1 00:00:17,080 --> 00:00:20,080 Welcome to the podcast of the White Church in Adelaide, South 2 00:00:20,080 --> 00:00:24,880 Australia. We have had quite a lot of input 3 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:28,880 from outside our context over the last short period of time. 4 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:33,600 And, you know, one of the questions that I've been asking 5 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:38,280 myself that I would ask all of us is what is God saying and 6 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:42,280 what are we doing with it? You know, like how we're 7 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:47,400 applying the things that God's speaking to us and God's really 8 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:51,560 been dealing with me. And some of these things, you 9 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:53,760 know, I've realized that, you know, one of the things that 10 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:59,440 God's really spoken to me is the need for having people around me 11 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:03,200 that I'm accountable to, that I'm completely transparent with, 12 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:07,680 open with. Trying to do life on your own or 13 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:11,560 for myself, trying to do what it is that God's called me to do in 14 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:16,240 my own strength is too hard. And we, we need each other. 15 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:20,360 Craig's laughing. He's like, of course it is like 16 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:22,760 we, we need each other. We need the body. 17 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:24,640 We need our brothers and our sisters. 18 00:01:25,960 --> 00:01:28,280 You know, the people that are close to me need to know my 19 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:30,440 struggles. They need to know the things 20 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:32,600 that I'm struggling with. They need to know the things 21 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:34,520 that I'm victorious in. All of these things. 22 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:37,880 We can't leave things hidden in the dark. 23 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:42,000 When you keep things to yourself, you are, you are 24 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:45,600 leaving it in the dark. And when you have someone that 25 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:48,240 you can share these things with that you can shed some light on 26 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:50,680 it and they can speak the word of God of you and you make an 27 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:52,960 encourage you. It's called shedding the light 28 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:56,040 on on the darkness because all of us have got stuff. 29 00:01:56,680 --> 00:02:00,760 All of us have got some sort of baggage, some sort of hold up, 30 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:02,960 whatever it is, we got some stuff. 31 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:06,760 And don't try and deal with your stuff on your own, you know, 32 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:10,120 And, and even like, because, you know, I have this attitude, 33 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:12,640 sometimes that just goes, I can just deal with it just with me 34 00:02:12,640 --> 00:02:15,000 and the Lord. And that's great. 35 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:20,680 But sometimes that that isn't even enough, you know, like we 36 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:25,320 are the body of Christ, right? And so we need to have people 37 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:28,880 around us in the body that we can do this with. 38 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:32,960 Yeah. Anyway, I won't get too hung up 39 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:40,000 on this, but yeah, actually I will tell a story just from my 40 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:42,280 week, just in in line with this stuff. 41 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:47,840 I sell motorcycle engines. And so, you know, these 42 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:50,320 motorcycle engines are on a pallet at my house and I have to 43 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:54,160 move them onto the back of the car and take them to be shipped 44 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:56,520 and stuff like this. This is just part of my job. 45 00:02:57,680 --> 00:02:59,680 And so Hilary helps me move these engines. 46 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:05,080 And so, so, you know, she, my wife is so much stronger than 47 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:06,760 you think. Like she should pick up these 48 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:09,240 things with me anyway. Like, I didn't get her to lift 49 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:10,600 him. I had my friend come when she 50 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:11,560 was pregnant and stuff like that. 51 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:13,040 So just relax. OK. 52 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:15,720 But she's not pregnant anymore. And I had to move this engine. 53 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:19,360 And so we've picked up this motor and we're sort of like 54 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:21,760 shifting it to the car. And I'm like, you're OK, you're 55 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:25,160 OK. Yeah, I'm fine, you know, and 56 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:27,920 and because I had to book it in, I had to estimate what how much 57 00:03:27,920 --> 00:03:30,280 it weighed. I estimated this thing probably 58 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:32,320 weighed about 40 or 50 kilos, right. 59 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:36,400 And so, you know, like, you can pick up, I can pick up 30 kilos 60 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:39,080 pretty easily. Like, not easily, but 30 kilos 61 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:41,840 is quite a lot to pick up. But when there's two of you, you 62 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:45,560 know, it is easier. And it's funny because I took 63 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:48,880 this engine to work and I had what my mate at work helped me 64 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:51,360 take it off the car, right? And we're picking it up and 65 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:52,920 we're walking along and he's like, geez, this is pretty 66 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:54,640 heavy. Like, what do you reckon this 67 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:55,840 weighs? And he's like, oh, I don't know, 68 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:58,680 like sort of 40 or 50 kilos. Yeah, that's what I thought. 69 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:00,600 Because why don't we stick it up on the scales? 70 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:06,920 So we put it on the scales. 83 kilos, 83 kilos. 71 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:09,120 I had my missus carrying 40 kilos. 72 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:14,480 But anyway, please don't judge. She's fine, I'm OK. 73 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:18,880 But but my point is like 80 kilos, like I, I, I would 74 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:20,640 struggle to lift 50 kilos on my own. 75 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:22,800 Like I I don't, I don't think I could, right. 76 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:28,400 But between two people carrying 80 plus kilos, it's doable. 77 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:30,520 It's not that hard. You don't, you don't hurt 78 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:34,360 yourself. And my point is that 2 can carry 79 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,840 much more than half of what one person can carry. 80 00:04:37,840 --> 00:04:39,800 Does that make sense? It's true. 81 00:04:39,840 --> 00:04:41,680 I googled it. This is what they say like 82 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:44,360 because you know, things are awkward and, and some of the 83 00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:47,560 things that it said, you know, the reasons why two people can 84 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:50,640 carry more is because they can coordinate with each other. 85 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:53,600 Just watch out behind you. Like, do you see what I'm 86 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:55,280 saying? Like there's a picture here that 87 00:04:55,280 --> 00:05:00,240 we can get a hold of that doing this together and having someone 88 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:02,560 alongside you to help is so powerful. 89 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:07,040 And it's amazing to me that God has just created this universe 90 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:09,680 in this world and just put his truth through everything. 91 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:13,360 It's like you can see God and you can see the goodness of God 92 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:15,960 and you can see the structure of things in all of his creation. 93 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:18,960 Isn't that amazing? Very good. 94 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:25,560 And so this morning, I'm going to be talking about sacrifice. 95 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:31,320 Yay. So I've got this slide here that 96 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:32,560 Hillary's going to pop up for me. 97 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:36,920 These were the 8 key ingredients to building God's church. 98 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:41,840 And so one of these is, I forget which picture this is, but 99 00:05:41,840 --> 00:05:45,800 there's another slide here. It's there it is. 100 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:49,520 It's that one sacrifice. And so we're going to talk about 101 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:57,440 sacrifice this morning. Is sacrifice something that as 102 00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:01,000 believers that we are called to do, that we are called to live 103 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:04,200 in? Of course, it is Paul. 104 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:07,400 The apostles thought so, and he wrote a lot about it. 105 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:11,560 And, you know, but what does Paul know about building the 106 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:14,920 church? Paul knew a lot about building 107 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:17,080 the church. He called himself a wise master 108 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:20,600 builder in the Lord, you know, and so we can we can listen to 109 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:23,560 it when, when we think about building the church and building 110 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:28,120 God's house, we've got this guy that that knew how to build and 111 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:32,160 he and So what we're reading today is his words to the church 112 00:06:32,280 --> 00:06:38,000 on on sacrifice. OK, so this is Romans 12 verse 113 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:40,200 1. And so I'm going to read through 114 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:42,400 it quickly and then I'm we're going to look at a little 115 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:43,800 closer. It's just one verse. 116 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:49,880 So Romans 12 verse one, it says, I beseech you, therefore, 117 00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:54,280 brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a 118 00:06:54,280 --> 00:06:58,840 living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your 119 00:06:58,840 --> 00:07:04,000 reasonable service. So this word I'm, I'm not going 120 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:06,680 to say the Greek words. I'll just tell you that this 121 00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:12,160 word beseech, the original Greek word is like to call for, to 122 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:14,400 summon, like he summoned them to speak to them. 123 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:18,360 But the, the definition is like a, it's a +1. 124 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:21,480 It's one of exhortation, like Paul wants to gather you to tell 125 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:25,360 you something good. And that same Greek word is 126 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:28,520 translated comfort a lot in the scripture, funnily enough. 127 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:33,400 And so Paul's beseeching you, I want to tell you something 128 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:35,600 that's good, something that's going to bring comfort. 129 00:07:39,280 --> 00:07:41,840 And so that's the heart behind what he's saying. 130 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:44,600 It's a good heart. It's one that wants us to catch 131 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:46,400 this. This is important. 132 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:48,120 Listen up. I've got something to say and 133 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:49,880 it's good for you. This is the heart. 134 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,640 And he and he says, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, you 135 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:57,040 know, this is family. This is brothers or sisters. 136 00:07:57,040 --> 00:08:00,040 He's not talking to a stranger. He's talking to the family of 137 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:03,800 God saying like I'm, I'm talking to my brothers and sisters here, 138 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:10,440 guys, by the mercies of God, by God's compassion, by God's 139 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:18,480 longing for us to catch this, your bodies to present, to 140 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:22,360 provide, sorry to, to present, to provide, to bring forward to 141 00:08:22,360 --> 00:08:27,120 command, to yield. I like yield, yield your bodies 142 00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:31,880 and and bodies. It's not just your physical 143 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:33,919 body. And you can tell that just by 144 00:08:33,919 --> 00:08:36,120 reading the context. If you if you go back and read, 145 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:39,840 he's not just talking about your physical body and the same word 146 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:44,039 for body in this passage is the same word where Jesus says 147 00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:50,200 don't, don't fear him who who can kill the body fear him who 148 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:53,800 can cast your body into hell body, same word. 149 00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:57,440 So Jesus uses the word, this word body, not just for your 150 00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:02,120 physical body, but the body that could be cast into hell as 151 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:04,360 that's all of you. That's like everything. 152 00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:10,920 And so it says, present your bodies a living sacrifice. 153 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:15,480 So you're not going to physically die, but you're going 154 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:20,440 to die in your attitude, in your in your laying down of your life 155 00:09:20,440 --> 00:09:23,840 as a sacrifice. You know this word sacrifice, if 156 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:26,240 you look at the strong's meaning, it only gives one 157 00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:29,240 other, one other word to describe this Greek word. 158 00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:34,160 You know what it is victim present. 159 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:38,480 Present your body as a victim. You know, we don't like that. 160 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:42,160 We don't like to even sacrifice. I would say a lot of us don't 161 00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:45,480 like to hear that. Like I have to sacrifice myself. 162 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:50,480 Like that's crazy talk. But this is what the word of God 163 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:53,880 is calling us to do, to sacrifice, to make yourself, you 164 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:57,000 know, when they killed the sacrificial lamb, that lamb was 165 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:00,080 a victim, you know, for to cover the sins. 166 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:05,080 This is the same same thing that God's asking us to do to 167 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:12,000 sacrifice yourself and you know, holy, obviously set apart 168 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:15,200 acceptable to God, which is I love this bit, right, the bit at 169 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:17,640 the end here, which is your reasonable service. 170 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:20,640 Paul's not like pulling any punches here, right? 171 00:10:21,040 --> 00:10:26,440 He's going, you know, as I'm I'm crying out to you guys as 172 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:30,840 brothers and sisters to lay down to sacrifice your body. 173 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:35,160 And this is like your reasonable service, you know this word 174 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:37,440 reasonable It, it just means logical. 175 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:40,800 This is logic. This is logic that you would do 176 00:10:40,800 --> 00:10:44,080 this believers, brothers and sisters, wouldn't make any sense 177 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:47,200 that you wouldn't live this way. Do you see what he's saying? 178 00:10:49,440 --> 00:10:53,840 It's like anything full short of full commitment to this thing is 179 00:10:54,040 --> 00:10:56,520 illogical. Like it wouldn't make any sense 180 00:10:56,520 --> 00:11:00,880 for you not to be fully committed to this totally given 181 00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:05,080 over to Christ's likeness. And as a believer, as a 182 00:11:05,080 --> 00:11:10,360 Christian, as a follower of Christ, it just makes no sense 183 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:14,560 to live in a way that's not completely sold out, given over 184 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:19,280 laying your body on the line as a as a sacrifice to the Lord 185 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:24,400 that that I'm belonging to him now and he gets to he gets to 186 00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:27,960 dictate to me what I should do with my life and my choices. 187 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:33,680 Logical. Isn't that interesting because 188 00:11:33,680 --> 00:11:37,560 we think sometimes that is irrational for us to like self 189 00:11:37,560 --> 00:11:40,080 sacrifice. That's not what the Bible's 190 00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:42,040 teaching. That's not what the Word of God 191 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:45,040 says. And so I'm going to read it 192 00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:47,560 again for us. I beseech you, therefore, 193 00:11:47,560 --> 00:11:52,880 brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a 194 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:58,360 living sacrifice wholly acceptable to God, which is your 195 00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:01,440 reasonable service. That's a powerful verse, isn't 196 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:13,480 it? As I was preparing this morning, 197 00:12:14,680 --> 00:12:16,720 just around some of these things, I was just reading and 198 00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:19,360 praying this morning. I didn't sort of look at the 199 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:21,480 notes or anything that I'm just up early. 200 00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:25,520 I'm praying, I'm reading the word and you know, I just 201 00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:31,320 started to dwell on some of these things and just, you know, 202 00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:39,960 that that thing of like full commitment to the Lord and you 203 00:12:39,960 --> 00:12:44,440 know how how me being fully committed to the Lord means be 204 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:51,080 me being fully committed to his church because we're the body of 205 00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:54,280 Christ. You know, I don't know what you 206 00:12:54,280 --> 00:12:56,240 think about church. I don't know what you think the 207 00:12:56,240 --> 00:13:00,160 church is, but the church is Christ's body. 208 00:13:00,920 --> 00:13:03,720 And so you couldn't be committed to Jesus unless you were 209 00:13:03,720 --> 00:13:09,600 committed to to the church. And that's kind of jarring to 210 00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:11,520 hear sometimes. I don't know what you guys are 211 00:13:11,520 --> 00:13:15,120 hearing when I say that, but if you're not fully committed in, 212 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:18,760 you know, this verse that I read about being a living sacrifice 213 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:21,840 completely given over to the church. 214 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:25,520 If I say you need to be a living sacrifice to the church, to the 215 00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:29,440 body to live for it, that that would be the most important 216 00:13:29,440 --> 00:13:34,320 thing in your world because it's Jesus, that could be quite 217 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:39,280 jarring to hear. And I wonder whether when it is 218 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:42,000 jarring and whether you go, oh, that doesn't sound right. 219 00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:44,080 I can't be fully committed to church. 220 00:13:44,080 --> 00:13:45,760 Church is just a building with people in it. 221 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:49,640 Like, I don't know whether we've grasped what the church actually 222 00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:55,760 is, you know, like, because we can start to think things like, 223 00:13:55,760 --> 00:13:58,960 you know, when I say that as a leader in the church, you know, 224 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:01,760 things that you hear people, I don't know, I know you guys 225 00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:04,840 don't say this, but things that you hear the the people in 226 00:14:04,840 --> 00:14:07,680 churches and stuff say, they say, you know, this passage just 227 00:14:07,680 --> 00:14:09,120 wants all my time and all my money. 228 00:14:10,760 --> 00:14:14,200 He just wants me to like give up everything for, for the for the 229 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:19,800 church. And you just go, yeah, that's 230 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:22,600 what the Scripture says. This is kind of like, but not 231 00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:26,240 for my sake, not for me, not because I'm saying that you need 232 00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:29,200 to give up everything for the church and to serve the Lord, 233 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:33,240 but for the Lord. It's like that is exactly what 234 00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:37,960 God is calling us to do to to give up everything to serve him. 235 00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:43,760 And can I remind us that what he's doing on the on the planet 236 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:48,760 earth right now is the church is in and through the church is in 237 00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:52,800 and through his body, we are representing God here. 238 00:14:53,880 --> 00:14:56,400 This is the most important thing that we have going on in our 239 00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:59,840 lives. God's thing, not our thing. 240 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:06,120 Can I say that? Like we can't love Jesus unless 241 00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:09,720 we love his church. A lot of people out there just 242 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:12,240 going, I'm done with the church. The church has just messed me 243 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:13,440 up. They're all just a bunch of this 244 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:15,920 and that. I love Jesus though. 245 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:19,920 Do you? Because this is his bride. 246 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:26,480 You can't follow Jesus without being a part of his church. 247 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:29,680 I'm just following Jesus on my own. 248 00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:31,520 I'm just doing my own thing. I've just got my own 249 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:33,760 relationship with God. I've got my own faith. 250 00:15:35,520 --> 00:15:38,320 Do you? Because if you're not a part of 251 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:40,960 his body, then where are you and what are you doing? 252 00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:46,160 I hope I'm not coming across like, you know, too strong here, 253 00:15:47,600 --> 00:15:59,140 but isn't Is that true? You can't come to God without 254 00:15:59,140 --> 00:16:03,240 coming to Jesus. You can't come to the Lord 255 00:16:03,240 --> 00:16:05,200 unless you come through Christ Jesus. 256 00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:13,400 So when we talk about the church as his, as his bride, as as him, 257 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:19,240 himself, his body, well, can you, can you serve God without 258 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:24,640 coming to the church, without being a part of what he's doing? 259 00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:26,720 I don't know that you can, not effectively. 260 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:30,360 I think that you could be saved. I think that you could be saved, 261 00:16:31,840 --> 00:16:34,800 but I don't know that you're going to be very effective in 262 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:36,480 doing the thing that He's called us to do. 263 00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:39,080 You might just be doing your own thing over here and just missing 264 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:43,600 the call that God has on your life, because the call that God 265 00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:46,480 has on our life is in the church. 266 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:50,760 It is in the body. It's not off over there 267 00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:54,920 somewhere doing your own thing. We are called to be servants of 268 00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:57,040 the Lord and we serve in the church. 269 00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:04,319 And so, you know, I think This is why Paul pleaded in this 270 00:17:04,319 --> 00:17:08,839 letter in the into the to the Roman church to sacrifice 271 00:17:08,839 --> 00:17:14,440 themselves. You know, I wonder whether he 272 00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:18,599 was reminding them something that he'd already taught them or 273 00:17:18,599 --> 00:17:20,560 whether he was teaching them something new. 274 00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:24,400 I think maybe he'd already like they knew this and he was 275 00:17:24,400 --> 00:17:27,359 reminding them of this. You know there's, there's 276 00:17:27,359 --> 00:17:31,160 something worse and just not knowing something important. 277 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:34,280 Do you know what it is? Apathy. 278 00:17:35,240 --> 00:17:38,000 Knowing something and just doing nothing with it. 279 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:41,920 Like apathy is like lack of interest. 280 00:17:42,760 --> 00:17:47,000 It's like being unenthused, not concerned with. 281 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:51,800 I think I'm losing my voice. Apathy is worse than not 282 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:55,440 knowing. Well, I mean, it might both lead 283 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:58,960 to the same place, but it's just like if I know that that God's 284 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:01,360 called me to be a living sacrifice and to give up 285 00:18:01,360 --> 00:18:06,160 everything to follow him, but I'm just like, meh, that's 286 00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:08,240 worse. That means I'm going to stand 287 00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:11,080 before the Lord one day and give an account of my life and he's 288 00:18:11,120 --> 00:18:13,400 just going to go, but you knew this. 289 00:18:14,920 --> 00:18:17,600 I don't want to stand before the Lord knowing that I I should 290 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:21,720 have given myself completely to him and I didn't just through 291 00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:25,040 apathy. I wonder what's going through 292 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:27,800 our mind when we talk about these things, whether we're just 293 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:31,800 going, oh, well, you know, we talked about, you know, our 294 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:35,320 flesh and how, how we respond to the word of God and these sorts 295 00:18:35,320 --> 00:18:37,680 of things. I wonder, I wonder what's going 296 00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:41,920 on in here when we when we think about having to give up 297 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:44,520 everything, lay down everything to serve the Lord, whether it's 298 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:50,040 just like ice, we're doing OK. That might be apathy. 299 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:53,680 We don't want to be an apathetic church. 300 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:59,520 Can I say that the the church, especially in Australia, 1, 301 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:00,920 especially in Australia. I'm in Australia. 302 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:06,600 So you see it apathetic very just like, you know, what did I 303 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:08,080 say? It's like not really that 304 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:12,120 interested, not really that concerned like that, man. 305 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:15,480 It's funny because it's a meme, but you know what it means. 306 00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:19,400 It's like, man, some of you probably don't know. 307 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:25,880 And I know that, you know, I don't say this to be heavy 308 00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:30,960 because I know that many of us are sacrificing a lot already to 309 00:19:30,960 --> 00:19:33,920 be here, to serve, to be a part of the body. 310 00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:37,400 I'm not saying that none of us are doing anything, but I'm 311 00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:40,400 reminding us that God's always calling us for more. 312 00:19:40,880 --> 00:19:45,080 Like there's always more that God wants me to give up and lay 313 00:19:45,080 --> 00:19:48,000 down. It's interesting because God 314 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:50,320 wants me to be fruitful and to multiply. 315 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:52,520 God wants to add to those who have something. 316 00:19:53,560 --> 00:19:56,200 So if I have have something, God wants to add to it. 317 00:19:57,040 --> 00:19:59,680 And the only problem that I can see with that is that if God 318 00:19:59,680 --> 00:20:02,480 gives me more now I'm going to have to give more away. 319 00:20:02,480 --> 00:20:05,800 Like I'm going to have to be more sacrificial with the more 320 00:20:05,800 --> 00:20:07,680 that God's given me. Do you see how this works? 321 00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:10,360 So we want more and more out of God. 322 00:20:11,520 --> 00:20:14,720 We want Him to grow us and to bless us, but that just means 323 00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:16,920 that He's giving me more to be accountable to. 324 00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:20,440 With that, I would have to give more, that I'd have to lay down 325 00:20:20,440 --> 00:20:23,080 more of myself. It's just like I've got a third 326 00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:25,960 child in the house now. God's blessed me. 327 00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:30,800 You know what that means for us? Sacrifice, more sacrifice. 328 00:20:31,320 --> 00:20:33,720 It means that I'm going to have to lay down more now because 329 00:20:33,720 --> 00:20:36,760 I've got another responsibility here that needs to be raised and 330 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:42,760 brought up to know the Lord. Why would anyone choose to serve 331 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:45,240 the Lord? Why would anyone choose the 332 00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:47,800 narrow gate? Why would anyone choose the way 333 00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:53,360 that he's harder? Because it's the only way. 334 00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:56,320 It's the only way that leads to life. 335 00:20:57,400 --> 00:21:00,360 Because God himself is the prize. 336 00:21:01,880 --> 00:21:07,240 Because God is a greater rich, you know He's the greatest 337 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:13,360 riches that ever existed him to know him and to walk with him is 338 00:21:13,360 --> 00:21:16,320 a greater richer than my words aren't working here. 339 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:20,480 But it's it's of greater value for me to know the Lord than to 340 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:21,920 have all the possessions on the earth. 341 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:26,960 Do you believe that This is why choosing the narrow gate and 342 00:21:26,960 --> 00:21:32,560 choosing the hard Rd. is is is so fulfilling because you get 343 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:35,040 him. Isn't that amazing? 344 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:37,640 And his grace, he says, my grace is sufficient for you. 345 00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:41,520 That means that when you choose to give up everything and serve 346 00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:45,080 the Lord and follow him, not only do you get him, you get his 347 00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:48,080 grace to be able to walk this thing through. 348 00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:51,480 And you can do this and you can do it well because your value is 349 00:21:51,480 --> 00:21:54,640 in him and not in yourself and not in your own staff. 350 00:21:56,960 --> 00:21:58,200 So we're just going to look a little. 351 00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:00,000 I'm going to try and get through the end of it. 352 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:06,200 My voice is dying, but we're just going to look at Jesus and 353 00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:10,200 some of the sacrifices that Jesus made in his life and I'll 354 00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:14,360 bring this to a close. What did Jesus sacrifice for you 355 00:22:14,360 --> 00:22:20,240 and I everything like everything, like Jesus didn't 356 00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:23,080 hold anything back for you and I not a thing. 357 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:28,160 You know, we we hear people leaving churches and and saying 358 00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:29,920 things like they asked too much of me. 359 00:22:31,400 --> 00:22:35,760 Jesus asked for everything. Jesus gave everything. 360 00:22:36,360 --> 00:22:39,760 So here's a few of the things that Jesus sacrificed. 361 00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:45,440 Jesus sacrificed money. You know, Jesus was a Carpenter, 362 00:22:45,480 --> 00:22:46,680 you know, got some Carpenter friends. 363 00:22:46,680 --> 00:22:49,560 They make some pretty good money tradies. 364 00:22:50,240 --> 00:22:55,720 I am joking, but but, but Jesus gave up, you know, a life of, 365 00:22:55,720 --> 00:23:02,560 of, of, of working and earning. You know, Jesus wasn't rich in, 366 00:23:02,560 --> 00:23:07,640 in, in physical wealth, was he? When, when, when they said, when 367 00:23:07,640 --> 00:23:10,280 Peter came and said that, you know, we need to pay this temple 368 00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:11,000 tax. What did he say? 369 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:13,280 He didn't just reach into his pocket and just go, oh, I got 370 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:15,080 wads of cash here. He'd take some of this. 371 00:23:15,720 --> 00:23:19,560 He sent him fishing and he pulled a, a gold coin out of the 372 00:23:19,560 --> 00:23:21,400 fish's mouth. That says to me that Jesus 373 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:24,600 wasn't loaded, right? Why would he make him go and do 374 00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:26,920 that if he could just reach into his bag and just grab some 375 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:29,800 money? There might be other reasons, 376 00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:33,560 but Jesus wasn't chasing physical riches. 377 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:37,080 Jesus had to walk from place to place. 378 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:39,840 Jesus said that he has nowhere to lay his own head. 379 00:23:41,360 --> 00:23:45,000 Jesus gave up, you know, having somewhere to live, somewhere to 380 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:49,320 call home, just to go to do the thing that he ultimately called 381 00:23:49,320 --> 00:23:51,040 us as the church to do. Go. 382 00:23:51,120 --> 00:23:52,840 Therefore, Jesus was just doing that. 383 00:23:54,280 --> 00:23:59,160 Jesus gave up comfort. The comfort that you and I have 384 00:23:59,880 --> 00:24:01,880 in our day-to-day lives, we're pretty comfortable. 385 00:24:03,120 --> 00:24:05,680 Jesus gave up that. Jesus was sleeping in boats. 386 00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:07,280 Jesus was sleeping in the wilderness. 387 00:24:07,280 --> 00:24:10,240 He was sleeping in gardens. He gave up comfort. 388 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:12,240 I'm sure that he didn't have an air conditioner or a heater 389 00:24:12,240 --> 00:24:16,960 going and all of that. I know that He had a nice coat, 390 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:20,720 didn't he? He did. 391 00:24:20,720 --> 00:24:24,040 That's what the Bible teaches. I didn't think he had 10 coats. 392 00:24:24,360 --> 00:24:26,320 I didn't think he had 10 nice coats. 393 00:24:27,360 --> 00:24:30,400 I don't think that he was just, you know, I can go into my 394 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:32,720 wardrobe and I've got like 5 or 6 coats. 395 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:36,000 Jesus didn't have that. You know, I think about the 396 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:39,240 amount of stuff that I've got and the amount of stuff that we 397 00:24:39,240 --> 00:24:43,760 just accumulate stuff. Have you ever walked into the 398 00:24:43,760 --> 00:24:46,200 shed or something and seen something there and just go, oh, 399 00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:49,640 forgot I even had that. Jesus didn't do that. 400 00:24:50,160 --> 00:24:52,840 Jesus didn't like walk into his room and just go, oh, forgot I 401 00:24:52,840 --> 00:24:55,280 even had that thing. Jesus knew what he had. 402 00:24:55,360 --> 00:24:57,320 Do you see him? Like, what's my point in here? 403 00:24:57,640 --> 00:25:01,280 Are we being, are we living sacrificial lives in our 404 00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:05,320 possessions? Are we giving up the opportunity 405 00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:08,400 just to store up a whole bunch of stuff and try and close the 406 00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:10,600 door? How much stuff do we have? 407 00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:14,160 How much stuff do we need? Not a lot, according to Jesus's 408 00:25:14,480 --> 00:25:16,400 example. Is that true? 409 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:22,280 I think I've got too much stuff. Jesus sacrificed his time, 410 00:25:22,360 --> 00:25:25,000 didn't he? Constantly, constantly 411 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:27,680 interrupted. Going here to help someone. 412 00:25:27,920 --> 00:25:29,760 Runs into someone else that needs help. 413 00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:34,720 Always interrupted, pulled aside by women. 414 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:35,880 Help me here. OK. 415 00:25:35,920 --> 00:25:37,240 Yeah. And always willing. 416 00:25:38,280 --> 00:25:40,800 Just living a life of being interrupted constantly. 417 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:43,360 Didn't seem to bother him too much. 418 00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:47,400 He was on mission. Jesus gave up sleep. 419 00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:49,080 I'm just. I'm trying to say things that 420 00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:51,840 you and I struggle to give up sleep. 421 00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:54,360 We don't like to give up our sleep. 422 00:25:54,360 --> 00:25:56,120 We don't like to sacrifice our sleep. 423 00:25:56,560 --> 00:26:00,120 Jesus couldn't even get a nap. He goes to have a sleep in a 424 00:26:00,120 --> 00:26:02,600 boat and they wake him up, right? 425 00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:08,280 Jesus, we're going to die here. What are you doing constantly? 426 00:26:08,280 --> 00:26:10,120 Just like can't even catch a break. 427 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:15,840 And you know, that can be the same for me. 428 00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:20,720 It's like I want to be available to you guys when you need me. 429 00:26:21,720 --> 00:26:23,640 You know, you could call me in the middle of the night. 430 00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:27,200 Hopefully I would I'm, you know, I'm exposing myself here. 431 00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:30,480 My phone's in the other room. But I trust that if I needed to 432 00:26:30,480 --> 00:26:32,640 hear, God would make it make me hear right. 433 00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:35,400 My wife would probably hear and tell me to go get it. 434 00:26:35,800 --> 00:26:39,120 But if you, but if you if I was asleep, right, My point is, if I 435 00:26:39,120 --> 00:26:43,360 was asleep and one of you guys came to me and said, help, help 436 00:26:43,360 --> 00:26:47,280 me, I'll get up for that. I would. 437 00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:52,080 Would you get up for me like if I called you in the middle of 438 00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:54,240 the night, would you answer your phone or would you just go, oh, 439 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:57,840 Dave's calling and go back to sleep? 440 00:26:57,840 --> 00:26:59,080 Would you do that for each other? 441 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:02,400 I'm, I'm questioning us here for your brothers and sisters. 442 00:27:02,400 --> 00:27:04,920 Would if your brother or your sister rang you in the middle of 443 00:27:04,920 --> 00:27:08,760 the night because they needed help, would you just go, oh, 444 00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:09,920 I'll just call them in the morning? 445 00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:14,480 Think about that. Would we be like Christ with our 446 00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:18,960 sleep? Mark 132. 447 00:27:18,960 --> 00:27:21,360 I won't read the passage. I'll just give you the the 448 00:27:21,360 --> 00:27:24,160 headlines here. It says that Jesus was working 449 00:27:24,160 --> 00:27:26,280 late. It says that Jesus was 450 00:27:26,920 --> 00:27:29,080 ministering and the whole town came to him. 451 00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:31,320 And this was after the sun had gone down. 452 00:27:31,960 --> 00:27:34,600 Do you think that if the whole town came to Jesus, he might be 453 00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:37,320 working for a few hours? I think he was working well into 454 00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:40,000 the night. And then on that same night, it 455 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:43,800 says that Jesus rose early in the morning before the sun was 456 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:50,000 up to go and seek the Lord, sacrificing his sleep, right? 457 00:27:50,160 --> 00:27:53,960 He didn't sleep in because he'd had a big night in ministry. 458 00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:58,840 He got up because he knew that seeking the Lord was more 459 00:27:58,840 --> 00:28:02,440 important than his own sleep. Think about that glass. 460 00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:07,560 Some of us, you know, and I don't even know how I can say 461 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:10,040 that that's I started saying, I'm going to have to finish the 462 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:12,480 thought Now. Some of us can't get to the 463 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:15,760 meetings on time because we had a late night the night before. 464 00:28:16,120 --> 00:28:20,360 That was not Jesus's example. Please hear the word. 465 00:28:20,360 --> 00:28:22,440 Don't hear what I'm saying. Like it's just like, be 466 00:28:22,440 --> 00:28:24,400 accountable to the Lord with your sleep. 467 00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:31,440 You know, when I was young we would go out partying all night, 468 00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:35,520 even if I had to work in the morning and I still went, right? 469 00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:38,120 I might call in sick from time to time, but generally I would 470 00:28:38,120 --> 00:28:40,920 go because I needed the money, right? 471 00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:45,160 So I'd sacrificed my sleep to have fun and then to get the 472 00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:48,360 money that I needed. So I was willing to sacrifice 473 00:28:48,360 --> 00:28:51,880 for my own needs. Am I willing to sacrifice for 474 00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:55,320 the needs of the brothers and sisters and for Christ? 475 00:28:56,120 --> 00:28:59,360 Because we have to be here like you Take the Sunday meeting, for 476 00:28:59,360 --> 00:29:02,000 example. Someone has to put that chair 477 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:05,360 out that we're sitting on. Someone has to set this stuff up 478 00:29:05,360 --> 00:29:07,160 so that you guys can hear what I'm saying. 479 00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:09,720 Someone has to do all these things. 480 00:29:10,920 --> 00:29:13,960 If we're not coming in just because we're tired, are we 481 00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:16,240 living a sacrificial life for one another? 482 00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:18,720 I mean, wisdom says go to bed earlier. 483 00:29:18,720 --> 00:29:22,120 But you know, I'm not always wise, but I know that being 484 00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:24,600 here, I have to be here, so I sacrifice. 485 00:29:24,920 --> 00:29:26,640 I hope you guys are catching what I'm saying here. 486 00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:34,000 And Jesus, you know, ultimately I thought about this this week, 487 00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:37,800 Jesus sacrificing his life. He said that I only do what the 488 00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:43,840 Father says and I only says what I only say what he says to do. 489 00:29:43,840 --> 00:29:47,880 You know, I got up on on Saturday with that in my on my 490 00:29:47,880 --> 00:29:52,640 heart and I was like, man, I'm going to try and just do what 491 00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:54,320 God I'm going to. I'm going to try and be careful 492 00:29:54,320 --> 00:29:56,880 with my words today and only speak what the Lord would say. 493 00:29:57,840 --> 00:30:00,760 And I'm, I'm only going to do like what I know that the Lord 494 00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:02,040 would do. She's laughing because she's, 495 00:30:02,040 --> 00:30:05,280 she was with me on Saturday. Do you know how hard that is? 496 00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:12,760 Well, Jesus did that right. Wow, he's amazing. 497 00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:17,480 Thank you, Lord, Thank you that you walked this thing out that I 498 00:30:17,480 --> 00:30:19,200 would seem impossible for me to do. 499 00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:21,760 Thank you, Lord. Oh my gosh. 500 00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:26,960 And so, you know, we, we read in the Scripture that that this 501 00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:33,240 lifestyle that Jesus lived was training Jesus to go through the 502 00:30:33,280 --> 00:30:39,120 ultimate sacrifice, like a life that Jesus lived day-to-day, 503 00:30:39,120 --> 00:30:45,080 sacrificing day after day after day after day, led him, 504 00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:50,040 empowered him, strengthened him, brought him into a maturity to 505 00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:53,080 be able to make the ultimate sacrifice for you and I. 506 00:30:54,920 --> 00:30:57,120 We find this in Hebrews 5 verse 7. 507 00:30:59,160 --> 00:31:02,520 It says of Jesus. It says, who in the days of his 508 00:31:02,520 --> 00:31:06,440 flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with 509 00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:10,520 Bohemian criers and tears to him, who was able to save him 510 00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:14,960 from death, and was heard because of his godly fear. 511 00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:19,360 Though he was a Son, yet he learned obedience by the things 512 00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:27,600 which he suffered. And having been made perfect, 513 00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:34,080 having been perfected, he became the author of eternal salvation 514 00:31:34,800 --> 00:31:45,400 to all of those who obey him. Oh my gosh, the Father heard 515 00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:52,000 Jesus, it says, because he of his godly fear, because Jesus 516 00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:57,240 lived a life, he feared the Lord and God heard him because of the 517 00:31:57,240 --> 00:32:05,720 life that he lived. It says that Jesus learned 518 00:32:05,720 --> 00:32:12,440 obedience through suffering, the life of self sacrifice. 519 00:32:14,560 --> 00:32:17,880 It LED Jesus to give up everything. 520 00:32:18,320 --> 00:32:23,000 The last thing that Jesus had was his own life and he laid it 521 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:29,600 down. And it says that, you know, in 522 00:32:29,600 --> 00:32:37,400 the laying down of everything and his own life, perfection now 523 00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:41,360 perfection in laying down everything, it's like, how do I 524 00:32:41,360 --> 00:32:43,680 become perfect? Lord, lay it all down. 525 00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:48,240 You know this wise man that comes to Jesus, this rich man, 526 00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:53,880 he says, what must I do for eternal salvation or what? 527 00:32:54,240 --> 00:32:55,480 What? What does the law say? 528 00:32:55,800 --> 00:32:57,560 This thing, this thing that you have done, all of that. 529 00:32:57,720 --> 00:33:00,040 OK, now sell everything you have and from come follow me. 530 00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:03,160 Lay everything down then and come and follow me. 531 00:33:08,710 --> 00:33:10,390 You know I'll read this, I'll read this again. 532 00:33:10,390 --> 00:33:15,670 Verse 9 it says, and having been perfected, he became the author 533 00:33:16,350 --> 00:33:23,310 of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. 534 00:33:25,310 --> 00:33:31,280 That is a stern word, that Jesus has become the author and the of 535 00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:36,720 our of our salvation to those who obey him. 536 00:33:36,720 --> 00:33:39,680 Don't miss that, believers. Don't miss that. 537 00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:43,880 Followers of Jesus to those who obey him, that is. 538 00:33:44,920 --> 00:33:46,360 That should shake us up a little. 539 00:33:47,560 --> 00:33:52,200 I know it shakes me up a little. Do we even want to obey him? 540 00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:54,920 Do we even want to lay it all down to serve him? 541 00:33:59,760 --> 00:34:03,720 And so I'm asking us here, like, what is the Lord saying to you? 542 00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:10,440 What are the things that that God is asking you to sacrifice 543 00:34:11,320 --> 00:34:16,320 to him? What is he asking you to give 544 00:34:16,320 --> 00:34:27,750 up? You know, I was thinking about 545 00:34:27,750 --> 00:34:34,480 people today, believers that that a martyr that that come to 546 00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:37,199 that place where Jesus was where they had to lay down their 547 00:34:37,199 --> 00:34:40,480 physical lives, you know, renounce Christ. 548 00:34:40,960 --> 00:34:44,159 I will not put to death, you know, this. 549 00:34:44,159 --> 00:34:48,719 There's a time coming where the if you're going to stand for 550 00:34:48,760 --> 00:34:52,120 Jesus, stand for Christ. That's your life now. 551 00:34:53,199 --> 00:34:55,520 And so I think about that. I was thinking about that this 552 00:34:55,520 --> 00:34:59,800 morning and I was just like, gosh, it's almost, I don't want 553 00:34:59,800 --> 00:35:06,080 to say easier, but I can see God's mercy and grace in that, 554 00:35:06,240 --> 00:35:13,200 allowing A believer to come to this place where it's like me or 555 00:35:13,200 --> 00:35:16,520 your life. Can you see the mercy of God to 556 00:35:16,520 --> 00:35:21,800 allow that to happen, to give a person, to give a believer the 557 00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:25,760 opportunity to lay down their life for the king? 558 00:35:26,600 --> 00:35:29,560 An opportunity because you would look at that in the natural and 559 00:35:29,560 --> 00:35:32,720 just go. How could God allow his 560 00:35:32,720 --> 00:35:35,200 believers to be beheaded and killed? 561 00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:40,680 But if you understand what Jesus has called His church to be and 562 00:35:40,680 --> 00:35:44,640 who He's called you and I are to be, you would understand that 563 00:35:44,760 --> 00:35:49,680 God is giving people the ultimate opportunity to lay down 564 00:35:49,680 --> 00:35:51,960 their lives for Him. Perfection. 565 00:35:53,120 --> 00:35:58,960 Do you see it? I think that some of us that, 566 00:35:59,200 --> 00:36:02,680 you know, I don't know some of us, but some of the people that 567 00:36:02,680 --> 00:36:06,720 will face that end might have lived a life that, that I'm 568 00:36:06,720 --> 00:36:10,440 guilty of sometimes where I just haven't seemed to give it all to 569 00:36:10,440 --> 00:36:13,560 God, where I haven't seemed to lay it all down, where I've sort 570 00:36:13,560 --> 00:36:16,680 of lived sort of for God, but sort of for myself. 571 00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:20,440 And then God's going to give this wonderful opportunity just 572 00:36:20,440 --> 00:36:32,640 to, to, to go all in. I thought about, I looked 573 00:36:32,640 --> 00:36:35,120 through my notes this morning and I got to the end here and I 574 00:36:35,120 --> 00:36:36,360 was just, oh, I can't leave it there. 575 00:36:36,360 --> 00:36:41,440 I was can't leave us there. Where's the hope in this? 576 00:36:42,440 --> 00:36:43,760 And so I'm going to read for us here. 577 00:36:43,760 --> 00:36:46,160 Don't worry, OK, I'm not going to leave this here. 578 00:36:47,040 --> 00:36:53,400 Hebrews 12 verse 2 says this. It says, looking unto Jesus, the 579 00:36:53,400 --> 00:36:58,240 author and the finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was 580 00:36:58,240 --> 00:37:03,520 set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, He 581 00:37:03,520 --> 00:37:06,040 sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 582 00:37:09,440 --> 00:37:12,960 You know, when you're working a job that you don't really love, 583 00:37:12,960 --> 00:37:14,440 you prefer to be at home or whatever. 584 00:37:14,440 --> 00:37:17,360 I'm sure all of us can relate to that, whether it's a job or just 585 00:37:17,640 --> 00:37:20,000 doing something that you would prefer not to be doing. 586 00:37:20,520 --> 00:37:24,480 And you're looking at the clock and you're just like, it's 4:30 587 00:37:24,760 --> 00:37:28,640 and I'm knocking off at 5:00. And it's like now I'm looking 588 00:37:28,640 --> 00:37:32,320 for the hope before me that I'm going to be, I'm knocking off. 589 00:37:32,320 --> 00:37:33,840 I'm going to be able to get out of here. 590 00:37:34,280 --> 00:37:37,160 And so you can enjoy the last half an hour because you know 591 00:37:37,160 --> 00:37:38,520 that I'm getting out of here soon. 592 00:37:39,400 --> 00:37:41,520 It's a stupid analogy. I know when it when you, when 593 00:37:41,520 --> 00:37:46,880 you bring Christ into it, right? But Jesus, knowing the hope that 594 00:37:46,880 --> 00:37:51,600 was before him, knowing that laying down everything meant 595 00:37:51,600 --> 00:37:56,640 that people like you and I could be set free, made whole, 596 00:37:56,840 --> 00:38:01,240 delivered eternal life with the King forever, He thought that 597 00:38:01,240 --> 00:38:03,600 was worthwhile. And he thought that there is a 598 00:38:03,600 --> 00:38:07,440 joy there that is worth me laying down everything for. 599 00:38:07,760 --> 00:38:13,040 And so for you and I is the same joy that Jesus had set before 600 00:38:13,040 --> 00:38:15,240 him. It's the joy that we have set 601 00:38:15,240 --> 00:38:19,120 before us. We can overcome, we can endure, 602 00:38:19,240 --> 00:38:23,080 we can lay it all down for Christ and and for his Church 603 00:38:23,080 --> 00:38:26,320 and for his bride and service of God and each other. 604 00:38:26,520 --> 00:38:30,200 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and love one another. 605 00:38:30,960 --> 00:38:36,320 Service, sacrifice. Thank you, Lord, for the hope 606 00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:37,760 that's set before us. Amen. 607 00:38:41,680 --> 00:38:43,480 Thank you for joining us for today's message. 608 00:38:43,960 --> 00:38:46,440 For more information about The Way Church, please visit 609 00:38:46,440 --> 00:38:49,400 ourwebsite@thewaychurch.com dot AU. 610 00:38:49,920 --> 00:38:50,720 Have a blessed day.