The Call To Mercy
Series: LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR
Speaker: Sam Low
Date: 30th April 2017
00:00:00 --> 00:00:06 When we get confronted with an impossible task, we have kind of three options with what we can do
00:00:06 --> 00:00:12 with it. We can just reject it, decide it is impossible, it's too hard, leave it behind,
00:00:12 --> 00:00:18 move on, find something else to do. We can, of course, take the reality check, recognise that
00:00:18 --> 00:00:25 this is something beyond us and maybe get the help that we need to get the task done. Or we can just
00:00:25 --> 00:00:32 somehow adjust the task, to lower the bar a little bit so that what's impossible can become something
00:00:32 --> 00:00:38 that's achievable for us. And I think if I'm honest, the third one is the one that I'm most
00:00:38 --> 00:00:45 likely to do. When I was in high school, I had a maths teacher who was actually a really good maths
00:00:45 --> 00:00:50 teacher in hindsight, I can now see that, but she had this style of teaching where she would spend
00:00:50 --> 00:00:56 the entire lesson teaching us how to do something without letting us actually start doing it.
00:00:56 --> 00:01:01 And so then that meant that all the exercises that we had to cover for that particular thing
00:01:01 --> 00:01:07 had to be done as homework. So after 45 minutes of explanation, she would take the last few minutes
00:01:07 --> 00:01:11 just to let us know that for homework that night, we will be doing chapters 8, 9, 10, second half of
00:01:11 --> 00:01:17 11 and 15. And I'm looking at the textbook, and the maths textbook is always the thickest textbook,
00:01:17 --> 00:01:22 and I'm looking at it, just looking at page after page of confusing X's and numbers and stuff like
00:01:22 --> 00:01:28 and just thinking, the amount of time it's going to take to do this is going to seriously clash with
00:01:28 --> 00:01:33 the amount of time that I've already committed to watching TV later this afternoon. It's potentially
00:01:33 --> 00:01:37 impossible for me to do all of this maths and all the things that I want to do. I mean, I've got to
00:01:37 --> 00:01:43 squeeze in dinner at some point. What if I have to ring somebody or update my Facebook status? There are
00:01:43 --> 00:01:48 things that need to happen tonight, and it is going to be impossible for me to do this maths work.
00:01:49 --> 00:01:56 And so in that moment, I would entertain, you know, just rejecting that task, just not doing it,
00:01:56 --> 00:02:00 just kind of hoping that I didn't get found out. But, you know, let's be honest, I might have got
00:02:00 --> 00:02:04 away with it occasionally, but I wasn't going to make it through all of high school with that
00:02:04 --> 00:02:10 approach to maths homework. So I had to shelve that possible response. Second response was reality
00:02:10 --> 00:02:15 check, maybe I'm watching too much TV and I need to commit this time to maths. That wasn't going to
00:02:15 --> 00:02:20 happen either. Third response, and just to be clear, since some of you are in high school, some of you
00:02:20 --> 00:02:24 are probably maths teachers in here, I can't see properly, but just to be clear, this is not an
00:02:24 --> 00:02:30 endorsement or a recommendation. But the third response, and my response was, to adjust the task
00:02:30 --> 00:02:36 sufficiently that I could make it something achievable. So my philosophy with maths exercises was
00:02:36 --> 00:02:41 to do the first three questions in the first exercise, the last three questions in the last
00:02:41 --> 00:02:45 exercise, and if I got at least a couple of those right, I figured that I could in good conscience
00:02:45 --> 00:02:51 say that I'd covered the work that was required for homework, and so I wouldn't have to acknowledge
00:02:51 --> 00:02:55 in class the next day that I hadn't done it. I did survive maths in high school, if you're wondering.
00:02:56 --> 00:03:03 When we're confronted by a task that feels impossible, by a standard that feels unattainable,
00:03:03 --> 00:03:10 we have these three potential responses. And sometimes when it comes to following Jesus,
00:03:10 --> 00:03:15 it can feel like he puts up requests of us, demands of us, commands that we read in scripture,
00:03:15 --> 00:03:24 like this one, and it can feel impossible. And so we're faced with these options. Do we just reject
00:03:24 --> 00:03:30 following Jesus and put it in the too hard basket, do something else with our time? Do we take the
00:03:30 --> 00:03:37 reality check that, yes, it is too hard? On one level, it is impossible for us to fully live up
00:03:37 --> 00:03:45 to the standards that God's putting in front of us, and maybe we need some help? Or do we lower the bar?
00:03:47 --> 00:03:51 Do we take what God puts in front of us as what we're supposed to do and how we're supposed to live
00:03:51 --> 00:03:59 and rationalise it? Make the demand slightly more achievable. Now, not explicitly, no one is walking
00:03:59 --> 00:04:03 around going, I'm following Jesus, I'm a Christian, but I've just lowered the bar a bit to make it easier.
00:04:04 --> 00:04:14 But subtly, we like to reinterpret what God wants from us. We like to listen to the commands and just
00:04:14 --> 00:04:19 adjust so that it will fit a bit more neatly, so that it's something I can actually do,
00:04:19 --> 00:04:26 something I can tick the box for. And option three is where we find our expert in the law
00:04:26 --> 00:04:34 in Luke 10 that Deb just read out for us. He comes to Jesus with this question. Now, it's not a genuine
00:04:34 --> 00:04:38 question. We know it's not a genuine question because we're told that he's just trying to test
00:04:38 --> 00:04:47 Jesus, but he asks, what must I do to inherit eternal life? But the reason we know this is a test,
00:04:47 --> 00:04:52 apart from the fact that it says it, is that he knows the answer. Because Jesus flips it and goes,
00:04:52 --> 00:04:57 well, what does the law say? I'm not trying to trick you here, I'm not trying to make it difficult,
00:04:57 --> 00:05:01 I've told you exactly what is required if you want eternal life, if you want to go to heaven.
00:05:01 --> 00:05:08 It's written there. And the expert in the law answers really correctly. He says, you've got to love the
00:05:08 --> 00:05:12 Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind,
00:05:12 --> 00:05:19 and you've got to love your neighbor as yourself. And Jesus is like, see, there it is. It's obvious,
00:05:19 --> 00:05:27 it's clear. Just love God with everything you've got all of the time, no exceptions, and love your
00:05:27 --> 00:05:34 neighbor as yourself. That's it. That sums up everything that God requires of you in all of
00:05:34 --> 00:05:41 his law, all of his rules. That's all you have to do to go to heaven. And so Jesus looks this guy in
00:05:41 --> 00:05:52 the eyes and says, do this and you will live. Just do that. Simple. But the problem for this guy was
00:05:52 --> 00:05:57 never that he didn't know the answer. The problem wasn't that he was ignorant of what was required.
00:05:57 --> 00:06:03 The problem was he didn't like what he was hearing. The problem was what God was asking of him sounded
00:06:03 --> 00:06:10 too difficult. The problem was he looked at that standard, love God with everything, love your
00:06:10 --> 00:06:17 neighbor, and he correctly read that, I can't do that. I can't deliver. Even me, an expert in the law,
00:06:17 --> 00:06:25 cannot live up to that standard. And so he tries to lower the bar. It says there in verse 29, he wanted
00:06:25 --> 00:06:33 to justify himself. He wants to find a way to tick the box. So he asks Jesus, who is my neighbor?
00:06:36 --> 00:06:42 He's trying to clarify. He's like, Jesus, clearly that's impossible. Sounds nice. But let's narrow it
00:06:42 --> 00:06:48 down to something that, you know, I can have a real red hot go at. To which Jesus responds with
00:06:48 --> 00:06:55 what is a really well-known story, the Good Samaritan. Now before we jump into this story and
00:06:55 --> 00:07:00 what you think you know about this story, we need to remember the first question that the expert in
00:07:00 --> 00:07:06 the law asked. We've got to remember that he's interested in eternal life. That's what he wants.
00:07:06 --> 00:07:13 That's what matters to him. He wants heaven. He wants to be with God forever. And so as we go
00:07:13 --> 00:07:18 through the story now, you need to keep asking yourself this question, what does this story have
00:07:18 --> 00:07:25 to do with getting eternal life? You ready? It's been read. Let's give you a recap. You've got that
00:07:25 --> 00:07:29 question in your head. What does this story have to do with eternal life? Now I'll give you the very
00:07:29 --> 00:07:34 fast recap. A man is walking down the road. All we know about him is he's a man. He's heading towards
00:07:34 --> 00:07:39 Jericho. He's on a road called the Jericho Road. He gets attacked. He gets beaten. He gets robbed. He
00:07:39 --> 00:07:45 gets left for dead. One man, a priest, comes along, sees him, looks the other way, keeps walking.
00:07:46 --> 00:07:51 Another man, a Levite, walks down the road, sees him bloodied, beaten, laying there, needing help,
00:07:51 --> 00:07:56 looks the other way, keeps going. Now they're supposed to be the holy people. Now when Jesus is
00:07:56 --> 00:08:01 telling this story, everyone there would have expected one of them to be the hero in this story.
00:08:01 --> 00:08:05 Like he was going to lift them up and say, be like the Levite, be like the priest. But they just
00:08:05 --> 00:08:11 keep going and leave the guy lying in the ditch. And then you get to your third guy, a Samaritan
00:08:11 --> 00:08:18 who takes pity on him. A Samaritan who bandages his wounds, who puts him on his donkey. So now the
00:08:18 --> 00:08:24 Samaritan has to walk the rest of the way. The Samaritan who takes him to the inn, who looks after
00:08:24 --> 00:08:30 him, who pays for him to continue getting care from the innkeeper, who then plans to return just to make
00:08:30 --> 00:08:35 sure that he can pay any extra costs, to make sure that this guy is actually getting looked after.
00:08:36 --> 00:08:43 Now you've got to understand that Jews who were hearing this story and Samaritans who lived kind
00:08:43 --> 00:08:51 of next to them, hated each other. And not like just a, I don't like you hatred. It was this ingrained
00:08:51 --> 00:08:58 sense of we're better than you. And not like better at sports, we're better people than you.
00:08:59 --> 00:09:05 It was absolutely inconceivable for a Jew to imagine that a Samaritan could have been, let alone would
00:09:05 --> 00:09:13 have been, more compassionate than a Jew. It just did not enter their frame of thinking. And yet Jesus
00:09:13 --> 00:09:20 tells this story where a Samaritan endangers himself. I mean, just think about this for a second.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:24 It's like there's a dark alleyway and there's a bloody beaten person and you notice it.
00:09:25 --> 00:09:30 Just a little bit of thinking tells you that somebody beat them up. And so to walk into that
00:09:30 --> 00:09:35 alleyway is to put yourself in danger. There's a small part of us that's got to have a little bit
00:09:35 --> 00:09:41 of grace for the Levite and the priest who kept walking. We might even call that worldly wisdom,
00:09:42 --> 00:09:49 avoiding a dangerous situation. But yet the Samaritan endangers himself, puts himself in harm's way,
00:09:49 --> 00:09:57 helps the man physically, pays for his accommodation, comes back to check on the man,
00:09:57 --> 00:10:03 goes above and beyond, bears the financial cost, follows it through to the end. I mean,
00:10:04 --> 00:10:08 the Samaritan could have dropped the guy off at the inn, never come back, and he still would have
00:10:08 --> 00:10:16 looked golden in this story. The other two guys ignored him simply by stopping, giving him a bottle
00:10:16 --> 00:10:23 of water. He would have looked like the hero, but he goes above and beyond. He does what is needed and
00:10:23 --> 00:10:30 more. He commits to loving his neighbour no matter how costly it's going to be. It's kind of like the
00:10:30 --> 00:10:36 difference between being friendly and being a friend here at church. We're a church that has guests come
00:10:36 --> 00:10:41 in here every week. People who are sitting in these seats for the very first time, every single time
00:10:41 --> 00:10:48 we gather. God is really good to us. And sometimes we think, I'll be really friendly, and so we smile
00:10:48 --> 00:10:53 and we wave. And maybe if there's that moment where we have to talk to one another, we'll kind of say,
00:10:53 --> 00:10:58 hi, how are you? Nice to see you. And then we'll quickly make our way back to our seat. And we kind
00:10:58 --> 00:11:07 of walk away going, we're friendly. I'm friendly. But a friend is the person who actually wants to get to
00:11:07 --> 00:11:12 know that person, who doesn't just say hello and run back to safety, but introduces themselves,
00:11:13 --> 00:11:18 sits with them, checks out how they found church, maybe invites them to dinner afterwards,
00:11:18 --> 00:11:23 spends some time with them, gets to know them, goes above and beyond because the person matters,
00:11:23 --> 00:11:30 not the task. It's not about, I've got to tick friendliness. It's, I need to care for this person,
00:11:30 --> 00:11:38 this individual. The Samaritan goes above and beyond because he's not trying to just be merciful.
00:11:40 --> 00:11:44 He's having compassion and pity on this individual that he sees.
00:11:46 --> 00:11:54 And so the story ends with Jesus' words, go and do likewise, which should sound familiar.
00:11:54 --> 00:12:02 Jesus is clearly echoing the thing that he said after the first question, do this and you will live.
00:12:04 --> 00:12:11 The point being that this story is supposed to illustrate the commandments that came before.
00:12:12 --> 00:12:17 This call to be a neighbor like the Samaritan, to love your neighbor like the Samaritan,
00:12:17 --> 00:12:22 has to do with inheriting eternal life, has to do with getting to heaven, with being saved.
00:12:22 --> 00:12:29 Loving your neighbor is not a secondary, subsequent point after loving God.
00:12:31 --> 00:12:35 Mercy to people and worship to God stay connected.
00:12:35 --> 00:12:41 Our vertical relationship with God and our horizontal relationships with one another can't be separated.
00:12:41 --> 00:12:42 They're connected.
00:12:44 --> 00:12:51 Mercy or love for your neighbor is part of what it looks like to love God with all of your heart, soul,
00:12:51 --> 00:12:53 mind and strength.
00:12:55 --> 00:13:00 We get a definition for what mercy and love for neighbor looks like in this Samaritan story.
00:13:01 --> 00:13:06 At the end, the expert in the law, the one who's kind of set himself up to look stupid in this story,
00:13:07 --> 00:13:13 describes what the Samaritan did as mercy, which means mercy includes caring for his physical needs,
00:13:13 --> 00:13:19 includes paying his financial costs, includes giving up his own time, putting himself in danger.
00:13:19 --> 00:13:20 That's mercy.
00:13:22 --> 00:13:28 That's the kind of love for people that has to go with love for God.
00:13:31 --> 00:13:33 Because Jesus never separates them.
00:13:35 --> 00:13:36 Jesus never says they're two different things.
00:13:37 --> 00:13:41 His mission on earth was to bring people back into a relationship with God.
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 That was his agenda.
00:13:42 --> 00:13:44 He came to fix what was wrong.
00:13:45 --> 00:13:50 But clearly, high priority for him, part of what it looked like to show God's love to the world,
00:13:51 --> 00:13:54 was to spend time with and care for those in need.
00:13:55 --> 00:14:00 For the poor, for the lonely, for the outcast, for the widow, for the sick.
00:14:00 --> 00:14:01 That's who he spent his time with.
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 Because they mattered to him.
00:14:04 --> 00:14:13 Jesus' very first sermon, in Luke chapter 4, he gets up and he reads out of the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament.
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 And he reads this.
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16 He says,
00:14:16 --> 00:14:35 Jesus comes to undo what is wrong with the world, to undo the effects of sin,
00:14:35 --> 00:14:38 to declare that God cares for the needy,
00:14:39 --> 00:14:41 and that his love for them is not just a sentiment.
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 It's not just an idea.
00:14:43 --> 00:14:48 It's an action that he embodies by spending time with them.
00:14:52 --> 00:14:57 The Bible makes it clear that loving God is loving your neighbour.
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 Jesus shows us what it looks like.
00:15:01 --> 00:15:03 James 2 makes it explicit.
00:15:03 --> 00:15:05 Deborah read it out for us in James 2.15.
00:15:06 --> 00:15:09 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 If one of you says to them,
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 Go in peace.
00:15:11 --> 00:15:13 Keep warm and well fed.
00:15:13 --> 00:15:15 But does nothing about their physical needs.
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 What good is it?
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 In the same way,
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 Faith by itself,
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 if it is not accompanied by action,
00:15:22 --> 00:15:23 is dead.
00:15:26 --> 00:15:28 Love is more than words.
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 Love demands concrete,
00:15:31 --> 00:15:32 practical action and care.
00:15:32 --> 00:15:38 The action of loving God is the action of loving your neighbour.
00:15:40 --> 00:15:42 There's a passage in Matthew 25,
00:15:42 --> 00:15:44 which is a really scary passage of scripture.
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46 It's Jesus describing the final day,
00:15:47 --> 00:15:49 when those who are genuinely his,
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 genuine followers of God,
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 genuine lovers of God,
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 will be shown as genuine.
00:15:54 --> 00:15:56 And those who speak the words that they love God,
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58 but don't actually love him,
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 don't live it out,
00:16:00 --> 00:16:02 will be shown to be not genuine.
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 And do you know what the measure will be?
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 To separate them out?
00:16:09 --> 00:16:11 Let me read to you from Matthew 25.
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 It'll be on the screen as well.
00:16:14 --> 00:16:17 When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 and all the angels with him,
00:16:19 --> 00:16:21 he will sit on his glorious throne.
00:16:21 --> 00:16:24 All the nations will be gathered before him,
00:16:24 --> 00:16:26 and he will separate the people one from another,
00:16:26 --> 00:16:29 as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
00:16:29 --> 00:16:31 He will put the sheep on his right,
00:16:31 --> 00:16:32 and the goats on his left.
00:16:33 --> 00:16:35 Then the king will say to those on his right,
00:16:35 --> 00:16:37 come you who are blessed by my father,
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 take your inheritance,
00:16:39 --> 00:16:42 the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 For I was hungry,
00:16:44 --> 00:16:46 and you gave me something to eat.
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 I was thirsty,
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 and you gave me something to drink.
00:16:49 --> 00:16:51 I was a stranger,
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 and you invited me in.
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 I needed clothes,
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 and you clothed me.
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 I was sick,
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 and you looked after me.
00:16:56 --> 00:16:56 I was in prison,
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 and you came to visit me.
00:16:58 --> 00:17:00 Then the righteous will answer him,
00:17:01 --> 00:17:01 Lord,
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 when did we see you hungry,
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 and feed you,
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 or thirsty,
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 and give you something to drink?
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 When did we see you a stranger,
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 and invite you in,
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 or needing clothes,
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 and clothe you?
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 When did we see you sick,
00:17:11 --> 00:17:11 or in prison,
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 and go to visit you?
00:17:12 --> 00:17:15 The king will reply,
00:17:16 --> 00:17:18 truly I tell you,
00:17:19 --> 00:17:23 whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine,
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 you did for me.
00:17:27 --> 00:17:29 And then the scary warning.
00:17:31 --> 00:17:33 To those on his left,
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 depart from me,
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 you who are cursed,
00:17:37 --> 00:17:40 into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
00:17:40 --> 00:17:42 For I was hungry,
00:17:42 --> 00:17:44 and you gave me nothing to eat.
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 I was thirsty,
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 and you gave me nothing to drink.
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 I was a stranger,
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 and you did not invite me in.
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 I needed clothes,
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 and you did not clothe me.
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 I was sick,
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 and in prison,
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 and you did not look after me.
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 They also will answer,
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58 Lord,
00:17:58 --> 00:18:00 when did we see you hungry,
00:18:01 --> 00:18:01 or thirsty,
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 or a stranger,
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 or needing clothes,
00:18:03 --> 00:18:03 or sick,
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 or in prison,
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 and did not help you?
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 And he will reply,
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 truly I tell you,
00:18:10 --> 00:18:14 whatever you did not do,
00:18:14 --> 00:18:16 for one of the least of these,
00:18:16 --> 00:18:18 you did not do for me.
00:18:21 --> 00:18:23 To love God,
00:18:23 --> 00:18:25 is to love your neighbor.
00:18:27 --> 00:18:29 Because loving God,
00:18:29 --> 00:18:31 includes loving what he loves,
00:18:31 --> 00:18:33 caring about what matters to him,
00:18:33 --> 00:18:35 and he loves those he has made.
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 Rich or poor,
00:18:37 --> 00:18:39 he cares for his creation,
00:18:39 --> 00:18:41 even the ones that our culture,
00:18:41 --> 00:18:41 and our society,
00:18:41 --> 00:18:43 has long since given up on.
00:18:45 --> 00:18:47 The call to follow God,
00:18:47 --> 00:18:49 is a call to care practically,
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 for those in need.
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 Whatever their need is.
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 So where is our problem?
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 Because this isn't a news flash.
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 We're not ignorant.
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 We've all heard this before.
00:19:04 --> 00:19:07 We know we're supposed to love our neighbor.
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 Could it be,
00:19:12 --> 00:19:14 that the issue is not ignorance,
00:19:14 --> 00:19:16 but like the expert,
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 it's that it just seems too hard?
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 It's the difficulty.
00:19:21 --> 00:19:21 We look at this,
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 and it's just intimidating,
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 and we think,
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 how could I ever do that?
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 Do we think it's just too big a task,
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 so why bother trying?
00:19:28 --> 00:19:31 I mean,
00:19:31 --> 00:19:31 even for us,
00:19:31 --> 00:19:33 we live in one of the most affluent parts,
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 of one of the most affluent cities,
00:19:35 --> 00:19:37 in one of the most affluent countries,
00:19:37 --> 00:19:37 in the world.
00:19:39 --> 00:19:39 And yet,
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 you don't have to look far,
00:19:40 --> 00:19:42 if you walk through the mall in Chatswood,
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 to see homelessness,
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 poverty,
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 people struggling,
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 mental health issues.
00:19:51 --> 00:19:51 I mean,
00:19:51 --> 00:19:51 just,
00:19:52 --> 00:19:52 does it feel,
00:19:52 --> 00:19:54 too difficult?
00:19:55 --> 00:19:57 Just in the past week,
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 in the space of a couple of hours,
00:19:58 --> 00:20:00 I was engaged by two different people,
00:20:00 --> 00:20:02 who were both doing it tough.
00:20:03 --> 00:20:03 One man,
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 and one woman,
00:20:04 --> 00:20:06 in need of friendship,
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 money,
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 someone to listen,
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 somewhere to stay,
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 someone to care.
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 And if I'm honest,
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 in both situations,
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 I felt horribly inadequate.
00:20:18 --> 00:20:20 I knew I was supposed to care for them,
00:20:20 --> 00:20:22 I even kind of did care for them,
00:20:22 --> 00:20:24 I was in the middle of preparing this sermon.
00:20:24 --> 00:20:31 So I fumbled out some words,
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 I tried to listen,
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 I gave a few dollars,
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 I prayed for them,
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 and I walked away fairly confident that
00:20:35 --> 00:20:38 I hadn't really done a whole lot
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 to actually love them.
00:20:40 --> 00:20:43 I hadn't really made much of a difference for them.
00:20:45 --> 00:20:47 It can just kind of feel overwhelming,
00:20:47 --> 00:20:47 can't it?
00:20:47 --> 00:20:50 We know we're supposed to do it,
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 but do you ever feel like
00:20:52 --> 00:20:55 you can't make any difference anyway?
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 And so,
00:20:58 --> 00:21:00 faced by an impossible task,
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 the temptation is
00:21:01 --> 00:21:03 to just lower the bar.
00:21:05 --> 00:21:07 To make the call to love your neighbour
00:21:07 --> 00:21:09 a little bit more palatable.
00:21:09 --> 00:21:12 Maybe you lower the bar
00:21:12 --> 00:21:14 by focusing on the first commandment.
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 Just love God
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 with all your heart,
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 soul, mind and strength.
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 Focus on worship,
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 that's what really matters.
00:21:24 --> 00:21:24 And let's be honest,
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 that's harder to fail at.
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 It's harder to tell
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 if you're failing anyway.
00:21:29 --> 00:21:29 It's harder to pin down
00:21:29 --> 00:21:31 whether or not you're getting it right.
00:21:31 --> 00:21:31 It's spiritual.
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 It's ethereal.
00:21:33 --> 00:21:39 Or maybe you lower the bar
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 by kind of narrowing
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 loving your neighbour
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 down to evangelising
00:21:42 --> 00:21:44 or just telling people about Jesus.
00:21:45 --> 00:21:47 That's what love is, we say.
00:21:47 --> 00:21:49 I've just got to tell them about Jesus.
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 And the best bit is
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 it's not our problem
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 how they respond.
00:21:54 --> 00:21:54 Just tell them.
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 Then I've ticked the box
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 of loving them.
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 Again, it's harder to fail
00:22:00 --> 00:22:00 if all you've got to do
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 is just say some words.
00:22:03 --> 00:22:06 And so we make the commandment
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 more palatable,
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 more realistic.
00:22:10 --> 00:22:12 Churches and individuals
00:22:12 --> 00:22:14 tend to focus on one or the other.
00:22:15 --> 00:22:17 Either the words of speaking about Jesus
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 or the actions
00:22:18 --> 00:22:20 of physically meeting needs.
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 Providing clothing,
00:22:24 --> 00:22:26 friendship, mercy.
00:22:26 --> 00:22:28 You tend to get one or the other
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 and both sides tend to look
00:22:29 --> 00:22:31 down on the other one
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 as if they're better at loving.
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 They're more holy.
00:22:33 --> 00:22:37 But the reality is
00:22:37 --> 00:22:39 both sides of those
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 are a convenient delusion.
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 Both of them are missing
00:22:44 --> 00:22:46 a huge part of who God is,
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 how God loves,
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 what God's done.
00:22:52 --> 00:22:54 We as an Anglican church
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 live in the end
00:22:55 --> 00:22:57 that has traditionally focused
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 on speaking
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 rather than acting.
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 We're caring for the soul,
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 we like to say.
00:23:03 --> 00:23:08 But the God that we follow
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 cares for whole people.
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 Spiritual, physical.
00:23:13 --> 00:23:15 He created them with dignity.
00:23:16 --> 00:23:18 And he carries a burden
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 for those who are needy.
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 We need to be people who,
00:23:23 --> 00:23:25 as well as speaking about Jesus,
00:23:25 --> 00:23:27 which is invaluable and important,
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 also seek to know
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 also seek to know
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 what their needs are
00:23:30 --> 00:23:35 and then seek to meet those needs
00:23:35 --> 00:23:37 with our God-given resources.
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 Yeah, the task is massive.
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 It is intimidating.
00:23:45 --> 00:23:48 But it's not supposed to be hopeless.
00:23:49 --> 00:23:51 It's not supposed to be crippling.
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 It's not supposed to make us
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 not do anything.
00:23:54 --> 00:23:56 Jesus is not trying to make this guy
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 who's asking him a question,
00:23:57 --> 00:23:59 even though he's trying to trick Jesus,
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 Jesus is not trying to turn him away
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 and make him give up.
00:24:02 --> 00:24:04 Jesus is trying to humble him.
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 He's trying to show him
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 that he can't do it himself,
00:24:07 --> 00:24:09 but that God will offer him help.
00:24:09 --> 00:24:11 Whenever we come to law in the Bible,
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 like love thy neighbor,
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 like love God
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 with everything that you've got,
00:24:14 --> 00:24:16 there's always two functions
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 of a law like that.
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 It is always impossible
00:24:18 --> 00:24:20 for us to do in our own strength.
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 We're seeing it right
00:24:22 --> 00:24:24 if we recognize that it's impossible.
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 That's a good starting point,
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 but it's actually there
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 to do something for us.
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 Two things specifically.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:32 Firstly, it's revealing God to us.
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 It's trying to show us
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 who he is and what he's like.
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 And these commandments
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 that we're looking at right now
00:24:37 --> 00:24:39 show us that God is worthy
00:24:39 --> 00:24:41 of absolute, single-minded,
00:24:41 --> 00:24:43 exclusive devotion and worship.
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 Loving with everything,
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 all the time.
00:24:46 --> 00:24:48 That's the God
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 that we're dealing with.
00:24:49 --> 00:24:51 But also it shows us
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 that God cares for his creation
00:24:52 --> 00:24:54 and the people in his creation.
00:24:55 --> 00:24:57 Us loving one another
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 was significant enough
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 to get a specific mention
00:24:59 --> 00:25:01 in the two laws
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 that encapsulate everything
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 that God commands.
00:25:05 --> 00:25:07 So these impossible laws
00:25:07 --> 00:25:09 are showing us a big bit
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 of what God is like.
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 But the second thing
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 that the law does,
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 the second thing
00:25:15 --> 00:25:17 that impossible commands do,
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 is they point us to Jesus.
00:25:19 --> 00:25:21 They humble us
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 because we look at them
00:25:22 --> 00:25:22 and go,
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 I can't do that.
00:25:23 --> 00:25:23 And God's like,
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 that's right.
00:25:24 --> 00:25:28 But I can do it for you.
00:25:30 --> 00:25:32 Jesus comes to perfectly
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 live out every one
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 of those commands,
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 to perfectly love God
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 at every step
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 and every decision,
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 to perfectly
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 and sacrificially
00:25:40 --> 00:25:42 and in costly ways
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 love his neighbor.
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 Jesus comes
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 to take the punishment
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 that we deserve
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 for not meeting
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 these standards.
00:25:49 --> 00:25:52 He pays the price.
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 He makes it possible
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 for us to have
00:25:56 --> 00:25:58 the relationship
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 with this incredible God
00:25:59 --> 00:26:01 who cares for us.
00:26:02 --> 00:26:04 The law points us
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 to Jesus
00:26:05 --> 00:26:07 who has been
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 the good neighbor
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 to us,
00:26:09 --> 00:26:11 who does not
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 turn and look away,
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 who does not
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 blame us
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 for our situation,
00:26:16 --> 00:26:18 but who stops
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 and not only
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 risks his life
00:26:20 --> 00:26:22 but gives his life
00:26:22 --> 00:26:24 so that we might
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 be restored.
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 Because of Jesus,
00:26:29 --> 00:26:31 the command
00:26:31 --> 00:26:31 to love God
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 and to love your neighbor
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 is fulfilled.
00:26:34 --> 00:26:36 Because of Jesus,
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 we have the approval
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 that we crave.
00:26:39 --> 00:26:41 We have the welcome.
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 We have the guarantee
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 of heaven.
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 We have the eternal life
00:26:43 --> 00:26:45 that the expert
00:26:45 --> 00:26:45 in the law
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 is desiring.
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 We have that
00:26:48 --> 00:26:48 given to us
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 as a gift.
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 That's the grace
00:26:50 --> 00:26:50 that Jared was
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 telling us about.
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 It is handed over
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 unconditionally,
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 free of charge
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 and so now
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 these laws
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 are transformed.
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 They become
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 an invitation
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 to us,
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 to those of us
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 who are already
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 securely loved
00:27:05 --> 00:27:05 by God,
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 irreversibly,
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 unconditionally,
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 to love
00:27:08 --> 00:27:10 like we've been loved.
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 To love
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 because we've
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 been loved.
00:27:14 --> 00:27:17 to love
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 with words
00:27:18 --> 00:27:18 and action.
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 To point
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 people to Jesus
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 with our words
00:27:23 --> 00:27:25 and with our actions
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 because there's
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 no distinction
00:27:27 --> 00:27:27 here.
00:27:28 --> 00:27:28 They're one
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 and the same.
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 You can't dodge
00:27:30 --> 00:27:30 these.
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 You can't separate
00:27:31 --> 00:27:31 these.
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 To love God
00:27:32 --> 00:27:32 rightly
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 is to love
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 your neighbor
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 practically,
00:27:36 --> 00:27:36 concretely,
00:27:36 --> 00:27:38 by speaking
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 of the one
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 who saves you
00:27:40 --> 00:27:42 and by embodying
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 his love
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 by caring
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 for people,
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 feeding them,
00:27:49 --> 00:27:49 befriending
00:27:49 --> 00:27:49 them,
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 helping them
00:27:52 --> 00:27:54 by fighting
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 for their dignity
00:27:55 --> 00:27:57 because it matters
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 to the one
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 who made you,
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 the one
00:28:01 --> 00:28:01 who made them.
00:28:01 --> 00:28:03 we need
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 both.
00:28:05 --> 00:28:05 We need
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 words
00:28:06 --> 00:28:06 and we need
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 actions
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 because God
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 demands it.
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 We need
00:28:11 --> 00:28:11 both because
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 our vision
00:28:12 --> 00:28:12 as a church
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 calls for both.
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 We're desperate
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 as a church
00:28:16 --> 00:28:16 for the world
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 around us
00:28:17 --> 00:28:17 to encounter
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 Jesus,
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 for people
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 to encounter
00:28:21 --> 00:28:21 Jesus,
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 not to just
00:28:22 --> 00:28:22 hear about him
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 but for them
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 to encounter
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 him,
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 for them
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 to experience
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 his free,
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 unconditional love
00:28:31 --> 00:28:31 as we pay
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 a bill
00:28:32 --> 00:28:32 for them,
00:28:33 --> 00:28:33 as we
00:28:33 --> 00:28:35 provide groceries
00:28:35 --> 00:28:35 for them,
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 for them
00:28:37 --> 00:28:37 to experience
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 his grace
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 as we teach
00:28:39 --> 00:28:39 them English
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 and make it
00:28:40 --> 00:28:40 easier for them
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 to function
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 in the community
00:28:42 --> 00:28:42 that they live in.
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 We want them
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 to encounter
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 Jesus in such
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 a way
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 that they beg
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 us to introduce
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 them to the one
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 who could enable
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 us to love
00:28:51 --> 00:28:51 like this.
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 That's why
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 we've got a
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 ministry dedicated
00:28:57 --> 00:28:59 to loving those
00:28:59 --> 00:28:59 who work in the
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 brothels in
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 Chatswood.
00:29:01 --> 00:29:04 Because God
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 loves them.
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 And we want
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 them to know
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 his love.
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 We're dropping
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 off cakes to
00:29:11 --> 00:29:11 them.
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 We're praying
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 for opportunities
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 to befriend
00:29:13 --> 00:29:13 them.
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 It's why we
00:29:16 --> 00:29:16 welcome anyone
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 in our gatherings.
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 Whether they're
00:29:19 --> 00:29:19 a Christian or
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 not doesn't
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 matter.
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 Anyone is
00:29:21 --> 00:29:21 welcome here
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 because people
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 matter to God.
00:29:23 --> 00:29:23 This is not
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 a holy club.
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 God.
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 This is a
00:29:29 --> 00:29:29 space where
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 anyone can
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 discover the
00:29:31 --> 00:29:31 love that God
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 has for them
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 in Jesus.
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 The love that
00:29:34 --> 00:29:34 we have
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 received.
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 The love that
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 means that
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 impossible laws
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 are not
00:29:38 --> 00:29:38 oppressive
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 anymore.
00:29:39 --> 00:29:41 but they're
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 gifts to
00:29:42 --> 00:29:42 remind us of
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 the God who
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 loves us,
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 the God who
00:29:45 --> 00:29:45 sent his son
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 for us,
00:29:46 --> 00:29:46 and the God
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 who is marking
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 out a path of
00:29:48 --> 00:29:48 what it looks
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 like to live
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 in that love.
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 Love is costly.
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 It's not easy.
00:29:55 --> 00:29:57 It's not
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 compartmentalised
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 into a section
00:29:59 --> 00:29:59 of our life
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 or a task
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 that we do.
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 It comes from
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 the core,
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 from your heart.
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 You can't just
00:30:05 --> 00:30:05 switch it on
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 or off.
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 What's required
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 is a heart
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 change.
00:30:14 --> 00:30:14 And what God
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 does in sending
00:30:15 --> 00:30:17 Jesus is give
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 us the pass
00:30:18 --> 00:30:18 mark that we
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 can't get
00:30:19 --> 00:30:19 ourselves,
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 give us the
00:30:21 --> 00:30:21 approval that
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 says he loves
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 us no matter
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 what,
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 and then begins
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 the process
00:30:26 --> 00:30:26 of changing
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 our hearts
00:30:27 --> 00:30:27 so that we
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 can actually
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 live out this
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 kind of love.
00:30:32 --> 00:30:32 I mean,
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 costly love
00:30:33 --> 00:30:33 for other
00:30:33 --> 00:30:33 people,
00:30:34 --> 00:30:34 costly love
00:30:34 --> 00:30:34 for our
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 neighbours is
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 only possible
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 because we
00:30:37 --> 00:30:37 have the
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 security of
00:30:38 --> 00:30:40 first being
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 loved unconditionally,
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 irreversibly,
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 and abundantly
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 by God in
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 Jesus.
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 It's only
00:30:49 --> 00:30:49 possible because
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 of that.
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 But because
00:30:52 --> 00:30:52 of that,
00:30:53 --> 00:30:53 it is
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 possible.
00:30:55 --> 00:30:57 So rest
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 in that
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 security.
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 Rest in
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 the fact
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 that Jesus
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 has done
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 everything that
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 needs to be
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 done.
00:31:06 --> 00:31:06 That God
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 loves you
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 unconditionally,
00:31:09 --> 00:31:11 and then hear
00:31:11 --> 00:31:11 God's call
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 again.
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 Love your
00:31:15 --> 00:31:15 neighbour.
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 Ciasta.
00:31:16 --> 00:31:25 Let's
00:31:28 --> 00:31:28 tell him
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 about
00:31:29 --> 00:31:29 the