1 00:00:01,720 --> 00:00:06,080 Oh crossing church, I love you, but I am not the only one that 2 00:00:06,080 --> 00:00:07,720 loves you. Our staff loves you. 3 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:12,800 This church loves you, but more importantly, God loves you. 4 00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:15,040 That is at the very heart of the Bible. 5 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:17,720 That is at the very heart of the gospel message. 6 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:21,880 In fact, we discussed it last week in John chapter 3, verses 7 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:26,400 16 through 18. We find these words for God so 8 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:30,600 love the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever 9 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:34,440 believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 10 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:37,480 At some point in time you and I are going to come to our 11 00:00:37,480 --> 00:00:39,120 deathbed unless the Lord returns. 12 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:41,720 And at the end of that, it is not the end. 13 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:44,760 You either go up or you go down. There is eternal life. 14 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:47,480 What you want is eternal life. What you do not want is eternal 15 00:00:47,480 --> 00:00:49,640 death. So that's why God sent His Son 16 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:52,760 Jesus to die on the cross. For God did not send His Son 17 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:56,600 into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world 18 00:00:56,600 --> 00:00:59,720 through him. So God sent Jesus on a save 19 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:01,920 mission so you and I could be saved. 20 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:04,680 And when you come into a right relationship with Jesus Christ, 21 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:08,280 you join him in the mission of saving other people. 22 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:12,200 For whoever believes in him is not condemned. 23 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:15,160 So if you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of living 24 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:19,840 God, you are not condemned. But whoever does not believe 25 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:26,200 stands condemned already because they have not believed in the 26 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:30,440 name of God's one and only Son. If you are here today within the 27 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:34,800 sound of my voice at the very end of this message, I'm going 28 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:37,720 to give you another gospel message. 29 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:42,920 And if you have not yet believed and you are going, I do not want 30 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:45,280 to be condemned. You will get an opportunity to 31 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:49,160 make things right. And this message, throughout 32 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:52,800 history, those who have been moved and impacted and changed 33 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:56,160 by this message have arisen. And this group of people that 34 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:59,280 have arisen out of this are gospel patrons. 35 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:04,360 They are people who value the advancement of the Kingdom more 36 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:09,520 than the accumulation of more. I want to welcome all of our 37 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:12,440 different locations. Those of you watching online and 38 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:16,680 inside, we are so glad that you were here today and I titled 39 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:19,960 entitled My Message. You have been invited to break 40 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:24,880 free so that others can experience a breakthrough. 41 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:32,280 New Testament scholar Craig Blomberg many years ago made 42 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:39,320 this shocking statement. Money and possessions are the 43 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:46,760 single greatest rival to faith in Jesus Christ. 44 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:52,800 That is a shocking statement. He didn't say. 45 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:56,720 He didn't say politics. He didn't say secularism. 46 00:02:56,920 --> 00:03:00,480 He didn't say social media. He didn't say sexual immorality. 47 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:02,480 He didn't say revisionist history. 48 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:08,480 He said money and possessions is the greatest rival to faith in 49 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:11,920 Jesus Christ. If we were honest today, we 50 00:03:11,920 --> 00:03:17,640 would have preferred him saying something else because chances 51 00:03:17,640 --> 00:03:23,560 are we might not struggle with the something else, but all of 52 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:30,760 us on some level struggle with money and possessions and you 53 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:34,360 might be going. I don't care how smart Craig 54 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:37,600 Blomberg is. I don't care how many degrees he 55 00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:41,160 has, how many books he's written, how many classes he's 56 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:43,640 taught. We came to church because we 57 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:46,120 want to know what the Bible says. 58 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:50,760 Well, if you look at the Bible, it doesn't get much better. 59 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:56,640 Jesus says in Mark chapter 4 verses 2 through 8 he that's 60 00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:01,080 Jesus taught them many things by parables and in his teaching 61 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:05,840 said, listen, a farmer went out to sow his seed. 62 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:09,960 As he was scattering the seeds, some fell along the path and the 63 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:15,080 birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places where 64 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:18,279 it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the 65 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:22,440 soil was shallow, but when the sun came up, the plants were 66 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:25,800 scorched. They withered because they had 67 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:29,880 no roots. Other seed fell among thorns, 68 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:35,520 which grew up and choked the plants so that they did not bear 69 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:38,960 grain. Still other seed fell on good 70 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:42,400 soil. It came up, grew, and produced a 71 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:49,560 crop, some multiplying 3060 and some 100 times. 72 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:54,600 As you can see in the story, there is so much potential in 73 00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:59,680 the seed, but the seed is limited by the soil. 74 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:05,360 I'm guessing that most of you want to live a life of 75 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:09,400 consequence. You want to live a life of 76 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:12,120 impact. You want your life to matter 77 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:16,320 here on earth, and you want your life to matter in eternity. 78 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:20,000 Jesus goes on to explain this story. 79 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:23,000 If you're a person who wants your life to matter, pay 80 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:28,600 attention. The farmer shows the word. 81 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:34,640 That's the gospel. Some people are like seed along 82 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:40,720 the path where the Word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan 83 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:44,000 comes and takes it away, takes away the word that was sown in 84 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:46,000 them. We've seen happen over and over 85 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:48,720 again here at our church. People show up, they hear a 86 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:52,080 gospel message, but for some reason they walk away that day. 87 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:57,880 They never say yes to Jesus. Others, like seed sown in rocky 88 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:02,600 places, hear the Word and at once believe it with joy. 89 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:07,480 But because they have no root, they never get connected. 90 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:10,080 They never grow in their relationship with Jesus. 91 00:06:10,280 --> 00:06:16,360 They last only a short time. When trouble or persecution 92 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:20,120 comes because of the Word, they quickly fall away, and we've 93 00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:22,600 seen that happen over and over again. 94 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:33,480 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the Word, but 95 00:06:33,480 --> 00:06:40,480 the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the 96 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:47,040 desire for other things come and choke the word, making it 97 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:54,120 unfruitful. Others, like seeds sown on good 98 00:06:54,120 --> 00:07:00,200 soil, hear the gospel word, accept it, and produce a crop 99 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:07,320 some 30, some 60, and some 100 times what was sown. 100 00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:11,200 Look at the progression. Let's go back to the third one. 101 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:16,680 The seed makes it past Satan. It puts down roots. 102 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:21,640 It doesn't fall away. And then right before the 103 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:27,080 breakthrough, right before the 30 and the 60 and the one 104 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:32,280 hundredfold impact, it gets choked out. 105 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:38,000 What chokes it out? Jesus tells us the worries of 106 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:41,760 this life. While money and possessions are 107 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:46,160 not all the worries we navigate, we have all had financial 108 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:50,920 worries. The worries of this life, he 109 00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:53,880 goes on. The deceitfulness of wealth. 110 00:07:54,280 --> 00:08:00,480 This is financial. The desire for other things. 111 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:04,440 No doubt all across this region we have desires for lots of 112 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:06,520 different things. We have lots of different 113 00:08:06,520 --> 00:08:11,920 desires, but many of our desires focus on more money and more 114 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:16,240 possession. This one has financial overtones 115 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:20,480 as well. If you're following Jesus 116 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:28,080 identifies 3 areas that prohibit gospel effectiveness and all 117 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:33,039 three of them have financial implications. 118 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:39,679 Craig Blomberg was right because Craig was reading his Bible. 119 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:49,040 And I wonder today how many of you are right on the verge of 120 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:58,440 breakthrough, right on the verge of impact, right on the verge of 121 00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:05,160 3060 and one hundredfold impact. But the worries of this life, 122 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:09,560 the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things are 123 00:09:09,560 --> 00:09:14,480 standing in your way. So what if? 124 00:09:15,560 --> 00:09:20,600 What if today you could break free so that others could 125 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:26,360 experience a breakthrough? What if today you were to decide 126 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:31,240 to become a gospel patron so you could break free from the thorny 127 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:36,600 soil? So 3060 or 100 people could find 128 00:09:36,600 --> 00:09:40,280 an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 129 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:45,520 Fortunately, by God's grace, there have been people so moved 130 00:09:45,520 --> 00:09:48,920 by the gospel that they have become its patrons. 131 00:09:49,560 --> 00:09:51,960 They have faithfully supported its advancement. 132 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:56,120 We know that Jesus had patrons, but did you know that Paul had 133 00:09:56,120 --> 00:09:58,280 them too? You guys know this. 134 00:09:58,280 --> 00:10:02,280 I just spent time walking in the footsteps of Paul all across 135 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:05,440 Greece and Turkey. And did you know that Paul had 136 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:09,720 patrons? He had people like Priscilla and 137 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:14,320 Aquila and Phoebe who all helped fund his ministry and his 138 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:17,520 missionary journeys. If you were to turn to the very 139 00:10:17,520 --> 00:10:21,800 end of the book of Romans to the 16th chapter, Paul lists a group 140 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:24,160 of people. I'm just going to read the first 141 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:26,640 5 verses. This is Paul. 142 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:33,000 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a Deacon in the church 143 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:36,960 in Centria. I ask you to receive her in the 144 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:42,880 Lord in a in a way worthy of His people, and to give her any help 145 00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:49,320 she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor, the 146 00:10:49,560 --> 00:10:54,920 patron of many people, including me. 147 00:10:55,520 --> 00:10:59,080 If you have ever read the New Testament, a majority of your 148 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:01,160 New Testament was written by Paul. 149 00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:05,240 You have been blessed by the writings of Paul, who funded the 150 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:08,000 pen and the paper and the food and the travel. 151 00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:11,840 It was Phoebe because of her generosity. 152 00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:16,160 Our lives are better, Our understanding of the Kingdom is 153 00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:19,840 better, Our understanding of the gospel is better. 154 00:11:20,040 --> 00:11:26,160 She has been the patron of many people, including me, Great 155 00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:29,720 Priscilla and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus. 156 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:36,680 They risk their lives for me. Not only I, but all the churches 157 00:11:36,680 --> 00:11:39,760 of the Gentiles are grateful to them. 158 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:46,560 Greet also the church that meets at their house. 159 00:11:48,680 --> 00:11:52,720 God didn't just raise up gospel preachers and gospel patrons in 160 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:57,280 the 1st century. Thankfully, He has done it over 161 00:11:57,280 --> 00:12:01,600 and over and over again. And because of these preachers 162 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:06,880 and these patrons, you and I have been profoundly impacted 163 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:12,600 and incredibly blessed. Despite Whitfield and Lady 164 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:16,880 Huntington's massive impact on the Christianity of England, 165 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:23,760 10,000 Church of England churches remain stale and 166 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:27,200 lifeless. Like many times before in 167 00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:30,440 history, the men who were supposed to be men for God 168 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:35,640 retreated from the old doctrines of Christianity and amassed, 169 00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:39,840 mistakenly or in masses mistakenly thought of themselves 170 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:46,000 as decent Christian people. Most Englishmen sat in their 171 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:50,720 pews week after week, but never encountered the God of the Bible 172 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:57,960 instead of real Christianity. They were fed a cheap imitation, 173 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:05,640 and they didn't even know it. Religion was kept in its 174 00:13:05,640 --> 00:13:10,680 official place, all dressed up and outwardly impressive. 175 00:13:11,280 --> 00:13:15,480 But the salt had lost its saltiness. 176 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:23,200 The Church of England, like a tired old man, seemed ready to 177 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:30,280 lie down and give up the ghost. And so it fell to the next 178 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:34,040 generation to spread God's movement among the church. 179 00:13:34,240 --> 00:13:39,200 And so God saw fit yet again to raise up a preacher and a gospel 180 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:41,960 patron. And he began this work through 181 00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:45,960 an uneducated merchant and a former slave trader, both with 182 00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:50,880 the name John. The Patron was John Thornton. 183 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:54,160 Thornton's business endeavours began humbly. 184 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:57,680 He bypassed college and went right to work in his family 185 00:13:57,680 --> 00:14:01,840 business of international trade. He soon found that he had a 186 00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:05,960 knack for trading with Russia, and by the time he was 30 years 187 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:09,680 old, he had amassed a large fortune and eventually became 188 00:14:09,680 --> 00:14:13,480 the wealthiest businessman in all of England. 189 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:18,800 Even on vacation, he would not miss an opportunity to turn a 190 00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:22,960 profit. And in the 18th century, wealthy 191 00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:25,720 patrons controlled church pulpits. 192 00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:31,000 Under this system, royalty and nobility and land owners could 193 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:35,080 purchase the right to appoint their favorite preachers to a 194 00:14:35,080 --> 00:14:38,160 particular church. Don't get any ideas. 195 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:44,920 And sadly, many lazy and lukewarm clergymen filled the 196 00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:49,600 position. But not the calling and George 197 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:52,960 Thornton had no tolerance for this and he looked for ways to 198 00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:56,440 overturn the tables. And over time John Thornton 199 00:14:56,440 --> 00:15:01,160 purchased for himself 11 pulpits and filled them with gospel 200 00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:04,960 preaching men. And one of those men was a man 201 00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:09,320 by the name of John Newton. Newton's testimony had become 202 00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:12,040 famous all across England thanks to his best selling 203 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:15,720 autobiography and authentic narrative. 204 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:19,880 It chronicled his radical transformation from a rebellious 205 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:25,160 slave, a rebellious sailor, a brutal slave ship captain into a 206 00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:29,160 preacher of the gospel. Thornton had come into a 207 00:15:29,160 --> 00:15:32,960 possession of a pre released copy and could tell right away 208 00:15:33,160 --> 00:15:36,840 that Newton was a man for God. Unlike many of the religious 209 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:40,960 leaders of his day, Thornton loved to surround himself with 210 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:43,080 preachers. They were his best friends. 211 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:45,760 One of his favorite ways to spend time with them was to take 212 00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:48,920 them along on all expense paid vacations. 213 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:52,320 And one of his favorite people to take was Newton. 214 00:15:54,520 --> 00:15:57,840 As Thornton navigated the temptations attached to his 215 00:15:57,840 --> 00:16:01,400 increasing riches, he called upon his pastor and friend John 216 00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:04,960 Newton to keep him grounded in the gospel. 217 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:10,840 Years later, a preaching opportunity arose in England 218 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:13,880 that would open many doors for the Gospel. 219 00:16:14,720 --> 00:16:19,320 Near the Bank of England and the Royal Exchange was a church 220 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:24,880 called Saint Mary Walnut. London's movers and shakers 221 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:29,520 passed within walking distance of the church every day, and 222 00:16:29,520 --> 00:16:31,960 Thornton owned a share in the church's pulpit. 223 00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:36,080 And he knew that if a gospel preaching man were in the center 224 00:16:36,080 --> 00:16:40,680 of the city, opportunities for the Gospel we're sure to abound. 225 00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:45,200 So the patron invited the preacher to join him in London. 226 00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:49,920 And under Newton's leadership and Thornton's patronage, within 227 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:54,800 weeks the pews of Saint Mary Wilderness Church filled up. 228 00:16:55,600 --> 00:16:58,400 People could no longer find their normal seats. 229 00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:01,680 As people were cramming in huddled in the back. 230 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:05,319 The standing room crowd swelled like a balloon being filled with 231 00:17:05,319 --> 00:17:10,640 air, and Newton ascended to the pulpit and his words rang out 232 00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:13,319 with power. And this is what he said. 233 00:17:14,319 --> 00:17:17,960 What hope do we have? He cried. 234 00:17:19,319 --> 00:17:25,319 Oh, that I could prevail on you to earnestly seek the Lord while 235 00:17:25,319 --> 00:17:31,480 he may still be found. You cannot serve or love or 236 00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:35,480 trust Him unless you be born again. 237 00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:42,040 And until this is done you are neither fit to live nor fit to 238 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:46,880 die. But Jesus is exalted to produce 239 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:51,520 this change in the heart of a Sinner by the power of his Holy 240 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:55,960 Spirit to give faith, repentance, and remission of 241 00:17:55,960 --> 00:17:59,480 sins. Jesus says, Whoever comes to me, 242 00:17:59,600 --> 00:18:04,160 I will never cast out. May we turn to the Lord from 243 00:18:04,160 --> 00:18:07,160 whom we have so greatly revolted. 244 00:18:07,360 --> 00:18:13,760 O Lord, convince them by your power, open the blind eyes, 245 00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:20,280 unstop the deaf ears, and turn the Stony hearts to flesh. 246 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:25,320 Newton preached for three weekly services, but now that he was in 247 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:28,080 the city, well connected urbanites would host dinner 248 00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:31,040 parties for their business partners and influential 249 00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:35,640 friends, and they invited Newton to come and preach to them. 250 00:18:36,880 --> 00:18:40,400 In these house preaching assignments, men like Thornton 251 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:43,960 set the table while Newton set forth the gospel. 252 00:18:45,120 --> 00:18:49,400 And through Thornton and Newton's joint influence, the 253 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:55,120 Gospel was advancing all over London, most notably among a 254 00:18:55,240 --> 00:19:00,000 young member of Parliament who sought a secret meeting with 255 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:04,160 Pastor Newton. This young man was William 256 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:08,600 Wilberforce and through the friendship of of Thornton and 257 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:12,760 the leadership of Newton, God gave the young politician the 258 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:14,720 clarity he had been searching for. 259 00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:18,880 Wilberforce knew God's calling on his life and he wrote it down 260 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:24,600 in his journal dated October 28th, 1787. 261 00:19:25,800 --> 00:19:33,160 God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the 262 00:19:33,160 --> 00:19:38,640 suppression of the slave trade and the Reformation of morals. 263 00:19:39,720 --> 00:19:45,040 For Thornton Newton and Wilberforce, the Gospel was 264 00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:48,480 fundamental. Thornton loved to accelerate the 265 00:19:48,480 --> 00:19:54,240 ministries of men who would preach this gospel and so Newton 266 00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:57,640 played the part of a patriarch to England's future church 267 00:19:57,640 --> 00:20:00,720 leaders and missionaries and leading laymen. 268 00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:04,120 Wilberforce went on to write a best selling book on Christian 269 00:20:04,120 --> 00:20:07,200 doctrine that he called my Manifesto. 270 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:11,520 These men believe that the foundation of justice. 271 00:20:12,080 --> 00:20:16,360 The engine of activism and the catalyst of change is not 272 00:20:16,360 --> 00:20:22,240 politics nor morality, not votes nor campaigns, but a return to 273 00:20:22,320 --> 00:20:27,840 faith in Jesus Christ. More than anything, these three 274 00:20:27,840 --> 00:20:33,960 men were gospel men. And because of the efforts and 275 00:20:33,960 --> 00:20:37,920 the leadership and the patronage and the preaching of these 276 00:20:37,920 --> 00:20:41,760 gospel men, the Church of England, which had long been 277 00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:47,360 barren of gospel fruit, had now exploded with buds and blossoms 278 00:20:47,480 --> 00:20:51,600 on many branches. And the number of gospel 279 00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:56,560 preaching men had risen to more than 400 within the established 280 00:20:56,560 --> 00:21:00,720 Church, And by the end of the next generation, evangelicals 281 00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:05,240 held 1/4 of all Church of England pulpits. 282 00:21:06,960 --> 00:21:10,800 In addition to Newton's preaching, he was a prolific 283 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:14,880 songwriter. God laid it on his heart to 284 00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:20,960 publish some of them, and in June of 1779 the hymns were 285 00:21:20,960 --> 00:21:26,240 printed and Thornton's investment in the 1st 1000 286 00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:29,760 copies propelled it to become a best seller. 287 00:21:30,560 --> 00:21:35,000 This caught the attention of bookstores owners who promptly 288 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:39,680 stocked it. Within a year, the hymn book 289 00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:45,040 went on through 5 editions and showed no signs of slowing. 290 00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:51,880 And tucked away in the first section, as #41 was a hymn 291 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:55,320 called Faith's Review and Expectation. 292 00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:02,920 This simple hymn used mostly one syllable words to powerfully 293 00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:08,480 weave together biblical theology and Newton's own testimony. 294 00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:14,720 Initially, it did not attract a lot of attention, but as the 295 00:22:14,720 --> 00:22:18,120 song crossed the Atlantic, it caught on with Christians of 296 00:22:18,120 --> 00:22:22,960 every denomination in the United States and it went on to become 297 00:22:22,960 --> 00:22:28,240 the most sung, most recorded, most loved hymn in the world. 298 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:32,080 And you might be asking yourself, how can it be the most 299 00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:34,120 sung and the most recorded hymn in the world? 300 00:22:34,320 --> 00:22:38,440 I have never in my life heard of Faith's review and expectation. 301 00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:41,720 That's because you know it by another name. 302 00:22:42,760 --> 00:22:47,720 Amazing Grace. Amazing Grace, how sweet the 303 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:52,520 sound that saved a Wretch like me. 304 00:22:53,960 --> 00:22:59,160 I once was lost but now I'm found, was blind but now I see 305 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:04,400 twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears 306 00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:07,320 relieved. How precious did that grace 307 00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:11,000 appear the hour I first believed. 308 00:23:11,800 --> 00:23:16,360 Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come. 309 00:23:16,880 --> 00:23:23,000 Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me 310 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:26,440 home. The Lord has promised good to 311 00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:29,160 me. His word my hope secures. 312 00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:34,360 He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures. 313 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:38,120 Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail, and mortal life 314 00:23:38,120 --> 00:23:43,360 shall cease, I shall possess within the veil a life of joy 315 00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:46,560 and peace. The earth shall soon dissolve 316 00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:49,040 like snow and sun for bear to shine. 317 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:55,800 But God, who called me here below, will be forever mine. 318 00:23:57,080 --> 00:24:00,880 What was it that moved Newton and Wilberforce and Thornton? 319 00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:04,560 So what was it that compelled Paul to preach and Priscilla and 320 00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:07,200 Aquila and Phoebe to be his patrons? 321 00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:12,120 I'll tell you it was the gospel. And what is the gospel, you 322 00:24:12,120 --> 00:24:14,600 might ask? Well, if you were to turn to the 323 00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:18,680 book that Phoebe paid for, Romans chapter 5, verses 6 324 00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:22,280 through 11, one of the most succinct explanations of the 325 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:26,120 gospel is recorded there. This is Paul. 326 00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:34,680 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, 327 00:24:35,560 --> 00:24:37,600 what do you bring to your salvation? 328 00:24:39,360 --> 00:24:41,840 You are powerless to save yourself. 329 00:24:42,080 --> 00:24:46,880 You have nothing of yourself to give or to bring but the sin 330 00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:49,360 that has stained you and shamed you. 331 00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:54,080 At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ 332 00:24:54,640 --> 00:24:59,160 died for the ungodly. He didn't die for the people who 333 00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:01,000 showed up for church and think they got it right. 334 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:03,560 He didn't die for the people who thought they've read enough of 335 00:25:03,560 --> 00:25:05,520 their Bible. He didn't die for the people who 336 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:07,160 had a grandma who went to church. 337 00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:12,280 He died for the ungodly, and that is the position that you 338 00:25:12,280 --> 00:25:16,840 and I find ourselves before a holy God, while we were still 339 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:22,440 powerless for our salvation, He died on our behalf, and he calls 340 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:25,640 us ungodly. Then he explains how radical 341 00:25:25,640 --> 00:25:29,200 this is. Very rarely will anyone die for 342 00:25:29,200 --> 00:25:32,600 a righteous person, though for a good person, someone might 343 00:25:32,600 --> 00:25:36,920 possibly dare to die. But hear me, you and I are not 344 00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:42,400 the righteous person, and you and I are not the good person. 345 00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:48,040 We are the Wretch that was saved by God's grace. 346 00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:51,280 You want a picture of who our God is? 347 00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:55,160 When somebody says something evil or nasty or untrue about 348 00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:56,920 them, slap it out of their mouth. 349 00:25:58,160 --> 00:26:03,160 Because God demonstrates His own love for us in this. 350 00:26:05,120 --> 00:26:09,120 While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 351 00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:14,520 You've heard me say it this way. When we were at our worst, God 352 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:20,960 was at his best on our behalf. Since we have now been 353 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:24,520 justified, Justified means made right. 354 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:31,080 Since we have been made right, why not by your works, Not by 355 00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:34,400 what you bring to the table, not by your long prayers and your 356 00:26:34,400 --> 00:26:38,880 weak prayers, not by your busted up Bible reading plans, but by 357 00:26:39,040 --> 00:26:44,120 His blood. How much more shall we be saved 358 00:26:44,120 --> 00:26:51,280 from God's wrath through Him? For while we were God's enemies, 359 00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:55,640 what was the status of your life pre Christ? 360 00:26:57,200 --> 00:27:00,440 Enemies deserving of God's wrath. 361 00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:07,920 But God so loved the world that he sent his Son to die on behalf 362 00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:14,600 of his enemies. We were reconciled to him 363 00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:19,520 through the death of His Son. How much more, having been 364 00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:26,440 reconciled, shall we be saved through his life? 365 00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:32,560 We are saved through the work of Jesus. 366 00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:40,560 Not only this is so, but we also boast in God through our Lord 367 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:44,920 Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received 368 00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:50,200 reconciliation. We have been made right with God 369 00:27:50,880 --> 00:27:56,680 because of His love expressed in His Son on the cross. 370 00:27:57,880 --> 00:28:02,440 And this gospel message that I just preached to you is too 371 00:28:02,440 --> 00:28:09,360 precious and too powerful to be compared to more money and more 372 00:28:09,360 --> 00:28:13,480 possessions. You and I, today we have been 373 00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:17,920 invited to the edge of impact. We stand at the doorway of not 374 00:28:17,920 --> 00:28:20,760 just our deliverance, but the deliverance of those who are 375 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:25,640 close to us and far from God. We have been invited to break 376 00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:31,200 free from the choked out life so that we can see breakthrough in 377 00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:34,720 the lives of the 30 and the 60 and the 100. 378 00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:39,000 And don't you dare shrink back. Don't you dare. 379 00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:44,760 This is our moment, not just to become gospel Proclaimers, but 380 00:28:44,760 --> 00:28:48,560 to become its patrons. Will you join me? 381 00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:50,440 We're moving to a time of decision. 382 00:28:55,640 --> 00:29:00,400 To those of you who are here or watching online who have never 383 00:29:00,400 --> 00:29:03,840 started an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ, 384 00:29:04,680 --> 00:29:07,920 hear me. You are powerless to save 385 00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:14,080 yourself, But there's hope you can be saved. 386 00:29:15,480 --> 00:29:19,000 And Satan, and I mean this Satan, will try to get you to 387 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:22,600 put it off. He'll try to get you to fix 388 00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:27,000 yourself, to clean yourself up, to think that you have to do 389 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:30,800 stuff on your end, but you can't. 390 00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:36,800 If you could fix you, do you think God would have sent His 391 00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:41,160 Son to die for you? If you were the solution to your 392 00:29:41,160 --> 00:29:44,400 salvation, would there be a bloodied cross? 393 00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:50,920 You and I are saved because God moved on our behalf, and Satan 394 00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:56,080 will do whatever he can to get you to put it off or to dilute 395 00:29:56,080 --> 00:29:58,480 the effect of the cross in the empty grave. 396 00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:00,480 To think that you bring something to it. 397 00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:05,240 Listen, you bring your sin and we bring faith. 398 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:09,440 We bring our sin and go, this is what I've done. 399 00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:14,720 But because you said it, because you said if I come to you in 400 00:30:14,720 --> 00:30:20,280 faith, that your blood will cover over my sin and my life. 401 00:30:20,560 --> 00:30:25,000 And if you say it, I believe it. And the voice that keeps telling 402 00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:28,400 you to try harder and to get more things figured out, you are 403 00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:32,040 listening to the voice of Satan. The Bible tells us that Satan 404 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:35,920 masquerades as an Angel of light, which means he can tell 405 00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:39,520 you things that sound scriptural and sound biblical and sound 406 00:30:39,520 --> 00:30:43,160 true, but are not. They're a heresy leading you 407 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:45,680 away from Jesus and into the pit of hell. 408 00:30:46,280 --> 00:30:50,200 Jesus says, come to me, all of you who are weary and heavy 409 00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:54,400 laden, and I will give you rest. And if today you're going, it's 410 00:30:54,400 --> 00:30:58,560 about time, It is about time for me to get right with God. 411 00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:02,800 Don't put it off any longer. If you're looking for a verse to 412 00:31:02,800 --> 00:31:05,960 memorize, you're looking for a verse to get for a necktat. 413 00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:11,080 It is Romans 58. But God demonstrates his own 414 00:31:11,080 --> 00:31:17,200 love in this. While we were still sinners, 415 00:31:19,800 --> 00:31:24,440 Christ died for us. And you have never experienced a 416 00:31:24,440 --> 00:31:28,160 love like that. And you could spend the rest of 417 00:31:28,160 --> 00:31:32,520 your life trying to understand the power of that one verse. 418 00:31:33,120 --> 00:31:36,680 But that one verse can save a soul if it's ready. 419 00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:39,920 And so in just a few moments, when the people around you stand 420 00:31:39,920 --> 00:31:42,800 and sing and some of them come to the steps to pray, I want to 421 00:31:42,800 --> 00:31:46,320 encourage you to walk right over there next to that baptistry, 422 00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:50,520 underneath that screen, and talk to somebody, to the rest of you, 423 00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:55,680 to those of you who would call yourself a Christian, every 424 00:31:55,680 --> 00:31:59,240 single one of us. If you don't believe me, go home 425 00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:00,920 and read your Bible cover to cover. 426 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:03,880 I'm right. I'm standing on the Word of God 427 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:07,240 on this. Every single one of us has been 428 00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:12,040 called to be a gospel proclaimer and to be a gospel patron. 429 00:32:13,320 --> 00:32:16,560 So I have two questions for you. Who do you need to tell? 430 00:32:17,880 --> 00:32:19,760 Who needs to hear the gospel message? 431 00:32:20,520 --> 00:32:23,360 Maybe today you'll come to the steps and you'll just pray over 432 00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:25,040 them. Pray that God would give you the 433 00:32:25,040 --> 00:32:27,040 words. Pray that God would give you the 434 00:32:27,040 --> 00:32:30,840 boldness. The second question is, what do 435 00:32:30,840 --> 00:32:33,640 you need to do to become a gospel patron? 436 00:32:35,160 --> 00:32:39,200 And the moment I say it, I know that there's this uneasiness 437 00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:42,480 that falls across the room, shows up in your gut and in your 438 00:32:42,480 --> 00:32:49,720 heart, starts your mind racing. And that uneasy feeling that's 439 00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:53,080 keeping you from taking a step towards becoming a gospel patron 440 00:32:53,560 --> 00:32:57,080 is the very thorn that is choking out the gospel impact in 441 00:32:57,080 --> 00:33:03,040 your life. It's the very thorn that's 442 00:33:03,040 --> 00:33:07,480 keeping you from 3060 and hundredfold impact. 443 00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:16,560 It's the very thorn keeping you from making sure that heaven is 444 00:33:16,560 --> 00:33:24,360 crowded, and every so often it's time for us to just get tired of 445 00:33:24,360 --> 00:33:30,240 the thorns and trust that God who saves us can also supply for 446 00:33:30,240 --> 00:33:33,680 us. So maybe you'd spend some time 447 00:33:34,320 --> 00:33:38,040 asking God to help you to break free from those thorns so the 448 00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:40,080 people in this region can experience a spiritual 449 00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:42,000 breakthrough. Would you stand with me? 450 00:33:51,720 --> 00:33:53,480 Heavenly Father, I just want to say thank you. 451 00:33:55,280 --> 00:33:58,760 You've been abundantly good and abundantly patient with us. 452 00:34:01,800 --> 00:34:03,920 We've made mistake after mistake. 453 00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:08,880 We've committed sin after sin, some of them consciously and 454 00:34:08,880 --> 00:34:11,880 some of them unconsciously. Some of them we didn't know what 455 00:34:11,880 --> 00:34:14,239 we were doing, and other times we knew exactly what we were 456 00:34:14,239 --> 00:34:19,080 doing. And yet, and yet, through all of 457 00:34:19,080 --> 00:34:21,280 that, we have not outran Your grace. 458 00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:27,960 We are truly undeserving of all that you have done on our 459 00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:31,360 behalf. And God, I pray that you would 460 00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:37,440 stir something in us that is not easily forgotten and that is not 461 00:34:37,440 --> 00:34:42,600 easily walked away from. My prayer remains the same. 462 00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:46,880 Would you start a fire in us that Satan can't put out? 463 00:34:47,960 --> 00:34:49,400 Name I pray. Amen.