1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:04,080 Oh, Happy New Year to each and everyone of you. 2 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:09,440 And I trust that your Christmas has been wonderful in the sense 3 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:12,800 of this presence of God being close to each one of you, no 4 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:17,320 matter what it's looked like, whether it's been full or quiet. 5 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:20,520 Yeah, I just trust that Jesus has been close. 6 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:23,080 And for those of you who don't know, I'm Claire. 7 00:00:23,080 --> 00:00:24,920 I'm one of the pastors here at Verso. 8 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:29,280 And today is really special. It is the first Sunday of a 9 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:32,640 brand new year. I know we all love a new year 10 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:35,840 don't we? A re regroup so to speak and a 11 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:40,200 restart. But it's also a special Sunday 12 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:42,760 for us. As many of us in the room will 13 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:47,120 know, it is the last Sunday of what we have fondly called our 14 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:53,480 in between season. Because next Sunday Verso 15 00:00:53,480 --> 00:00:56,800 Church, you will be so excited to know that we are going to 16 00:00:56,800 --> 00:00:59,720 Commission the wonderful Chuck and Taron. 17 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:03,720 I know right? Praise God, we've made it to 18 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:10,600 January 4th and we are super excited for this next turn of 19 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:13,960 the page in our story as a Verso Church family. 20 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:19,240 And this season didn't. It began back in September when 21 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:22,680 Mark and Steph moved to Australia. 22 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:24,760 I got to chat with them this Christmas. 23 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:26,880 They say hello to each and everyone of you. 24 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:30,000 They're doing well. And if you were here, you'll 25 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:36,000 remember that we started that season praying Psalm 23 over us, 26 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:41,800 asking Gods, trusting God to be our Good Shepherd. 27 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:48,200 Remember that we invited Him to lead us in this season side His 28 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:54,520 still waters, and to help us to learn to feast on the table that 29 00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:59,840 He sets before us even in times of uncertainty. 30 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:03,880 That we would be secure in His mercy and His goodness. 31 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:09,840 And from that grounding we started our series on pressing 32 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:16,080 into and onto Jesus, allowing the Holy Spirit to form us as we 33 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:19,680 did. And we had an incredible series 34 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:22,120 where we started. If you remember, I brought my 35 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:24,560 shovels. You know, I like a good prop. 36 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:27,320 As many of you know, I brought the shovels with me. 37 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:32,200 And we talked about this invitation of God to dig the 38 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:37,200 well of prayer in this season. And no matter how big the shovel 39 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:40,880 in each one of our hands, the invitation was for us all to 40 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:45,880 start digging, to exercise our muscles of prayer and allow God 41 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:47,840 to change the shape of who we are. 42 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:51,960 And then we explored, didn't we? Through a series, many different 43 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:57,640 dynamics, Incredible people spoke and we learnt about this 44 00:02:57,640 --> 00:03:02,640 increasing hunger for his presence, for prayer, for 45 00:03:02,640 --> 00:03:05,080 stillness, for lingering, for worship. 46 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:09,120 And I, I was thinking this Christmas, just back on this 47 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:15,600 season, like just what God has done in US, rowing us in this 48 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:19,240 hunger for him. We've had our space online, 49 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:23,120 we've been fasting together, we've seen the new prayer room 50 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:25,680 opened. You know, we've seen Christmas 51 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:27,560 Eve. I don't know, I was so excited 52 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:30,000 on Christmas Eve. We probably saw 15 to 20 people 53 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:33,000 give their life to Jesus in this room on Christmas Eve. 54 00:03:33,640 --> 00:03:36,360 Come on, I know thank the Lord this morning. 55 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:41,840 And then just on New Year's Eve, we had over 400 people hungry 56 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:46,160 together and worship and see the New Year in in prayer and his 57 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:49,280 presence. And then and we took a couple of 58 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:53,400 weeks, didn't we then to look at mission, how God is working in 59 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:57,960 US and through us to extend the places and spaces that we allow 60 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:02,560 people to counter Jesus, reverse O care to the ends of the earth, 61 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:05,840 which we've heard about this morning, to stepping into new 62 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:09,480 partnerships that would kind of look at bringing God's justice 63 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:12,160 in the world. And we rocked into heaven into 64 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:16,360 Christmas series and we looked our heaven invades earth 65 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:23,840 shockwave of the eternal into the ordinary and how God is with 66 00:04:23,840 --> 00:04:29,040 us and haven't we known him with us in this season and a few 67 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:32,440 months, You know, we in those few months. 68 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:36,000 I just want to say this morning as we come to kind of closing 69 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:41,000 this chapter as one of your pastors, that we are so grateful 70 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:44,160 for the way that you have journeyed in this time. 71 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:50,440 You heard that challenge in September to not be stagnant, to 72 00:04:50,440 --> 00:04:54,760 not sit back, to not just wait and see what happens. 73 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:58,960 You have pressed in and onto Jesus so beautifully. 74 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:03,320 And I want to say thank you. Thank you for being a church 75 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:05,600 that's walked faithfully together. 76 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:10,360 You've loved each other well and you've been full of grace, full 77 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:14,760 of encouragement. And, and I love that as we've 78 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:18,360 done that, God has grown this hunger in US and he's marked as 79 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:21,680 afresh with prayer and worship and devotion. 80 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:24,760 And, and I think there's been a real gift, hasn't there, in this 81 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:28,520 kind of in between season that perhaps felt a little bit rocky 82 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:30,200 to start with. You thought, gosh, what are we 83 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:33,600 going to do in this time? But I think God's given us this 84 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:37,880 beautiful gift where he's reminded us that unless the Lord 85 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:41,280 builds the house, we labour in vain, right? 86 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:45,920 He's reminded us that we posture ourselves on Him and His 87 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:49,640 leadership and Him alone. And when we do, look what 88 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:52,080 happens. He keeps moving in our midst. 89 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:54,480 And so this time has not been empty in any way. 90 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:58,160 It's been formative. And I believe it's not a mistake 91 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:03,640 that God paused us in this time to prepare us for what's ahead. 92 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:08,920 I want to say this this morning. I know that as we turn into the 93 00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:14,640 next phase of transition and of change again as a new year 94 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:18,320 comes, like there's just a whole nother wave of things that rises 95 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:22,120 in US. And just as we said in 96 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:27,560 September, I want to just remind us again in this moment that we 97 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:30,120 can be both excited and expectant. 98 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:34,680 We can be a little bit nervous. We can be a bit unsure. 99 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:40,000 But here's the deal. The Lord makes space for however 100 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:42,680 you feel this morning walking into this next chapter. 101 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:45,480 And His invitation stays the same. 102 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:50,800 He just invites us to keep pressing into and onto Him and 103 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:53,360 trusting Him with everything that we have. 104 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:58,480 And as we do, we get to bring the bits that make us nervous 105 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:03,520 and we get to exchange them for His expectancy and for who He 106 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:05,200 is. And so I just want to pray for 107 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:08,440 us as we kind of close in on this chapter and we get ready 108 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:11,920 for next week. I just want to invite us to 109 00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:18,440 stand as a church and ask the Holy Spirit to just seal what 110 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:22,200 he's done in this time and to prepare us for what's ahead. 111 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:26,520 So Holy Spirit, we thank you this morning that you are 112 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:30,680 present with us. We thank you for the gift of 113 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:33,360 your presence. It is a literal miracle. 114 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:35,320 It's something that blows our mind. 115 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:39,200 And we, we don't take it for granted that we do not walk this 116 00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:42,840 life. And God, we thank you for this 117 00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:44,120 season. There has been. 118 00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:48,680 We thank you for your purpose in it. 119 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:51,840 We thank you for what you've done in US. 120 00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:56,160 Would you seal it in our hearts this morning? 121 00:07:59,840 --> 00:08:04,600 And Lord, we pray that we would know this isn't an end. 122 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:10,320 It was just the beginning what you've planted in US. 123 00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:14,960 Would you bring it to fruition? Would you expand it in US? 124 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:21,360 And Lord, would you take us this morning as we come and would you 125 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:24,760 not leave us here? Would you keep moving us forward 126 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:33,000 in Jesus name? Man, man, it's stuff church 127 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:40,159 wonderful. Well, it's January. 128 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:45,360 I, I have to say that I was like pressing the the brake a little 129 00:08:45,360 --> 00:08:47,000 bit as I was heading towards new Year. 130 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:50,720 I was like, I could use another week, I think another week to do 131 00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:52,360 nothing, maybe a few more PJ days. 132 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:55,960 But one of the things I love to do and perhaps my husband 133 00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:57,880 doesn't love about me is that when we get to the Christmas 134 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:01,400 holidays and I'm looking at January, I get into the mode of 135 00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:03,600 thinking about holidays. I need things to look forward 136 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:06,440 to. I need to see past grey long 137 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:09,680 January and have things that I'm planning. 138 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:14,600 And, and it got me thinking about some funny moments and I 139 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:18,760 was thinking about, I got back into a place of thinking about a 140 00:09:18,760 --> 00:09:23,600 camping trip that we took. I took with my four young 141 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:27,640 children by myself without my husband like a Wally. 142 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:30,840 I thought, oh, this is a great idea. 143 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:33,120 I'll go away in the summer holidays with four children 144 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:36,360 under the age of 10 along with two other mums. 145 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:40,040 And that gave us 10 children and three adults and three large 146 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:42,600 tents to put up by ourselves. And I'm just going to give you a 147 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:44,520 favour. If you are a mum in this room 148 00:09:44,520 --> 00:09:48,520 and you are planning a camping trip by yourself, don't do it, 149 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:49,360 OK? Just don't do it. 150 00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:51,760 It's not a good plan. But it's funny, isn't it? 151 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:55,320 When we I was thinking about this and it made me smile 152 00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:58,920 because of the scripture that the Lord placed on my heart for 153 00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:02,120 us this morning. And you will understand why. 154 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:06,240 But let's read it. It's Isaiah 54, one to three, 155 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:10,160 and it says this seeing barren women. 156 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:14,920 You are you who never bore a child, burst into song, shout 157 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:19,240 for joy, you who were never in labour, because more are the 158 00:10:19,240 --> 00:10:22,400 children of the desolate women than of of her who has a 159 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:26,720 husband, says the word. Enlarge the place of your tent, 160 00:10:27,400 --> 00:10:31,600 stretch your tent curtains wide. Do not hold back. 161 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:36,840 Lengthen your chords, strengthen your stakes, for you will spread 162 00:10:36,840 --> 00:10:40,360 out to the right and to the left your descendants will 163 00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:44,160 dispossessed nations and settle in desolate cities. 164 00:10:46,560 --> 00:10:52,680 And Isaiah is a prophet and he is prophetically speaking here 165 00:10:52,680 --> 00:10:56,920 to Israel. And Isaiah 54 comes after the 166 00:10:56,920 --> 00:11:00,120 Suffering Servant chapter of Isaiah 53. 167 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:04,440 And Isaiah is calling upon Israel to see that their current 168 00:11:04,440 --> 00:11:08,280 circumstances are not the end of their story, but their 169 00:11:08,360 --> 00:11:13,000 fruitfulness is coming. And it's it's the fruitfulness 170 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:15,120 of their future. That means that he's calling 171 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:19,880 them to sing, to worship, even now, as he goes on to call them 172 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:24,040 to prepare for what is to come. And what Isaiah does in this 173 00:11:24,040 --> 00:11:27,880 moment is essentially he releases something over them. 174 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:32,360 He's calling them to lift their eyes, right, to worship even 175 00:11:32,360 --> 00:11:34,960 before they see the breakthrough, even before they 176 00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:37,840 see the fruitfulness in the physical. 177 00:11:39,560 --> 00:11:42,120 And then he calls them to prepare for what's to come. 178 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:45,960 And you might think, well, Claire, we have not had a story 179 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:49,040 that's barren and we haven't versa has been fruitful and 180 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:51,280 growing. And it's been a beautiful story 181 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:54,120 that God has been unfolding in our midst. 182 00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:58,160 But as I prayed about this one off Sunday at the beginning of a 183 00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:02,880 year at the beginning as we step into a new season of transition, 184 00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:07,800 and I prayed about it. The Lord just laid on my heart 185 00:12:08,880 --> 00:12:12,280 that this scripture, and it's been really significant in our 186 00:12:12,280 --> 00:12:14,040 history. For those of you who've been 187 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:18,040 around a while, you will have heard this before, but I felt 188 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:20,840 like the Lord wants to release something in the room this 189 00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:25,240 morning as we walk into a new year personally, which is 190 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:27,320 unknown. Every single one of us does not 191 00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:31,680 know what 2026 will look like as we walk into changes that will 192 00:12:31,680 --> 00:12:35,000 come in our personal lives. Hopefully, if we are disciples 193 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:39,280 of Jesus, we are changing, but also as we walk into a new 194 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:44,760 chapter as a church about how we are to posture ourselves in 195 00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:49,560 preparation for what is to come. And the promise is that it, what 196 00:12:49,560 --> 00:12:53,640 is to come, will be fruitful and it will be good and it will go 197 00:12:53,640 --> 00:12:55,600 beyond our imagination. Amen. 198 00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:59,800 And so I want us to look at three things this morning that 199 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:04,600 the Lord just highlighted to me as I sat in the Scripture for us 200 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:08,240 as a church. In fact, I'm going to pray 201 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:13,720 again. Yeah, Lord, we just invite your 202 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:19,320 Spirit to come and move in this room to open our hearts to 203 00:13:19,320 --> 00:13:23,840 receive what you would have us hold onto from your word this 204 00:13:23,840 --> 00:13:30,440 morning. Increase our openness in this 205 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:37,200 place, tender our hearts this morning, lift us out of the fog 206 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:44,560 of a Christmas holiday and Sheen as to what you want to say in 207 00:13:44,560 --> 00:13:51,720 Jesus name. The first phrase that that 208 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:54,440 jumped out of me as I was sitting in the scripture was 209 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:57,560 that phrase. Enlarge the place of your tent. 210 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:03,720 Stretch your curtains wide. Now, if you look at the original 211 00:14:03,720 --> 00:14:06,640 Hebrew of this, I want us to dig in a little bit to what these 212 00:14:06,640 --> 00:14:10,000 words mean. And the word for enlarge 213 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:15,920 actually means to make wide to createspace, to live without 214 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:19,880 constraint. And at first glance, when we hit 215 00:14:19,880 --> 00:14:22,880 see see that word, sometimes I think we just go immediately to 216 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:26,160 the action of like making something bigger, of growing 217 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:28,840 something, expanding something, picking something up and 218 00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:32,440 stretching it. But I want us to keep digging 219 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:34,400 into this and you'll see what I mean in a second. 220 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:39,040 The second word was the you're. And if you look at the you're in 221 00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:42,280 the Hebrew, it's quite interesting that the grammar 222 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:47,280 nerds in your midst will be fascinated to know that this 223 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:50,840 your word in the original was a second person, feminine, 224 00:14:50,840 --> 00:14:55,800 singular possessive suffix. I was like, right, Lord, I'm not 225 00:14:55,800 --> 00:14:58,680 a grammar expert. However, what I learnt was that 226 00:14:58,680 --> 00:15:03,880 Isaiah is addressing Israel, which he has put into this image 227 00:15:03,880 --> 00:15:07,680 of a barren woman who will soon have many children. 228 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:12,640 And the you're given the, the, the type of tense that it is 229 00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:16,920 means that it's not a generic you're, but it's an intimate and 230 00:15:16,920 --> 00:15:21,120 personal one directed at this woman. 231 00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:26,920 It's the your own space, your own heart, your own life. 232 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:31,160 And in Hebrews thought that possession often implied 233 00:15:31,160 --> 00:15:34,160 identity and responsibility, not just ownership. 234 00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:40,040 And God was speaking directly to who she was, not just what she 235 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:44,320 did. And then the word tent, in its 236 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:48,240 literal meaning, a tent was a portable, temporary dwelling, 237 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:49,600 right? It was the place that they 238 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:52,920 lived, but it was also an emphasis in that time of their 239 00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:57,240 dependence upon God, rather than a permanency on themselves. 240 00:15:57,760 --> 00:16:01,720 It was the centre of family life, protection, the place of 241 00:16:01,720 --> 00:16:06,080 hospitality, their inheritance. And a tent could easily be 242 00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:09,240 expanded, unlike a physical stone building. 243 00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:12,480 But the tent in the Old Testament times was also the 244 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:15,040 place where they went to encounter God. 245 00:16:16,120 --> 00:16:21,320 And so if we put all of that together, what we start to see 246 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:29,600 is that it's not like our Western mindset often thinks, 247 00:16:30,760 --> 00:16:34,080 make it bigger, get to action. Let's go after these things like 248 00:16:34,080 --> 00:16:38,000 let's stretch it. God was saying, enlarge your 249 00:16:38,320 --> 00:16:46,480 tent, make room without constraint in you for you to 250 00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:50,920 encounter God and to offer hospitality to others. 251 00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:56,840 The presence of God dwells in us, but God's invitation, as 252 00:16:56,840 --> 00:17:00,480 he's calling them to prepare for fruitfulness, was to enlarge 253 00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:06,680 their hearts to make room for his presence in them, not 254 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:12,720 someone else's. Turn my turn, your turn my 255 00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:16,480 heart, your heart. In fact, Andrew Murray says 256 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:20,240 this, the soul that gives God room will find God enlarging the 257 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:27,240 capacity of the heart. And in order we, we, we need to 258 00:17:27,240 --> 00:17:29,200 get this right, right. Like it's even what Freya said 259 00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:30,360 this morning. She didn't know I was going to 260 00:17:30,360 --> 00:17:32,680 talk on. But you know, the the posture of 261 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:37,960 our heart comes first, and then we are empowered to stretch the 262 00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:41,360 curtain wide, or as one version says, the canvas of our 263 00:17:41,360 --> 00:17:46,520 habitations, our lives, the body of our church to create spaces 264 00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:49,680 for others. And I felt like the Lord willing 265 00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:53,440 to remind us on this first Sunday of the year is that He is 266 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:57,760 calling us in preparation to keep enlarging the space inside 267 00:17:57,760 --> 00:18:04,000 of our hearts for more and more and more and more and more of 268 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:09,680 His presence. Because as Proverbs says, above 269 00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:14,400 all else, guard your heart, for everything flows from it. 270 00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:20,400 And so as we walk into a new year, I want to ask you, you 271 00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:25,080 know, this is prime time for us like resetting and rethinking 272 00:18:25,080 --> 00:18:28,200 and setting goals. And I'm going to get really fit 273 00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:29,720 this year. And I'm going to do this and I'm 274 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:31,720 going to do that. And I'm going to put this to 275 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:33,120 action. I'm going to get more effective 276 00:18:33,120 --> 00:18:35,080 at this and I'm going to become better at this. 277 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:43,360 And I want to ask you, where in your plan for 2026 is this call 278 00:18:43,360 --> 00:18:50,240 to action to make more room, more space in your heart for the 279 00:18:50,240 --> 00:18:57,560 presence of God? How are we ensuring that we are 280 00:18:57,560 --> 00:19:03,600 growing in our formation, A formation by God, and not just 281 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:08,920 putting constraints on the space He takes in our lives, but 282 00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:12,120 putting constraints on being formed by a world and enlarging 283 00:19:12,120 --> 00:19:21,000 the space to be formed by God? Because God is most interested 284 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:25,000 in our transformation over our usefulness. 285 00:19:27,080 --> 00:19:31,240 Usefulness, effectiveness, becoming more of who He's made 286 00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:35,480 you to be, flows out from a transformed life that's found in 287 00:19:35,480 --> 00:19:42,520 the presence of God. John 15, Remain in me and I will 288 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:45,560 remain in you, and apart from me you can do nothing. 289 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:55,800 And that is true this morning for us personally, but I believe 290 00:19:55,800 --> 00:19:58,520 it's something that God is calling us corporately to 291 00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:00,840 explore. How are we going to make more 292 00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:04,320 space for Him in this place? How are we going to step into 293 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:07,560 this together? You know, we've prayed through 294 00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:10,520 the autumn and we've gathered together and that doesn't end 295 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:13,880 with this chapter closing. It's just a continuation of 296 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:17,320 growing and growing and growing and asking God to lead us to 297 00:20:17,320 --> 00:20:21,560 become more hungry and more longing and more devoted and 298 00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:25,360 more compassionate and more and more and more and more. 299 00:20:25,360 --> 00:20:28,160 And we do that by giving him more space. 300 00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:32,400 And so I want to ask you, how will that look for you this 301 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:34,320 year? Practically? 302 00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:40,160 What's one step that you could take to put yourself in a place 303 00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:47,520 of experiencing more of the presence of God #2 There's a 304 00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:52,640 really strong little sentence in the Scripture and it says this. 305 00:20:53,880 --> 00:20:59,800 Do not hold back. Isaiah speaks to them and he 306 00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:04,240 says expand the place of your 10, stretch out your things. 307 00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:06,840 And then he says do not hold back. 308 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:12,240 And I want to have a real and honest moment with you as one of 309 00:21:12,240 --> 00:21:16,040 the passes that's journeyed with you to this point so far as we 310 00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:21,960 are about to walk into a new season, when we get to welcome 311 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:25,200 Jack and Tara, and when we get to welcome more of the Lord and 312 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:29,360 we get to trust what he's stewarding for this next season. 313 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:35,160 We know that change doesn't come without resistance in US, right? 314 00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:37,520 We, we're not human beings, don't love change. 315 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:40,760 Let's be honest. We don't love change even in our 316 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:42,880 own lives. He's really excited to exercise 317 00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:45,200 more this year. No one loves change, right? 318 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:50,640 We, we are resistant to it, but the Lord here, he speaks through 319 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:54,040 Isaiah and he says, do not hold back. 320 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:02,640 And I want us to think about what holding back looks like 321 00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:05,440 because to do not hold back, we need to understand what holding 322 00:22:05,440 --> 00:22:11,320 back looks like in US. You know, I talked about this 323 00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:14,880 back in September. You know, it's that place of 324 00:22:14,880 --> 00:22:19,800 being slightly guarded. I'll just wait the jury's out, 325 00:22:20,720 --> 00:22:26,240 see how this thing turns out. It's subtle. 326 00:22:27,120 --> 00:22:31,360 It looks like wisdom. Sometimes on the outside in our 327 00:22:31,360 --> 00:22:35,960 heart, it's holding back. Sometimes holding back looks 328 00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:38,320 like tightening our grip on what we've known. 329 00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:43,040 Because familiarity feels safe. And it feels like I feel valued 330 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:45,360 in the place that I know how things are going to be. 331 00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:51,400 And there's something God-given about wanting to be safe, but it 332 00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:54,680 just needs to come from Jesus, not from us curating familiar 333 00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:58,720 circumstances. And it also looks like 334 00:22:58,720 --> 00:23:03,920 resistance everything. We start to resist everything 335 00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:05,840 but the thing. The scripture actually calls us 336 00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:12,200 to resist in times of change. The enemy loves to convince us 337 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:16,680 that we need to resist everything but the thing him 338 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:19,080 that the Scripture tells us to resist. 339 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:22,880 Now, hear me on this like that. James 17 says that resist the 340 00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:24,600 devil and he will flee from you, right? 341 00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:27,520 And it's one of the only places that we've talked about 342 00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:31,480 resisting. And he has a really fascinating 343 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:36,960 way of getting us to put resisting in the wrong place in 344 00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:41,000 times of change. When things feel uncomfortable, 345 00:23:41,440 --> 00:23:43,440 we start to resist the uncomfortableness. 346 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:48,040 We start to resist each other. We start to resist being 347 00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:52,480 involved in case I get hurt. We start to resist curious 348 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:54,520 questions or difficult conversations. 349 00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:59,680 We resist doing things slightly differently or being open to 350 00:23:59,680 --> 00:24:05,040 doing things slightly differently, not because we 351 00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:08,440 actually disagree or choose to, but because sometimes different 352 00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:11,640 just feels like wrong even when it's not. 353 00:24:13,120 --> 00:24:15,120 And I could go on, but you get the picture. 354 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:19,720 Holding back looks like resistance inside of us. 355 00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:26,440 And God first calls them to enlarge their heart to make more 356 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:27,480 room for Him. Why? 357 00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:31,160 Because that is our way of protecting ourselves from 358 00:24:31,160 --> 00:24:35,720 resisting the wrong thing. And so I want us to see this 359 00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:41,120 morning here and hear my heart. First, though, holding back is 360 00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:44,520 really subtle. It's hidden in our hearts. 361 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:47,760 And it often looks like subtle tightness. 362 00:24:48,240 --> 00:24:51,920 Holding tightly to what's been familiar, holding tightly to the 363 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:54,920 things we don't want to lose, holding tightly to the things 364 00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:58,440 that make sense to us. And I think God would remind us 365 00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:02,720 this morning that as we move into a fruitful future, into 366 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:06,440 more of what he has for us, he's saying do not hold back. 367 00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:16,360 Do not hold back because do not hold back is him saying trust me 368 00:25:16,800 --> 00:25:20,920 with the future. What we understand is that do 369 00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:22,680 not hold back means that we don't. 370 00:25:22,920 --> 00:25:30,880 He's not. He loves us enough not to let us 371 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:34,480 walk like that. In holding, in asking us to not 372 00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:37,600 hold back, He's asking us not to forget the past, not to 373 00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:40,880 dishonour what has been before or treat what we've been doing 374 00:25:40,880 --> 00:25:44,200 as wrong or insufficient. He's simply saying trust me 375 00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:49,160 fully with what is to come. And it's a posture that we get 376 00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:53,680 to choose in this moment. God's invitation in change in 377 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:58,280 all seasons is through a growing heart posture to trust Him more, 378 00:25:58,400 --> 00:26:02,480 to be more grounded in Him as our deepest security, to lean 379 00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:06,840 into His Spirit so that He can transform us from the inside 380 00:26:06,880 --> 00:26:11,240 out. And I think He's just asking us 381 00:26:11,240 --> 00:26:16,560 to hold things lightly. Corrie, 10 Boom, is a hero of my 382 00:26:16,640 --> 00:26:18,760 faith, and she has something that I love. 383 00:26:18,760 --> 00:26:22,120 She says I've held many things in my hands and I have lost them 384 00:26:22,120 --> 00:26:24,560 all. But whatever I have placed in 385 00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:27,680 God's hands that I still possess. 386 00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:34,320 And ultimately, when we hear enlarge your 10 and do not hold 387 00:26:34,320 --> 00:26:38,520 back what God's invitation to us as we move forward is one of 388 00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:42,200 faith. Faith is believing for what not 389 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:46,400 is as though it is. It's to be fully alive in us as 390 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:51,400 we surrender the control as we give him all the whole right to 391 00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:58,000 our lives and we say we're not going to grip things harder in 392 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:01,960 our uncertainty. We're going to hold our hands 393 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:04,040 open to you, God, in this season. 394 00:27:04,680 --> 00:27:08,600 And that posture, one of being humble and surrendered and open, 395 00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:12,000 prepares us for what's ahead. And we are going to stay 396 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:14,120 prayerful, staying connected to the Father. 397 00:27:14,120 --> 00:27:17,160 We're going to be flexible, open to the Spirit. 398 00:27:18,320 --> 00:27:20,960 We see the enemy's tactics through change. 399 00:27:21,120 --> 00:27:23,520 We're not going to take offence. We're going to ask curious 400 00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:26,360 questions of one another. We're going to notice the 401 00:27:26,360 --> 00:27:30,480 resistance that comes up or any objection in US and we're going 402 00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:34,440 to abandon the outcomes to God, not as passivity, but as 403 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:36,920 allegiance as John Mark Romer says. 404 00:27:37,440 --> 00:27:40,640 And we're going to be a people that are expectant, trusting God 405 00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:44,040 to move as he sees fit, not just how we see fit. 406 00:27:44,560 --> 00:27:47,840 And together with God, we're going to entrust him to lead us 407 00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:53,080 into the fruitful future ahead of us because we're the Spirit 408 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:57,800 of the Lord is there is freedom. And when we refuse to hold back, 409 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:00,600 we increasingly make room for God. 410 00:28:00,600 --> 00:28:04,960 We make room for his Spirit, and we allow him to work with 411 00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:08,760 freedom in our hearts, our lives, our plans, our desires, 412 00:28:08,760 --> 00:28:14,800 our hopes, personally and in us as a church, we're in for an 413 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:20,000 exciting adventure ahead. And I don't know about you, but 414 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:23,600 I know that place when fear starts to try to grip us. 415 00:28:24,840 --> 00:28:28,040 And I just felt like the Lord wants to breathe over us freedom 416 00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:31,840 in this room this morning. He wants us to see fear and 417 00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:36,920 resistance and and that place of offence for what it is. 418 00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:40,280 And I know I'm talking about the tough stuff this morning on this 419 00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:44,520 first Sunday of the year, but when we see it, we name it, we 420 00:28:44,520 --> 00:28:48,200 rebuke it, and we choose to walk in the way of the Spirit, which 421 00:28:48,200 --> 00:28:52,600 is to be loving and grace filled and kind and gentle and 422 00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:54,960 expecting in who God is. Amen. 423 00:28:57,040 --> 00:29:02,400 And thirdly, this Isaiah doesn't stop with enlarge your 10 and do 424 00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:05,120 not hold back. He says lengthen your cord, 425 00:29:05,120 --> 00:29:09,400 strengthen your stakes for you will spread out to the right and 426 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:14,640 to the left. As God is describing a people 427 00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:18,080 moving into increasing fruitfulness and as we walk into 428 00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:23,680 2026, I believe this is the promise that God has spoken over 429 00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:28,520 us as a church. What is ahead is even greater 430 00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:31,400 than what is behind. It goes beyond what we could 431 00:29:31,400 --> 00:29:35,720 imagine and the times we are living in the posture of this 432 00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:38,440 moment, the number of people coming to faith. 433 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:40,880 I'm going to be really honest with you, on Christmas Eve, I 434 00:29:41,280 --> 00:29:45,200 had low expectations, if I'm honest, that people would come 435 00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:49,080 to faith in this building. And I went home and I just cried 436 00:29:49,080 --> 00:29:51,920 before the Lord. Like this is the hour people are 437 00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:55,960 hungry for Jesus and we are postured in our city in this 438 00:29:55,960 --> 00:30:00,240 place for a purpose. And God is preparing us in here 439 00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:04,360 in this space for what he is about to bring through us. 440 00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:11,680 And so as we go into these days ahead, they're a day of promise. 441 00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:15,360 They're a day of fruitfulness. We will spread out to the left 442 00:30:15,360 --> 00:30:17,480 and the right and into the nations. 443 00:30:17,760 --> 00:30:21,360 And there's this huge promise. But notice what came before the 444 00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:25,520 promise. Lengthen the chords and 445 00:30:25,520 --> 00:30:29,640 strengthen the stakes. And when I was a teenager, we 446 00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:35,160 had a family friend who ran a marquee business and they used 447 00:30:35,160 --> 00:30:36,840 to, we used to go and help as teenagers. 448 00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:39,480 It would not happen in 2025 because of health and safety, 449 00:30:39,480 --> 00:30:44,040 but we we used to put our trainers on, get on the field 450 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:46,880 and we'd often go to some of the big festivals and help with 451 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:51,880 getting these Marquis up. And it was hard work, but an 452 00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:54,320 adventure. But I learnt quite a lot about 453 00:30:54,320 --> 00:30:59,040 what it takes to put a huge marquee up that can hold 10,000 454 00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:02,320 people. It takes a large team of people, 455 00:31:03,400 --> 00:31:07,640 but the tense strength isn't found in the fabric, it's in the 456 00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:10,000 tension between the chords and the stakes. 457 00:31:11,120 --> 00:31:13,920 And interestingly, when you stand around a marquee putting 458 00:31:13,920 --> 00:31:17,840 up and everybody's on their beasts, there is this beautiful 459 00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:22,040 teamwork that happens where someone has to release a chord 460 00:31:22,400 --> 00:31:24,640 for the other cord to be pulled tightly. 461 00:31:25,280 --> 00:31:28,120 And then you have to wrap them around these stakes, which have 462 00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:32,240 been driven in with consistent effort of pushing deeper and 463 00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:34,160 deeper. And the bigger the marquee, the 464 00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:40,200 deeper the stakes had to go. And if the stakes didn't go deep 465 00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:43,960 enough, the wind would loosen those ropes around them and the 466 00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:46,560 tent would go down. And if the cords weren't held at 467 00:31:46,560 --> 00:31:49,920 the right tension or weren't long enough, the tent would 468 00:31:49,920 --> 00:31:53,920 collapse inwards. And it got me thinking how 469 00:31:53,920 --> 00:31:58,880 Kingdom growth is just works the same way God forms us as a 470 00:31:58,880 --> 00:32:03,280 people in Jesus who are committed to partnership in the 471 00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:06,640 Spirit. But it carries all of us showing 472 00:32:06,640 --> 00:32:09,360 up just like a team that puts up a marquee. 473 00:32:10,280 --> 00:32:13,960 I want to tell you right now, Chuck and Taryn are amazing. 474 00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:18,720 They are gifted, wonderful, wonderful leaders who we cannot 475 00:32:18,720 --> 00:32:23,360 wait to walk with. But the fruitful future Reverso 476 00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:25,160 is not simply on their shoulders. 477 00:32:25,840 --> 00:32:29,840 Every one of us in this room has a part to play. 478 00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:34,440 Every one of us needs to be consistently driving the stakes 479 00:32:34,440 --> 00:32:37,800 of prayer into the ground. Every one of us needs to be 480 00:32:37,800 --> 00:32:41,560 consistently pressing into the presence of God to be formed and 481 00:32:41,560 --> 00:32:44,360 shaped by who He is, so that we get to bring the gift He's 482 00:32:44,360 --> 00:32:47,920 placed in each one of us for this time that He has brought us 483 00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:55,280 here. And interestingly, as we do 484 00:32:55,280 --> 00:33:01,840 that, we are released in freedom to loosen us cord from this 485 00:33:01,840 --> 00:33:03,880 direction for it to be tightened. 486 00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:09,040 Over Here we learn to hold loosely because we recognise as 487 00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:15,120 the Spirit moves, things shift and change, not because one 488 00:33:15,120 --> 00:33:19,480 person's effort isn't needed. Actually, we need one person to 489 00:33:19,480 --> 00:33:22,400 release in order for one person to pull tighter. 490 00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:30,360 Over here, revival is God's work, but preparation is ours. 491 00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:39,480 And we're going to be rooted, rooted and grounded and built up 492 00:33:39,720 --> 00:33:44,120 in 2026 because we are preparing for what God is going to do in 493 00:33:44,120 --> 00:33:48,000 our midst. And God is able to do 494 00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:51,760 immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine according to His 495 00:33:51,760 --> 00:33:54,720 work, His power at work within us. 496 00:33:56,600 --> 00:33:59,960 And notice that it's His power at work in US. 497 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:07,040 The inside out brings them more than we can ask or imagine as we 498 00:34:07,040 --> 00:34:11,639 allow God's space to move in US and the freedom of His Spirit to 499 00:34:11,639 --> 00:34:17,120 internally expand us, to grow us as a body to That all comes 500 00:34:17,280 --> 00:34:19,480 before that external fruitfulness. 501 00:34:26,909 --> 00:34:30,909 And I just think it's remarkable, the gift this past 502 00:34:30,909 --> 00:34:38,310 season has been at reorientating us in worship and lingering in 503 00:34:38,310 --> 00:34:43,159 His presence, in listening in prayer, in succeeding and 504 00:34:43,159 --> 00:34:47,960 fasting and learning to hold a posture fully engaged in him, 505 00:34:49,199 --> 00:34:53,120 contending for this beautiful, fruitful future that is ours. 506 00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:57,280 And that's the same in our own lives, our own disciples, as it 507 00:34:57,280 --> 00:35:02,720 is for us as a church. And so as we do all of these 508 00:35:02,720 --> 00:35:08,160 things and we hold this posture, we're going to walk into a 509 00:35:08,160 --> 00:35:12,920 season, I believe, of increasing harvest and increasing growth. 510 00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:17,280 And I pray I read this this week and it made me smile. 511 00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:20,160 Philip Brooks says, do not pray for tasks that equal your 512 00:35:20,160 --> 00:35:23,120 strength. Pray for strength that equals 513 00:35:23,120 --> 00:35:25,760 your task. And my prayer over us as a 514 00:35:25,760 --> 00:35:29,360 church is that we would pray that the Spirit of God would 515 00:35:29,360 --> 00:35:33,120 equip us for the task of his fruitfulness, his Kingdom coming 516 00:35:33,280 --> 00:35:36,880 in the here and the now, here in Saint Albans, in Hemel and 517 00:35:36,880 --> 00:35:40,120 Hatfield. And I want to exhort us as a 518 00:35:40,120 --> 00:35:45,720 church this morning to let's keep making increasing space for 519 00:35:45,720 --> 00:35:50,920 God in our hearts, our lives, so that we can be increasingly 520 00:35:50,920 --> 00:35:56,240 surrendered to him. Let's refuse to hold back. 521 00:35:57,240 --> 00:36:02,240 Let's see how the enemy loves to grow subtle resistance in US and 522 00:36:02,240 --> 00:36:05,920 convince us that different is wrong and that different or 523 00:36:05,920 --> 00:36:14,440 change means bad things. Verso, do not hold back. 524 00:36:14,680 --> 00:36:17,920 Let's press on with increasing freedom in the Spirit. 525 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:21,600 Believe in God for the goodness that He wants to show us in the 526 00:36:21,600 --> 00:36:27,360 land that we are living in. In this next season, every 527 00:36:27,360 --> 00:36:31,480 single one of us is needed. So do not let the subtle lie of 528 00:36:31,480 --> 00:36:34,480 the enemy convince you you are not needed in this next season. 529 00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:37,640 You are needed. We all get to play, we all get 530 00:36:37,640 --> 00:36:42,080 to be involved, and we all, I believe, will grow in our 531 00:36:42,080 --> 00:36:46,640 commitment to the faithfulness and the active participation in 532 00:36:46,640 --> 00:36:50,560 stewarding together what God has for us in the future. 533 00:36:50,560 --> 00:36:59,360 Are you up for that? Enlarge the space of your tent. 534 00:37:00,640 --> 00:37:10,910 Do not hold back. Strengthen your stakes, lengthen 535 00:37:11,150 --> 00:37:14,910 your chords. And we are going to see God move 536 00:37:15,910 --> 00:37:20,390 to our right and to our left and to every nation of this world 537 00:37:21,350 --> 00:37:25,430 because of our simple yes to keep pushing in and pressing 538 00:37:25,430 --> 00:37:25,830 onto Him.