1 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:08,880 Such a treat to be with you guys today and we're going through 2 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:12,000 Romans chapter 8. How lucky that I get to jump 3 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:13,680 onto that journey you guys are in. 4 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:18,160 And the first time in the book of Romans the word Father is 5 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:22,880 mentioned is in today's verses. Now I know Father is a big theme 6 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:26,640 in three CI all around the country and probably the world. 7 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:30,480 When people speak about who has a revelation of God as Father, 8 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:33,760 the name Rory will be mentioned. And no doubt you guys have lived 9 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:37,080 in the wonderfulness of that emphasis. 10 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:39,480 So what a treat to preach on something. 11 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:42,560 I'm speaking to the choir. I'm speaking to the choir. 12 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:46,600 I've got faith today. Two things, everyone of you who 13 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:50,200 are new to church or back in church after a long time, today 14 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:53,320 is your homecoming. Not a single one leaves this 15 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:57,880 place estranged from God. And secondly, that everyone of 16 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:00,440 us, maybe for the first time, maybe for the 100th time, 17 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:04,480 experiences a fresh infilling of the Father's presence and Holy 18 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:07,040 Spirit coming into your life. So we're going to do that at the 19 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:09,600 end, but everything I say will lead to that. 20 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:14,400 It's not just Rory that loves God, his father. 21 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:17,800 It's one of the great themes of my life, your life, no doubt. 22 00:01:17,960 --> 00:01:21,680 My dad died when I was 36 years old, sorry, when he was 36 years 23 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:23,360 old. I was only 15. 24 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:26,600 And my dad, I'd lived with him for five years, that my parents 25 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:27,840 got divorced when they were young. 26 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:30,720 He died of HIV, AIDS, one of the first hundred in the country to 27 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:35,400 die of that horrible disease. And the last five years my 28 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:37,640 brother and I lived with him in Seaport in Cape Town. 29 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:41,480 He supported our skateboarding, our surfing, he showed us the 30 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:44,640 zest for life. Just such a fantastic person to 31 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,960 have into our in our lives. And when he passed away we felt 32 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:51,480 such a void of his presence. I was truly fatherless. 33 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:55,440 The world felt much scarier. It was this deep, painful loss 34 00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:58,720 that cut through the superficiality of my life, 35 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:01,520 because before he died, I think I'd just live for girls and 36 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:04,560 parties and surfing. But suddenly I'm wondering what 37 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:08,560 life and death are, really. About six months after my dad 38 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:11,160 died, I heard the gospel of God's love for me. 39 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:13,760 I grabbed onto it with open arms. 40 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,080 My only Christian friend. I just had one Christian friend. 41 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:20,080 But that's enough to find your way to heaven. 42 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:24,200 My only Christian friend invited me to a camp organized by his 43 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:27,440 church, where I heard for the first time that I'm loved by God 44 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:29,800 the way a good parent loves their child. 45 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:34,360 And I discovered a Heavenly Father whose ways of love swept 46 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:38,360 into my life like a high tide, filling the gap left by my 47 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:42,800 father's absence. What a joy to have God as my 48 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:46,240 father. And now I'm a father, too. 49 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:50,040 Julie and I tried for a year and a half to fall pregnant with no 50 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:52,240 luck. And then Julie went for a prayer 51 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:54,960 walk, came back and said God just told me we're going to have 52 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:58,960 four children. He said what? 53 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:05,320 And then and then we tried for one and there was an early 54 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:06,880 miscarriage. We were broken. 55 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:11,480 And then came Eli. He came into the world and I 56 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:14,880 remember the thrill of a child being born, the fresh 57 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:18,760 realization that we are mammals. If you ever witnessed a birth, 58 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:21,720 it's like you can't have imagined that we live in another 59 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:23,760 world. We are mammals. 60 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:28,120 This human comes out of our ass body and a child is born. 61 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:32,920 I remember going home late that night and starting to weep and 62 00:03:32,920 --> 00:03:34,720 something happened that I did not expect. 63 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:37,280 Not only was a child born, but a father was born. 64 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:42,080 I remember just weeping. I remember accessing God is 65 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:45,280 father in a new way because I'd lost a father. 66 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:49,880 Now I had a father, but to be a father, I suddenly felt 67 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:53,720 something of God's love for me, for you. 68 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:58,600 My wife said to me last night, Darren, don't perform for those 69 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:03,240 people. Ask God to feel his Father's 70 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:08,360 heart for them and look at me. I'm I'd love you guys and pray. 71 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:22,160 Gosh, where was I? OK, so comes Eli then, then 72 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:26,120 Finn, then Ivy, then I said to Julie, let's try for 1/4. 73 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:28,920 She says no, we're done. I said, but God told you that 74 00:04:29,120 --> 00:04:32,920 we're going to have 1/4. She said, you know you must re 75 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:35,960 evaluate prophetic words according to God's character. 76 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:38,840 God would never be so cruel as to give us a fourth. 77 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:45,960 She was dead serious a few months later, 1 lucky night for 78 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:54,880 me, Valentine's night, true story, Valentine's night and we 79 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:59,080 fall pregnant with and then Julie goes off and I didn't even 80 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:03,040 go to the Ghani with her for that first 12 week scan. 81 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:06,280 She comes back, she says Taryn, we're not going to have a child. 82 00:05:06,280 --> 00:05:08,720 I was broken. We're going to have two. 83 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:13,880 So now I'm thinking, Oh my gosh, maybe God never spoke. 84 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:18,080 We've just been breathing like rabbits because that's more than 85 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:20,840 four. So I go into the garden and I 86 00:05:20,840 --> 00:05:26,080 the world is spinning like this and I say, God speak to me. 87 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:30,920 Something's gone wrong. And honestly, I feel the Holy 88 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:37,040 Spirit just say one word to me. Surprise, that was what he said 89 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:40,840 to me. Let me read today's passage, 90 00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:44,720 Romans 8 verse 14. For those who are led by the 91 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:46,360 Spirit of God are the children of God. 92 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:50,160 The Spirit you receive does not make you slaves so that you live 93 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:52,280 in fear again. Rather you have received the 94 00:05:52,280 --> 00:05:57,440 spirit of adoption, and by him, by the Spirit we cry, ABBA, 95 00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:03,040 Father, the Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that 96 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:05,480 we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we 97 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:09,000 are also heirs, heirs of God and coheirs with Christ. 98 00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:13,080 So this passage speaks about 3 gifts. 99 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:17,960 The Father gives us the gift of identity, the gift of infilling, 100 00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:20,320 and the gift of inheritance. And I had wanted to speak on all 101 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:23,160 three, but last night Matt in the car as he was driving me 102 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:25,520 from the airport said, you know, I find the best messages only 103 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:28,600 make one or two points. So I took it as a sign. 104 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:30,920 I dropped my Third Point and I leave it to the next lucky 105 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:33,800 preacher to speak about the gift of inheritance. 106 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:36,440 I want to speak to you about the gift of identity and the gift of 107 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:38,840 infilling. I heard two weeks ago, Rory, 108 00:06:38,840 --> 00:06:42,800 saying that the that Romans is like the Himalayas of the Bible. 109 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:45,400 Well, if that's the case, then Romans 8 is Everest. 110 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:50,520 But what's the 8844 meter peak? We're standing on it. 111 00:06:50,520 --> 00:06:58,080 Verses 14 to 17 for those who are led by the Spirit of God or 112 00:06:58,080 --> 00:07:00,480 the children of God. In context, this means that if 113 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:03,600 you're a child of God, then you can expect the Spirit to lead 114 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:06,360 you towards godliness and liveliness. 115 00:07:06,880 --> 00:07:10,360 The Spirit will prompt us to walk in the ways of Jesus. 116 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:12,520 He won't force us, but He will nudge us. 117 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:15,800 He might restrain us and there might even be times when He 118 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:18,000 guides us in our decision making. 119 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:20,840 True story, five years ago, it's COVID. 120 00:07:20,840 --> 00:07:23,800 I'm busy writing a 30 day devotional in Romans chapter 8. 121 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:28,200 I get to verses 14 and 17 and it's exploding for me and I have 122 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:32,520 this thought get hold of Rory and say that you will offer this 123 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:36,160 teaching to his church on verses 14 to 17. 124 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:40,240 This is a very weird thought because if some pastor gets hold 125 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:42,120 of me, hey, I want to teach your church. 126 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:44,880 God told me I'll just go. That's sweet, but no thank you. 127 00:07:44,880 --> 00:07:46,040 So now I'm doing the awkward thing. 128 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:48,320 So I said to Rory, Rory absolutely no problem. 129 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:51,160 It might sound weird, but I honestly feeling God nudgement 130 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:54,040 took me two days to act on it and at first he's interested, 131 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:56,320 but then we kind of lose comms and afters I'm a bit 132 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:58,960 embarrassed. What was I doing offering to 133 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:01,960 teach his church? Romans 8 verses 14 to 17. 134 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:05,040 So a few months ago Rory said, Hey, come invite, invite me to 135 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:07,160 preach this day. What are we preaching on? 136 00:08:07,160 --> 00:08:09,760 Oh, you in Romans 8? So now I'm watching where am I 137 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:12,520 going to step in? Lo and behold, Rory gets to 138 00:08:12,520 --> 00:08:18,000 verse 13. So today turns out I heard God 139 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:19,880 right. I just got the timing wrong. 140 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:24,480 Five years. But think how meticulous God has 141 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:28,120 been planning today that you would be here to hear this 142 00:08:28,120 --> 00:08:31,960 message. So let's speak about the 143 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:35,520 Father's gift of identity. The Father's gift of identity, 144 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:37,600 Who am I? This is the question that runs 145 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:39,919 deep in every one of us. Some people say it's the 146 00:08:39,919 --> 00:08:43,280 question of our generation. For many of us, our first 147 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:46,600 instinct is to locate our identity in what we do. 148 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:49,600 Ask someone who are you? And soon they're telling you I'm 149 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:52,200 a teacher, I'm an entrepreneur, I'm a stay at home mom. 150 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:56,680 And yet, if we lose that role or success doesn't come, who are we 151 00:08:56,680 --> 00:08:58,480 then? Others. 152 00:08:58,560 --> 00:09:02,080 Others of us build our identity on what we've done, or rather on 153 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:06,920 what we wish we hadn't done. Past failures, rejections, 154 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:11,400 mistakes can cling to us like a second skin, whispering shame 155 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:15,080 over and over. Then there's what others think 156 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:17,640 of us, how easily our sense of worth rises or falls on 157 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:20,920 someone's approval, someone's criticism, someone's 158 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:23,120 indifference. It's like to like trying to 159 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:26,520 stand on quicksand. There's no firm ground beneath 160 00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:29,200 us. All of these are flawed places 161 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:32,880 to find an identity. They can't hold the weight of 162 00:09:32,880 --> 00:09:35,800 who you are. And this is where Romans 8 163 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:39,040 brings us the most breath taking gift through Christ. 164 00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:42,160 We are adopted as children of God. 165 00:09:42,880 --> 00:09:46,520 The Spirit you receive brought about your adoption to sonship 166 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:51,600 by him we cry. ABBA Father, your deepest 167 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:53,520 identity is not what you do for a living. 168 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:55,600 It's not the mistakes you've made. 169 00:09:55,920 --> 00:09:57,680 It's not what anyone thinks of you. 170 00:09:57,960 --> 00:10:01,320 Your truest identity is child of God. 171 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:05,600 So let me say two things about this adoption and ABBA adoption. 172 00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:09,840 Firstly, what I heard when I was 16 years old and it came as a 173 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:13,600 surprise, not everyone is God's adopted child. 174 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:16,480 I just assumed all people are God's child. 175 00:10:17,680 --> 00:10:20,920 But for my 1st 16 years, I certainly didn't know God 176 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:24,320 intimately. You see, it's a half truth that 177 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:27,160 we are all God's children. Yes, God is the Creator of all 178 00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:28,560 of us. We're all made in His image. 179 00:10:28,560 --> 00:10:31,200 We're all loved. It's why Paul in the Bible 180 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:33,720 speaking to Pagan says we are his offspring. 181 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:37,880 But being adopted into God's family is a deeper, more 182 00:10:37,880 --> 00:10:41,200 intimate connection. As John the Apostle explains to 183 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:44,600 those who received Jesus and believed in his name, he gave 184 00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:48,120 them the right to become children of God. 185 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:50,320 And how do we become children of God? 186 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:55,560 Well, amazingly, the Son of God became one of us so we can 187 00:10:55,560 --> 00:10:58,040 become sons and daughters of God. 188 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:01,480 The Son of God became one of us so that we could become sons and 189 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:04,960 daughters of God. Galatians 4 says when the time 190 00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:09,920 had fully come, God sent his Son that we might receive the full 191 00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:14,680 rights of sons. But how exactly did Jesus make 192 00:11:14,680 --> 00:11:18,680 us sons and daughters? Well, interestingly, if you read 193 00:11:18,680 --> 00:11:22,040 the gospels, only once does Jesus call his disciples 194 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:24,880 brothers and sisters. It's on the day of his 195 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:28,760 resurrection when he tells one of the women, Go instead to my 196 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:32,120 brothers and tell them, I'm sending to my father and to your 197 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:36,880 father, to my God and your God. It's only after his death and 198 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:39,960 his resurrection that Jesus speaks of the disciples 199 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:46,440 adoption. Hebrews 2 says that he tasted 200 00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:51,440 death in our place to bring many sons and daughters to glory. 201 00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:56,640 It's as though on the cross he became an orphan so that we 202 00:11:56,640 --> 00:12:01,080 could become adopted and then we get brought into this cosmic 203 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:03,240 relationship with the Father and the Son. 204 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:06,760 There's only another place in the book of Romans where God is 205 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:11,360 called Father in Romans 15 verse 6, where it speaks about God as 206 00:12:11,360 --> 00:12:15,360 the Father of Jesus. These are the highest truths. 207 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:18,680 The Son is the Son of the Father. 208 00:12:19,200 --> 00:12:22,760 The Son calls the Father his father, and we get brought into 209 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:25,000 that relationship. So we also have God as our 210 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:27,840 Father. But notice that in John 20, 211 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:31,440 Jesus doesn't say our Father. He says my Father and your 212 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:33,920 Father. Why the awkward language? 213 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:37,360 Well, our relationship with God as his children is a bit 214 00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:40,840 different from Jesus's unique status as God's Son. 215 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:42,880 I mean, He is divine, we are not. 216 00:12:43,280 --> 00:12:45,640 He is worshipped, we are worshippers. 217 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:50,600 His sonship has existed from eternity past to eternity 218 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:52,560 future. Our sonship and daughtership 219 00:12:52,560 --> 00:12:56,160 will exist to eternity future, but it has a starting point. 220 00:12:56,480 --> 00:12:59,680 He is the Son by nature. We are sons and daughters by 221 00:12:59,680 --> 00:13:02,360 grace. We are His adopted brothers and 222 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:05,240 sisters. What we do share in common with 223 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:10,680 our older brother, however, is that the Father loves us as much 224 00:13:10,680 --> 00:13:16,400 as He loves His Son. John 17 verse 23. 225 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:21,480 Jesus is praying and he says, Father, you have loved them even 226 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:25,400 as you have loved me. Read the Gospels. 227 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:31,320 Read of God's overwhelming, startling, intense love for his 228 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:34,120 Son. All of that affection that He 229 00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:40,960 has for His Son, He has for you. And let's talk about ABBA. 230 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:44,240 The Spirit enables us to enjoy intimate access to the Father. 231 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:50,040 By him we cry ABBA, father. ABBA is the Aramaic word for 232 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:52,320 father affectionately used by little children. 233 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:58,440 It's similar to Papa, Daddy and Jesus 1st called God ABBA in 234 00:13:58,440 --> 00:14:01,560 Mark 14. Imagine how this shocked the 235 00:14:01,560 --> 00:14:06,480 disciples, because we know of no place before where anybody had 236 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:10,440 spoken to God so endearingly to call him ABBA. 237 00:14:11,280 --> 00:14:14,320 Small children of all cultures tend to latch onto these two 238 00:14:14,400 --> 00:14:15,880 syllable names for their parents. 239 00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:18,680 Always each child comes and you want to know if they're going to 240 00:14:18,680 --> 00:14:21,680 say Dada or Mama. First, the competition starts. 241 00:14:23,920 --> 00:14:27,320 Or OPA. Oh my, yes, more competition. 242 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:34,480 These two syllable names, they imply implicit trust dependency. 243 00:14:37,640 --> 00:14:40,840 But when we cry have a father, it's not only a cry of 244 00:14:40,840 --> 00:14:43,960 dependency, it's also a cry of wonder. 245 00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:49,800 The Apostle John beautifully models this in his letter 1 John 246 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:52,960 3 verse 1. He says, See what great love the 247 00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:56,360 Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children, 248 00:14:56,360 --> 00:15:00,160 for that is what we are. See what great love the Father 249 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:03,920 has lavished upon us, that we should be called children, for 250 00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:07,880 that is what we are. The word see can be translated. 251 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:11,640 Behold, could be translated. Wow. 252 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:16,080 It's an exclamation mark at the beginning of the sentence and 253 00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:18,320 then the translation. What great love? 254 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:21,480 Translators struggle with this because in the original Greek it 255 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:25,440 says, see what country does this love come from? 256 00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:29,840 It's an ancient idiom. It's beyond the range of your 257 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:31,360 experience. In the ancient world, if 258 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:33,880 something happened that nobody had ever seen, they'd say what 259 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:36,840 country. It's like saying, what planet 260 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:41,480 does this love come from? See what planet is this love? 261 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:44,760 The Father has lavished upon us that we should be called 262 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:47,240 children of God, and that is what we are. 263 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:52,560 Christianity, alone among the the the major religions, 264 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:56,040 emphasizes this parent child intimacy between God and 265 00:15:56,040 --> 00:16:00,000 ourselves. Islam does not believe God is a 266 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:02,960 father. I remember reading the 267 00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:05,160 biography. I dared to call him Father, 268 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:07,760 telling of a Muslim woman who started to read the Bible 269 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:10,680 alongside the Koran. As she realized the essential 270 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:14,360 message of these two books was incompatible, she prayed to pray 271 00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:19,600 God, which is your book. And she said she heard a voice 272 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:23,960 saying, the book by which you call me Father is my book. 273 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:33,360 As a as as a human species, we are enamoured with famous and 274 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:36,760 powerful people, celebrities, presidents. 275 00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:40,440 And what makes them so awe inspiring is that you can't get 276 00:16:40,440 --> 00:16:43,760 to them because they're surrounded by security fences 277 00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:48,240 and by bodyguards. Now picture this ancient setting 278 00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:50,880 where you've got a king seated on his throne and he's caught 279 00:16:50,880 --> 00:16:53,960 everybody standing to attention. If anybody steps out of line, 280 00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:57,400 they can be executed. Complete fear. 281 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:00,760 And then suddenly there's the banging of a door, someone 282 00:17:00,760 --> 00:17:06,599 running down the whatever that is and jumping onto the the the 283 00:17:06,599 --> 00:17:15,160 King Daddy in the gospel, the most important person not only 284 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:17,920 in the world, but the universe is in reach. 285 00:17:18,079 --> 00:17:21,480 He is ever available. He's not too important or too 286 00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:25,000 busy or too distracted for us. His door is always open. 287 00:17:25,160 --> 00:17:29,280 We simply cannot interrupt him from something more important he 288 00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:33,040 may be doing, for his chief work is to love his children. 289 00:17:38,280 --> 00:17:41,040 Point 1.2 Matt, you're keeping counts. 290 00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:44,800 My I got one more point. The Father's gift of infilling. 291 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:50,040 The Father's gift of infilling. What will satisfy me? 292 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:55,200 Every human heart is asking the same quiet question. 293 00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:57,840 We may, we're not say it aloud, but we feel it and we go on 294 00:17:57,840 --> 00:18:00,720 searching. Some of us think if we can just 295 00:18:01,040 --> 00:18:03,880 find the right person, if I can experience that perfect romantic 296 00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:08,320 love, then I will be whole. Others think if I can succeed or 297 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:12,880 make more money or gain that recognition, then I'll finally 298 00:18:12,880 --> 00:18:18,080 rest this chase after pleasure or experiences or friendships or 299 00:18:18,520 --> 00:18:24,000 family or even ministry. Good things, but not ultimate 300 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:25,760 things. But here's the tragedy. 301 00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:30,000 Every well we dig in this world world will eventually run dry. 302 00:18:30,920 --> 00:18:36,280 The career high fades, the relationship disappoints, the 303 00:18:36,280 --> 00:18:40,880 thrill wears off Why? Because our hearts are too deep 304 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:46,640 to be filled by creative things. How wonderful then, that the 305 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:50,960 Spirit Himself testifies with our Spirit that we are God's 306 00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:54,560 children. This is a reference to the 307 00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:58,400 infilling of the Holy Spirit. Now, if you were to read the 308 00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:01,200 book of Acts, there's many references to the outpouring and 309 00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:03,360 the baptism and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. 310 00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:07,520 Always these experiences are meant to empower a person or a 311 00:19:07,520 --> 00:19:10,120 community for the ministry impact that they're going to 312 00:19:10,120 --> 00:19:13,360 have, and Paul certainly believes that. 313 00:19:13,880 --> 00:19:16,880 But what Paul contributes to this understanding of this 314 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:20,840 experience of this outpoured presence of God is it's not just 315 00:19:20,840 --> 00:19:23,680 powerful ministry. It comes packed with a 316 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:27,840 supernatural assurance and supernatural affection. 317 00:19:28,720 --> 00:19:31,120 Supernatural assurance and supernatural affection. 318 00:19:31,120 --> 00:19:33,960 So let's speak about the assurance the Spirit's infilling 319 00:19:33,960 --> 00:19:39,280 gives us assurance. Bible scholars studying Romans 8 320 00:19:39,760 --> 00:19:44,360 debate what is the main idea that holds together Romans 8. 321 00:19:44,360 --> 00:19:46,360 Some say, well, obviously it's the Holy Spirit. 322 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:51,600 It's referred to 18 times. But others go, no, no, it's not. 323 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:54,160 It's not the Holy Spirit. It's assurance because the 324 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:57,320 opening verse you've heard many Times Now over the last many 325 00:19:57,320 --> 00:20:01,680 months is no condemnation, and the last verse is no separation. 326 00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:06,000 So which is it? Well, verse 16 solves our 327 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:07,520 problem. It's both. 328 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:14,800 In verse 16, these two things converged. 329 00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:19,440 The Spirit gives us everlasting assurance. 330 00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:24,320 The Spirit himself might want to underline that Word himself. 331 00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:29,840 The Spirit is a person. You know, often hear myself and 332 00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:31,560 others speak about the Spirit, isn't it? 333 00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:34,880 Could you feel it? And there are many metaphors 334 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:37,320 that are impersonal. The spirit's presence is like 335 00:20:37,320 --> 00:20:39,800 wind, like water, like fire, like wine. 336 00:20:40,360 --> 00:20:43,520 So we the perpetuates this idea. But Paul says no, no, he throws 337 00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:46,800 in the word himself. The Spirit is a person. 338 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:49,240 The Spirit is not just a language. 339 00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:51,120 Have you ever received the gift of tons? 340 00:20:51,280 --> 00:20:52,920 The Spirit is not just a leading. 341 00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:54,880 Many people will just be happy. That's all. 342 00:20:54,880 --> 00:20:58,280 The Holy Spirit is to them. A once remarkable thing that 343 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:01,280 happened with their mouth or many times or they get little 344 00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:02,440 nudges. That's it. 345 00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:06,000 Now, the Spirit is a person that you have a love relationship 346 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:08,960 with, so you get to know God is your Father. 347 00:21:08,960 --> 00:21:10,520 There's a love relationship there. 348 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:13,480 You get to know God the Son, there's a love relationship 349 00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:16,200 there, and you get to know the Holy Spirit. 350 00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:18,240 You get to have a love relationship with the Holy 351 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:23,200 Spirit. Now let's speak about assurance, 352 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:25,320 because let's be honest, it doesn't. 353 00:21:25,360 --> 00:21:27,920 Even if you've been a Christian for a long time, it doesn't 354 00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:30,800 always feel like God is near. Sometimes your prayers bounce 355 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:33,000 off the feeling, the ceiling. That's what it feels like. 356 00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:35,320 So what do you do? What do you do? 357 00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:38,040 Well, the first thing that I really want to suggest is that 358 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:40,760 you testify to yourself that you are God's child. 359 00:21:41,640 --> 00:21:44,560 The word testify in verse 16 is legal language that speaks of 360 00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:48,040 speaking the truth in such a way that doubt is castaway. 361 00:21:48,800 --> 00:21:51,320 Now one of the things I could not believe when I studied this 362 00:21:51,320 --> 00:21:54,120 verse 16 is that I'd read it wrong. 363 00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:56,560 All these years. I've always read it as the 364 00:21:56,560 --> 00:21:59,800 Spirit himself testifies to our Spirit that we are God's 365 00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:02,320 children. And yet it actually says the 366 00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:08,040 Spirit himself testifies with. It's the Greek word sane SYN, 367 00:22:08,040 --> 00:22:13,400 which means alongside there are two testifying to you that 368 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:16,760 you're God's child. There's the Spirit and there's 369 00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:21,760 your spirit, which is a good reminder, your job to remind 370 00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:23,320 yourself that you're God's child. 371 00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:26,520 Even when you don't feel it, you remind yourself of it. 372 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:29,360 And it's not just words you have have to hold onto. 373 00:22:29,360 --> 00:22:34,280 God has demonstrated his love by allowing his Son to die in our 374 00:22:34,280 --> 00:22:36,280 place. Maybe every day you look 375 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:38,640 yourself in the mirror. You say it might feel like God 376 00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:40,000 has abandoned you, but he hasn't. 377 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:42,000 Might feel like he's rejected you or ignored you. 378 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:43,760 Not true. He will never leave you. 379 00:22:44,320 --> 00:22:48,400 He's with you. Now, I'm not saying feelings are 380 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:49,680 unimportant. They are. 381 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:52,040 But what I'm saying is that they're not the best guides to 382 00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:55,800 reality. Emotions always feel real, but 383 00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:57,720 they're not always based on reality. 384 00:22:57,960 --> 00:23:00,680 After two decades of marriage, if I based my relationship with 385 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:03,040 Julie on feelings, I think I'd have ruined it. 386 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:05,200 Imagine me saying, Julie, I just don't feel close to you right 387 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:07,000 now. I don't even think we married. 388 00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:13,960 Testify to yourself that you're God's child, but thank goodness 389 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:17,680 you're not to do it alone. The Spirit himself also 390 00:23:17,680 --> 00:23:19,920 testifies that you're God's child. 391 00:23:20,800 --> 00:23:23,160 In Scripture, there's the principle of two witnesses to 392 00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:25,520 confirm a matter. So there's this picture that 393 00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:28,320 Paul is painting of us testifying to ourselves about 394 00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:31,480 God's love for us, but somehow the jury is not sure. 395 00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:35,880 In walks a new defense witness. The Spirit who settles settles 396 00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:39,520 the matter decisively. Paul is speaking about the 397 00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:43,320 infilling or outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Romans 5, verse 398 00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:47,560 5, some chapters before Speaking of the same experience. 399 00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:52,120 He says God pours out his love in our hearts by the Holy Spirit 400 00:23:52,120 --> 00:23:55,480 whom He has given us. So there he's speaking about 401 00:23:55,480 --> 00:23:58,360 this, these times when he becomes supernaturally aware of 402 00:23:58,360 --> 00:24:00,880 God's love. Now he's giving it more 403 00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:02,560 definition. We're also experiencing the 404 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:05,520 Father's intimate embrace and affection. 405 00:24:06,800 --> 00:24:09,400 But let me just speak about these experiences. 406 00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:15,240 There are times when the Holy Spirit supernaturally convinces 407 00:24:15,240 --> 00:24:19,320 you that you are loved. He takes you beyond the fact of 408 00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:21,000 your love to the feeling of the love. 409 00:24:22,800 --> 00:24:27,520 You might believe something, but we move from believing it to 410 00:24:27,520 --> 00:24:31,200 knowing it. Doctrine becomes dynamite. 411 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:34,680 There's an immediacy about it. God's presence and power become 412 00:24:34,680 --> 00:24:38,040 an almost tangible reality. Our spiritual senses are 413 00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:41,920 supercharged with the nearness and the goodness of God. 414 00:24:42,840 --> 00:24:45,280 The Bible has all kinds of names for this experience. 415 00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:48,920 Baptism or engulfing times of refreshing streams of living 416 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:52,600 water, inexpressible joy, tasting the powers of the coming 417 00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:55,080 age. We cannot generate these 418 00:24:55,080 --> 00:24:56,880 experiences. God chooses these moments. 419 00:24:56,880 --> 00:24:59,360 Sometimes they come upon us when we least expect them. 420 00:24:59,360 --> 00:25:02,800 Other times we're asking for more of God's presence in our 421 00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:06,640 lives and the answers and these experiences vary in intensity. 422 00:25:06,640 --> 00:25:09,440 Sometimes they come with the gentleness of a dove, other 423 00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:12,720 times with Pentecost, like fire and wind. 424 00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:17,200 But we can ask for them. We're going to do that at the 425 00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:19,360 end of our time together. And then let me speak about 426 00:25:19,360 --> 00:25:25,240 affection. Affection, I remember I'm 427 00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:28,920 studying the father in Jesus, prodigal of the returning 428 00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:30,680 prodigal son. The son's returning home, the 429 00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:32,440 Father's Day. He stands up. 430 00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:36,360 He runs to the son, filled with compassion for his son, and 431 00:25:36,360 --> 00:25:39,680 embraces his son. I remember going that word 432 00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:41,320 embrace. Where else is it used in the 433 00:25:41,320 --> 00:25:42,520 Bible? EPI Pepto? 434 00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:46,600 Amazingly, I find in Acts Chapter 11, Peter is preaching 435 00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:50,280 to Cornelius and his family, and he says that as he preached to 436 00:25:50,280 --> 00:25:54,320 them, the spirit EPI Pepto fell upon them. 437 00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:57,600 The Father fell upon the returning son, and the Father 438 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:03,400 falls upon you, embracing you. A couple came to faith in the 439 00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:06,960 church that I lead, and a few weeks later she said to me, 440 00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:09,000 something amazing happened in the meeting today. 441 00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:12,480 I was standing there and I think the Holy Spirit gave me a hug. 442 00:26:12,480 --> 00:26:24,100 An analogy might help. 443 00:26:24,660 --> 00:26:28,300 The child knows that her dad loves her. 444 00:26:28,580 --> 00:26:31,940 You know, dad kisses on her forehead at night, says good 445 00:26:31,940 --> 00:26:35,480 night to her. He's always around, but one day 446 00:26:35,800 --> 00:26:38,280 the father and the daughter, Sunday afternoon, going for a 447 00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:42,480 walk next to the lake. And then the father stops and 448 00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:43,640 daughter wonders what's happening. 449 00:26:43,640 --> 00:26:46,840 And the father bends down and scoops up his daughter and holds 450 00:26:46,840 --> 00:26:51,720 her to his chest, squeezes her and whispers in her ear, I love 451 00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:55,880 you, you are mine, I am yours, I'm so proud of you. 452 00:26:55,880 --> 00:27:03,080 Just holds her there. The daughter is not learning 453 00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:05,360 anything new. She knew her father loved her, 454 00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:08,000 but she's feeling a deeper inside. 455 00:27:08,560 --> 00:27:13,480 It's going in the Holy Spirit is able to communicate to the 456 00:27:13,480 --> 00:27:17,080 depths our be of our being, the intensity and the reality of 457 00:27:17,080 --> 00:27:21,800 God's love for us and and the Spirit's infilling is not just 458 00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:25,320 God's assurance. It's, it's an experience of God 459 00:27:25,800 --> 00:27:29,400 delighting in US. When Jesus was baptized, he 460 00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:32,600 comes out of the water and it says that the voice came from 461 00:27:32,600 --> 00:27:35,640 heaven as his, the spirit came upon him saying, this is my son 462 00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:38,080 whom I love, with whom I am well pleased. 463 00:27:40,440 --> 00:27:44,720 God's pleasure in him, God's pleasure in him. 464 00:27:44,720 --> 00:27:46,640 I've got a friend who's an acclaimed artist. 465 00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:49,440 He's been a Christian his whole life and he says that his 466 00:27:49,440 --> 00:27:52,440 parents sent him to boarding school when he was six. 467 00:27:52,440 --> 00:27:55,320 He knew that he they loved him, but they didn't find much joy in 468 00:27:55,320 --> 00:27:57,120 him. And he says this affected his 469 00:27:57,120 --> 00:28:00,160 relationship with God. He thinks that when he's 470 00:28:00,160 --> 00:28:04,080 praying, he's annoying God. One of the most important 471 00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:08,240 spiritual journeys of his life is the discovery that God 472 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:11,600 doesn't just put up with him. God doesn't just love him, God 473 00:28:11,600 --> 00:28:16,760 delights in him, says Lewis preached what they call his most 474 00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:19,160 famous ever sermon, The Weight of Glory. 475 00:28:19,160 --> 00:28:23,640 What is this glory he refers to? It's the glorious knowledge that 476 00:28:23,640 --> 00:28:27,600 God delights in me, that I make God happy just because I'm his 477 00:28:27,600 --> 00:28:31,520 child, says Lewis writes. To please God, to be a is to 478 00:28:31,520 --> 00:28:34,760 please God, to be a real ingredient in God's happiness, 479 00:28:34,960 --> 00:28:39,240 to be loved by God, not merely pitied but delighted in the same 480 00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:42,320 way an artist delights in his work, or a father and his son. 481 00:28:42,400 --> 00:28:45,720 It seems impossible, a weight or a burden of glory that our 482 00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:53,920 thoughts can hardly sustain. But so it is Andrew Murray and 483 00:28:53,920 --> 00:28:58,080 Abide in Christ captures this perfectly as one of His redeemed 484 00:28:58,080 --> 00:28:59,960 works. You are His delight. 485 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:03,200 All His desire is towards you with the longing of a love 486 00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:05,880 stronger than death, and which many waters cannot quench. 487 00:29:06,040 --> 00:29:09,760 His heart yearns after you, seeking your fellowship and your 488 00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:12,400 love. Were it needed, He could die 489 00:29:12,400 --> 00:29:15,600 again to possess you. As the Father loved the Son and 490 00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:18,520 could not live without Him, could not be God the blessed 491 00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:22,360 without Him, so Jesus loves you. His life is bound up in yours. 492 00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:26,320 You are to inexpressibly more precious than you can ever know 493 00:29:27,520 --> 00:29:32,600 and then a more contemporary writer, Peter Pete Gregg, who 494 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:35,760 heads up the 24/7 prayer movement speaks about what a 495 00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:40,240 game changer it is to live in the reality that we are 496 00:29:40,240 --> 00:29:42,680 delighted in by God. He says the most important 497 00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:46,160 discovery you will ever make is the the love the Father has for 498 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:48,480 you. Your power in prayer will flow 499 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:52,040 from the certainty that the one who made you delights in you. 500 00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:55,080 He's not scowling at you, He's on your side. 501 00:29:55,080 --> 00:29:59,680 And then he says unless your mission and your acts of mercy 502 00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:02,520 begin and end in the knowledge of the Father's love, you will 503 00:30:02,520 --> 00:30:06,320 always act and pray out of desperation, determination and 504 00:30:06,320 --> 00:30:10,280 duty instead of revelation, expectation and joy. 505 00:30:11,240 --> 00:30:14,840 It's a game changer. And then two more things the 506 00:30:14,840 --> 00:30:18,760 fact and experience of God's love means one, we are no longer 507 00:30:18,760 --> 00:30:22,160 slaves to fear and secondly, we're no longer enemies of God. 508 00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:25,040 We're no longer slaves to fear. When Paul says that the Spirit 509 00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:29,520 does not make you slaves so that you live in fear, again, he's 510 00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:32,240 saying that you no longer need to live under the crushing 511 00:30:32,240 --> 00:30:35,280 weight of fear. Fear of punishment, fear of 512 00:30:35,280 --> 00:30:38,240 rejection, fear of the unknown, fear of abandonment. 513 00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:40,680 The these fears once held you captive. 514 00:30:40,680 --> 00:30:43,600 They they subconsciously dictated your choices, but they 515 00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:46,280 are rendered powerless. In their place. 516 00:30:46,280 --> 00:30:50,400 God pours out his perfect love and love so deep and unwavering 517 00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:52,760 that it dissolves every shadow of fear. 518 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:56,280 Fear loses its grip not because now we must the courage on our 519 00:30:56,280 --> 00:30:59,000 own, but because we are embraced by our Father, whose affection 520 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:04,120 is constant and unshakable. Julie and I are plant with five 521 00:31:04,120 --> 00:31:06,360 children into our planting a church next year. 522 00:31:06,360 --> 00:31:08,520 We're walking away from a fantastic church. 523 00:31:08,920 --> 00:31:10,120 I can tell you why we're doing it. 524 00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:13,720 It came from supernatural experiences of gods in folding 525 00:31:13,720 --> 00:31:17,520 presence, whereas filled with such a sense of His abundance 526 00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:20,880 that doing this just seemed so obvious and natural. 527 00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:26,480 Earlier this year, I was in a time of quite a bit of turmoil, 528 00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:29,320 and I remember someone praying for me. 529 00:31:29,920 --> 00:31:32,800 And as they're praying for me, the Spirit of God came upon my 530 00:31:32,800 --> 00:31:35,040 body. I never fall down, but I fell 531 00:31:35,040 --> 00:31:38,880 backwards and I lay on the ground and I heard God just say 532 00:31:38,880 --> 00:31:43,880 to me, he said, look at you all worried about subtraction and 533 00:31:43,880 --> 00:31:46,480 division, like my life is getting smaller, all worried 534 00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:50,120 about subtraction and division when my word over you is 535 00:31:50,120 --> 00:31:53,960 addition and multiplication. Stand up after that, you're a 536 00:31:53,960 --> 00:31:56,440 different person. I know I could have gone to a 537 00:31:56,440 --> 00:31:59,480 psychologist 20 times. They couldn't have produced that 538 00:31:59,480 --> 00:32:03,000 inner abundance that the Spirit of God does in US. 539 00:32:04,040 --> 00:32:06,480 What about you? What fears are holding you back 540 00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:10,400 from doing something exciting with your one and only life? 541 00:32:10,920 --> 00:32:13,000 And secondly, we're no longer enemies of God. 542 00:32:13,600 --> 00:32:16,400 We're no longer enemies of God. The movie Blood Diamond sheds 543 00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:19,440 light on the brutal war world of conflict diamonds. 544 00:32:19,440 --> 00:32:24,440 Have you seen Blood Diamond? During Sierra Leone's 1999 Civil 545 00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:26,000 War, there's this powerful scene. 546 00:32:27,240 --> 00:32:30,200 Danny Archer. That's Leonardo DiCaprio and 547 00:32:30,200 --> 00:32:34,080 Solomon Vandy Jim on Hansu. They're digging for a buried 548 00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:38,400 diamond and they're surrounded by a battlefield of dead bodies. 549 00:32:38,640 --> 00:32:42,200 Back story, Solomon has been looking for his son, who years 550 00:32:42,200 --> 00:32:44,880 before had been kidnapped, abused, and forced into being a 551 00:32:44,880 --> 00:32:50,000 child soldier. Spoiler alert, as they dig deer 552 00:32:51,560 --> 00:32:55,440 is Solomon's son suddenly appears, gun in hand, ready to 553 00:32:55,440 --> 00:32:58,240 kill the two men. He has forgotten his father's 554 00:32:58,280 --> 00:33:01,640 own face. One way the Bible tells the 555 00:33:01,640 --> 00:33:04,800 story of humanity is the story of forgetting who we are. 556 00:33:04,920 --> 00:33:08,200 Adam and Eve once lived in physical sunlight, but they also 557 00:33:08,200 --> 00:33:11,080 lived in the spiritual and emotional light of God's love. 558 00:33:11,480 --> 00:33:14,560 They knew who they were, children of God, image bearers. 559 00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:18,480 But then Satan's life cast a shadow on their hearts by 560 00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:21,360 planting the idea that God was withholding something from them. 561 00:33:21,520 --> 00:33:25,000 He made them dot. They were loved, and then they 562 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:28,680 and and we were kidnapped by that lie. 563 00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:31,720 Forgetting who we were, we surrendered more and more to 564 00:33:31,720 --> 00:33:35,320 darkness, even taking up arms against God. 565 00:33:36,040 --> 00:33:39,760 Back to the movie Blood Diamond. How do you defuse such a moment, 566 00:33:40,560 --> 00:33:41,880 child? Salt is about to blow your 567 00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:45,280 brains out. Solomon speaks calmly. 568 00:33:46,200 --> 00:33:50,160 You are dear Vandy of the proud mended tribe. 569 00:33:50,320 --> 00:33:52,920 You are a good boy who loves soccer and school. 570 00:33:53,440 --> 00:33:56,920 Your mother loves you so much she waits by the fire with your 571 00:33:56,920 --> 00:34:00,640 sister and the new baby. The cows wait for you and Babu 572 00:34:00,640 --> 00:34:03,240 the wild dog. I know they made you do bad 573 00:34:03,240 --> 00:34:05,240 things, but you are not a bad boy. 574 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:09,679 I am your father who loves you. And you will come home with me 575 00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:13,880 and be my son again. And what follows is one of the 576 00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:16,080 most touching moments in any movie I've ever seen. 577 00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:19,239 Love breaks through dears amnesia. 578 00:34:19,600 --> 00:34:23,239 He drops his gun and with wet cheeks he melts into his 579 00:34:23,239 --> 00:34:26,800 father's arms. My friend, can you hear the 580 00:34:26,800 --> 00:34:29,080 words? I am your father who loves you, 581 00:34:29,400 --> 00:34:32,360 and you will come home with me and be my son and daughter 582 00:34:32,360 --> 00:34:32,880 again.