1 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:07,560 Thank you, Pitman. Good morning. 2 00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:11,200 We thought it would be quiet and then Friday, but there are lots 3 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:14,920 of people outside there in the passage, in the foyer outside. 4 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:17,320 Thank you for staying. Thank you for coming. 5 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:19,200 Thank you for sitting in the traffic. 6 00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:22,840 We dreamt of days like this. We dreamt of days like this. 7 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:28,200 It's great to have you here. I want to just honour my friend 8 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:29,600 Dion. I don't know if he had. 9 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:33,760 Dion the clerk are you? Yeah, I saw your son. 10 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:34,720 Yeah, maybe yet. Or not. 11 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:37,600 Yeah. Dion the clerk say nice to me. 12 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:39,280 OK. I want to honour him. 13 00:00:42,160 --> 00:00:43,560 Tell him I was going to honour him. 14 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:49,200 I put my beader ear towards that. 15 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:52,520 You know, he saw Uncle Comet. It was Beader Hirikon Cartel is 16 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:55,240 he's of an ochand. And said Beader Hirikon Cartel 17 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:57,800 is work. He's of an ochand and took 18 00:00:57,800 --> 00:00:59,160 Oakhurst on in front of the night. 19 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:01,680 My friends of the Kaikhete may be the Eddie Congress scene in 20 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:13,120 the Neva Ice Mark for Kirk may be the my neighbors across the 21 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:14,320 road. Peter and Hesty are here with 22 00:01:14,320 --> 00:01:15,800 their family. I just want to honor them 23 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:18,000 because the Bible says you will serve God with our neighbors. 24 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:31,240 My dad used to always have two fish in his pocket and when the 25 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:34,560 grandkids came they would sit on my dad's lap and they would take 26 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:37,440 the 2 fish out of his pocket. The fish never came to an end. 27 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:42,440 I think he had a pile behind him and as they took the fish, he 28 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:45,040 had put them back in his pocket and take the fish and put them 29 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:46,760 back in his pocket and take the fish. 30 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:52,160 And I sat down today and my daughter-in-law, been a dire for 31 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:55,520 three years, put this on my chair with a very, very 32 00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:59,840 beautiful letter. Because the 5th of April 2016, 33 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:06,440 10 years ago today, is the day that my dad died. 34 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:11,400 And I never, ever thought that I would get the privilege of 35 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:15,480 preaching about the resurrection on the day of my dad's death. 36 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:21,360 And I could think of no better place to preach the resurrection 37 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:23,120 than amongst the people of Pretoria. 38 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:25,120 You've been so unbelievably good. 39 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:29,760 To my family, I want to say thank you as we come together 40 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:31,720 today with the church around the world. 41 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:36,200 My mum will be watching online and my sister, my nieces and 42 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:39,960 nephews down in the house my dad built in Nottingham Road. 43 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:43,560 I want to send love to all of you and mum saying thank you for 44 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:47,800 being an amazing faith person who taught our family about 45 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:53,000 Jesus. It's my 31st Easter as a pastor. 46 00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:57,840 What a privilege, I thought. I've preached everything I know 47 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:00,920 about Easter. I've done John, I've done 48 00:03:00,920 --> 00:03:04,840 Matthew, I've done Luke. I've crooked sermons from other 49 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:06,400 pastors. I've done the whole lot. 50 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:11,960 I downloaded AI. Can you please give me a fresh 51 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:15,400 message on Easter 31 years later, please? 52 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:19,040 They gave me. I thought I've done all that, so 53 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:20,960 I'm going to preach. Actually, I also want to 54 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:22,520 introduce a guy called Ross Stein. 55 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:25,240 You won't know him, but Ross Stein, I'm really proud of you. 56 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:28,240 It means nothing except between me and Ross and his dad. 57 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:34,240 I want to preach some Peter today because Peter had the 58 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:37,280 greatest to me, the greatest change in his life. 59 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:39,880 Oh, please, Can you turn your phone off, Kathy? 60 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:42,600 Take the blame, Kath. Take the blame. 61 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:44,760 It's the person behind you. Take the blame, Kath. 62 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:47,600 Take it for Jesus. Don't, don't lean back. 63 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:48,280 Take it. Take it. 64 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:53,920 Kev. Peter, Peter. 65 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:56,160 I like Peter. Peter reminds me a lot of 66 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:58,280 myself. If somebody's going to jump out 67 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:01,200 the boat, it's me. If somebody's going to sink in 68 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:05,160 the water, it's also me. If somebody's going to make a 69 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:06,840 big claim, who do people say I am? 70 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:10,720 You are Christ, the son of the living God and, and the 71 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:12,640 president. You just deny Christ, you know, 72 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:16,760 1-2, three times things get hot, you pull your sword out and you 73 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:20,279 cut the ear off because you don't know what to do. 74 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:21,839 So you just go into defensive mode. 75 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:25,240 I've done that a few times, cut a few people's ears off, and 76 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:28,680 then Jesus takes three people. It says it's the greatest 77 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:32,880 struggle of his life as he goes into the Garden of Gethsemane 78 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:36,080 and wrestles with God about his will for his life. 79 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:40,000 And he's asking is this somehow Lord God that we we can do this 80 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:42,000 differently. Lord God or give me the strength 81 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:45,320 to go through the cross and he is sweating blood and he takes 82 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:49,600 with them Peter, James and John. And every time he comes back 83 00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:56,680 from prayer, they fast asleep. But the last three books of the 84 00:04:56,680 --> 00:05:00,240 Bible are written by Peter, James, and John. 85 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:04,040 The last three books of the Bible are written by Peter, 86 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:07,240 James, and John. And the difference between 87 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:10,200 falling asleep in the garden and writing one of the last books of 88 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:14,680 the Bible was the resurrection, The thing that changes 89 00:05:14,680 --> 00:05:17,520 everybody. And I want to share 4 very 90 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:22,680 unbelievably, brutally simple points about the resurrection. 91 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:26,160 If you can turn me to 1 Peter chapter 1 please. 92 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:38,480 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ to God's elect. 93 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:40,880 Strangers in the world, say strangers in the world. 94 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:44,160 We don't belong here. The reason why we don't really 95 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:45,760 fit in here is we're not meant to fit in here. 96 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:47,400 We don't actually exist for this world. 97 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:51,720 We exist for another world, scattered throughout Pontus, 98 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:57,720 Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Butplas, Bithynia and 99 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:02,520 bronchosprait. Well, that's what it's meant to 100 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:06,720 say in common terms. We have been chosen according to 101 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:09,360 the foreknowledge of God the Father through the sanctifying 102 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:13,240 work of the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling 103 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:16,240 by His blood. Grace and peace be yours in 104 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:18,680 abundance. Reach out to your hands and say 105 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:21,160 to the person in front of your Grace and peace be yours and 106 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:25,720 abundance. Say it again. 107 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:27,600 Grace and peace be yours and abundance. 108 00:06:30,360 --> 00:06:34,640 Sounds very angry, can I? Let's just say one more time. 109 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:36,520 Grace and peace be yours and abundance. 110 00:06:39,760 --> 00:06:42,080 I set my, my, my timer for an hour. 111 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:44,520 I thought for an hour, I'm going to stand on my study and I'm 112 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:46,880 going to imagine this moment and for one hour I'm going to say 113 00:06:46,880 --> 00:06:49,000 grace and peace be yours and abundance. 114 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:51,040 And after about 7 minutes I got bored. 115 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:55,360 So I really, I had this great intention, but I never followed 116 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:57,960 through. OK, 2 verses of scripture, 117 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:01,280 that's all. Praise be to the God and Father 118 00:07:01,280 --> 00:07:05,360 by Lord Jesus Christ in his great mercy, say great mercy. 119 00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:10,400 He has given us new birth, say new birth, into a living hope 120 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:15,640 through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 121 00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:20,080 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in His 122 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:25,280 great mercy, so great mercy. He has given us new birth into a 123 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:28,960 living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ 124 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:34,560 from the dead and into an inheritance that can never 125 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:38,040 perish, spoil or fade. 4 points. You can put them up. 126 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:39,400 You're going to remember them today. 127 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:41,880 I like your red shirt, Nico. 4 points. 128 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:46,520 New births, a new birth. Great mercy. 129 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:52,920 Living hope secured future in the resurrection of Jesus 130 00:07:52,920 --> 00:07:57,480 Christ. My dad was a successful man. 131 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:00,560 He never passed my trick, he failed my trick and he went to 132 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:03,720 Damen College to get his my trick and he failed university 133 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:07,080 and he built a business from the bottom up through unbelievably 134 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:10,320 hard work and in the eyes of the world he looked unbelievably 135 00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:13,320 successful. But I remember as a 22 year old 136 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:17,000 man going into the mountains to pray because I was so worried 137 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:21,160 about my dad's salvation. And I never knew how this 138 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:26,280 self-made man with all the answers to life and no need of 139 00:08:26,280 --> 00:08:29,280 anything would ever find the need for Christ. 140 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:32,159 And yet when I looked into his eyes, he was lost. 141 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:35,480 He needed Jesus. And I remember going into the 142 00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:37,360 mountains to pray for three days. 143 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:40,159 I cried out to God. I said, Oh God, please save my 144 00:08:40,159 --> 00:08:45,000 father. And I came back to church. 145 00:08:45,480 --> 00:08:48,080 I parked my car. I went to worship. 146 00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:51,080 And the lady walked up to me that I've never seen before and 147 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:54,560 I've never seen her again. She walked up to me and she said 148 00:08:54,560 --> 00:08:56,840 to me, young man, I said, yes, ma'am. 149 00:08:56,840 --> 00:08:59,240 She said, get a witness so that you know what I'm saying. 150 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:01,040 And she called somebody to witness. 151 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:03,840 She said, young man, you've been in the mountains praying for 152 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:06,920 your father. I said, how do you know that, 153 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:10,000 ma'am? She said I saw a vision of you 154 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:12,400 crying out for the salvation of your dad. 155 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:17,320 She said don't worry young man, God has heard your cry and she 156 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:19,920 has your father in the palm of his hand. 157 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:22,800 And young man, you're going to be a full time preacher. 158 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:25,120 You're going to be used in the gift of healing and you're going 159 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:26,640 to preach to thousands of people. 160 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:41,350 I was 22 years old. 25 years later, 25 years later, I was 161 00:09:41,350 --> 00:09:44,520 preaching at a conference with Angus Buchan and I was mainly 162 00:09:44,520 --> 00:09:46,600 preached first and Angus Buchan was mainly preached second. 163 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:49,640 And my dad came to listen to me and he said, I've come to listen 164 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:58,720 to you, not to the farmer. And I said, dad, I'm preaching 165 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:00,640 first. He said, Shana, when you're 166 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:04,240 done, I'm gone. I said that's fine, dad. 167 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:09,800 And the organizers came to me and he said, Rory, do you mind? 168 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:12,800 Angus has got a new schedule. Do you mind if he preaches first 169 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:14,640 and you preach second because he needs to go? 170 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:18,560 So I went to my dad and I said, dad, we shopping the order. 171 00:10:18,560 --> 00:10:22,480 He said, oh, no. He said, I suppose I'm going to 172 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:24,440 have to listen to the farmer. I said, yes, dad. 173 00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:29,080 And that farmer got up to preach in an auditorium maybe half the 174 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:32,280 size but full of people. He got down from the podium. 175 00:10:32,680 --> 00:10:37,320 He walked down the crowd and he put his hand on my dad's 176 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:41,320 shoulder like this. And he preached like us about 177 00:10:41,360 --> 00:10:44,520 Jesus from there to there to there to there. 178 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:47,880 And he preached and he just kept touching my dad's shoulder like 179 00:10:47,880 --> 00:10:50,000 this. Can you imagine? 180 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:51,880 I've not come to listen to the farmer. 181 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:59,200 You don't decide why you here. You don't even know why you 182 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:00,880 here. You're a visiting family. 183 00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:04,280 You stuck in the outside, you stuck in the foyer, maybe even 184 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:06,080 sitting outside, but you don't know why. 185 00:11:06,280 --> 00:11:10,600 But God can take a farmer if he wants to, to get hold of a man 186 00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:14,280 who has made it himself without the help of anybody, he thought 187 00:11:14,920 --> 00:11:18,520 a self-made man who needed nothing, but he needed Christ. 188 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:21,640 And then Angus Buchan walked to the front. 189 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:24,280 I was sitting in the front row. He walked to the front. 190 00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:27,040 Clint was in that meeting. He walked to the front and he 191 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:30,240 clapped his hands and he said, gentlemen, it's time to make 192 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:33,600 right with Christ. And my dad jumped up from there 193 00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:36,680 and he ran to the front and Angus Buchan turned to him and 194 00:11:36,680 --> 00:11:39,160 he said, Rory, come and lead these men to Jesus. 195 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:44,800 And I started to weep. I started to weep because 25 196 00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:47,720 years before God had given me a promise. 197 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:50,400 Young man, you have been praying in the mountains for your 198 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:55,600 Father. Today in the resurrection of 199 00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:58,640 Christ is the promise of new birth. 200 00:11:59,480 --> 00:12:03,120 Today in the resurrection of Christ is the promise of being 201 00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:05,960 born again. And maybe sometimes you only 202 00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:10,200 come to church on Easter or Good Friday or Christmas, But I want 203 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:12,480 to tell you, this is what Jesus said to Nicodemus. 204 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:15,040 Nicodemus came to him in the middle of the night and he said, 205 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:17,680 what must I do to inherit eternal life? 206 00:12:17,800 --> 00:12:22,040 He said you must be born again. You must be born again. 207 00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:26,600 There was a girl here recently in one of our services and a 208 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:31,680 girl called Vanessa Lennox. She was jollying on the strip at 209 00:12:31,680 --> 00:12:35,720 3:00 in the morning, bummed out of her mind, dancing on the 210 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:39,080 strip as a university student. And a girl walked up to her and 211 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:40,840 said, will you come to church with me? 212 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:44,000 Can you imagine saying to someone on the strip at 3:00 on 213 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:46,600 a Saturday night, will you come to church with me? 214 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:48,480 And she said, yes, I will. Which church? 215 00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:51,160 She said three CR church. And she walked in here still 216 00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:53,320 completely and utterly bubble us. 217 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:57,600 And she had an encounter with the living God, the resurrected 218 00:12:57,600 --> 00:13:00,640 Christ. And she got born again, met her 219 00:13:00,640 --> 00:13:02,360 husband here, married her husband. 220 00:13:02,480 --> 00:13:03,800 They lead a church in Middleburg. 221 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:05,320 Now they leave a church in Hillcrest. 222 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:08,080 And she said what happened? She said in my bubble ass state, 223 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:10,440 I met the living God, that I got born again. 224 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:13,560 I don't know if you hear her friends completely bubble ass 225 00:13:13,560 --> 00:13:15,600 from last night. I don't know if you watched the 226 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:18,280 Bulls playing. I don't know if you went to one 227 00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:23,240 of the rugby tournaments at AFIZ or at St. 228 00:13:23,240 --> 00:13:26,560 John's or at CARES and maybe you stayed really late and maybe 229 00:13:26,560 --> 00:13:29,120 you're sitting here completely against you will completely 230 00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:31,000 bubble us. But I want to say to you today, 231 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:33,920 Sir, today you'll get born again. 232 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:37,920 It's when the living Christ and you have a collision and 233 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:41,880 everything changes. It's not a maintenance service. 234 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:45,960 It's completely different. I get born again, my pastors 235 00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:47,360 erased. I have a new father. 236 00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:49,960 I have a new destiny. I have a new purpose. 237 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:53,280 Peter came face to face to the resurrected Christ and his life 238 00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:56,680 changed. Today, friends, you will feel 239 00:13:56,680 --> 00:13:57,520 so. Rory, can you? 240 00:13:57,640 --> 00:14:00,200 I can't manipulate you. You will feel the beating in 241 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:02,720 your heart. You will feel the beating in 242 00:14:02,720 --> 00:14:07,560 your heart. The greatest preacher that ever 243 00:14:07,560 --> 00:14:09,840 lived in the 19th century was a man called Charles Adams 244 00:14:09,840 --> 00:14:12,640 Spurgeon. On Easter Sunday he woke up at 245 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:17,120 12 years old and trudged through the snow in England to get to a 246 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:20,720 little Chapel with only 12 people in a really poor 247 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:24,240 preacher. It's not the power of preaching, 248 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:27,520 it's the power of the word of God and the Spirit coming 249 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:30,520 together in your heart to resurrect you from the dead. 250 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:35,560 He speaks to Coffin and says come out, be born again. 251 00:14:36,520 --> 00:14:38,800 And Charles Adams Spurgeon, little 12 year old boy sitting 252 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:42,280 at the back of the church with 12 people and a part time 253 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:44,800 preacher. He eventually pointed to the 254 00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:47,960 back and he said, you young man at the back, you young boy, you 255 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:50,160 need Jesus. And he gave his life to Christ, 256 00:14:50,160 --> 00:14:52,640 became one of the greatest preachers this world has ever 257 00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:56,200 known. Got born again at 12, changed 258 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:59,760 the world. Maybe today, maybe today it's 259 00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:03,480 time in front of your family and friends to say I've had enough 260 00:15:03,720 --> 00:15:06,760 of running my own race. I've had enough. 261 00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:14,400 It took my dad 70 years, 70 years to come face to face with 262 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:17,280 the living Christ through a farmer from greater. 263 00:15:18,400 --> 00:15:25,480 Maybe today is your day, new birth into a living hope by 264 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:30,480 great mercy, say great mercy. That word in the Bible is hesed 265 00:15:30,480 --> 00:15:32,560 or chesed. Great mercy is hesed. 266 00:15:32,560 --> 00:15:36,960 It's a beautiful word. You'll you'll know it from 267 00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:40,440 lamentations. The song, The steadfast love of 268 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:43,800 the Lord. Never you see, you've got to be 269 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:49,520 really old to know that song. The steadfast love of the Lord 270 00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:56,160 never ceases his his kissed. His kissed never comes to an 271 00:15:56,160 --> 00:15:58,960 end. It is new every morning. 272 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:04,560 New every morning. Great is his faithfulness, O 273 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:08,440 Lord, great is is that's the hesed that is in the middle of 274 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:11,400 the book of Lamentations when everything is going wrong, 275 00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:14,360 everything is going wrong, Lamentations, the whole nation 276 00:16:14,360 --> 00:16:16,680 is weeping and slap bang in the middle. 277 00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:20,120 It says the hesed. The mercy of God is new every 278 00:16:20,120 --> 00:16:21,800 morning. Friends, when the resurrection 279 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:24,720 took place, Peter understood that there was mercy that could 280 00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:28,040 last them for 24 hours. And every 24 hours you get a new 281 00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:30,240 package of mercy. So you don't throw your toys out 282 00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:32,120 the cot when the petrol price goes up. 283 00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:34,240 Because God's mercy is new every morning. 284 00:16:35,960 --> 00:16:38,840 Amen. Can you imagine Peter? 285 00:16:39,440 --> 00:16:43,360 Can you imagine Peter? He's denied Christ three times. 286 00:16:44,440 --> 00:16:49,200 He's denied him. If people deny me, you vibe, 287 00:16:51,080 --> 00:16:56,160 you're gone. If you insult me, you offend me. 288 00:16:56,480 --> 00:16:58,760 You deny me. God bless you. 289 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:03,240 I'll check you in heaven. Yeah, how do we know that 290 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:05,319 because some of you have thought your family because you had a 291 00:17:05,319 --> 00:17:08,000 fallout with your family and you will not give them mercy. 292 00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:11,520 And so you're sitting here with broken relationships because you 293 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:15,079 do not understand the mercy of the resurrection of Christ. 294 00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:19,280 Matthew 15 don't you can take it down. 295 00:17:19,599 --> 00:17:22,599 OK, let's there was a woman from Babesontane. 296 00:17:24,839 --> 00:17:29,120 So what Jesus does on Easter Sunday, not only does he in 297 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:35,360 incarnation, not only does he step down, but he also steps 298 00:17:35,360 --> 00:17:38,800 across. So it says there's a woman from 299 00:17:38,800 --> 00:17:41,960 Canaan, from Tyre and Sidon. That's like from the moot. 300 00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:47,680 That's where you live, eh, Dennis? 301 00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:51,200 Where do you live? In the moot. 302 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:55,600 Oh, praise God, eh? You're in your nose. 303 00:17:55,880 --> 00:17:58,360 I like him and I like him. What's it like in the moot? 304 00:17:58,360 --> 00:17:59,480 It's good. He's good. 305 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:02,040 You're the you're the only English speaking people there. 306 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:03,880 That's like that. No, it's not. 307 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:10,720 But anyway, Jesus stepped down and he stepped across. 308 00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:17,200 They stepped across into your life, into your life, into your 309 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:20,040 brokenness. And a woman comes to him and 310 00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:28,000 says, Lord son of David, have. And you know what the disciple 311 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:30,960 says? Send her away. 312 00:18:31,120 --> 00:18:34,720 She's a nuisance. Send her away. 313 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:37,080 Who? Peter, James and John send her. 314 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:40,080 Lord son of David, have mercy on me. 315 00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:45,440 It says Jesus is quiet. She cries again. 316 00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:47,720 Lord son of David, have mercy on me. 317 00:18:47,960 --> 00:18:49,240 Jesus said, I've not come for you. 318 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:51,200 I've come for the people of Israel. 319 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:54,480 Haven't come for you in Word guys, haven't come for you 320 00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:56,920 English guys. Haven't come for your Jewish 321 00:18:56,920 --> 00:18:58,560 God, haven't come for your Portuguese guys. 322 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:01,560 I can't. It's like, no Jesus, please, 323 00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:03,200 please Jesus. I'm going to press. 324 00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:05,280 Thank Lord God. He said, I've not come for you. 325 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:07,920 I've come to give it to the children, not to the dog. 326 00:19:07,920 --> 00:19:10,480 Calls her a dog, calls her a dog. 327 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:12,440 You know, she does. She keeps pressing in. 328 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:14,720 And he says this only two people in the Bible. 329 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:17,960 He says this too. He says you women have got great 330 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:21,040 faith. She handled the silence test, 331 00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:25,320 she handled the exclusion exclusion test and she handled 332 00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:30,720 the offensive test before the cross, Before the cross, she 333 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:34,000 handled it. Then Jesus goes to the cross so 334 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:35,640 that he can absorb all those things. 335 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:39,240 And Peter thinks at the end of his life, I'm going to be 336 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:42,160 excluded. He's going to go silent on me 337 00:19:42,320 --> 00:19:44,400 and he's not going to be able to handle the offence. 338 00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:53,600 And Jesus says, Peter, do you love me? 339 00:19:53,600 --> 00:19:56,240 He said, Lord, you know I love you. 340 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:00,720 He said, feed my sheep. Peter, do you love me? 341 00:20:00,720 --> 00:20:02,080 He said, Lord, you know I love you. 342 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:05,560 He said, feed my sheep. He said, Peter, do you love me, 343 00:20:10,080 --> 00:20:13,840 feed my sheep. So when Peter writes on Easter 344 00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:18,520 Sunday that in the resurrection of Christ there's great mercy. 345 00:20:20,360 --> 00:20:22,480 I want to say to you, it doesn't matter how many times you've 346 00:20:22,480 --> 00:20:28,960 offended God on Easter Sunday, there is great mercy, there is 347 00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:32,360 great mercy for you. Great mercy. 348 00:20:33,360 --> 00:20:38,000 He steps down and he steps across into your life. 349 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:45,120 Great mercy, say great mercy, great mercy. 350 00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:48,840 The whole of the Old Testament is great mercy. 351 00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:53,800 David, when he thinks about his friend Jonathan, who's died, he 352 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:56,320 asks this question. He says, is there anybody, is 353 00:20:56,320 --> 00:20:59,080 there anybody in Jonathan's house to whom I can show 354 00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:01,920 kindness? He said, mercy, is there anybody 355 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:04,520 to whom I can show kindness? He said, yes, there's this one 356 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:06,280 boy. His name is Mephiboseth, but 357 00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:10,080 he's crippled in both his feet. I've been a pastor for 31 years. 358 00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:13,840 I've seen the resurrection power of Christ take crippled people. 359 00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:17,960 It said invite that boy to our table and for the rest of his 360 00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:21,880 life Mephiboseth the crippled boy had a seat at the table of 361 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:24,440 David. Friends, this church is full of 362 00:21:24,440 --> 00:21:28,480 cripples, sexual, emotional, financial, relational cripples 363 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:31,840 that have been invited by the mercy of God to eat at the table 364 00:21:31,840 --> 00:21:35,280 of Christ. And there we get healed. 365 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:40,960 Ruth and Boaz. I preached on Ruth and Boaz at 366 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:44,360 my old school Hilton and I preached about Boaz saving Ruth 367 00:21:44,360 --> 00:21:46,280 and an English teacher. I've always got to be an English 368 00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:49,360 teacher. If you're a feminist, go and 369 00:21:49,360 --> 00:21:52,520 study English. The English teacher came to me 370 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:55,840 and said, how can you dare stand up in this church and talk about 371 00:21:55,840 --> 00:21:58,800 we need a man to save a woman? I said you never understood me, 372 00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:01,800 ma'am, we need a savior to save a Sinner. 373 00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:04,760 I never said I was Boaz. I said I was Ruth. 374 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:09,520 I was the one from Zimbabwe who came down and found myself on a 375 00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:12,520 farm in Bronchos Sprite where a farmer showed me kindness. 376 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:16,200 That farmer is Christ, who resurrected me and gave me new 377 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:19,240 life and New Hope and new meaning and formed a union with 378 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:21,080 me so this Kingdom could advance. 379 00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:24,200 That's hesed. That's mercy. 380 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:27,840 Amen. 22 minutes. Three things. 381 00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:30,960 First thing, New birth. Great mercy. 382 00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:33,320 Living hope. Say living hope. 383 00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:39,160 The problem with our hope is that it's like wishful thinking. 384 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:44,200 I hope to win the Lotto. I've never entered it, but I'm 385 00:22:44,200 --> 00:22:50,720 still hoping. I know some of you have entered 386 00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:53,840 it and you haven't won it. Keep hoping, it's not going to 387 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:57,920 work. I hope to spend Christmas in 388 00:22:57,920 --> 00:23:02,120 Austria skiing and I hope to have summer at Lake Coma. 389 00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:04,680 We've all got hopes, haven't we? Hopes and dreams. 390 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:09,560 But the hope of the Scripture is different to our hope. 391 00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:12,480 I mean, I hope to live in Mycliffe. 392 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:15,840 No, I don't really. I hope to open a Willies and 393 00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:20,960 boardwalk. It'll do well with this, sort 394 00:23:20,960 --> 00:23:22,480 of. But the hope of Scripture is 395 00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:24,240 different to that. It's not wishful thinking. 396 00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:26,200 The hope and Scripture is secure. 397 00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:32,800 Jeremiah says this. You've all got it on the back of 398 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:38,480 your cars and on your Diaries. Jeremiah 39 verse 11 I know the 399 00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:44,960 plans I have for you plans to said I like that part. 400 00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:47,640 God says you'll prosper me. I know the plans I have for you 401 00:23:47,640 --> 00:23:51,440 plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you and 402 00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:58,400 say it hope. And so Peter realizes that in 403 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:01,160 this world, because they're under unbelievable pressure. 404 00:24:01,160 --> 00:24:04,280 Now he's writing to people who are under pressure and he's 405 00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:06,480 saying, listen, guys, you've got to realize it. 406 00:24:06,480 --> 00:24:08,400 Because of the resurrection, we've got something in the 407 00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:11,200 future that we can hold on to. It says this in Hebrews chapter 408 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:14,640 6. The hope is like an anchor to 409 00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:17,720 our soul. It goes into the Holy of Holies 410 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:20,800 and it gets lodged there. You have to go to Durban. 411 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:23,680 You see all those ships with the wind blowing against them that 412 00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:25,480 that anchor can hold that big ship. 413 00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:28,680 Friends, I want to say to you on Easter Sunday you don't panic 414 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:32,200 because our anchor is in the throne room of heaven and it 415 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:35,720 doesn't matter how the wind blows, we should not be shaken. 416 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:38,600 There are too many Christians shaken by circumstances. 417 00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:42,040 Instead of believing what happened on Easter Sunday, you 418 00:24:42,040 --> 00:24:46,080 have a living hope. You have a living hope, say 419 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:49,040 living hope. And finally as he just put the 420 00:24:49,040 --> 00:24:53,800 scripture up again and we finished praise be to the God 421 00:24:53,800 --> 00:24:56,240 and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in his great mercy, say 422 00:24:56,240 --> 00:25:01,240 great mercy. Like I said, the great mercy. 423 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:02,680 It doesn't matter what you've done. 424 00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:08,120 This man denied Christ three times and writes one of the last 425 00:25:08,120 --> 00:25:12,320 books of the Bible and got crucified upside down because I 426 00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:17,720 would not allow, he would not allow himself to be crucified 427 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:21,760 like his own Savior. Great mercy. 428 00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:27,360 He has given us new birth into a living hope, say living hope. 429 00:25:29,080 --> 00:25:31,120 Just keep that up and keep looking at those words. 430 00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:38,000 I've heard of seven suicides in Pretoria in the last two weeks, 431 00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:44,000 7 suicides. I'm talking about lawyers, 432 00:25:44,520 --> 00:25:49,760 advocates, heart specialists aren't talking about people who 433 00:25:49,760 --> 00:25:57,280 have lost hope. When Stephen preached on that 434 00:25:58,360 --> 00:26:02,120 four or five weeks ago, he said there will be 130 people in this 435 00:26:02,120 --> 00:26:05,040 auditorium right now contemplating suicide. 436 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:07,520 There was a man in this auditorium. 437 00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:10,880 He went and had lunch with his family, spent the afternoon with 438 00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:14,120 him, and on Monday morning shot himself in this auditorium. 439 00:26:21,600 --> 00:26:23,320 Everything might have fallen away from you. 440 00:26:23,840 --> 00:26:27,720 You might be like Mephibosheth, a complete cripple, relationally 441 00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:30,400 crippled, sexually crippled, emotionally crippled, 442 00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:33,400 relationally crippled. But I tell you what, when Jesus 443 00:26:33,400 --> 00:26:38,400 steps down, he steps down and he steps across. 444 00:26:40,080 --> 00:26:42,600 And maybe you sitting here divorced and unbelievably 445 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:45,320 lonely, that's your first Easter alone, I want to tell you. 446 00:26:45,320 --> 00:26:53,360 He steps down and across and maybe you didn't know where on 447 00:26:53,360 --> 00:26:55,920 earth to go today, so you just decided to come here. 448 00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:58,680 You didn't know. You just got there's a lady that 449 00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:01,960 still serves God with us. She was driving one day on her 450 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:04,920 way to commit suicide. We called her EU turn lady. 451 00:27:05,040 --> 00:27:08,200 She did AU turn in the middle of the highway and ended up here 452 00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:11,040 and gave her life to Christ because it's a living hope 453 00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:15,000 because God stepped down and into her car that did AU turn 454 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:17,520 and she ended up here. You have a living hope. 455 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:26,040 You have a living hope. And into an inheritance that can 456 00:27:26,040 --> 00:27:33,880 never say never, perish, spoil, or fade kept in heaven for you. 457 00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:36,520 You can turn it down. You know where your inheritance 458 00:27:36,520 --> 00:27:39,000 is? It's in heaven. 459 00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:42,600 The Israelites are losing their land second to none. 460 00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:45,200 And we don't even know what's going to happen in our country. 461 00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:46,880 Is there going to be a land grab? 462 00:27:47,080 --> 00:27:48,600 Are they going to take our farms? 463 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:50,360 Are they going to take our houses? 464 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:52,520 Is the government going to steal our stuff? 465 00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:54,480 It doesn't matter what they take. 466 00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:58,720 The inheritance that is given to us by God will never perish, 467 00:27:59,120 --> 00:28:03,640 spoil or fade. But we are so caught, our 468 00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:08,440 friends, with all due respect, on Uffiz and Housefontaine and 469 00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:12,760 Menlo Park and Hilton and Gray College and all these things and 470 00:28:12,760 --> 00:28:15,240 money and cars, and we are so caught up. 471 00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:17,720 But I just look at cars. Every time I see a car that's 472 00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:19,320 been in the sun too long, I look. 473 00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:24,520 And I think that's just like me. It came out of a showroom one 474 00:28:24,520 --> 00:28:26,880 day, absolutely brand spanking new. 475 00:28:26,960 --> 00:28:29,800 It was the dream of somebody who'd saved up for the car. 476 00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:32,080 And then you see it driving around Pretoria with its paint 477 00:28:32,080 --> 00:28:34,600 peeling off. And I think that's just like me. 478 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:40,920 But that's not my inheritance. And it doesn't matter how much 479 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:43,560 the sun beats against you. It doesn't matter what life 480 00:28:43,560 --> 00:28:46,560 gives to you. That was given to us on Christ 481 00:28:46,560 --> 00:28:49,600 by Christ on Easter Sunday, can never perish. 482 00:28:52,560 --> 00:28:55,280 Because the issue was fruit. He said, you've got to know by 483 00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:57,400 your fruits. And many of you say, yeah, well, 484 00:28:57,400 --> 00:28:59,680 we're going to retire now with the fruits of our labor. 485 00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:03,720 Your fruit will rot, Sir. Your fruit will rot. 486 00:29:04,920 --> 00:29:06,240 They have a perish. Spoil. 487 00:29:06,920 --> 00:29:12,640 Spoil is a word of purity, and God can keep our purity. 488 00:29:14,840 --> 00:29:18,720 I was reading the story of of Randolph Churchill after Stephen 489 00:29:18,720 --> 00:29:22,200 preached about it on Friday, I went in research that he died 490 00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:26,640 from syphilis. He died from syphilis, a 491 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:30,640 sexually transmitted disease of which some inside of this 492 00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:32,680 building will be carrying those right now. 493 00:29:32,880 --> 00:29:37,720 It can never perish or spoil. That disease can eat you, but it 494 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:41,680 can never kill you because God made your spirit alive. 495 00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:45,880 And while our bodies are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being 496 00:29:45,880 --> 00:29:48,400 renewed day by day. And friends, you just have to 497 00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:51,080 look at the mirror. You can stop it with any surgery 498 00:29:51,080 --> 00:29:54,400 you'd like, but at the end of the day, when you look in the 499 00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:56,840 mirror, you realize that you are fading fast. 500 00:29:58,160 --> 00:30:01,160 And on this Easter Sunday God says but that which I have from 501 00:30:01,160 --> 00:30:05,080 you. For you will never perish, spoil 502 00:30:05,840 --> 00:30:09,160 or fade. Easter Sunday, 4 things. 503 00:30:10,760 --> 00:30:18,560 I have a new birth by great mercy into a living hope, and a 504 00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:23,960 completely steadfast, safe inheritance. 505 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:29,640 And for that we should sing. He is Risen, He is alive. 506 00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:32,000 God bless you.