1 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:13,600 So we are going through a series looking at the prophet Malachi 2 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:16,960 and what he has to say, what he had to say to the the Jewish 3 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:19,960 readers of his day and how that affects us now. 4 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:24,000 And I'm going to be reading today from Malachi chapter 2, 5 00:00:24,240 --> 00:00:28,800 the 1st 9 lines. And so come up there. 6 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:33,560 But if you want to find that, we are going to get straight into 7 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:38,480 it. So, and now, you priests, this 8 00:00:38,480 --> 00:00:42,760 warning is for you. If you do not listen and if you 9 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:46,400 do not resolve to honour my name, says the Lord Almighty, I 10 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:50,000 will send a curse on you and I will curse your blessed 11 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:53,360 blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them 12 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:56,240 because you have not resolved to honour me. 13 00:00:56,480 --> 00:00:59,920 Because of you, I will rebuke your descendants. 14 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:04,959 I will smear on your faces the dung from your fest, festivals, 15 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:10,840 festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it, and 16 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:15,200 you will know that I have sent you this warning so that my 17 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:18,840 covenant with Levi may continue, says the Lord Almighty. 18 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:23,400 My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and 19 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:27,640 I gave them to him. This called for reverence and he 20 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:30,840 revered me and stood in awe of my name. 21 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:38,400 True instruction was in his mouth, and nothing false was 22 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:42,280 found in his lips. He walked with me in peace and 23 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:46,920 uprightness and turned from from sin, so many from sin. 24 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:51,880 For the lips of a priest ought to be preserve, preserve 25 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:55,480 knowledge, because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty 26 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:59,080 and and and people seek instruction from his mouth. 27 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:04,160 But you have turned from the ways and by your teaching have 28 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:08,080 caused many to stumble. You have violated the covenant 29 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:10,199 with Levi, says the Lord Almighty. 30 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:17,040 So I have cursed you to I've cursed you to be despised and 31 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:22,080 humiliated before all peoples, because you have not followed my 32 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:26,520 ways, but have shown partiality in matters of the law. 33 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:29,960 Let's pray. Lord Jesus, I ask God that you 34 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:34,080 would, you would speak to us. Lord Jesus, I pray Lord God, if 35 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:37,560 there's any, including myself, they've got a bit of a cold. 36 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:41,480 Lord Jesus, that you would, you would, you'd heal us this 37 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,920 morning, God, you'd, you'd revitalise us this morning. 38 00:02:44,920 --> 00:02:48,440 Lord Jesus, I pray, Lord God, that as as we talk about 39 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:51,760 Malachi, as we talk about the priesthood, Lord Jesus, you 40 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:56,760 would mould us and shape us into being the leaders of your people 41 00:02:56,760 --> 00:02:59,240 to be the people that you have called us to be. 42 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:01,880 Amen, Amen. Right. 43 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:06,480 So over the last few weeks we've been looking at the book of 44 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:11,000 Malachi and we've looked at that Malachi calls us a chosen 45 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:13,240 people. And last week I showed you that 46 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:17,080 Malachi says that we are chosen in our chosen us as chosen 47 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:19,560 people. We are chosen to worship the law 48 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:23,800 that we are chosen to sacrifice, to lay down our rights, to lay 49 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:29,440 down our our our stuff for him. And this week we're looking at 50 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:33,280 that Malachi starts to talk about the priesthood and then 51 00:03:33,280 --> 00:03:36,280 then the priests, they are the the leaders of the nation. 52 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:38,120 They're the spiritual leaders. And what we're going to look at 53 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:42,000 is actually that that Malachi is calling us to be a people who 54 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:46,920 are chosen, who worship him, him and lead that every single one 55 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:50,200 of us is called to lead. Then actually the Bible is going 56 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:54,000 to go on to say that we are not priests in the order of Levi, 57 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:57,480 but we are priests. We are royal priests in the 58 00:03:57,480 --> 00:04:01,480 order of Christ. See the in the in the Old 59 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:05,800 Testament, the priests were there to bridge the gap between 60 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:09,720 your average person, your average is right and gods. 61 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:15,120 You see in we see that when God called Israel and God called 62 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:19,519 Jacob, Jacob had his twelve sons and from each of those sons 63 00:04:19,519 --> 00:04:22,040 became a tribe. They became the head of a new 64 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:26,960 tribe and that tribe went into Egypt and was enslaved. 65 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:31,840 But then in coming out of Egypt, God promised each one of them a 66 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:34,480 an allotment of lands. Modern day. 67 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:38,440 This is what is now Israel, Jordan, that area of the world 68 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:42,280 God allotted to the tribes. He said each tribe, Benjamin, 69 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:44,680 you can have this tribe. Judah you can have, you can have 70 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:46,280 this area. Simon, you can have this area. 71 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:50,720 He went through all the tribes, but Levi, he did not give a 72 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:56,480 single piece of land. Instead, he said to Levi, I the 73 00:04:56,480 --> 00:05:01,200 Lord gods, I am your portion. You're not getting Hill Country, 74 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:04,120 you're not getting fields, you're not getting whatever 75 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:07,040 you're getting me as your portion. 76 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:09,480 See, they were called to be the spiritual leaders of the 77 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:11,880 community. The Levis were the priests of 78 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:15,960 the community and they, they were to end the temple, the 79 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:19,920 Tabernacle, the presence of God on behalf of the people. 80 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:24,240 They, they, they were to represent the people to gods and 81 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:27,000 they got to represent God to the people. 82 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:30,360 They were to learn, as it says here, they were to learn, they 83 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:34,320 were to study the scriptures, what God had said to them and 84 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:38,000 they were to pass that on and to be teachers to the people. 85 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:42,880 So as we read in Leviticus that so the people knew what was holy 86 00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:46,960 and what was common so that the people knew how to live as a 87 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:51,160 called out nation, have lived separately from everyone else. 88 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:54,360 And so they were to teach and correctly teach the people. 89 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:57,160 So when we've looked at sacrifices and what sacrifices 90 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:00,400 are accepted to God and which ones weren't, it was the Levi's 91 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:03,320 who not only did the sacrificing, but they were the 92 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:06,240 ones to teach the people, this is what you bring. 93 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:09,240 This is what God wants. God wants complete heartfelt 94 00:06:09,240 --> 00:06:12,560 sacrifice. But as we've seen in chapter 1 95 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:17,240 already, the Levi's, the priests of Malachi's time, they've 96 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:19,200 failed. They failed. 97 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:21,480 They can make a complete mess of it. 98 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:23,880 They put their own interests above Yahweh. 99 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:27,440 They put their own interests above of reading and studying 100 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:29,520 and being with him and in his words. 101 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:33,800 And we see that actually 400 years later, not much has 102 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:35,920 changed. You go 400 years on from 103 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:39,280 Malachi, you get to Jesus and what's recorded in the Gospels. 104 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:41,960 And in that time you've got these group of guys who the 105 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:45,560 spiritual high standard called the Pharisees, but they're no 106 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:48,320 different to the priests of Malachi's time. 107 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:53,160 You see in the the the Pharisees, they repeatedly, they 108 00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:58,240 repeatedly are addressed by Jesus as have you not read? 109 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:02,280 Do you not know the Bible? Now these are people who could 110 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:06,480 recite whole scrolls of scripture. 111 00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:08,640 You've had to say, what does it say in the book of Isaiah? 112 00:07:08,640 --> 00:07:11,720 And they'd say which bit and just start repeating it. 113 00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:14,520 Just start by rote say. But so these weren't people who 114 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:17,640 hadn't read it, who hadn't studied it, but Jesus saying you 115 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:21,040 don't understand it, you'd have don't see that. 116 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:23,400 It leads to me that it's pointing to me. 117 00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:26,760 And that's the same thing for the priests of Malachi's time. 118 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:29,880 There were people who had refused to humble themselves 119 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:32,840 that their hearts had drifted away from gods. 120 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:37,400 And as we looked at last week, at best their worship was 121 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:40,080 pretending it was plastic, it was fake. 122 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:44,640 And we see this in the in the in the Pharisees day that they were 123 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:48,040 hypocrites. They would make long walks and 124 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:50,480 pray out loud so everyone could hear them. 125 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:55,080 But inside they were dead. Paul would say you're a white 126 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:58,720 washed tomb. Outside you look amazing, but 127 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:00,720 inside there's nothing but dead bones. 128 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:03,440 There's no spirit, there's no life there. 129 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:08,240 They turn worship, they turn leading God's people into a 130 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:11,760 business. They, they, they, they, they 131 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:14,560 used it as a profit thing that you know, we're going to 132 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:17,880 sacrifice the, the, the least expensive animals. 133 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:20,120 We're going to, we're going to, we're going to make money. 134 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:23,880 We're going to use our position. We're going to use our power to 135 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:28,320 make much of ourselves, even if it's at the expense of the poor 136 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:31,600 and lonely. And in Jesus day, exactly the 137 00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:34,360 same thing was happening. This is what made Jesus mad. 138 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:37,159 He it made him furious. He, you know, he went into the 139 00:08:37,159 --> 00:08:40,760 temple, the place where the common person wanted to come and 140 00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:43,679 worship their gods. But the common person, if they 141 00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:46,760 came to worship their gods, they might bring a lamb that might be 142 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:49,120 their best lamb that they've ever had and they're going to 143 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:52,160 bring it to sacrifice to God. But they've been met with people 144 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:55,640 saying that's not good enough. It's not good enough for this. 145 00:08:56,320 --> 00:08:59,360 You're going to have to buy one of our special lambs, which 146 00:08:59,360 --> 00:09:01,400 costs about 10 times the amount of your lamb. 147 00:09:01,680 --> 00:09:04,920 But you can't use your money because your money is is 148 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:07,440 polluted. You have to use temple money. 149 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:09,880 So you're going to have to go buy our you're going to have to 150 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:15,080 exchange your money at an extortionate rate to, to to get 151 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:18,440 temple money, which then you can buy the lamb with. 152 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:22,240 And then obviously the temple and the priests got rich of the 153 00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:26,440 average person who just wanted to to praise and worship God. 154 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:29,440 And that's why Jesus goes ballistic in all in the gospels 155 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:32,640 you read about and making a whip and starting shooing people and 156 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:35,840 letting animals out cages and, and going crazy in the temple 157 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:39,640 courts. You see, they had ignored gods. 158 00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:43,640 They were hypocrites. They had they had they, they 159 00:09:43,640 --> 00:09:46,640 positioned themselves, they put themselves in a position where 160 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:50,400 they were gaining at the expense of others. 161 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:53,400 But she also, what they were doing is they were making it 162 00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:58,720 harder for everyday people to exit to come into contact with 163 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:02,320 gods, the priests through their, their port, through their poor 164 00:10:02,320 --> 00:10:04,120 teaching. But the Pharisees in there, 165 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:06,600 they, they did a similar thing. They would put up barriers 166 00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:09,720 because of their pride, saying, well, not everyone should be 167 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:11,720 able to come to God. You need to be like me. 168 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:13,440 You need to jump over these hurdles. 169 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:17,600 And rather than than teaching the people a way to come to God, 170 00:10:17,720 --> 00:10:20,520 they placed barrier after barrier after barrier to stop 171 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:24,080 people coming to him in the 1st place, finding his grace and 172 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:27,200 mercy. And we looked at last week that 173 00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:31,800 the one of the reasons why the the priests of Malachi's day 174 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:36,120 were doing this wasn't because they were evil people. 175 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:42,040 It wasn't because it was because it says they were tired, they 176 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:44,920 were weary. God says I've been good to you. 177 00:10:44,920 --> 00:10:49,960 And they're like when where we've been here for 100 years. 178 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:52,680 We've been back from Exxon for over 100 years now. 179 00:10:52,840 --> 00:10:54,920 And we expected things to be different. 180 00:10:54,920 --> 00:10:56,560 We thought the Messiah would come. 181 00:10:56,560 --> 00:10:59,000 We thought that, that, that, that people would no longer be 182 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:00,880 getting sick. We thought that the, the, the 183 00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:03,880 oppressive ruling nations, they'd be defeated. 184 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:06,960 We thought that things would be better by now. 185 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:09,960 And they hadn't. So they've become weary. 186 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:13,640 Who's feeling weary? You don't need to put your hands 187 00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:15,960 up. But who's feeling weary today? 188 00:11:16,880 --> 00:11:20,880 Who's being weary? Maybe you're feeling weary 189 00:11:21,680 --> 00:11:25,360 because of disappointment, just like the priests. 190 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:30,520 Maybe you're you're feeling weary because of constant 191 00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:33,680 trials. It just feels like you're 192 00:11:33,680 --> 00:11:37,880 hitting one thing after another after another after another. 193 00:11:37,880 --> 00:11:42,720 It doesn't seem to stop. Maybe you're feeling weary 194 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:47,280 because of things that have happened to you or maybe things 195 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:50,520 that you've done. Maybe you're feeling weary 196 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:55,360 because really you're just a bit jealous of everyone else. 197 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:59,560 You're seeing what they've got. You're seeing their images on 198 00:11:59,560 --> 00:12:02,720 Instagram. You're like, I should have that. 199 00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:06,760 And living in that constant jealousy, that constant, 200 00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:10,360 constant desiring is building up resentment which is just 201 00:12:10,400 --> 00:12:13,560 wearying you and waiting you down. 202 00:12:14,760 --> 00:12:16,680 Maybe you're feeling weary because you're lonely. 203 00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:21,880 Maybe it's very real. Maybe you've lost someone and 204 00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:25,440 who you confided in, who was so close to you, and now you've not 205 00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:27,680 got them anymore. Maybe someone who was close to 206 00:12:27,680 --> 00:12:30,480 you betrayed you, and now you've not got them. 207 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:33,480 They're still around, but you don't have them anymore. 208 00:12:34,800 --> 00:12:39,000 Are you weary? Well, if you are, that's good 209 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:47,960 news, because Jesus said in Matthew 11, Come to me, all who 210 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:53,560 are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 211 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:56,360 Notices. I will give you not. 212 00:12:56,360 --> 00:13:01,480 I might give you not. I could give you it's I will 213 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:04,720 give you. Come to me and I will give you 214 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:06,320 rest. My yoke. 215 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:13,320 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I for I am gentle 216 00:13:13,320 --> 00:13:17,280 and humble in heart and you will find rest for your soul. 217 00:13:17,600 --> 00:13:21,840 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 218 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:26,680 And I don't know if anyone's ever put this connected this in 219 00:13:26,680 --> 00:13:28,800 your head because we like to just kind of this is sort of 220 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:31,720 verse we might put on a mug or write in a card. 221 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:33,680 It's just like a nice thing to say. 222 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:37,000 But the context of this verse, if you go back a few lines, we 223 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:40,800 see we've got John the Baptist. He's in prison. 224 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:45,320 He is, he's cold, he's hungry. He's he's, he's uncomfortable 225 00:13:45,920 --> 00:13:48,680 and he's starting to doubt Jesus. 226 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:52,600 Are you really the Messiah? And so he sends some of his his 227 00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:55,680 disciples to Jesus and they come to Jesus and they, they ask him 228 00:13:55,680 --> 00:13:58,200 his questions. And John wants to know, are you 229 00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:00,400 the Christ? Are you the one? 230 00:14:00,560 --> 00:14:03,760 Because because life doesn't seem to be going how I thought 231 00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:05,920 it would go. I thought you'd come and you'd 232 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:08,880 deal with everything. But you know, I saw this Holy 233 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:11,840 Spirit come on you. I, I proclaimed it that you were 234 00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:14,480 the, the Lamb of God that was going to going to sort out the 235 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:16,560 world. Was I wrong? 236 00:14:16,560 --> 00:14:22,160 And if, if, if, if, if you are Jesus, you need to give me 237 00:14:22,160 --> 00:14:25,920 something, you need to give me strength so that I can endure 238 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:29,560 till the end because I want to stay faithful. 239 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:37,320 And Jesus, his response is lean on me, find rest in me, take on 240 00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:42,480 my yoke and you will find rest. You will find peace. 241 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:49,480 See, this is not just a nice quote, like I said, actually 242 00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:52,560 this isn't just like something that you get to send in a text 243 00:14:52,560 --> 00:14:56,320 message to someone. This is, this is life, church. 244 00:14:57,120 --> 00:14:59,640 This is life. It's not about just having a 245 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:02,640 nice time, though that's amazing on a Sunday where we can just 246 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:05,120 soak in and rest in God's presence. 247 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:09,440 We need to practise daily, a daily routine of resting in 248 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:13,400 God's presence, of being with him, of letting him wash over 249 00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:16,200 us, because actually the difference between doing it and 250 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:19,600 not can actually be the difference between finishing 251 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:23,040 strong and hearing Jesus Christ proclaim over you well done, 252 00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:26,760 good and faithful, servant, servant, and shipwrecking your 253 00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:30,520 whole faith. See the priests, they failed. 254 00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:33,680 They didn't do what what God had called them to do. 255 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:36,640 And, and, and the reason why they didn't do it is because 256 00:15:36,640 --> 00:15:43,520 they failed to rest in the Lord. You see, being the priest, being 257 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:50,040 the spiritual leader of the nation, it, it required first 258 00:15:50,320 --> 00:15:57,320 encountering God on a daily basis, finding rest in him, and 259 00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:02,480 then with that rest, the strength from that rest going 260 00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:07,040 into the world. For them it meant leading the 261 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:08,880 people. For us it means leading 262 00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:11,560 ourselves, leading the people around us. 263 00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:18,560 So he says in verse 5, he said my covenant was with him. 264 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:22,200 That's him. Is Levi, a covenant of life and 265 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:25,400 peace? And I gave them to him. 266 00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:29,920 So God, God made a covenant. He made an agreement with with 267 00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:33,240 Levi, the people of Levi. And that covenant was a covenant 268 00:16:33,240 --> 00:16:35,720 of life and peace, a covenant that brings peace, a covenant 269 00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:38,080 that brings life. And he said this call for 270 00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:43,640 reverence, and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. 271 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:46,720 True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was 272 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:50,200 found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and 273 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:53,760 uprightness and turned many from their sin. 274 00:16:54,720 --> 00:16:57,360 So this is what the priesthood was meant to be like. 275 00:16:57,600 --> 00:16:59,320 This is who Levi the tribal leaver. 276 00:16:59,320 --> 00:17:00,840 This is who they were meant to be like. 277 00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:03,680 But they failed over and over and over again. 278 00:17:03,680 --> 00:17:07,200 Every single one of them. I mean, you look back in Genesis 279 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:10,160 and you've got the real, you know, the, the, the, the man 280 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:12,240 Levi, who the tribe is named after. 281 00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:15,480 I mean, he was a complete failure to this. 282 00:17:15,760 --> 00:17:18,599 We really, he wasn't a man of peace or uprightness. 283 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:20,880 He was a man who was violent, impulsive. 284 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:24,720 He was responsible for the massacre of an entire entire, 285 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:27,920 entire people. And and he was one of the key P 286 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:31,320 conspirators who wanted to kill his brother Joseph. 287 00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:34,320 Remember that story, all the brothers who wanted to kill him 288 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:36,520 until one of the brothers decided, no, no, we can't kill 289 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:37,840 him. Let's just sell him into 290 00:17:37,840 --> 00:17:39,520 slavery. And that that did that. 291 00:17:39,560 --> 00:17:41,200 That was OK. That's the sort of person he 292 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:43,800 was. And on on his father's deathbed, 293 00:17:44,240 --> 00:17:49,000 Jacob said over him. He said cursed be your anger, 294 00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:53,840 cursed be your not a man of peace, not a man who reflected 295 00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:57,440 this wonderful person that that that God is is is proclaiming in 296 00:17:57,440 --> 00:17:59,560 Malachi. But actually, you don't have to 297 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:01,120 look too far. If you read through the Old 298 00:18:01,120 --> 00:18:03,960 Testament and you read the about the different priests, about the 299 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:07,680 priesthood, None of them lived up to this standard. 300 00:18:07,840 --> 00:18:11,600 They all failed. They all failed every single one 301 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:15,160 of them. That the first proper true high 302 00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:18,360 priest of Israel, Aaron, he's proclaimed you're high priest of 303 00:18:18,360 --> 00:18:20,640 Israel. You're the one, you're the one 304 00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:22,680 that is going to lead God's people. 305 00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:25,280 You turn over the page, He's leading them all right. 306 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:28,800 He's leading them to worship a golden calf, not God himself. 307 00:18:29,080 --> 00:18:31,720 He's he's completely foolish. He's an idiot. 308 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:36,760 See, Malachi is describing not a physical person in the tribe of 309 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:41,800 Levi, but he is describing the perfect high priest, the perfect 310 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:45,320 leader of God's people. And that perfect leader is 311 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:49,560 fulfilled in the man, in the God man, Christ Jesus. 312 00:18:50,040 --> 00:18:56,160 See where human priests, human leaders fail, Jesus succeeded. 313 00:18:56,920 --> 00:18:59,240 Jesus is the only one who succeeded. 314 00:18:59,640 --> 00:19:05,720 Jesus is the true perfect priest of Levi, God's chosen leader of 315 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:08,560 his people. See it says true instruction was 316 00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:11,520 it was in his mouth. Jesus spoke only what the Father 317 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:14,720 said. He it says he walked with me in 318 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:18,080 peace and uprightness. Jesus LED from a place of 319 00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:21,360 perfect rest and intimacy with the Father. 320 00:19:21,640 --> 00:19:23,680 It says he turned many from sins. 321 00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:28,280 Jesus wasn't coercive or controlling, but because of his 322 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:32,640 leadership, billions of people have had their lives 323 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:36,960 transformed. So Jesus is the blueprint. 324 00:19:37,680 --> 00:19:40,640 He's the blueprint of life. He's the blueprint of how we are 325 00:19:40,640 --> 00:19:43,480 to be a leader. And that's why when we, when we 326 00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:48,360 look at scripture, you know, last week, we, we appointed our 327 00:19:48,360 --> 00:19:52,560 first diaconate team. And when we look at people to be 328 00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:56,440 elders or deacons or oversee different types of ministry, 329 00:19:57,600 --> 00:20:00,040 what we don't do is put an advert out there and say who can 330 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:03,240 do a job. It's not how we do it actually, 331 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:06,800 because in Scripture, you look at Acts chapter 6, they need, 332 00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:10,440 they had a load of people who are hungry and needed to be fed. 333 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:12,600 The, the, the apostles didn't go right. 334 00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:15,560 OK, who's good? We're feeding people. 335 00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:19,160 No, no, no, it said. Let's find people who are filled 336 00:20:19,160 --> 00:20:24,480 with the Spirit of God, who love Jesus, who do what he does, who 337 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:27,680 are servants. That's what we are called to do. 338 00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:30,800 That's what we're called to be. See, the reason why the, the, 339 00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:36,360 the, the, the Levitical priests failed to be like Jesus, to lead 340 00:20:36,360 --> 00:20:41,840 like him, is because actually to lead like Jesus, to live like 341 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:45,880 Jesus is completely countercultural to the world. 342 00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:49,920 That's why repentance means that you were going this way and you 343 00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:52,600 don't just say sorry, you turn and go that way. 344 00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:56,280 Everything about what you do is different to the world. 345 00:20:56,280 --> 00:20:58,080 That's what Jesus says, you know. 346 00:20:58,360 --> 00:21:01,360 You know how the rulers of the Gentiles, it's the nations Lord 347 00:21:01,360 --> 00:21:06,360 over them and their high officials execute authority over 348 00:21:06,360 --> 00:21:09,720 them. Not so with you. 349 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:14,120 Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your 350 00:21:14,120 --> 00:21:18,640 servant, and whoever wants to be the first must be your slave, 351 00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:24,040 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve 352 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:28,560 and give his life as a ransom for many. 353 00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:32,240 See Jesus. Whose song about this already? 354 00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:35,320 Jesus. There is no name above His name. 355 00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:38,880 He deserves the highest honour. He is the King of kings, the 356 00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:41,200 Lord of Lords. He is the Creator of the 357 00:21:41,200 --> 00:21:45,560 universe. He chose to take the lowliest 358 00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:48,960 position. He chose to serve. 359 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:53,680 He chose to give himself. That's what it means to be a 360 00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:55,200 leader. That means what it looks like to 361 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:59,200 lead ourselves is to give of yourself the benefit of others. 362 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:03,920 See, some of you, you may have heard the word leader and you've 363 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:05,640 kind of switched off because you're like, well, I'm not a 364 00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:07,080 leader and I'm never going to be a leader. 365 00:22:08,160 --> 00:22:12,840 But actually what we see in Scripture is that leaders aren't 366 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:15,360 just the Levis, They're not just the ministry leaders. 367 00:22:15,360 --> 00:22:17,200 They're not just the elders, the deacons. 368 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:20,560 And some of you may have been brought up in traditions which 369 00:22:20,560 --> 00:22:22,360 taught that there were special people. 370 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:24,960 There's special people in life. You know, we might call them a 371 00:22:24,960 --> 00:22:27,960 priest, we might call them an apostle, or we might call them 372 00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:31,000 Father Whoever, or we might call them them a prophet or 373 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:34,280 evangelist. And they're special people in 374 00:22:34,280 --> 00:22:36,720 heaven. They've got a special stage set 375 00:22:36,720 --> 00:22:38,720 aside for them right next to Jesus. 376 00:22:39,560 --> 00:22:42,040 The rest of us are just minions who kind of just get by. 377 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:47,080 And that's, that's not just false, that's evil. 378 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:50,160 That is completely countercultural to what 379 00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:55,720 Scripture teaches us. See, one Peter 2 tells us that 380 00:22:55,840 --> 00:23:00,320 every single one of us, if you have been born again, if you 381 00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:03,880 have been washed in the blood of Christ, if you're a Christian, 382 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:08,280 you are a priest, you are a royal priest. 383 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:10,120 Not just any priest, you are a royal priest. 384 00:23:10,120 --> 00:23:12,320 That means you're a leader. You are called to lead. 385 00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:16,600 You are called to rule and reign and that is your identity. 386 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:19,440 That's not something that once you are a Christian for so long 387 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:22,440 or you've ticked so many things, you've got so many badges as a 388 00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:24,440 Christian. Then you get to, you get to say 389 00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:27,520 I'm a royal priest. No, no, no, you just haven't. 390 00:23:27,680 --> 00:23:30,840 That's who you are. You are a royal priest. 391 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:35,920 And one day Jesus says that we will all, all who are in his 392 00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:39,040 name, all who bear his name, all who have bowed the knee to him, 393 00:23:39,200 --> 00:23:42,320 will rule with him over heaven and earth. 394 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:48,920 You see, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus has works for us to do church. 395 00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:53,200 He has stuff for us to lead in. He has given you gifts and 396 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:57,840 talents that he is calling you to step up, lead and do. 397 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:02,800 Every single one of us is called to lead ourselves in discipline 398 00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:04,840 and good works. Every single one of us is called 399 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:07,040 to lead others in acts of service. 400 00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:13,160 Terry Virgo, who founded our movements back in the 70s, one 401 00:24:13,160 --> 00:24:16,600 of the things he's renowned to saying is that the Reformation, 402 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:19,680 the, the, the reclaiming of biblical truth, if you will, 403 00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:25,120 isn't over until every single church member has become a 404 00:24:25,120 --> 00:24:28,200 church minister. And that doesn't mean that you 405 00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:32,040 all go to university and get a so you can put a doctor or 406 00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:34,160 reverend before your name. No, no, no. 407 00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:37,640 What he's saying is, is that the the Reformation isn't complete 408 00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:42,360 until every single one of us realises that there's not doers 409 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:47,680 and receivers that we are all called to do and we're all 410 00:24:47,680 --> 00:24:50,160 called to receive. Actually, we're all called to 411 00:24:50,160 --> 00:24:51,480 do. We're all called to serve. 412 00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:56,280 We're all called to leads. See, God has given each one of 413 00:24:56,280 --> 00:24:58,240 us gifts. You have gifts. 414 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:03,120 You have been given special gifts from Christ, spiritual 415 00:25:03,120 --> 00:25:05,920 gifts, natural gifts, strength, intelligence. 416 00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:08,800 You know, some of you may be really good at making money. 417 00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:10,440 That's great. That's a gift. 418 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:15,400 Others of you may be amazing at just putting people at ease and 419 00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:18,480 making them feel at home. You've got a great hospitality 420 00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:20,640 gift. Some of you are brilliant at 421 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:23,720 fixing heating systems. That's a spiritual gift. 422 00:25:23,800 --> 00:25:28,000 Some of you are really good at putting together broken lives. 423 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:32,400 Not everyone can do that. But God has given you that gift 424 00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:36,960 to use to serve the body, to serve the people around you. 425 00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:41,320 You see those who teach that there are special people and 426 00:25:41,320 --> 00:25:44,440 then there's the rest of us. They would say that, you know, 427 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:49,240 those of us who are elders or whoever we are called because we 428 00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:52,800 are very important and the rest of you are there to serve our 429 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:56,800 needs. But Jesus says that's worldly 430 00:25:56,840 --> 00:25:59,320 thinking. That's worldly thinking. 431 00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:03,920 And actually it comes from a false sense of identity. 432 00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:10,160 See if you're there going, I'm something because people look at 433 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:15,440 me, because they listen to me, because I posted a stupid image 434 00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:20,200 on Instagram and it got 1000 likes, I'm obviously something. 435 00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:27,160 We're placing our identity in the wrong thing, you see. 436 00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:33,000 Instead, our, our, our, our desire, our role to be servant 437 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:38,600 leaders should be rooted in the fact of who we are in Christ, of 438 00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:44,680 who he declares you to be. See, This is why Jesus, Jesus, 439 00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:47,080 as we said, who was king of heaven, was able to come and 440 00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:51,360 serve. See, many of us who aren't as 441 00:26:51,360 --> 00:26:54,120 aren't as secure in our identity, We would leave heaven, 442 00:26:54,120 --> 00:26:58,720 come to earth, may not, but if we were we, we would come and we 443 00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:01,000 would, we would make sure that the people who saw us serving, 444 00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:03,920 you know, they were the kings, they were the emperors, because 445 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:06,480 that would make us feel good, because important people think 446 00:27:06,480 --> 00:27:09,400 we're important. Jesus didn't care. 447 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:13,040 That's why Jesus was able to serve that the poorest of the 448 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:14,720 poor. That's why he was able to feed 449 00:27:14,840 --> 00:27:16,800 the hungry. That's why he didn't care. 450 00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:20,400 You know, when Herod invites him into his palace and asks him to 451 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:26,800 do some party tricks for him, Jesus, like, no, I could perform 452 00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:30,000 for you and make you feel like I'm really important that what I 453 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:31,920 can do or I could. He doesn't know because he 454 00:27:31,920 --> 00:27:35,400 doesn't care what Herod or anyone thinks. 455 00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:40,880 He knew who he was and therefore out of that he was able to serve 456 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:43,720 church. Do you know who your identity 457 00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:45,080 is? Do you know who Christ has 458 00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:48,320 called you to be? So if you know that you are 459 00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:51,760 loved by Christ, that you are his child, that you are called 460 00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:55,320 royal, that you are called his priest, it is out of that. 461 00:27:55,320 --> 00:28:00,200 You can do what Jesus did Jesus who met 10 lepers, 10 outcasts, 462 00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:04,200 10 of the the least important people of his day and serve 463 00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:08,720 them, heal them even when only one turned back and said thank 464 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:13,840 you, it didn't matter to him. Jesus who was able to when the 465 00:28:13,840 --> 00:28:16,680 world was saying leave the children alone. 466 00:28:16,920 --> 00:28:19,440 They're useless, they're worthless. 467 00:28:19,720 --> 00:28:22,280 There's much more important people around for you to see 468 00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:25,400 Jesus Jesus like no, I want to spend time with children. 469 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:28,520 I'm going to serve them. I'm going to love them. 470 00:28:28,520 --> 00:28:33,000 I'm going to spend time with them because his identity came 471 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:38,760 from who the Father said he was. Therefore he was able to love 472 00:28:38,760 --> 00:28:43,880 and serve the least of these. See, if you are a, you are a new 473 00:28:43,880 --> 00:28:46,600 creation church. If you have put your faith in 474 00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:50,160 Christ Jesus, if you have surrendered your need to him, if 475 00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:52,920 you have bowed down before him and said you are my Lord, you 476 00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:54,680 are a new creation. You're a child of God. 477 00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:59,840 You're a royal priest and he has commissioned you, every single 478 00:28:59,840 --> 00:29:04,040 one of you not important people. He's commissioned every single 479 00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:09,720 one of you to be a leader, to go into the earth and administer 480 00:29:09,720 --> 00:29:14,120 his race to all. And we all know that's true. 481 00:29:15,480 --> 00:29:18,240 We all know that deep down. But you know what? 482 00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:21,760 Knowing it isn't good enough because we forget. 483 00:29:23,080 --> 00:29:27,920 We forget. We doubt ourselves, we believe 484 00:29:27,920 --> 00:29:32,600 lies of the enemy. And that's why we are designed 485 00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:37,920 to constantly be in community with one another so that through 486 00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:42,240 each other, like yesterday, like on a Wednesday night, we can 487 00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:45,760 talk to one another and the Holy Spirit can speak to us. 488 00:29:45,760 --> 00:29:49,680 You know, as Jeff speaks, I can, I can, I can hear God through 489 00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:52,000 his words. God speaks to me through the 490 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:56,120 words that Jeff uses and that encourages me and spurs me on to 491 00:29:56,120 --> 00:30:02,880 again to be more like Jesus. You see, being a Christian, I 492 00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:05,840 don't know if if you've seen the the chosen series. 493 00:30:05,840 --> 00:30:08,360 I love it. Apparently, like Cody Gapo, it's 494 00:30:08,360 --> 00:30:11,280 one of my favourite programmes that you can, you can watch. 495 00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:16,640 And in the title sequence, for those of you who've watched it, 496 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:21,760 it's, it's these fish swimming. These, these, these silhouettes 497 00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:23,600 of fish swimming. And, and wonderfully, what 498 00:30:23,600 --> 00:30:28,240 happens is these fish are swimming and then to signify the 499 00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:32,640 chosen, some of these fish, they change colour, but they don't 500 00:30:32,640 --> 00:30:36,640 keep swimming the same way. They bend back on themselves and 501 00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:38,320 they start turning the other way. 502 00:30:38,440 --> 00:30:41,200 Because that's what happens when we become a Christian, we repent 503 00:30:41,320 --> 00:30:44,200 and we start, we turn the other way, which means these fish, 504 00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:46,800 they're swimming against the current, they're swimming 505 00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:49,760 against the tide, they're swimming against the world. 506 00:30:49,840 --> 00:30:52,880 And that's exactly what it means to live for Christ. 507 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:57,680 You see, we, when we get, we go on holiday quite often in the, 508 00:30:57,680 --> 00:31:02,600 in the summer down to Dorset and our kids, they love to, to take 509 00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:04,640 our canoes and go down the river. 510 00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:07,920 And we've never, the boys. Actually they did take the 511 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:09,200 paddle board on the sea this year. 512 00:31:09,200 --> 00:31:11,920 But I was going to say, we never usually take the canoes on the 513 00:31:12,080 --> 00:31:15,600 on the sea because the sea can be treacherous, especially in an 514 00:31:15,600 --> 00:31:18,840 inflatable canoe if the tide changes. 515 00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:21,280 I mean, there's no, there's no worse. 516 00:31:21,440 --> 00:31:24,800 Well, there is worse places, but it's an awful place to be, as my 517 00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:27,640 uncle and his friend found out this summer. 518 00:31:27,960 --> 00:31:31,000 They decided that they were going to go on a on a kayak 519 00:31:31,640 --> 00:31:34,880 kayaking trip around Weymouth Bay on the South Coast. 520 00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:40,000 And they were doing great until the tide changed direction and 521 00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:44,080 they're there doing the kayak, you know, as fast as they can, 522 00:31:44,080 --> 00:31:46,640 as hard as they can, but they're just just just just just, 523 00:31:46,840 --> 00:31:50,000 there's nothing they could do. And, you know, and they, they 524 00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:52,880 could just keep going the whole time and, and eventually they 525 00:31:52,880 --> 00:31:56,480 get weary and tied, tired out. I mean, they can push past that, 526 00:31:56,480 --> 00:31:58,680 which actually my uncle did, he pushed past that and he broke 527 00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:01,000 his all. So it was completely useless 528 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:03,880 once the tide did change. But that's that's, that's an 529 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:07,080 image of what it means to live for Christ. 530 00:32:07,640 --> 00:32:13,000 You are going against the world and knowing what's right isn't 531 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:17,400 enough pure determination. It might be all right for a 532 00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:21,520 while, but eventually you will get weary and tired out. 533 00:32:22,880 --> 00:32:26,520 But Jesus hasn't designed us to swim against the tide of the 534 00:32:26,520 --> 00:32:29,200 world on our own. He's in. 535 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:33,640 He's designed it that we would be filled with his spirits. 536 00:32:34,440 --> 00:32:38,200 See, it is impossible to continually be rowing against 537 00:32:38,400 --> 00:32:42,480 the current of this world. But actually, just like the 538 00:32:42,480 --> 00:32:46,840 tribe of Levi, they were called to lead God's people not out of 539 00:32:46,840 --> 00:32:49,600 their own strength. They were called to lead God's 540 00:32:49,600 --> 00:32:54,840 people by being God's portion, by being by God, being theirs, 541 00:32:55,040 --> 00:32:58,840 by spending time with God's. You see, and as the New 542 00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:03,320 Testament church, we are now the new priesthood, every single one 543 00:33:03,320 --> 00:33:05,600 of us. God is our portion. 544 00:33:05,800 --> 00:33:08,520 So you have been commissioned, every single one of you to go 545 00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:12,160 make disciples, use your gifts and talents for the benefit of 546 00:33:12,160 --> 00:33:15,080 the church to build His Kingdom and the benefit of those out 547 00:33:15,080 --> 00:33:17,760 there. And you cannot do that just by 548 00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:21,560 putting on a positive front, good vibes. 549 00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:24,720 It doesn't work. Eventually you are going to get 550 00:33:24,720 --> 00:33:29,840 exhausted and burned out. You see, we must first dwell, 551 00:33:29,840 --> 00:33:33,720 soak in the Holy Spirit. See the Levi's, they were called 552 00:33:33,720 --> 00:33:37,200 to lead God's people, but first they were meant to be the people 553 00:33:37,280 --> 00:33:40,280 that went in the Tabernacle, that went in the temple, that 554 00:33:40,280 --> 00:33:44,120 spent time in God's presence and then LED God's people. 555 00:33:44,320 --> 00:33:49,520 Even Jesus, the Son of God, He needed God's presence. 556 00:33:49,600 --> 00:33:53,400 We read that Jesus doesn't start his earthly ministry until he is 557 00:33:53,400 --> 00:33:56,120 filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. 558 00:33:57,200 --> 00:34:00,240 But actually that wasn't it. He didn't get filled with the 559 00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:02,800 Holy Spirit that three-year, three years later, he still had 560 00:34:02,800 --> 00:34:07,000 the strength to go to the cross. Actually, we read constantly 561 00:34:07,480 --> 00:34:13,000 Jesus taking himself out, praying, speaking to the Father. 562 00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:17,239 He's singing songs and hymns and psalms with his disciples. 563 00:34:17,320 --> 00:34:20,800 Ones twos, all of them. He is constantly building a 564 00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:23,560 rhythm and showing his disciples how to build a rhythm of 565 00:34:23,560 --> 00:34:26,239 spending time with the Father, of being refreshed with the 566 00:34:26,239 --> 00:34:29,679 Father so that they can go and do good works. 567 00:34:29,679 --> 00:34:34,840 We see constantly the church, see the church, it wasn't 568 00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:38,120 birthed out of good works, out of trying hards. 569 00:34:38,360 --> 00:34:42,159 Now Jesus said, go to the nations, but first wait for my 570 00:34:42,159 --> 00:34:44,080 promised Holy Spirit to fill you. 571 00:34:44,760 --> 00:34:48,000 And then after that you read all the stories that you might that 572 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:50,760 we love to highlight in, in, in the book of Acts. 573 00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:53,920 You know, the healings or the, the people being set free from 574 00:34:53,920 --> 00:34:58,240 prison or the them being able to speak with boldness and, and in 575 00:34:58,240 --> 00:35:00,600 front of the Sanhedrin and all those kind of stuff. 576 00:35:01,160 --> 00:35:04,520 But if you read back a few verses, you see it says they 577 00:35:04,520 --> 00:35:07,360 were praying filled with the Holy Spirit. 578 00:35:07,360 --> 00:35:10,280 They went and did. It wasn't in their own shape. 579 00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:13,600 They weren't paddling against the current on their own. 580 00:35:13,800 --> 00:35:16,480 They were filled with the presence of gods. 581 00:35:18,320 --> 00:35:20,640 Do you believe that you need the Holy Spirit? 582 00:35:22,040 --> 00:35:23,600 Do you believe you need the Holy Spirit? 583 00:35:24,040 --> 00:35:28,280 Yes. Do you believe that the only way 584 00:35:28,280 --> 00:35:30,960 that you can live for Christ is by being filled with the Holy 585 00:35:30,960 --> 00:35:32,720 Spirit? Yes. 586 00:35:33,040 --> 00:35:36,800 Now you're all saying that you know what's coming. 587 00:35:37,640 --> 00:35:41,360 What, Why, Why do we try on our own so often? 588 00:35:41,720 --> 00:35:44,960 Why do we try and live for him so often? 589 00:35:45,080 --> 00:35:47,160 I mean, here's here's here's an example. 590 00:35:47,240 --> 00:35:51,720 Why when we get the text message on Wednesday afternoon saying 591 00:35:51,800 --> 00:35:55,280 see you at Home group, we go. I think I'm a bit too tired to 592 00:35:55,280 --> 00:35:58,440 go to Home group. I think I'm a bit too tired. 593 00:35:58,600 --> 00:36:00,760 I'm a bit too tired to go to church this morning. 594 00:36:00,760 --> 00:36:03,800 I'm a bit too tired to meet, to meet with them, but you know 595 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:05,920 what that's like and I'm not getting anyone, but you know 596 00:36:05,920 --> 00:36:09,320 what that's like. That's like, OK, you, you are 597 00:36:09,400 --> 00:36:12,520 you, you just noticed over the last few months that you've 598 00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:14,960 become, you've become more and more tired. 599 00:36:14,960 --> 00:36:17,040 You know, your body doesn't seem to be working how it was. 600 00:36:17,240 --> 00:36:19,480 And so it's becoming a bit worrying to you. 601 00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:22,840 So you know, you, you bring up the Jeep, you ring up the, the, 602 00:36:22,840 --> 00:36:28,320 your, your, your GP and you go and see Doctor Ollie and, and 603 00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:31,360 I'm sure he's got a brilliant, brilliant bedside manner or 604 00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:34,400 whatever you call it. And, and you know, you tell him 605 00:36:34,400 --> 00:36:37,200 your concerns, you tell him how tired you've been over the last 606 00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:39,560 few months. And, and he, he, I'm sure he 607 00:36:39,560 --> 00:36:41,240 wonderfully would just say to you, don't worry. 608 00:36:41,240 --> 00:36:43,240 I'm sure it's nothing to be concerned about, but I'm going 609 00:36:43,240 --> 00:36:46,040 to book you in with the nurse. We're going to take some blood 610 00:36:46,040 --> 00:36:48,240 and just just make sure there's nothing concerning. 611 00:36:48,560 --> 00:36:53,400 And so you do, you take the, you take the bloods and then, then, 612 00:36:53,400 --> 00:36:56,320 then whenever, whenever the bloods get back, you get a phone 613 00:36:56,320 --> 00:36:59,240 call and it's, and it's, it's Doctor Ollie. 614 00:36:59,240 --> 00:37:03,600 And he says, he says to you, right, good news, there's 615 00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:07,320 nothing to worry about. But we have found actually that 616 00:37:07,320 --> 00:37:11,120 you are your, your iron count is very, very low. 617 00:37:11,560 --> 00:37:14,440 And that that can contribute to you being tired. 618 00:37:14,800 --> 00:37:18,320 So it's OK, I'm going to prescribe to you some really 619 00:37:18,320 --> 00:37:20,880 good iron supplements. And then within, within a few 620 00:37:20,880 --> 00:37:23,200 weeks or months, you will feel much better. 621 00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:26,280 I'm certain of it. So you go, you get the iron 622 00:37:26,280 --> 00:37:29,720 tablets, you put them on your kitchen side, and then you go, 623 00:37:30,520 --> 00:37:35,680 I'm too tired to take them. It's ridiculous. 624 00:37:36,160 --> 00:37:38,720 It's ridiculous. You, you've got in front of you 625 00:37:38,880 --> 00:37:42,760 on your kitchen side, what you've been told will make you 626 00:37:42,760 --> 00:37:47,240 feel better, but you're refusing to take it because I feel too 627 00:37:47,240 --> 00:37:51,480 tired. We do that every day when we say 628 00:37:51,480 --> 00:37:55,360 I'm too tired to meet with God, I'm too tired to let him speak 629 00:37:55,360 --> 00:38:00,800 to me through God's people. See church, we are called to 630 00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:09,080 work hard, to be God's servants, to lead, but we're not called to 631 00:38:09,080 --> 00:38:14,120 do that in our own strength. We're called to 1st be filled 632 00:38:14,120 --> 00:38:17,960 with the Holy Spirit. You see, this is so important 633 00:38:18,560 --> 00:38:23,160 because in the New Testament there is no such thing as a 634 00:38:23,200 --> 00:38:27,920 spectator Christian. Everyone's involving, everyone's 635 00:38:27,920 --> 00:38:31,560 giving, everyone's serving, everyone's speaking to people 636 00:38:31,560 --> 00:38:34,320 about Jesus. That is what we're called to do, 637 00:38:34,320 --> 00:38:36,000 not just watch everyone else do it. 638 00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:38,800 If you're drenched in the blood of Christ Jesus, if you've been 639 00:38:38,800 --> 00:38:41,400 saved, if you've not, I'd love to speak to you. 640 00:38:41,800 --> 00:38:46,360 But if you've if you have been, then you are a royal priest of 641 00:38:46,360 --> 00:38:49,160 God Most high. You have been commissioned as a 642 00:38:49,160 --> 00:38:52,560 servant leader. And just one final thing as we 643 00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:58,640 wrap up the priests of Malachi's day and the priests that one, 644 00:38:58,640 --> 00:39:02,320 the Pharisees of Jesus day, they had another thing that they got 645 00:39:02,320 --> 00:39:06,480 wrong and that was that the Pharisees, they set up these 646 00:39:06,480 --> 00:39:10,040 these big roadblocks to stop people coming into the presence 647 00:39:10,040 --> 00:39:12,600 of gods. And the priests, they did the 648 00:39:12,600 --> 00:39:15,240 same thing. And it was all about trying to 649 00:39:15,240 --> 00:39:19,160 separate themselves from the world, separate themselves from 650 00:39:19,160 --> 00:39:21,720 the world because in my own strength, I'm going to get 651 00:39:21,720 --> 00:39:24,560 contaminated by the world. I'm going to start doing what 652 00:39:24,560 --> 00:39:26,560 they do. I'm going to start displeasing 653 00:39:26,560 --> 00:39:29,120 God because I'm hanging around with people who don't love Gods 654 00:39:30,400 --> 00:39:33,680 church. We are not separated from the 655 00:39:33,680 --> 00:39:36,920 world so that we're not contaminated. 656 00:39:37,880 --> 00:39:40,640 We are called out. We are a chosen people. 657 00:39:40,640 --> 00:39:43,440 We have been separated. Every single one of you who have 658 00:39:43,440 --> 00:39:45,800 called on the name of God, you've been separated from the 659 00:39:45,800 --> 00:39:50,880 world for the world. That is who you are. 660 00:39:51,560 --> 00:39:55,520 That is what has happened. You are a royal priest, a son 661 00:39:55,520 --> 00:40:00,160 and daughter called to go into the world not in your own 662 00:40:00,160 --> 00:40:04,160 strength, but the strength of the Holy Spirit, Malachi, 27, 663 00:40:04,160 --> 00:40:06,240 says. The priests were called 664 00:40:06,280 --> 00:40:12,520 messengers of the Lord of hosts. You are a messenger and when you 665 00:40:12,520 --> 00:40:16,720 speak, you are leading. When you speak out, when you act 666 00:40:16,720 --> 00:40:19,000 for Christ, you are leading. In your workplace, in your 667 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:25,000 school, in your neighbourhood, you are leading like Christ and 668 00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:27,440 church. Don't wait for people to come 669 00:40:27,440 --> 00:40:31,120 here. Go into the world. 670 00:40:31,120 --> 00:40:34,200 As we say, we're here. We're called to bring the life 671 00:40:34,200 --> 00:40:38,120 of Christ to this lost and broken world. 672 00:40:39,560 --> 00:40:41,000 So I want to pray for us right now. 673 00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:42,880 And there's two things I want to pray for us. 674 00:40:43,080 --> 00:40:48,240 First thing is if you're weary, if you're tired, I'm going to 675 00:40:48,240 --> 00:40:52,800 just ask for special grace right now from the Lord Jesus to fill 676 00:40:52,800 --> 00:40:56,520 you so that you so that you don't feel so to the end of 677 00:40:56,520 --> 00:40:59,440 yourself that you would be refreshed by God's Spirit. 678 00:40:59,840 --> 00:41:03,360 And secondly, I'd, I want to pray that God would freshly 679 00:41:03,360 --> 00:41:09,040 Commission us that some of you, you're thinking I'm new here. 680 00:41:09,720 --> 00:41:12,040 I don't really know what to do where, where do I fit in? 681 00:41:12,880 --> 00:41:16,400 As as I said at the beginning of the service, part of belonging 682 00:41:16,400 --> 00:41:19,880 to this church means that you don't just turn up, but you 683 00:41:19,880 --> 00:41:22,920 serve. Sometimes you serve in the ways 684 00:41:22,920 --> 00:41:25,880 that you don't like, but you just do it because you want it 685 00:41:25,880 --> 00:41:27,760 for the greatest body. And some sometimes you do things 686 00:41:27,760 --> 00:41:29,600 actually, I've got a really good gift. 687 00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:34,600 I can do XYZ and we'd love for you to be able to serve, release 688 00:41:34,600 --> 00:41:37,240 you in that. So I want a fresh commissioning 689 00:41:37,240 --> 00:41:40,240 to be able to use your gifts and talents for the Kingdom. 690 00:41:41,240 --> 00:41:44,640 So let's pray, Lord Jesus, I pray right now that you would 691 00:41:44,640 --> 00:41:47,120 come and you would fill us afresh. 692 00:41:49,160 --> 00:41:52,960 Lord God, everyone listening right now will be filled afresh. 693 00:41:52,960 --> 00:41:56,200 Lord God, that they will be refreshed by your spirits. 694 00:41:56,840 --> 00:42:01,040 God, I pray for for those leading the children that they 695 00:42:01,040 --> 00:42:03,560 be refreshed by your spirit. I pray for those leading the 696 00:42:03,560 --> 00:42:06,000 crash that they be refreshed by your spirit. 697 00:42:06,000 --> 00:42:09,520 I pray for the children that they be refreshed by your spirit 698 00:42:09,560 --> 00:42:10,880 right now. The Jesus, I pray for those 699 00:42:10,880 --> 00:42:13,480 listening to this online that they be refreshed by your 700 00:42:13,480 --> 00:42:16,480 spirits. Lord Jesus, come refresh us 701 00:42:16,480 --> 00:42:19,240 right now. And Lord God, I pray Jesus that 702 00:42:19,240 --> 00:42:23,760 you would, you would come, you would reawaken dreams that 703 00:42:23,760 --> 00:42:28,160 people have God and you would recommission some of us this 704 00:42:28,160 --> 00:42:32,120 morning, God, you would show us the gifts and talents that we 705 00:42:32,120 --> 00:42:36,600 have that you want to grab hold of for the building of your 706 00:42:36,600 --> 00:42:39,160 Kingdom. Lord Jesus, I want to, I want 707 00:42:39,160 --> 00:42:42,120 to, I want to especially ask that you would reveal those, 708 00:42:42,120 --> 00:42:45,520 those gifts that people don't think are that important gifts 709 00:42:45,520 --> 00:42:48,080 that they think, well, what what use does that have? 710 00:42:48,160 --> 00:42:50,920 But Lord God, you would grab that and you'd say that is a 711 00:42:50,920 --> 00:42:53,840 vital part of building my Kingdom. 712 00:42:53,840 --> 00:42:56,640 I want to use you. I want to use your gifts more 713 00:42:56,640 --> 00:42:59,560 than you've ever been used before for the glory of my 714 00:42:59,560 --> 00:43:01,840 Kingdom, for the building of my church. 715 00:43:02,440 --> 00:43:07,080 Lord Jesus, come do what you promised you would do as we've 716 00:43:07,080 --> 00:43:09,840 been singing about you. You are a faithful God who 717 00:43:09,880 --> 00:43:13,480 everything you say is true. And you say that those who come 718 00:43:13,480 --> 00:43:16,920 to you will be refreshed, will not be weary. 719 00:43:16,920 --> 00:43:21,760 Grown men will get weary, but Lord Jesus, those who trust in 720 00:43:21,760 --> 00:43:23,560 the Lord will renew their strength. 721 00:43:23,960 --> 00:43:27,280 Lord Jesus, renew our strength. Freshly commissioned us again 722 00:43:27,280 --> 00:43:28,680 today. Amen.