Vision Series 2017
Series: RADICAL INVESTMENT
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 2nd December 2017
Passage: Luke 16:1-15
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Good evening, everyone. It's great to be in church with you tonight. If you haven't met
00:00:03 --> 00:00:09 before, my name's Steve, a senior pastor here. And one of the highlights for me in our church
00:00:09 --> 00:00:14 year is Vision Sunday. And the whole Vision series, in fact, this is my ninth one I've
00:00:14 --> 00:00:22 led us through as a church. And for me, it just gets better and better. So we're almost
00:00:22 --> 00:00:26 at the end of this one, but this is a crucial one for us tonight on our Vision Sunday. And
00:00:26 --> 00:00:33 I want to begin our time together reflecting on the life of one of the greatest philosophical
00:00:33 --> 00:00:40 thinkers, one of the sharpest political minds, most gifted artists, and I suspect most quoted
00:00:40 --> 00:00:49 individuals of the past 100 years. Arnold Schwarzenegger was born the son of a low-ranking Austrian
00:00:49 --> 00:00:57 police officer and was destined for a life of just total obscurity until his hands wrapped
00:00:57 --> 00:01:03 around a barbell for the very first time at the age of 14. By 18, he was living in London
00:01:03 --> 00:01:09 and traveling the world competing in bodybuilding championships. And at one point, his coach,
00:01:09 --> 00:01:16 a guy named Wag Bennett, asked him, Arnie, what is it that you want to do with your life?
00:01:16 --> 00:01:24 And Wag said that the response of this 18-year-old was remarkable. He said,
00:01:24 --> 00:01:29 I want to be the richest and the greatest bodybuilder of all time. I want to live in the United States.
00:01:29 --> 00:01:34 I want to be an actor, a movie director, own an apartment block, and dabble in politics.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:42 As an 18-year-old, he saw the future, what he wanted, he just went for it. And Wag, as well
00:01:42 --> 00:01:49 as those who trained with Arnie and competed with Arnie, said that they had never met anyone
00:01:49 --> 00:01:55 who was so focused on what they want to achieve in the future. His training partner said that if
00:01:55 --> 00:01:59 you ever beat him at anything, he would look at you and say, you will never, ever do that again.
00:02:00 --> 00:02:03 And he said, doesn't matter how hard you're trying to man, what sort of training you put in,
00:02:03 --> 00:02:08 you could never beat Arnie at it again. He was so, so focused.
00:02:08 --> 00:02:16 And Jesus, in that passage that was just read out to us, tells a story, a similar story about a man
00:02:16 --> 00:02:22 who saw the future, saw what he needed to do. He just went for it. Just went for it.
00:02:23 --> 00:02:30 Have a look at it. You've got your service sheets there in front of you. Luke 16, verses 1 to 15.
00:02:31 --> 00:02:37 Look at verse 1. Jesus told his disciples there was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting
00:02:37 --> 00:02:42 his possessions. And so he called him in and asked him, what is this that I hear about you?
00:02:42 --> 00:02:47 Give an account of your management because you cannot be manager any longer. And the manager said
00:02:47 --> 00:02:53 to himself, well, what am I going to do now? My master has taken away my job. I'm not strong
00:02:53 --> 00:02:58 enough to dig and I'm ashamed to beg. I know what I'll do so that when I lose my job here,
00:02:58 --> 00:03:06 people will welcome me into their houses. Now in Jesus' time, this manager person here was like a
00:03:06 --> 00:03:13 chief operating officer and a chief financial officer rolled into the one. That is, they ran
00:03:13 --> 00:03:20 the entire estate of the wealthy owner. And what they also did was that they would get the owner's
00:03:20 --> 00:03:25 money and invest the owner's money as well. So they had a very, very high responsibility.
00:03:25 --> 00:03:32 And this manager, as it says, has been a bit dishonest and he hasn't been doing such a great
00:03:32 --> 00:03:40 job. And so he gets a termination notice. You're fired is his notice. And he knows now that he's in
00:03:40 --> 00:03:48 trouble. You see, when word gets around, he's not likely to get another manager's job. He's not likely
00:03:48 --> 00:03:54 to be in this kind of position again. And he's been sitting in an office for too long. His hands are
00:03:54 --> 00:04:02 beautiful. And he's thinking, I can't dig trenches for a living. I haven't got a strong enough back
00:04:02 --> 00:04:08 for that sort of stuff. And I'm not going to lie on myself. I can't go from this role down to begging.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:16 And what's more, there's no social services. There's no Centrelink to fall back on. And so for this man,
00:04:16 --> 00:04:21 this is a life and death decision. How's he going to live? How am I going to feed myself? Where's my food
00:04:21 --> 00:04:28 coming from? I'm going to get my housing. And so what he does is he makes a decision now that will
00:04:28 --> 00:04:36 pay benefits for the future. And that is the point of this whole parable. That's what it's all about.
00:04:37 --> 00:04:42 And what he does next though, is the bit of the parable that can be a little distracting.
00:04:43 --> 00:04:44 Verse five.
00:04:44 --> 00:05:12 Notice what the outcome is from his decision.
00:05:12 --> 00:05:17 It creates friendships that didn't exist before.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:24 In acting for the future, he won the favor and obligation of his master's debtors.
00:05:25 --> 00:05:28 And the really strange thing here is the master's response in verse eight says,
00:05:28 --> 00:05:32 the master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly.
00:05:35 --> 00:05:36 It's an incredible response.
00:05:37 --> 00:05:41 Why would the owner commend the manager for his action here?
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 I mean, it appears that he's ripped him off.
00:05:46 --> 00:05:52 But one of the best theories is that the manager here was doing what the tax collectors used to do
00:05:52 --> 00:05:58 in first century Palestine. And they would get the cut that the Romans required, and then they would add
00:05:58 --> 00:06:03 their percentage on top. And it's most likely that that's what this manager is doing here is part of
00:06:03 --> 00:06:08 his investment portfolio. He's investing his bosses.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 He's the owner of the estate's investments.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:15 And he's adding his percentage on top of it as well.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:19 He's getting his interest out of the investment.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:24 And so what he's doing here would appear that he's taking his investments off.
00:06:24 --> 00:06:25 He's removing his fees.
00:06:27 --> 00:06:31 And it makes his master's debtors happy.
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 They're paying a much smaller bill.
00:06:35 --> 00:06:41 But he's also giving his master a great name in town at exactly the same time.
00:06:42 --> 00:06:45 So it's like he's getting nothing out of this deal now.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:49 Now, whether that's exactly how it worked is really, it doesn't matter.
00:06:49 --> 00:06:51 It's not the point of the parable.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:59 But Jesus' point here is that this man is using his opportunity, his wealth, with an eye on the future.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:04 And the master commends him because he acted shrewdly.
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 You made a great decision there.
00:07:07 --> 00:07:08 A wise decision, a smart judgment.
00:07:08 --> 00:07:09 You're astute.
00:07:12 --> 00:07:16 But see the rebuke of the second half of verse 8.
00:07:16 --> 00:07:22 This shrewd, wise, astute action is one that Christians fail in.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:23 It says,
00:07:23 --> 00:07:30 For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are people of the light.
00:07:32 --> 00:07:38 Jesus is saying that this manager's actions, he's wiser.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:45 He's wiser in the youths of his wealth than his disciples are in theirs.
00:07:47 --> 00:07:52 So what we're going to do is we're going to take a moment here to learn a couple of lessons from this parable
00:07:52 --> 00:07:55 about what it might look like to be wise.
00:07:57 --> 00:08:02 The first thing we learn here is that Jesus likens us, his disciples,
00:08:03 --> 00:08:06 to a manager of someone else's estate.
00:08:07 --> 00:08:08 Someone else's money.
00:08:09 --> 00:08:14 The word manager here can also be easily translated as steward.
00:08:14 --> 00:08:17 So this man is a steward.
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 He's a manager of someone else's money.
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 He's a fund manager.
00:08:22 --> 00:08:24 When you manage someone else's money,
00:08:25 --> 00:08:29 you can't do whatever you want with that money because it isn't your money.
00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 You have to do it according to the terms of the person who owns the money.
00:08:33 --> 00:08:38 And so first up, Jesus is reminding his disciples that if you understand anything,
00:08:38 --> 00:08:44 if you understand that there is a God, then you'll know that whatever you have is in fact not yours.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:48 We are stewards of God's money, of his resources.
00:08:49 --> 00:08:52 And so the first thing is we've got to stop acting as if it's ours.
00:08:52 --> 00:08:55 That's pretty hard hitting.
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 Because particularly in the Western world,
00:08:59 --> 00:09:03 we have a strong attachment to wealth and possessions
00:09:03 --> 00:09:07 because we've worked for it.
00:09:07 --> 00:09:10 We love the idea of the so-called self-made man.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:13 It's my money.
00:09:13 --> 00:09:14 I've worked hard for this.
00:09:14 --> 00:09:15 I've sacrificed for this.
00:09:16 --> 00:09:18 And Jesus says, no, it's not.
00:09:19 --> 00:09:19 It's not your money.
00:09:19 --> 00:09:25 If you're a Christian, there is a much bigger, broader theological context
00:09:25 --> 00:09:29 that you put this truth into.
00:09:30 --> 00:09:33 As Christians, we believe that God made everything,
00:09:33 --> 00:09:34 that he sustains everything.
00:09:35 --> 00:09:38 We have life and we have skills and we have opportunities
00:09:38 --> 00:09:41 that he has gifted each one of us with.
00:09:41 --> 00:09:43 They are gifts from him to us.
00:09:43 --> 00:09:52 And without those things, we would not make any money at all.
00:09:53 --> 00:09:56 Without the life that he gives us every day,
00:09:56 --> 00:09:59 and the Bible says he puts the breath in our lungs moment by moment,
00:10:01 --> 00:10:02 with that breath that he gives us,
00:10:04 --> 00:10:05 he gives us the ability to make money.
00:10:05 --> 00:10:08 And if he chooses not to give that to us,
00:10:08 --> 00:10:10 we have no ability to make money.
00:10:10 --> 00:10:15 Without life, it's extremely difficult to do anything.
00:10:19 --> 00:10:22 If you're healthy and you're able to work, that's a gift.
00:10:23 --> 00:10:26 The fact that you were born in this time and this place
00:10:26 --> 00:10:30 with its many opportunities, that's a gift.
00:10:30 --> 00:10:36 If you were born in the 12th century on a mountaintop in Tibet,
00:10:36 --> 00:10:41 you would think very differently about the resources that you have.
00:10:49 --> 00:10:53 And so we work hard for what we have with the life,
00:10:54 --> 00:10:57 the circumstances, the talents that God has given us.
00:10:57 --> 00:11:01 We are stewards of every gift from him.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:06 Listen to the prayer of the fabulously wealthy and powerful King David
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 from 1 Chronicles 29.
00:11:08 --> 00:11:11 Everything in heaven and earth is yours.
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 Wealth and honor come from you.
00:11:14 --> 00:11:15 You are the ruler of all things.
00:11:15 --> 00:11:18 Who am I and who are my people that we should be able to give
00:11:18 --> 00:11:19 as generously as this?
00:11:20 --> 00:11:21 Everything comes from you,
00:11:22 --> 00:11:25 and we have given you only what comes from your hand.
00:11:25 --> 00:11:30 All this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple
00:11:30 --> 00:11:34 for your holy name comes from your hand,
00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 and all of it belongs to you.
00:11:39 --> 00:11:41 So if we're stewards, it's not ours,
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 and God calls us to be radically generous.
00:11:45 --> 00:11:48 And if we're not radically generous with the gifts that he's given us,
00:11:48 --> 00:11:52 that includes time, emotions, and everything else,
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 then it's not called stinginess.
00:11:56 --> 00:11:57 It's called robbery.
00:11:59 --> 00:12:03 It's not a lack of compassion for the poor and the needy,
00:12:03 --> 00:12:06 and it's actually a lack of integrity in our hearts.
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 Malachi 3.8 is pretty clear in this.
00:12:09 --> 00:12:10 It says,
00:12:10 --> 00:12:22 That is, the people in the Old Testament were told
00:12:22 --> 00:12:27 that 10% of their income needed to be given away as the starting point.
00:12:27 --> 00:12:29 That was the starting point.
00:12:30 --> 00:12:33 And I'm not convinced that the standards of the people in the New Testament
00:12:33 --> 00:12:34 are any lower,
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 especially when we have a greater hope,
00:12:36 --> 00:12:39 a greater revelation, a greater grace, and greater benefits.
00:12:40 --> 00:12:47 However, if we do think that 10% as a starting point is a lot of money,
00:12:47 --> 00:12:50 then maybe we're thinking about it totally the wrong way.
00:12:50 --> 00:12:51 We've got this whole thing upside down.
00:12:53 --> 00:12:55 Don't forget we're stewards of someone else's money.
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 So imagine someone comes to you.
00:12:59 --> 00:13:00 They're a billionaire.
00:13:01 --> 00:13:02 They come to you,
00:13:03 --> 00:13:04 and they say to you,
00:13:04 --> 00:13:07 Please manage my wealth for me,
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 and here's the terms.
00:13:09 --> 00:13:09 The terms are this.
00:13:10 --> 00:13:11 Every year,
00:13:11 --> 00:13:16 you get to keep 90% of the returns from the investment,
00:13:17 --> 00:13:19 and you've got to give me 10% of the returns from the investment.
00:13:20 --> 00:13:21 Would you want that job?
00:13:25 --> 00:13:25 Come on.
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 Would you want that job?
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 Who wouldn't want that job?
00:13:29 --> 00:13:33 Every fund manager would kill someone else to get that job.
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 In all seriousness.
00:13:37 --> 00:13:39 And that is exactly how generous God is.
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 That is what God is offering us.
00:13:44 --> 00:13:46 But if we love money more than we love God,
00:13:46 --> 00:13:47 then those terms,
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 even those terms,
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 will not be good enough for us.
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 We won't be generous.
00:13:53 --> 00:13:54 We won't give.
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 And it's not called stinginess.
00:13:56 --> 00:13:57 It's called robbery.
00:13:59 --> 00:14:01 We are stewards of money that is not ours.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:03 That's the first thing we learn from this parable.
00:14:03 --> 00:14:07 But there is something even more incredible that is being taught here.
00:14:08 --> 00:14:13 Verse 9 is the goal that Jesus has in mind with our stewardship of his resources.
00:14:13 --> 00:14:17 And the goal is our happiness,
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18 our love,
00:14:18 --> 00:14:19 our security forever.
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 I tell you,
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourself
00:14:23 --> 00:14:25 so that when it is gone,
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 you'll be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 So what this manager does here
00:14:29 --> 00:14:34 is he puts aside some short-term financial gain
00:14:34 --> 00:14:36 for the sake of gaining something
00:14:36 --> 00:14:41 that is long-term and infinitely more valuable.
00:14:43 --> 00:14:45 And that's what a wise investment is.
00:14:45 --> 00:14:49 A wise investment is where you put your money
00:14:49 --> 00:14:52 into something that is going to increase in value over time.
00:14:54 --> 00:14:56 So what can you put your money into
00:14:56 --> 00:15:00 that will really last?
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 Not this world.
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06 Because Jesus gives a really helpful perspective in verse 9.
00:15:07 --> 00:15:07 He says,
00:15:08 --> 00:15:11 so that when it is gone,
00:15:11 --> 00:15:14 what Jesus is saying there is,
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 there is no investment
00:15:16 --> 00:15:19 that is in this world
00:15:19 --> 00:15:21 that will last.
00:15:22 --> 00:15:23 Not one.
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 There's no material thing.
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 There's no asset.
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 There's no place
00:15:26 --> 00:15:28 where you can put your money
00:15:28 --> 00:15:30 that will really,
00:15:30 --> 00:15:32 really last.
00:15:32 --> 00:15:35 And he's calling his disciples here
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 to make a wise investment
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 to put their money
00:15:37 --> 00:15:37 into something
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 that will literally last forever.
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 Put your money,
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 he says,
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 into building the kingdom of God.
00:15:43 --> 00:15:45 Use your money in such a way
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 that there is glory in heaven.
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 Put your money
00:15:48 --> 00:15:48 into something
00:15:48 --> 00:15:49 that will last forever.
00:15:51 --> 00:15:51 Now,
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 what I love
00:15:52 --> 00:15:52 about the way
00:15:52 --> 00:15:54 that Jesus puts it here
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 is that he doesn't just stay
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 at that abstract level.
00:15:57 --> 00:15:59 Because I'm the sort of person
00:15:59 --> 00:16:00 who's logically convinced
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 for the argument
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 for long-term investment.
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 You know,
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 immediate pain
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 for long-term gain.
00:16:06 --> 00:16:08 I'm totally,
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 totally in for that,
00:16:10 --> 00:16:10 logically.
00:16:11 --> 00:16:13 But what Jesus says next
00:16:13 --> 00:16:16 is what moves my heart
00:16:16 --> 00:16:18 and causes me
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 to open my wallet.
00:16:20 --> 00:16:22 This is what moves my heart.
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 And I hope it does for you too.
00:16:24 --> 00:16:27 Look at how Jesus describes
00:16:27 --> 00:16:29 eternal dwellings
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 in verse 9.
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 This is how he describes heaven.
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 Friends.
00:16:39 --> 00:16:41 Use your money now
00:16:41 --> 00:16:43 to gain friends
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 who will welcome you
00:16:44 --> 00:16:46 into eternal dwellings.
00:16:46 --> 00:16:46 In other words,
00:16:47 --> 00:16:49 to get eternal friends.
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 Let me quote one commentator
00:16:51 --> 00:16:54 who wrote on this verse,
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 and it's the main point
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 of this whole parable.
00:16:57 --> 00:16:57 He wrote,
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 although these things,
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 your property,
00:16:59 --> 00:16:59 your ability,
00:17:00 --> 00:17:00 your time,
00:17:00 --> 00:17:03 belong to this life only.
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 Jesus says,
00:17:05 --> 00:17:08 yet what will happen to you
00:17:08 --> 00:17:08 when,
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 then,
00:17:09 --> 00:17:11 when you pass into that life
00:17:11 --> 00:17:13 will depend on what you are doing
00:17:13 --> 00:17:15 with them here and now.
00:17:16 --> 00:17:18 Make sure that your use of them
00:17:18 --> 00:17:20 brings you into a fellowship
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 of friends
00:17:21 --> 00:17:24 which will survive beyond death.
00:17:24 --> 00:17:28 That is definitely what Jesus is saying here.
00:17:29 --> 00:17:31 We look to money
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 to give us security,
00:17:33 --> 00:17:33 significance.
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 As I said last week,
00:17:34 --> 00:17:37 it's the identity scorecard for us
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38 and the possessions that we have.
00:17:38 --> 00:17:41 But genuine security and significance
00:17:41 --> 00:17:43 is not material.
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 It's actually relational.
00:17:46 --> 00:17:48 In the end,
00:17:48 --> 00:17:50 the most important thing
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 that everyone needs
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 is love.
00:17:54 --> 00:17:56 We feel truly wealthy
00:17:56 --> 00:17:59 when we are loving people
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 and are surrounded
00:18:00 --> 00:18:02 by people loving us back.
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 You can get someone
00:18:03 --> 00:18:06 who is an absolute pauper
00:18:06 --> 00:18:09 and yet they feel so rich,
00:18:09 --> 00:18:11 feel so rich
00:18:11 --> 00:18:13 when they are surrounded by people
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 who love them
00:18:14 --> 00:18:16 and who they love.
00:18:19 --> 00:18:22 That's because wealth is relational,
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 not material.
00:18:26 --> 00:18:28 That's when you feel really alive
00:18:28 --> 00:18:31 and yet
00:18:31 --> 00:18:35 the love that we really need
00:18:35 --> 00:18:38 is out of reach for us
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 in this life.
00:18:39 --> 00:18:42 We get a taste of it now.
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 We get a foretaste of it
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 but the best
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 is yet to come.
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 The thinking that heaven
00:18:47 --> 00:18:49 is a place of harps
00:18:49 --> 00:18:51 and halos
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 and crowns
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 and gold streets
00:18:53 --> 00:18:55 doesn't kind of move me
00:18:55 --> 00:18:57 in the same kind of way
00:18:57 --> 00:18:59 as heaven being
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 a world of friendships
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 and relationships
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 and perfect love.
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 That moves me.
00:19:07 --> 00:19:09 A place of deep relationships.
00:19:09 --> 00:19:11 A place of real love.
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 A place where we love
00:19:12 --> 00:19:15 and are loved
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 without any barriers
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 at all.
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 That is a place
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 to really hope for
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 and invest in now
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 because
00:19:22 --> 00:19:25 the love that we experience
00:19:25 --> 00:19:25 in this world,
00:19:26 --> 00:19:26 the friendships,
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 the relationships we experience
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 in this world
00:19:28 --> 00:19:30 are a foretaste
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 of what is to come
00:19:31 --> 00:19:33 but they fall
00:19:33 --> 00:19:35 so far short
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 of what will be in heaven.
00:19:36 --> 00:19:40 love in this world
00:19:40 --> 00:19:42 both the receiving of it
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 and the expressing of it
00:19:43 --> 00:19:47 is often a source of pain.
00:19:49 --> 00:19:51 There are barriers
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 to loving
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 and being loved
00:19:53 --> 00:19:53 in this world
00:19:53 --> 00:19:55 that will not exist in heaven
00:19:55 --> 00:19:57 and that's what makes heaven
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 such an incredible prospect.
00:19:58 --> 00:20:00 that's why
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 if you can make
00:20:01 --> 00:20:03 investments now
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 to increase
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 your experience
00:20:05 --> 00:20:05 of that
00:20:05 --> 00:20:08 that's a wise investment.
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 See one of the barriers
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 we face now
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 that won't be there
00:20:12 --> 00:20:15 is that we are often
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 as individuals
00:20:16 --> 00:20:16 not loved
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 for our own sake.
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 It's painful
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 when we discover
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 that people
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 are not loving us
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 for our own sake
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 but actually
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 using us
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 to get something else.
00:20:25 --> 00:20:28 it's very rare
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 for any of us
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 to love
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 another person
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 totally
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 for their own sake.
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 Most love
00:20:37 --> 00:20:37 is a love
00:20:37 --> 00:20:39 in order to receive love
00:20:39 --> 00:20:42 and in heaven
00:20:42 --> 00:20:44 we will be loved
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 absolutely
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 completely
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 fully
00:20:47 --> 00:20:49 for who we are.
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 Another barrier
00:20:51 --> 00:20:53 for loving this world
00:20:53 --> 00:20:53 which is
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 just a foretaste
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 of what we become
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 is the inability
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 for us to express
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 our love
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 for others
00:20:59 --> 00:21:01 without any hindrance
00:21:01 --> 00:21:01 whatsoever.
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 Things like pride
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 selfishness
00:21:04 --> 00:21:04 defensiveness
00:21:04 --> 00:21:06 pettiness
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 coldness
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 means that we cannot
00:21:08 --> 00:21:10 fully completely
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 express our love
00:21:10 --> 00:21:12 for another person
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 even those
00:21:13 --> 00:21:13 who are the
00:21:13 --> 00:21:15 closest to us
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 in this world.
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 Even for me
00:21:20 --> 00:21:20 I mean
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 I said this morning
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 for me
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 for Natalie
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 I get to the end
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 of each day
00:21:25 --> 00:21:25 and I realise
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 how much
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 I've failed
00:21:27 --> 00:21:27 to express
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 the love
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 that I've got
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 deep down
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 there somewhere
00:21:30 --> 00:21:30 it's like
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 there's this ocean
00:21:31 --> 00:21:31 of love
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 it's got it
00:21:32 --> 00:21:32 coming up
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 through a straw
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 you know
00:21:34 --> 00:21:34 like it's just
00:21:34 --> 00:21:36 just not coming
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 out the way
00:21:37 --> 00:21:37 it's meant to.
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 So much failure
00:21:40 --> 00:21:44 we can't even
00:21:44 --> 00:21:44 get close
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 to expressing
00:21:45 --> 00:21:45 our love
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 fully
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 without some
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 kind of
00:21:47 --> 00:21:47 hindrance
00:21:47 --> 00:21:50 but in heaven
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 there'll be love
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 without any
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 impediment
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 all sin
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 pride
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 selfishness
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 pettiness
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 coldness
00:21:57 --> 00:21:57 defensiveness
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 it's going to
00:21:58 --> 00:21:58 be all gone.
00:22:01 --> 00:22:01 We also
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 struggle in this
00:22:02 --> 00:22:02 world to have
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 a mutual love
00:22:03 --> 00:22:05 is there anything
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 more painful
00:22:06 --> 00:22:06 than to love
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 someone more
00:22:07 --> 00:22:07 than they love
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 you back?
00:22:08 --> 00:22:11 It's very rare
00:22:11 --> 00:22:11 to have a
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 mutual love
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 at the same
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 time.
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 In this place
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 this world
00:22:17 --> 00:22:17 many of the
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 people that we
00:22:18 --> 00:22:18 love
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 we love
00:22:19 --> 00:22:19 more
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 than they
00:22:20 --> 00:22:20 love us
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 back
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 and that
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 is nothing
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 but pain
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 but heaven
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 everyone
00:22:25 --> 00:22:25 will love
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 everyone
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 mutually
00:22:27 --> 00:22:27 and fully.
00:22:29 --> 00:22:29 There's also
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 the barrier
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 of another
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 barrier of
00:22:32 --> 00:22:32 love in this
00:22:32 --> 00:22:32 world and
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 that's the
00:22:33 --> 00:22:33 unhappiness
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 of those
00:22:34 --> 00:22:34 we love.
00:22:35 --> 00:22:35 Think about
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 this for a
00:22:36 --> 00:22:36 minute.
00:22:38 --> 00:22:40 This is for
00:22:40 --> 00:22:40 everyone here
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 because you've
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 all been kids
00:22:42 --> 00:22:42 and still
00:22:42 --> 00:22:42 are.
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 Once you
00:22:45 --> 00:22:45 start having
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 children
00:22:46 --> 00:22:48 once you
00:22:48 --> 00:22:48 start
00:22:48 --> 00:22:48 if you're
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 a couple
00:22:49 --> 00:22:49 and you
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 start having
00:22:50 --> 00:22:50 children
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 for the
00:22:51 --> 00:22:51 rest of
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 your life
00:22:52 --> 00:22:54 your happiness
00:22:54 --> 00:22:56 level never
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 increases more
00:22:57 --> 00:22:57 than the
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 unhappiness of
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 one of your
00:22:59 --> 00:22:59 children
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 or of your
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 unhappiest
00:23:01 --> 00:23:01 child.
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 Once you
00:23:04 --> 00:23:04 start having
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 children
00:23:05 --> 00:23:05 your happiness
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 level never
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 increases more
00:23:07 --> 00:23:09 than your
00:23:09 --> 00:23:09 unhappiest
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 child.
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 Your unhappiest
00:23:11 --> 00:23:11 child.
00:23:12 --> 00:23:12 See what
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 you've done
00:23:13 --> 00:23:13 to your
00:23:13 --> 00:23:13 parents?
00:23:15 --> 00:23:15 You know
00:23:15 --> 00:23:18 we can
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 never be
00:23:19 --> 00:23:19 happier
00:23:19 --> 00:23:21 we can
00:23:21 --> 00:23:21 never be
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 happier than
00:23:22 --> 00:23:22 the people
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 we love
00:23:23 --> 00:23:25 because their
00:23:25 --> 00:23:25 heart becomes
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 our heart
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 and if you
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 love more
00:23:28 --> 00:23:28 than five
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 people any
00:23:29 --> 00:23:29 one time
00:23:29 --> 00:23:29 in this
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 world you're
00:23:30 --> 00:23:30 always going
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 to be
00:23:31 --> 00:23:31 unhappy.
00:23:32 --> 00:23:32 That's just
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 a fact.
00:23:34 --> 00:23:34 C.S.
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 Lewis said
00:23:35 --> 00:23:35 that if you
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 don't want
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 your heart
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 to be
00:23:38 --> 00:23:38 broken then
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 just stop
00:23:39 --> 00:23:39 loving
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 people.
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 Love is
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 such a
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 source of
00:23:45 --> 00:23:45 pain but
00:23:45 --> 00:23:45 of course
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 if that's
00:23:46 --> 00:23:46 what you're
00:23:46 --> 00:23:46 going to
00:23:46 --> 00:23:46 do then
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 you become
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 a hard
00:23:48 --> 00:23:48 person and
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 you're right
00:23:49 --> 00:23:49 on your
00:23:49 --> 00:23:49 way to
00:23:49 --> 00:23:49 hell.
00:23:51 --> 00:23:51 Love is
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 such a
00:23:52 --> 00:23:52 source of
00:23:52 --> 00:23:52 pain but
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 in heaven
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 everyone
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 will be
00:23:55 --> 00:23:55 perfectly
00:23:55 --> 00:23:57 happy filled
00:23:57 --> 00:23:57 with a
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 never
00:23:58 --> 00:23:58 ceasing
00:23:58 --> 00:23:58 joy.
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 But the
00:24:01 --> 00:24:01 greatest
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 barrier to
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 love in
00:24:03 --> 00:24:03 this world
00:24:03 --> 00:24:05 is the
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 separation
00:24:06 --> 00:24:06 of love.
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 We want
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 a love
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 where we
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 will never
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 be separated
00:24:13 --> 00:24:13 from the
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 people that
00:24:14 --> 00:24:14 we love.
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 It is
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 painful knowing
00:24:17 --> 00:24:17 that when
00:24:17 --> 00:24:17 you marry
00:24:17 --> 00:24:19 someone it
00:24:19 --> 00:24:19 is highly
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 likely that
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 one of you
00:24:21 --> 00:24:21 will bury
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 the other.
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 Highly
00:24:23 --> 00:24:23 likely unless
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 of course you
00:24:24 --> 00:24:24 both go down
00:24:24 --> 00:24:24 the plane
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 crash or
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 something like
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 that.
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 In my
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 case I've
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 got five
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 people sitting
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 around my
00:24:30 --> 00:24:30 dining room
00:24:30 --> 00:24:32 table and
00:24:32 --> 00:24:32 it's highly
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 likely that
00:24:33 --> 00:24:33 one of us
00:24:33 --> 00:24:35 will be
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 sitting at
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 that table
00:24:36 --> 00:24:38 will see
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 everyone else
00:24:39 --> 00:24:39 dead.
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 Highly likely
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 that one of
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 us will see
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 the rest
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 dead.
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 My mother
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 experienced
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 that in the
00:24:48 --> 00:24:48 last two
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 weeks where
00:24:49 --> 00:24:51 she is now
00:24:51 --> 00:24:51 the only one
00:24:51 --> 00:24:53 left of
00:24:53 --> 00:24:53 two parents
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 and four
00:24:54 --> 00:24:54 sisters.
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 This is the
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 way our
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 relationships are
00:25:00 --> 00:25:00 in this
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 world.
00:25:02 --> 00:25:02 But not
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 there.
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 Not there.
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 We are
00:25:07 --> 00:25:07 made to
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 desire the
00:25:08 --> 00:25:08 kind of
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 relationships,
00:25:09 --> 00:25:09 the kind
00:25:09 --> 00:25:09 of friendships,
00:25:10 --> 00:25:10 the kind
00:25:10 --> 00:25:10 of love
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 that is in
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 the kingdom
00:25:12 --> 00:25:12 of God.
00:25:14 --> 00:25:14 We have
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 been designed
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 for what
00:25:16 --> 00:25:16 Jesus says
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 heaven is
00:25:17 --> 00:25:17 going to be
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 like.
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 And knowing
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 and experiencing
00:25:20 --> 00:25:20 the pain of
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 relation to
00:25:21 --> 00:25:21 this world,
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 it is so
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 hard for us
00:25:24 --> 00:25:24 to imagine
00:25:24 --> 00:25:26 what perfect
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 relationships and
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 perfect love
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 actually looks
00:25:29 --> 00:25:29 like.
00:25:29 --> 00:25:31 what the
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 experience of
00:25:32 --> 00:25:32 that is going
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 to be like.
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 Knowing and
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 experiencing the
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 pain of this
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 world, it's
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 hard to know
00:25:39 --> 00:25:39 what it's
00:25:39 --> 00:25:39 going to be
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 like.
00:25:42 --> 00:25:42 Hard to
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 believe in
00:25:43 --> 00:25:43 fact.
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 Just imagine
00:25:44 --> 00:25:44 what it would
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 be like to
00:25:45 --> 00:25:45 completely
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 believe it
00:25:46 --> 00:25:46 though.
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 That what
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 Jesus says
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 about heaven
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 is actually
00:25:50 --> 00:25:50 going to be
00:25:50 --> 00:25:50 true.
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 Imagine what
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 it would be
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 to be completely
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 sure of the
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 future because
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 of Jesus
00:25:58 --> 00:25:58 Christ and
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 what he's
00:25:59 --> 00:25:59 done for
00:25:59 --> 00:25:59 us.
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 Imagine that
00:26:03 --> 00:26:03 to believe in
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 Jesus is to
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 be able to
00:26:05 --> 00:26:05 live with
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 God and
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 friends in
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 absolute
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 perfect love
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 forever.
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 No barriers,
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 no hindrance
00:26:14 --> 00:26:16 to joy and
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 love.
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 Just imagine
00:26:18 --> 00:26:20 what that
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 would do to
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 the way that
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 you would
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 live your
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 life now.
00:26:23 --> 00:26:26 would we
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 not use
00:26:27 --> 00:26:27 our worldly
00:26:27 --> 00:26:29 wealth now
00:26:29 --> 00:26:31 knowing that
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 what really
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 lasts is
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 people,
00:26:34 --> 00:26:34 relationships,
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 friends,
00:26:37 --> 00:26:37 something
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 significant that
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 we all have
00:26:39 --> 00:26:39 something to
00:26:39 --> 00:26:39 look forward
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 to.
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 And so
00:26:44 --> 00:26:44 don't put
00:26:44 --> 00:26:44 your money
00:26:44 --> 00:26:47 before people.
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 Don't put
00:26:50 --> 00:26:50 your money
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 before people.
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 Don't put
00:26:54 --> 00:26:54 things before
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 people.
00:26:56 --> 00:26:56 Put your
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 money into
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 solving people's
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 needs in this
00:26:59 --> 00:26:59 world, the
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 poor and the
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 needy.
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 Use your
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 money, as it
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 says here, to
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 create a
00:27:04 --> 00:27:06 fellowship of
00:27:06 --> 00:27:08 friends that
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 will survive
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 beyond death.
00:27:11 --> 00:27:11 Friends who
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 you don't even
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 know.
00:27:14 --> 00:27:14 You won't even
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 know that they're
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 your friends until
00:27:16 --> 00:27:16 you get to
00:27:16 --> 00:27:16 heaven.
00:27:16 --> 00:27:16 And
00:27:16 --> 00:27:21 when people
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 find hope and
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 faith and
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 love in
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 Jesus, they
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 will be your
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 friends and
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 they will be
00:27:27 --> 00:27:27 your friends
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 forever.
00:27:28 --> 00:27:28 They will
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 welcome you
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 to heaven.
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 They will
00:27:34 --> 00:27:34 love you and
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 be loved by
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 you without
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 any barrier.
00:27:39 --> 00:27:39 And so
00:27:39 --> 00:27:39 this radical
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 investment is
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 to put the
00:27:41 --> 00:27:41 money you're
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 a steward of,
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 which you've
00:27:43 --> 00:27:43 been given
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 by, by
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 God, into
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 connecting
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 people with
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 their God who
00:27:48 --> 00:27:48 loves them like
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 this without
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 any barriers.
00:27:50 --> 00:27:52 that's the
00:27:52 --> 00:27:52 wise investment.
00:27:54 --> 00:27:54 Put your
00:27:54 --> 00:27:56 money into
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 connecting
00:27:56 --> 00:27:58 people with
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 their God
00:27:59 --> 00:28:01 who loves
00:28:01 --> 00:28:01 them like
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 this.
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 Because all
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 of this hope
00:28:05 --> 00:28:05 and all this
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 joy is
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 possible because
00:28:07 --> 00:28:09 we are
00:28:09 --> 00:28:09 recipients of
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 the ultimate
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 love and
00:28:11 --> 00:28:11 friendship.
00:28:12 --> 00:28:12 2 Corinthians
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 8, the
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 Apostle Paul is
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 encouraging the
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 church in
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 Corinth to give
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 generously to a
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 great need in
00:28:19 --> 00:28:19 the same way
00:28:19 --> 00:28:19 that other
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 churches are
00:28:20 --> 00:28:20 done.
00:28:22 --> 00:28:22 And he
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 doesn't order
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 them to do
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 it.
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 He says, I'm
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 not going to
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 order you to
00:28:25 --> 00:28:25 do this.
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 I want you to
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 be compelled
00:28:28 --> 00:28:28 by love.
00:28:30 --> 00:28:30 And he
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 shows them how
00:28:31 --> 00:28:31 to do it.
00:28:32 --> 00:28:32 He says,
00:28:33 --> 00:28:33 think about
00:28:33 --> 00:28:33 this.
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 Think about
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 Jesus Christ.
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 Though he
00:28:37 --> 00:28:37 was rich,
00:28:38 --> 00:28:38 yet for your
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 sake he
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 became poor
00:28:40 --> 00:28:42 so that you
00:28:42 --> 00:28:42 through his
00:28:42 --> 00:28:44 poverty might
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 become filthy
00:28:45 --> 00:28:45 rich.
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 Relationally
00:28:47 --> 00:28:47 rich.
00:28:47 --> 00:28:49 experiencing
00:28:49 --> 00:28:51 love like
00:28:51 --> 00:28:51 you have
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 never
00:28:52 --> 00:28:52 experienced
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 before.
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 You see,
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 Jesus is
00:28:55 --> 00:28:55 the one
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 friend who
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 emptied
00:28:57 --> 00:28:57 himself of
00:28:57 --> 00:28:59 everything to
00:28:59 --> 00:28:59 turn his
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 enemies into
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 his eternal
00:29:01 --> 00:29:01 friends.
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 Jesus is,
00:29:05 --> 00:29:05 in fact,
00:29:05 --> 00:29:05 the true
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 steward here.
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 As recipients
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 of the ultimate
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 friendship, we
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 get to live
00:29:11 --> 00:29:11 with him
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 forever in
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 perfect love.
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 And so use
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 your money in
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 a way that's
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 controlled by
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 that reality.
00:29:22 --> 00:29:22 Guess what?
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 You and I,
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 here today,
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 we're in
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 exactly the
00:29:26 --> 00:29:26 same boat as
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 the shrewd
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 manager.
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 I'm not
00:29:30 --> 00:29:30 sure how
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 long he's,
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 how much
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 notice he
00:29:33 --> 00:29:33 was given,
00:29:33 --> 00:29:33 how many
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 days or
00:29:34 --> 00:29:34 weeks he
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 had before
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 he had to
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 fold up the
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 books,
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 but in
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 this moment
00:29:37 --> 00:29:37 the books
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 were still
00:29:38 --> 00:29:38 open,
00:29:38 --> 00:29:38 he still
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 had a
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 pen,
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 and he
00:29:40 --> 00:29:40 was still
00:29:40 --> 00:29:40 in control.
00:29:40 --> 00:29:42 And he
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 acted.
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 He had a
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 chance to
00:29:45 --> 00:29:45 act in view
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 of the
00:29:46 --> 00:29:46 future,
00:29:46 --> 00:29:46 and he
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 did it.
00:29:47 --> 00:29:47 And I've
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 been calling
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 two previous
00:29:49 --> 00:29:49 congregations,
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 I'm doing the
00:29:50 --> 00:29:50 same here,
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 across St.
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 Paul's today,
00:29:54 --> 00:29:54 calling us
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 all to make
00:29:55 --> 00:29:55 a radical
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 investment.
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 That's our
00:29:58 --> 00:29:58 vision.
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 Our vision
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 says we are
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 desperate for
00:30:01 --> 00:30:01 the world
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 around us
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 to encounter
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 Jesus.
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 We are
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 desperate to
00:30:07 --> 00:30:07 make eternal
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 friends.
00:30:08 --> 00:30:11 who will
00:30:11 --> 00:30:11 love us
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 and whom
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 we will
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 love for
00:30:14 --> 00:30:14 eternity.
00:30:16 --> 00:30:16 Now,
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 following on
00:30:17 --> 00:30:17 from 1
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 Chronicles 29,
00:30:19 --> 00:30:19 the process
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 that King
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 David led
00:30:21 --> 00:30:21 Israel in
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 there,
00:30:22 --> 00:30:22 for the
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 last,
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 this is our
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 ninth time
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 doing it,
00:30:25 --> 00:30:25 in my time
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 here,
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 we have
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 followed a
00:30:28 --> 00:30:28 process.
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 The process
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 is I
00:30:30 --> 00:30:32 pledge what
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 my giving
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 is,
00:30:35 --> 00:30:35 because I
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 believe if
00:30:36 --> 00:30:36 you've read
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 what I wrote
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 and have
00:30:38 --> 00:30:38 distributed to
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 the parish
00:30:39 --> 00:30:39 in the last
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 week,
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 is that
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 giving is a
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 spiritual matter,
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 it's not a
00:30:44 --> 00:30:44 financial matter,
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 and so there's
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 financial accountability
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 for the top
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 right down.
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 So Natalie and
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 I, each year,
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 we declare what
00:30:52 --> 00:30:52 we're giving,
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 we're the only
00:30:54 --> 00:30:54 ones who do
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 it, parish
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 council then
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 follow suit,
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 and staff
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 follow suit.
00:30:59 --> 00:30:59 So Natalie and
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 I are seeking to
00:31:00 --> 00:31:00 increase our
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 giving for next
00:31:01 --> 00:31:03 year, and
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 we're committing
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 $1 a
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 month for our
00:31:06 --> 00:31:06 vision, this
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 church's vision,
00:31:07 --> 00:31:09 for people to
00:31:09 --> 00:31:10 encounter Jesus.
00:31:12 --> 00:31:12 We've also
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 contributed $1
00:31:13 --> 00:31:15 to the $70
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 target.
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 So far, parish
00:31:18 --> 00:31:18 council and
00:31:18 --> 00:31:19 staff together
00:31:19 --> 00:31:19 have pledged
00:31:19 --> 00:31:21 $3 a
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 week, and
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 $18
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 towards the
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 $70
00:31:25 --> 00:31:25 target.
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 That is a
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 significant lead
00:31:28 --> 00:31:28 from your
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 leaders.
00:31:30 --> 00:31:30 That is,
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 parish council
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 and staff make
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 up 10% of the
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 parish in
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 terms of
00:31:36 --> 00:31:36 numbers.
00:31:38 --> 00:31:38 And so
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 far, they
00:31:39 --> 00:31:41 are giving
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 one-third of
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 our 2018
00:31:43 --> 00:31:47 budget, and
00:31:47 --> 00:31:48 a quarter of
00:31:48 --> 00:31:48 the project
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 target.
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 10%, one-third
00:31:51 --> 00:31:52 and a quarter.
00:31:54 --> 00:31:54 They're leading
00:31:54 --> 00:31:55 us in this, and
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 so I would
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 invite you, in
00:31:57 --> 00:31:57 fact, I would
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 implore you to
00:31:58 --> 00:32:00 follow us and
00:32:00 --> 00:32:01 to make an
00:32:01 --> 00:32:01 investment in
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 eternal
00:32:02 --> 00:32:02 friends.
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 We have
00:32:06 --> 00:32:07 got enormous
00:32:07 --> 00:32:08 opportunities.
00:32:09 --> 00:32:09 I would
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 encourage you to
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 see this project
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 of employing
00:32:12 --> 00:32:12 someone for
00:32:12 --> 00:32:13 children's
00:32:13 --> 00:32:13 ministry.
00:32:14 --> 00:32:14 There are
00:32:14 --> 00:32:15 children coming
00:32:15 --> 00:32:15 into our
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 neighbourhood all
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 over the
00:32:17 --> 00:32:17 place.
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 Invest in
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 making friends
00:32:20 --> 00:32:20 from the next
00:32:20 --> 00:32:21 generation to
00:32:21 --> 00:32:21 employ a
00:32:21 --> 00:32:22 children's
00:32:22 --> 00:32:22 pastor.
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 Takeshi, who
00:32:25 --> 00:32:25 was here this
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 morning from
00:32:26 --> 00:32:28 Japan, he is
00:32:28 --> 00:32:29 a native of
00:32:29 --> 00:32:30 the largest
00:32:30 --> 00:32:30 unreached
00:32:30 --> 00:32:31 people group
00:32:31 --> 00:32:31 in the world,
00:32:31 --> 00:32:32 and we've
00:32:32 --> 00:32:32 got an
00:32:32 --> 00:32:33 opportunity to
00:32:33 --> 00:32:33 invest in
00:32:33 --> 00:32:33 him.
00:32:37 --> 00:32:38 Invest in
00:32:38 --> 00:32:40 making eternal
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 friends on
00:32:41 --> 00:32:41 another part of
00:32:41 --> 00:32:42 the world who
00:32:42 --> 00:32:42 will never
00:32:42 --> 00:32:44 meet till we
00:32:44 --> 00:32:44 get to heaven.
00:32:45 --> 00:32:45 And he goes,
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 you are the
00:32:46 --> 00:32:46 guys who
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 funded Takeshi.
00:32:49 --> 00:32:49 I'm here
00:32:49 --> 00:32:50 because of
00:32:50 --> 00:32:50 him.
00:32:53 --> 00:32:53 Make your
00:32:53 --> 00:32:54 eternal joy
00:32:54 --> 00:32:55 complete and
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 invest in
00:32:56 --> 00:32:56 eternal
00:32:56 --> 00:32:56 friends.
00:32:56 --> 00:32:56 I'm going
00:32:56 --> 00:32:57 to invite
00:32:57 --> 00:32:57 Nick up.
00:32:58 --> 00:32:58 What I'm
00:32:58 --> 00:32:59 going to do
00:32:59 --> 00:32:59 is Nick's
00:32:59 --> 00:32:59 going to lead
00:32:59 --> 00:33:00 us in a
00:33:00 --> 00:33:00 song.
00:33:01 --> 00:33:02 And as
00:33:02 --> 00:33:02 he does
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 that, we
00:33:03 --> 00:33:04 are going
00:33:04 --> 00:33:05 to take
00:33:05 --> 00:33:05 an opportunity
00:33:05 --> 00:33:05 to sit and
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 reflect.
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 Because some
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 of us may
00:33:07 --> 00:33:07 have come
00:33:07 --> 00:33:08 prepared, some
00:33:08 --> 00:33:08 of us are
00:33:08 --> 00:33:08 not prepared
00:33:08 --> 00:33:09 at all.
00:33:10 --> 00:33:10 But if you've
00:33:10 --> 00:33:11 come prepared,
00:33:11 --> 00:33:12 you might go,
00:33:12 --> 00:33:13 I need to
00:33:13 --> 00:33:13 rethink what
00:33:13 --> 00:33:14 I've just
00:33:14 --> 00:33:14 done because
00:33:14 --> 00:33:15 there's not
00:33:15 --> 00:33:15 enough gold
00:33:15 --> 00:33:16 factor on it,
00:33:16 --> 00:33:16 there's not
00:33:16 --> 00:33:17 enough sacrifice
00:33:17 --> 00:33:17 in it.
00:33:18 --> 00:33:19 For those of you
00:33:19 --> 00:33:19 who haven't
00:33:19 --> 00:33:20 prepared, this is
00:33:20 --> 00:33:20 an opportunity
00:33:20 --> 00:33:21 for you to get
00:33:21 --> 00:33:21 these cards out,
00:33:22 --> 00:33:22 take the
00:33:22 --> 00:33:23 project card out
00:33:23 --> 00:33:23 and take the
00:33:23 --> 00:33:24 pledge card out.
00:33:25 --> 00:33:25 We've already
00:33:25 --> 00:33:25 looked at
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 serve, take the
00:33:26 --> 00:33:26 project card,
00:33:26 --> 00:33:27 the pledge card
00:33:27 --> 00:33:27 out.
00:33:27 --> 00:33:28 This is an
00:33:28 --> 00:33:28 opportunity for you
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32 and what the
00:33:32 --> 00:33:32 gold factor is
00:33:32 --> 00:33:33 going to be for
00:33:33 --> 00:33:34 you in your
00:33:34 --> 00:33:35 financial commitment
00:33:35 --> 00:33:36 to this church.
00:33:37 --> 00:33:37 And I'll come
00:33:37 --> 00:33:38 back up in a
00:33:38 --> 00:33:38 moment.