Daily Holiness
Series: LEVITICUS || FREE TO BE HOLY
Speaker: Sam Low
Date: 25th February 2017
Passage: Leviticus 19:1-37
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Over the past couple of decades, and maybe even for a little bit longer than that,
00:00:04 --> 00:00:09 there's been a new brand of Christianity that's popping up for a variety of reasons.
00:00:09 --> 00:00:12 It's kind of a new flavour of church.
00:00:13 --> 00:00:20 And this movement is led by people who basically say that they couldn't live up to the standards
00:00:20 --> 00:00:22 that the traditional church was holding them to.
00:00:22 --> 00:00:30 And their response to that is to create churches where sin and failure is almost celebrated.
00:00:31 --> 00:00:37 In these churches, the pastors pride themselves on swearing from the pulpit.
00:00:37 --> 00:00:44 They pride themselves on gaining street cred with outsiders through drinking exploits, sexual conquests,
00:00:45 --> 00:00:51 and a bunch of other things that the more conservative churchgoers amongst us might find a little bit embarrassing.
00:00:52 --> 00:00:54 But here's the thing.
00:00:55 --> 00:00:59 These people, to their mind, are trying to follow Jesus.
00:01:01 --> 00:01:07 Their life choices are guided by the understanding that God welcomes sinners on no merit of their own,
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 so why stress about trying to change?
00:01:11 --> 00:01:14 And let's especially not put that pressure on anyone else.
00:01:15 --> 00:01:18 Their gospel message amounts to something like,
00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 do whatever you want, God will love you anyway.
00:01:22 --> 00:01:27 Now, as you can probably imagine, this gospel has been well received.
00:01:29 --> 00:01:34 I mean, it's all the perks of God, minus any of the more difficult bits.
00:01:34 --> 00:01:35 It's all grace.
00:01:36 --> 00:01:36 It's no holiness.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:40 And let's be honest, there might be a small part of us
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 that hears that and thinks,
00:01:42 --> 00:01:45 I wouldn't mind that version of following Jesus.
00:01:45 --> 00:01:50 The version that says, hey, Jesus died for you so that you could be forgiven,
00:01:50 --> 00:01:51 so don't worry about the rules.
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 Well, that's what we're up to in Leviticus.
00:01:57 --> 00:02:00 Last week, we looked at the Day of Atonement in chapter 16.
00:02:01 --> 00:02:06 God had provided very strict rules and guidelines for how this day worked,
00:02:06 --> 00:02:09 very strict rules for their worship.
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 There was priests that had to be dressed certain ways.
00:02:12 --> 00:02:13 There were specific sacrifices,
00:02:13 --> 00:02:17 all for the purpose of making atonement for the sins of the people.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:22 So God has drawn the people into his presence by grace.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:29 God has just dealt with the fact that the people are failing at following the rules.
00:02:29 --> 00:02:33 He's just overcome their inability to obey him.
00:02:35 --> 00:02:39 And so you would think that more rules would be a strange place to go.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 Having just dealt with the failure of the rules,
00:02:43 --> 00:02:46 to then give more rules seems a little ridiculous.
00:02:47 --> 00:02:50 And yet, chapter 17 begins like this.
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 The Lord said to Moses, speak to Aaron and his sons,
00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 to all the Israelites and say to them,
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 this is what the Lord has commanded.
00:03:00 --> 00:03:01 Chapter 18 begins,
00:03:01 --> 00:03:04 the Lord said to Moses, speak to the Israelites and say to them,
00:03:05 --> 00:03:06 I am the Lord your God.
00:03:06 --> 00:03:10 You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live.
00:03:10 --> 00:03:14 And you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I'm bringing you.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:15 Do not follow their practices.
00:03:16 --> 00:03:18 Chapter 19, the Lord said to Moses,
00:03:18 --> 00:03:21 speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them,
00:03:21 --> 00:03:25 be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.
00:03:25 --> 00:03:31 Holiness still matters to God even after grace.
00:03:33 --> 00:03:36 Even after dealing with the problem, holiness still matters.
00:03:36 --> 00:03:42 I mean, Israel has just been visibly and ritually, symbolically cleansed.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:46 That was the point of the sacrifice of the day of atonement.
00:03:46 --> 00:03:50 Laws and rules are straight away brought back into the equation.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:56 So atonement didn't actually remove the law.
00:03:57 --> 00:03:59 It didn't even make it unimportant.
00:04:01 --> 00:04:02 So what did it do?
00:04:02 --> 00:04:10 We've got to remember the big picture, the main game of what God is doing here in Leviticus.
00:04:10 --> 00:04:13 And not just here in Leviticus, but in all of the Bible and in all of human history.
00:04:15 --> 00:04:18 God's agenda for Israel is not just to wipe them clean.
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 He wants to dwell with them.
00:04:23 --> 00:04:24 Relationship is the goal.
00:04:25 --> 00:04:28 He wants them to be in his presence, to have ongoing relationship.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:33 And so everything in the Bible up to this point, the rescue from Egypt,
00:04:33 --> 00:04:36 the commandments being given, the clean and unclean food laws,
00:04:36 --> 00:04:41 the specifics of the priests and how they dress, the tabernacle and how it was to be made,
00:04:42 --> 00:04:50 the purifying of sacrifices, all of it was to make it possible for people to enter the presence of God.
00:04:50 --> 00:04:55 That was the whole point, that God wanted them to be able to come and worship him.
00:04:55 --> 00:04:59 Because that's really what worship means.
00:05:00 --> 00:05:05 Worship is entering into the presence of God, drawing near to God through the way that he has opened.
00:05:06 --> 00:05:12 Worship is relating to God appropriately, the way that he deserves.
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 And God wasn't looking for visitors.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:24 That wasn't the goal, that Israel would come visit him occasionally and be appropriate or clean or acceptable.
00:05:25 --> 00:05:32 God wanted worshippers, full-time worshippers, people who lived for him and with him.
00:05:34 --> 00:05:38 And so now that they've been cleansed and already drawn into God's presence,
00:05:39 --> 00:05:43 the law functions to define what worship looks like.
00:05:43 --> 00:05:51 The law's function is to show us what life looks like now that they've been drawn into God's presence.
00:05:52 --> 00:05:55 It's you've been cleansed, so now live clean.
00:05:56 --> 00:06:01 It's kind of like God's way of saying, your old life was you playing around in the mud.
00:06:01 --> 00:06:05 I've done the hard job of cleaning you off, don't jump back in the mud.
00:06:06 --> 00:06:11 I've provided some fresh, pristine grass over here, play there.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:17 God is defining what life is like now that you're clean, not do this in order to be clean.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:22 Now that Israel is the other side of the Day of Atonement,
00:06:23 --> 00:06:28 the law is not trying to answer the question, how do I get into the presence of God?
00:06:29 --> 00:06:35 That question's already answered by the Day of Atonement, by the sacrifices repeated annually.
00:06:35 --> 00:06:42 These laws are God defining what day-to-day life looks like for his people.
00:06:44 --> 00:06:48 It's God showing them what it looks like to be in his presence.
00:06:48 --> 00:06:53 Obedience to the law has now become how you worship God.
00:06:53 --> 00:07:00 It's become an extension of their gathering, an extension of their formal time together in the tabernacle.
00:07:00 --> 00:07:07 This is a part of their response to his holiness and to his grace in drawing them to himself.
00:07:09 --> 00:07:14 Now for them, that whole connection to go from formal worship to all of life worship would have been kind of obvious.
00:07:15 --> 00:07:21 See, for them, life was literally built around the tabernacle.
00:07:21 --> 00:07:24 The camp of Israel had the tabernacle at the center.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 At the center, that was where they met with God.
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 That was where the sacrifices happened.
00:07:28 --> 00:07:29 That's where the priests worked.
00:07:29 --> 00:07:34 It was at the center of the camp and around that tent was where everybody lived.
00:07:35 --> 00:07:40 And so sure, you went to the tabernacle on specific days and at specific times and for specific reasons.
00:07:41 --> 00:07:45 But when you came out the front door of your tent to go and buy bread from next door,
00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 you were literally in the shadow of God's house.
00:07:48 --> 00:07:53 When you were yelling at your kids for making too much noise and waking you up early,
00:07:53 --> 00:07:56 you were literally in the shadow of God's house.
00:07:56 --> 00:08:02 God is saying, my presence is especially in the tabernacle, but it's more than that now.
00:08:02 --> 00:08:06 You've been brought into my presence, into a relationship with me.
00:08:07 --> 00:08:13 God is saying, if you want to worship me, it can't be limited to a set of rituals,
00:08:15 --> 00:08:16 a set of formal gatherings.
00:08:16 --> 00:08:21 They're important, they're even essential, but it can't be just that.
00:08:23 --> 00:08:33 Daily holiness, daily obedience, full-time worship is what God desires and what he deserves.
00:08:35 --> 00:08:39 And the law is the gift that he gives us to show us what that will look like,
00:08:40 --> 00:08:45 to show us how we're supposed to function now that we're in his presence full-time.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:51 It's obedience to his standards, holy living in response to his grace.
00:08:53 --> 00:09:00 Grace came first, but law remains because of who God is.
00:09:02 --> 00:09:05 Law remains to help us understand more of his character.
00:09:05 --> 00:09:13 Israel has been brought into the presence of God, but he remains a holy God.
00:09:14 --> 00:09:19 And so holiness is required for life lived in his presence.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:23 But how much more for us now compared to them?
00:09:23 --> 00:09:30 We live on the good side, not just of Israel's Day of Atonement Festival with the goats and the bulls and the priests and all that sort of stuff.
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 We're on the good side of Easter.
00:09:33 --> 00:09:39 We're on the good side of God providing the once-for-all sacrifice for sin in Jesus.
00:09:40 --> 00:09:46 We're on the good side of God saying that I can deal with all of your sins irreversibly in the sacrifice of my son.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:57 We're on the good side of God saying Jesus is now the only priest forever who sits at God's right hand interceding for us.
00:09:58 --> 00:10:02 And because of him, we have confidence, the New Testament says,
00:10:03 --> 00:10:08 confidence to march into the throne room of a holy God and call him Father.
00:10:08 --> 00:10:17 How much more with the access that we have, which is far greater than they ever enjoyed in the Leviticus.
00:10:18 --> 00:10:26 How much more do we need God's law as a guide for us for how we might best live in his presence?
00:10:27 --> 00:10:34 How we might best worship this God who has done everything to draw us into relationship with him.
00:10:34 --> 00:10:40 How much more do we need and should we appreciate this gift of the law?
00:10:41 --> 00:10:44 Because it gives us the answer to the question, how do I love?
00:10:45 --> 00:10:50 How do I reflect and communicate gratitude to the God who gave his son so that I could know him?
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 Jesus himself says when you get to the New Testament,
00:10:55 --> 00:10:59 if you love me, you will obey my commands.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:06 The evidence of love for God, the evidence of worship,
00:11:07 --> 00:11:11 is not just how holy you seem on a Sunday night,
00:11:11 --> 00:11:15 how focused you seem, how many notes you took,
00:11:16 --> 00:11:19 how many weeks in a row you've been here, how loud you sang.
00:11:19 --> 00:11:20 They're all good things.
00:11:21 --> 00:11:25 But the evidence of a holy life, the evidence of worship,
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 is what the rest of your week looks like.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:33 How conscious you are of the presence of God in your day to day.
00:11:36 --> 00:11:39 Now, if obedience is the evidence, we need to make a quick detour,
00:11:39 --> 00:11:41 a quick side point here.
00:11:42 --> 00:11:43 So obedience matters.
00:11:44 --> 00:11:44 That's clear.
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 But obedience to what?
00:11:49 --> 00:11:50 Obedience to what?
00:11:50 --> 00:11:53 For us who are living on this side of Jesus' death and resurrection,
00:11:54 --> 00:11:55 which laws still count?
00:11:55 --> 00:11:58 Which ones do we have to do?
00:11:59 --> 00:12:00 How do we figure it out?
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 Or, as Steve put it in week one of this series,
00:12:04 --> 00:12:05 in case you missed it,
00:12:06 --> 00:12:07 if I can eat prawns,
00:12:08 --> 00:12:09 why is gay sex wrong?
00:12:11 --> 00:12:12 Because just a couple of chapters ago,
00:12:12 --> 00:12:14 there was all these rules about what to eat and not eat.
00:12:14 --> 00:12:15 And in chapter 18 that we didn't read today,
00:12:15 --> 00:12:16 in chapter 20,
00:12:16 --> 00:12:18 which is the other side of today's passage,
00:12:18 --> 00:12:21 there's a whole bunch of specific rules about sexual purity,
00:12:21 --> 00:12:25 including the call not to have gay sex.
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 So how do we figure out which ones we have to listen to?
00:12:30 --> 00:12:33 Well, firstly, and this is really important,
00:12:34 --> 00:12:38 grace, Jesus, doesn't delete the law.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:42 Jesus says in Matthew 5,
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 he's come to fulfill the law,
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 every bit of it.
00:12:45 --> 00:12:48 He says we're not allowed to remove even a word from it.
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 So as a starting point,
00:12:51 --> 00:12:52 all of it matters.
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 But even though grace hasn't deleted it,
00:12:57 --> 00:12:59 it has done something to it.
00:13:01 --> 00:13:02 It has transformed it.
00:13:03 --> 00:13:04 What do we mean?
00:13:04 --> 00:13:06 What does Jesus mean when he says he's fulfilled it?
00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 Well, let's look at three different kinds.
00:13:08 --> 00:13:09 First of all,
00:13:09 --> 00:13:12 there's the laws about clean and unclean.
00:13:12 --> 00:13:14 Laws around foods and different things.
00:13:14 --> 00:13:17 Those laws are superseded.
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 They're replaced.
00:13:19 --> 00:13:24 They existed to create a distinction between God's people
00:13:24 --> 00:13:27 who did one thing and everybody else who did something else.
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 They were physical markers.
00:13:31 --> 00:13:34 But Jesus makes it explicitly clear in the New Testament.
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 In Mark 7,
00:13:35 --> 00:13:37 he says food doesn't have the power to make you unclean.
00:13:38 --> 00:13:38 In fact,
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 he declares all food clean.
00:13:40 --> 00:13:43 So he explicitly tells us we can leave those ones behind.
00:13:43 --> 00:13:45 But the reason we can is because
00:13:45 --> 00:13:49 the physical marker has been replaced by a spiritual marker.
00:13:50 --> 00:13:54 Because uncleanness is not a dirt issue.
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 It's a heart issue.
00:13:56 --> 00:14:03 And it's an issue that can only be overcome through Jesus' death in our place.
00:14:03 --> 00:14:06 So the cleaning work is a work of the Holy Spirit,
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07 not a work of your diet.
00:14:07 --> 00:14:12 And so we can leave those things behind.
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 Cleanness still matters.
00:14:14 --> 00:14:16 Clean and unclean distinction still matters.
00:14:16 --> 00:14:18 But it's just not expressed in diet anymore.
00:14:18 --> 00:14:24 It's expressed through those who trust Jesus and have been made clean
00:14:24 --> 00:14:27 and those who are trying to make themselves clean.
00:14:27 --> 00:14:28 And it's not working.
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 That's the first one,
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 the clean,
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 unclean laws.
00:14:32 --> 00:14:35 The second kind of laws that we've looked at as we've been through Leviticus
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 is ritual laws.
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 The laws that tell us about who can be priests,
00:14:39 --> 00:14:41 what the priests have to wear,
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 what day they should go to the tabernacle,
00:14:42 --> 00:14:44 what shape the tabernacle should be,
00:14:44 --> 00:14:46 what material for the temple in the tabernacle,
00:14:47 --> 00:14:49 what material for the utensils in the tabernacle,
00:14:49 --> 00:14:50 how to clean them,
00:14:50 --> 00:14:51 who cleans them,
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 when they clean them,
00:14:52 --> 00:14:53 that sort of stuff.
00:14:53 --> 00:14:56 All of that stuff has been superseded by Jesus.
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 It's been replaced by Jesus.
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 Again,
00:14:59 --> 00:15:01 in Hebrews in the New Testament,
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 it's explicit.
00:15:03 --> 00:15:08 Jesus has become the once for all sufficient sacrifice for sin,
00:15:10 --> 00:15:12 which means there's no more sacrifices required.
00:15:13 --> 00:15:18 So laws about sacrifices are redundant because the complete sacrifice is done.
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 The account is settled.
00:15:19 --> 00:15:19 And then on top of that,
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 we know that he's our high priest forever.
00:15:22 --> 00:15:23 So you don't need priests anymore,
00:15:24 --> 00:15:28 which means you don't need someone standing at the front in special clothes.
00:15:31 --> 00:15:32 Jesus has replaced that.
00:15:34 --> 00:15:39 But the third group within that law in the Old Testament,
00:15:39 --> 00:15:45 which is sometimes referred to as the moral laws or the ethical code,
00:15:46 --> 00:15:49 the laws about sexual purity,
00:15:50 --> 00:15:52 about caring for the poor,
00:15:52 --> 00:15:54 about respecting your parents,
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 that sort of thing.
00:15:55 --> 00:15:58 Those are the ones that we have more trouble with,
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 the ones that might be more controversial.
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 Firstly,
00:16:02 --> 00:16:05 how are those laws fulfilled?
00:16:08 --> 00:16:08 Well,
00:16:08 --> 00:16:13 what Jesus does is live in perfect obedience to them in a way that we never could.
00:16:15 --> 00:16:19 What he does is perfectly tick the box,
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 more than tick the box,
00:16:21 --> 00:16:26 so that he has passed the standard that the law sets.
00:16:26 --> 00:16:30 And then what he does is for the person who comes to him seeking forgiveness,
00:16:30 --> 00:16:33 he takes his perfect obedience and puts it onto them,
00:16:34 --> 00:16:37 so that they have a past level of obedience.
00:16:41 --> 00:16:46 And so our inability to live up to those standards
00:16:46 --> 00:16:50 no longer is a barrier to keep us away from God,
00:16:50 --> 00:16:56 because Jesus has dealt with that by being perfectly obedient.
00:16:58 --> 00:16:58 But,
00:16:59 --> 00:17:02 this law still matters,
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 and let me tell you why.
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 See, for Israel here in Leviticus,
00:17:06 --> 00:17:09 having just been made clean,
00:17:10 --> 00:17:13 already now in a relationship with God as his people,
00:17:14 --> 00:17:20 the laws are there to reflect and reveal God's character to them.
00:17:20 --> 00:17:24 We don't get to the New Testament
00:17:24 --> 00:17:28 and have Jesus start flicking away these moral laws as outdated or unimportant.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:35 The function of the law was for Israel to see what God cared about,
00:17:35 --> 00:17:37 see what mattered to him,
00:17:37 --> 00:17:40 to see that he is a pure God who requires purity.
00:17:41 --> 00:17:44 He is a preeminent God who requires exclusive worship.
00:17:44 --> 00:17:53 These laws shift from being oppressive standards that we have to reach
00:17:53 --> 00:17:59 to being a model of what it looks like to live the life that God has designed.
00:18:00 --> 00:18:03 A model of what it looks like to live in the presence of God,
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05 because these are the expressions of him,
00:18:05 --> 00:18:07 the extensions of his character.
00:18:07 --> 00:18:12 God's grace to his people in the day of atonement,
00:18:12 --> 00:18:14 and ultimately in Jesus,
00:18:15 --> 00:18:19 drags worship out of a formal ritualistic setting
00:18:19 --> 00:18:22 and spills it out into the day-to-day life of people.
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 And so now,
00:18:26 --> 00:18:28 through obedience to these laws,
00:18:28 --> 00:18:31 we worship God.
00:18:33 --> 00:18:36 We don't convince him to take us into his presence.
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 He's done that.
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 But these laws are there to show us,
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 if you love me,
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 this is what it looks like to love me.
00:18:44 --> 00:18:46 If you want to worship me,
00:18:46 --> 00:18:48 this is what it looks like to worship me.
00:18:49 --> 00:18:51 Now all of life can be lived
00:18:51 --> 00:18:54 and must be lived worshipping God for those who belong to him.
00:18:54 --> 00:18:57 Now at first,
00:18:58 --> 00:19:00 this blurring of lines between
00:19:00 --> 00:19:02 formal worship in the temple
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 and all of life worship
00:19:03 --> 00:19:05 might feel like this is a little oppressive.
00:19:07 --> 00:19:09 Like there's even more opportunities for you to stuff this up now.
00:19:10 --> 00:19:12 You can kind of understand those churches that are thinking
00:19:12 --> 00:19:14 this would be easier if we just pushed the laws to the side
00:19:14 --> 00:19:16 and focused on the forgiveness stuff.
00:19:18 --> 00:19:20 Because if we're supposed to worship God all the time,
00:19:21 --> 00:19:24 if these laws matter that much,
00:19:24 --> 00:19:27 it feels like there's more pressure.
00:19:28 --> 00:19:30 That is except for one thing.
00:19:33 --> 00:19:37 Worship doesn't just include this all of life daily obedience.
00:19:38 --> 00:19:40 It empowers it.
00:19:40 --> 00:19:46 Worship doesn't just include every minute of every day
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 and the obedience to these laws.
00:19:48 --> 00:19:51 Worship, being in the presence of God,
00:19:51 --> 00:19:53 empowers obedience to these laws,
00:19:54 --> 00:19:56 motivates obedience to these laws.
00:19:57 --> 00:19:59 Now what made Israel holy
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 here in Leviticus
00:20:00 --> 00:20:02 is not what they did.
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 It's God.
00:20:05 --> 00:20:07 It's what he was doing.
00:20:07 --> 00:20:10 He is the basis for their holiness.
00:20:12 --> 00:20:14 Holiness means being set apart,
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 being chosen.
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 When God chose them,
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 he made them holy.
00:20:20 --> 00:20:22 It was he who chose them
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 and in choosing them,
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 set them apart as his,
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 belonging to him as holy.
00:20:27 --> 00:20:31 And it's through the ongoing meeting with him
00:20:31 --> 00:20:34 that they progressively become
00:20:34 --> 00:20:38 more sanctified or more holy in their actions.
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 God's holiness,
00:20:40 --> 00:20:42 his purity rubs off on them
00:20:42 --> 00:20:44 as they spend time with him.
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 So if you think of it like
00:20:46 --> 00:20:48 God is the sun.
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 Now when you lie in the sun,
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 its radiance will bring you color
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 and warmth.
00:20:53 --> 00:20:55 Different colors depending on your skin type.
00:20:55 --> 00:20:57 But it will bring you color
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 and warmth and heat
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 and health to your body.
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 Case in point is
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 the two fairly tanned,
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 relaxed, healthy looking people
00:21:04 --> 00:21:04 in the front row.
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 Now in the same way,
00:21:08 --> 00:21:10 basking in God's presence,
00:21:11 --> 00:21:13 basking in his glory and holiness
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 in the formal gatherings
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 at the temple,
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 at the tabernacle,
00:21:18 --> 00:21:20 using the forms that God
00:21:20 --> 00:21:22 had prescribed for Israel
00:21:22 --> 00:21:25 was designed to make them holy.
00:21:25 --> 00:21:28 to progressively transform them.
00:21:30 --> 00:21:30 In fact,
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 we can push this analogy
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 a little bit further.
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 Having just understood
00:21:34 --> 00:21:36 that worshiping God's presence
00:21:36 --> 00:21:38 now kind of flow through all of life,
00:21:38 --> 00:21:41 what's the uniqueness of gathering then?
00:21:43 --> 00:21:45 It's almost like the difference
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 between sunbaking
00:21:46 --> 00:21:48 and just walking to work
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 when the sun is out.
00:21:49 --> 00:21:52 Now if the sun is out both times,
00:21:52 --> 00:21:54 you will get some heat,
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 some light,
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 some warmth.
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 You will get some awareness
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 of its benefit.
00:21:58 --> 00:22:00 But when you sunbake,
00:22:00 --> 00:22:02 you focus your attention
00:22:02 --> 00:22:02 on the sun.
00:22:03 --> 00:22:05 You position yourself.
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 You pour your energy
00:22:06 --> 00:22:08 towards the sun.
00:22:08 --> 00:22:10 You limit your other activities
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 so that you can absorb
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 as much as possible
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 from the sun.
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 And the result is
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 you will get more from the sun.
00:22:15 --> 00:22:18 You'll get more red or brown.
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 You'll get more warmth,
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 more vitamin D.
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 Likewise,
00:22:26 --> 00:22:29 everything that God has established
00:22:29 --> 00:22:31 in terms of the rituals for Israel,
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 the Sabbath gathering requirements,
00:22:33 --> 00:22:35 function as an opportunity for Israel
00:22:35 --> 00:22:38 to sunbake in His radiance.
00:22:38 --> 00:22:42 to focus themselves
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 on His holiness
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 and His majesty
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 and His power.
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 Now He specified
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 how it happens,
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 when it happens,
00:22:49 --> 00:22:51 and everything that He specified
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 in Leviticus.
00:22:52 --> 00:22:52 You thought they were just
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 random details
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 about which material
00:22:54 --> 00:22:56 and what shape things should be.
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 Every detail
00:22:58 --> 00:23:00 was supposed to focus them
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 on Him.
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 From the shape of utensils
00:23:04 --> 00:23:06 to who was up the front,
00:23:06 --> 00:23:08 everything was to focus
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 on God Himself
00:23:09 --> 00:23:12 so that the result would be
00:23:12 --> 00:23:15 an encounter with God
00:23:15 --> 00:23:17 that transformed them,
00:23:18 --> 00:23:20 that progressively made them
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 more holy.
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 God is the active party
00:23:23 --> 00:23:26 and He has been the whole time.
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 He's the only one
00:23:27 --> 00:23:29 who can sanctify people,
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 who can wash them,
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 who can make them holy,
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 even in the Day of Atonement
00:23:32 --> 00:23:34 which God gave them instructions
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 on how to do.
00:23:35 --> 00:23:37 In the sacrifices,
00:23:37 --> 00:23:37 in the ritual,
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 it's God who must
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 cleanse the people.
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 The goat's not getting it done.
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 The rituals themselves
00:23:46 --> 00:23:48 don't guarantee God's action.
00:23:49 --> 00:23:51 They can't achieve cleansing
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 in and of themselves.
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 They are absolutely dependent
00:23:53 --> 00:23:55 on God's decision,
00:23:56 --> 00:23:58 on God's power.
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 God is the key.
00:24:00 --> 00:24:03 And that's why every aspect
00:24:03 --> 00:24:05 of Israel's corporate worship
00:24:05 --> 00:24:07 was directed towards
00:24:07 --> 00:24:09 showing God's holiness,
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 revealing His glory
00:24:11 --> 00:24:15 so that as they dwelt
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 in that glorious presence,
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 they would be changed
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 progressively
00:24:18 --> 00:24:21 and they would be better equipped
00:24:21 --> 00:24:23 to be the priest nation
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 they were supposed to be.
00:24:24 --> 00:24:27 be glowing with His wonder
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 and majesty and power
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 so that the world around
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 would look
00:24:30 --> 00:24:32 and see the sun
00:24:32 --> 00:24:34 that they were basking under.
00:24:35 --> 00:24:37 The corporate worship of Israel
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 was the key means
00:24:38 --> 00:24:40 by which God would achieve
00:24:40 --> 00:24:42 the day-to-day holiness
00:24:42 --> 00:24:42 of His people.
00:24:44 --> 00:24:46 Time in His presence
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 equipped them
00:24:46 --> 00:24:48 to live with Him
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 during the week.
00:24:49 --> 00:24:51 Now this side of Jesus,
00:24:51 --> 00:24:53 we've taken a big step forward
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 when it comes to gathering
00:24:54 --> 00:24:54 as God's people.
00:24:56 --> 00:24:58 There's a lot less blood.
00:24:59 --> 00:25:01 We did have it in our mind
00:25:01 --> 00:25:03 to decorate the Leviticus backdrop
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 with animal carcasses,
00:25:04 --> 00:25:06 but we thought better of it
00:25:06 --> 00:25:06 at the last minute.
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 We have come a long way
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 when it comes to gathering
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 as God's people.
00:25:11 --> 00:25:13 We've already reminded ourselves
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 that we have confidence
00:25:14 --> 00:25:16 to enter the most holy place,
00:25:16 --> 00:25:18 the throne room of God,
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 because of the blood of Jesus,
00:25:19 --> 00:25:21 who died once for all
00:25:21 --> 00:25:23 that we might be forgiven
00:25:23 --> 00:25:23 and cleansed.
00:25:24 --> 00:25:26 But God still encourages us
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 to gather.
00:25:28 --> 00:25:30 In fact, in Hebrews 10,
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 just after telling us
00:25:31 --> 00:25:31 that we have confidence
00:25:31 --> 00:25:33 to enter the holy place,
00:25:33 --> 00:25:35 the writer goes on to say,
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 therefore,
00:25:36 --> 00:25:38 don't stop meeting together.
00:25:40 --> 00:25:42 God is present among His people
00:25:42 --> 00:25:44 by His Spirit all the time.
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 Always present,
00:25:45 --> 00:25:48 and yet there still seems to be
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 something unique
00:25:49 --> 00:25:51 about when we gather.
00:25:53 --> 00:25:55 Some unique opportunity for us
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 as the gathered people
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 around God's Word
00:25:57 --> 00:25:59 to encounter His presence
00:25:59 --> 00:26:01 in a special way.
00:26:01 --> 00:26:04 And in fact,
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 that's the whole point of gathering.
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 That's why we bother doing this.
00:26:10 --> 00:26:12 So that you might encounter
00:26:12 --> 00:26:14 God among His people.
00:26:15 --> 00:26:18 So that you might see His glory,
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 taste His glory,
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 feel His glory,
00:26:22 --> 00:26:25 and then be transformed by it.
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 Is that what you're expecting
00:26:29 --> 00:26:31 when you came to church tonight?
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 Is that what you were hoping for?
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 When you walked in the doors,
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 that you would get to encounter
00:26:39 --> 00:26:41 God's holiness and glory?
00:26:41 --> 00:26:45 Were you expecting to come here
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 and walk out different,
00:26:47 --> 00:26:47 transformed,
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 because you'd encountered
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 the living God?
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 Or were you hoping for a service
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 that finishes on time?
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 Good supper?
00:27:01 --> 00:27:03 Maybe a half-decent conversation?
00:27:03 --> 00:27:09 God gathers His people
00:27:09 --> 00:27:11 so that they might encounter Him
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 and be transformed.
00:27:13 --> 00:27:16 Now, I think that our church,
00:27:17 --> 00:27:17 our tradition,
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 we get nervous
00:27:19 --> 00:27:21 about some of this sort of language.
00:27:23 --> 00:27:25 Some people have misused ideas
00:27:25 --> 00:27:27 like experience when it comes to God.
00:27:27 --> 00:27:29 And the point isn't that you come to church
00:27:29 --> 00:27:31 chasing an experience.
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 The point is,
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 you come to church chasing God.
00:27:36 --> 00:27:38 And that will be an experience
00:27:38 --> 00:27:40 when you encounter Him.
00:27:41 --> 00:27:43 But what I'm trying to say here is,
00:27:43 --> 00:27:45 the goal for us gathering
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 is not that you know
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 that God loves you.
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 The goal of us gathering
00:27:50 --> 00:27:52 is that you feel loved by God.
00:27:54 --> 00:27:56 The goal is that you come here
00:27:56 --> 00:27:58 not to gather some new information,
00:27:58 --> 00:28:03 but that you taste
00:28:03 --> 00:28:06 and feel God's love.
00:28:09 --> 00:28:11 That you know His holiness
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 and His purity.
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 That you get a vision
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 of who this God is
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 who has drawn you
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 into a relationship with Him
00:28:18 --> 00:28:20 so that you walk out the door
00:28:20 --> 00:28:22 just busting with desire
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 to love and serve that God
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 for the rest of the week
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 and the rest of your life
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 and every day
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 until He calls you home
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 to be with Him.
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 God has designed this
00:28:31 --> 00:28:33 to be your taste of heaven.
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 However imperfectly
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 we might execute it.
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 God gathers His people
00:28:43 --> 00:28:45 so that they might encounter Him
00:28:45 --> 00:28:47 and be transformed
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 and that's the key
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 to growing in holiness.
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 Doesn't matter how many strategies
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 you have,
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 how self-disciplined you are,
00:28:54 --> 00:28:56 how many books you read,
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 if you're going to grow
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 to be more like Jesus,
00:28:59 --> 00:29:02 you need to spend time with Him.
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 And one of the key ways
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 that you can do that
00:29:08 --> 00:29:10 is by gathering with His people.
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 This matters because
00:29:13 --> 00:29:16 holiness is not a behavioral issue.
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 It's not an effort issue.
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 It's not something
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 you've got to try harder at
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 if you're not doing it well.
00:29:23 --> 00:29:25 It's a heart issue.
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 In the New Testament
00:29:29 --> 00:29:31 in Luke chapter 10
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 there's this story
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 where a young man
00:29:33 --> 00:29:33 comes to Jesus
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 and says,
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 Rabbi,
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 what must I do
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 to be saved?
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 The end point
00:29:40 --> 00:29:40 of the story
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 is that Jesus
00:29:41 --> 00:29:43 tells the story
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 of the Good Samaritan
00:29:44 --> 00:29:46 and basically says
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 to this guy,
00:29:47 --> 00:29:47 you've got to
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 love your neighbor.
00:29:48 --> 00:29:50 which is exactly
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 what Leviticus 19
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 said to Israel.
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 But before Jesus
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 gets into this story
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 of the Good Samaritan,
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 his first response
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 to this guy is,
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 keep the commandments.
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 Now,
00:30:03 --> 00:30:05 undeterred by this response,
00:30:05 --> 00:30:07 not feeling shut down
00:30:07 --> 00:30:07 at all,
00:30:07 --> 00:30:07 the young man
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 presses Jesus
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 and says,
00:30:09 --> 00:30:11 all these I've kept
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 since I was a boy.
00:30:13 --> 00:30:13 He's like,
00:30:13 --> 00:30:13 yep,
00:30:14 --> 00:30:14 done.
00:30:16 --> 00:30:16 Box ticked.
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 Now,
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 you might be thinking
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 he's just an idiot
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 and doesn't know
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 how bad he is
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 and he's ignorant
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 of his sinfulness
00:30:23 --> 00:30:25 but Jesus doesn't
00:30:25 --> 00:30:25 argue with him.
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 Jesus doesn't go,
00:30:28 --> 00:30:28 hey,
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 you think you're holy
00:30:29 --> 00:30:29 but nah.
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 He just kind of
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 moves on
00:30:33 --> 00:30:33 and talks about
00:30:33 --> 00:30:35 loving your neighbor
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 as the true
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 fulfillment of the law.
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 Now,
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 there's two things
00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 that we need
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 to grab there.
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 Firstly,
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 it seems like
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 it's possible
00:30:45 --> 00:30:47 to tick the box
00:30:47 --> 00:30:49 of keeping the law
00:30:49 --> 00:30:51 without actually
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 being holy.
00:30:54 --> 00:30:54 I mean,
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 it's possible
00:30:55 --> 00:30:55 that this guy
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 had done the,
00:30:56 --> 00:30:56 you know,
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 only God,
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 not lied,
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 respected his parents,
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 not given false testimony,
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 not coveted,
00:31:03 --> 00:31:05 not committed adultery.
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 It seems that
00:31:08 --> 00:31:09 you can actually
00:31:09 --> 00:31:10 tick the box
00:31:10 --> 00:31:10 of obedience,
00:31:11 --> 00:31:11 you can do
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 the right actions
00:31:12 --> 00:31:15 but not actually
00:31:15 --> 00:31:15 be holy
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 or honor God
00:31:16 --> 00:31:17 in the way
00:31:17 --> 00:31:17 that you're doing them
00:31:17 --> 00:31:19 which gives us
00:31:19 --> 00:31:19 a clue
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 that that was never
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 the point of the law
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 in the first place.
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 If you can meet
00:31:25 --> 00:31:25 the standard
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 and Jesus says,
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 yep,
00:31:27 --> 00:31:27 not quite there,
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 the law wasn't
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 designed to get you there.
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 That's the first thing.
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 The second thing is
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 it shows us
00:31:36 --> 00:31:36 what's missing.
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 For this guy,
00:31:39 --> 00:31:40 the missing element
00:31:40 --> 00:31:41 is his heart.
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 Because the laws
00:31:43 --> 00:31:44 were there
00:31:44 --> 00:31:46 as a display,
00:31:46 --> 00:31:46 a revealing
00:31:46 --> 00:31:47 of God's character.
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 The point of the law
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 is not to give you
00:31:51 --> 00:31:52 boxes to tick
00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 or a bar
00:31:53 --> 00:31:54 to jump over.
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 That's why Jesus,
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 when he gets to
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 Matthew 5,
00:32:00 --> 00:32:00 going through
00:32:00 --> 00:32:01 a whole bunch of laws,
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 sets up this pattern
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 where he starts with,
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 you've heard it said
00:32:04 --> 00:32:05 to the people long ago,
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 you shall not murder
00:32:06 --> 00:32:08 and anyone who murders
00:32:08 --> 00:32:08 will be subject
00:32:08 --> 00:32:09 to judgment.
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 This is the box
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 that this young guy
00:32:11 --> 00:32:11 was ticking.
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 Yep,
00:32:12 --> 00:32:12 done.
00:32:13 --> 00:32:15 But Jesus continues.
00:32:15 --> 00:32:15 He says,
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 but I tell you
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 that anyone who is angry
00:32:17 --> 00:32:19 with a brother or sister
00:32:19 --> 00:32:19 will be subject
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 to judgment.
00:32:22 --> 00:32:23 The point of the law
00:32:23 --> 00:32:24 wasn't to give you
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 a baseline.
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 It wasn't just
00:32:27 --> 00:32:28 to limit the act
00:32:28 --> 00:32:28 of physically
00:32:28 --> 00:32:30 ending someone's life.
00:32:30 --> 00:32:31 What it was
00:32:31 --> 00:32:32 communicating
00:32:32 --> 00:32:33 was that people
00:32:33 --> 00:32:34 and life
00:32:34 --> 00:32:35 matter to God.
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 And not just
00:32:37 --> 00:32:37 whether that life
00:32:37 --> 00:32:39 is alive or not,
00:32:39 --> 00:32:41 but the day-to-day
00:32:41 --> 00:32:42 experience of living
00:32:42 --> 00:32:44 and even anger
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 flies in the face
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 of a God
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 who cares
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48 and cares for
00:32:48 --> 00:32:48 and values
00:32:48 --> 00:32:49 that individual.
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 God's grace
00:32:53 --> 00:32:54 and specifically
00:32:54 --> 00:32:55 his grace
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 in atoning for sin,
00:32:56 --> 00:32:58 in offering forgiveness,
00:32:58 --> 00:33:00 transforms the law.
00:33:00 --> 00:33:03 Now when we come to it,
00:33:03 --> 00:33:04 we need to read it
00:33:04 --> 00:33:04 through the lens
00:33:04 --> 00:33:05 of Jesus.
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 We need to read it
00:33:07 --> 00:33:08 hearing Jesus' words,
00:33:08 --> 00:33:10 I have fulfilled it.
00:33:11 --> 00:33:12 Which isn't the same
00:33:12 --> 00:33:13 as deleting
00:33:13 --> 00:33:13 or cancelling.
00:33:15 --> 00:33:16 What he's done
00:33:16 --> 00:33:16 is explicitly
00:33:16 --> 00:33:17 put the law
00:33:17 --> 00:33:18 and the rules
00:33:18 --> 00:33:18 where they were
00:33:18 --> 00:33:19 supposed to be
00:33:19 --> 00:33:19 the whole time.
00:33:21 --> 00:33:22 Not as a standard
00:33:22 --> 00:33:23 to be lived up to,
00:33:23 --> 00:33:25 but as a description
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 of the heart of God.
00:33:29 --> 00:33:31 As a revelation
00:33:31 --> 00:33:31 of what matters
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32 to him.
00:33:34 --> 00:33:35 As an invitation
00:33:35 --> 00:33:37 to love
00:33:37 --> 00:33:38 what God loves.
00:33:39 --> 00:33:39 To care about
00:33:39 --> 00:33:40 what matters to him.
00:33:42 --> 00:33:43 And as an invitation
00:33:43 --> 00:33:45 to set our hearts
00:33:45 --> 00:33:45 apart
00:33:45 --> 00:33:46 for him.
00:33:50 --> 00:33:51 That's the heart
00:33:51 --> 00:33:53 of what true
00:33:53 --> 00:33:54 and right worship
00:33:54 --> 00:33:55 of God looks like.
00:33:56 --> 00:33:58 That's real holiness.
00:33:59 --> 00:34:01 Not simple rule keeping
00:34:01 --> 00:34:01 or box ticking,
00:34:02 --> 00:34:03 but a heart
00:34:03 --> 00:34:05 that loves God.
00:34:06 --> 00:34:07 A heart that loves
00:34:07 --> 00:34:08 what matters to God.
00:34:10 --> 00:34:11 It looks like
00:34:11 --> 00:34:13 treasuring Jesus.
00:34:15 --> 00:34:16 Living every minute
00:34:16 --> 00:34:17 of every day for him.
00:34:18 --> 00:34:19 Not 65 minutes
00:34:19 --> 00:34:20 a week on a Sunday.
00:34:21 --> 00:34:23 But treasuring Jesus
00:34:23 --> 00:34:24 in the way you treat
00:34:24 --> 00:34:24 your family.
00:34:27 --> 00:34:28 Loving and treasuring
00:34:28 --> 00:34:29 him in the way
00:34:29 --> 00:34:29 you treat other
00:34:29 --> 00:34:30 commuters on your way
00:34:30 --> 00:34:31 to work or uni.
00:34:33 --> 00:34:34 Loving and treasuring
00:34:34 --> 00:34:36 him in the way
00:34:36 --> 00:34:37 you eat your breakfast.
00:34:40 --> 00:34:41 Every moment
00:34:41 --> 00:34:43 lived consciously
00:34:43 --> 00:34:44 in the presence
00:34:44 --> 00:34:45 of the God
00:34:45 --> 00:34:46 of heaven and earth
00:34:46 --> 00:34:48 who gave his son
00:34:48 --> 00:34:49 so that you could
00:34:49 --> 00:34:50 live in his presence.
00:34:51 --> 00:34:53 what he requires
00:34:53 --> 00:34:54 is your heart.
00:34:55 --> 00:34:57 The very center
00:34:57 --> 00:34:57 of you.
00:34:59 --> 00:34:59 He's not keeping
00:34:59 --> 00:35:00 a scorebook
00:35:00 --> 00:35:01 of what you have
00:35:01 --> 00:35:02 and haven't done.
00:35:03 --> 00:35:05 He wants your heart.
00:35:05 --> 00:35:07 The bit that drives
00:35:07 --> 00:35:07 your decisions.
00:35:08 --> 00:35:09 Your reactions.
00:35:12 --> 00:35:13 And laws
00:35:13 --> 00:35:14 can't change hearts.
00:35:16 --> 00:35:16 Rules
00:35:16 --> 00:35:18 won't make you love.
00:35:18 --> 00:35:18 love.
00:35:20 --> 00:35:21 But time
00:35:21 --> 00:35:22 basking in the grace
00:35:22 --> 00:35:23 of God to you.
00:35:24 --> 00:35:25 Time spent
00:35:25 --> 00:35:26 focusing
00:35:26 --> 00:35:27 on how majestic
00:35:27 --> 00:35:28 and powerful
00:35:28 --> 00:35:29 and holy
00:35:29 --> 00:35:31 our God is.
00:35:32 --> 00:35:33 Time spent
00:35:33 --> 00:35:34 with your eyes
00:35:34 --> 00:35:34 fixed
00:35:34 --> 00:35:35 on Jesus.
00:35:37 --> 00:35:37 That
00:35:37 --> 00:35:38 produces love.
00:35:39 --> 00:35:41 That produces
00:35:41 --> 00:35:41 a desire
00:35:41 --> 00:35:42 for holiness.
00:35:43 --> 00:35:43 A desire
00:35:43 --> 00:35:44 for obedience.
00:35:44 --> 00:35:45 That produces
00:35:45 --> 00:35:45 the kind
00:35:45 --> 00:35:46 of security
00:35:46 --> 00:35:47 that means
00:35:47 --> 00:35:47 we can receive
00:35:47 --> 00:35:48 the law
00:35:48 --> 00:35:49 as a gift
00:35:49 --> 00:35:50 rather than
00:35:50 --> 00:35:50 carry it
00:35:50 --> 00:35:51 as a burden.
00:35:54 --> 00:35:55 We opened
00:35:55 --> 00:35:56 tonight
00:35:56 --> 00:35:57 reflecting on
00:35:57 --> 00:35:57 the relative
00:35:57 --> 00:35:58 appeal
00:35:58 --> 00:35:59 of a new
00:35:59 --> 00:35:59 brand of
00:35:59 --> 00:36:00 Christianity.
00:36:02 --> 00:36:03 Built
00:36:03 --> 00:36:03 around the
00:36:03 --> 00:36:04 concept of
00:36:04 --> 00:36:04 conceding
00:36:04 --> 00:36:05 on holiness,
00:36:06 --> 00:36:07 giving up
00:36:07 --> 00:36:07 and even
00:36:07 --> 00:36:08 affirming
00:36:08 --> 00:36:08 the presence
00:36:08 --> 00:36:09 of sin.
00:36:09 --> 00:36:12 And it
00:36:12 --> 00:36:13 does sound
00:36:13 --> 00:36:14 appealing.
00:36:15 --> 00:36:16 But it
00:36:16 --> 00:36:17 just doesn't
00:36:17 --> 00:36:17 work.
00:36:19 --> 00:36:19 Because what
00:36:19 --> 00:36:20 it reflects
00:36:20 --> 00:36:21 is a
00:36:21 --> 00:36:21 complete
00:36:21 --> 00:36:22 misunderstanding
00:36:22 --> 00:36:22 of what
00:36:22 --> 00:36:23 God has
00:36:23 --> 00:36:23 done in
00:36:23 --> 00:36:24 Jesus and
00:36:24 --> 00:36:25 how secure
00:36:25 --> 00:36:25 that makes
00:36:25 --> 00:36:25 us.
00:36:26 --> 00:36:26 I mean,
00:36:26 --> 00:36:26 it misses
00:36:26 --> 00:36:27 the whole
00:36:27 --> 00:36:28 point.
00:36:30 --> 00:36:30 God wants
00:36:30 --> 00:36:31 you to be
00:36:31 --> 00:36:31 holy for
00:36:31 --> 00:36:32 your sake.
00:36:35 --> 00:36:35 God wants
00:36:35 --> 00:36:36 you to be
00:36:36 --> 00:36:37 able to be
00:36:37 --> 00:36:37 with him.
00:36:38 --> 00:36:38 That's the
00:36:38 --> 00:36:39 work he's
00:36:39 --> 00:36:39 doing in
00:36:39 --> 00:36:39 the life
00:36:39 --> 00:36:40 of a
00:36:40 --> 00:36:40 Christian.
00:36:41 --> 00:36:42 He's
00:36:42 --> 00:36:43 progressively
00:36:43 --> 00:36:43 making them
00:36:43 --> 00:36:44 holy in
00:36:44 --> 00:36:45 preparation
00:36:45 --> 00:36:45 for heaven.
00:36:48 --> 00:36:49 In
00:36:49 --> 00:36:49 preparation
00:36:49 --> 00:36:50 for
00:36:50 --> 00:36:51 completely
00:36:51 --> 00:36:52 uninhibited
00:36:52 --> 00:36:52 joy in
00:36:52 --> 00:36:53 his presence.
00:36:53 --> 00:36:54 To reject
00:36:54 --> 00:36:54 the call
00:36:54 --> 00:36:55 to holiness,
00:36:56 --> 00:36:57 to reject
00:36:57 --> 00:36:57 the law
00:36:57 --> 00:36:57 like it
00:36:57 --> 00:36:58 doesn't
00:36:58 --> 00:36:58 matter,
00:36:59 --> 00:37:00 is to
00:37:00 --> 00:37:00 reject the
00:37:00 --> 00:37:01 invitation
00:37:01 --> 00:37:02 to live
00:37:02 --> 00:37:02 with God.
00:37:06 --> 00:37:06 To
00:37:06 --> 00:37:07 reject
00:37:07 --> 00:37:07 obedience
00:37:07 --> 00:37:08 and law
00:37:08 --> 00:37:08 as
00:37:08 --> 00:37:09 unimportant
00:37:09 --> 00:37:10 is to
00:37:10 --> 00:37:10 reject
00:37:10 --> 00:37:10 the
00:37:10 --> 00:37:11 grace
00:37:11 --> 00:37:11 that
00:37:11 --> 00:37:11 God
00:37:11 --> 00:37:12 has
00:37:12 --> 00:37:12 worked
00:37:12 --> 00:37:12 in
00:37:12 --> 00:37:12 sending
00:37:12 --> 00:37:13 Jesus
00:37:13 --> 00:37:15 to die
00:37:15 --> 00:37:15 so that
00:37:15 --> 00:37:15 you can
00:37:15 --> 00:37:16 be in
00:37:16 --> 00:37:16 his
00:37:16 --> 00:37:17 presence.
00:37:19 --> 00:37:20 The call
00:37:20 --> 00:37:20 to be
00:37:20 --> 00:37:21 holy is a
00:37:21 --> 00:37:22 call to
00:37:22 --> 00:37:22 pursue
00:37:22 --> 00:37:22 God.
00:37:24 --> 00:37:25 It's not a
00:37:25 --> 00:37:25 call to be
00:37:25 --> 00:37:26 good.
00:37:27 --> 00:37:28 It's a
00:37:28 --> 00:37:29 call to
00:37:29 --> 00:37:29 love God.
00:37:29 --> 00:37:29 God.
00:37:32 --> 00:37:32 So lack
00:37:32 --> 00:37:33 of holiness
00:37:33 --> 00:37:33 in your
00:37:33 --> 00:37:34 life,
00:37:34 --> 00:37:34 if you're
00:37:34 --> 00:37:34 not more
00:37:34 --> 00:37:35 like Jesus
00:37:35 --> 00:37:35 than you
00:37:35 --> 00:37:36 were 12
00:37:36 --> 00:37:36 months ago
00:37:36 --> 00:37:37 or two
00:37:37 --> 00:37:37 years ago
00:37:37 --> 00:37:38 or 10
00:37:38 --> 00:37:38 years ago,
00:37:39 --> 00:37:40 lack of
00:37:40 --> 00:37:40 holiness is
00:37:40 --> 00:37:40 not a
00:37:40 --> 00:37:41 behavioural
00:37:41 --> 00:37:42 issue that
00:37:42 --> 00:37:42 you need to
00:37:42 --> 00:37:42 fix with
00:37:42 --> 00:37:43 self-discipline
00:37:43 --> 00:37:45 or with
00:37:45 --> 00:37:46 guilt or
00:37:46 --> 00:37:46 with scolding
00:37:46 --> 00:37:47 yourself.
00:37:48 --> 00:37:49 It's a
00:37:49 --> 00:37:49 heart issue.
00:37:52 --> 00:37:53 And so if
00:37:53 --> 00:37:54 you're not
00:37:54 --> 00:37:55 growing more
00:37:55 --> 00:37:56 like Jesus,
00:37:56 --> 00:37:56 the question
00:37:56 --> 00:37:57 you've got to
00:37:57 --> 00:37:57 ask is not
00:37:57 --> 00:37:58 have I been
00:37:58 --> 00:37:58 trying?
00:37:59 --> 00:38:00 The question
00:38:00 --> 00:38:01 is am I
00:38:01 --> 00:38:02 pursuing God
00:38:02 --> 00:38:03 in my life?
00:38:05 --> 00:38:06 Am I
00:38:06 --> 00:38:07 getting myself
00:38:07 --> 00:38:07 into his
00:38:07 --> 00:38:08 presence?
00:38:12 --> 00:38:13 And if the
00:38:13 --> 00:38:14 answer is no,
00:38:15 --> 00:38:16 then the only
00:38:16 --> 00:38:16 place you can
00:38:16 --> 00:38:17 go to change
00:38:17 --> 00:38:18 that, to fix
00:38:18 --> 00:38:19 that, the only
00:38:19 --> 00:38:19 place you can
00:38:19 --> 00:38:20 go to have
00:38:20 --> 00:38:20 your heart
00:38:20 --> 00:38:21 reshaped and
00:38:21 --> 00:38:24 moulded and
00:38:24 --> 00:38:25 set on fire
00:38:25 --> 00:38:26 with love for
00:38:26 --> 00:38:26 God,
00:38:27 --> 00:38:28 is to
00:38:28 --> 00:38:29 bask in
00:38:29 --> 00:38:30 the glory
00:38:30 --> 00:38:31 of God
00:38:31 --> 00:38:33 revealed in
00:38:33 --> 00:38:34 the face
00:38:34 --> 00:38:35 of Jesus
00:38:35 --> 00:38:36 who died
00:38:36 --> 00:38:37 and rose
00:38:37 --> 00:38:38 again so
00:38:38 --> 00:38:38 that we
00:38:38 --> 00:38:39 might know
00:38:39 --> 00:38:39 him.
00:38:43 --> 00:38:44 Let's pray.
00:38:48 --> 00:38:49 Father God,
00:38:49 --> 00:38:49 we want to
00:38:49 --> 00:38:51 concede that
00:38:51 --> 00:38:53 laws are
00:38:53 --> 00:38:53 intimidating,
00:38:54 --> 00:38:55 that often
00:38:55 --> 00:38:56 we're known
00:38:56 --> 00:38:56 as hypocrites
00:38:56 --> 00:38:57 because we
00:38:57 --> 00:38:58 speak about
00:38:58 --> 00:38:59 how we're
00:38:59 --> 00:38:59 supposed to
00:38:59 --> 00:39:00 be but we
00:39:00 --> 00:39:00 don't back
00:39:00 --> 00:39:01 it up with
00:39:01 --> 00:39:01 how we
00:39:01 --> 00:39:01 live.
00:39:03 --> 00:39:04 We want to
00:39:04 --> 00:39:04 thank you that
00:39:04 --> 00:39:05 our failures
00:39:05 --> 00:39:06 are completely
00:39:06 --> 00:39:07 covered by
00:39:07 --> 00:39:08 Jesus.
00:39:09 --> 00:39:10 We want to
00:39:10 --> 00:39:10 thank you that
00:39:10 --> 00:39:11 there is nothing
00:39:11 --> 00:39:11 that we could
00:39:11 --> 00:39:12 do that would
00:39:12 --> 00:39:13 undo what has
00:39:13 --> 00:39:14 already been
00:39:14 --> 00:39:14 done on the
00:39:14 --> 00:39:15 cross.
00:39:17 --> 00:39:18 And Father,
00:39:18 --> 00:39:19 we want to ask
00:39:19 --> 00:39:19 that you would
00:39:19 --> 00:39:20 help us to
00:39:20 --> 00:39:21 see you,
00:39:21 --> 00:39:22 to encounter
00:39:22 --> 00:39:22 you, to
00:39:22 --> 00:39:23 experience you
00:39:23 --> 00:39:24 in such a
00:39:24 --> 00:39:25 way that we
00:39:25 --> 00:39:25 would see the
00:39:25 --> 00:39:26 law as the
00:39:26 --> 00:39:27 gift that it
00:39:27 --> 00:39:28 is, that we
00:39:28 --> 00:39:28 would desire
00:39:28 --> 00:39:29 holiness not so
00:39:29 --> 00:39:30 that we could be
00:39:30 --> 00:39:31 good but so
00:39:31 --> 00:39:32 that we could be
00:39:32 --> 00:39:35 with you, so
00:39:35 --> 00:39:35 that we might
00:39:35 --> 00:39:36 enjoy your
00:39:36 --> 00:39:37 presence even in
00:39:37 --> 00:39:37 the mundane
00:39:37 --> 00:39:38 details of
00:39:38 --> 00:39:39 catching a
00:39:39 --> 00:39:39 train or eating
00:39:39 --> 00:39:40 a meal.
00:39:42 --> 00:39:43 God, open our
00:39:43 --> 00:39:44 eyes to the
00:39:44 --> 00:39:45 invitation that
00:39:45 --> 00:39:46 sits behind the
00:39:46 --> 00:39:49 law, the
00:39:49 --> 00:39:50 invitation to be
00:39:50 --> 00:39:52 with you, to
00:39:52 --> 00:39:53 love you as
00:39:53 --> 00:39:54 you deserve.
00:39:55 --> 00:39:56 Father, make us
00:39:56 --> 00:39:57 more like your
00:39:57 --> 00:39:57 sun.
00:39:59 --> 00:39:59 Shine on us in
00:39:59 --> 00:40:00 such a way that
00:40:00 --> 00:40:01 we glow so
00:40:01 --> 00:40:02 that the world
00:40:02 --> 00:40:02 around us might
00:40:02 --> 00:40:04 see the joy and
00:40:04 --> 00:40:05 peace and hope
00:40:05 --> 00:40:05 that is offered
00:40:05 --> 00:40:06 in you.
00:40:08 --> 00:40:09 Father, thank you
00:40:09 --> 00:40:09 for gathering us
00:40:09 --> 00:40:10 tonight that we
00:40:10 --> 00:40:12 might sunbake in
00:40:12 --> 00:40:13 your radiance.
00:40:17 --> 00:40:17 Please reveal
00:40:17 --> 00:40:18 yourself to us
00:40:18 --> 00:40:20 tonight and don't
00:40:20 --> 00:40:20 let us walk out of
00:40:20 --> 00:40:21 this room the
00:40:21 --> 00:40:21 same.
00:40:23 --> 00:40:23 Amen.