The End of Hypocrisy
Speaker: Sam Low
Date: 17th October 2015
Passage: James 4:1-17
00:00:00 --> 00:00:06 I think it was around 2004 that the famous atheist Richard Dawkins released his book,
00:00:07 --> 00:00:08 The God Delusion.
00:00:08 --> 00:00:15 It was a book that was designed to argue that there was no logical possibility that a God
00:00:15 --> 00:00:16 of any form existed.
00:00:16 --> 00:00:23 His premise was that anyone who believed in God was deluded or stupid or any other list
00:00:23 --> 00:00:27 of names that he proceeded to call Christians and the like.
00:00:27 --> 00:00:33 It was a fairly uninspiring book and since then a whole bunch of prominent atheists have
00:00:33 --> 00:00:38 kind of distanced themselves from it because it turns out that really his book was more
00:00:38 --> 00:00:43 anti-Christian propaganda than any kind of logical discussion.
00:00:44 --> 00:00:49 And so more thinking atheists have kind of separated themselves from him and his attack.
00:00:49 --> 00:00:55 But what struck me about this book when it came out and about its content was the irony
00:00:55 --> 00:00:55 of the title.
00:00:55 --> 00:01:04 So Richard Dawkins was eager to prove basically that there was nothing and no one other than
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 himself that he was accountable to.
00:01:07 --> 00:01:12 So essentially what he was arguing was that he was his own God.
00:01:13 --> 00:01:18 Now those aren't his words but the possibility of there being a God was held up against his
00:01:18 --> 00:01:24 personal logic or his personal experience or his personal understanding and his philosophies
00:01:24 --> 00:01:29 of right and wrong and then rejected because it didn't fit his perception.
00:01:30 --> 00:01:35 It could be argued that Dawkins has his own God delusion of sorts.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:41 He's made himself God and perhaps that delusion is more dangerous than the one that he was seeking
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 to mock and argue against.
00:01:44 --> 00:01:50 But the scary thing about this particular delusion is that it's one that you and I share with him.
00:01:50 --> 00:01:58 The idea that the world revolves around me, the idea that I'm the final arbiter of truth,
00:01:58 --> 00:02:02 that I decide what's right and wrong, even though we don't articulate it like that,
00:02:03 --> 00:02:06 is evident in so many of our lives.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:14 And the problem with this delusion is that it's not just arrogant but it's ignorant as well.
00:02:14 --> 00:02:18 I mean firstly it distorts our perception of reality.
00:02:19 --> 00:02:23 We love to use language like the world is your oyster, you can do whatever you want,
00:02:24 --> 00:02:26 you can do whatever you set your mind to.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 But that's just not true, is it?
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 Have a look at verse 13.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:39 Now listen, you who say today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city,
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 spend a year there, carry on business and make money,
00:02:43 --> 00:02:45 well you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.
00:02:46 --> 00:02:47 What is your life?
00:02:48 --> 00:02:50 You're a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
00:02:52 --> 00:02:56 You can make plans all you want but you actually have no idea what's going to happen.
00:02:57 --> 00:03:01 You don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, let alone next week or next month or next year.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:09 There will always be external forces or factors that affect the things that happen in our life.
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 There's always going to be things that are beyond our control.
00:03:15 --> 00:03:20 Four weeks ago I came back from a few days away of planning with the senior staff here at St. Paul's.
00:03:20 --> 00:03:24 It was a good couple of days, we've got some exciting things in store for next year.
00:03:25 --> 00:03:28 And I was about to head home and pack for a trip
00:03:28 --> 00:03:31 because me and Sal were heading away for her cousin's wedding.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:36 And I was sitting there in my head thinking about how am I going to dodge the traffic,
00:03:36 --> 00:03:41 how am I going to pack in the five or ten minutes that I'll have when I get home before we leave.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:45 You know, I was looking at restaurants on my phone about where I could take Sal
00:03:45 --> 00:03:49 and you know, my head was completely in the things that we were going to be doing.
00:03:49 --> 00:03:53 And about an hour later I was in hospital with two broken legs
00:03:53 --> 00:03:58 and the prospect of six weeks of rehab for me, let alone the stress on Sal.
00:03:58 --> 00:04:01 Now I had no idea what was about to happen.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:04 I had no control over what was about to happen.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:08 I had no control over when it was going to happen and neither do we.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:18 And yet, so often in ignorance we live and talk and plan as if we're in control.
00:04:19 --> 00:04:23 As if we can absolutely influence everything in our life.
00:04:23 --> 00:04:26 Like the ultimate defining factor is what I want and when I want it.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:33 The delusion that we're in control is arrogant because it presumes power that we just don't have.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:43 And it's ignorant because God's rule is not dependent on us acknowledging or recognising it.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:49 One of the great parenting challenges in our house at the moment
00:04:49 --> 00:04:55 is trying to teach an increasingly competent and coherent three-year-old about who's in charge.
00:04:55 --> 00:04:59 So now if I ask Bailey to do something that he doesn't want to do,
00:04:59 --> 00:05:02 he can respond with, no, I don't want to do that.
00:05:03 --> 00:05:07 In fact, it's the only time that he responds politely and says, no thanks, I don't want to do that.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 Maybe hoping that that might win the argument.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:15 And if I insist, he responds with phrases that are scarily familiar.
00:05:15 --> 00:05:18 Like, daddy, I said no.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:22 Or, daddy, you're not the boss.
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 Now of course, when this happens, I respond with gentleness and grace.
00:05:27 --> 00:05:29 No, that's not true.
00:05:29 --> 00:05:30 I react.
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 Because my authority is being challenged in that moment.
00:05:35 --> 00:05:38 My rightful authority as his dad is being challenged.
00:05:39 --> 00:05:43 And there's this understanding for him, even at three years old,
00:05:44 --> 00:05:48 that he wants to be the master of his own destiny.
00:05:49 --> 00:05:51 He wants to be his own decision maker.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 He wants to be his own king.
00:05:53 --> 00:05:57 And of course, the problem comes when you have two masters or two kings in the same domain.
00:05:58 --> 00:06:01 Two kings, two self-proclaimed kings in the one house.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:06 Because whenever there are two people competing for authority,
00:06:06 --> 00:06:10 two people claiming authority, one of them has to be rejected.
00:06:10 --> 00:06:17 See, when we think or speak or act or plan like we're the ones in control,
00:06:18 --> 00:06:20 like we know everything that's going to happen,
00:06:21 --> 00:06:24 in effect, we are arrogantly saying to God,
00:06:25 --> 00:06:26 I'm king, not you.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:30 I'm in charge, not you.
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 I'm in control, not you.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:38 It is arrogant and ignorant to say to the creator of everything,
00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 I'm more powerful than you.
00:06:42 --> 00:06:48 Or to somehow assume that his power is dependent on my willingness to submit to it.
00:06:49 --> 00:06:52 The Bible describes Jesus as the creator of all things,
00:06:52 --> 00:06:53 the sustainer of all things.
00:06:53 --> 00:06:55 Without him, nothing exists.
00:06:56 --> 00:06:59 The New Testament tells us that there will come a point where every knee will bow,
00:06:59 --> 00:07:04 where every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, is King.
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 Either by force or by choice,
00:07:07 --> 00:07:11 everyone will one day acknowledge that Jesus is King.
00:07:13 --> 00:07:16 And yet we, as Christians,
00:07:18 --> 00:07:22 as people who claim to willingly choose Jesus as our King,
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 shamefully remove him from his place
00:07:26 --> 00:07:29 and act like we're in control.
00:07:29 --> 00:07:36 Plus, the delusion of control for us foolishly ignores eternity.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:39 When we think we're in control,
00:07:39 --> 00:07:41 we start to live life like this,
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 here and now is all that there is.
00:07:44 --> 00:07:48 And so suddenly we are consumed by the desire to accumulate stuff,
00:07:49 --> 00:07:50 to get things,
00:07:50 --> 00:07:52 to gather pleasure,
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 as much as we possibly can.
00:07:54 --> 00:07:55 And if you're a Christian,
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 and remember that this letter in James is written to the church,
00:07:59 --> 00:08:02 it's written to people who claim to be following Jesus,
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 who as far as we know are following Jesus.
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 If you're a Christian,
00:08:07 --> 00:08:12 and you've forgotten about the eternity that your life is a part of,
00:08:12 --> 00:08:17 then your life is pitiful.
00:08:20 --> 00:08:24 1 Corinthians 15 says that if you only have hope for this life,
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 then you are to be pitied above all men.
00:08:28 --> 00:08:32 Because the Christian life,
00:08:32 --> 00:08:38 the Christian hope recognizes that we are made for more than just a bit between our birth and our death.
00:08:39 --> 00:08:45 The Christian hope yearns for something that is more satisfying than the fickle treasures and pleasures
00:08:45 --> 00:08:48 that we do enjoy in this life.
00:08:48 --> 00:08:54 Our lives in the scheme of eternity are a mist that appears
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 and is gone.
00:08:58 --> 00:09:01 And it is arrogance to assume
00:09:01 --> 00:09:05 that what we could accumulate in our short breath of a life
00:09:05 --> 00:09:07 can even vaguely compare
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 to the eternity of goodness
00:09:09 --> 00:09:11 that God has prepared
00:09:11 --> 00:09:13 for those who love him.
00:09:13 --> 00:09:17 And yet,
00:09:17 --> 00:09:19 we pour out our lives
00:09:19 --> 00:09:20 in a vain attempt
00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 to satisfy ourselves,
00:09:22 --> 00:09:24 to gather pleasure,
00:09:25 --> 00:09:26 to gather things,
00:09:26 --> 00:09:27 to make ourselves happy.
00:09:30 --> 00:09:33 This passage isn't saying that our lives have no value.
00:09:35 --> 00:09:36 What it means,
00:09:36 --> 00:09:37 what it's talking about
00:09:37 --> 00:09:38 when it says that your life is a mist
00:09:38 --> 00:09:41 is it's giving you the context
00:09:41 --> 00:09:42 in which your life can flourish.
00:09:43 --> 00:09:44 It's giving you the purpose,
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 the environment in which you can get the most
00:09:47 --> 00:09:48 out of the mist,
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 the breath that God has given you.
00:09:51 --> 00:09:52 And that context
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 is eternity.
00:09:57 --> 00:09:58 To quote Russell Crowe,
00:09:58 --> 00:09:59 the modern day prophet
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 from the movie Gladiator,
00:10:02 --> 00:10:04 what we do in this life
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 echoes in eternity.
00:10:08 --> 00:10:10 The way we live,
00:10:10 --> 00:10:12 the choices we make,
00:10:12 --> 00:10:14 the things we pursue,
00:10:14 --> 00:10:16 the things we dream about,
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 need to reflect our understanding
00:10:19 --> 00:10:23 that God has indescribable goodness for us
00:10:23 --> 00:10:25 beyond this life.
00:10:26 --> 00:10:29 And that he has already purchased that for us
00:10:29 --> 00:10:30 by sending Jesus.
00:10:31 --> 00:10:32 The way we use our time
00:10:32 --> 00:10:33 and our energy
00:10:33 --> 00:10:33 and our money
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 must reflect our awareness
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 that everything we have
00:10:37 --> 00:10:38 in this life
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 comes from God
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 and is entrusted to us
00:10:42 --> 00:10:44 for his purpose.
00:10:47 --> 00:10:49 Have a look at verse 1 of chapter 5.
00:10:49 --> 00:10:51 Now listen,
00:10:51 --> 00:10:52 you rich people,
00:10:52 --> 00:10:53 weep and wail
00:10:53 --> 00:10:54 because of the misery
00:10:54 --> 00:10:55 that is coming upon you.
00:10:56 --> 00:10:57 Your wealth has rotted
00:10:57 --> 00:10:58 and moths have eaten your clothes.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:00 Your gold and silver
00:11:00 --> 00:11:00 are corroded.
00:11:01 --> 00:11:01 Their corrosion
00:11:01 --> 00:11:03 will testify against you
00:11:03 --> 00:11:04 and eat your flesh
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 like fire.
00:11:05 --> 00:11:07 You have hoarded wealth
00:11:07 --> 00:11:08 in the last days.
00:11:08 --> 00:11:08 Look,
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 the wages you failed
00:11:10 --> 00:11:10 to pay the workmen
00:11:10 --> 00:11:11 who mowed your fields
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 are crying out against you.
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 The cries of the harvesters
00:11:15 --> 00:11:16 have reached the ears
00:11:16 --> 00:11:17 of the Lord Almighty.
00:11:17 --> 00:11:18 You have lived on earth
00:11:18 --> 00:11:19 in luxury
00:11:19 --> 00:11:20 and self-indulgence.
00:11:21 --> 00:11:22 You have fattened yourselves
00:11:22 --> 00:11:23 in the day of slaughter.
00:11:23 --> 00:11:24 You have condemned
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 and murdered innocent men
00:11:26 --> 00:11:27 who are not opposing you.
00:11:27 --> 00:11:29 The issue here
00:11:29 --> 00:11:30 is not with the fact
00:11:30 --> 00:11:31 that these people are rich.
00:11:33 --> 00:11:34 The problem
00:11:34 --> 00:11:35 for these rich people
00:11:35 --> 00:11:35 and remember
00:11:35 --> 00:11:36 we've been reminded
00:11:36 --> 00:11:37 that we fall under
00:11:37 --> 00:11:39 the category of rich people.
00:11:39 --> 00:11:40 The issue
00:11:40 --> 00:11:42 is how they got rich.
00:11:43 --> 00:11:43 The issue
00:11:43 --> 00:11:44 is what they've done
00:11:44 --> 00:11:45 with their wealth.
00:11:46 --> 00:11:46 The issue
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 is most importantly
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 where their hearts are.
00:11:50 --> 00:11:50 See,
00:11:50 --> 00:11:52 their unbridled commitment
00:11:52 --> 00:11:53 to hoarding wealth
00:11:53 --> 00:11:54 for themselves
00:11:54 --> 00:11:55 at the expense of others,
00:11:55 --> 00:11:56 even in the oppression
00:11:56 --> 00:11:56 of others,
00:11:57 --> 00:11:58 by not paying wages,
00:12:00 --> 00:12:02 reflects an ignorance
00:12:02 --> 00:12:03 that their life
00:12:03 --> 00:12:04 that they live now
00:12:04 --> 00:12:05 and everything
00:12:05 --> 00:12:07 that they gather now
00:12:07 --> 00:12:08 is but a mist
00:12:08 --> 00:12:10 in the context
00:12:10 --> 00:12:11 of eternity.
00:12:12 --> 00:12:13 They have forgotten
00:12:13 --> 00:12:14 that there is something
00:12:14 --> 00:12:14 bigger
00:12:14 --> 00:12:15 that God
00:12:15 --> 00:12:16 has prepared.
00:12:17 --> 00:12:17 Their wealth
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 is corroding
00:12:18 --> 00:12:19 and even
00:12:19 --> 00:12:20 condemning them
00:12:20 --> 00:12:21 because it
00:12:21 --> 00:12:22 testifies
00:12:22 --> 00:12:23 to their desire
00:12:23 --> 00:12:25 to be in control.
00:12:25 --> 00:12:26 They hoard wealth
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 to look after
00:12:28 --> 00:12:28 themselves,
00:12:28 --> 00:12:29 to protect themselves,
00:12:29 --> 00:12:30 to create the illusion
00:12:30 --> 00:12:31 of safety.
00:12:32 --> 00:12:33 It testifies
00:12:33 --> 00:12:34 that they have
00:12:34 --> 00:12:34 rejected
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 God
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 as king.
00:12:37 --> 00:12:38 They have rejected
00:12:38 --> 00:12:39 his purposes
00:12:39 --> 00:12:40 in their life
00:12:40 --> 00:12:41 and we need
00:12:41 --> 00:12:41 to be warned
00:12:41 --> 00:12:42 because we are
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 the rich.
00:12:45 --> 00:12:46 We need
00:12:46 --> 00:12:47 to have our
00:12:47 --> 00:12:47 hearts
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 and our eyes
00:12:48 --> 00:12:49 fixed
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 on eternity.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:52 We need
00:12:52 --> 00:12:52 to see
00:12:52 --> 00:12:53 everything
00:12:53 --> 00:12:54 that we have
00:12:54 --> 00:12:55 and enjoy now,
00:12:55 --> 00:12:56 the transient
00:12:56 --> 00:12:57 treasures,
00:12:57 --> 00:12:58 the good things
00:12:58 --> 00:12:58 that God
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 has entrusted
00:12:59 --> 00:12:59 to us
00:12:59 --> 00:13:00 as just that,
00:13:02 --> 00:13:03 things
00:13:03 --> 00:13:04 entrusted
00:13:04 --> 00:13:04 to us
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 for his
00:13:05 --> 00:13:06 purpose.
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 Nothing
00:13:08 --> 00:13:08 we have
00:13:08 --> 00:13:10 is ours.
00:13:11 --> 00:13:12 Every good
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 thing we have
00:13:13 --> 00:13:13 comes from God,
00:13:14 --> 00:13:15 James 1 tells us
00:13:15 --> 00:13:15 that,
00:13:16 --> 00:13:17 but nothing
00:13:17 --> 00:13:17 we have
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 is ours
00:13:18 --> 00:13:19 or
00:13:19 --> 00:13:20 for our
00:13:20 --> 00:13:21 discretion.
00:13:22 --> 00:13:22 Everything
00:13:22 --> 00:13:23 we have
00:13:23 --> 00:13:24 is from him
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 and for him.
00:13:27 --> 00:13:27 In
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 a couple
00:13:28 --> 00:13:28 of weeks'
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 time,
00:13:29 --> 00:13:29 we will be
00:13:29 --> 00:13:29 in our
00:13:29 --> 00:13:30 commitment series
00:13:30 --> 00:13:31 and something
00:13:31 --> 00:13:31 that we do
00:13:31 --> 00:13:32 as part of
00:13:32 --> 00:13:32 our commitment
00:13:32 --> 00:13:33 series is we
00:13:33 --> 00:13:33 pledge
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 financially
00:13:34 --> 00:13:34 to the
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 work of
00:13:35 --> 00:13:35 ministry
00:13:35 --> 00:13:36 for the
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 coming 12
00:13:37 --> 00:13:37 months.
00:13:37 --> 00:13:37 It's
00:13:37 --> 00:13:37 something
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 that we've
00:13:38 --> 00:13:38 been doing
00:13:38 --> 00:13:39 for several
00:13:39 --> 00:13:39 years
00:13:39 --> 00:13:39 and many
00:13:39 --> 00:13:40 of you
00:13:40 --> 00:13:40 are in
00:13:40 --> 00:13:40 the habit
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 of doing.
00:13:42 --> 00:13:42 But I
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 wonder in
00:13:43 --> 00:13:43 reflection on
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 what God
00:13:44 --> 00:13:44 is challenging
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 us here
00:13:45 --> 00:13:45 tonight,
00:13:46 --> 00:13:47 given that
00:13:47 --> 00:13:47 we have
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 to recognise
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 that at
00:13:49 --> 00:13:49 points in
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 our lives
00:13:50 --> 00:13:50 and in
00:13:50 --> 00:13:50 areas of
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 our lives
00:13:51 --> 00:13:51 we live
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 like God
00:13:52 --> 00:13:53 is not
00:13:53 --> 00:13:53 king,
00:13:53 --> 00:13:53 like we
00:13:53 --> 00:13:54 are king,
00:13:54 --> 00:13:55 what would
00:13:55 --> 00:13:55 it look
00:13:55 --> 00:13:57 like as
00:13:57 --> 00:13:58 you reflect
00:13:58 --> 00:13:58 on the
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 resources that
00:13:59 --> 00:13:59 God has
00:13:59 --> 00:14:00 entrusted to
00:14:00 --> 00:14:00 you,
00:14:00 --> 00:14:01 financial and
00:14:01 --> 00:14:01 otherwise,
00:14:02 --> 00:14:03 as you
00:14:03 --> 00:14:03 dream about
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 how to
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 give them
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 to the
00:14:06 --> 00:14:06 work of
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07 ministry,
00:14:07 --> 00:14:10 what difference
00:14:10 --> 00:14:10 would it make
00:14:10 --> 00:14:10 if your
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 starting point
00:14:11 --> 00:14:12 was everything
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 that I have
00:14:13 --> 00:14:13 in my
00:14:13 --> 00:14:13 hand,
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 every dollar,
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16 every resource,
00:14:16 --> 00:14:17 every ounce of
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18 energy is not
00:14:18 --> 00:14:19 mine,
00:14:19 --> 00:14:21 but is God's,
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 entrusted to me
00:14:23 --> 00:14:24 for his purpose.
00:14:24 --> 00:14:24 purpose,
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 how might that
00:14:27 --> 00:14:30 change what
00:14:30 --> 00:14:30 you commit
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 to doing,
00:14:32 --> 00:14:32 what you
00:14:32 --> 00:14:33 commit to
00:14:33 --> 00:14:33 giving?
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 See,
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35 when we
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 place ourselves
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 at the
00:14:37 --> 00:14:37 centre,
00:14:38 --> 00:14:39 when we
00:14:39 --> 00:14:39 delude
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 ourselves
00:14:40 --> 00:14:40 into thinking
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 that we
00:14:41 --> 00:14:41 are in
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 control,
00:14:43 --> 00:14:44 we take
00:14:44 --> 00:14:44 the good
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 things that
00:14:45 --> 00:14:45 God gives
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 us and
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 elevate them
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 above the
00:14:48 --> 00:14:48 one who
00:14:48 --> 00:14:48 gave them
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 in the
00:14:49 --> 00:14:49 first place
00:14:49 --> 00:14:51 and that
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 is sin
00:14:52 --> 00:14:52 at its
00:14:52 --> 00:14:53 heart.
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 You can
00:14:56 --> 00:14:56 almost hear
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 the defence
00:14:57 --> 00:14:57 of the
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 people who
00:14:58 --> 00:14:58 are reading
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 this passage
00:14:59 --> 00:14:59 for the
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 first time.
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 It might
00:15:01 --> 00:15:01 be the
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 defence that
00:15:02 --> 00:15:02 you're
00:15:02 --> 00:15:02 rehearsing in
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 your mind
00:15:03 --> 00:15:03 even now
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 as I
00:15:04 --> 00:15:04 speak.
00:15:05 --> 00:15:05 What's
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 wrong with
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 planning or
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 working hard?
00:15:08 --> 00:15:09 I still go
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 to church,
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 I still pray,
00:15:12 --> 00:15:13 I still do
00:15:13 --> 00:15:13 good things?
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 But this is
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 where this
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 God delusion
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 becomes really
00:15:19 --> 00:15:19 dangerous.
00:15:19 --> 00:15:23 when you're
00:15:23 --> 00:15:23 the centre
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 of your
00:15:24 --> 00:15:24 world,
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 when what
00:15:26 --> 00:15:26 you want
00:15:26 --> 00:15:27 matters most,
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 you actually
00:15:30 --> 00:15:30 lose the
00:15:30 --> 00:15:32 ability to
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 even understand
00:15:33 --> 00:15:33 what sin
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 is.
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 Sin becomes
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 just a list
00:15:37 --> 00:15:37 of things
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 that I'm not
00:15:38 --> 00:15:38 supposed to
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 do.
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 Or maybe a
00:15:41 --> 00:15:41 list of
00:15:41 --> 00:15:42 things that I
00:15:42 --> 00:15:42 am supposed
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 to do.
00:15:44 --> 00:15:44 Hence the
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 defence,
00:15:45 --> 00:15:45 I'm not so
00:15:45 --> 00:15:47 bad, I'm
00:15:47 --> 00:15:47 ticking the
00:15:47 --> 00:15:47 boxes.
00:15:47 --> 00:15:51 But only
00:15:51 --> 00:15:51 when Jesus
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 is in
00:15:52 --> 00:15:52 his rightful
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 place at
00:15:53 --> 00:15:54 the centre,
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 can you
00:15:55 --> 00:15:55 begin to
00:15:55 --> 00:15:55 see the
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 impact of
00:15:56 --> 00:15:56 not just
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 the specific
00:15:57 --> 00:15:58 actions that
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 you do or
00:15:59 --> 00:15:59 don't do,
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 but the
00:16:01 --> 00:16:01 impact of
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 your allegiance,
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 of your
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 affection.
00:16:05 --> 00:16:05 creation.
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 Because if
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 you're loving
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 something else,
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 something other
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 than Jesus,
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 who loved you
00:16:14 --> 00:16:14 and gave
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 himself for
00:16:15 --> 00:16:15 you and
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 sits on the
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 throne as
00:16:17 --> 00:16:17 the rightful
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 ruler over
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 all creation,
00:16:20 --> 00:16:20 if you are
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 loving anything
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 more than
00:16:22 --> 00:16:22 Jesus, that
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 is sin,
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 that is
00:16:24 --> 00:16:24 serious,
00:16:25 --> 00:16:25 that matters.
00:16:25 --> 00:16:28 And so
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 verse 17
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 tells us,
00:16:30 --> 00:16:30 anyone then
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 who knows
00:16:31 --> 00:16:31 the good
00:16:31 --> 00:16:32 he ought to
00:16:32 --> 00:16:32 do and
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 doesn't do
00:16:33 --> 00:16:33 it,
00:16:34 --> 00:16:34 sins.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 The good
00:16:37 --> 00:16:37 that you
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 ought to
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 do, the
00:16:39 --> 00:16:39 good that
00:16:39 --> 00:16:39 you know
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 about as
00:16:40 --> 00:16:40 someone who
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 follows
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 Jesus, is
00:16:42 --> 00:16:42 that the
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 world and
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 your life and
00:16:44 --> 00:16:44 everything in
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 them belong
00:16:45 --> 00:16:47 to Jesus,
00:16:48 --> 00:16:48 belong under
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 his rule.
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 The good you
00:16:50 --> 00:16:50 ought to do is
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 to love him
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 with all your
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 heart, soul,
00:16:53 --> 00:16:53 mind and
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 strength.
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 the good
00:16:55 --> 00:16:55 that you
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 ought to
00:16:56 --> 00:16:56 do is
00:16:56 --> 00:16:56 to offer
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 your life
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 and everything
00:16:58 --> 00:16:58 in it for
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 his purpose
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 and not
00:17:00 --> 00:17:00 your own.
00:17:04 --> 00:17:04 But when
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 you live
00:17:05 --> 00:17:05 with a
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 God delusion,
00:17:07 --> 00:17:07 when you
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 live with
00:17:08 --> 00:17:08 yourself at
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 the center
00:17:09 --> 00:17:09 like the
00:17:09 --> 00:17:09 world is
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 your oyster
00:17:10 --> 00:17:10 to do
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 with as
00:17:11 --> 00:17:11 you please,
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 you float
00:17:14 --> 00:17:14 along in
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 ignorance,
00:17:16 --> 00:17:16 oblivious
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 even to
00:17:17 --> 00:17:17 the good
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 design that
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 God has
00:17:19 --> 00:17:19 for your
00:17:19 --> 00:17:19 life.
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 You become
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 unwilling to
00:17:24 --> 00:17:24 submit to
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 his direction
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 because you're
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 convinced that
00:17:27 --> 00:17:27 your life
00:17:27 --> 00:17:27 will go
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 better if
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 you stay
00:17:29 --> 00:17:29 in the
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 driver's
00:17:30 --> 00:17:30 seat.
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 The
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 command here
00:17:34 --> 00:17:34 in verse
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 15,
00:17:36 --> 00:17:36 the alternative
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 to having
00:17:37 --> 00:17:37 a God
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38 delusion,
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 instead,
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 you ought to
00:17:42 --> 00:17:42 say,
00:17:43 --> 00:17:43 if it is
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 the Lord's
00:17:44 --> 00:17:44 will,
00:17:45 --> 00:17:45 we will
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 live and
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 do this
00:17:47 --> 00:17:47 or that.
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 The
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 alternative is
00:17:50 --> 00:17:50 to submit
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 to the
00:17:51 --> 00:17:51 Lord's
00:17:51 --> 00:17:51 will,
00:17:52 --> 00:17:54 to ask
00:17:54 --> 00:17:54 that
00:17:54 --> 00:17:54 question
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 before
00:17:55 --> 00:17:55 every
00:17:55 --> 00:17:55 decision
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 and
00:17:56 --> 00:17:56 action,
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 if it
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 is the
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 Lord's
00:18:00 --> 00:18:00 will.
00:18:01 --> 00:18:01 That's a
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 really
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 significant
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 phrase.
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 We need
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 to pause
00:18:07 --> 00:18:07 and just
00:18:07 --> 00:18:09 reflect on
00:18:09 --> 00:18:09 that for a
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 second.
00:18:11 --> 00:18:11 It's a
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 sentence that's
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 maybe been
00:18:13 --> 00:18:13 emptied of
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 its gravity,
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 of its meaning,
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 because it's the
00:18:16 --> 00:18:16 sort of thing we
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 throw into
00:18:17 --> 00:18:17 prayers to make
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 ourselves sound
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 godly.
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 Dear God,
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 please make
00:18:22 --> 00:18:22 me feel
00:18:22 --> 00:18:22 better,
00:18:23 --> 00:18:23 if it's
00:18:23 --> 00:18:23 your will.
00:18:26 --> 00:18:26 It's become
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 something that's
00:18:27 --> 00:18:27 a bit of a
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 cliche or
00:18:28 --> 00:18:28 maybe a
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 lip service
00:18:29 --> 00:18:29 to God.
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 But the
00:18:33 --> 00:18:33 problem in
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 this passage
00:18:34 --> 00:18:34 and in our
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 lives is not
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 that we have
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 rejected God,
00:18:38 --> 00:18:40 it's that
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 we've reduced
00:18:41 --> 00:18:41 God,
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 we've diluted
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 him,
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 we've tried to
00:18:45 --> 00:18:45 tame him,
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 we haven't sent
00:18:46 --> 00:18:46 him away,
00:18:47 --> 00:18:47 we've just
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 reduced his
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 authority and
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 his power over
00:18:50 --> 00:18:50 us to the
00:18:50 --> 00:18:50 point where
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 he's still
00:18:51 --> 00:18:51 king,
00:18:52 --> 00:18:52 but just not
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 over everything,
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 he gets a
00:18:54 --> 00:18:54 little bit.
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 He's kind of
00:18:56 --> 00:18:56 a vice king
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 to my
00:18:57 --> 00:18:57 ultimate
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 kingship.
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 And so I
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 will follow
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 wherever God
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 leads, as long
00:19:03 --> 00:19:03 as it fits in
00:19:03 --> 00:19:03 with where I was
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 going anyway.
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 I'll go to
00:19:07 --> 00:19:07 church, I'll
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 read my Bible,
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 I'll do my
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 best to be
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 moral, but I'm
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 going to decide
00:19:11 --> 00:19:11 what I do with
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 my money.
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 I'll submit to
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 your rule,
00:19:15 --> 00:19:15 Jesus, but I
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 decide where I
00:19:16 --> 00:19:16 live.
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 I decide what
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 job I have.
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 Because we've
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22 shrunk God
00:19:22 --> 00:19:24 down so much,
00:19:25 --> 00:19:27 we become
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 ignorant to
00:19:28 --> 00:19:28 what his
00:19:28 --> 00:19:28 will even
00:19:28 --> 00:19:31 is, to the
00:19:31 --> 00:19:31 point where
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 we've begun to
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 make his will
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 our will.
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 And so when
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 I've talked to
00:19:37 --> 00:19:37 people about
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 areas of their
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 life that don't
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 reflect God's
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 will, that don't
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 reflect the Bible,
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 that don't reflect
00:19:43 --> 00:19:43 a love for Jesus
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 above all
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 else, and if
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 I'm honest, I've
00:19:46 --> 00:19:46 heard these
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 phrases in myself
00:19:47 --> 00:19:49 as well, the
00:19:49 --> 00:19:49 phrases that
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 sometimes come
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 out when we've
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 twisted God's
00:19:52 --> 00:19:52 will to be our
00:19:52 --> 00:19:54 will is, I
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 can't imagine a
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 God who
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 wouldn't want me
00:19:57 --> 00:19:57 to be happy.
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 I can't imagine a
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 God who would
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 care which
00:20:02 --> 00:20:02 suburb I live
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 in.
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 I can't imagine a
00:20:04 --> 00:20:06 God who would
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 bother interfering
00:20:07 --> 00:20:07 with my love
00:20:07 --> 00:20:11 life, or my
00:20:11 --> 00:20:11 work.
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 When we
00:20:17 --> 00:20:20 reduce God, we
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 just make him
00:20:21 --> 00:20:21 like us, so
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 it's easier.
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 And so we
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 think that
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 following God's
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 will will only
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 be good, because
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 that's our plan
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 for us.
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 We can't imagine
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 a scenario where
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 God would actually
00:20:33 --> 00:20:33 put something
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 difficult in our
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 lives for our
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 sake and for
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 his glory.
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 And yet when
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 Jesus prayed,
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 your will be
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 done and not
00:20:43 --> 00:20:45 mine, he said
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 it in tears as
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 he prepared to
00:20:47 --> 00:20:47 go to the
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 cross.
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 Following
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 Jesus is an
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 all-consuming
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 reality.
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 It
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 redefines your
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 whole life.
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 It replaces
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 every ambition
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 and every
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 treasure.
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 It demands
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 that we lay
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 down the
00:21:11 --> 00:21:11 things that
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 we had
00:21:12 --> 00:21:12 hoped for
00:21:12 --> 00:21:14 ourselves and
00:21:14 --> 00:21:14 come empty
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 handed, ready
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 to go wherever
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 we are sent,
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 ready to do
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 whatever is
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 asked, ready
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 to serve in
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 whatever way he
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 requires.
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 It demands that
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 we let go of
00:21:25 --> 00:21:25 the treasures
00:21:25 --> 00:21:25 that we
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 previously held
00:21:26 --> 00:21:28 so that we
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 can grab hold
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 of the better
00:21:29 --> 00:21:31 treasure that
00:21:31 --> 00:21:33 is Jesus, that
00:21:33 --> 00:21:33 is forgiveness,
00:21:34 --> 00:21:34 that is hope.
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 Submitting to
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 God is better,
00:21:37 --> 00:21:39 God is
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 will.
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 But when we
00:21:41 --> 00:21:43 delude ourselves
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 into thinking the
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 world is about
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 God's will is.
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 Jesus is the
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 ultimate picture of
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 what it looks like
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 to submit to his
00:21:51 --> 00:21:51 father's will.
00:21:52 --> 00:21:52 Through his whole
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 life he gives
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 himself to
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 everything that is
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 asked of him,
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 even his death.
00:21:58 --> 00:21:58 Taking the
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 penalty for our
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 sins is in
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 obedience to his
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 father's will.
00:22:02 --> 00:22:02 Listen to
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 Philippians chapter
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 2.
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 It says,
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 Jesus who being
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 in very nature
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 God did not
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 consider equality
00:22:10 --> 00:22:10 with God something
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 to be grasped,
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 but made himself
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 nothing, taking the
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 very nature of a
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 servant, being made
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 in human likeness,
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 and being found in
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 appearance as a
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 man, he humbled
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 himself and became
00:22:21 --> 00:22:23 obedient to death,
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 even death on a
00:22:24 --> 00:22:24 cross.
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 The path that he
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 chose in life was
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 the path of
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 obedience to his
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 father.
00:22:31 --> 00:22:31 And what
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 happened?
00:22:32 --> 00:22:34 God exalted
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 him to the
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 highest place and
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 gave him the
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 name that is above
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 every name, that
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 at the name of
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 Jesus every knee
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 should bow, in
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 heaven and on
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 earth and under
00:22:44 --> 00:22:44 the earth, and
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 every tongue
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 confess that Jesus
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 Christ is Lord, to
00:22:47 --> 00:22:49 the glory of God
00:22:49 --> 00:22:49 the Father.
00:22:50 --> 00:22:52 Jesus always did
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 his father's will,
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 for our sake.
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 He always did what
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 was asked of him,
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 and his father
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 lifted him up.
00:22:59 --> 00:23:01 He was not left
00:23:01 --> 00:23:01 forsaken.
00:23:02 --> 00:23:05 Jesus models what
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 it is to give
00:23:06 --> 00:23:08 yourself fully to
00:23:08 --> 00:23:08 God.
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 And James is
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 calling us as
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 Christians to
00:23:12 --> 00:23:15 imitate that
00:23:15 --> 00:23:15 wholesale
00:23:15 --> 00:23:17 commitment, that
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 uncompromising,
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 undiluted, every
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 minute of everyday
00:23:20 --> 00:23:22 commitment to our
00:23:22 --> 00:23:22 father's call.
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 He calls us to
00:23:25 --> 00:23:25 have as the
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 starting point to
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 every decision in
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 life, to every day
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 that we wake,
00:23:29 --> 00:23:31 God, here I am.
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 With everything
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 that you have
00:23:34 --> 00:23:36 given me, what
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 would you have me
00:23:37 --> 00:23:37 do?
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 Not, God, I've
00:23:39 --> 00:23:39 got this stuff
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 planned, is there
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 anything you want
00:23:41 --> 00:23:41 me to do while I'm
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 getting it done?
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 But to start
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 every decision
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 about what job
00:23:47 --> 00:23:47 we'd have, about
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 what house we'd
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 live in, about
00:23:49 --> 00:23:51 what ministry
00:23:51 --> 00:23:51 we'd be involved
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 in, about what
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 money we would
00:23:53 --> 00:23:53 give, what money
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 we would save,
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 about everything
00:23:55 --> 00:23:55 that we would
00:23:55 --> 00:23:58 do, with the
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 heart position of
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 your will be done
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 because you are
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 king.
00:24:03 --> 00:24:05 This is a scary
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 prospect.
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 This is a scary
00:24:08 --> 00:24:08 demand.
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 What about the
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 things that you're
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 looking forward to?
00:24:13 --> 00:24:13 What about the
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 things that you
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 really love?
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 What if you have
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 to give up
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 something that
00:24:18 --> 00:24:20 you really enjoy?
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 I mean, if I
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 give up control,
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 if I stop trying
00:24:24 --> 00:24:26 to be God and
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 entrust myself to
00:24:27 --> 00:24:29 God, how is that
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 going to work out
00:24:30 --> 00:24:30 for me?
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 That's the fear,
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 isn't it?
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 That's why we try
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 and hold the
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 wheel, isn't it?
00:24:39 --> 00:24:39 Because we're
00:24:39 --> 00:24:41 worried that
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 somehow we'll
00:24:42 --> 00:24:44 lose if we let
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 go.
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 Jesus is more
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 than just a model
00:24:50 --> 00:24:50 for us to
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 imitate.
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 Jesus is the
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 foundation that
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 gives us
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 confidence to
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 trust God,
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 confidence to
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 submit our lives
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 to His will
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 and know that
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 it will always
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 be good.
00:25:05 --> 00:25:05 Listen to the
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 words of Romans
00:25:06 --> 00:25:06 8.
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 Verse 28 says,
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 We know that in
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 all things God
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 works for the
00:25:11 --> 00:25:11 good of those
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 who love Him.
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 How do we know?
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 Verse 32.
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 He who did not
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 spare His own
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 Son, but gave
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 Him up for us
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 all, how will
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 He not also,
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 along with Him,
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 graciously give us
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 all things.
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 The cross is the
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 proof that God's
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 will for you is
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 always good.
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 Sometimes difficult,
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 sometimes painful,
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 but always good.
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 Always given to you
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 out of love,
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 always given for
00:25:38 --> 00:25:38 your benefit,
00:25:39 --> 00:25:39 always given for
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 His glory.
00:25:40 --> 00:25:42 The fear that our
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 lives won't be as
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 good, won't be as
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 satisfying, won't be
00:25:45 --> 00:25:47 as fantastic, or
00:25:47 --> 00:25:47 that we'll miss out
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 on something is
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 obliterated by the
00:25:49 --> 00:25:51 cross, because at
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 the cross God
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 gives you the
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 thing that He
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 cares about most.
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 He pays the
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 highest price for
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 you.
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 And He proves
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 that He is in
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 control.
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 He proves that
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 His power and
00:26:06 --> 00:26:06 His goodness
00:26:06 --> 00:26:08 combine to give
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 us security when
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 we trust Him.
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 To know that He is
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 good and He is in
00:26:13 --> 00:26:15 control, and He is
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 working for our
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 good.
00:26:17 --> 00:26:17 And so I want to
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 ask you tonight to
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 reflect on your own
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 life.
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 Right now, is there
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 anything in your
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 life, is there any
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 part of your life
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 that you are holding
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 on to and trying to
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 control?
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 Are there dreams and
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 ambitions in your
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 life that you're
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 holding on to so
00:26:34 --> 00:26:34 tightly that you
00:26:34 --> 00:26:36 would not let go if
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 God asked you to?
00:26:39 --> 00:26:41 Are there things that
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 you're sacrificing for,
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 that you're prioritizing,
00:26:44 --> 00:26:46 that don't reflect the
00:26:46 --> 00:26:48 one who bought you
00:26:48 --> 00:26:48 with the blood of
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 His Son?
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 What is it that you're
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 pouring your energy
00:26:54 --> 00:26:54 into?
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 What is it that you're
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 sacrificing to get?
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 What is it that you're
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 dreaming about in your
00:27:01 --> 00:27:01 life?
00:27:04 --> 00:27:06 Because God's will for
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 you is that the answer
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 to all those questions
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 would be Him.
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 That the thing you
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 dream about is Him.
00:27:14 --> 00:27:16 The thing you sacrifice
00:27:16 --> 00:27:16 for is Him.
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 The thing you pour your
00:27:18 --> 00:27:20 energy into is Him and
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 His purpose and His
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 kingdom and His will.
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 His desire is that you
00:27:24 --> 00:27:26 would be so satisfied in
00:27:26 --> 00:27:26 Him that you would
00:27:26 --> 00:27:28 joyfully empty your
00:27:28 --> 00:27:30 hands of the temporary,
00:27:31 --> 00:27:34 inferior joys that the
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 world is trying to sell
00:27:35 --> 00:27:35 us.
00:27:37 --> 00:27:39 God alone is God.
00:27:39 --> 00:27:45 God alone belongs at the
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 center of your world.
00:27:46 --> 00:27:49 He alone has mapped out the
00:27:49 --> 00:27:51 best path for your life.
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 God alone has a life.
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 God alone has a life.
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 God alone has a life.
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 God alone has a life.
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 God alone has a life.
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 God alone has a life full of
00:27:56 --> 00:27:59 good gifts entrusted to you
00:27:59 --> 00:28:01 for His purpose.
00:28:05 --> 00:28:10 Instead, you should say, if it
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 is the Lord's will.
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 Let's pray.
00:28:14 --> 00:28:26 Father God, we want to
00:28:26 --> 00:28:29 acknowledge and recognize
00:28:29 --> 00:28:32 that we elevate ourselves,
00:28:32 --> 00:28:34 we place trust in ourselves
00:28:34 --> 00:28:38 that is misguided, that we
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 try and control things even
00:28:39 --> 00:28:41 when we know we can't
00:28:41 --> 00:28:41 logically.
00:28:41 --> 00:28:44 We still refuse to throw
00:28:44 --> 00:28:46 ourselves on you and your
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 goodness.
00:28:47 --> 00:28:49 But God, we ask that you
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 would open our eyes to see
00:28:50 --> 00:28:52 in the cross the guarantee
00:28:52 --> 00:28:55 that your will is good, that
00:28:55 --> 00:29:00 your will is unstoppable, and
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 that there is much joy and
00:29:01 --> 00:29:03 much blessing in living the
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 life that you have designed
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 for us.
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 God, I pray that you would
00:29:08 --> 00:29:10 open our eyes to see the
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 things or the areas of
00:29:11 --> 00:29:13 the passions in our life
00:29:13 --> 00:29:16 that we are keeping for
00:29:16 --> 00:29:16 ourselves.
00:29:17 --> 00:29:19 Things that we are elevating
00:29:19 --> 00:29:19 above you.
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 God, I pray that tonight you
00:29:22 --> 00:29:24 would shine brighter for us,
00:29:24 --> 00:29:26 that we would recognize that
00:29:26 --> 00:29:28 you are the true treasure,
00:29:28 --> 00:29:30 that we would let go of
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 things that we might grab
00:29:31 --> 00:29:33 hold of more of you and be
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 more satisfied in you.
00:29:35 --> 00:29:37 God, we pray for us as a
00:29:37 --> 00:29:39 church that as we begin to
00:29:39 --> 00:29:41 give ourselves, give our whole
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 lives, give everything that we
00:29:42 --> 00:29:44 are and have to you and your
00:29:44 --> 00:29:46 cause, that you might use us
00:29:46 --> 00:29:48 mightily, that you might draw
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 others to come and know the
00:29:49 --> 00:29:51 hope and purpose that you have
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 ordained for your people.
00:29:53 --> 00:29:55 We pray that people would see a
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 difference in us, see a
00:29:56 --> 00:29:58 contentment, see a security that
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 cannot be found elsewhere.
00:29:59 --> 00:30:02 We pray that in our difficult
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 times and in our prosperous
00:30:03 --> 00:30:06 times that we would still hold
00:30:06 --> 00:30:08 firmly to the truth that you are
00:30:08 --> 00:30:11 king, that you rule, that you are
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 worthy.
00:30:14 --> 00:30:16 Father, please open our hearts,
00:30:16 --> 00:30:18 enable us to love you as you
00:30:18 --> 00:30:20 deserve so that you might get the
00:30:20 --> 00:30:20 glory.
00:30:20 --> 00:30:22 Amen.