1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:04,240 Been in our call series and we've been unpacking what it is 2 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:07,000 to be called. As we have a recap, the first 3 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:10,360 call that we have, our primary call is called to be with Jesus. 4 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:14,760 That is our number one call. It is to be with Jesus. 5 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:18,080 We are called to someone before something. 6 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:22,160 Then we looked at the second call, which is the call to 7 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:25,790 holiness. That as we are with Jesus, we 8 00:00:25,790 --> 00:00:29,350 are called to be like Jesus. And that really is a a good sum 9 00:00:29,350 --> 00:00:32,350 up of holiness that we've been called to be set apart from the 10 00:00:32,350 --> 00:00:36,190 world and to be consecrated to him. 11 00:00:36,390 --> 00:00:40,510 And now we move on to what it means to be all to fulfill the 12 00:00:40,510 --> 00:00:42,310 Great Commission. This is, if you like, the doing 13 00:00:42,310 --> 00:00:46,110 part of the call, and it is in that order, intentionally so, 14 00:00:46,110 --> 00:00:49,550 because we do read in the scriptures of that focus and 15 00:00:49,550 --> 00:00:52,390 that priority. And we've been looking at Luke 16 00:00:52,390 --> 00:00:56,550 chapter 51 to 11 to unpack all of this gold. 17 00:00:56,710 --> 00:00:59,590 So why don't we turn together if you have your Bibles in the room 18 00:00:59,950 --> 00:01:02,550 or indeed online? If not, it'll be on the screen 19 00:01:02,830 --> 00:01:04,430 and it'll be on your device as well. 20 00:01:04,870 --> 00:01:08,710 And what I want to do this morning, rather than read this 21 00:01:08,950 --> 00:01:16,840 all, is I want to zoom into the second hallmark that we've been 22 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:18,160 looking at. We've been looking at the 10 23 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:22,000 hallmarks of the call to fulfill the Great Commission, those 24 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:25,320 signs of authenticity that this is something of God. 25 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:29,960 And I we looked at the first one last week, which is God will 26 00:01:29,960 --> 00:01:33,000 often call you in a place of weakness. 27 00:01:33,650 --> 00:01:37,930 And we see this in this story that Jesus calls Simon at a 28 00:01:37,930 --> 00:01:43,010 place where he is exhausted, having toiled all night, and 29 00:01:43,050 --> 00:01:46,290 rather than God allow him to go home and have a shower and get 30 00:01:46,290 --> 00:01:50,570 some coffee, he said, hey, come into the boat with me. 31 00:01:51,140 --> 00:01:53,580 And we said, why is that? The why is that the way? 32 00:01:53,580 --> 00:01:55,900 And I'm sure many of you will recognize that in your own life, 33 00:01:55,940 --> 00:01:59,980 that there are those times where God calls you to speak to 34 00:01:59,980 --> 00:02:03,300 someone or pray for someone or move into something new at that 35 00:02:03,300 --> 00:02:06,740 point at which you don't quite frankly feel like it and quite 36 00:02:06,740 --> 00:02:08,699 frankly don't feel your strongest self. 37 00:02:09,139 --> 00:02:13,260 And we looked at the reasons why that is the case as we search 38 00:02:13,260 --> 00:02:15,620 the Bible. So if you miss that catch up. 39 00:02:15,620 --> 00:02:19,820 And so that brings us to the second hallmark of the 10. 40 00:02:20,330 --> 00:02:25,450 And I decided as I was preparing that I'm just going to keep 41 00:02:25,450 --> 00:02:28,690 extending this series until such time as I cover it. 42 00:02:28,970 --> 00:02:31,050 Cover the ten. I think I was a little bit 43 00:02:31,050 --> 00:02:33,490 optimistic in thinking that I could do 3A week. 44 00:02:34,290 --> 00:02:37,530 This is only the 2nd. But anyway, that's fun, isn't 45 00:02:37,530 --> 00:02:40,170 it? It means I don't have to worry 46 00:02:40,170 --> 00:02:41,410 about what we're going to do in November. 47 00:02:41,410 --> 00:02:47,360 There we go. What is the second hallmark? 48 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:50,080 It is this. It will require us to go deeper 49 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:53,680 than we did before. It will require us to go deeper 50 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:56,280 than we did before. Now where do we see this in 51 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:58,680 here? Well, I'm hope hopefully you 52 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:00,280 kind of know where I'm going to go with this. 53 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:03,760 But in verse 4, this is what Jesus said, he said. 54 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:06,760 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, put 55 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:11,920 out into the deep and let down your Nets for a catch. 56 00:03:11,920 --> 00:03:15,160 Now at this point, they had already gone out a little way, 57 00:03:16,530 --> 00:03:20,450 and now Jesus is asking Simon to go out even further. 58 00:03:22,010 --> 00:03:26,850 And we could just read that as a narrative of a story. 59 00:03:26,850 --> 00:03:30,290 And of course it is. But really, as we'll see in the 60 00:03:30,290 --> 00:03:34,050 rest of the full council of God's scripture, that what is 61 00:03:34,050 --> 00:03:39,330 here is a dynamic, a hallmark of how God often operates with us, 62 00:03:39,530 --> 00:03:43,850 that he calls us to go deeper than we have before. 63 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:46,920 And remember, at the start of this series, I outlined my 64 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:50,760 heart, which I believe is God, laid on my heart that as a 65 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:54,360 people, God is calling us to go deeper, to move away from the 66 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:59,320 metaphorical splash park into the deep oceans. 67 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:03,360 And with that is an intentionality that we have to 68 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:07,080 walk in to say, OK Lord, I'm going to pursue you and pursue 69 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:10,960 the depths of you. And so, as it says in here, 70 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:19,019 Jesus said to Simon, go into the deep, now, why does God call us 71 00:04:19,019 --> 00:04:22,060 to go deeper with him? Why does? 72 00:04:22,060 --> 00:04:26,660 I was doing some study and research, and I came up with a 73 00:04:26,660 --> 00:04:30,340 list of at least six reasons that we uncover in the Bible, 74 00:04:30,980 --> 00:04:35,940 six reasons why God calls us to go out into the deep. 75 00:04:35,980 --> 00:04:40,060 And can I just say, just as an aside, I recognize that in this 76 00:04:40,060 --> 00:04:42,220 series I've given you lots of points. 77 00:04:42,540 --> 00:04:44,410 There's lots of numbers, you know. 78 00:04:44,410 --> 00:04:46,490 Typically you should have a three-point sermon. 79 00:04:46,890 --> 00:04:49,610 I've clearly broken that rule multiple times. 80 00:04:49,810 --> 00:04:54,370 Please forgive me, but my heart for this is to teach you and to 81 00:04:54,370 --> 00:04:58,290 teach us and myself. Because I think if we're going 82 00:04:58,290 --> 00:05:01,490 to go deep with the Lord, we have to go deep into the word 83 00:05:01,810 --> 00:05:04,850 right. And I'm hoping that my heart's 84 00:05:04,850 --> 00:05:08,290 desire is not pleased here. My heart, it's not to overwhelm 85 00:05:08,290 --> 00:05:10,530 you and think, Oh my word, 6 points. 86 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:13,880 I'm hoping that I'm going to share with you some golden 87 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:17,880 Nuggets of wisdom that you can take away and pray through and 88 00:05:17,880 --> 00:05:20,120 that will bring you life. So please hear my heart on this. 89 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:23,720 I'm not trying to serve you up an indigestible meal. 90 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:26,200 I'm trying to serve you up something that's going to bring 91 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:29,840 health. So with that disclaimer out of 92 00:05:29,840 --> 00:05:32,960 the way, let's look at the first one. 93 00:05:33,160 --> 00:05:35,040 Why does God call us to go deep with him? 94 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:38,280 This is the first one, and I'm hoping that you will know this. 95 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:41,680 It is this. He is wanting to reveal more of 96 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:47,760 himself to us. He is wanting to reveal more of 97 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:52,560 his kindness, his goodness, his mercy, his grace, his power, his 98 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:55,520 loving kindness. He is wanting to reveal himself. 99 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:58,480 And as we looked at last week, and a lot of these points are 100 00:05:58,480 --> 00:06:01,320 going to overlap, you're going to see the the beautiful thread 101 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:07,590 and fabric that this weaves, that God's intent, motivated by 102 00:06:07,590 --> 00:06:10,190 love, is to reveal his glory to us. 103 00:06:10,750 --> 00:06:13,870 Because when we experience His glory, that is when we feel our 104 00:06:13,870 --> 00:06:18,790 deepest fulfillment. And so while it is true that in 105 00:06:18,790 --> 00:06:22,270 that place of weakness, his glory is revealed in us, it is 106 00:06:22,270 --> 00:06:26,310 also true that in the deepest parts, in those deep places that 107 00:06:26,310 --> 00:06:29,550 we go to, God reveals himself in a deeper way. 108 00:06:30,150 --> 00:06:33,870 And you see, what happens is he takes us on a journey where he 109 00:06:33,870 --> 00:06:38,470 reveals his riches to us and invites us to dive into, pun 110 00:06:38,470 --> 00:06:44,990 intended, his endless goodness. Let's look at Romans 1133, 111 00:06:44,990 --> 00:06:47,870 because I think Paul does a really good job of of providing 112 00:06:47,870 --> 00:06:51,510 some language around this. He says this oh, the depths of 113 00:06:51,510 --> 00:06:55,590 the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God. 114 00:06:56,110 --> 00:07:00,310 How unsearchable are his judgments and decisions? 115 00:07:00,470 --> 00:07:05,350 And how unfathomable and untraceable are his ways? 116 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:08,240 And I'm reading that from the amplified version. 117 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:12,600 Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge. 118 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:15,920 And when Paul says how unsearchable, he's not saying 119 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:19,080 that we cannot search them and we're not cool to dive into 120 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:20,360 them. What he's saying is they're just 121 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:23,040 so vast. There's a reason we we need 122 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:27,520 eternity, because you'll never get to the end of the glory and 123 00:07:27,520 --> 00:07:30,420 the goodness of God. And you see, what God is 124 00:07:30,420 --> 00:07:35,100 inviting us into when he calls us to go out into the deep, is 125 00:07:35,100 --> 00:07:39,700 to experience more of his richness, more of who he is. 126 00:07:40,620 --> 00:07:43,300 And Job. In Job 11/7, it says, can you 127 00:07:43,300 --> 00:07:46,540 discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of 128 00:07:46,540 --> 00:07:48,060 the Almighty? No. 129 00:07:49,140 --> 00:07:51,940 But isn't it amazing that God doesn't say, hey, I am out of 130 00:07:51,940 --> 00:07:56,060 your field of understanding, so back off people. 131 00:07:57,960 --> 00:08:02,080 That's not what happens. God says, I invite you to search 132 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:05,760 these most amazing riches of my glory and of my nature. 133 00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:10,320 And what a glorious God that would do that that would invite 134 00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:12,440 us into that. Listen, let's just take a step 135 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:14,200 back and understand what's happening here. 136 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:18,800 The God of the universe that created time and space, that 137 00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:21,400 knitted us together in our mother's womb, that flung the 138 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:27,840 stars into space, that same God is inviting us to know him more. 139 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:35,720 Isn't that bonkers on one level? And yet that is why God calls us 140 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:38,880 to go deeper, because that is his heart for us. 141 00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:42,440 And I would say that every time I've stepped into the more of 142 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:46,280 God, his heart towards me has been to show me more of himself. 143 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:50,280 You know, I, I in my life look back. 144 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:53,960 And I'm so grateful to God for the deep places where there was 145 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:55,760 a moment where I thought I couldn't swim. 146 00:08:56,520 --> 00:09:00,060 You've been there before. I'm, you know, completely out of 147 00:09:00,060 --> 00:09:00,820 my debt. Floored. 148 00:09:01,420 --> 00:09:04,260 What on earth are you doing? I know what I better do. 149 00:09:04,260 --> 00:09:05,580 I better get on my knees and pray. 150 00:09:06,380 --> 00:09:09,380 And it's in that place of seeking God that you experienced 151 00:09:09,380 --> 00:09:12,660 his grace in a way in which you may not have experienced before, 152 00:09:14,060 --> 00:09:18,820 That time where you walk into a place where God has called you 153 00:09:18,820 --> 00:09:21,460 and you've never been before. Maybe it's about being a 154 00:09:21,460 --> 00:09:24,140 peacemaker. Maybe it's about praying for 155 00:09:24,140 --> 00:09:26,020 someone. Maybe it's about leaving your 156 00:09:26,020 --> 00:09:29,060 job without knowing what you're going to go into because God has 157 00:09:29,060 --> 00:09:31,700 said, I've got a plan for you. And in that place you're like, 158 00:09:31,700 --> 00:09:33,100 Lord, you better show up right now. 159 00:09:34,140 --> 00:09:37,580 Because if you don't show up, I am in danger of falling flat on 160 00:09:37,580 --> 00:09:40,900 my face. And God shows up in a way in 161 00:09:40,900 --> 00:09:44,750 which you go wow. And I think if you reflect on 162 00:09:44,750 --> 00:09:47,750 your own stories and your own journeys, you can probably see 163 00:09:47,750 --> 00:09:51,590 moments, some of you where that has been a reality that you see. 164 00:09:51,590 --> 00:09:55,910 You don't experience necessarily the depths of God in the highest 165 00:09:55,910 --> 00:09:59,510 mountaintops. You experience him in the deep 166 00:09:59,510 --> 00:10:03,550 places in the underground, places in the places of pain and 167 00:10:03,550 --> 00:10:07,270 difficulty and challenge. Mountaintop experiences are 168 00:10:07,270 --> 00:10:10,730 wonderful. And don't we want to set up some 169 00:10:10,730 --> 00:10:13,770 tabernacles like the like the disciples did when Jesus was 170 00:10:13,770 --> 00:10:17,610 there on the on the mountain? A transfiguration with with 171 00:10:17,890 --> 00:10:21,090 Moses and Elijah. I hope I got that right. 172 00:10:21,090 --> 00:10:24,010 I think I did. And we want to camp there, don't 173 00:10:24,010 --> 00:10:26,050 we? We want to stay there, but 174 00:10:26,330 --> 00:10:28,250 they're wonderful. But you're not going to go deep 175 00:10:28,250 --> 00:10:29,810 in those places. You'll just stay high. 176 00:10:30,690 --> 00:10:32,570 That's quite, that's quite a lot of wisdom right there. 177 00:10:32,570 --> 00:10:35,570 You got that one for free. Well done, Mark. 178 00:10:35,570 --> 00:10:41,230 Good job. So when we pray, show me your 179 00:10:41,230 --> 00:10:42,990 glory. We have to expect that he's 180 00:10:42,990 --> 00:10:46,150 going to say OK, ready. You see when we pray. 181 00:10:46,150 --> 00:10:47,750 Show me your glory. This is how I pray. 182 00:10:47,750 --> 00:10:50,230 Show me your glory, Lord, Show me your glory. 183 00:10:55,150 --> 00:10:56,990 Show me some angels. That would work. 184 00:10:57,030 --> 00:10:58,990 That's that's not as good. But show no. 185 00:10:59,030 --> 00:11:03,030 OK, show me something. And he's just waiting. 186 00:11:03,030 --> 00:11:04,310 You want to see my glory? OK. 187 00:11:04,310 --> 00:11:05,550 Go over there. It's really deep. 188 00:11:05,550 --> 00:11:08,680 You'll find me there. But that is the truth of it. 189 00:11:08,680 --> 00:11:11,760 And we see that we've throughout whole of scripture that if your 190 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:16,520 heart's desire is to pray, Lord, show me your glory, then you 191 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:18,840 need to recognize you're playing, you're praying. 192 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:21,400 Send me into the deep, Lord, that's what you're praying. 193 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:28,960 If you want to experience more of his mercy, his grace, his 194 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:33,600 power, then you're going to be like Simon at some point when 195 00:11:33,640 --> 00:11:37,660 Jesus says right, this little shallow part part well done, 196 00:11:39,380 --> 00:11:43,260 time for the deep okay. So that's number one. 197 00:11:45,900 --> 00:11:48,220 Why else does God call us into the deep? 198 00:11:48,300 --> 00:11:50,740 Why is that a Kingdom principle? Here's the second one. 199 00:11:50,940 --> 00:11:56,780 He wants to break our God boxes. God is intentional about 200 00:11:56,780 --> 00:12:01,660 breaking our God boxes. Maybe you're asking me, sorry 201 00:12:01,660 --> 00:12:04,250 Mark, what's a God box? Do I buy this on Amazon? 202 00:12:04,250 --> 00:12:06,050 Do I get Prime next day delivery on this? 203 00:12:09,250 --> 00:12:12,850 We all have a tendency to create a God box whether we know it or 204 00:12:12,850 --> 00:12:16,850 not. You see, a God box is a view 205 00:12:16,850 --> 00:12:20,490 that we have of him and typically the way God boxes 206 00:12:20,490 --> 00:12:23,090 work, and that means there's a restriction on what we think God 207 00:12:23,090 --> 00:12:26,170 can do. Our God boxes are constructed by 208 00:12:26,170 --> 00:12:31,760 our experiences. Our God boxes, listen, are 209 00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:34,840 constructed by as deep as we've gone before. 210 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:42,280 And so the God boxes are informed by our experience of 211 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:44,800 God, not necessarily by the truth of who He is. 212 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:48,560 Now, that's not to say that your experiences are not valid, and 213 00:12:48,560 --> 00:12:52,440 we often say here that God gives us faith for the future because 214 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:55,000 of His faithfulness in the past, and we build on our experience 215 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:56,960 with the Lord. But what I'm trying to say here 216 00:12:57,480 --> 00:12:59,820 is that we have an experience of God. 217 00:12:59,820 --> 00:13:01,300 We say, wow, you know what? God really showed up there. 218 00:13:01,300 --> 00:13:04,380 That was amazing. And then God says, I want to 219 00:13:04,380 --> 00:13:06,340 call you to leave this work. And I've got something else for 220 00:13:06,340 --> 00:13:08,260 you. And you go, well, I don't know 221 00:13:08,260 --> 00:13:13,660 how God can do that. Yeah, because we're based on 222 00:13:13,660 --> 00:13:16,620 what God can do based on what he did last in our lives, which was 223 00:13:16,620 --> 00:13:19,500 there. But you see, the hallmark of the 224 00:13:19,500 --> 00:13:22,580 call is that we're called to go deeper because God's glory is 225 00:13:22,580 --> 00:13:27,070 unfathomable. His riches are so deep and so 226 00:13:27,070 --> 00:13:30,990 our God boxes are constructed not not by the word of who He 227 00:13:30,990 --> 00:13:34,390 is, but by our own experiences. That's why reading His word is 228 00:13:34,390 --> 00:13:37,830 so important. Reading His word is a demolition 229 00:13:37,830 --> 00:13:39,630 of our God boxes every time we read it. 230 00:13:40,430 --> 00:13:42,030 That's why His word is so important. 231 00:13:42,230 --> 00:13:44,870 He's He says do not be conformed along to the pattern as well, 232 00:13:44,870 --> 00:13:46,990 but be transformed by the renew of your mind. 233 00:13:47,150 --> 00:13:51,800 That also applies to do not be limited by the God box you have 234 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:55,080 constructed through your own experiences that be transformed 235 00:13:55,080 --> 00:13:58,280 by the renewing of your mind as you read about who God actually 236 00:13:58,280 --> 00:14:02,760 is. Yeah, and So what God does in 237 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:05,160 going deep is he says, listen, I'm going to break your God box. 238 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:10,700 I'm going to show you my power and my might and it says in 239 00:14:10,700 --> 00:14:13,100 Ephesians 320, let's just look at this now. 240 00:14:13,100 --> 00:14:17,860 To him this is God who is able to do so far more abundantly 241 00:14:18,100 --> 00:14:20,420 than all that we ask. Think according to the power of 242 00:14:20,420 --> 00:14:24,380 work within us, it says in the Amplified. 243 00:14:24,700 --> 00:14:27,540 If we can just go back. Eddie, thank you to the start of 244 00:14:27,540 --> 00:14:29,260 that. Now to him who was able to carry 245 00:14:29,260 --> 00:14:34,780 out his purpose and do super abundantly, super abundantly. 246 00:14:35,260 --> 00:14:37,860 More than all that we dare ask or think. 247 00:14:38,060 --> 00:14:43,610 That's the experience I see. God wants to do more than you 248 00:14:43,610 --> 00:14:50,850 think he can do. God wants to show you He's super 249 00:14:50,850 --> 00:14:55,210 abundant based on who he is, not your previous experience. 250 00:14:57,290 --> 00:15:06,490 God is wanting to demonstrate his power in you and that's why 251 00:15:06,490 --> 00:15:10,610 He calls you into the deep. See why this is so important. 252 00:15:11,330 --> 00:15:13,970 Infinitely beyond our greatest prayers. 253 00:15:13,970 --> 00:15:17,730 And we can carry on as we read that hopes or dreams according 254 00:15:17,730 --> 00:15:20,690 to his power that is at work within us. 255 00:15:21,810 --> 00:15:25,770 Wow, what a God. And that's why you see God calls 256 00:15:25,770 --> 00:15:30,810 us. That's why God calls us to the 257 00:15:30,810 --> 00:15:34,210 deep so He can break some boxes. And I would say as an aside, we 258 00:15:34,210 --> 00:15:37,930 need a bigger vision of God and we need a bigger vision of 259 00:15:37,930 --> 00:15:42,090 ourselves in him. You know, when we're a 260 00:15:42,090 --> 00:15:43,490 childlike, we dream big, don't we? 261 00:15:43,490 --> 00:15:45,650 How many of you wanted to be an astronaut when you're a kid? 262 00:15:47,610 --> 00:15:49,130 How many of you wanted to save the planet? 263 00:15:49,130 --> 00:15:51,490 How many of you want to do something so amazing? 264 00:15:56,090 --> 00:15:58,170 We look at children going with ah, that's cute, isn't it? 265 00:15:58,170 --> 00:16:01,010 I'll bless you. Life will show you that that's 266 00:16:01,010 --> 00:16:02,050 not going to happen at some point. 267 00:16:03,890 --> 00:16:05,730 Stop singing. I can do whatever I dream 268 00:16:05,730 --> 00:16:08,280 because that ain't true. I mean, just look at your father 269 00:16:08,280 --> 00:16:09,760 and mother. We're battered and bruised. 270 00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:14,320 I used to think like that, but then, you know, life happened. 271 00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:20,440 I actually think that childlike dreaming is from God and life 272 00:16:20,880 --> 00:16:23,160 and the world squashes that out of us. 273 00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:26,280 And so in this scripture, God saying dream like a child again, 274 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:31,320 I mean, talks about the importance of a childlike faith. 275 00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:38,180 A childlike faith is not limited by their experiences, right? 276 00:16:39,180 --> 00:16:42,740 They dream big because of what God's put in them. 277 00:16:42,740 --> 00:16:47,780 I think we should just pause on that. 278 00:16:49,540 --> 00:16:52,940 God is inviting you to dream bigger than you've ever dreamt. 279 00:16:52,980 --> 00:16:55,500 Dreamt before. This scripture here is an 280 00:16:55,500 --> 00:16:59,260 invitation to dream big. God's like, OK, you dream big 281 00:16:59,260 --> 00:17:01,540 and I'll do it even bigger. Come on son. 282 00:17:01,740 --> 00:17:04,180 Come on daughter. Stop with this small thinking. 283 00:17:04,829 --> 00:17:07,470 Stop with this mindset that I haven't got the riches to do it. 284 00:17:07,790 --> 00:17:10,790 Stop thinking you can't do this and you can't do that because, 285 00:17:10,790 --> 00:17:13,230 well, I'm I'm like this and Lord, you only did that for me 286 00:17:13,230 --> 00:17:14,869 last time. Stop thinking like that. 287 00:17:14,950 --> 00:17:17,550 Dream big, dream like you did as a child. 288 00:17:18,310 --> 00:17:21,390 Think about it again. Dream about changing the world 289 00:17:21,390 --> 00:17:24,990 like you wanted to dream about doing, inventing something that 290 00:17:24,990 --> 00:17:28,150 will that will benefit. Man can't do those things 291 00:17:28,150 --> 00:17:31,470 because that's got in you. And that leads me on to the 292 00:17:31,470 --> 00:17:33,550 Third Point. We are created in His image. 293 00:17:33,930 --> 00:17:35,810 It's what we have been created for. 294 00:17:36,170 --> 00:17:38,770 You see, the reason that we are called to go deeper and deeper 295 00:17:38,770 --> 00:17:41,890 and deeper is because that is the image of God in us. 296 00:17:42,330 --> 00:17:46,610 Are we here in this? We haven't been created to do 297 00:17:46,610 --> 00:17:50,770 mediocre stuff. We haven't been created just to 298 00:17:50,770 --> 00:17:53,690 stay in the splash park. We've been created to go deeper 299 00:17:53,690 --> 00:17:55,330 than deeper than deeper than deeper. 300 00:17:56,530 --> 00:17:59,170 OK, let's look at what happened with Adam and Eve. 301 00:18:01,210 --> 00:18:04,850 What was Adam's first task? Anybody. 302 00:18:06,130 --> 00:18:08,650 Well, it's not a trick question. Name the animals. 303 00:18:08,650 --> 00:18:10,570 Well done. And that's a big task, isn't it? 304 00:18:10,570 --> 00:18:13,490 Can you imagine that? Task number one. 305 00:18:14,730 --> 00:18:19,050 And I was like, name that plant. I've got this name that is a 306 00:18:19,050 --> 00:18:20,850 daffodil. That's a flower, isn't it? 307 00:18:20,850 --> 00:18:22,850 Anyway, I wouldn't have been very good at this. 308 00:18:27,190 --> 00:18:28,550 No. God says Adam. 309 00:18:28,550 --> 00:18:29,830 Name all the animals. What? 310 00:18:29,830 --> 00:18:30,910 Say what? All of them? 311 00:18:30,910 --> 00:18:33,790 Yes. Now, what would happen after 312 00:18:34,190 --> 00:18:37,590 Adam had named all the animals? What would have happened next if 313 00:18:37,590 --> 00:18:40,790 there wasn't the fall? Do you think God would have gone 314 00:18:40,790 --> 00:18:42,430 up to Adam and said, why don't Adam? 315 00:18:43,030 --> 00:18:44,310 Unfortunately, you peaked too early. 316 00:18:46,030 --> 00:18:48,920 It's just downhill from here. To be fair, you've done all the 317 00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:51,840 animals and that's it. You've done well done. 318 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:53,960 You're going to leave for live for another thousand years. 319 00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:57,120 Of course it was preface. So for a long time eternity of 320 00:18:57,120 --> 00:19:00,640 whatever it the plan was. But unfortunately you peak too 321 00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:02,400 early. That's not God, is it? 322 00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:04,920 I mean, even just saying that you realize that's not God's 323 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:10,320 character. I suspect that if Adam and 324 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:11,960 clearly this is not gospel truth. 325 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:15,610 It's my assumption. If Adam hadn't fallen, Adam and 326 00:19:15,610 --> 00:19:16,970 Eve, God would have said well done, right? 327 00:19:17,210 --> 00:19:20,570 You see those planets out there, see those stars? 328 00:19:20,610 --> 00:19:25,090 Let's go start naming those. And once we've done that, I'm 329 00:19:25,090 --> 00:19:26,290 going to show you some other universe. 330 00:19:26,450 --> 00:19:31,850 Like that's how God works. He doesn't go, go deep, right, 331 00:19:31,850 --> 00:19:33,450 You're done. Head back in the shallows, come 332 00:19:33,450 --> 00:19:36,130 on, time out, you're done. You're peaked. 333 00:19:37,130 --> 00:19:39,850 He doesn't work like that. He's because we've been created 334 00:19:39,850 --> 00:19:43,040 in his image. We've been created to create be 335 00:19:43,040 --> 00:19:48,440 hearing this. We are God's image bearers. 336 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:53,160 And so we reflect the glory of God as we create for him and in 337 00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:55,840 His name. And so we therefore we should 338 00:19:55,840 --> 00:19:58,560 expect to go deeper. I mean, I'm quite frankly, I'm 339 00:19:58,560 --> 00:19:59,960 in. I'm in such deep water at the 340 00:19:59,960 --> 00:20:01,360 moment. Not in trouble, of course, but 341 00:20:01,880 --> 00:20:05,440 metaphorically speaking. You know, the Lord called 342 00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:08,720 Stephan I to to be this, to lead this wonderful church. 343 00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:11,040 And what a blessing it is. But you think I looked and 344 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:13,120 thought. Heading back to the splash park. 345 00:20:13,120 --> 00:20:16,760 How boring. No, I was like, you kidding me? 346 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:19,720 Well, go deeper. Even more. 347 00:20:19,720 --> 00:20:22,800 I've just founded two companies. I just sold one of them. 348 00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:25,920 I just. Steph and I just traveled the 349 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:27,280 world. Because you said now you want to 350 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:31,400 do this, Steph. And I've seen it in our lives 351 00:20:31,400 --> 00:20:35,240 play out time after time. Going deeper, going deeper, 352 00:20:35,360 --> 00:20:37,080 going deeper. Because that's the image you've 353 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:38,680 got in us. We've been created that way. 354 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:44,400 Do you understand #4? When we're faithful with the 355 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:47,720 small things, he gives us more. This is another Kingdom 356 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:50,560 principle of why God calls us to go deeper. 357 00:20:50,560 --> 00:20:54,280 OK, Parable of the Talents. Matthew 2514 to 30. 358 00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:56,880 We haven't got time to read it. Go ahead, go away and read it 359 00:20:56,880 --> 00:20:58,120 this afternoon or during the week. 360 00:20:58,120 --> 00:21:02,810 A great parable. Now whilst it's speaking about 361 00:21:03,170 --> 00:21:06,530 when Jesus comes again and there will be treasures, there's a a 362 00:21:06,530 --> 00:21:09,370 judgment of works if you like. When we're not judged for our 363 00:21:09,370 --> 00:21:12,210 salvation, for those that believe in in Jesus Christ and 364 00:21:12,210 --> 00:21:15,370 the work of his blood on the cross, we're saved by grace, not 365 00:21:15,370 --> 00:21:20,290 by works of course, but there is the beamer seat of Christ, 366 00:21:20,290 --> 00:21:21,890 that's the judgment that we have. 367 00:21:21,890 --> 00:21:25,090 The way he he dishes out rewards, that's essentially what 368 00:21:25,090 --> 00:21:27,090 that is. The Beamer seat was a seat they 369 00:21:27,090 --> 00:21:30,370 used to use in the Olympics way back where they would hand out 370 00:21:30,370 --> 00:21:34,380 the crowns for rewards. So it's not a judgment of you're 371 00:21:34,380 --> 00:21:36,980 a bad boy, you're a bad girl. This is I want to reward you. 372 00:21:36,980 --> 00:21:40,020 And so this power of the talents is essentially talking about the 373 00:21:40,020 --> 00:21:43,940 fact the master came, gave talents to three, three guys. 374 00:21:44,140 --> 00:21:45,700 He said I'm going to go away when I come back. 375 00:21:45,700 --> 00:21:46,820 Let's see what you've done with it. 376 00:21:46,980 --> 00:21:49,900 That's about the life that we're in now the here and not yet. 377 00:21:50,540 --> 00:21:54,820 And so the first one makes more, second one makes more, third one 378 00:21:55,020 --> 00:21:58,700 buries it. And he's in trouble, of course. 379 00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:09,120 So whilst this is talking about the fact that there are 380 00:22:09,120 --> 00:22:14,000 treasures, a way to knows that rewards, there is a Kingdom 381 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:18,200 principle that operates. Now do you understand, which is 382 00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:21,760 that when we're faithful in something, in a call that God's 383 00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:24,240 placed on us, He says, well done, my good and faithful 384 00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:25,720 servant. Now here's the next bit for you 385 00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:28,510 to do. Here's the next bit. 386 00:22:29,070 --> 00:22:33,310 And so I want to say this, If if you are faithful in the smaller 387 00:22:33,310 --> 00:22:36,110 things, your expectancy should be this. 388 00:22:36,310 --> 00:22:38,230 OK, Lord, thank you. What's next? 389 00:22:40,030 --> 00:22:43,230 Have we ever prayed that? Oh, Mark, that's just pride, 390 00:22:43,230 --> 00:22:44,030 isn't it? No, it's not. 391 00:22:45,710 --> 00:22:47,030 No, it's not. It's humility. 392 00:22:47,110 --> 00:22:50,190 Well, how's that humility? Humility is about recognizing 393 00:22:50,190 --> 00:22:53,710 that he is God and we are his. And it's in alignment with that. 394 00:22:54,590 --> 00:22:57,940 And so when we say, when we feel that in our spirit, well done, 395 00:22:57,940 --> 00:23:00,020 my good and faithful certainly say okay, thank you, Lord Okay, 396 00:23:00,020 --> 00:23:01,540 What's next, Lord? I'm ready for the next bit. 397 00:23:02,860 --> 00:23:04,660 That is what's going to happen in your life. 398 00:23:05,140 --> 00:23:07,020 And I believe that Okay, here we go. 399 00:23:07,100 --> 00:23:09,740 I believe that some of you have yet to be called to go in the 400 00:23:09,740 --> 00:23:12,060 deeper. Because Jesus is waiting for 401 00:23:12,060 --> 00:23:15,460 some of you to say, I'm ready for the next bit, Lord, I'm 402 00:23:15,460 --> 00:23:17,100 ready, I'm ready. I'm ready to go deeper. 403 00:23:18,460 --> 00:23:20,660 I think some of you need to be praying that and saying that to 404 00:23:20,660 --> 00:23:21,860 God. I'm ready to go deeper. 405 00:23:22,570 --> 00:23:26,490 I'm ready to go deeper #5 Another reason that we go deeper 406 00:23:26,490 --> 00:23:28,010 is this. He builds our giftings and 407 00:23:28,010 --> 00:23:31,930 capacity. God has all given us different 408 00:23:31,930 --> 00:23:36,810 giftings and he wants to build those giftings in us. 409 00:23:36,970 --> 00:23:39,530 He doesn't just give you the gift and say go ahead and have a 410 00:23:39,530 --> 00:23:41,970 play. It's not like when you, you know 411 00:23:41,970 --> 00:23:44,290 when you give a child a gift for Christmas. 412 00:23:44,290 --> 00:23:46,130 You know the ones that you've got to build or something. 413 00:23:46,730 --> 00:23:47,850 You don't just say right, off you go. 414 00:23:48,450 --> 00:23:49,930 You sit down with him, say right, let's look at the 415 00:23:49,930 --> 00:23:51,610 instructions. Let's work on this together. 416 00:23:53,190 --> 00:23:56,270 Let's try this out. I was going to use the example 417 00:23:56,270 --> 00:23:58,230 of a Mikano set, but I don't. I don't even know if they sell 418 00:23:58,230 --> 00:24:01,670 those anymore. But you know, Star Wars, Lego 419 00:24:01,670 --> 00:24:03,510 Millennium Falcon, that's a huge one. 420 00:24:04,230 --> 00:24:06,110 You know, I enjoyed doing that with my my son. 421 00:24:07,550 --> 00:24:09,470 But here's the thing. You see, God gives us gifts and 422 00:24:09,470 --> 00:24:13,080 then he puts us in deep places to grow in them, whether that's 423 00:24:13,080 --> 00:24:15,640 a prophetic gift in that you have, whether that's a gift in 424 00:24:15,640 --> 00:24:16,960 for words and knowledge. He says, you know what? 425 00:24:17,200 --> 00:24:19,760 I'm going to put you in a really what may be to you, a scary 426 00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:21,360 place. But I want you to go around the 427 00:24:21,360 --> 00:24:23,800 room and I want you to speak a word over 10 people. 428 00:24:25,040 --> 00:24:29,360 That's a deep place, isn't it? You've seen it. 429 00:24:29,480 --> 00:24:31,440 You've seen you prayed for someone's elbow and they got 430 00:24:31,440 --> 00:24:33,240 healed and and got this right. I want you to go to your 431 00:24:33,240 --> 00:24:35,600 neighbor who's suffering with that terminal illness, and I 432 00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:38,200 want you to pray for them. I mean, that's a deep place, 433 00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:41,990 isn't it? But you see what God is doing in 434 00:24:41,990 --> 00:24:43,790 that. All those other things we've 435 00:24:43,790 --> 00:24:47,470 looked at, He's also given you an opportunity to grow in the 436 00:24:47,470 --> 00:24:50,310 gifting that God's given you. And that also might be a gift of 437 00:24:50,310 --> 00:24:54,070 administration. It might be a gift of being able 438 00:24:54,070 --> 00:24:55,990 to build things. It might be a gift of 439 00:24:55,990 --> 00:24:58,350 organization. Whatever it might be, God is 440 00:24:58,350 --> 00:25:01,110 going to look to develop your gifting and put you in places 441 00:25:01,110 --> 00:25:04,510 where it stretches you. And so we should expect that 442 00:25:04,670 --> 00:25:06,990 number six. Oh, this is the last one. 443 00:25:06,990 --> 00:25:13,770 Happy days. This is, this is, I would say #1 444 00:25:13,770 --> 00:25:16,090 and #6. If you want to just remember 2, 445 00:25:16,490 --> 00:25:19,450 remember these ones. He is conforming us to the 446 00:25:19,450 --> 00:25:23,370 lightness of Christ. You see all things work together 447 00:25:23,370 --> 00:25:25,410 for good for those that love him in a court according to his 448 00:25:25,410 --> 00:25:26,730 purpose. Romans 828. 449 00:25:26,890 --> 00:25:30,890 I'm sure we've heard that many a time all things work together 450 00:25:30,890 --> 00:25:32,330 for good. For those that love him in a 451 00:25:32,330 --> 00:25:38,560 court according to his purpose, read verse 29 where it talks 452 00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:40,720 about conforming us the lightness of his Son. 453 00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:44,680 That's the reason. What is the good that he works 454 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:46,400 us towards? The good is conforming us of 455 00:25:46,480 --> 00:25:49,200 Jesus Christ because in the natural something happens. 456 00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:50,360 You know. Well there's no good in that, 457 00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:55,240 but you've just been in the place of bearing fruit brother 458 00:25:55,240 --> 00:25:57,960 and sister. And as we bear fruit, we are 459 00:25:57,960 --> 00:25:59,440 conformed to the lightness of Christ. 460 00:25:59,960 --> 00:26:04,480 You see, and we the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5/22/23, 461 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:08,920 we we pray that we can bear fruit, patience and kindness and 462 00:26:09,320 --> 00:26:12,680 and all those things. If we are praying that, then God 463 00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:15,160 is not going to put you on a mountaintop and say right, I'm 464 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:17,080 going to sprinkle some fairy dust on you and you're going to 465 00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:22,680 become patient overnight. Why, Lord, that would be really 466 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:27,400 helpful. He's going to put you in a deep 467 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:30,680 place. He's going to put you in a place 468 00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:33,120 where you're going to feel the pressure. 469 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:37,350 He's going to put you in a place where you feel difficulty, where 470 00:26:37,350 --> 00:26:40,430 you've got to call out to him. He's going to put you in a place 471 00:26:41,030 --> 00:26:43,350 where you recognize that you can't do it on your own, that 472 00:26:43,350 --> 00:26:46,950 you've got to do it with Christ. And you see, when we go into the 473 00:26:46,950 --> 00:26:50,990 deep, that is the place which conforms us to the lightness of 474 00:26:50,990 --> 00:26:53,470 His son. You know, as I was prepared at 475 00:26:53,470 --> 00:26:56,870 this point, the Lord just brought to to my mind diamonds. 476 00:26:58,470 --> 00:27:00,390 Sorry, Diamond darling, it wasn't about you. 477 00:27:00,390 --> 00:27:04,000 I have to say, it wasn't going to buy you anything, but, and 478 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:08,000 I'm sorry about that, maybe I misheard, but you know, I think 479 00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:10,240 it was in relation to he conforms us to the lines of 480 00:27:10,240 --> 00:27:13,240 Christ. Because I did some research and 481 00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:15,800 I kind of knew roughly that diamonds are, you know, 482 00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:18,800 pressured and what stuff. But I I did some research and 483 00:27:18,840 --> 00:27:21,600 this is how diamonds are made. Diamonds are a crystallized form 484 00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:24,520 of carbon that grows from a primary carbon source. 485 00:27:24,800 --> 00:27:26,320 Welcome to science lesson, by the way. 486 00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:29,440 Subjected to very high temperatures and pressure, 487 00:27:30,450 --> 00:27:33,210 almost all commercially mindable diamonds are formed in an area 488 00:27:33,210 --> 00:27:37,810 of the Earth's mantle. Guess how deep 150 kilometers 489 00:27:37,810 --> 00:27:42,570 below the surface surface Isn't that wonderful imagery for the 490 00:27:42,570 --> 00:27:44,930 deep places that God calls us to? 491 00:27:47,730 --> 00:27:51,090 The area is often known as a diamond stability zone, where 492 00:27:51,090 --> 00:27:53,850 temperatures are about above 1000 degrees Celsius. 493 00:27:54,890 --> 00:27:58,930 There's also tremendous pressure at these depths, between 45 and 494 00:27:58,930 --> 00:28:00,610 60 kilobars. I've got no idea what that 495 00:28:00,610 --> 00:28:01,890 means, but that sounds like a lot, right? 496 00:28:09,490 --> 00:28:11,570 And what's interesting with diamonds, as I kept reading, 497 00:28:11,570 --> 00:28:14,530 which I didn't realize, is that what happens with with movement 498 00:28:14,530 --> 00:28:17,410 of the of the earth's crust and what is invoke it comes it, it 499 00:28:17,410 --> 00:28:20,890 gets brought up to the surface. The diamond doesn't do it 500 00:28:20,890 --> 00:28:23,050 itself. It's brought up to the surface. 501 00:28:23,930 --> 00:28:27,050 And you see, here's how God works, brothers and sisters. 502 00:28:28,820 --> 00:28:31,380 He wants to reveal his glory in you. 503 00:28:31,380 --> 00:28:33,700 He wants to conform you to lightness of his son. 504 00:28:33,940 --> 00:28:36,500 And so he puts you 150 kilometers under the earth's 505 00:28:36,500 --> 00:28:41,940 mantle into the deep places. And he puts allows the pressure. 506 00:28:42,260 --> 00:28:43,700 Oh, Lord, please, would you help me? 507 00:28:45,300 --> 00:28:46,980 He puts you under high temperatures. 508 00:28:47,020 --> 00:28:51,700 This is really difficult, Lord. And in that place, He is turning 509 00:28:51,700 --> 00:28:55,140 you into a diamond. But you know what? 510 00:28:55,140 --> 00:28:57,690 He doesn't leave you there at the right time. 511 00:28:57,690 --> 00:29:00,690 By his spirit, he brings you out of those deep places. 512 00:29:01,130 --> 00:29:03,250 Isn't that beautiful? Why? 513 00:29:03,450 --> 00:29:09,090 So that you can shine for him. Why? 514 00:29:09,090 --> 00:29:13,610 Because we we, we image bearers, we're here to express and bring 515 00:29:13,610 --> 00:29:16,650 him glory. Can I invite the band up as I, 516 00:29:17,370 --> 00:29:36,890 as I end? And so brother and sisters, God 517 00:29:36,890 --> 00:29:39,450 meets us where we are at in our weakness. 518 00:29:40,090 --> 00:29:42,650 And he says I wanted to be with you. 519 00:29:42,650 --> 00:29:46,410 And in that place of being with him and in that place of walking 520 00:29:46,410 --> 00:29:49,370 and holding us, he says, right, let's go into the deep. 521 00:29:51,330 --> 00:29:54,670 And it's in that place of deep that we meet with him, want to 522 00:29:54,670 --> 00:29:56,710 ask you a question, Want you to stand.