1 00:00:01,160 --> 00:00:05,080 We are one church. We love God, love people, love 2 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:06,960 His mission, and love His church. 3 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:09,480 Welcome to the One Church podcast. 4 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:18,640 Well. Many years ago as a a teacher, I 5 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:20,000 used to be a primary school teacher. 6 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:23,000 Some of you might know that before I came to lead one church 7 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:25,120 or to lead the church here with David. 8 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:28,840 And I used to do a lot of assemblies because a lot of the 9 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:31,040 teachers in the schools that I worked in, they didn't really 10 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:32,960 love doing assemblies, particularly for the whole 11 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:34,400 school. And I loved it. 12 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:36,560 And so it was a great opportunity as well to share 13 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:39,080 Jesus with the children. And I remember 1 Christmas 14 00:00:39,480 --> 00:00:42,320 writing a song. I used to people used to think I 15 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:44,480 was really good, you know, the children thought because I used 16 00:00:44,480 --> 00:00:46,440 to teach 5 year olds. So they thought I was great at 17 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:48,120 everything. You know, you're really good at 18 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:51,400 drawing, you're really good at playing guitar and so on. 19 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:54,920 I wasn't very good really, but I wrote this song, played it with 20 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:57,720 my guitar and all the school were in and the teachers were 21 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:01,680 sat down the side and really the lyrics, I felt very, very 22 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:03,400 strongly. And the lyrics went something 23 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:07,280 like, is there room in your heart this Christmas for Jesus? 24 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:09,640 Because it was all about Mary and Joseph trying to find a 25 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:13,480 space to have Jesus. Is there room in your heart for 26 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:15,520 him? And that is a really good 27 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:19,200 question. Is there room in your heart for 28 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:25,080 Jesus, or is it full of actually lots of other things we might be 29 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:27,040 saying to God? And I've heard many people say, 30 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:30,560 Lord, we want more of you, we want more of you, we want more 31 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:33,000 of you. But what about saying to God, 32 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:38,040 Lord, have more of me, Lord, have more of me, have more of 33 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:42,920 me, have more of my heart. Now today is simple and it's 34 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:45,440 challenging. This is always how Jesus 35 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:47,440 teaches. Have you noticed that in the 36 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:51,520 Gospels how Jesus always teaches in a way that is both simple but 37 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:55,680 also so deep and so deeply challenging to us? 38 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:59,760 And last Sunday, wow, what a precious holy moment. 39 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,880 And for quite a few of us who are maybe new to faith or new to 40 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:05,440 1 church, that might have been the first time we were part of a 41 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:08,560 Vision Sunday, part of a A1 church vision offering. 42 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:11,000 To me, it always seems like an altar. 43 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:14,720 It seems like we come and we bring not just our finances, in 44 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:16,240 fact, in fact, that's not the main thing. 45 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:19,480 The main thing is we bring ourselves again, we bring our 46 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:21,840 hearts. The Bible talks a lot about 47 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:25,960 altars as a place of sacrifice, a place of worship, a place of 48 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:29,960 dedication, a place where we come and we bring all we are. 49 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:33,240 It used to be animals that were sacrificed on an altar before 50 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:34,800 God, if you read the Old Testament. 51 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:38,560 Nowadays, because of what Jesus has done his once for all 52 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:42,440 substitutionary death on the cross, we no longer need to 53 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:44,480 sacrifice animals, praise the Lord. 54 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:46,000 That would be very messy, wouldn't it? 55 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:49,880 In here we were going to do that, but now we bring ourselves 56 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:55,080 to the altar because we bring everything we are unreservedly. 57 00:02:56,640 --> 00:03:01,200 I'd like to say that the altar is for both the best parts of us 58 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:05,200 and the worst parts of us. We don't have to be fully sorted 59 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:09,480 in order to come and lay our lives before God, because He's 60 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:12,960 interested in US bringing the good and the not yet mended, the 61 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:15,560 bits of us that are healed up and all our mess as well. 62 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:19,120 It's a place where we just lay down all of us, and we receive 63 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:21,760 all of Him because that is what is required. 64 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:26,440 Wholehearted devotion. It's like King David in the Old 65 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:28,680 Testament where he said the people were bringing their 66 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:31,080 offerings to build the temple for God. 67 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:34,600 And he said this, he said in one Chronicles 29, Who will 68 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:37,640 consecrate to themselves to the Lord today? 69 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:42,080 It sort of fits with David's words last week about devoting 70 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:45,040 ourselves. And this is the whole theme of 71 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:49,040 today because today marks the beginning of a new teaching 72 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:50,960 series in the life of one church. 73 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:53,800 And I wonder, do you want to know how to please God? 74 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:57,080 Yeah. Do you want to know what's the 75 00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:00,960 one thing that Jesus said we need to remember the greatest 76 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:03,680 commandment according to Jesus himself? 77 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:08,320 Well, let's just find out. As it says in Mark 12, this one 78 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:12,120 of the teachers of the law came and asked Jesus, of all the 79 00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:15,320 commandments, which is the most important? 80 00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:19,160 The most important one answered, Jesus, is this. 81 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:27,680 Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is 1 Love the Lord 82 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:34,040 your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with 83 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:38,000 all your mind, and with all your strength. 84 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:43,560 The second is this. Love your neighbour as yourself. 85 00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:47,760 There is no commandment greater than these. 86 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:52,880 So Jesus says. To love the Lord your God with 87 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:56,800 all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love your 88 00:04:56,800 --> 00:05:01,240 neighbour as yourself is #1 priority for every single 89 00:05:01,280 --> 00:05:06,040 person. There were 613 commandments in 90 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:09,880 those days in the Jewish law. Over half of those were 91 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:12,160 negative. So they were the You shalt not, 92 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:14,520 you know, you shall not do this, you should not do that, You 93 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:17,880 should not do that. But Jesus gets straight to the 94 00:05:17,880 --> 00:05:20,320 point, as we've said, simple, challenging. 95 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:23,560 And he says it's all about two movements of your heart. 96 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:27,480 It's about the movement upwards, the vertical movement to love 97 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:30,400 God with all your heart. And he said it's about the 98 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:34,400 horizontal movement to love your neighbour as yourself. 99 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:37,240 And they both go together. You know, at one church we 100 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:39,720 always say we love God and we love people. 101 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:43,240 They're really intertwined and over the next few weeks we're 102 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:46,040 going to explore just what it means to love God with all your 103 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:48,520 soul. To think about our practises, 104 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:52,240 our rhythms of devotion, living a life that will centre around 105 00:05:52,280 --> 00:05:54,880 Jesus. To love God with all our mind, 106 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:56,840 our thinking. To love God with all our 107 00:05:56,840 --> 00:06:00,800 strength, our actions, our energy, our lives lived out in 108 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:04,600 the world where God has put us and to love our neighbour as 109 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:07,120 ourself. So sounds a pretty challenging 110 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:10,720 series coming towards Christmas. And that is great because we're 111 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:13,640 going to be stirred up. But today we're coming to the 112 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:17,640 very fundamental, the start of it all, to love you, the Lord 113 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:22,920 your God with all your heart. The Jewish audience listening to 114 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:26,880 Jesus would immediately recognise the Shama from 115 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:30,480 Deuteronomy 6, verse 5. They would quote it every single 116 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:33,240 day. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our 117 00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:38,480 God, the Lord is 1 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, 118 00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:41,720 with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your 119 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:46,280 strength. The Hebrew word heart is Lev. 120 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:50,080 It has various Bible meanings. It means the physical organ of 121 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:52,520 the heart, which in those days they probably wouldn't 122 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:55,600 understand so much as we do now about the heart being an organ 123 00:06:55,600 --> 00:06:58,840 that pumps blood around the body and brings life to everything. 124 00:06:58,840 --> 00:07:00,840 But they did understand it was very important. 125 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:04,480 They had no word for the brain in Hebrew, so all thinking was 126 00:07:04,480 --> 00:07:07,760 also seen to take place in the heart. 127 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:11,720 The Bible talks about knowing in your heart, about wisdom being 128 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:14,840 in your heart. And Hebrew thinking also was 129 00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:17,000 that emotion has it's seat in the heart. 130 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:19,240 The heart is where you feel pain. 131 00:07:19,240 --> 00:07:23,320 In fact the phrase broken hearted is actually from the 132 00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:26,680 Hebrew also. Fear was seen to be in your 133 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:30,040 heart, distress, even depression, and then on the 134 00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:34,640 other side also joy. A good heart and Hebrew thinking 135 00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:37,600 also says that your heart is where you make choices. 136 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:41,320 This is very important because our choices come out of the 137 00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:45,000 desires that are in our very innermost being, in our heart. 138 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,680 So the heart was a very all-encompassing sort of phrase. 139 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:52,400 To love God with all your heart means everything inside us laid 140 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:55,880 before God. He's the one we desire. 141 00:07:55,880 --> 00:08:00,000 He's the one who forms our ambitions, our decisions. 142 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:03,760 He's the focus of our thoughts, of our actions, of everything. 143 00:08:03,760 --> 00:08:06,840 He is all. So let's just briefly look at 144 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:09,400 this verse again. Love the Lord. 145 00:08:10,480 --> 00:08:15,000 He is Lord. Why are we to love him with all 146 00:08:15,120 --> 00:08:20,480 our heart? Because He is All in all, one 147 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:25,520 God and Father of all, who is over all and in all and through 148 00:08:25,520 --> 00:08:26,880 all. Ephesians 4. 149 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:31,240 He is the one true living God, and He is the Lord. 150 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:34,919 But that's not all. He's not just a distant dictator 151 00:08:34,919 --> 00:08:37,240 up somewhere telling us what to do. 152 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:41,559 He is personal. In the Bible it talks about 153 00:08:41,559 --> 00:08:42,880 that. He's always the God who comes 154 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:45,280 down. He's always the God who reaches 155 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:49,960 down to us and it says love the Lord your God. 156 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:55,280 He's not just God, He is my God. He is our God. 157 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:58,920 He is our ABBA. Jesus talked about his Father in 158 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:04,120 heaven as his ABBA, his daddy. And in Jesus we can have that 159 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:07,160 relationship with our living God. 160 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:10,800 He is our God. Will I give my all for his All 161 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:14,360 in all. And we're to love him with all 162 00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:20,280 our heart, with all your heart, Jesus says he said in the Sermon 163 00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:22,440 on the Mount. Blessed are the pure in heart, 164 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:26,320 for they will see God. What does pure mean? 165 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:30,640 Well, single, focused, wholehearted, set apart, 166 00:09:30,800 --> 00:09:33,920 consecrated, devoted. Think of those sort of words. 167 00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:37,440 It means just completely given over to him. 168 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:43,880 David in the Psalms cries out, creating me a pure heart, Oh 169 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:46,560 God, and renewable, steadfast spirit within me. 170 00:09:46,560 --> 00:09:49,000 I wonder, is that your cry today? 171 00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:54,200 If we get our hearts right, if we love him with all our heart, 172 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:57,480 if our hearts are full of all the right things, what comes out 173 00:09:57,480 --> 00:09:59,200 of us will be right, will be pure. 174 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:03,360 Now each week in this series that we're doing before 175 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:07,320 Christmas, we're going to also look as part of our messages at 176 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:11,600 a person in the Bible who exemplifies something of what 177 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:13,920 that particular way to love God looks like. 178 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:17,200 So today we're just thinking briefly about James. 179 00:10:17,520 --> 00:10:20,320 James, who was the brother of Jesus, ought to be more 180 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:23,680 accurate, the half brother. They were both the son of Mary, 181 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:28,160 but James's father was Joseph, and Jesus father, of course, was 182 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:31,360 God. In terms of his heart for Jesus, 183 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:36,000 James did not start very well. In fact, he seemed to reject 184 00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:38,440 Jesus mission throughout his ministry on the earth. 185 00:10:38,440 --> 00:10:41,320 And if you remember, if you've read the gospels, you'll know he 186 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:43,480 was probably with the family group, with the mother and the 187 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:46,840 brothers who came at one point when Jesus is in the full flow 188 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:49,560 of his ministry and they come to try and take him away because 189 00:10:49,560 --> 00:10:52,520 they say he's going crazy. They say, oh you're mad, you're 190 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:55,000 out of your mind. But after Jesus death and 191 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:58,280 resurrection, we find that something has happened to James. 192 00:10:58,680 --> 00:11:01,280 We see him praying with the disciples, waiting for the Holy 193 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:04,600 Spirit to come. We see him a few years later 194 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:07,920 leading the church in Jerusalem. Read about that in the book of 195 00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:10,400 Acts, showing great wisdom, discernment. 196 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:14,080 And in the Bible there is a book called James, and it's actually 197 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:16,880 by this James. He wrote it, and it starts with 198 00:11:16,880 --> 00:11:20,720 the words James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus 199 00:11:20,720 --> 00:11:23,920 Christ. So something has changed in 200 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:25,440 James. Something has changed his heart. 201 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:28,320 What has changed him? Well, read what Apostle Paul 202 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:32,960 says in One Corinthians 15. He's explaining really all about 203 00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:35,000 Jesus is saying, I'm going to tell you what's really 204 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:37,000 important. Jesus died for our sins. 205 00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:39,400 He was buried. He was raised on the third day 206 00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:42,240 according to the Scriptures. Then he appeared to Peter and 207 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:45,600 then the 12:00 and after that he appeared to more than 500 of the 208 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:49,040 brothers and sisters. And then it says he appeared to 209 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:53,200 James. Then he appeared to James. 210 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:57,440 Just a little sentence, but it seems like Jesus was kind enough 211 00:11:57,440 --> 00:12:01,640 to give James a personal visit when he'd risen from the dead. 212 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:06,440 He appeared to James personally and it changed him. 213 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:11,360 James heart changed in an encounter with the risen Jesus. 214 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:16,040 Now he saw Jesus entirely differently, not just as his 215 00:12:16,040 --> 00:12:20,920 brother, but as his Lord. And you know, our hearts can be 216 00:12:20,920 --> 00:12:24,760 changed today in an encounter with the risen Jesus. 217 00:12:25,560 --> 00:12:28,240 He's here in this room by the power of his Holy Spirit. 218 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:32,160 You may think he's far from you, but he's absolutely so close to 219 00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:35,120 you and he's here to encounter you today. 220 00:12:35,120 --> 00:12:37,320 And you're you can go out of here and your heart can be 221 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:40,600 changed. James went on to become a man of 222 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:43,760 whole hearted devotion and great influence because when our 223 00:12:43,760 --> 00:12:48,080 hearts are loving Jesus, loving God with the whole of them, our 224 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:51,040 life works. Do you know that our life all 225 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:53,400 works? And he taught a lot about the 226 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:55,560 heart. His, his words often sound, 227 00:12:55,560 --> 00:12:59,200 people say, like Jesus, words he'd obviously imbibed so much 228 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:02,160 that Jesus had said he sounds like Jesus. 229 00:13:03,080 --> 00:13:05,840 And often people talk about the book of James as being one that 230 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:08,320 talks about, well, faith without works is dead. 231 00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:10,520 It's important that you outwork your faith. 232 00:13:10,520 --> 00:13:13,440 And yes, it's about that, but it's about something deeper than 233 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:15,680 that as well. It's not just a book about 234 00:13:15,680 --> 00:13:17,560 action, but about the source of the action. 235 00:13:17,560 --> 00:13:21,280 Where does what we do come from? It comes out of the heart. 236 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:24,440 This is 1 passage from the book of James. 237 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:28,600 This is the sort of thing that James said, Who is wise and 238 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:32,200 understanding among you? Let them show it by their good 239 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:35,600 life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 240 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:39,120 But if you harbour bitter envy and selfish ambition in your 241 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:41,640 hearts, there it is in your hearts. 242 00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:44,760 Do not boast about it or deny the truth. 243 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:49,800 Such wisdom does not come down from heaven, but is earthly and 244 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:53,080 spiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and 245 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:56,440 selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil 246 00:13:56,440 --> 00:13:58,640 practise. But the wisdom that comes from 247 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:01,720 heaven is first of all pure, then peace, loving, considerate, 248 00:14:01,720 --> 00:14:06,080 submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and 249 00:14:06,080 --> 00:14:10,280 sincere peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of 250 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:13,240 righteousness. And this passage just reflects 251 00:14:13,240 --> 00:14:16,560 what all the Bible says and what Jesus said. 252 00:14:16,560 --> 00:14:19,920 The source of our life is our heart. 253 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:25,200 Proverb says above all else, guard your heart for it. 254 00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:27,120 From it flows the wellspring of life. 255 00:14:27,920 --> 00:14:32,120 Everything else flows out of where your heart is, if you 256 00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:33,760 like. This is a tale in this passage 257 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:36,720 of two hearts. 1 heart full of self. 258 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:40,480 One heart full of wisdom and understanding that comes from 259 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:43,040 being full of Jesus. The heart full of self. 260 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:45,760 It says if you harbour bitter envy and selfish ambition in 261 00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:49,200 your hearts, in other words, if you're full of self, focused on 262 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:53,920 me, looking at others to compare to envy not to love, what comes 263 00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:56,200 from that heart? It says well what comes out of 264 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:58,880 it is disorder and every evil practise. 265 00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:02,000 One heart full of wisdom and understanding. 266 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:04,360 What comes from that heart? The wisdom that comes from 267 00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:08,880 heaven is pure, peace, loving, considerate, submissive, full of 268 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:11,800 mercy, good fruit, impartial and sincere. 269 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:15,760 Wow, what a beautiful list. Which of those two hearts would 270 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:19,080 you rather have? This is heavenly wisdom if you 271 00:15:19,080 --> 00:15:23,720 like Jesus very self filling our heart and what comes out when 272 00:15:23,720 --> 00:15:26,360 he's on the throne of our heart is good fruit. 273 00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:28,840 So what's the state of our heart? 274 00:15:28,840 --> 00:15:31,760 What you might want to ask, what's the state of my heart? 275 00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:36,000 What tale does my heart tell? Just look at the fruit. 276 00:15:36,640 --> 00:15:38,960 Ask yourself, is my heart me focused? 277 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:42,760 Is it open to being tossed around, swayed here and there 278 00:15:42,760 --> 00:15:45,840 and everywhere unsettled? Is it open to things that are 279 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:48,080 wrong? Is it living for the here and 280 00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:50,600 now? Or is my heart filled with 281 00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:53,280 Jesus? Focused on God, focused on His 282 00:15:53,280 --> 00:15:58,120 plans, His purposes, His life, focused on others? 283 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:01,800 Living not just for this life, but living and investing for 284 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:05,040 eternity. Which heart do you desire? 285 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:10,560 It starts with the heart, and out of that flows all the things 286 00:16:10,560 --> 00:16:12,160 we'll talk about the next few weeks. 287 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:17,280 All my soul, my true worship, my life anchored in devotion, 288 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:21,040 emotions coming in line with what God says, His word. 289 00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:24,120 Good decisions, good rhythms, good practises, a beautiful 290 00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:27,800 peace filled life. What about all my mind? 291 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:30,560 Minds that believe the truth, that look at questions head on, 292 00:16:30,560 --> 00:16:34,520 that are not afraid of what comes, that live free from fear, 293 00:16:34,520 --> 00:16:37,520 free from condemnation, that think good things, that are 294 00:16:37,520 --> 00:16:40,240 faith filled and Jesus filled and where strongholds are 295 00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:44,280 broken. Hearts that are full of 296 00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:45,800 strength. All my strength. 297 00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:49,760 Our energy, our work for Him, wherever that takes place, our 298 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:51,680 time, the very focus of our lives. 299 00:16:51,680 --> 00:16:53,760 And then out to loving our neighbour. 300 00:16:54,520 --> 00:16:57,880 The heart is where it starts though, because the heart is the 301 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:03,160 wellspring of life. Jesus is after our hearts first. 302 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:06,640 Jesus himself said, as we know, I've just, I've just read it. 303 00:17:06,839 --> 00:17:08,960 Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. 304 00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:12,800 And he knew that because he lived it, an undivided pure 305 00:17:12,800 --> 00:17:14,359 heart. He didn't just quote the verse, 306 00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:16,640 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart. 307 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:20,480 He lived it. He lived it out every moment. 308 00:17:21,119 --> 00:17:23,440 And you know, when we see someone living out what they 309 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:27,240 say, we believe them, don't we? We believe it and we want to do 310 00:17:27,240 --> 00:17:29,920 it. He showed a life of complete 311 00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:31,720 devotion. His Heavenly Father filled his 312 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:34,640 heart, filled his practises, filled his thoughts, his 313 00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:37,480 actions. So he even went to that awful 314 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:44,120 cross for you and for me. Let's just look at our own heart 315 00:17:44,120 --> 00:17:48,280 today. Search me, oh God says the 316 00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:52,360 Psalms, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious 317 00:17:52,360 --> 00:17:55,400 thoughts. If we're in him, we're in new 318 00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:57,240 creation. Praise the Lord. 319 00:17:57,400 --> 00:17:59,840 The old has gone, it says, and the new has come. 320 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:04,560 And you know, the Christian life is full of the suddenlies and 321 00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:07,280 the gradual. There's a sudden change when we 322 00:18:07,280 --> 00:18:11,400 first come to Jesus, and there's this gradual being transformed 323 00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:15,560 into his image and being filled with Him more and more. 324 00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:18,520 And that's true for our heart. Our heart is made new when we 325 00:18:18,520 --> 00:18:22,480 first come to know Jesus, and our heart goes on being changed. 326 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:25,520 And if we're living right and we're focused on Him, then it 327 00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:29,280 will go on being changed and enlarged and filled with Him 328 00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:33,560 more and more. So just ask yourself today, is 329 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:37,520 my heart full of Jesus? Is there room for Him in my 330 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:40,320 heart? Is He on the throne of my heart? 331 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:43,440 We've sung a lot of songs today about Him being Lord, Him being 332 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:45,360 on the throne, seated on the throne. 333 00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:48,920 Is it seated on the throne of my heart, or is something else on 334 00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:52,720 that throne or something else like creeping onto the throne 335 00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:55,560 and squeezing him out? And we need to get rid of it or 336 00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:58,160 we need to lessen something. What needs to change? 337 00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:01,040 You know, there's this cry through the Bible. 338 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:05,320 Make my heart undivided. Teach me your way, it says in 339 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:08,120 Psalm 86. Then I may rely on your 340 00:19:08,120 --> 00:19:10,480 faithfulness. Give me an undivided heart that 341 00:19:10,480 --> 00:19:15,160 I may fear your name. And God gives an amazing 342 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:19,120 promise, is a promise to the Israelites in the Old Testament 343 00:19:19,120 --> 00:19:21,720 and now in Christ. It's a promise to you and me. 344 00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:25,560 He says in Ezekiel, I will give them an undivided heart and put 345 00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:28,240 a new spirit within them. I will remove from them their 346 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:31,200 heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. 347 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:34,320 Do you feel like your heart's like a stone today? 348 00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:37,360 Well, he can come through his Holy Spirit. 349 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:40,440 He can soften our hearts today. We just have to be willing. 350 00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:46,200 Do I want this heart undivided? I don't know. 351 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:48,720 Do you remember seaside rock? I don't know if anybody 352 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:50,960 remember, I don't mean rocks at the seaside, but that sort of 353 00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:52,040 rock. It was like a suite. 354 00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:56,760 I grew up in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Weir and Weir and Weir, the 355 00:19:56,760 --> 00:20:02,560 lads and they, they used to sell that rock on the sea front and 356 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:04,160 it was like really great for your teeth. 357 00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:07,320 I'm sure dentists love it because you could suck on it for 358 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:08,800 hours and it's literally just sugar. 359 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:12,520 But there was a pink outside and there was a white inside, and 360 00:20:12,520 --> 00:20:14,000 then there was writing all the way through. 361 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:16,720 And wherever you broke that rock open, you might want to share it 362 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:18,640 with your friends. It would still say in the 363 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:20,360 middle, well, in my case, Whitley Bay. 364 00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:22,400 But is your heart like a stick of rock? 365 00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:27,920 Wherever it's broken, wherever it's broken open, does it say 366 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:31,520 Jesus inside? Is that what shows? 367 00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:36,880 Is Jesus through it all? Is he your focus? 368 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:40,000 Is he how we make decisions on our career? 369 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:42,480 Do we put him first? Who I marry or what? 370 00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:45,200 Vote marry? My priorities in life? 371 00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:48,960 How I spend time? How I spend the money he gives 372 00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:52,320 me? Are there some things that maybe 373 00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:55,720 if I want him to be my All in all, I won't do as much? 374 00:20:56,720 --> 00:20:59,280 Are there some things I won't do at all anymore? 375 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:02,600 I'm trying not to be too specific about this because I 376 00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:05,520 believe the Holy Spirit will speak to each one of us as He 377 00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:08,800 chooses to speak to us. Are there some things that I'll 378 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:13,160 get rid of? There's some things that will 379 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:17,040 simply just lose their hold on me if I become filled more and 380 00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:19,680 more with the love of Jesus because I love him first. 381 00:21:19,680 --> 00:21:23,520 And you know, there's a bit more than that because to love him 382 00:21:23,520 --> 00:21:25,320 with all my heart is extravagant. 383 00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:29,080 It's over the top. Yes, He is Lord. 384 00:21:29,120 --> 00:21:32,360 And we can say today here 01 church, the Lord is God. 385 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:35,280 Yes, the Lord is Lord is the Lord. 386 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:39,680 He's the Lord your God. So we bow and worship him. 387 00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:45,200 He's all powerful and he's all loving and we can know him in 388 00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:46,600 Jesus. He's now my ABBA. 389 00:21:46,600 --> 00:21:51,160 He's all powerful and loving. And this is no cold decision in 390 00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:56,640 that case, because he loves me. He loves me and I love him. 391 00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:01,080 I wonder if you've ever been in love? 392 00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:06,240 I'm still in love with a man called David, but I love David 393 00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:08,320 from when he first walked into the classroom where I was 394 00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:12,280 teaching young children and taught to me about coming to my 395 00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:14,160 church because he'd just become a Christian. 396 00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:17,560 And, you know, my whole life turned upside down. 397 00:22:17,560 --> 00:22:21,200 I was so unsettled even by that first meeting that I forgot to 398 00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:23,680 do my dinner duty. I was supposed to be going to do 399 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:26,240 like duty in the hall while the children had their lunch and I 400 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:30,560 forgot to go. And you know, that's what is 401 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:33,120 this a picture of our relationship with Jesus. 402 00:22:33,120 --> 00:22:37,000 If you like, you know, if it doesn't affect us, then we need 403 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:39,720 to, we need to be asking him to fill us again with his love. 404 00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:43,320 Because I found it so unsettling, beautiful, amazing, 405 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:49,040 life changing to be in love. And David gave me gifts and 406 00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:52,680 Jesus gives us gifts. David gave me a bowl of fruit. 407 00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:54,800 That was the first gift he gave me. 408 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:57,960 I think he thought flowers would be a bit too obvious and a bit 409 00:22:57,960 --> 00:23:00,600 like, over the top because we've not known each other very long. 410 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:03,160 So he gave me a bowl of fruit. Very touching. 411 00:23:04,240 --> 00:23:06,720 I thought of it every time I I ate one of those apples. 412 00:23:07,760 --> 00:23:10,880 He gave me a teddy. He gave me a teapot. 413 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:14,600 Unusual gifts, yeah. But I was really more bothered 414 00:23:14,600 --> 00:23:18,400 about him, about spending time with him every moment I could. 415 00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:21,360 In fact, sometimes I'd sneak off from work at lunchtime and just 416 00:23:21,360 --> 00:23:24,080 go and see him, just for 1/4 of an hour because I didn't want to 417 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:28,040 stay away from him for too long. And after a while, he gave me a 418 00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:30,600 ring. It got more serious about making 419 00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:32,840 promises, committing to a lifetime together. 420 00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:37,840 And you know, I know not every one of us has had this 421 00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:41,760 experience of being in love or we have a painful memory, maybe 422 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:45,000 from that I've known broken relationships or loneliness. 423 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:48,280 But I'm just using this as a picture of our relationship, the 424 00:23:48,280 --> 00:23:50,320 relationship we can all have with Jesus. 425 00:23:54,240 --> 00:23:57,320 Because when it came to the wedding and the arrangements 426 00:23:57,320 --> 00:24:02,000 were not my focus, I did care a bit about the clothes and the 427 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:04,880 food, but not that much really. It was more about the groom. 428 00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:09,680 It was more about him. It was more about the the, the 429 00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:12,280 worship of it. And I know we put a lot into the 430 00:24:12,280 --> 00:24:16,400 service, but also I was excited to give up my name. 431 00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:21,320 I was Miss Hepple, Susan Hepple. In fact, the children in my 432 00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:22,720 class used to often get that wrong. 433 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:25,760 So parents evenings the parents would come and say oh hello, 434 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:27,960 Missus Heckle. It's like, no, that's not my 435 00:24:27,960 --> 00:24:31,240 name or Missus Mopple. I got called all sorts. 436 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:32,760 Missus Kettle, that was another one. 437 00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:35,600 So I was quite glad actually to become Missus Hind. 438 00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:37,800 It was a lot more like convenient, apart from the fact 439 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:40,600 that David's mum worked in the next door classroom to me. 440 00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:43,400 So it was like Missus Hind and Missus Hind, which is very 441 00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:45,840 confusing because I knew her before I knew David. 442 00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:48,160 So I had to be Mrs Hepelheim for a while. 443 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:51,640 But what I'm saying is I was excited to give up my name for 444 00:24:51,640 --> 00:24:54,320 his name. Are you excited to give up your 445 00:24:54,320 --> 00:24:59,600 name for the name of Jesus? Are you in love? 446 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:06,480 Because human love is limited, but we're all made for a 447 00:25:06,480 --> 00:25:09,600 bridegroom and his name is Jesus. 448 00:25:12,280 --> 00:25:15,400 So are we in love with him? You know, are we churned up? 449 00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:18,360 Are we changed? Ask him to do it again. 450 00:25:18,360 --> 00:25:20,040 Ask him to fill your heart with his love. 451 00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:26,800 Today in the diary of Adrian Plus he talks about being in his 452 00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:29,600 church. And this very serious, very like 453 00:25:29,760 --> 00:25:34,760 condemnatory preacher came to the church and he basically like 454 00:25:34,760 --> 00:25:37,720 thumped on the pulpit and said, you miserable sinners, you ever 455 00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:41,400 heard a preacher like that? You worms, you are so sinful, 456 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:45,280 you know, and what if Jesus came into this room right now? 457 00:25:45,280 --> 00:25:47,080 He can see where you were last night. 458 00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:50,120 He can see what you were doing. He can see into your hearts. 459 00:25:50,120 --> 00:25:53,080 He can see all the evil, miserable things that you do. 460 00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:57,440 He can see all your thoughts. And Adrian Placid in his diary 461 00:25:57,440 --> 00:26:02,520 says, well, I tried to be really repentant and I tried to be 462 00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:05,520 really sad about my sin. But actually I got a bit carried 463 00:26:05,520 --> 00:26:08,400 away just thinking about the whole thought of Jesus coming 464 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:12,560 into the room. Are you in love with him? 465 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:17,920 You know, what sort of bride are we becoming as individuals and 466 00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:21,720 as a church? Will we be laid down? 467 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:25,800 Make room for more of him, Bring our all and lay it on the altar, 468 00:26:26,760 --> 00:26:31,640 and then we will change. And the altar is also the 469 00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:34,520 operating table. So if we're willing to come and 470 00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:38,000 lay on this altar, we're also saying we're willing to trust 471 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:42,240 the surgeon who has a knife. And in the kindest possible way, 472 00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:47,400 we'll cut into our heart and we'll open up our motives, open 473 00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:49,840 up the things, take away the things that need to go. 474 00:26:51,040 --> 00:26:58,400 And he'll do everything to make us whole, to make us bigger, if 475 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:01,480 you like, inside, to be able to hold more of him, more 476 00:27:01,480 --> 00:27:04,360 wholehearted. And in the Old Testament, often 477 00:27:04,360 --> 00:27:09,480 when people brought an offering to the altar, it's it will say 478 00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:12,360 that the there was worship and then it will say the fire fell 479 00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:16,480 and consumed the burnt offering. And, you know, if we're willing 480 00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:21,200 to come and lay on the altar, the fire will come and we will 481 00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:27,560 be consumed by him. So I wonder if you hear his 482 00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:30,200 voice today. I wonder if you can hear his 483 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:32,680 knock at the door. This is what Revelation says. 484 00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:36,760 Those whom I love, I repent. I rebuke, sorry and discipline. 485 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:40,720 So be earnest and repent. Here I am. 486 00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:44,360 This is what Jesus says today. I stand at the door and knock. 487 00:27:44,760 --> 00:27:47,600 If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in 488 00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:50,120 and eat with that person and they with me. 489 00:27:51,840 --> 00:27:54,440 And there's a picture there by William Holman Hunt. 490 00:27:55,080 --> 00:27:57,520 There's weeds around the door that need to be pushed away. 491 00:27:57,880 --> 00:28:00,680 And there is no handle on the outside because the handle is on 492 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:03,640 the inside. Because when Jesus knocks at our 493 00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:06,800 the door of our heart, it's us that have to open it. 494 00:28:07,360 --> 00:28:09,240 It's us that have to say, come in. 495 00:28:10,560 --> 00:28:13,720 You know, if you're here today and you've never really 496 00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:17,040 experienced this love, you don't know what it means to actually 497 00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:21,240 follow Jesus, to war with Jesus, as many in this room are found 498 00:28:21,240 --> 00:28:25,120 to be the greatest joy ever and to know eternal life, to know 499 00:28:25,120 --> 00:28:28,680 that we're going to go to be with him when we die, then 500 00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:31,720 there's no reason why you can't find him today because he's done 501 00:28:31,720 --> 00:28:35,160 it all. He's done everything needed, and 502 00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:37,920 there's some here. And once you walked with him and 503 00:28:37,920 --> 00:28:41,440 you knew this love and your Love's grown cold. 504 00:28:41,760 --> 00:28:44,400 In fact, the context of those verses is around the church in 505 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:48,440 Laodicea where Jesus says you've become lukewarm. 506 00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:55,720 And today he stands at the door of our heart and he knocks on 507 00:28:55,720 --> 00:29:00,440 the door. So let's just pray. 508 00:29:00,680 --> 00:29:03,280 This is particularly a prayer for anybody here, and you're 509 00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:06,800 saying, I want to come to Jesus for the first time or I want to 510 00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:11,640 come back to Jesus. Well, Lord Jesus, I thank you 511 00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:16,240 that you have done everything so I can have a relationship with 512 00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:19,240 God. I thank you that you came to the 513 00:29:19,240 --> 00:29:26,200 cross, you died, you rose again. And Lord, now you're knocking at 514 00:29:26,200 --> 00:29:30,360 the door of my heart. And Lord, I want to say, Lord 515 00:29:30,360 --> 00:29:33,960 Jesus, come into my heart. Lord Jesus, come in. 516 00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:37,720 I'm sorry. I repent for the things that 517 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:43,760 I've done that were wrong and every way I've rebelled against 518 00:29:43,760 --> 00:29:46,240 you. And I invite you to come into my 519 00:29:46,240 --> 00:29:50,080 life to be my Saviour, to be my Lord. 520 00:29:52,240 --> 00:29:58,040 And Lord, for those who wandered away, I say, Lord, I'm coming 521 00:29:58,040 --> 00:30:04,000 back to you today. Lord, come into my heart, fill 522 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:09,160 me again. The Lord bless you and keep you. 523 00:30:09,320 --> 00:30:13,000 The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. 524 00:30:13,400 --> 00:30:16,880 The Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.