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Hi, I'm Pip, it's nice to see 
you all and if you've been with 

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us over the last few weeks, 
you'll know that we've been 

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looking at the book of Joshua 
and his life. 

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And today we come to the final 
chapters of the story, if you 

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like. 
It's been a journey from 

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Jordan's Edge through to like 
Jericho, walls falling down 

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through victory and defeat, and 
the people have entered the land

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that they were promised. 
Battles have been won and lost, 

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and the land has been kind of 
given to the different families.

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And now we come to this scene 
right at the end of Joshua's 

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life. 
He's an old man, and he's 

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standing before the people, and 
he's looking back on all that 

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God has done, and he's reminding
the people of what has happened.

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So Joshua stands before the 
people with one last plea. 

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And often if you think about 
people's last words, if you know

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they're going to be your last 
words, they're often really 

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important. 
They're things that you really 

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want other people to know. 
So as we look at what Joshua 

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said, we're just going to pull 
out a few things this morning. 

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So if you've got a Bible, can 
you turn to Joshua chapter 24? 

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And that's the kind of chapter 
we're going to be looking at a 

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little bit this morning. 
If you if you've not got 1, you 

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can grab one from out there or 
look on the screen. 

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It should be on this. 
So we're just going to read the 

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first few verses of Joshua 24. 
OK, so then Joshua assembled all

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the tribes of Israel at Shechem.
He summoned the elders, leaders,

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judges and officials, officials 
of Israel, and they presented 

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themselves before God. 
Joshua said to all the people, 

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this is what the Lord the God of
Israel says. 

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Long ago, your ancestors, 
including Terror, the father of 

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Abraham and Nehor, lived beyond 
the Euphrates River and 

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worshipped other gods. 
But I took your father Abraham 

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from the land beyond the 
Euphrates and led him throughout

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Canaan and gave him many 
descendants. 

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We're going to leave it there 
just for a minute. 

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So God says this is what people 
were doing beforehand. 

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But I took your father Abraham, 
and this is the way that we 

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went. 
I brought you out of Egypt. 

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I brought you into this land. 
And as Joshua speaks, what 

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follows is this whole kind of 
looking back at all that God had

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done, the age-old story of his 
hand on the people and of his 

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faithfulness to them. 
So as we look at this story, we 

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have this invitation, if you 
like, for us to look back and 

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remember to remember what God 
has done. 

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Remember that I have been with 
you, He says. 

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Remember that I have done these 
things for you. 

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None of it has been on your own 
hand. 

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I've brought you out. 
You're called to hire things. 

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You've been saved. 
You're saved people for whom I 

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have plans and a purpose. 
And I don't know about you, but 

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when we look back over our own 
lives and over maybe the lives 

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of those who've gone before or 
those that are around us, maybe 

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we see the faithfulness of God 
and we can't help but be 

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thankful that He's been with us 
through the hard things and 

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through the good things and 
gratitude. 

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When we're thankful, it grows 
trust. 

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It grows obedience in us. 
It's like our very souls breathe

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a huge sigh of relief as we 
remember who God is. 

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God, I have known you to be true
in my life and in the lives of 

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those around me. 
You have always been who you say

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you are. 
That's what happens when we 

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remember and it causes us to 
believe again and trust again. 

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And when we take time, just just
sit with God. 

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Sometimes what I do is I write 
and just like jot notes down or 

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jot thoughts down about, you 
know, what I'm thinking, what 

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I'm feeling, what God's saying 
to me about those things and 

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what he's showing me about 
himself and about me. 

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And so I write in these like 
little books, like blank, like 

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little journal things. 
And I've done this for like 

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years and years. 
I would, I would not want anyone

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else to look in my journals like
I am proper raw in my journals 

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like. 
And so, yeah, that's like from 

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from my eyes only if I look back
on them, I see time and time 

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again the faithfulness of gods. 
Like I used to be someone. 

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And for those of you who don't 
know me very well, I used to be 

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someone who was really, really 
full of fear. 

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Like that is the place that I've
come from. 

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Like I didn't even know that I 
was fearful until God started 

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saying, should we take a look at
this? 

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And as I've experienced God's 
love for me more and more over 

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the years, Jesus has changed and
is changing me. 

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And I am much less fearful than 
I was as I've gotten to know 

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this steady love of Jesus and 
walking with him. 

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And there's a theologian called 
NT, right? 

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And he says you don't know where
you're going until you 

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understand where you've come 
from. 

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Like I have come from a place of
fear. 

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I absolutely know that to be 
part of my story, but Jesus is 

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changing me as I'm walking with 
him. 

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And maybe you've got, if you've 
been a Christian a while or 

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reading the Bible a while, a 
while, maybe you've got 

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significant dates or scribbles 
in the margins of your Bible. 

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I know that even as I say that 
there's someone in here that is 

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absolutely like on edge because 
they just can't bear to write in

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a book. 
But you know, there we go, 

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Caroline. 
But for those of us that do just

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scribble in our margins and 
write things about, you know, 

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maybe like God as God, you've 
really met me as I've read this 

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verse and it was about this and 
On this date, that's a way of 

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looking back and remembering of 
looking back. 

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Jesus, you're with me then. 
Or, or maybe it's a massive 

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question around a verse, But 
then you can get to to look back

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at it. 
And often what you experience in

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that moment is like, Oh God, I 
know you to be true. 

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I know you're faithful. 
So I wanted to suggest to you 

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this morning to find a way to 
look back and trace your 

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journey. 
Find a way and look back over 

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your story and remember God's 
kindness and goodness, as well 

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as kind of maybe looking back at
things we've written or things 

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that we remember. 
That way we can also tell our 

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story. 
We tell it individually and we 

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tell it collectively as a 
family. 

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That's what we're going to be 
doing next week as we celebrate 

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our 15th birthday as a church. 
We it's going to be like a 

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remembering A celebrating and 
also looking forward. 

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There's something really 
powerful about telling our 

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story, telling someone else 
almost in the telling of it. 

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It's like, this is really, 
really true as I say this to 

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you, this is where I've come 
from. 

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This is who I was. 
This is what my life looked like

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before I encountered Jesus. 
This is what God has done for 

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me. 
This is what Jesus means to me. 

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This is who I am becoming. 
This is how I'm changing. 

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This is how I am letting Him 
shape me. 

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This is what I'm leaning into. 
This is what I'm wanting more 

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of. 
This is what God is doing in my 

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life. 
This is where I've seen His hand

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upon me. 
These have been His words to me.

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These things I know to be 
undeniably true in my life. 

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I've seen the goodness of God 
and I want to step into the 

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plans that He has for me. 
As we tell our stories, all of 

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those things happen. 
Even if our stories include 

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really hard things. 
When I look back often the words

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that then rise up in me, oh, 
words of the song that we 

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sometimes sing here, and I'm not
going to sing it to you, don't 

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worry. 
But the words go like this. 

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All my life you have been 
faithful. 

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All my life you have been so, so
good. 

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With every breath that I'm able,
I will sing of the goodness of 

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God. 
I know that there are people in 

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this room and ourselves included
as a family where we've walked 

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through really, really hard 
times. 

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And also I know that I can still
say I have seen the goodness of 

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God in our lives. 
So we remember, tell your 

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family, tell your children, tell
your friends, tell your 

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neighbors, tell those you meet, 
remember the God that we follow.

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And then Joshua says this. 
He says choose. 

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So it's remember. 
And then he says choose. 

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So we're going to flip a few 
verses forwards to verses 14 and

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15. 
So we're still in chapter 24, so

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we're going to start reading 
from verse 14. 

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OK, now fear the Lord, says 
Joshua, and serve him with all 

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faithfulness. 
Throw away the gods your 

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ancestors worshipped beyond the 
Euphrates River and in Egypt, 

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and serve the Lord. 
But if serving the Lord seems 

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undesirable to you, then choose 
for yourselves this day whom you

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will serve, whether the gods 
your ancestors serve beyond the 

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Euphrates or the gods of the 
Amorites in whose land you are 

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living. 
So there's this choice before 

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us. 
You must choose. 

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This is what I must do with what
I now know, that remembering has

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helped me to remember again, to 
know the God that I follow. 

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And I must then do something 
with that knowing, with who I 

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now know you to be God. 
I want to choose you like we 

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have to decide who will we 
serve? 

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Joshua says Now fear the Lord 
and serve him with all 

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faithfulness. 
Throw away the gods your 

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ancestors worshipped and serve 
the Lord. 

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There's a choice that's before 
each of us. 

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And Rich Nathan, who's a pastor 
in the state, says this. 

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He says faith isn't inherited, 
it's chosen. 

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Every generation has to decide 
for itself. 

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So the question for us is, are 
we going to look to God or are 

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we going to look to the things 
that are around us and the 

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things that everyone else is 
doing, the things that everyone 

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else is looking to, the things 
that just feel like the norm, 

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the things that are all around 
us in this land that we're 

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living in. 
We've got to choose, Joshua 

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says. 
This is who I'm choosing me and 

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my house. 
We're going to serve God. 

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We're going to follow him and 
give our lives to him. 

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Now, my hunch is that there's 
probably not many of us in this 

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room who've got like a full fat 
statue or idol in our living 

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room that we bow down to. 
Idols are things that we look 

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to, things that we worship, 
things that we Revere, things 

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that become an object of extreme
devotion. 

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They're things that we turn to 
and put our trust or our hope 

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in. 
They're things that capture our 

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hearts, things that we maybe 
call on to try to appease what 

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some people might call the hand 
of fate. 

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Maybe they're things we're not 
even aware of. 

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Or maybe we are, but we find 
ourselves kind of going along 

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with them anyway. 
But there's no messing with 

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Joshua's words. 
He's straight to the point. 

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He says. 
Don't mess with other goods. 

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Don't put your trust in anything
else he says in anyone except 

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God. 
Don't bow down to anything else.

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Nothing else is going to satisfy
you. 

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So maybe some of that language 
feels a little bit strange. 

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Maybe we can just put it in a 
bit more down to earth language.

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Like what am I giving myself to?
What holds my attention? 

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What am I distracted by? 
What or who do I turn to 1st? 

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What do I focus on? 
What drives me? 

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Those kind of things? 
What do I turn to 1st? 

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And what might some of those 
things look like for us? 

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Because even if we follow Jesus,
if we take a real good, deep, 

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close look at ourselves, we 
might also find that deep down 

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there's some other things 
knocking around as well. 

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So maybe what about success? 
Maybe that's our God. 

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Maybe to win, to look good, to 
get better, to be better, to 

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have more, whether that's stuff 
or money or security or, I don't

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know, social standing. 
To have a small group that 

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everyone wants to go to, to be a
church that's growing and it's 

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full of the latest God's 
stories. 

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To have a building of our own, 
like, is that a measure of 

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success? 
Are we driven by any of that? 

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What about comfort? 
Maybe deep down that's a real 

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big deal to us and we'll try to 
avoid discomfort at all costs. 

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Maybe we try to distract 
ourselves from the noise or the 

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discomfort that's within us and 
the noise or the discomfort that

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is around us by looking to other
things. 

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Maybe we major on our health, on
our own health, and maybe we 

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just spend hours scrolling or, 
you know, look at the next 

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Netflix series. 
Anything that will distract us 

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from a sense of discomfort that 
we feel inside. 

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Anything that we look to for 
something for like any kind of 

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semblance of peace. 
Maybe that's knocking around. 

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Maybe our goal is control and 
and like even if we confess 

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Jesus as Lord, when it comes to 
some things, we still really 

230
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want to say, I just want to do 
it my way. 

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I don't like your way, I want to
do it my way. 

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And the idea of surrendering 
control to anyone else, even the

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God who loves us so much, 
sometimes feels really hard. 

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Maybe when it all comes down to 
it, we trust other things or 

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people more when it comes to 
seeking help or finding our way 

236
00:14:04,680 --> 00:14:09,720
through. 
Maybe what dominates our 

237
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thinking and being is actually 
just our own selves looking 

238
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maybe for approval, seeking the 
affirmation of others. 

239
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I just want to be noticed. 
Someone just see me. 

240
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Maybe we're less willing to take
Kingdom, Kingdom of God risks 

241
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because of what we think others 
might think of us. 

242
00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:36,280
Like if any of that stuff's 
knocking around, probably got 

243
00:14:36,280 --> 00:14:39,400
some stuff for our own self, 
kind of like that's a bit of 

244
00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:42,240
focus. 
So, so who, what are we really 

245
00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:45,560
serving? 
Like I'm not standing up here 

246
00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:51,520
saying I've got this all sorted 
at all, but that it, it helped. 

247
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It pays for us to really ask 
like God, what's going on? 

248
00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:56,560
What, what, what does my heart 
really look like? 

249
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Is this stuff in here that 
you're like, should we take a 

250
00:14:59,440 --> 00:15:01,720
little look at this? 
So what are we giving our 

251
00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:03,680
attention and our hearts and our
minds to? 

252
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And if you look at ourselves 
closely, closely, we might 

253
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sometimes see some of these 
things. 

254
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But these things are not good. 
They're lesser things. 

255
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And they really do not satisfy. 
And one of the groups that I 

256
00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:23,160
follow on social media are some 
like, creative writers. 

257
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And, you know, they write bits 
of writing, I suppose, creative 

258
00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:30,000
writers. 
That's what they do, that they 

259
00:15:30,280 --> 00:15:32,000
OK, or poems and things like 
that. 

260
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They call themselves the 
psalmists, and one of their 

261
00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:39,960
recent posts said this every 
morning we are called to lay, to

262
00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:43,640
rest our attachments to the 
temporary and the trivial, 

263
00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:46,560
clinging instead to the promise 
of the gospel. 

264
00:15:46,800 --> 00:15:50,000
All things made you, all things 
restore. 

265
00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:53,680
And what I love about those 
words are the things that really

266
00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:56,760
kind of jumped out at me were 
those words about our 

267
00:15:56,760 --> 00:15:59,840
attachments to the temporary and
the trivial. 

268
00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:04,040
Like, how often do we do that? 
Maybe, maybe without him 

269
00:16:04,040 --> 00:16:09,280
realising, Like we're finding 
our security in that rather than

270
00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:12,080
looking to God. 
Why come to Jesus? 

271
00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:15,280
Why turn to Jesus? 
Why turn to Jesus first? 

272
00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:18,480
John Tyson, who's a pastor at 
the Church of the City in New 

273
00:16:18,480 --> 00:16:21,360
York, he says this. 
He says our deepest longing, our

274
00:16:21,360 --> 00:16:24,400
desire for forgiveness and rest 
are only found in Jesus. 

275
00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:28,440
You know we can find ourselves 
searching in all the wrong 

276
00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:32,480
places for these things. 
Why turn to Him when we're 

277
00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:36,120
weary, when we're tired, when 
we're sad, when we're angry, 

278
00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:41,360
when we're lonely, disappointed,
anxious, fearful, frustrated, 

279
00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:45,440
hurting, hoping, crying or 
laughing? 

280
00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:50,720
Turn to Him first, because He 
loves us, and it's only in Him 

281
00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:54,160
that our souls find rest, that 
we find what we've been looking 

282
00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:57,000
for. 
There's a U2U2 song there, isn't

283
00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:57,960
there? 
Oh, no. 

284
00:16:58,120 --> 00:16:59,600
Somewhere anyway. 
OK. 

285
00:16:59,880 --> 00:17:04,440
It's only him that satisfies. 
Everything else is just an image

286
00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:05,920
of God. 
It's just an idol. 

287
00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:09,160
It's a hollow pretence. 
It's a lesser representation. 

288
00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:12,000
It's counterfeit. 
It's a false promise. 

289
00:17:12,359 --> 00:17:18,240
It's only in his, in his 
presence, that we are held and 

290
00:17:18,240 --> 00:17:20,400
filled. 
It's only in the presence of God

291
00:17:20,599 --> 00:17:23,920
that he holds us. 
And that holding is the thing 

292
00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:28,840
that gives us security. 
The person who wrote Psalm 84 in

293
00:17:28,840 --> 00:17:32,320
verse 10 says this. 
Better is one day in your courts

294
00:17:32,320 --> 00:17:37,000
than 1000 elsewhere. 
Better is one day in your 

295
00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:41,560
courts, like better is one day 
with you God, than 1000 anywhere

296
00:17:41,560 --> 00:17:43,600
else. 
And that is the truth of it. 

297
00:17:44,720 --> 00:17:47,840
I've got people nodding at me. 
I know, I know. 

298
00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:49,760
That's what you've experienced, 
isn't it? 

299
00:17:49,800 --> 00:17:53,240
Yeah. 
If you've not yet tasted the 

300
00:17:53,240 --> 00:17:56,560
sweetness of being in the 
presence of Gods, knowing his 

301
00:17:56,560 --> 00:17:59,840
love for you, and you'd like to,
we would love to introduce you 

302
00:17:59,840 --> 00:18:05,320
to him this morning. 
So the let's not settle for 

303
00:18:05,320 --> 00:18:08,000
less. 
Let's not settle for lesser 

304
00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:10,840
things. 
And John Tyson says do not give 

305
00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:14,560
your heart to that which does 
not satisfy your heart. 

306
00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:19,600
And he says, Jesus doesn't shame
us for our desires, but he wants

307
00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:23,240
to save us from the lesser loves
that we've been chasing. 

308
00:18:23,760 --> 00:18:28,400
We chase lesser things, things 
that have no substance to them. 

309
00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:33,520
And Joshua's kind of words to 
the people are turn to God, like

310
00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:36,480
do away with these other things,
these other gods, they're lesser

311
00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:40,920
things, They're lesser loves. 
And what I'm coming to realise 

312
00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:45,840
is that anything other than 
choosing God is, if I really 

313
00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:50,360
drill down, is actually choosing
me instead of choosing him. 

314
00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:54,720
It's choosing my way of handling
things, my way of soothing 

315
00:18:54,720 --> 00:18:58,720
things, my way of trusting 
things, my ideas of what's going

316
00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:03,520
to make something better. 
And if I'm choosing me and not 

317
00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:09,240
God in that moment, I'm not 
choosing him in that moment. 

318
00:19:09,440 --> 00:19:13,960
But God's grace is endless. 
He knows that we can't do this 

319
00:19:13,960 --> 00:19:15,720
on our own. 
He knows that we fall short 

320
00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:18,160
again and again. 
And that's why he gave us Jesus 

321
00:19:18,480 --> 00:19:21,800
to cover over and to do away 
with our sin. 

322
00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:26,160
We mess up and then we suddenly 
wake up to the fact of what we 

323
00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:29,280
do when we come to this place of
coming back. 

324
00:19:29,280 --> 00:19:33,800
God, I am nothing without you. 
I have got to be in your 

325
00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:36,880
presence. 
Literally nothing else will do. 

326
00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:41,160
Everything else falls short. 
That is my whole heart's cry. 

327
00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:46,440
I want that more than anything, 
to choose Jesus in every moment.

328
00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:51,440
And so I'm like, Holy Spirit, 
would you help me to lay aside 

329
00:19:51,440 --> 00:19:57,000
my agenda and to follow you? 
So Joshua says, choose God. 

330
00:19:57,560 --> 00:20:01,760
And if you kind of Fast forward,
Jesus's words are the same. 

331
00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:04,080
Choose me, he says. 
Come to me. 

332
00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:07,960
Just as you are come to me if 
you want to flick right the way 

333
00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:11,080
through to the the New 
Testament, the first book in the

334
00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:13,760
New Testament, Matthew Chapter 
11. 

335
00:20:13,760 --> 00:20:17,280
So like whip right the way 
through kind of like good chunk 

336
00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:21,240
3/4 of the Bible. 
Matthew chapter 1128 to 30. 

337
00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:24,560
This is what Jesus says. 
He says, are you tired? 

338
00:20:24,960 --> 00:20:27,360
Are you worn out, burns out on 
religion? 

339
00:20:27,360 --> 00:20:30,480
Come to me. 
He says get away with me and 

340
00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:33,840
you'll recover your life. 
I'll show you how to take a real

341
00:20:33,840 --> 00:20:37,440
rest. 
Walk with me and work with me. 

342
00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:41,800
Watch how I do it. 
Learn the unforced rhythms of 

343
00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:44,640
grace. 
I won't lay anything heavy or 

344
00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:48,680
I'll fitting on you. 
Keep company with me and you'll 

345
00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:52,200
learn to live freely and 
lightly. 

346
00:20:54,040 --> 00:20:58,640
When we choose Jesus in any 
moment, we are choosing to be 

347
00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:02,720
with him, to walk with him. 
You know, we, I don't know if 

348
00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:08,240
you've ever kind of walked with 
someone that you love and you're

349
00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:12,360
really present to each other as 
you're walking along. 

350
00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:16,880
It's a really sweet thing. 
Walking with Someone Like You 

351
00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:20,880
don't even have to say anything.
Just being present to each other

352
00:21:20,880 --> 00:21:23,600
in that moment is a really sweet
thing. 

353
00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:27,000
And being in Jesus presence is 
like that. 

354
00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:30,920
Walking with him is like that. 
It's the sweetest thing. 

355
00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:36,000
My cup overflows with blessing 
knowing that you're by my side. 

356
00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:39,240
That's what and the psalmist 
writes in Psalm 23, It's like my

357
00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:42,240
the cup just brims over when I'm
with you. 

358
00:21:42,320 --> 00:21:46,520
Jesus choosing God is an 
invitation to life and to be 

359
00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:52,280
forever close to him with him. 
OK, So Joshua says, remember, he

360
00:21:52,280 --> 00:21:54,520
says choose. 
And then on the back of that he 

361
00:21:54,520 --> 00:22:00,760
says, like, it's going to count.
Like be all in on this verse 14.

362
00:22:00,760 --> 00:22:02,960
We've read it already. 
He says now fear the Lord and 

363
00:22:02,960 --> 00:22:05,720
serve him with all faithfulness.
Throw away the gods your 

364
00:22:05,720 --> 00:22:09,680
ancestors worship beyond the 
Euphrates River and in Egypt and

365
00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:13,640
serve the Lord. 
Half heartedness like isn't 

366
00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:16,280
enough is going it goes. 
Let's get all in with this. 

367
00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:18,960
Let's be wholehearted. 
Let's do away with everything 

368
00:22:18,960 --> 00:22:21,040
else. 
And if you listened, if you were

369
00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:24,680
here last Sunday, Ben was 
talking about how sin disrupted 

370
00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:27,000
the relationship that sustained 
the people of God. 

371
00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:30,960
And when God stopped being at 
the centre, everything fell 

372
00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:34,000
apart for them. 
And what we centre our lives on 

373
00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:37,960
will always shape us and what we
see in this passage, Joshua's 

374
00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:41,480
plea to the people to stay 
rooted to God, to be 

375
00:22:41,480 --> 00:22:45,320
wholehearted in their pursuit of
him, to look to no one else. 

376
00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:49,520
And Joshua says, you know, this 
choices you make is a big deal. 

377
00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:52,120
Don't do it lightly. 
Don't say yes lightly. 

378
00:22:52,120 --> 00:22:55,760
Count the cost because sometimes
following God is going to feel 

379
00:22:55,760 --> 00:22:58,680
hard. 
Choosing God will mean a 

380
00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:03,600
lifetime of life and adventure, 
yes, absolutely. 

381
00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:08,040
But also a lifetime of 
surrender, A lifetime of saying 

382
00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:13,640
yes to him, which often means no
to me. 

383
00:23:15,440 --> 00:23:17,240
A lifetime of saying God, I 
trust you. 

384
00:23:17,280 --> 00:23:22,080
Would you have your way in me? 
We can say yes to God on Sunday 

385
00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:24,400
whilst we're here. 
And if we're honest, maybe 

386
00:23:24,400 --> 00:23:26,600
sometimes even a little bit 
later we find ourselves 

387
00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:28,800
conflicted. 
Even on a Sunday afternoon we 

388
00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:31,560
find ourselves wanting to follow
something else. 

389
00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:36,080
Like by the time the afternoon 
comes when I'm angry with 

390
00:23:36,080 --> 00:23:40,240
someone and Jesus goes, oh, 
should we do something about 

391
00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:42,240
that? 
And I'm like, can I just hold on

392
00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:43,440
to that a little bit longer 
please? 

393
00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:48,520
If we follow Jesus, we are 
called to do it wholeheartedly, 

394
00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:53,000
to choose Him again and again, 
to follow His lead, to listen 

395
00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:59,160
and to respond to His voice, to 
allow Him to shape us and form 

396
00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:01,880
us. 
It's like an ongoing, daily, 

397
00:24:02,120 --> 00:24:07,000
moment by moment choosing that 
we're invited to do a moment by 

398
00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:11,560
moment surrender and are quickly
coming back to Him when we fall 

399
00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:13,920
short. 
There's nothing half hearted 

400
00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:16,920
about it. 
It involves our whole being. 

401
00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:22,880
There's a song that we sometimes
sing here called Tend. 

402
00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:27,400
It's a dangerous song. 
Some of the words go like this. 

403
00:24:27,400 --> 00:24:30,880
Be the gardener of my soul, Tend
the soil of my soul. 

404
00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:34,440
Break up the fallow ground, cut 
back the overgrown. 

405
00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:37,920
And I won't shy away. 
I will let the branches fall so 

406
00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:41,840
that what you want can stay and 
what you love can grow. 

407
00:24:44,040 --> 00:24:49,360
We sang it a few weeks ago and 
God took me at my word and he 

408
00:24:49,360 --> 00:24:53,280
has been showing me some stuff 
these last few weeks that like 

409
00:24:53,280 --> 00:24:56,160
stuff that's just become 
overgrown in my heart, some 

410
00:24:56,160 --> 00:25:00,600
heart stuff. 
And he's just been saying, why 

411
00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:04,120
don't we cut this back like this
isn't that good? 

412
00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:07,240
This isn't healthy. 
And when we say yes to God and 

413
00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:10,360
we say, Lord, would you give me,
I, I give you free rein in my 

414
00:25:10,360 --> 00:25:12,840
life. 
He invites us to step into that 

415
00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:17,120
change that he offers, but we 
have to also do that. 

416
00:25:17,520 --> 00:25:20,920
Sometimes that feels easy and 
sometimes that feels really hard

417
00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:25,360
because it involves us trusting 
Him and His way of doing things.

418
00:25:26,360 --> 00:25:28,840
And truth is, sometimes we don't
want to give up on our own way. 

419
00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:32,160
We want to do it our own way. 
Joshua says. 

420
00:25:32,160 --> 00:25:34,000
Throw away the stuff that you've
been used to doing. 

421
00:25:34,640 --> 00:25:37,440
Throw away the way that you've 
always been used to do things 

422
00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:40,640
and follow God and serve Him 
with all faithfulness. 

423
00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:47,120
When we get it wrong, we quickly
come back and as we go on this 

424
00:25:47,120 --> 00:25:49,400
journey with God, he is so, so 
kind. 

425
00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:57,760
He's so gracious with us. 
Simon Ponsonby, who is a teacher

426
00:25:57,760 --> 00:26:02,160
in in Oxford, teacher preacher 
in Oxford, he says we're saved 

427
00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:06,840
by grace, but grace empowers us 
to follow wholeheartedly. 

428
00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:12,480
When we get it wrong, we 
experience the grace of God and 

429
00:26:12,480 --> 00:26:14,400
that equips us to follow him 
again. 

430
00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:19,280
So when we experience his grace,
he changes us and it it's like 

431
00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:21,600
it kind of compels us to follow 
him. 

432
00:26:21,600 --> 00:26:23,720
It reminds us of who God is 
again. 

433
00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:27,280
So Holy Spirit, my prayer is 
Holy Spirit, would you come? 

434
00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:31,080
Like, I really mean this, would 
you come and have access to 

435
00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:37,040
every area of my life? 
It is a really dangerous prayer 

436
00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:42,240
to pray, but I really do want 
that because I know that it is 

437
00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:44,560
what's best for me and best for 
those around me. 

438
00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:47,640
It's it gives, it will give me 
life. 

439
00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:51,120
Anything less than that is is 
not living. 

440
00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:54,840
So Joshua says, remember, 
choose, be all in. 

441
00:26:54,840 --> 00:26:57,400
And then he says when you 
choose, choose this day. 

442
00:26:57,400 --> 00:27:00,440
I don't know if any of you are 
good at making a list. 

443
00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:05,840
I'm a big list person, you know,
things that I need to do today, 

444
00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:07,360
things that I need to do this 
week. 

445
00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:11,240
I'm also really good at carrying
things over to the next day 

446
00:27:11,840 --> 00:27:14,200
because I've kind of not got 
through my list. 

447
00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:17,520
In fact, there's I was joking 
about that with someone at 

448
00:27:17,520 --> 00:27:22,200
Growbaby this week, because for 
a few weeks now we have photos 

449
00:27:22,200 --> 00:27:25,040
of all the team up on on the 
wall and we've had a newish 

450
00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:28,800
couple of newish members of team
and for one reason or another, 

451
00:27:29,520 --> 00:27:31,880
I've not quite got around to 
putting some of their photos up 

452
00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:35,920
on the wall at each week. 
I'm like, I still haven't done 

453
00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:37,480
it, done it. 
And one of them came up to me 

454
00:27:37,480 --> 00:27:39,520
this week and it's like, where's
my photo? 

455
00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:42,280
And I was like, I showed her my 
phone. 

456
00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:44,920
I showed her my list. 
I said, look, it's on my list. 

457
00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:46,520
I'm really sorry, I've not done 
it yet. 

458
00:27:46,920 --> 00:27:50,680
Choose this day, choose this 
moment that says Joshua, don't 

459
00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:53,440
put it off. 
A choosing means doing something

460
00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:57,040
with the choice that we make. 
We can't choose for yesterday 

461
00:27:57,040 --> 00:27:58,960
that's been and gone. 
We can. 

462
00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:02,920
We can't choose for anyone else,
but we can choose for ourselves.

463
00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:07,080
This day. 
It's not about choosing once 

464
00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:12,720
we've got our act together or 
when life comes down or when 

465
00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:16,280
we're not quite so busy. 
You know that most of our life 

466
00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:19,160
actually happens in the in 
between times, right? 

467
00:28:19,160 --> 00:28:22,560
You know, like I'll choose this 
when this happens, but actually 

468
00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:25,720
all of life happens before this 
thing happens. 

469
00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:32,680
Choose this day, says Joshua. 
Choose this moment and then this

470
00:28:32,680 --> 00:28:36,880
moment, and then choose this 
moment and then choose this 

471
00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:40,760
moment to follow Jesus. 
It's like this ongoing yielding 

472
00:28:40,760 --> 00:28:44,040
of our hearts to God. 
So going back to what I said 

473
00:28:44,040 --> 00:28:49,520
about that dangerous song and 
like, and what God's doing with 

474
00:28:49,520 --> 00:28:52,880
me and that he said to me, you 
know, I let's cut back this 

475
00:28:52,880 --> 00:28:57,120
thing that's gotten overgrown. 
And I really, really want to do 

476
00:28:57,120 --> 00:29:00,680
that. 
But then I have a choice with 

477
00:29:00,680 --> 00:29:04,400
that in each moment, I have a 
choice that whenever that thing 

478
00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:10,760
comes up, do I choose this day? 
Do I choose this moment even if 

479
00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:12,840
it feels really hard or 
uncomfortable? 

480
00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:17,000
Do I choose to trust God in this
moment, or do I do what I've 

481
00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:19,680
always been doing, which is why 
this thing has grown? 

482
00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:24,360
Yeah. 
We have a choice in this moment,

483
00:29:24,360 --> 00:29:27,080
and it's an invitation to a 
better way of living. 

484
00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:30,080
I can promise you that. 
The way of God is a better way 

485
00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:34,280
of living than our own ways. 
Jay Pathak. 

486
00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:36,880
He's a been your pastor in the 
States. 

487
00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:39,480
He says spiritual formation 
begins with a choice. 

488
00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:42,640
God won't force you into depth. 
You have to say yes. 

489
00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:46,760
It's so this choosing is like a 
moment by moment. 

490
00:29:47,520 --> 00:29:50,560
OK, Yes to you, God, no to me, 
yes to you. 

491
00:29:51,280 --> 00:29:53,160
So do I choose in this moment to
forgive? 

492
00:29:53,480 --> 00:29:56,680
Do I choose in this moment to 
surrender, to serve, to take 

493
00:29:56,680 --> 00:29:59,800
what feels like a big risk, a 
risk of faith? 

494
00:29:59,800 --> 00:30:04,080
Do I choose you, Lord, in this 
moment to let you lead me and 

495
00:30:04,080 --> 00:30:07,520
shape me and change my heart and
love me? 

496
00:30:07,520 --> 00:30:11,840
Do I choose you instead of me? 
Do I trust you instead of me? 

497
00:30:12,120 --> 00:30:15,760
Do I hold fast to you instead of
me? 

498
00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:19,840
Do I turn my attention to you in
this moment? 

499
00:30:20,600 --> 00:30:22,920
That's what choosing this day 
is. 

500
00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:27,080
It's choosing in a series of 
ongoing moments to step into the

501
00:30:27,080 --> 00:30:30,880
life that God has for us, His 
plans, His purposes. 

502
00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:38,600
Because nothing else is going to
satisfy to choose this day, to 

503
00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:43,240
choose Jesus again and again. 
And as we do that, it impacts 

504
00:30:43,240 --> 00:30:46,920
our families. 
It impacts those around us and 

505
00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:50,720
we can say, As for me and my 
house, we will serve the Lord. 

506
00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:53,480
That's how that's what Joshua 
says at the end. 

507
00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:58,080
So we remember, we choose. 
It's all in. 

508
00:30:58,400 --> 00:31:05,080
And this day, we're going to 
respond in a minute by having 

509
00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:08,680
communion. 
And in case this is new to you, 

510
00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:11,200
I just want to tell you a little
bit about what that looks like. 

511
00:31:11,200 --> 00:31:12,760
I'm waiting for the youth are 
going to come back. 

512
00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:14,440
Some of the youth are going to 
serve. 

513
00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:18,120
So I'm really hoping they come 
back soon, but let me just tell 

514
00:31:18,120 --> 00:31:20,320
you a little bit about what 
Communion looks like for those 

515
00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:22,360
of you who might not know even 
what it is. 

516
00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:27,880
So God sent his Son Jesus to die
for us on the cross, to pay the 

517
00:31:27,880 --> 00:31:31,200
price for all the mess that is 
in our lives and all the mess 

518
00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:36,040
that is in this world, so that 
we can forever be his friends. 

519
00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:40,480
And to remember this, what we do
is we we remember that dying on 

520
00:31:40,480 --> 00:31:44,320
the cross. 
We take a piece of bread and we 

521
00:31:44,320 --> 00:31:46,640
drink some juice that looks like
wine. 

522
00:31:46,640 --> 00:31:52,160
So the bread reminds us of Jesus
body and the wine, but actually 

523
00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:57,720
we do juice and reminds us of 
his blood poured out. 

524
00:31:58,120 --> 00:32:02,200
So I'm hoping I can see the 
youth coming in. 

525
00:32:05,760 --> 00:32:08,520
Ben, Ben, could you just give 
it? 

526
00:32:08,520 --> 00:32:12,480
Just say, Are you ready? 
It just looks like having a 

527
00:32:12,480 --> 00:32:16,520
chat. 
OK, so in a minute, the youth 

528
00:32:16,520 --> 00:32:17,920
are going to come. 
Oh, brilliant. 

529
00:32:18,040 --> 00:32:22,040
Are they coming? 
Oh, let's not do that then. 

530
00:32:22,040 --> 00:32:24,760
Abby, can you help? 
OK, you step in. 

531
00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:31,360
So, OK, Abby, let's just say the
first two youth or Abby and 

532
00:32:31,360 --> 00:32:34,360
Jake's, It's going to end up a 
youth and a youth leader. 

533
00:32:34,360 --> 00:32:40,360
Abby, be if you hold, if you 
pick up the wine and someone 

534
00:32:40,360 --> 00:32:42,960
else is going to hold the bread 
in a minute. 

535
00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:45,800
Brilliant. 
But before we do that, yeah, 

536
00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:50,840
let's just think a little bit 
about what happened when Jesus 

537
00:32:50,840 --> 00:32:53,920
took the last, did the Last 
Supper with his friends. 

538
00:32:54,360 --> 00:33:03,640
So he took some bread and he 
broke it and he said, this is 

539
00:33:03,640 --> 00:33:05,040
what's going to happen to my 
body. 

540
00:33:05,160 --> 00:33:08,560
Like this is my body broken for 
you because I love you. 

541
00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:12,000
And he said, when you eat the 
bread, remember, remember that I

542
00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:13,720
love you. 
Remember that I do this. 

543
00:33:14,480 --> 00:33:18,120
And in the same way then he took
the cup and he said, this is my 

544
00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:25,200
blood poured out for you. 
And I don't know if you think 

545
00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:30,200
about it like this, but like 
when you go to someone's house 

546
00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:32,480
and they start to pour you a 
glass. 

547
00:33:38,960 --> 00:33:50,000
That's polite, yeah, But when 
they keep pouring, they want you

548
00:33:50,000 --> 00:34:05,460
to stay. 
And when it overflows, they 

549
00:34:05,460 --> 00:34:18,090
never want you to leave. 
It's messy when you're in the 

550
00:34:18,090 --> 00:34:24,040
presence of the king, your cup 
overflows and he doesn't want 

551
00:34:24,040 --> 00:34:30,199
you to leave. 
That's what it's about, the 

552
00:34:30,239 --> 00:34:31,960
cross. 
He doesn't want you to leave. 

553
00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:35,239
He always wants us to be in his 
presence. 

554
00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:44,560
So as we take the bread and 
drink the cup, we're going to 

555
00:34:44,560 --> 00:34:49,199
remember the price that he paid 
so that we never have to leave. 

556
00:34:54,600 --> 00:34:59,000
It might be that this is the 
first time you've seen 

557
00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:01,640
communion. 
It might be that you feel far 

558
00:35:01,640 --> 00:35:03,760
away from God. 
But if you're walking towards 

559
00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:07,960
Jesus, we would invite you to 
come and join in with this. 

560
00:35:08,840 --> 00:35:11,960
If you're walking towards Jesus,
no matter how far away that you 

561
00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:14,440
think you are, this is a moment 
for you. 

562
00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:17,840
And what we're going to do is 
we're just going to play a 

563
00:35:17,840 --> 00:35:20,600
little bit of music maybe. 
Yeah, James is going to put a 

564
00:35:20,600 --> 00:35:27,040
song on and just as and when 
you're ready, just calm and take

565
00:35:27,040 --> 00:35:29,000
a piece of the bread. 
There's a gluten free option 

566
00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:30,720
that's on the table if you'd 
prefer that. 

567
00:35:31,560 --> 00:35:38,320
And calm and grab a glass of 
wine, stroke juice and take it 

568
00:35:38,320 --> 00:35:41,600
back with you. 
And just spend that time quiet 

569
00:35:42,120 --> 00:35:46,240
with Jesus as the song plays. 
And then after the song is 

570
00:35:46,240 --> 00:35:50,720
finished, then we're just going 
to see what else God might want 

571
00:35:50,720 --> 00:35:52,000
to do and pray for each other.