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 --> 00:00:09,560
Welcome to the One Church 
Podcast. 

4
00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:20,040
We've been looking as a church 
over the last four weeks over 

5
00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:24,960
the greatest commandment. 
Jesus was asked a question of 

6
00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:28,360
all the commandments, which is 
the most important? 

7
00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:33,240
What a question, the most 
important one, answered Jesus. 

8
00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:37,000
This is not a debate, it's a 
statement of absolute fact. 

9
00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:42,400
Is this here, O Israel, the Lord
our God, the Lord is 1 Love the 

10
00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:45,160
Lord your God with all your 
heart and with all your soul, 

11
00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:48,280
and with all your mind and with 
all your strength. 

12
00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:50,880
Wow. 
And we've been looking at that 

13
00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:53,680
over these last four weeks. 
And our prayer is that we would 

14
00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:56,000
be a church that loves the Lord 
with our God, with all our 

15
00:00:56,000 --> 00:01:00,440
heart, the in innermost being of
who we are, with all our soul, 

16
00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:04,760
the deepest part of us, with all
our mind, with our thinking and 

17
00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:06,120
our sharing, and with our 
strength. 

18
00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:11,040
The very who we are almost needs
unpacking even more. 

19
00:01:11,320 --> 00:01:14,240
And the passage then goes on to 
say this, because Jesus didn't 

20
00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:17,680
leave it there. 
He said this, the second 

21
00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:22,600
commandment is this love your 
neighbour as yourself. 

22
00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:28,600
There is no greater than these, 
and in the last week of our 

23
00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:33,520
series I want to explore the 
theme of how we can be Jesus in 

24
00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:36,760
the places where he has called 
us to live. 

25
00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:41,840
Your ministry is as important as
any ministry that happens in 

26
00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:44,960
this house from those of us that
get the privilege to lead 

27
00:01:44,960 --> 00:01:48,920
different ministries and to to 
speak where you are planted in 

28
00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:53,760
the hospital, in the school, in 
the supermarket, in the home, on

29
00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:58,000
the street, where you are is as 
important as anybody else's call

30
00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:02,960
in the whole earth to call to be
Jesus in that place. 

31
00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:06,440
He says love your neighbour as 
yourself. 

32
00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:10,520
But before I go to loving your 
neighbour, I just was so stirred

33
00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:17,080
about the phrase loving yourself
to love yourself. 

34
00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:20,440
I'm not talking about pride and 
ego, self focus. 

35
00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:24,760
These aren't Jesus I'm talking 
about. 

36
00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:28,680
We want to love our neighbour, 
so we firstly have to love 

37
00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:32,680
ourselves. 
People can spend their whole 

38
00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:34,920
lives dissatisfied with who they
are. 

39
00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:41,280
If you talk to AGP and they're 
able to in any way unpack to you

40
00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:45,480
of some of the challenges they 
faced in the surgery, many, many

41
00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:48,840
times they will talk about the 
sadness of people's lives, 

42
00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:53,440
wanting to find something 
different to where they are. 

43
00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:57,720
We can spend our whole lives 
trying to change our looks. 

44
00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:02,560
A friend of mine, when he became
a Christian, realised as a young

45
00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:08,320
man the one or two face changes.
He'd already had operations to 

46
00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:10,680
change his looks. 
We're not going to solve him, 

47
00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:14,680
we're not going to mend him. 
You can want to spend your whole

48
00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:18,400
life looking at how you look, 
the life that you have, perhaps 

49
00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:21,560
the home that you live in, the 
career that you have, the salary

50
00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:24,520
you get, the pictures of, the 
achievements on your wall. 

51
00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:27,440
And there's nothing wrong with 
reaching your potential. 

52
00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:32,040
But to love our neighbour means 
we have to love ourselves and to

53
00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:35,000
love ourselves means we are 
content with the person God has 

54
00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:38,680
made us to be. 
How do you love yourself? 

55
00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:41,520
Well, I think firstly you 
realise who you are. 

56
00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:45,920
We live in a world that wants to
tell you everything that you are

57
00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:50,080
not, wants to crush you, wants 
to push you down, wants you make

58
00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:53,520
you feel inadequate. 
But the Father's heart is so 

59
00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:55,960
different. 
This is why when he appeared to 

60
00:03:55,960 --> 00:04:00,080
Jesus here in Matthew 3 at his 
baptism, he wanted to define who

61
00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:02,160
he was. 
And he does the same with you. 

62
00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:06,000
He says this is my son, He's not
started his ministry yet. 

63
00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:09,080
I love him and I am pleased with
him. 

64
00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:11,040
Do you know that's how he speaks
about you? 

65
00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:14,640
You're created to know Him as a 
Jesus follower. 

66
00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:18,839
You are a son or a daughter of 
the King of Kings. 

67
00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:25,080
The Father you've always been 
looking for is here in this room

68
00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:27,800
to embrace you as you sit in 
your seat. 

69
00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:32,520
You are deeply loved. 
This is my son, whom I love. 

70
00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:38,000
You are deeply loved. 
Not if you or not because of 

71
00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:42,320
your effort or not when you you 
are loved. 

72
00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:47,720
You were conceived. 
He loved you in that moment. 

73
00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:52,920
He has no accidents. 
You are deeply loved. 

74
00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:57,880
He's passionate about you and 
you are accepted, not rejected. 

75
00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:00,640
He's pleased with you. 
Perhaps you had parents. 

76
00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:03,760
You always felt they were not 
quite pleased with you enough. 

77
00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:07,480
The Father's pleased with you, 
cheering you on. 

78
00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:10,680
To love yourself, you have to 
realise who you are, but you 

79
00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:12,360
also have to look after 
yourself. 

80
00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:16,320
I love this, Paul says. 
Do you not know that your body 

81
00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:21,360
is a temple of the Holy Spirit? 
God who made everything when you

82
00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:24,240
became a Jesus follower, came to
live in you. 

83
00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:28,280
It's amazing you received him 
from God. 

84
00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:31,280
You're not your own. 
You were bought at a price. 

85
00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:36,440
Therefore honour God with your 
body, love what he's made. 

86
00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:40,680
Look in the mirror when you get 
home today, look in the mirror 

87
00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:45,640
at who you are and bless 
yourself no more. 

88
00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:49,240
I hate this about myself. 
Never say it again. 

89
00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:52,960
Look at you and go look at my 
amazing teeth. 

90
00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:57,760
I'm grateful that many of them 
are filled. 

91
00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:06,600
Look at my chin, this is. 
Look at my hair, my body, my 

92
00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:11,280
size, my height, my weight, my 
education, who I am. 

93
00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:14,560
Love the person that he has 
made. 

94
00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:18,360
Stop trying to change things 
that won't sort you. 

95
00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:23,440
Love yourself and then treat 
this temple with care. 

96
00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:30,760
Keep it clean, if for no one 
else, for others, keep it clean.

97
00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:35,520
I think deodorant is a gift that
God has given to us. 

98
00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:39,320
It's not to be shunned, it's to 
be embraced. 

99
00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:42,480
I know some of us like the 
natural and that's good, but 

100
00:06:42,480 --> 00:06:49,080
there are ways to keep healthy, 
to look after the temple, to be 

101
00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:55,080
careful what you do with it, 
what you place in it, how you 

102
00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:59,040
treat it. 
I love the people in the room 

103
00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:01,920
here who talk to me about 
healthy living, who help me be 

104
00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:05,080
more healthy. 
To love yourself, look after 

105
00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:10,360
yourself. 
You're Worth It was a a man came

106
00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:15,000
in to Open Hands this week who, 
through a new programme that 

107
00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:18,960
we're running in the city, he's 
been given a place to live and 

108
00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:22,720
we in Open Hands have been able 
to furnish the whole of his flat

109
00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:25,840
with everything that he needed 
now. 

110
00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:29,120
He was loved before, but now he 
feels real value. 

111
00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:31,920
I love that. 
If you're going to love 

112
00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:35,520
yourself, not only do you need 
to realise who you are and look 

113
00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:38,640
after yourself, but you need to 
deal with the rubbish this week.

114
00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:41,520
There's going to be a lot of 
rubbish produced by the balls 

115
00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:44,760
here and then next week, 
Christmas, we're going to have 

116
00:07:44,760 --> 00:07:47,400
to come up with a plan on what 
we're going to do with all the 

117
00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:51,000
rubbish that comes this week. 
We'll come up with a plan, 

118
00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:54,280
there's going to be a lot of it,
but we need to deal with the 

119
00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:59,120
rubbish in our own lives too. 
Many of us as Jesus followers 

120
00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:04,400
are carrying around many black 
plastic bags of rubbish. 

121
00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:08,520
It's for freedom that Christ has
set us free. 

122
00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:12,480
Stand firm then, and do not let 
yourself be burdened by a yoke 

123
00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:16,040
of slavery. 
Every one of us has carries 

124
00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:17,680
regrets. 
Things we'd have done 

125
00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:20,280
differently, moments that we 
would change. 

126
00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:24,600
We're all a work in progress 
being made more and more like 

127
00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:28,360
him in his image. 
You know, think this. 

128
00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:30,480
If you if you think you're good 
now, imagine what you're going 

129
00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:34,640
to be like when you meet him and
you're with him for eternity 

130
00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:39,760
dynamic. 
How can we be free now? 

131
00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:44,280
How can we be free from the 
things that hold us back, The 

132
00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:47,720
insecurities, the rejections, 
the pain that we experienced as 

133
00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:51,240
children, those moments that 
were unacceptable, that happened

134
00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:53,400
to us? 
How do we get free from them? 

135
00:08:53,560 --> 00:08:56,520
So we love ourselves, so we can 
love our neighbour. 

136
00:08:57,200 --> 00:09:00,120
We bring them to the cross, we 
get them to the cross. 

137
00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:02,000
We bring our baggage to the 
cross. 

138
00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:04,840
There's nothing you can't bring.
He knows it already. 

139
00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:08,480
He is not surprised when you 
confess your sins. 

140
00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:12,120
Oh, I didn't realise that. 
I'm not sure if that can pass 

141
00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:14,760
the test. 
He knows it already. 

142
00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:19,760
Bring it to the cross. 
Habits that you've had, that 

143
00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:22,960
you've practise, carried from 
before you became a Christian. 

144
00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:25,520
And there's shame this morning 
and there's things. 

145
00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:28,400
If you knew what I was like, you
would not say he's pleased with 

146
00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:29,720
me. 
I understand. 

147
00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:33,760
There's nothing you carry that 
you can't be free from nothing. 

148
00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:36,880
It's a lie from the enemy that 
you can't be free of that. 

149
00:09:37,280 --> 00:09:39,600
There are people in this room 
who had habits that they were 

150
00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:43,040
ashamed of, that they no longer 
have because of the grace and 

151
00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:45,640
kindness of God. 
But they had their part to do as

152
00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:47,920
well. 
Because as well as coming to the

153
00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:51,080
cross, you've got to be willing 
to change and exert effort and 

154
00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:55,160
maybe start fasting and doing 
all that you can with your 

155
00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:58,320
energy, the works, his energy 
working in you. 

156
00:09:58,600 --> 00:10:03,600
And then perhaps get some help 
from a leader for many of us. 

157
00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:06,920
Get some counselling, some 
support, some prayer, someone 

158
00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:10,840
who stands with us and invites 
Almighty God with you to come 

159
00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:16,840
and help you set you free. 
And then do your part and expect

160
00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:18,720
God's part. 
Honestly. 

161
00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:21,840
Love yourself. 
Go home today, look in the 

162
00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:26,800
mirror and thank God for you, 
the size you are, the person you

163
00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:30,400
are. 
Thank God for you, love 

164
00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:35,720
yourself, I love your neighbour.
You've answered correctly. 

165
00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:37,640
Jesus said do this and you will 
live. 

166
00:10:37,800 --> 00:10:40,920
But he wanted to justify himself
so he asked Jesus, who is my 

167
00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:42,880
neighbour? 
And in reply Jesus said a man 

168
00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:46,120
was going down from Jerusalem to
Jericho when he was attacked by 

169
00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:47,720
robbers. 
They stripped him of his 

170
00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:50,560
clothes, beat him, went away, 
left him half dead. 

171
00:10:50,960 --> 00:10:53,040
A priest happened to be going 
down the same road and when he 

172
00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:55,120
saw the man he passed by on the 
other side. 

173
00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:58,800
So to a Levite when he came to 
the place and saw him pass by on

174
00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:00,960
the other side. 
But a Samaritan, as he 

175
00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:03,880
travelled, came where the man 
was, and when he saw him he took

176
00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:06,280
pity on him. 
He went to him and bandaged his 

177
00:11:06,280 --> 00:11:09,560
wounds, pouring on oil and wine,
and then he put the man on his 

178
00:11:09,560 --> 00:11:12,200
own donkey, brought him to an 
inn, took care of him. 

179
00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:16,320
The next day he took out to 
Denari and gave him to them, to 

180
00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:18,320
the innkeeper. 
Look after him, he said. 

181
00:11:18,480 --> 00:11:22,920
When I return I'll reimburse you
for any extra expense you may 

182
00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:24,760
have. 
Which of these three do you 

183
00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:26,480
think was a neighbour? 
To the man who fell into the 

184
00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:29,960
hand of robbers, the expert in 
the law said the one who had 

185
00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:33,480
mercy on him, Jesus said go and 
do likewise. 

186
00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:40,200
I think Jesus made it clear, 
crystal clear, that it's just 

187
00:11:40,200 --> 00:11:44,480
not possible to be his follower 
and not be engaged in the rescue

188
00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:48,440
mission of lost people on the 
planet, which is why we need to 

189
00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:52,040
love our neighbour. 
And this parable illustrates it 

190
00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:55,640
so powerfully. 
A Jewish man has fallen into the

191
00:11:55,640 --> 00:12:01,080
hands of robbers and along the 
way from from Jerusalem to 

192
00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:04,120
Jericho, they've stripped him, 
they've beat him, they've fled, 

193
00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:06,040
they've left him on the edge of 
death. 

194
00:12:06,880 --> 00:12:10,480
And the priest saw and passed 
by. 

195
00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:13,480
He was the first to encounter 
him on the road. 

196
00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:17,960
And we can be judge mental of 
the priest, but I, I feel a 

197
00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:22,960
little bit sympathetic because 
the Jericho Rd was a dangerous 

198
00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:26,080
place. 
It was literally called the Pass

199
00:12:26,080 --> 00:12:30,160
of blood because of all the 
places that robbers could hide. 

200
00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:34,400
And the one rule on the Jericho 
Rd was this you don't stop, 

201
00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:40,400
don't stop. 
Second, if the priest was 

202
00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:44,560
returning from Jerusalem, he 
just spent seven days going 

203
00:12:44,560 --> 00:12:48,520
through his purification rights,
which were required for him to 

204
00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:51,840
outwork the practises of him as 
a priest. 

205
00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:58,120
He knew that if you touched a 
dead man, you had to go back to 

206
00:12:58,120 --> 00:13:00,000
the temple and do another seven 
days. 

207
00:13:02,040 --> 00:13:05,520
So in other words, for him to 
stop and help this man ran the 

208
00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:11,960
risk not only of being attacked,
but also of another 7 to 8 day 

209
00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:16,200
journey. 
Perhaps he'd got a Pilates 

210
00:13:16,200 --> 00:13:22,360
class, or he knew that his wife 
had got a meal prepared. 

211
00:13:24,080 --> 00:13:25,800
I've just passed by on the other
side. 

212
00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:27,560
I've got a bit of compassion for
him. 

213
00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:33,040
The Levite saw him pass by. 
Now the road was probably very 

214
00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:35,400
straight. 
There's a chance that you could 

215
00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:39,800
see 3 or 4 miles ahead. 
And just maybe the Levite could 

216
00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:41,840
see that the priest had already 
gone past. 

217
00:13:42,080 --> 00:13:46,880
So he thought, I'll do the same.
Because people do follow 

218
00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:52,320
leaders, which is why as leaders
there is such a high call to be 

219
00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:57,320
like Jesus. 
Which is why for us as leaders, 

220
00:13:57,320 --> 00:14:01,240
when we fail, it has to be 
spoken about in a public 

221
00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:07,320
context, which is why there is a
call on us to live holy lives. 

222
00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:18,080
The Samaritan, those saw and 
stopped, he didn't pass by on 

223
00:14:18,080 --> 00:14:22,400
the other side. 
He became a companion of this 

224
00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:24,480
man. 
He had compassion on him. 

225
00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:29,040
The Samaritans were the ethnic 
and religious enemies of the 

226
00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:31,400
Jews. 
They were the half Jew, half 

227
00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:35,440
gentile offspring that came 
about when the Assyrians who 

228
00:14:35,440 --> 00:14:38,840
conquered the northern part of 
Israel forced the Jews there to 

229
00:14:38,840 --> 00:14:42,560
enter marry with them. 
Samaria was between the northern

230
00:14:42,560 --> 00:14:45,520
and southern parts of Israel. 
But the Jews hated the 

231
00:14:45,520 --> 00:14:49,400
Samaritans so much that if they 
were travelling from the north 

232
00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:53,120
to the South of Israel, they 
would walk around Samaria, which

233
00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:57,520
was another two days journey, 
just to avoid contact with a 

234
00:14:57,520 --> 00:15:01,440
Samaritan. 
Just touching a Samaritan, they 

235
00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:06,720
believed, made you dirty. 
It's why when you read Jesus not

236
00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:11,480
only touching the leper but also
at the well with the Samaritan 

237
00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:16,680
woman, it blows people's minds. 
They couldn't believe it. 

238
00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:24,320
I love that Jesus breaks down 
every wall in you, me in our 

239
00:15:24,320 --> 00:15:27,720
world. 
Shockingly, this Samaritan when 

240
00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:31,800
he saw the bleeding Jewish man, 
he stops and has compassion. 

241
00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:37,960
He what he loved his neighbour 
and allow me to be very simple. 

242
00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:44,320
What does it mean? 
Well, firstly, involved in 

243
00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:50,920
seeing. 
When he saw him, he saw and he 

244
00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:59,000
couldn't walk away when he saw 
him, when he saw him. 

245
00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:09,120
I walked into our cafe the other
day and I saw a man same age as 

246
00:16:09,120 --> 00:16:14,680
me, whose son had got into 
difficulty and spent some time 

247
00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:17,800
in prison. 
And he had two young girls and 

248
00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:21,880
he took them into his and his 
wife's family as a, as a more 

249
00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:26,440
senior couple and loved them. 
And I looked across and he was 

250
00:16:26,440 --> 00:16:29,840
sat there with these two 
beautiful nearly teenage girls 

251
00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:34,280
and I saw something of what it 
means to love your neighbour. 

252
00:16:37,680 --> 00:16:42,400
It was incredibly holy, 
powerful, because when you take 

253
00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:48,400
a life that God gave his life 
for, that is as precious as 

254
00:16:48,400 --> 00:16:50,680
anything. 
When you show compassion and 

255
00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:54,560
love that person. 
It involves seeing He saw he 

256
00:16:54,560 --> 00:16:57,000
couldn't walk away. 
It involved caring. 

257
00:16:57,080 --> 00:17:00,480
He took pity on him. 
He was moved by the person and 

258
00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:05,079
the situation. 
He couldn't help it. 

259
00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:08,760
It involved doing. 
He went to him. 

260
00:17:08,839 --> 00:17:12,440
He bandaged his wounds, poured 
on the oil and the wine. 

261
00:17:13,960 --> 00:17:18,119
The wine acted as an antiseptic 
to cleanse the infection. 

262
00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:21,160
The oil relieved the pain, 
protected the wound. 

263
00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:25,480
It involved doing pouring on oil
and wine. 

264
00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:33,680
It involved time, just casually.
The Bible says the next day he 

265
00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:40,160
he'd been there, a day he loved 
by giving time. 

266
00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:46,720
And it involved cost. 
He took out two dinari, A 

267
00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:52,040
labour's full day's wage money. 
Other costs were involved. 

268
00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:54,640
If it's any more, I'll let you 
have it. 

269
00:17:57,480 --> 00:18:01,920
He loved his neighbour. 
So why is not loving our 

270
00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:05,000
neighbour the same today? 
I think it is. 

271
00:18:06,120 --> 00:18:11,320
Loving our neighbour today 
firstly involves seeing when he 

272
00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:17,240
saw him, He lost people of the 
Father's highest priority when 

273
00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:22,760
we see them as he sees them. 
Because I think in the vision of

274
00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:26,640
God that occasionally I managed 
to get myself in that place, but

275
00:18:26,640 --> 00:18:30,880
I'd like to live there. 
The focus of what's most 

276
00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:34,680
important to Him is not always 
the focus of what's so important

277
00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:37,760
to me. 
Because people are always his 

278
00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:40,440
highest priority. 
He sees them. 

279
00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:48,080
God can see everyone who's sad, 
everyone who's broken, everyone 

280
00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:51,280
who's suicidal. 
He sees everyone who's 

281
00:18:51,280 --> 00:18:54,560
desperate, who longs for 
something that they haven't 

282
00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:57,600
managed to see in their lives. 
He feels it. 

283
00:18:57,880 --> 00:19:00,480
He sees it. 
I want to pray. 

284
00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:04,080
Open my eyes, Lord, to see the 
things that are important to 

285
00:19:04,120 --> 00:19:09,080
you, what's important to you, 
the person on their own, the 

286
00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:12,920
person in need, the person who 
needs help, the person who we 

287
00:19:12,920 --> 00:19:20,120
stop and listen to for a moment.
It involves seeing, which means 

288
00:19:20,120 --> 00:19:22,440
we need to be ready. 
We need to be asking for 

289
00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:25,640
opportunities, which means we 
need to be listening, open, 

290
00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:30,200
praying, waiting. 
It's what it means to see. 

291
00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:33,760
Yesterday I got home, went 
through my message because I was

292
00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:37,040
excited because Susan was coming
back after a pastor meeting and 

293
00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:40,920
I was going to have a BLT 
sandwich and a doughnut. 

294
00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:43,480
I was so excited about the 
doughnut. 

295
00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:50,560
It was on the table waiting for 
me, beckoning me, so excited. 

296
00:19:50,560 --> 00:19:54,440
So I was preparing the message 
in anticipation of speaking, but

297
00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:57,440
probably mostly for the sandwich
and the doughnut. 

298
00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:00,360
And she came up to me and she 
said, I've just seen a man on 

299
00:20:00,360 --> 00:20:02,560
the street, you need to go and 
invite him to Christmas. 

300
00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:06,840
Now I have to tell you, in that 
moment I was not fully dressed. 

301
00:20:08,120 --> 00:20:10,040
I was also focused on my 
message. 

302
00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:14,040
Why would I want to spend time 
talking to a neighbour when I'm 

303
00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:17,080
preparing a message about loving
my neighbour? 

304
00:20:17,320 --> 00:20:21,200
Do you not understand, Susan? 
And I said, now I'm going to 

305
00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:24,920
feel guilty if I preach and I 
don't run after this man. 

306
00:20:25,120 --> 00:20:29,240
So I put this coat on and ran 
down the road to see this man 

307
00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:32,880
who'd got this enormous dog with
him because I met him a few 

308
00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:36,160
months ago on the golf course 
near our house. 

309
00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:39,080
And and I went to talk to him 
and we chatted, just retired and

310
00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:42,760
all this lot and I'm out. 
I'd only run up the road and I 

311
00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:46,000
was out of breath thinking I 
need to get even fitter. 

312
00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:51,800
But I love myself as I am. 
And I invited him to come next 

313
00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:53,480
week. 
May come, may come. 

314
00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:57,120
It involves seeing. 
Secondly, involves caring. 

315
00:20:57,800 --> 00:21:00,640
He took pity on him. 
Pity. 

316
00:21:02,360 --> 00:21:06,520
How do we care? 
Well, we love ourselves. 

317
00:21:07,360 --> 00:21:10,560
Get rid of your rubbish. 
Because if you don't, every time

318
00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:13,160
you talk to somebody, you talk 
about how it was hard for you 

319
00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:15,920
and how you were rejected and 
how it was difficult. 

320
00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:19,120
And let me tell you about what? 
And you live there for the rest 

321
00:21:19,120 --> 00:21:23,760
of your life. 
Get to the cross, cry your 

322
00:21:23,760 --> 00:21:26,200
tears, get free. 
And all of a sudden when you're 

323
00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:29,600
there, you talk about this 
person and their needs and how 

324
00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:31,680
they are. 
And it's so much better. 

325
00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:37,520
You get your rubbish dealt with.
You get your relationship with 

326
00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:39,680
God tender. 
I spoke to a man recently. 

327
00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:42,640
I saw him come in and I just 
thought this man's struggling. 

328
00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:45,400
And I thought I'll ask him. 
And he came and I said, how are 

329
00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:47,280
you? 
And he said I'm all right. 

330
00:21:47,280 --> 00:21:50,000
I said no, talk to me. 
And of course it's the same 

331
00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:53,800
every time. 
It's the same every time I'm 

332
00:21:53,800 --> 00:21:54,520
struggling. 
Why? 

333
00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:59,960
Well, I've stopped praying. 
I don't really get to my Bible. 

334
00:22:00,360 --> 00:22:02,720
I'm not communicating well with 
the person I'm with. 

335
00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:07,840
Giving's really difficult. 
My life feels disorganised. 

336
00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:11,160
And it's you want to be caring, 
but to say, can I just give you 

337
00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:16,400
a really start reading the Bible
again, start praying again, Put 

338
00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:20,240
every Tuesday night between 8:00
and 8:30 a communication time 

339
00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:24,200
together. 
Get your giving sorted, get a 

340
00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:28,040
diary out and plan ahead. 
Hey, it doesn't sound very 

341
00:22:28,040 --> 00:22:29,720
spiritual, but honestly it's 
caring. 

342
00:22:30,320 --> 00:22:33,120
Just got to say it in the right 
way, not exasperated. 

343
00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:37,960
It involves caring, a heart 
response and compassion, A 

344
00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:39,560
kindness, a love that springs 
up. 

345
00:22:39,760 --> 00:22:42,840
Sometimes when the compassion of
Jesus comes upon you, it can 

346
00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:45,880
overwhelm you. 
You you suddenly realise that 

347
00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:47,760
you deeply care about the 
situation. 

348
00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:51,720
Susan was praying with somebody 
this week and she just began to 

349
00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:56,880
weep uncontrollably because she 
felt a little bit of his 

350
00:22:56,880 --> 00:22:59,440
compassion for this person she 
was praying with. 

351
00:22:59,720 --> 00:23:02,320
And it's a beautiful thing, you,
you can get a miracle in that 

352
00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:06,360
moment. 
We need to love the people and 

353
00:23:06,360 --> 00:23:08,080
have a heart for those around 
us. 

354
00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:12,040
I've got my work to do of you. 
My heart isn't always there. 

355
00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:18,160
I don't like inconvenience. 
Perhaps you really, really don't

356
00:23:18,160 --> 00:23:21,840
like inconvenience. 
I don't want to complain. 

357
00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:26,240
As a first response, ask 
yourself, do I complain? 

358
00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:30,760
Is that, is that how I complain?
It was late, it was cold. 

359
00:23:30,760 --> 00:23:33,680
It was it was rather than it was
lovely. 

360
00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:35,360
And I'm grateful. 
And what a privilege. 

361
00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:39,960
Don't be a complainer. 
Be a celebrator. 

362
00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:46,080
Thank you so much. 
It involves caring. 

363
00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:50,880
Thirdly, it involves loving your
neighbour doing he went to him 

364
00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:55,360
doing, which means this be a 
good boss. 

365
00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:59,120
If you have employees, be a 
great boss. 

366
00:23:59,720 --> 00:24:02,800
So that if we get all your 
employees here they all go. 

367
00:24:03,320 --> 00:24:07,920
He she great boss. 
Be a great employee. 

368
00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:12,000
So if we get your manager and 
your boss, here they go. 

369
00:24:13,080 --> 00:24:16,800
Great employee. 
Let your work ethic be strong. 

370
00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:22,920
Stop leaving dead on time. 
Stop miserable. 

371
00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:24,480
That's it. 
I'm gone. 

372
00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:26,680
No, do an extra few minutes. 
Why? 

373
00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:29,840
Because it's love. 
It's loving your neighbour. 

374
00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:35,480
Be a good neighbour. 
Be a good son. 

375
00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:38,600
Be a good daughter, a brother, a
sister, a friend. 

376
00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:44,160
Be positive before we gossip. 
Stop being a gossip if you are. 

377
00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:49,160
Be friendly. 
It involves doing. 

378
00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:52,560
Be practically. 
Stop, pray, help with the 

379
00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:54,280
gardening of your little 
neighbour. 

380
00:24:55,360 --> 00:24:58,320
Bake a cake if you can, bake if 
you can't. 

381
00:24:58,320 --> 00:24:59,720
It might not be seen as a 
blessing. 

382
00:25:00,120 --> 00:25:04,280
Buy a cake, buy a cake. 
If you can't bake, be there. 

383
00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:09,200
Never give up. 
It involves time. 

384
00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:15,360
The next day, the next day. 
How are we connecting with our 

385
00:25:15,360 --> 00:25:17,800
neighbours, with our work 
colleagues, with those we see on

386
00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:19,560
the bus? 
There's somebody you've seen 

387
00:25:19,560 --> 00:25:23,800
often in a shop. 
Ask and pause. 

388
00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:26,000
Build a bridge, help with a 
task. 

389
00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:29,720
Stop. 
My neighbour's mother died the 

390
00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:31,400
other day. 
She was in her 90s. 

391
00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:35,920
Susan had already done her part.
I went round. 

392
00:25:35,920 --> 00:25:39,320
I sat next to her on the sofa. 
I said tell me all about your 

393
00:25:39,320 --> 00:25:42,840
mum. 
It's not hard to do, I don't 

394
00:25:42,840 --> 00:25:45,200
always get it right. 
She talked about her mum and her

395
00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:47,840
childhood and her sisters, some 
of the challenges, some of the 

396
00:25:47,840 --> 00:25:50,960
joys and what the funeral could 
look like. 

397
00:25:51,080 --> 00:25:55,680
It involves time, love, your 
neighbour and it involves cost. 

398
00:25:56,120 --> 00:26:00,720
He took out two Daenerys a day's
wages cost. 

399
00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:05,680
Practise your story so that you 
can Share your story in 30 

400
00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:10,760
seconds. 
Tell your story of what God's 

401
00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:13,360
been doing in you, the bits that
you've been easy, the bits that 

402
00:26:13,360 --> 00:26:18,160
have been hard. 
Talk about what God is helping 

403
00:26:18,160 --> 00:26:20,920
you with in your life, what he's
done. 

404
00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:25,000
I was with a man this week and 
he, he was doing lots of 

405
00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:28,680
practical jobs for me because I 
can, I can give it a go, but I'm

406
00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:31,040
not your main man. 
If you want practical help of 

407
00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:34,680
that involve craftsmanship, I 
can. 

408
00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:37,440
I can do tasks and he was doing 
all these things. 

409
00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:41,520
I was driving him round and and 
he got to the 16th task he was 

410
00:26:41,520 --> 00:26:42,680
doing for me. 
He says, David, I'm going to 

411
00:26:42,680 --> 00:26:45,160
need to sit down for a minute 
because we've been going so 

412
00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:46,440
quick. 
And they said to Susan, where 

413
00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:48,960
does he get his energy? 
And she said, you know where he 

414
00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:51,520
gets it from? 
He gets it from Jesus. 

415
00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:56,960
I love it. 
That man sent me a text on 

416
00:26:56,960 --> 00:27:00,480
Monday saying me and my partner 
6:00 PM next week. 

417
00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:02,560
That's good for us. 
I'm believing he's going to sit 

418
00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:08,920
with me, going to get get saved.
It involves cost. 

419
00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:14,760
Buy your neighbours a gift this 
Christmas, especially if they're

420
00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:17,440
noisy. 
Bless them. 

421
00:27:18,480 --> 00:27:22,400
If the fencing breaks down and 
it's their cost, make a little 

422
00:27:22,400 --> 00:27:26,000
contribution. 
It can open up the gift, The 

423
00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:29,240
proverb writer says, makes way 
for the giver. 

424
00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:34,800
A gift makes way for the giver. 
Never be mean with neighbours. 

425
00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:42,000
Don't. 
In our first house, the next 

426
00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:45,560
door neighbours, Tom and Sheila,
he used to fry bacon at 3:00 in 

427
00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:49,800
the morning. 
Honestly, he was, He was a 

428
00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:55,920
unique character and they did 
not get on, but their grandson 

429
00:27:55,920 --> 00:27:58,840
had his bike nicked and Susan 
felt the Lord speak to her. 

430
00:27:59,200 --> 00:28:03,400
She said let's buy him a bike. 
So we bought a bike for our 

431
00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:07,360
neighbour and it changed our 
relationship, changed our 

432
00:28:07,360 --> 00:28:11,760
relationship bridges. 
It meant more to them that we'd 

433
00:28:11,760 --> 00:28:17,080
done that. 
All of these are part of loving 

434
00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:20,040
our neighbour. 
It costs. 

435
00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:24,400
Do you need to see, do you need 
to care? 

436
00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:26,920
Do you need to do? 
Do you need to give time? 

437
00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:30,080
Do you need to invest in a cost?
Do you need to do something? 

438
00:28:30,080 --> 00:28:31,880
This is the greatest 
commandment. 

439
00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:37,800
Love your neighbour as you love 
yourself, loving God all your 

440
00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:42,800
heart, soul, mind and strength 
and loving yourself so that you 

441
00:28:42,800 --> 00:28:46,680
can love your neighbour. 
This is a gospel. 

442
00:28:48,200 --> 00:28:53,800
This is so powerful. 
Love him, love yourself, love 

443
00:28:53,800 --> 00:28:56,520
your neighbour. 
See them, care for them, serve 

444
00:28:56,520 --> 00:28:58,920
them, give time to them. 
Invest in them. 

445
00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:01,280
Right now, pause and think about
your neighbours. 

446
00:29:01,280 --> 00:29:03,560
Go on. 
The person who works on the desk

447
00:29:03,560 --> 00:29:09,000
near you, The teacher who always
in the school classroom takes 

448
00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:13,800
their tea bag out and leaves it 
on the the surface for you to 

449
00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:15,240
put away. 
Think about them. 

450
00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:22,600
Pray for them now. 
Pray for a brother or a sister, 

451
00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:26,120
a friend, someone you know. 
The Lord's just spoken to you 

452
00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:28,960
about a name. 
Right now you've got a face, 

453
00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:31,240
it's come to you. 
Love your neighbour, Love your 

454
00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:32,720
neighbour. 
Send them a text. 

455
00:29:33,480 --> 00:29:36,200
Tell them there's hope. 
Somebody you fell out with. 

456
00:29:36,640 --> 00:29:40,080
Write to them. 
As much as it depends on you, 

457
00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:43,520
the Bible says leave at peace 
with everyone back. 

458
00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:47,320
That's hard. 
Sometimes it's hard, but you can

459
00:29:47,320 --> 00:29:51,480
do everything you can. 
Bless somebody that hates you 

460
00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:55,360
this year. 
Pray for your neighbours. 

461
00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:59,960
Pray for your neighbours. 
Pray for your neighbours. 

462
00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:01,920
Go and speak their names out 
right now. 

463
00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:05,160
Go and speak the names of 
neighbours, whatever it is, 

464
00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:08,640
people that you love. 
What about a husband that's not 

465
00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:13,640
yet a Christian, Nora, a son or 
a daughter away from him? 

466
00:30:13,640 --> 00:30:16,680
Go and speak their names out. 
Your physical neighbours, The 

467
00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:19,880
person in the flat underneath 
you that you sometimes say 

468
00:30:19,880 --> 00:30:23,160
crying at night. 
Pray for them, pray for them. 

469
00:30:23,320 --> 00:30:25,520
Love your neighbour, Love your 
neighbour. 

470
00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:33,240
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine 

471
00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:37,440
upon you and be gracious to you.
The Lord turn his face towards 

472
00:30:37,440 --> 00:30:39,160
you and give you peace.