
00:29:45 --> 00:29:45 has changed
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 them all.
00:29:48 --> 00:29:48 The Ephesian
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 elders are
00:29:49 --> 00:29:49 European,
00:29:50 --> 00:29:50 Paul is
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 Middle Eastern
00:29:51 --> 00:29:51 and there
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 is a
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 unity here
00:29:53 --> 00:29:53 stronger than
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 their own
00:29:54 --> 00:29:54 cultures.
00:29:57 --> 00:29:57 Notice here
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 that they
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 knelt down
00:29:59 --> 00:29:59 and they
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 prayed.
00:30:01 --> 00:30:01 What does
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 that mean?
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 We are
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 together
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 focusing
00:30:05 --> 00:30:07 on another.
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 They have
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 God in
00:30:11 --> 00:30:11 common.
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 C.S.
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 Lewis
00:30:15 --> 00:30:17 writes in
00:30:17 --> 00:30:17 his book
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 The Four
00:30:18 --> 00:30:18 Loves
00:30:18 --> 00:30:20 that friendship
00:30:20 --> 00:30:22 is not
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 absorbed in
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 the other
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 person like
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 a romantic
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 love is.
00:30:27 --> 00:30:27 He says
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 friendship is
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 focused on
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 a common
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 point of
00:30:31 --> 00:30:31 interest.
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 The same
00:30:33 --> 00:30:33 thing
00:30:33 --> 00:30:35 awes them,
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 attracts
00:30:37 --> 00:30:37 them,
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 grips them,
00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 motivates
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 them.
00:30:43 --> 00:30:43 You start
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 there at that
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 foot and
00:30:45 --> 00:30:45 then you
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 over time
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 build in
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 relationship
00:30:48 --> 00:30:48 with each
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 other.
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 These guys
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 kneel and
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 they pray to
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 their common
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 fixed point,
00:30:56 --> 00:30:56 Jesus.
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 They are
00:30:59 --> 00:30:59 treasuring
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 Jesus
00:31:00 --> 00:31:02 together and
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 as they do
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 that they've
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 built this
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 relationship,
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 this deep
00:31:07 --> 00:31:07 connection.
00:31:09 --> 00:31:09 Let me just
00:31:09 --> 00:31:12 say that
00:31:12 --> 00:31:12 any two
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 people,
00:31:13 --> 00:31:15 any two
00:31:15 --> 00:31:17 people who
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 kneel to
00:31:18 --> 00:31:18 Jesus,
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 who have
00:31:20 --> 00:31:20 experienced
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 his grace,
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 any two
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 people can
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 have that
00:31:26 --> 00:31:26 depth of
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 relationship.
00:31:29 --> 00:31:29 He who
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 binds us
00:31:30 --> 00:31:30 together is
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 greater than
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 anything that
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 separates us.
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 This is
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 reflected in
00:31:35 --> 00:31:35 the spread of
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 the Christian
00:31:36 --> 00:31:36 faith across
00:31:36 --> 00:31:37 the globe
00:31:37 --> 00:31:37 over the past
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 2 years
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 as I've said
00:31:39 --> 00:31:39 before earlier
00:31:39 --> 00:31:40 in this series.
00:31:40 --> 00:31:41 The Christian
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 faith is the
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 most culturally
00:31:43 --> 00:31:43 and racially
00:31:43 --> 00:31:45 diverse religion
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 by far of
00:31:46 --> 00:31:46 any other
00:31:46 --> 00:31:47 world religion.
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 It changes
00:31:49 --> 00:31:49 peoples.
00:31:51 --> 00:31:51 It unites
00:31:51 --> 00:31:52 peoples like
00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 no other
00:31:53 --> 00:31:54 religion or
00:31:54 --> 00:31:55 philosophy of
00:31:55 --> 00:31:55 life.
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 That's so
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 drastically
00:31:59 --> 00:32:00 different than
00:32:00 --> 00:32:01 the society
00:32:01 --> 00:32:01 in which we
00:32:01 --> 00:32:01 live.
00:32:02 --> 00:32:02 Most people
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 hang out with
00:32:03 --> 00:32:03 people who
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 are like
00:32:04 --> 00:32:04 them.
00:32:06 --> 00:32:07 Developing
00:32:07 --> 00:32:07 deep,
00:32:08 --> 00:32:08 relational,
00:32:09 --> 00:32:09 cross-cultural
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 barriers is
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 extremely
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 difficult.
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 What is so
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 unique about
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 the gospel
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 is that it
00:32:20 --> 00:32:21 exposes who
00:32:21 --> 00:32:22 you are.
00:32:22 --> 00:32:23 It changes
00:32:23 --> 00:32:23 you.
00:32:24 --> 00:32:24 It humbles
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 you in such
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 a way that
00:32:26 --> 00:32:26 you can build
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 relationships with
00:32:27 --> 00:32:29 people who
00:32:29 --> 00:32:30 you would not
00:32:30 --> 00:32:31 normally be
00:32:31 --> 00:32:31 able to.
00:32:33 --> 00:32:33 Nothing
00:32:33 --> 00:32:35 else in
00:32:35 --> 00:32:36 this world
00:32:36 --> 00:32:36 has power
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 to do
00:32:37 --> 00:32:37 that.
00:32:39 --> 00:32:39 Jesus
00:32:39 --> 00:32:41 Christ has
00:32:41 --> 00:32:42 destroyed the
00:32:42 --> 00:32:43 dividing barriers
00:32:43 --> 00:32:44 of his
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 hostility and
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 binds us
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 together into
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48 deep unity.
00:32:49 --> 00:32:50 Not just a
00:32:50 --> 00:32:52 truce between
00:32:52 --> 00:32:52 people.
00:32:53 --> 00:32:54 More than
00:32:54 --> 00:32:55 just getting
00:32:55 --> 00:32:55 along,
00:32:56 --> 00:32:56 deep,
00:32:57 --> 00:32:58 deep
00:32:58 --> 00:32:58 friendship.
00:33:00 --> 00:33:00 Now of
00:33:00 --> 00:33:00 course we must
00:33:00 --> 00:33:01 work at it.
00:33:02 --> 00:33:02 We must choose
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 to do it and
00:33:03 --> 00:33:04 keep looking to
00:33:04 --> 00:33:05 the gospel as
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 we do it.
00:33:11 --> 00:33:11 What's
00:33:11 --> 00:33:12 remarkable about
00:33:12 --> 00:33:13 this passage,
00:33:13 --> 00:33:13 as many
00:33:13 --> 00:33:14 commentators will
00:33:14 --> 00:33:15 point out,
00:33:16 --> 00:33:17 is that in
00:33:17 --> 00:33:17 Luke chapter
00:33:17 --> 00:33:18 9 we are
00:33:18 --> 00:33:19 told that
00:33:19 --> 00:33:20 Jesus resolutely
00:33:20 --> 00:33:21 set his face to
00:33:21 --> 00:33:21 go to Jerusalem.
00:33:21 --> 00:33:21 Jerusalem.
00:33:24 --> 00:33:25 Jesus is the
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 power here for
00:33:26 --> 00:33:27 us to build the
00:33:27 --> 00:33:28 church that we
00:33:28 --> 00:33:29 need to be.
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 It's the gospel
00:33:30 --> 00:33:32 is the power for
00:33:32 --> 00:33:33 our friendships and
00:33:33 --> 00:33:34 our relationships with
00:33:34 --> 00:33:34 one another.
00:33:35 --> 00:33:36 Jesus resolutely
00:33:36 --> 00:33:37 set his face to
00:33:37 --> 00:33:38 Jerusalem.
00:33:39 --> 00:33:39 What is
00:33:39 --> 00:33:40 remarkable in this
00:33:40 --> 00:33:41 passage is that
00:33:41 --> 00:33:42 Paul,
00:33:43 --> 00:33:43 likewise,
00:33:44 --> 00:33:45 will not be
00:33:45 --> 00:33:45 distracted from
00:33:45 --> 00:33:46 going to
00:33:46 --> 00:33:46 Jerusalem.
00:33:46 --> 00:33:46 Jerusalem.
00:33:49 --> 00:33:50 Paul is
00:33:50 --> 00:33:51 called to
00:33:51 --> 00:33:52 Jerusalem by
00:33:52 --> 00:33:52 the Holy
00:33:52 --> 00:33:54 Spirit and
00:33:54 --> 00:33:55 like Jesus he
00:33:55 --> 00:33:56 knows full well
00:33:56 --> 00:33:57 that he may die
00:33:57 --> 00:33:57 there.
00:33:59 --> 00:34:00 Paul is
00:34:00 --> 00:34:02 clearly walking
00:34:02 --> 00:34:03 in the footsteps
00:34:03 --> 00:34:03 of his
00:34:03 --> 00:34:06 Saviour and
00:34:06 --> 00:34:08 yet the
00:34:08 --> 00:34:08 difference is
00:34:08 --> 00:34:09 he's not
00:34:09 --> 00:34:11 like Jesus.
00:34:13 --> 00:34:14 Unlike
00:34:14 --> 00:34:14 Jesus,
00:34:14 --> 00:34:17 as Paul
00:34:17 --> 00:34:17 travels to
00:34:17 --> 00:34:18 Jerusalem,
00:34:18 --> 00:34:18 he is
00:34:18 --> 00:34:20 surrounded by
00:34:20 --> 00:34:21 friends every
00:34:21 --> 00:34:22 step of the
00:34:22 --> 00:34:22 way.
00:34:23 --> 00:34:24 Everywhere Paul
00:34:24 --> 00:34:25 goes on his
00:34:25 --> 00:34:26 way to
00:34:26 --> 00:34:26 Jerusalem,
00:34:26 --> 00:34:27 he has
00:34:27 --> 00:34:27 support,
00:34:27 --> 00:34:28 he has
00:34:28 --> 00:34:28 friends.
00:34:30 --> 00:34:31 It's the
00:34:31 --> 00:34:31 opposite of
00:34:31 --> 00:34:31 Jesus.
00:34:34 --> 00:34:34 On the
00:34:34 --> 00:34:35 night of his
00:34:35 --> 00:34:35 arrest,
00:34:37 --> 00:34:37 the Lord
00:34:37 --> 00:34:38 Jesus was
00:34:38 --> 00:34:39 deeply distressed
00:34:39 --> 00:34:39 in the Garden
00:34:39 --> 00:34:40 of Gethsemane.
00:34:42 --> 00:34:43 His friends
00:34:43 --> 00:34:43 were there.
00:34:43 --> 00:34:44 they were
00:34:44 --> 00:34:45 asleep.
00:34:48 --> 00:34:49 In the
00:34:49 --> 00:34:50 hour of
00:34:50 --> 00:34:50 he described
00:34:50 --> 00:34:51 of his
00:34:51 --> 00:34:52 greatest need,
00:34:52 --> 00:34:52 they were
00:34:52 --> 00:34:55 asleep and
00:34:55 --> 00:34:55 they could
00:34:55 --> 00:34:56 not even
00:34:56 --> 00:34:58 kneel and
00:34:58 --> 00:34:59 pray with
00:34:59 --> 00:34:59 him.
00:35:00 --> 00:35:00 Not even
00:35:00 --> 00:35:01 for 10
00:35:01 --> 00:35:01 minutes.
00:35:04 --> 00:35:05 Jesus Christ
00:35:05 --> 00:35:05 was abandoned
00:35:05 --> 00:35:06 by his
00:35:06 --> 00:35:06 friends,
00:35:07 --> 00:35:08 but the
00:35:08 --> 00:35:09 ultimate blow
00:35:09 --> 00:35:10 came when he
00:35:10 --> 00:35:11 cries out from
00:35:11 --> 00:35:11 the cross,
00:35:11 --> 00:35:11 my God,
00:35:11 --> 00:35:12 my God,
00:35:12 --> 00:35:12 why have
00:35:12 --> 00:35:13 you forsaken
00:35:13 --> 00:35:13 me?
00:35:15 --> 00:35:15 He was
00:35:15 --> 00:35:16 all alone.
00:35:17 --> 00:35:19 He felt a
00:35:19 --> 00:35:21 disconnection,
00:35:21 --> 00:35:22 a cosmic
00:35:22 --> 00:35:23 loneliness that
00:35:23 --> 00:35:24 we would never
00:35:24 --> 00:35:25 experience,
00:35:26 --> 00:35:27 the worst
00:35:27 --> 00:35:29 possible form
00:35:29 --> 00:35:29 of loneliness.
00:35:31 --> 00:35:32 And he did
00:35:32 --> 00:35:33 that so that
00:35:33 --> 00:35:33 you and I
00:35:33 --> 00:35:34 could be
00:35:34 --> 00:35:34 friends,
00:35:34 --> 00:35:35 not just
00:35:35 --> 00:35:36 with God,
00:35:36 --> 00:35:37 but with
00:35:37 --> 00:35:37 each other.
00:35:39 --> 00:35:40 He took
00:35:40 --> 00:35:41 all the
00:35:41 --> 00:35:42 barriers
00:35:42 --> 00:35:42 away.
00:35:44 --> 00:35:45 This kind
00:35:45 --> 00:35:45 of deep
00:35:45 --> 00:35:46 relationship
00:35:46 --> 00:35:47 with God
00:35:47 --> 00:35:47 and with
00:35:47 --> 00:35:48 each other
00:35:48 --> 00:35:49 is what
00:35:49 --> 00:35:50 every single
00:35:50 --> 00:35:51 one of us
00:35:51 --> 00:35:52 need.
00:35:55 --> 00:35:56 And right
00:35:56 --> 00:35:57 now we
00:35:57 --> 00:35:57 should be
00:35:57 --> 00:35:58 feeling that
00:35:58 --> 00:35:58 more and
00:35:58 --> 00:35:59 more in
00:35:59 --> 00:36:00 this lockdown.
00:36:00 --> 00:36:03 yes,
00:36:04 --> 00:36:04 we can
00:36:04 --> 00:36:04 still have
00:36:04 --> 00:36:05 it to a
00:36:05 --> 00:36:05 degree,
00:36:05 --> 00:36:06 this friendship
00:36:06 --> 00:36:06 now.
00:36:07 --> 00:36:08 It's why
00:36:08 --> 00:36:08 I've got to
00:36:08 --> 00:36:08 say this
00:36:08 --> 00:36:10 digital church
00:36:10 --> 00:36:10 thing is
00:36:10 --> 00:36:11 such a
00:36:11 --> 00:36:12 blessing for
00:36:12 --> 00:36:12 us in
00:36:12 --> 00:36:13 this season,
00:36:14 --> 00:36:15 but I
00:36:15 --> 00:36:16 just need to
00:36:16 --> 00:36:16 push this
00:36:16 --> 00:36:16 point.
00:36:17 --> 00:36:17 This is
00:36:17 --> 00:36:17 nothing but
00:36:17 --> 00:36:18 an emergency
00:36:18 --> 00:36:18 measure.
00:36:19 --> 00:36:20 This is a
00:36:20 --> 00:36:20 stopgap
00:36:20 --> 00:36:21 measure.
00:36:22 --> 00:36:22 This is not
00:36:22 --> 00:36:23 the ultimate
00:36:23 --> 00:36:24 way forward.
00:36:25 --> 00:36:26 Face-to-face
00:36:26 --> 00:36:27 gathering as
00:36:27 --> 00:36:27 the people of
00:36:27 --> 00:36:29 God is so
00:36:29 --> 00:36:30 precious.
00:36:32 --> 00:36:33 And you
00:36:33 --> 00:36:33 need it.
00:36:34 --> 00:36:35 You
00:36:35 --> 00:36:35 absolutely
00:36:35 --> 00:36:36 need it.
00:36:38 --> 00:36:39 In order to
00:36:39 --> 00:36:40 understand what
00:36:40 --> 00:36:40 you have in
00:36:40 --> 00:36:41 relationship with
00:36:41 --> 00:36:42 Christ.
00:36:43 --> 00:36:43 And yet we
00:36:43 --> 00:36:44 still have the
00:36:44 --> 00:36:44 opportunities to
00:36:44 --> 00:36:45 build those
00:36:45 --> 00:36:46 relationships now.
00:36:47 --> 00:36:47 So can I
00:36:47 --> 00:36:49 ask, what
00:36:49 --> 00:36:49 is stopping
00:36:49 --> 00:36:50 you jumping
00:36:50 --> 00:36:51 straight on
00:36:51 --> 00:36:51 after this
00:36:51 --> 00:36:52 service into
00:36:52 --> 00:36:53 the morning
00:36:53 --> 00:36:53 tea over
00:36:53 --> 00:36:54 Zoom?
00:36:57 --> 00:36:58 I'm assuming
00:36:58 --> 00:36:59 you don't have
00:36:59 --> 00:36:59 anywhere else
00:36:59 --> 00:37:00 to go.
00:37:01 --> 00:37:01 What's
00:37:01 --> 00:37:02 stopping that?
00:37:03 --> 00:37:03 Too busy?
00:37:05 --> 00:37:06 Or are you
00:37:06 --> 00:37:07 afraid?
00:37:09 --> 00:37:09 Does the
00:37:09 --> 00:37:10 gospel need to
00:37:10 --> 00:37:11 transform you in
00:37:11 --> 00:37:11 that part of
00:37:11 --> 00:37:11 your life?
00:37:12 --> 00:37:12 Are you
00:37:12 --> 00:37:13 afraid?
00:37:13 --> 00:37:14 Afraid of a
00:37:14 --> 00:37:14 lack of
00:37:14 --> 00:37:15 privacy?
00:37:17 --> 00:37:18 Afraid for
00:37:18 --> 00:37:19 the real you
00:37:19 --> 00:37:20 to be known?
00:37:21 --> 00:37:22 Afraid of
00:37:22 --> 00:37:22 accountability?
00:37:26 --> 00:37:27 I just need to
00:37:27 --> 00:37:27 push it.
00:37:27 --> 00:37:29 Jesus died
00:37:29 --> 00:37:30 alone so
00:37:30 --> 00:37:31 that we can
00:37:31 --> 00:37:32 live together.
00:37:33 --> 00:37:34 And I'm
00:37:34 --> 00:37:34 going to say
00:37:34 --> 00:37:35 I'm missing
00:37:35 --> 00:37:35 you.
00:37:36 --> 00:37:37 I'm missing
00:37:37 --> 00:37:38 the togetherness.
00:37:39 --> 00:37:39 We have
00:37:39 --> 00:37:40 something very
00:37:40 --> 00:37:41 significant to
00:37:41 --> 00:37:41 offer this
00:37:41 --> 00:37:42 world.
00:37:43 --> 00:37:43 We have
00:37:43 --> 00:37:44 truth.
00:37:45 --> 00:37:46 Truth.
00:37:47 --> 00:37:47 We have a
00:37:47 --> 00:37:48 gospel message
00:37:48 --> 00:37:49 of hope.
00:37:50 --> 00:37:51 Gospel message
00:37:51 --> 00:37:52 of genuine
00:37:52 --> 00:37:53 transformation of
00:37:53 --> 00:37:54 life.
00:37:54 --> 00:37:56 life and a
00:37:56 --> 00:37:56 gospel message
00:37:56 --> 00:37:57 that draws us
00:37:57 --> 00:37:58 together into
00:37:58 --> 00:37:59 deep fellowship
00:37:59 --> 00:38:00 as we walk
00:38:00 --> 00:38:01 this journey
00:38:01 --> 00:38:01 together.
00:38:03 --> 00:38:04 This is the
00:38:04 --> 00:38:05 church that we
00:38:05 --> 00:38:05 are at St.
00:38:05 --> 00:38:07 Paul's and
00:38:07 --> 00:38:07 this is the
00:38:07 --> 00:38:08 church that we
00:38:08 --> 00:38:09 will seek to
00:38:09 --> 00:38:10 build at St.
00:38:10 --> 00:38:10 Paul's.
00:38:11 --> 00:38:12 God bless
00:38:12 --> 00:38:12 you.
00:38:12 --> 00:38:12 Amen.
00:38:12 --> 00:38:12 Amen.
00:38:12 --> 00:38:12 Amen.
00:38:12 --> 00:38:12 Amen.
00:38:12 --> 00:38:14 Amen.
00:38:14 --> 00:38:14 Amen.
00:38:14 --> 00:38:14 Amen.
00:38:14 --> 00:38:16 Amen.
00:38:16 --> 00:38:16 Amen.
00:38:16 --> 00:38:16 Amen.
00:38:16 --> 00:38:18 Amen.
00:38:18 --> 00:38:19 Amen.
00:38:19 --> 00:38:20 Amen.
00:38:20 --> 00:38:20 Amen.
00:38:20 --> 00:38:20 Amen.
00:38:20 --> 00:38:20 Amen.
00:38:20 --> 00:38:21 Amen.
00:38:21 --> 00:38:22 Amen.
00:38:22 --> 00:38:22 Amen.
00:38:22 --> 00:38:22 Amen.
00:38:22 --> 00:38:23 Amen.
00:38:23 --> 00:38:24 Amen.