Jonah
Series: The God who speaks
Speaker: Sam Low
Date: 12th January 2013
Passage: Jonah 3:1-10
00:00:00 --> 00:00:07 If you are joining us tonight and you haven't been around, we are in the middle of a Jonah series that's not really a Jonah series, for those of you who didn't catch that last week.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:14 So we're kind of looking at the Jonah narrative, but more looking at some topics that come up in the Jonah narrative.
00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 And tonight we're going to continue doing that.
00:00:16 --> 00:00:22 So it's worth keeping your Bible open to that Jonah passage, but we are going to jump around a little bit as well.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:25 So how about I pray, and then we'll get stuck into it.
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 Father God, we thank you for bringing us here tonight.
00:00:29 --> 00:00:34 We thank you for the incredible joy of new families that will be beginning soon.
00:00:34 --> 00:00:39 We ask that you would watch over and protect Asha and Jess and Susie and James as well,
00:00:39 --> 00:00:44 that you would prepare them for what it means to be a family and that you would use their families for your glory.
00:00:45 --> 00:00:50 Lord, we ask that tonight as we gather as a bigger church family, that you would prepare us to hear you speak,
00:00:51 --> 00:00:55 that you would strip away anything in our minds that would block that,
00:00:55 --> 00:01:00 and that as we sit under your word, you would change us and you would reveal yourself so that our lives are to your glory.
00:01:01 --> 00:01:01 Amen.
00:01:01 --> 00:01:08 I wonder what it is that you are expecting to happen in the next 20 minutes.
00:01:09 --> 00:01:13 I say 20 minutes, but I said that this morning, and in truth, it was a little bit longer.
00:01:13 --> 00:01:17 But what is it that you're expecting to happen in the next little while?
00:01:17 --> 00:01:24 As we arrive to church each week, as somebody like Amy just did comes and opens the Bible and speaks,
00:01:24 --> 00:01:29 and reads it, and then someone like me or Steve or Chris or Brian gets up and preaches,
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 what is it that you expect to happen in that moment?
00:01:33 --> 00:01:37 What about in your community groups, or maybe as you do your own quiet times at home,
00:01:37 --> 00:01:40 what is it that you expect is going on?
00:01:40 --> 00:01:46 What is it that you think you are doing when you sit down and you open this book that we call the Bible?
00:01:46 --> 00:01:52 I was reflecting on that this week, and the reason was I thought about it,
00:01:52 --> 00:01:56 and I probably have 10, 11, 12, 13 Bibles at home.
00:01:56 --> 00:02:00 I've got lots of English Bibles, lots of NIVs, a few other random translations as well,
00:02:01 --> 00:02:06 and that even doesn't include the ones I have on my computer or my phone or, for some of you, your iPad.
00:02:06 --> 00:02:09 And I was thinking, I actually don't know where some of my Bibles are.
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 Some of them are probably on bookshelves.
00:02:11 --> 00:02:16 Some of them might be in piles of paper, on the coffee table, in my car, in my backpack.
00:02:17 --> 00:02:18 One's right here.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 Most of them are worn.
00:02:21 --> 00:02:24 Some of them have, like, stains from Coke that I've spilt on them.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:26 They've got pen marks in them.
00:02:26 --> 00:02:27 They've got torn pages.
00:02:27 --> 00:02:29 One of them's about to come out from the spine.
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 This particular one is missing about three words from Ephesians chapter 2,
00:02:33 --> 00:02:37 which is really important that I know off by heart when I get to Ephesians chapter 2.
00:02:37 --> 00:02:44 So, basically, I was thinking about it because the way I treat my Bibles is sometimes just like a book,
00:02:45 --> 00:02:48 like any other book that I might have or might own.
00:02:49 --> 00:02:53 And the reason this stuck out for me is I did some reading a little while ago
00:02:53 --> 00:02:58 on the way that Muslim people handle their scriptures, the way they handle the Quran.
00:02:59 --> 00:03:03 They are meticulous compared to me, and I think it's fair to say compared to us.
00:03:03 --> 00:03:07 They wash their hands before they even touch the Quran.
00:03:08 --> 00:03:12 Almost every Muslim memorizes significant chunks of the Quran in Arabic
00:03:12 --> 00:03:14 so that they can use it in their prayers.
00:03:15 --> 00:03:19 And if a copy of the Quran is damaged or a page is torn, like my one now,
00:03:19 --> 00:03:20 you can't just throw it away.
00:03:21 --> 00:03:22 You can't just recycle it.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:26 In some cases, what they will do is they will actually put it into a stream
00:03:26 --> 00:03:28 and let it float away.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 Something symbolic about it.
00:03:31 --> 00:03:36 They will ceremonially burn it or they'll find a remote place and bury it especially.
00:03:37 --> 00:03:41 All this for a book that we would say is fictitious.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:50 And yet, we treat our book, which we say is the Word of God, just like any other book.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:57 And I wonder if that's the issue, is that we have taken this thing that God has given us
00:03:57 --> 00:04:03 and it's become just like any other book, like Twilight or Harry Potter.
00:04:03 --> 00:04:05 I mean, don't get me wrong, we think it's a good book.
00:04:06 --> 00:04:07 Sometimes it makes us happy.
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 Sometimes it makes us sad.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:13 Sometimes it's challenging, but it's kind of just a book.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:19 It's like we've kind of lost the purpose of what God gave us the Bible for.
00:04:19 --> 00:04:25 One of the joys of watching my little boy grow up is watching him discover new things.
00:04:26 --> 00:04:28 A development in our family over Christmas is that he's now crawling.
00:04:29 --> 00:04:32 That's exciting and scary because you've really got to lock stuff up now.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:36 But one of his favourite things to do is to find stuff that he's not supposed to have
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 and stick it in his mouth.
00:04:38 --> 00:04:41 My keys are a personal favourite of his.
00:04:41 --> 00:04:42 I don't know why.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:42 It's metal.
00:04:43 --> 00:04:44 It can't be nice to eat.
00:04:44 --> 00:04:48 I assume it's dirty and probably got germs all over it, but he loves it.
00:04:48 --> 00:04:51 He puts it in his mouth and you can hear him tapping it on his teeth,
00:04:51 --> 00:04:54 the two of them that he's got, and chewing on it all around his gums and stuff like that.
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 For him, keys are perfect for teething.
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 But in actual fact, those keys have a significant job to do.
00:05:01 --> 00:05:04 They have to start my car so that I can get around and go places.
00:05:05 --> 00:05:08 But for him, he's kind of got a lesser job for it and he's settled for that.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:10 And I wonder if that's what we've done with the Scriptures.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:14 The Scriptures have a significant purpose.
00:05:15 --> 00:05:18 God gave them to us with an agenda and with an outcome in mind.
00:05:18 --> 00:05:23 And I wonder if we have settled for making them just another book that we read,
00:05:23 --> 00:05:25 just something that might teach us some information.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:30 And I wonder if we have misunderstood just why God gave us his word
00:05:30 --> 00:05:34 and just what it means to have it in this form that we have it.
00:05:34 --> 00:05:39 And so what I want to wrestle with tonight is I want to rediscover God's word
00:05:39 --> 00:05:42 and why God has given us his word.
00:05:43 --> 00:05:44 So I want to look at three things particularly.
00:05:45 --> 00:05:49 First one is we need to understand that the words we have on the pages,
00:05:49 --> 00:05:52 the words that Amy just wrote out for us from Psalm 1 and from Jonah 3,
00:05:53 --> 00:05:54 these are not just human words.
00:05:55 --> 00:05:58 We live in a culture where if something is old, it has credibility.
00:05:59 --> 00:06:04 If you read something that somebody said 50 years ago, suddenly it is wisdom.
00:06:04 --> 00:06:05 It is good advice.
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 But if the same advice was written down yesterday,
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 we have to wait a little while and see if it has actually got any credibility.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:16 But the Bible is not just old wisdom that has kind of gained credibility over time
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 because it is older and older and older.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:21 The Bible is actually God's words.
00:06:22 --> 00:06:24 We sometimes call it God's word and that is right,
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 but we have to understand that the words are God's.
00:06:27 --> 00:06:28 This is not just random thoughts.
00:06:29 --> 00:06:30 This is God speaking.
00:06:30 --> 00:06:35 In the Old Testament, when God spoke, people were scared.
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 If you think of Mount Sinai, for example,
00:06:38 --> 00:06:42 God came down to speak to his people and it was so scary for the people
00:06:42 --> 00:06:45 that they insisted that someone else stand between them.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:47 They sent Moses off and they said,
00:06:47 --> 00:06:52 Moses, you go and hear from God because we are scared to hear the voice of God speak.
00:06:53 --> 00:06:58 We are nervous to have God speak directly to us because we know who he is
00:06:58 --> 00:07:00 and we know how powerful his word is.
00:07:00 --> 00:07:06 And we need to understand that the same God speaks in his word.
00:07:07 --> 00:07:08 This is not just a book.
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 This is God's mouthpiece to us.
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 This is his means of communicating with us.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 When you read a letter that is sent to you,
00:07:16 --> 00:07:21 you don't kind of step outside the letter and dispassionately just read what's going on.
00:07:21 --> 00:07:25 And, you know, it might be a letter of somebody telling you how fantastic you are.
00:07:25 --> 00:07:27 At that point, you don't step outside of that letter and think,
00:07:27 --> 00:07:31 well, I can see why they said that sentence and they must be talking about someone great.
00:07:31 --> 00:07:35 When you read a letter to you that says you're fantastic, it makes you feel good.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:40 When you read a letter to you that says you're a jerk and you shouldn't have done this thing,
00:07:40 --> 00:07:41 it might offend you.
00:07:41 --> 00:07:42 It might make you feel bad.
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 And it's the same here with God's word.
00:07:44 --> 00:07:47 You've got to understand this is not something that you sit next to
00:07:47 --> 00:07:50 and study and find information from.
00:07:51 --> 00:07:55 Every time we open these pages, God is speaking to you.
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 God is not speaking near you.
00:07:59 --> 00:08:02 God is not speaking merely to other people.
00:08:02 --> 00:08:05 This is his word to you.
00:08:05 --> 00:08:08 Now, it's true there is historical context.
00:08:08 --> 00:08:09 There is the people of Israel.
00:08:09 --> 00:08:10 There's all that stuff going on.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:14 But that doesn't change that this is God's word to you.
00:08:15 --> 00:08:20 In 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, Paul says this to the church that he's planted there.
00:08:20 --> 00:08:20 It says,
00:08:20 --> 00:08:43 Paul went to this church and preached the Old Testament.
00:08:43 --> 00:08:46 He opened God's word to them and he converted them.
00:08:46 --> 00:08:49 And the Bible was God speaking to them.
00:08:49 --> 00:08:52 It was the story of Israel's rescue from Egypt.
00:08:52 --> 00:08:54 It was the story of creation.
00:08:54 --> 00:08:55 It was the story of Abraham.
00:08:56 --> 00:08:56 It was all that.
00:08:57 --> 00:09:02 But in those stories, God was speaking to the church at Thessalonica.
00:09:02 --> 00:09:08 And in the same way, what we read now is God speaking to us.
00:09:09 --> 00:09:13 Now, it is good and helpful for us to understand what's going on in the history,
00:09:13 --> 00:09:15 to understand the background, to understand the context.
00:09:15 --> 00:09:22 But it matters most that we actually approach it expecting to hear from God.
00:09:22 --> 00:09:26 Not expecting to find out about Jonah and a whale and thinking, great story.
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 But expecting God to tell us something.
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 To show us something.
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 Because God's word is powerful.
00:09:36 --> 00:09:42 The scriptures open by showing us this picture of creation in which God creates by speaking.
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 God's word does things.
00:09:45 --> 00:09:50 And so we need to be clear that when we open this book and when we hear God's words,
00:09:51 --> 00:09:52 his word will do things.
00:09:53 --> 00:09:55 His word will achieve an outcome.
00:09:55 --> 00:09:58 It can't just wash past us.
00:09:58 --> 00:09:59 We can't be a passenger.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 We can't be passive with it.
00:10:01 --> 00:10:05 We need to expect that because this book comes from the words of God,
00:10:05 --> 00:10:07 who is sovereign and powerful and authoritative,
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 it will achieve something.
00:10:10 --> 00:10:14 It's addressed to us to achieve something in us.
00:10:15 --> 00:10:19 So first thing is that we've got to understand that this is God's divine word.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 This is God speaking to us.
00:10:22 --> 00:10:23 But the second one is just important.
00:10:23 --> 00:10:26 Because God is speaking to us,
00:10:27 --> 00:10:29 it means something's going to happen.
00:10:29 --> 00:10:32 God's word does stuff.
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 It never doesn't do stuff.
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 And I don't just mean empathetically,
00:10:37 --> 00:10:39 like when you're reading Twilight and you wish you were Bella.
00:10:40 --> 00:10:43 And not just that sense where you cry in a sad story.
00:10:43 --> 00:10:45 I remember the first,
00:10:45 --> 00:10:46 it was actually a movie,
00:10:46 --> 00:10:47 so I'm cheating a little bit.
00:10:47 --> 00:10:50 The first movie that made me cry was The Power of One.
00:10:50 --> 00:10:51 I'm a softie at heart.
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 But it was a sad story.
00:10:54 --> 00:10:57 I was horrified at the racism and the injustice that happened.
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 But the Bible's not like that.
00:11:00 --> 00:11:01 The Bible's not supposed to make me look at it and go,
00:11:02 --> 00:11:03 wow, I can't believe that injustice.
00:11:03 --> 00:11:03 That's horrible.
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 Wow, I wonder what new book is out.
00:11:05 --> 00:11:05 And move on.
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 Because that's what happened with Power of One.
00:11:08 --> 00:11:09 I didn't cry last time I watched it.
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 God's word is different.
00:11:12 --> 00:11:14 It achieves specific outcomes.
00:11:14 --> 00:11:15 I want you to quickly,
00:11:15 --> 00:11:16 we're going to jump through Jonah,
00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 and I want to show you a couple of examples of what I'm talking about.
00:11:18 --> 00:11:21 Jonah 1.1.
00:11:21 --> 00:11:24 The word of the Lord came to Jonah, son of Amittai.
00:11:25 --> 00:11:28 Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:30 God speaks.
00:11:31 --> 00:11:32 He gives Jonah a specific command.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:33 He says,
00:11:33 --> 00:11:33 Go here,
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 and Jonah disobeys and runs away.
00:11:35 --> 00:11:38 But God's word still achieves something.
00:11:39 --> 00:11:40 We know,
00:11:40 --> 00:11:41 because we just read in chapter 3,
00:11:41 --> 00:11:43 that eventually Jonah ends up in Nineveh.
00:11:43 --> 00:11:46 So God's word has achieved what it set out to achieve.
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 But more than that,
00:11:48 --> 00:11:51 we also know that God's word never fails.
00:11:51 --> 00:11:52 Last week,
00:11:52 --> 00:11:55 we wrestled with the sovereignty of God and the power of God.
00:11:55 --> 00:11:56 God has a plan.
00:11:56 --> 00:11:57 Jonah is going to Nineveh.
00:11:57 --> 00:12:00 And so when Jonah runs and disobeys God's word,
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 God's word becomes judgment on Jonah.
00:12:04 --> 00:12:07 Because God's will is clear and it's in front of him,
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 and Jonah tries to ignore it and disobey it,
00:12:10 --> 00:12:13 the judgment of a storm and a fish is sent.
00:12:14 --> 00:12:16 So that God's word will achieve its outcome.
00:12:18 --> 00:12:19 Jonah 1.9.
00:12:19 --> 00:12:23 God speaks through Jonah the prophet again to the sailors.
00:12:23 --> 00:12:23 Jonah answered,
00:12:23 --> 00:12:26 I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord,
00:12:26 --> 00:12:26 the God of heaven,
00:12:27 --> 00:12:29 who made the sea and the land.
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 Jonah is a disobedient prophet.
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 And yet when God speaks through him,
00:12:33 --> 00:12:35 when God gives him his words,
00:12:35 --> 00:12:39 sailors make vows to God and sacrifice to God
00:12:39 --> 00:12:40 and cry out and understand
00:12:40 --> 00:12:43 that God alone controls all things.
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 Jonah 3.1.
00:12:45 --> 00:12:48 God speaks this time and Jonah finally obeys.
00:12:48 --> 00:12:50 The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time.
00:12:50 --> 00:12:51 Go to the great city of Nineveh
00:12:51 --> 00:12:54 and proclaim to it the message I give you.
00:12:54 --> 00:12:54 And Jonah does.
00:12:55 --> 00:12:56 But the big one,
00:12:56 --> 00:12:56 I think,
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 in Jonah is Jonah 3.4.
00:12:58 --> 00:13:01 On the first day Jonah started into the city,
00:13:02 --> 00:13:02 he proclaimed,
00:13:02 --> 00:13:05 40 more days and Nineveh will be overturned.
00:13:05 --> 00:13:07 The Ninevites believed God,
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 they declared a fast,
00:13:08 --> 00:13:09 and all of them,
00:13:09 --> 00:13:11 from the greatest to the least,
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 put on sackcloth.
00:13:13 --> 00:13:14 Now,
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 we know stories like this
00:13:16 --> 00:13:17 and it's really dangerous
00:13:17 --> 00:13:19 that we miss the significance of this story.
00:13:20 --> 00:13:21 In Jonah,
00:13:21 --> 00:13:23 God makes the point of telling us
00:13:23 --> 00:13:24 that this is a big city,
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 that it's going to take time.
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 A visit requires three days
00:13:28 --> 00:13:30 because there's lots of people there.
00:13:30 --> 00:13:33 We know that Nineveh has a king
00:13:33 --> 00:13:36 and yet Jonah turns up unannounced
00:13:36 --> 00:13:39 as a mouthpiece for God,
00:13:39 --> 00:13:41 walks in the gate and says,
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 you are going to be destroyed
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 because of how you're living
00:13:43 --> 00:13:47 and every single person in that city repents.
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 That is significant.
00:13:50 --> 00:13:52 We know it's got nothing to do with Jonah
00:13:52 --> 00:13:54 because just two chapters ago,
00:13:54 --> 00:13:55 Jonah is running away
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 and trying to avoid God.
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 There's nothing impressive about Jonah
00:13:58 --> 00:13:58 as a mouthpiece,
00:13:59 --> 00:14:00 but God's word,
00:14:00 --> 00:14:01 through Jonah,
00:14:01 --> 00:14:01 his prophet,
00:14:02 --> 00:14:05 achieves the outcome that God desires
00:14:05 --> 00:14:07 and that outcome is that
00:14:07 --> 00:14:08 that city would repent.
00:14:08 --> 00:14:12 God's word never fails.
00:14:13 --> 00:14:16 God's word will always achieve God's purpose.
00:14:16 --> 00:14:18 Every time it goes out in this story,
00:14:18 --> 00:14:19 something happens.
00:14:20 --> 00:14:22 Even when Jonah ignores it and runs away,
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 it brings judgment.
00:14:24 --> 00:14:25 We learnt last week,
00:14:25 --> 00:14:26 God's will is unstoppable
00:14:26 --> 00:14:28 and even our disobedience
00:14:28 --> 00:14:30 cannot stop God's plans.
00:14:31 --> 00:14:34 God has spoken to Jonah
00:14:34 --> 00:14:36 and Jonah will achieve what God wants,
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 whether he likes it or not.
00:14:38 --> 00:14:41 God's word is there to guide us
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 in what God's will is.
00:14:43 --> 00:14:44 For Nineveh, it's obvious.
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 He wanted them to turn from his ways,
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 so he sent Jonah to speak to them.
00:14:49 --> 00:14:49 And again,
00:14:50 --> 00:14:50 an inadequate,
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 imperfect,
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 disobedient prophet
00:14:54 --> 00:14:57 with the word of God
00:14:57 --> 00:14:59 led a whole city to repent.
00:14:59 --> 00:15:01 even the king
00:15:01 --> 00:15:04 strips off his royal robes,
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 gets down in the dirt
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 and acknowledges the God of heaven
00:15:07 --> 00:15:10 simply because God has spoken.
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 There's no miracles here.
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 There's no visions for the king
00:15:14 --> 00:15:16 to show them what God could do
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 and what God will do.
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 God just speaks
00:15:21 --> 00:15:23 and that is enough
00:15:23 --> 00:15:25 because God's word is powerful.
00:15:27 --> 00:15:29 God's word will pierce us.
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31 Hebrews 4 tells us
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 that God's word is living and active,
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 sharper than any double-edged sword.
00:15:35 --> 00:15:38 It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit,
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 joints and marrow.
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 It judges the thoughts
00:15:40 --> 00:15:42 and attitudes of the heart.
00:15:42 --> 00:15:44 God's word will convict us
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 and challenge us
00:15:45 --> 00:15:47 and maybe sometimes
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 even make us feel guilty.
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 I remember
00:15:51 --> 00:15:53 when I was a student at school,
00:15:53 --> 00:15:54 I wasn't a great student
00:15:54 --> 00:15:56 to have in your class.
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58 I was a fairly proud kid
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 and so that meant
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 if you told me I was wrong,
00:16:01 --> 00:16:04 I just got my back up
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 and would yell.
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 And it didn't matter
00:16:06 --> 00:16:08 what the cause was,
00:16:08 --> 00:16:08 it didn't matter
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 if I'd done something wrong,
00:16:09 --> 00:16:11 I just didn't like to hear
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 that I'd done something wrong.
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 And so teachers would yell at me
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 for talking,
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 for distracting someone,
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 for not doing my work,
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 whatever it was.
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 And as they began to yell,
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 I began to yell.
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 And it would escalate back and forth
00:16:22 --> 00:16:24 and I was so proud
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 that I refused to lose
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26 in that moment.
00:16:26 --> 00:16:28 I refused to let them
00:16:28 --> 00:16:28 get on top of me
00:16:28 --> 00:16:30 and so I would keep yelling
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 and keep yelling
00:16:31 --> 00:16:31 until eventually
00:16:31 --> 00:16:33 they would break down
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 or send me out
00:16:34 --> 00:16:34 or whatever it was
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 and time and time again
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 I'd get flicked off
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 to the principal
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 or the head of senior school
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 or whoever it was.
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 And I'd walk into the office
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 and I remember
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 having these conversations
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 over and over and over
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 and they'd just tell me
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 that it was rude
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 and disrespectful
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 and what a bad kid I was
00:16:48 --> 00:16:50 that I would drive teachers
00:16:50 --> 00:16:50 to tears
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 or that I would make them
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 have to go home
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 and do all these things
00:16:53 --> 00:16:55 and I would just block it out.
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 I didn't want to hear that.
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 I don't care if it's true.
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 I don't want to know
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 that I'm damaging somebody.
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 And so sure enough,
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 the next day
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 or a week later,
00:17:05 --> 00:17:07 I'd be doing the same thing.
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 I'd get in a situation
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 where I didn't want to know
00:17:10 --> 00:17:10 that I was bad.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:11 I didn't want to know
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 that I'd done something wrong
00:17:12 --> 00:17:14 and so as soon as I heard that,
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 I would just push
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 and push and push.
00:17:17 --> 00:17:19 And now I'm a little bit embarrassed
00:17:19 --> 00:17:19 to admit
00:17:19 --> 00:17:21 the kind of stuff that I did
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 and the person that I was
00:17:22 --> 00:17:24 and I'm very thankful
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 for some teachers
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 who persisted with me
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 and were gracious with me.
00:17:29 --> 00:17:31 But before you judge me,
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 I wonder if you do
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 the same sort of thing with God.
00:17:36 --> 00:17:38 We come to church
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 and we open God's Word
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 and we have just read
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 in Hebrews 4,
00:17:41 --> 00:17:41 God's Word
00:17:41 --> 00:17:44 will judge our thoughts.
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 It will judge
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 the attitudes
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 of our hearts.
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 It will pierce us.
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 And I wonder
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 if when God's Word
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 does that,
00:17:52 --> 00:17:54 you stop listening.
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 When God's Word
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 shows you parts
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58 of your life
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 that don't match up
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 with what it means
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 to be a follower of Jesus,
00:18:02 --> 00:18:04 do you switch off?
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 Don't get me wrong,
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 God's Word is full
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 of encouragement.
00:18:10 --> 00:18:12 It's full of comfort
00:18:12 --> 00:18:12 and assurance.
00:18:13 --> 00:18:13 Last week,
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 we were reminded
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 that God is sovereign
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 and powerful
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 and that He is always
00:18:17 --> 00:18:19 working for our good,
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 that He has an unstoppable
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 plan in creation.
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 But sometimes,
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 God's Word
00:18:26 --> 00:18:28 will rebuke you.
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 Sometimes,
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 it will need to show you
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 things in your life
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 that aren't okay.
00:18:35 --> 00:18:35 Sometimes,
00:18:35 --> 00:18:37 God will need to rebuke you
00:18:37 --> 00:18:37 for words
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 you have spoken
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 in anger,
00:18:39 --> 00:18:41 for the way
00:18:41 --> 00:18:41 you have maligned
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 someone else,
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 for the private,
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 lustful thoughts
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 that no one else
00:18:46 --> 00:18:46 knows about,
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 for the way
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 we rationalize
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 going that few kilometers
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 over the speed limit,
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 for our refusal
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 to forgive people
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 when they hurt us.
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 If you are anywhere
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 near as sinful
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 as I am,
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 then there is a lot
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 that God will need
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 to rebuke in you.
00:19:03 --> 00:19:06 we are reminded
00:19:06 --> 00:19:06 in Scripture
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 if we claim
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 to be without sin,
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 we deceive ourselves.
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 We are not perfect.
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 And so,
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 sometimes,
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 when we open the Bible,
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 God will
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 rebuke us.
00:19:22 --> 00:19:25 in Isaiah 55,
00:19:26 --> 00:19:26 we are told
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 that as the rain
00:19:27 --> 00:19:27 and snow
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 come down
00:19:28 --> 00:19:28 from heaven
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 and do not
00:19:29 --> 00:19:29 return to it
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 without watering
00:19:30 --> 00:19:30 the earth,
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 making it bud
00:19:32 --> 00:19:32 and flourish,
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 so my word
00:19:34 --> 00:19:34 that goes out
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 from my mouth,
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 it will never
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 return to me
00:19:37 --> 00:19:37 empty,
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 but will accomplish
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 what I desire
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 and achieve
00:19:41 --> 00:19:41 the purpose
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 for which
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 I sent it.
00:19:43 --> 00:19:45 God's word
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 never fails.
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 Just because
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 we sometimes
00:19:49 --> 00:19:49 try not to listen
00:19:49 --> 00:19:51 or maybe try
00:19:51 --> 00:19:51 and run
00:19:51 --> 00:19:51 in the other
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 direction
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 like Jonah did,
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 God's word
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 still achieves
00:19:55 --> 00:19:55 its purpose,
00:19:56 --> 00:19:58 whether that is
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 to guide us
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 and direct us
00:20:00 --> 00:20:03 or to judge us
00:20:03 --> 00:20:05 for avoiding
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 and running
00:20:06 --> 00:20:06 from God.
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 I remember
00:20:10 --> 00:20:10 when I was
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 at college,
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 I found
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 God's word
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 difficult,
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 as strange
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 as that might
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 sound.
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 The way
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 that college
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 is,
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 is that you
00:20:21 --> 00:20:21 spend a lot
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 of time
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 jostling for
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 position,
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 if that's the
00:20:25 --> 00:20:25 right word.
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 You arrive at
00:20:27 --> 00:20:27 college and
00:20:27 --> 00:20:27 there's this
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 unspoken
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 who's the best
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 preacher.
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 There's this
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 constant awareness
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 of who's getting
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 asked to speak
00:20:34 --> 00:20:34 at the biggest
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 events,
00:20:36 --> 00:20:36 who's travelling
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 around,
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 who's releasing
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 books,
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 who's doing
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 all that sort
00:20:40 --> 00:20:40 of things.
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 Now I know
00:20:41 --> 00:20:41 it sounds
00:20:41 --> 00:20:41 childish,
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 but it's
00:20:42 --> 00:20:42 the reality.
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 You get
00:20:44 --> 00:20:44 there,
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 and for me
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 personally,
00:20:46 --> 00:20:46 I found
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 myself over
00:20:47 --> 00:20:47 the course
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 of college
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 stopping
00:20:49 --> 00:20:51 hearing God's
00:20:51 --> 00:20:51 word.
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 I would
00:20:53 --> 00:20:53 walk into
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 a sermon
00:20:54 --> 00:20:54 and instead
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 of thinking
00:20:55 --> 00:20:55 what is God
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 teaching me,
00:20:56 --> 00:20:56 I would
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 think,
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 is this
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 preacher any
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 good?
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 And I could
00:21:00 --> 00:21:00 tell you
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 whether or not
00:21:01 --> 00:21:01 they were
00:21:01 --> 00:21:01 any good.
00:21:02 --> 00:21:02 I could tell
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 you if their
00:21:03 --> 00:21:03 stories were
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 entertaining,
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 if they were
00:21:05 --> 00:21:05 helpful,
00:21:05 --> 00:21:05 if they
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 illustrated
00:21:06 --> 00:21:06 anything,
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 I could tell
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 you if their
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 structure was
00:21:08 --> 00:21:08 clear,
00:21:09 --> 00:21:09 I could tell
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 you what they
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 should have
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 said,
00:21:11 --> 00:21:11 and I
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 wasn't
00:21:12 --> 00:21:12 alone.
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 I wonder
00:21:16 --> 00:21:16 if you ever
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 find yourself
00:21:17 --> 00:21:17 in church
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 doing something
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 similar.
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 You walk out
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 of church
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 thinking,
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 oh, I wish
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 that preacher
00:21:23 --> 00:21:23 was on
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 tonight.
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 I don't
00:21:25 --> 00:21:25 really like
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 listening to
00:21:26 --> 00:21:26 this one.
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 Or, it
00:21:29 --> 00:21:29 wasn't a very
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 good sermon,
00:21:30 --> 00:21:30 I didn't learn
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 anything.
00:21:31 --> 00:21:33 I remember
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 making that
00:21:34 --> 00:21:34 comment one
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 morning tea
00:21:35 --> 00:21:35 after a
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 chapel at
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 college,
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 to a friend
00:21:37 --> 00:21:37 who I
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 trusted and
00:21:38 --> 00:21:38 who I
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 still trust,
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 I said that
00:21:40 --> 00:21:40 wasn't a
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 very good
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 sermon,
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 I didn't
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 get anything
00:21:42 --> 00:21:42 out of it.
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 And he
00:21:45 --> 00:21:45 responded by
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 pointing me
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 to this
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 verse,
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 and reminding
00:21:48 --> 00:21:48 me that
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 God's word
00:21:49 --> 00:21:49 is doing
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 God's will
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 whether I
00:21:51 --> 00:21:51 hear it or
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 not.
00:21:53 --> 00:21:53 Now, this
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 doesn't mean
00:21:54 --> 00:21:54 that the
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 preacher doesn't
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 have a
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 responsibility to
00:21:56 --> 00:21:56 work hard to
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 understand God's
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 word and to
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 preach it
00:21:59 --> 00:21:59 clearly,
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 but what it
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 means is,
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 you have a
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 responsibility as
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 well, and so
00:22:05 --> 00:22:05 do I.
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 As we come to
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 sit under God's
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 word, whether
00:22:09 --> 00:22:09 it's a sermon,
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 whether it's your
00:22:10 --> 00:22:10 own reading,
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 whether it's the
00:22:11 --> 00:22:11 Bible reading,
00:22:13 --> 00:22:15 God's word will
00:22:15 --> 00:22:15 achieve its
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 purpose.
00:22:17 --> 00:22:17 Are you actually
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 coming willing to
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 hear what it has
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 to say?
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 Or are you maybe
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 trying to pick and
00:22:23 --> 00:22:23 choose the things
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 you want to hear?
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 Maybe today you
00:22:26 --> 00:22:26 would prefer to
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 hear that God
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 loves you lots.
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 And it's true,
00:22:30 --> 00:22:30 and it's good,
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 and it's great,
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 but what if God
00:22:32 --> 00:22:32 has something else
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 he wants to
00:22:33 --> 00:22:33 tell you?
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 We need to be
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 people who have
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 ears that are
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 open, who
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 deeply desire
00:22:40 --> 00:22:42 that God would
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 speak to us even
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 when it hurts,
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 because we know
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 from last week he's
00:22:46 --> 00:22:49 always working for
00:22:49 --> 00:22:49 our good.
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 He's not showing
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 us sin in our
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 lives just to make
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 us feel guilty.
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 He's showing us
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 and reminding us
00:22:57 --> 00:22:59 that he is holy
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 and perfect and
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 majestic, and for
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 us to spend
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 eternity with him
00:23:03 --> 00:23:03 he needs to
00:23:03 --> 00:23:05 cleanse us of
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 the parts of our
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 lives that aren't
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 good enough.
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 He's preparing
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 us for heaven.
00:23:14 --> 00:23:17 But again, the
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 point isn't guilt.
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 That's not God's
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 desire.
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 If you come here
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 regularly and you
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 sit and feel a
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 weight of guilt as
00:23:26 --> 00:23:26 we are in church
00:23:26 --> 00:23:28 gathered, if God's
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 word, you feel like
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 it just points at
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 you and shines a
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 spotlight on parts of
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 your life that you
00:23:33 --> 00:23:33 want to be kept
00:23:33 --> 00:23:38 secret, that's not
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 God's desire for
00:23:39 --> 00:23:39 you.
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 Guilt is not a
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 wrong starting point
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 because the way that
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 we live is shameful.
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 But the reason God
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 shows us those parts
00:23:49 --> 00:23:51 of our lives is
00:23:51 --> 00:23:53 because his desire is
00:23:53 --> 00:23:53 that we might be
00:23:53 --> 00:23:55 purified and cleansed
00:23:55 --> 00:23:57 and that we might
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 spend eternity with
00:23:58 --> 00:23:58 him in heaven.
00:24:01 --> 00:24:03 It is not a
00:24:03 --> 00:24:05 coincidence that in
00:24:05 --> 00:24:07 God's word we are
00:24:07 --> 00:24:10 convicted of sin but
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 we are also shown
00:24:11 --> 00:24:11 Jesus.
00:24:13 --> 00:24:15 God speaks to us to
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 show us that we are
00:24:16 --> 00:24:18 not good enough so
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 that when he preaches
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 to us of our
00:24:20 --> 00:24:23 Saviour, we may
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 catch a glimpse of
00:24:24 --> 00:24:27 the majesty of
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 God's love and
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 forgiveness in the
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 face of our
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 disobedience.
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 God's word is
00:24:34 --> 00:24:36 God speaking to
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 us.
00:24:36 --> 00:24:39 God's word always
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 achieves its
00:24:40 --> 00:24:43 purpose and
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 ultimately that
00:24:44 --> 00:24:46 purpose is for us
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 to see God.
00:24:46 --> 00:24:49 God's word is
00:24:49 --> 00:24:49 God speaking to
00:24:49 --> 00:24:49 God.
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 The way that God
00:24:50 --> 00:24:50 rebukes us in
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 Scripture isn't
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 always to say, I
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 saw you speeding.
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 There's no verse that
00:24:55 --> 00:24:55 says that.
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 Or I know what you're
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 thinking about that
00:24:58 --> 00:24:58 person.
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 But what Scripture
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 does, what God does
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 when he speaks is he
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 shows us himself.
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 And as we see his
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 majesty and holiness,
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 our sin becomes
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 apparent very
00:25:11 --> 00:25:11 quickly.
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 We need to be very
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 careful that we are
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 not people who read
00:25:16 --> 00:25:19 God's word selectively,
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 who pick and choose
00:25:21 --> 00:25:21 the stuff that we
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 like to hear at
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 certain times in our
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 life.
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 God wants more for
00:25:26 --> 00:25:26 you than that.
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 God doesn't want
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 some superficial,
00:25:31 --> 00:25:31 I feel great and
00:25:31 --> 00:25:33 isn't life fantastic
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 faith.
00:25:34 --> 00:25:34 He doesn't want us
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 to understand just
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 the love of him
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 because you can't
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 understand God's
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 love until you
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 comprehend his
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 holiness and his
00:25:41 --> 00:25:41 justice.
00:25:42 --> 00:25:42 I've had a
00:25:42 --> 00:25:44 conversation with a
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 woman who has left
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 this church.
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 And she said,
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 I just got sick of
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 being told that I
00:25:50 --> 00:25:50 was wrong.
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 I got sick of being
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 told that there was
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 things that needed to
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 change in my life.
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 I just wanted to hear
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 about God's love for
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 me so that I could be
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 ready to handle the
00:26:00 --> 00:26:00 week ahead.
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 Now, without judging
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 her situation,
00:26:06 --> 00:26:08 she can't understand
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 God's love unless she
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 understands how
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 unworthy she is of
00:26:11 --> 00:26:11 it.
00:26:15 --> 00:26:15 When we are
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 reminded of our
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 own sin, we are
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 driven back to the
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 cross and we see
00:26:19 --> 00:26:21 God most clearly
00:26:21 --> 00:26:23 because he loves
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 unworthy people like
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 us.
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 The Bible tells us
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 that as we open
00:26:30 --> 00:26:32 God's word, we get
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 to know God better.
00:26:34 --> 00:26:36 It's here, in God's
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 word, when God speaks,
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 that we are born
00:26:38 --> 00:26:40 again, that we
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 receive new life,
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 that we are shaped,
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 not because of this
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 paper or these words,
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 but because God
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 speaks here.
00:26:48 --> 00:26:50 By his Holy Spirit,
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 this becomes living
00:26:51 --> 00:26:53 and active and
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 shapes our heart to
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 love what God
00:26:56 --> 00:26:56 loves.
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 This is the only
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 place where you get
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 to see God.
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 There are some
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 fantastic Christian
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 books to read that
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 are helpful, but
00:27:06 --> 00:27:08 this alone is the
00:27:08 --> 00:27:10 place that you get
00:27:10 --> 00:27:10 to know God.
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 This alone is the
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 place that he has
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 chosen to speak to
00:27:14 --> 00:27:14 you, to reveal
00:27:14 --> 00:27:16 himself, and this is
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 essential if you want
00:27:17 --> 00:27:19 to grow and mature as
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 a follower of Jesus.
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 Psalm 1 that was
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 read for us earlier
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 paints this incredible
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 picture of when we
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 delight in and
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 meditate on God's
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 law, on his word,
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 we become like a
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 healthy tree.
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 It's planted by a
00:27:33 --> 00:27:33 stream.
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 It gets the
00:27:35 --> 00:27:35 sustenance it needs.
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 It grows, it
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 produces fruit, it
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 prospers.
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 In God's word, we're
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 fed and strengthened.
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 In God's word, we're
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 pruned that we might
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 bear more fruit.
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 And by God's word, we
00:27:47 --> 00:27:49 fulfill the purpose
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 that he has for us.
00:27:53 --> 00:27:55 So this is not just an
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 ordinary book.
00:27:56 --> 00:27:58 It's nothing like a
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 good story we might
00:27:59 --> 00:27:59 read.
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 This is God speaking to
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 you.
00:28:02 --> 00:28:04 This is God wanting to
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 work in your life and
00:28:05 --> 00:28:05 shape you.
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 This is God wanting to
00:28:06 --> 00:28:08 reveal himself to you.
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 But what does that mean
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 about the way we handle
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 this book?
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 Should you wash your
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 hands before you open
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 it tomorrow morning to
00:28:14 --> 00:28:14 read it?
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 Maybe.
00:28:17 --> 00:28:17 It's probably not
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 essential.
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 What will it mean for
00:28:21 --> 00:28:23 us to treat this as God
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 speaking to us?
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 Let me suggest a couple
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 really quickly.
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 Firstly, be prepared.
00:28:28 --> 00:28:32 for Israel, having God
00:28:32 --> 00:28:35 speak to them was a
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 fearful experience.
00:28:37 --> 00:28:39 Because the God who was
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 about to speak was the
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 same God who spoke
00:28:41 --> 00:28:43 creation.
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 As you prepare for your
00:28:46 --> 00:28:48 own quiet times, as you
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 prepare for church, as you
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 prepare for community
00:28:50 --> 00:28:52 group, don't come here
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 thinking about 50 other
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 things.
00:28:54 --> 00:28:56 Don't go out late on a
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 Saturday night so that
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 you're so tired when you
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 get here on Sunday you're
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 struggling to stay awake.
00:29:01 --> 00:29:03 God wants to speak to
00:29:03 --> 00:29:03 you.
00:29:04 --> 00:29:06 Come here in the best
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 frame of mind that you
00:29:07 --> 00:29:07 possibly can.
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 Eager to hear him speak.
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 Awake.
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 Alert.
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 Deeply desiring that he
00:29:13 --> 00:29:15 might rebuke you so that
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 you might know the joy of
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 his forgiveness.
00:29:18 --> 00:29:20 Be eager to know God
00:29:20 --> 00:29:23 where he reveals himself
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 in his word.
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 We need to be regular.
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 There are so many voices
00:29:28 --> 00:29:30 speaking into our lives
00:29:30 --> 00:29:30 at the moment.
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 I confess this morning
00:29:32 --> 00:29:34 that I have somewhat of a
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 Facebook addiction.
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 Now that it's on your
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 phone, I will literally
00:29:38 --> 00:29:40 sometimes wake up, turn
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 off the alarm and in the
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 same motion hit the
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 Facebook icon just to
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 gander at what statuses
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 have appeared while I've
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 been asleep.
00:29:47 --> 00:29:49 And maybe you're not as
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 bad with Facebook as I am
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 maybe you read the paper,
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 maybe you check your
00:29:52 --> 00:29:52 emails.
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 The first voice you hear
00:29:54 --> 00:29:56 for the day, is it
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 God's?
00:29:58 --> 00:30:00 Do you even hear God
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 speak to you each day?
00:30:02 --> 00:30:04 There are so many people
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 telling you who you are,
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 what matters, what's
00:30:06 --> 00:30:08 important, but God's
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 voice is the one that
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 matters.
00:30:11 --> 00:30:13 We are a church that has
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 as a core value Christ
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 centered Bible
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 saturation.
00:30:17 --> 00:30:19 We want to be people that
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 when life squeezes us
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 through suffering and
00:30:21 --> 00:30:23 trial, Bible comes out.
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 As you face difficulty
00:30:27 --> 00:30:32 and pain, may the hope
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 and encouragement of God's
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 word be the first thing
00:30:34 --> 00:30:36 that comes to the surface.
00:30:37 --> 00:30:39 We need God's word.
00:30:41 --> 00:30:41 Memorize it.
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 Read it daily.
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 Do whatever you've got to
00:30:44 --> 00:30:44 do.
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 If you're not doing a
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 Bible reading plan this year
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 and you want to, please
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 join us during the one
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 that I've emailed out to
00:30:49 --> 00:30:49 you.
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 It's been a joy this week
00:30:51 --> 00:30:53 to get back into Genesis
00:30:53 --> 00:30:56 and be reminded of the
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 God who is sovereign.
00:30:59 --> 00:31:03 Lastly, be humble and be
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 expectant.
00:31:06 --> 00:31:08 When you open this book,
00:31:09 --> 00:31:10 don't let it be about
00:31:10 --> 00:31:11 finishing what you're doing.
00:31:13 --> 00:31:15 When we read the Bible in
00:31:15 --> 00:31:17 church, don't let it be about
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 what's happening after
00:31:18 --> 00:31:18 church.
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 When you meet in your
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 community group, don't let
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 it be about supper.
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 Don't let it be about
00:31:24 --> 00:31:27 anything but hearing what
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 God has to say.
00:31:30 --> 00:31:33 Don't close it until he's
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 spoken to you.
00:31:36 --> 00:31:38 Because his word is always
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 achieving his purpose.
00:31:41 --> 00:31:43 We want to be people who
00:31:43 --> 00:31:45 delight in the opportunities
00:31:45 --> 00:31:47 that God's word gives us
00:31:47 --> 00:31:47 to repent.
00:31:49 --> 00:31:51 We want to be like the
00:31:51 --> 00:31:51 Ninevites.
00:31:52 --> 00:31:54 When God says there is
00:31:54 --> 00:31:56 wickedness in us, may we
00:31:56 --> 00:31:59 humbly repent and
00:31:59 --> 00:32:00 acknowledge that he alone
00:32:00 --> 00:32:01 is God.
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 Repentance is joy for
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 followers of God.
00:32:05 --> 00:32:07 There is that initial pain
00:32:07 --> 00:32:09 and guilt, but all it does is
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 take us to Jesus.
00:32:10 --> 00:32:12 It takes us to forgiveness
00:32:12 --> 00:32:13 and it takes us to hope.
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 So let's be people who come
00:32:14 --> 00:32:17 to church wanting God to
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 show us what in us needs to
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 change.
00:32:19 --> 00:32:21 Because then we can hand it
00:32:21 --> 00:32:22 over at the cross and ask
00:32:22 --> 00:32:23 that he replace it with
00:32:23 --> 00:32:24 something better.
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 He replace it with Christ's
00:32:26 --> 00:32:28 likeness and a love for him
00:32:28 --> 00:32:29 that is growing.
00:32:30 --> 00:32:30 Sorry, one more.
00:32:32 --> 00:32:35 So be prepared, be regular, be
00:32:35 --> 00:32:37 humble and lastly be bold.
00:32:37 --> 00:32:40 God's word does stuff.
00:32:41 --> 00:32:43 We need to stop trying to
00:32:43 --> 00:32:45 come up with fantastic ways
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 that we're going to introduce
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 Jesus to the world.
00:32:49 --> 00:32:50 This is the way.
00:32:51 --> 00:32:52 Jonah is trying to run away
00:32:52 --> 00:32:55 from God and he speaks God's
00:32:55 --> 00:32:57 word and sailors make
00:32:57 --> 00:32:58 sacrifices to God.
00:32:58 --> 00:33:01 In your work, in your family,
00:33:01 --> 00:33:03 in your school, wherever it is,
00:33:04 --> 00:33:07 speak God's word.
00:33:08 --> 00:33:10 If you're looking for ways to
00:33:10 --> 00:33:12 share the gospel, there are a
00:33:12 --> 00:33:13 bunch of amazing memory verses
00:33:13 --> 00:33:15 that will communicate the gospel
00:33:15 --> 00:33:16 to people and it's God's words,
00:33:16 --> 00:33:16 not yours.
00:33:17 --> 00:33:19 And just a tip, he's more
00:33:19 --> 00:33:20 articulate than you.
00:33:21 --> 00:33:23 But more importantly, he's more
00:33:23 --> 00:33:24 powerful than you.
00:33:24 --> 00:33:27 And when he speaks, people have
00:33:27 --> 00:33:28 the chance to see him.
00:33:29 --> 00:33:31 This is the most incredible gift
00:33:31 --> 00:33:33 God has given us, the ability
00:33:33 --> 00:33:34 to know him.
00:33:37 --> 00:33:40 So be prepared, be regular, be
00:33:40 --> 00:33:44 humble, be bold and may God
00:33:44 --> 00:33:47 transform us to be more and more
00:33:47 --> 00:33:50 like Jesus for his sake and for
00:33:50 --> 00:33:51 his glory.
00:33:52 --> 00:33:52 Let's pray.
00:33:54 --> 00:34:01 Father God, we want to
00:34:01 --> 00:34:02 acknowledge that even tonight as
00:34:02 --> 00:34:04 we sit and we read your word and
00:34:04 --> 00:34:06 we wrestle with what it is to have
00:34:06 --> 00:34:08 you speak to us, that there are
00:34:08 --> 00:34:11 other things on our minds that
00:34:11 --> 00:34:12 maybe all we're focused on is
00:34:12 --> 00:34:13 getting to the end.
00:34:15 --> 00:34:17 But God, we ask that you would
00:34:17 --> 00:34:20 give us a deep thirst to know you,
00:34:21 --> 00:34:22 that you would keep us from being
00:34:22 --> 00:34:24 more precious about how comfortable
00:34:24 --> 00:34:26 we feel, about how self-confident
00:34:26 --> 00:34:27 we feel.
00:34:28 --> 00:34:30 Instead, give us a desire to know you
00:34:30 --> 00:34:31 more than anything else, to treasure
00:34:31 --> 00:34:33 you more than anything else.
00:34:34 --> 00:34:36 Make us people who soak in your word,
00:34:36 --> 00:34:38 who delight in your law.
00:34:40 --> 00:34:42 Write your word on our hearts, God,
00:34:42 --> 00:34:44 that we may live lives that honor you.
00:34:46 --> 00:34:48 God, we want to pray that as we open
00:34:48 --> 00:34:49 your word, that it would never be just
00:34:49 --> 00:34:51 an academic exercise.
00:34:53 --> 00:34:55 But as we hear you speak, help us to
00:34:55 --> 00:34:56 see you.
00:34:56 --> 00:34:58 Help us to love you.
00:34:59 --> 00:35:02 Shape our hearts that we may love what
00:35:02 --> 00:35:03 you love and hate what you hate.
00:35:07 --> 00:35:08 God, I want to pray that if there are
00:35:08 --> 00:35:10 people in this room right now who for
00:35:10 --> 00:35:12 them it's still the experience that when
00:35:12 --> 00:35:15 your word is open, guilt is the first
00:35:15 --> 00:35:16 thing they feel.
00:35:17 --> 00:35:19 God, I pray that you may show them your
00:35:19 --> 00:35:20 love.
00:35:22 --> 00:35:23 Show them your grace.
00:35:25 --> 00:35:27 Show them that guilt for us
00:35:27 --> 00:35:30 is just an opportunity for joyful
00:35:30 --> 00:35:30 repentance.
00:35:34 --> 00:35:36 Father, we thank you so much for Jesus.
00:35:36 --> 00:35:39 We thank you that we can call you
00:35:39 --> 00:35:40 Father.
00:35:40 --> 00:35:42 We thank you that we can sit under your
00:35:42 --> 00:35:44 word, that we can rejoice as your
00:35:44 --> 00:35:46 people, that we can be confident that
00:35:46 --> 00:35:48 you are preparing a place for us.
00:35:49 --> 00:35:51 Lord, every day until you come back,
00:35:53 --> 00:35:55 may you reveal more of yourself, that
00:35:55 --> 00:35:57 we may know you better, that we may
00:35:57 --> 00:35:59 find the fuller joy that is only found
00:35:59 --> 00:36:03 in you, and so that the world may see
00:36:03 --> 00:36:03 you in us.
00:36:06 --> 00:36:06 Amen.
00:36:06 --> 00:36:06 Amen.