Comfortable in 2015
Series: CHRISTMAS 2014
Speaker: Sam Low
Date: 27th December 2014
Passage: Hebrews 1:1-13:25
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 I wonder how you are going to measure your 2014.
00:00:04 --> 00:00:09 There is an involuntary reflective impulse that we have at this time of year.
00:00:10 --> 00:00:15 Everything around us is telling us to think over the last 12 months and decide whether or not we're happy.
00:00:16 --> 00:00:19 Television shows are giving us recaps of the events of the year.
00:00:20 --> 00:00:25 Facebook, if you're on there, is giving you a slideshow of what you've put on there for the last 12 months.
00:00:25 --> 00:00:27 Some of you know that because I've seen yours.
00:00:28 --> 00:00:34 Everyone is telling you to look at what has been happening and decide how you're going to feel about that.
00:00:34 --> 00:00:36 Has it been a good year or a bad year?
00:00:36 --> 00:00:43 I wonder if as you sit here this morning and maybe for the first time start wading through the memories of the past 12 months,
00:00:44 --> 00:00:49 is it a year where you would say that God has delivered on his promises to you?
00:00:49 --> 00:00:53 Is it a year where you can sit back content and thankful?
00:00:53 --> 00:01:00 And I wonder in light of that, what is it that you'll be praying for going into the new year?
00:01:01 --> 00:01:02 Resolutions, great idea.
00:01:02 --> 00:01:04 Prayer, even better idea.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:09 What is it that you'll be asking God to put into your life for the next 12 months?
00:01:09 --> 00:01:14 Or maybe what is it that you'll be asking God to keep out of your life for the next 12 months?
00:01:14 --> 00:01:25 There is a good chance that how you measure this year and what you pray for next year will have something to do with the ratio of pain and comfort.
00:01:26 --> 00:01:34 There is a good chance that if this year you have had more comfort than pain, then you're probably on the positive side of the ledger.
00:01:34 --> 00:01:40 And there is also a fairly good chance that as you pray for next year, you are praying for more comfort than pain.
00:01:41 --> 00:01:52 And that is because we have become so conditioned as a society and as people to avoiding pain that it is the strongest impulse,
00:01:52 --> 00:01:54 the strongest dictator of what it is that we're after.
00:01:55 --> 00:02:00 Our lives are completely designed to avoid pain.
00:02:00 --> 00:02:03 Right from our very beginning, we're getting softer.
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 Slowly but surely, we're getting softer.
00:02:06 --> 00:02:12 I remember taking my wife about six years ago to get her wisdom teeth out.
00:02:13 --> 00:02:18 And we went to the dentist and I was quite impressed that the dentist was encouraging my wife to just get them out in the chair.
00:02:19 --> 00:02:20 Don't worry about the general anaesthetic.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:21 Just sit here.
00:02:21 --> 00:02:21 It'll be much quicker.
00:02:22 --> 00:02:22 It'll be fine.
00:02:22 --> 00:02:34 But then she was given a small anaesthetic needle to numb the area where the actual anaesthetic needle would go in to numb the area where the teeth would be taken out from.
00:02:35 --> 00:02:37 And I thought, isn't that a little bit redundant?
00:02:38 --> 00:02:43 I mean, you're still getting a needle to numb you for the needle that you're going to get to numb you later on.
00:02:43 --> 00:02:51 We are so scared of pain, we will do anything to avoid it, that we have gotten to the point where we need painkillers for our painkillers.
00:02:52 --> 00:02:54 We are slowly but surely becoming softer.
00:02:55 --> 00:02:58 Now, I'm not saying that I am any better or tougher than my wife.
00:02:58 --> 00:03:02 I'm sure I would have welcomed the first needle in preparation for the second needle.
00:03:02 --> 00:03:07 But can you see that there is a danger for us?
00:03:08 --> 00:03:16 When we become pain averse, when we become pain avoiders, pain becomes something that drives us to be bitter.
00:03:16 --> 00:03:19 When pain does come, we become angry.
00:03:19 --> 00:03:22 We feel like some injustice has been done to us.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:26 And the same is true when it comes to our relationship with Jesus.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:31 When pain comes, we feel like it's out of place.
00:03:31 --> 00:03:37 But we've decided that following Jesus is supposed to be comfortable because that's what we want in our lives.
00:03:37 --> 00:03:38 We want comfort.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:40 We want to avoid pain.
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 And so we've told God that's how it should be.
00:03:43 --> 00:03:44 And so we look at our last 12 months.
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 And if there's pain, we think, God, you kind of failed a bit this year.
00:03:49 --> 00:03:50 You kind of missed the mark.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 You didn't comfort me like you said you were going to.
00:03:53 --> 00:03:56 You didn't look after me like you said you were going to.
00:03:56 --> 00:04:00 We've even got faith that God will make our life comfortable.
00:04:01 --> 00:04:04 We've gotten to the point where we pray that God will make our life comfortable.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:15 But I want you to entertain the thought just for the rest of this morning that maybe God has something better than comfort designed for you.
00:04:16 --> 00:04:23 God actually wants something for you that is more satisfying and more edifying than a life that is pain free.
00:04:23 --> 00:04:29 And I think that Hebrews 12 helps us to see exactly what it is.
00:04:29 --> 00:04:31 Have a look at verse 4 with me.
00:04:32 --> 00:04:37 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
00:04:38 --> 00:04:41 In the Christian life, we struggle with sin.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:45 Well, at least we're supposed to struggle with sin.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:51 I read that verse and it talks about resisting temptation to the point of shedding blood.
00:04:52 --> 00:04:59 I don't think I've resisted temptation to the point of quickening my heart rate, let alone actually shedding blood.
00:05:00 --> 00:05:07 We resist until it's uncomfortable because that's what we've conditioned ourselves to think the Christian life is supposed to be.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 Think about it.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:10 With something like reading your Bible.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 We know that we're supposed to do it.
00:05:13 --> 00:05:14 We know that it's helpful.
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 We know that God wants to speak to us.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:21 And so we try and discipline ourselves to have our daily time in the word.
00:05:21 --> 00:05:25 But as soon as it gets difficult, we're tired or we're busy.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:31 We quickly reason that if God had wanted me to read the Bible every morning, he would have made me a morning person.
00:05:31 --> 00:05:42 As soon as it gets uncomfortable, we start to think, well, maybe this doesn't belong in my Christian life because comfort must be what God wants for me.
00:05:43 --> 00:05:47 Or what about the war against sin when it comes to confessing sin?
00:05:48 --> 00:05:51 The Bible's clear that confessing sin to one another is helpful.
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 Confessing sin to God is essential.
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 But what about when that sin is embarrassing?
00:06:01 --> 00:06:05 What about when you're still struggling with that sin and you haven't yet overcome?
00:06:05 --> 00:06:11 We're very good at confessing the sin that we have dealt with in the past and that we are now masters of.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:14 But what about the sin that you're struggling with right now?
00:06:15 --> 00:06:17 What about the sin that I'm struggling with right now?
00:06:18 --> 00:06:22 It's a bit uncomfortable to acknowledge that we're weak or imperfect.
00:06:22 --> 00:06:32 And so our struggle against sin won't even push past the comfort barrier, let alone struggling with sin to the point that we shed our blood.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:36 We struggle until it gets hurt, but until it hurts.
00:06:36 --> 00:06:43 But we've got to understand we need to get rid of this idea that God's design for you is comfort in this life.
00:06:43 --> 00:06:47 God has something far better than comfort.
00:06:47 --> 00:06:51 And so we need to let go of the idea that comfort is the highest ideal.
00:06:52 --> 00:06:58 We need to understand that our God has more in store for us than a pain-free life.
00:06:59 --> 00:07:04 In fact, God even promises, Jesus promises to the disciples that if they follow him, they will suffer.
00:07:05 --> 00:07:09 They rejected the Saviour and they will reject the followers of the Saviour.
00:07:09 --> 00:07:13 God is not the grandfather who just lets you off all the time.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:19 He's not the grandfather who gives you lollies in spite of the fact that your parents have said no more lollies at Christmas.
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 God is our heavenly father.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:28 And being a heavenly father means getting us to a better destination than comfort.
00:07:29 --> 00:07:30 And verse 5 explains it.
00:07:31 --> 00:07:36 You have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:41 My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 because the Lord disciplines those he loves.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:48 And he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.
00:07:48 --> 00:07:50 Endure hardship as discipline.
00:07:51 --> 00:07:55 God is treating you as sons, for what son is not disciplined by his father?
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 If you are not disciplined and everyone undergoes discipline,
00:07:59 --> 00:08:02 then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.
00:08:02 --> 00:08:07 Moreover, we've all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it.
00:08:08 --> 00:08:12 How much more should we submit to the father of our spirits and live?
00:08:13 --> 00:08:16 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best,
00:08:16 --> 00:08:22 but God disciplines us for our good that we may share in his holiness.
00:08:22 --> 00:08:27 The discipline that God brings into our life, the pain and the struggle and the difficulty,
00:08:27 --> 00:08:32 even when we don't realise it, is actually God's goodness to us.
00:08:33 --> 00:08:34 It is God's gift to us.
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 Now, it's not pleasant at the time ever.
00:08:38 --> 00:08:43 No discipline is pleasant at the time, but it is here for our good according to God's word.
00:08:43 --> 00:08:46 For those of you who are parents or grandparents,
00:08:46 --> 00:08:51 you know what it is like to watch your young child or grandchild wander off
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 and do things that are dangerous for them.
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 My son is a runner.
00:08:56 --> 00:08:57 That's what he does.
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 In public places, he runs.
00:09:00 --> 00:09:03 If you're at the library with him, he will go and sit on a stranger's lap
00:09:03 --> 00:09:04 and ask them to read him a book.
00:09:05 --> 00:09:08 Sounds cute, but it's incredibly dangerous.
00:09:08 --> 00:09:10 If we're in the park and there is not a fence,
00:09:10 --> 00:09:13 the only place that he wants to be is on the road that goes around the park.
00:09:14 --> 00:09:16 If we're in a crowd, he doesn't want to be with mum and dad.
00:09:16 --> 00:09:18 He wants to be weaving through legs.
00:09:19 --> 00:09:22 And so it is essential for me to discipline him.
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 He's not happy when I discipline him,
00:09:26 --> 00:09:31 but it is essential for me to love him by disciplining him and drawing him back.
00:09:32 --> 00:09:33 He thinks he's invincible.
00:09:34 --> 00:09:37 What he wants from me is the freedom to do anything
00:09:37 --> 00:09:40 and to be somehow protected from any pain that will come.
00:09:40 --> 00:09:43 And the problem is we're a bit the same.
00:09:43 --> 00:09:48 We need discipline from God, and even though it hurts,
00:09:49 --> 00:09:51 God is giving it to us for our sake.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 And so I wonder, as you look back over the last 12 months,
00:09:55 --> 00:09:58 if there are things that maybe you've been angry at God about,
00:09:59 --> 00:10:02 maybe even right now you are wrestling with God about,
00:10:03 --> 00:10:06 that may be a gift from him for your sake.
00:10:06 --> 00:10:12 The purpose of it is there in the end of verse 10.
00:10:13 --> 00:10:14 It says,
00:10:14 --> 00:10:24 Or in verse 11,
00:10:24 --> 00:10:43 Discipline and struggle and hardship in this life are gifts from God so that we may grow in holiness,
00:10:43 --> 00:10:48 so that there might be a harvest of righteousness in our lives.
00:10:48 --> 00:10:52 That is the better thing that God is preparing for us.
00:10:53 --> 00:10:56 God is transforming you to be holy.
00:10:57 --> 00:11:00 His desire for you is not to put your feet up and be comfortable,
00:11:01 --> 00:11:03 but that you might grow in holiness,
00:11:03 --> 00:11:06 that you might be more and more like Jesus.
00:11:06 --> 00:11:09 That's the work that God is doing.
00:11:10 --> 00:11:15 The reason that Jesus came to earth and suffered and died and rose again
00:11:15 --> 00:11:17 was not so that your life would be pain free.
00:11:20 --> 00:11:23 The reason Jesus came was so that you would be in heaven,
00:11:24 --> 00:11:25 so that you could be forgiven,
00:11:26 --> 00:11:30 so that you could spend eternity with God and Christ in heaven.
00:11:30 --> 00:11:30 And so now,
00:11:31 --> 00:11:35 his agenda is not to keep you away from pain.
00:11:35 --> 00:11:37 It's to do whatever it takes
00:11:37 --> 00:11:42 to transform your mind and your heart and your life
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 in preparation for heaven.
00:11:45 --> 00:11:47 It is to make you more in love with God.
00:11:47 --> 00:11:51 It is to open your eyes more and more to the sufficiency of Jesus,
00:11:52 --> 00:11:57 to the satisfaction that is in him in spite of the pain and suffering that you might face,
00:11:57 --> 00:12:01 to the satisfaction that is found in him over and above any earthly joy
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 that you may currently enjoy.
00:12:05 --> 00:12:06 It might be painful.
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 In fact, it will be painful.
00:12:10 --> 00:12:11 But it's worth it.
00:12:12 --> 00:12:14 It's not unlike exercise.
00:12:15 --> 00:12:16 At this time of year,
00:12:16 --> 00:12:20 gyms make a lot of money making people sign up after the regret of eating too much
00:12:20 --> 00:12:21 or not doing enough exercise
00:12:21 --> 00:12:24 or the New Year's resolution of getting fit and healthy.
00:12:24 --> 00:12:27 I've been suckered into this many a year.
00:12:27 --> 00:12:31 And it's interesting how much pain there is when you start an exercise routine.
00:12:32 --> 00:12:36 You know, at first, it's just maybe two laps of the oval running around,
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 and that's quite painful.
00:12:37 --> 00:12:38 In fact, for me,
00:12:39 --> 00:12:41 every year playing football,
00:12:41 --> 00:12:43 we start training again in February.
00:12:43 --> 00:12:46 And because I haven't trained at all since we stopped playing in September,
00:12:46 --> 00:12:51 there is a betting ring in the football club that I play for
00:12:51 --> 00:12:55 for how long it will take for Sam to throw up in our first training session.
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 It's a testament to the fine condition that I'm in.
00:12:59 --> 00:13:00 And usually it doesn't take very long.
00:13:01 --> 00:13:02 I run for a few minutes,
00:13:02 --> 00:13:05 and all of a sudden I've got no oxygen in my body,
00:13:05 --> 00:13:06 things are not good,
00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 and I'm on the ground throwing up,
00:13:08 --> 00:13:09 and everybody thinks it's a right laugh.
00:13:09 --> 00:13:14 There is a lot of pain when you begin doing exercise.
00:13:15 --> 00:13:17 But as you continue through that pain,
00:13:18 --> 00:13:20 rather than avoiding it,
00:13:20 --> 00:13:21 as you persevere in that pain,
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 the result is that your body becomes healthier.
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 Your body is conditioned.
00:13:26 --> 00:13:28 Your body is equipped to then do more exercise.
00:13:28 --> 00:13:33 I always think that I'm fit at the start of the year
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 until somebody points at me and says,
00:13:35 --> 00:13:37 you have to run a little bit faster or run a little bit more.
00:13:40 --> 00:13:43 Following Jesus will have painful moments,
00:13:43 --> 00:13:45 and we have a choice.
00:13:46 --> 00:13:49 Do we run from those and stay exactly as we are,
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 soft and fearful?
00:13:53 --> 00:13:56 Or do we persevere and endure as we're encouraged to hear?
00:13:58 --> 00:14:01 So that, in verse 12,
00:14:01 --> 00:14:04 we strengthen our feeble arms and weak knees.
00:14:07 --> 00:14:09 When it comes to holiness,
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 when it comes to following Jesus,
00:14:12 --> 00:14:15 the reality is we are all weak and feeble.
00:14:16 --> 00:14:18 There is so much growth for us to do,
00:14:19 --> 00:14:20 but the problem is,
00:14:20 --> 00:14:23 rather than recognise our need for growth,
00:14:24 --> 00:14:26 we look at somebody who we think is weaker
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 and more feeble than us,
00:14:27 --> 00:14:29 and we think,
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 I'm okay.
00:14:30 --> 00:14:32 So I don't need the pain that they need.
00:14:32 --> 00:14:35 I don't need to run until I throw up like they do.
00:14:35 --> 00:14:37 I just need to avoid pain,
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 turn up to church,
00:14:38 --> 00:14:40 tick the box of being a reasonably nice person.
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 But God's desire,
00:14:43 --> 00:14:45 God's design for you
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 is not for you to be
00:14:46 --> 00:14:48 a pain-free,
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 nice person.
00:14:49 --> 00:14:54 God's heart for you is that you would be transformed
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 to be like Jesus
00:14:55 --> 00:14:58 so that you can spend eternity in heaven.
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 That is what he is doing for you.
00:15:00 --> 00:15:03 And so we need to stop looking at people around us.
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 We need to stop assessing
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 our past 12 months
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 or our life
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 or our future
00:15:07 --> 00:15:10 based on what God is or isn't doing in other people.
00:15:10 --> 00:15:14 We need to be looking at our own life
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 and asking the questions,
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 am I more like Jesus now
00:15:17 --> 00:15:19 than I was 12 months ago?
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 Am I more generous now
00:15:22 --> 00:15:24 than I was 12 months ago?
00:15:24 --> 00:15:26 Am I more humble now
00:15:26 --> 00:15:27 than I was 12 months ago?
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 Am I more honest about sin
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 than I was 12 months ago?
00:15:31 --> 00:15:34 Just being better than the people around us
00:15:34 --> 00:15:36 is not God's design for us
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 and so in his grace
00:15:37 --> 00:15:39 he will keep disciplining us
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 to break that pride.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 He will keep sending struggle and difficulty
00:15:43 --> 00:15:46 because God wants you to be like Jesus.
00:15:47 --> 00:15:50 And that is a far better goal
00:15:50 --> 00:15:54 than you having a comfortable next 12 months.
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 The promise in Philippians 3
00:15:57 --> 00:15:59 is that our lowly bodies
00:15:59 --> 00:16:00 will be transformed
00:16:00 --> 00:16:03 to be like his glorious body.
00:16:03 --> 00:16:06 The end goal of God's work in your life
00:16:06 --> 00:16:09 is that you will be made completely perfect.
00:16:09 --> 00:16:11 You will be completely purified
00:16:11 --> 00:16:14 and you will spend eternity in heaven.
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 What you've got to grasp,
00:16:16 --> 00:16:18 what this passage in Hebrews is telling you
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 is that the journey
00:16:19 --> 00:16:21 from where you are right now
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 to that destination
00:16:22 --> 00:16:24 will be painful.
00:16:25 --> 00:16:27 It will require discipline.
00:16:27 --> 00:16:31 The discipline of a loving heavenly father
00:16:31 --> 00:16:34 who wants more than anything
00:16:34 --> 00:16:36 for you to be forgiven.
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 Who wants more than anything
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 for you to know the joy
00:16:39 --> 00:16:41 and satisfaction of heaven.
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 And so again,
00:16:43 --> 00:16:45 I want you as you come to reflect
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 on this past 12 months
00:16:46 --> 00:16:48 to ask yourself the question,
00:16:49 --> 00:16:51 am I more like Jesus now
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 than I was 12 months ago?
00:16:52 --> 00:16:52 Why?
00:16:55 --> 00:16:57 Because that is why God sent his son.
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 That is why Jesus died.
00:17:01 --> 00:17:04 To begin a transforming work in you.
00:17:06 --> 00:17:09 How much has it been on your radar this year
00:17:09 --> 00:17:11 to see that you are growing in humility?
00:17:11 --> 00:17:15 How hard are you wrestling with issues
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 like sexual purity?
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 Generosity?
00:17:21 --> 00:17:21 Honesty?
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 Servant-heartedness?
00:17:26 --> 00:17:28 When was the last time
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 that you prayed
00:17:29 --> 00:17:31 fervently and seriously
00:17:31 --> 00:17:33 and for an extended period of time
00:17:33 --> 00:17:35 for an area of your character?
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 We pray when we're sick.
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 We pray when we're poor.
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 We pray when we're anxious.
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 We pray when we're...
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 And it's good
00:17:42 --> 00:17:45 and they are all valid reasons to pray.
00:17:45 --> 00:17:47 They're prayers that God loves to hear.
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 But I do want to ask you the question,
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 when was the last time
00:17:50 --> 00:17:52 you prayed fervently
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 for an area of your character?
00:17:54 --> 00:17:56 You went to God daily,
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 passionately begging him
00:17:58 --> 00:18:00 to break the pride that's in you
00:18:00 --> 00:18:04 or to purify your mind?
00:18:05 --> 00:18:08 Your holiness matters to God
00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 more than anything else.
00:18:12 --> 00:18:14 One of the great encouragements
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 of being a Christian
00:18:15 --> 00:18:17 is that God's issue
00:18:17 --> 00:18:19 is not how good or bad you are.
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 If this is heaven,
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 God's issue is not
00:18:23 --> 00:18:25 whether or not you're here or here.
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 His issue is that
00:18:27 --> 00:18:29 you're moving towards here.
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 The direction that you're going.
00:18:31 --> 00:18:33 That you're actually pursuing the growth
00:18:33 --> 00:18:35 that God is trying to work in your life.
00:18:35 --> 00:18:38 That's why the spirit dwells in you.
00:18:39 --> 00:18:39 It's a promise
00:18:39 --> 00:18:41 guaranteeing your future inheritance,
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 but it is also
00:18:43 --> 00:18:45 God's power at work in your life
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 transforming you
00:18:46 --> 00:18:48 in preparation for it.
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 God is in the business
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 of getting you to heaven
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 and he will do
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 whatever it takes
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 to get you there,
00:18:56 --> 00:18:58 including bring pain
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 and discipline in your life
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 if that's what's needed.
00:19:00 --> 00:19:03 That's what real love
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 looks like.
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 Real love looks like
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 doing the hard things,
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 even the painful things,
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 in order to make sure
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 that those you care about
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 get to where they need to go.
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 I remember when I,
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 some of you have told you this before,
00:19:19 --> 00:19:22 when I first took a job in ministry,
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 so this was my dream job,
00:19:23 --> 00:19:25 I got offered the job
00:19:25 --> 00:19:25 as youth pastor
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 in the church
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 that I was converted in,
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 in the youth ministry
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 that I'd been a part of
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 for many years
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 and the week
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 that I was starting,
00:19:32 --> 00:19:34 so they were going to announce
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 that I was the youth pastor,
00:19:35 --> 00:19:37 I got rushed to hospital
00:19:37 --> 00:19:39 with a sore stomach.
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 Over the course of a few days,
00:19:42 --> 00:19:44 they took my appendix out
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 and figured out
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 that that wasn't the problem
00:19:45 --> 00:19:47 and then they found out
00:19:47 --> 00:19:49 that I had Crohn's disease.
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 I knew nothing
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 about Crohn's disease
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 and if I'm really honest,
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 I still don't know
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 that much about Crohn's disease
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 apart from the fact
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 that it's there,
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 it's not going anywhere,
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 I'm going to have it
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 for all of my life
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 and it puts physical limitations
00:20:00 --> 00:20:02 on me for the rest of my life
00:20:02 --> 00:20:04 and I remember being
00:20:04 --> 00:20:06 absolutely livid with God.
00:20:07 --> 00:20:09 I had just been given
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 my dream job
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 and I was ready to throw
00:20:11 --> 00:20:13 every ounce of energy
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 that I had at this job
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 and God had just removed
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 a whole bunch
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 of those ounces of energy.
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 He'd just taken away
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 my physical health
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 in a way that was going
00:20:21 --> 00:20:21 to have an impact
00:20:21 --> 00:20:23 on my life and ministry
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 for the rest of my life
00:20:24 --> 00:20:24 and ministry.
00:20:24 --> 00:20:27 But now,
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 almost 10 years later,
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 I can already see
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 the love that God had
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 in doing that.
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 I wouldn't have chosen it
00:20:35 --> 00:20:37 if he'd given me the choice
00:20:37 --> 00:20:39 but I can see
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 that it was a gift from God
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 to remind me
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 that no matter how many
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 ounces of energy I have,
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 ministry is about his power
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 and not mine.
00:20:48 --> 00:20:50 No matter how committed
00:20:50 --> 00:20:50 I feel,
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 following him
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 is about his grace
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 and not my strength.
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 And because God
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 is more committed
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 to getting me to heaven
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 than me being comfortable,
00:21:00 --> 00:21:02 he did what was painful
00:21:02 --> 00:21:02 out of love.
00:21:04 --> 00:21:06 And you've got to understand,
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 God is in the business
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 of getting you to heaven
00:21:08 --> 00:21:10 and out of love
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 he will do whatever it takes,
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 including bringing pain
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 and struggle.
00:21:16 --> 00:21:18 So the question is,
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 how do we avoid
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 becoming bitter
00:21:20 --> 00:21:22 when God places things
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 in our life
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 that we wouldn't have chosen?
00:21:24 --> 00:21:26 As we reflect on this year,
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 how do we convert
00:21:27 --> 00:21:27 disappointment
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 into gratitude
00:21:28 --> 00:21:30 when we begin to see
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 the God
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 who loves us
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 enough
00:21:33 --> 00:21:35 to give us hard things?
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 Well, I think
00:21:38 --> 00:21:40 the key starting point
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 is to remember this.
00:21:42 --> 00:21:44 God has not promised
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 that he will make you comfortable.
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 God isn't even trying
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 to make you comfortable.
00:21:49 --> 00:21:51 It's not on his radar.
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 His priority
00:21:53 --> 00:21:55 is your holiness.
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 That's what he cares
00:21:57 --> 00:21:57 about more.
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 Because as you grow
00:21:59 --> 00:22:01 in your Christ-likeness,
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 as you grow
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 in your love for God
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 and your love for Jesus
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 and your joy in him,
00:22:06 --> 00:22:08 the pain
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 will diminish
00:22:09 --> 00:22:09 a little bit.
00:22:10 --> 00:22:12 It'll still be there,
00:22:12 --> 00:22:12 but you'll know
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 the satisfaction
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 of heaven.
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 You'll know
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 the satisfaction
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 of being loved by God
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 even though you don't deserve it.
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 of being loved by God
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 in a way
00:22:20 --> 00:22:22 that you can't actually lose.
00:22:22 --> 00:22:22 You will know
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 the security
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 and peace
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 of your eternal destiny.
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 The goal for your life
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 is not comfort.
00:22:29 --> 00:22:29 It's bigger than that
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 and it's better than that.
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 The goal for your life
00:22:31 --> 00:22:31 is heaven.
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 The key for us
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 as we reflect
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 on the year that's been
00:22:36 --> 00:22:36 and as we prepare
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 for the year to come
00:22:37 --> 00:22:39 is that we have
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 right expectations
00:22:40 --> 00:22:42 when we come to Christ.
00:22:42 --> 00:22:45 We have the expectations
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 that line up
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 with what is promised
00:22:47 --> 00:22:49 and that is that
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 our Heavenly Father
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 will discipline us
00:22:51 --> 00:22:53 so that we grow
00:22:53 --> 00:22:53 in holiness.
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 The key for us
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 to not grow bitter
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 is thankfulness.
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 When you begin
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 to understand
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 that even the difficulty
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 that you're facing
00:23:04 --> 00:23:04 right now
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 or that you have faced
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 this year
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 is actually a gift
00:23:07 --> 00:23:07 from God
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 in order for you
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 to get to heaven,
00:23:09 --> 00:23:11 you have much
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 to be thankful for.
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 And lastly,
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 the key is endurance.
00:23:20 --> 00:23:22 This passage opened up
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 encouraging us
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 to fix our eyes
00:23:24 --> 00:23:24 on Jesus,
00:23:25 --> 00:23:25 the author
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 and perfecter
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 of our faith
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 who for the joy
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 set before him
00:23:29 --> 00:23:31 endured the cross
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 scorning its shame
00:23:32 --> 00:23:34 and sat down
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 at the right hand
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 of the throne of God.
00:23:37 --> 00:23:39 The model we have
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 is a saviour
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 who became human,
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 who suffered like us,
00:23:44 --> 00:23:44 temptation,
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 opposition,
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 persecution,
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 but continued
00:23:49 --> 00:23:52 to gratefully
00:23:52 --> 00:23:54 trust his Heavenly Father
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 because he knew
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 his destination.
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 As you reflect
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 on the year that's been
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 and as you pray
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 for the year to come,
00:24:03 --> 00:24:05 let me encourage you
00:24:05 --> 00:24:05 as the writer
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 of the Hebrews does,
00:24:06 --> 00:24:08 God's goal for you
00:24:08 --> 00:24:10 is holiness,
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 not comfort
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 and that is
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 a far better goal.
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 So what is there
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 that you need
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 to thank God for
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 that maybe you've spent
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 the past 12 months
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 complaining about?
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 Or what things
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 do you maybe need
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 to add to your list
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 of prayers
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 for the year to come?
00:24:31 --> 00:24:31 Would you be
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 so brave
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 and so trusting
00:24:33 --> 00:24:35 as to ask God
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 to do whatever
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 it takes
00:24:36 --> 00:24:38 to break down
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 your pride?
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 Whatever it takes
00:24:42 --> 00:24:44 to grow your generosity?
00:24:45 --> 00:24:47 Whatever it takes
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 to enable you
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 to love your enemy?
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 Those are dangerous
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 prayers,
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 but prayers
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 that God loves
00:24:53 --> 00:24:53 to answer
00:24:53 --> 00:24:55 for your sake
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 and for your joy.
00:24:56 --> 00:24:59 Let's pray to finish.
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 Father God,
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 we want to confess
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 that it is just easier
00:25:07 --> 00:25:10 to worry about comfort.
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 We want to confess
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 that we do
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 go there first
00:25:14 --> 00:25:16 and we want to ask
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 that you would open
00:25:17 --> 00:25:17 our eyes
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 to the better path
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 that you've prepared
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 for us.
00:25:20 --> 00:25:20 May we know
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 greater joy
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 in growth
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 in holiness
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 rather than in comfort.
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 May we pursue
00:25:26 --> 00:25:26 holiness
00:25:26 --> 00:25:28 with the same fervor
00:25:28 --> 00:25:28 that we have pursued
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 comfort.
00:25:30 --> 00:25:32 May we pursue you
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 with every ounce
00:25:33 --> 00:25:33 of energy
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 that you give us.
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 Father,
00:25:36 --> 00:25:36 we thank you
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 for your love.
00:25:38 --> 00:25:38 We thank you
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 for the confidence
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 we have
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 that even the painful
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 times are a gift
00:25:42 --> 00:25:42 from you
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 because you have
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 shown us in Jesus
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 that you will withhold
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 no good thing
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 from us.
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 Help us
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 to want
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 heaven
00:25:51 --> 00:25:53 more than anything
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 else.
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 Help us
00:25:55 --> 00:25:55 to recognise
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 your hand
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 in the difficult
00:25:57 --> 00:25:57 times
00:25:57 --> 00:26:00 and to endure
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 trusting your
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 goodness
00:26:02 --> 00:26:02 and your plan.
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 Thank you
00:26:05 --> 00:26:05 for Jesus,
00:26:06 --> 00:26:06 our model
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 and our anchor.
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 Help us
00:26:09 --> 00:26:09 to keep our eyes
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 fixed on him
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 in the year to come.
00:26:12 --> 00:26:12 Amen.