In this sermon, Pastor Joey Mawson takes the story of Moses and the burning bush, teaching us how God is always calling us, always sending us, and always equipping us.

Time of year where we set goals and resolutions…

• Todd even dragged me to Manly Surf Club on Friday to do a rowing session on the erg…
• I’ve been saying to Victoria I am never more than 6 weeks away from peak fitness for the last 13 years… still untested!
• But it is good to start a new year with fresh vision and goals and purpose!
• What kind of life do you hope for in 2025?
• And how would you actually see this come to pass in the midst of all the busyness and struggle to stay afloat?

But whatever we set out hearts and minds to, the question I want to ask is, how can do this from a place of rest?

• And I want to contrast that to a life of sin and striving… 
• And I think the two are linked… 
• We live in a city that values busyness. We often wear it as a badge of honour that we are under the pump!
• Not to downplay hard work! My gosh, we are called to be productive and not lazy or entitled…
• Indeed the book of Proverbs particularly berates the lazy and tells us to study the ants and to learn from them!
• But there is a sweet spot in the Christian life where we stop striving and sinning and begin to enter into the rest of God. We operate from a different reality. 
• It’s like we get a new operating system that reboots us. The old striving glitches cease and we begin to run as God intended…

Bible project video summarised what it meant to be the people of God…

• One of the reasons I love these videos (and I recommend them highly) is that they give a biblical theology of the big themes in the scripture.
• And biblical theology is simply that… it traces the big story of the bible through concepts like light and darkness or grace or kingship
• It’s actually a really good way to get into the bible…
• So you can do that yourself. Take something like the theme of God being a shepherd and then trace it all the way through the bible culminating in Jesus!
• So this one traces the theme of rest, sabbath and the time of jubilee. 

So the bible paints a story of humanity being in this place of sin and striving! Working endlessly with no real rest…

• Of course it is not how the story starts… In Genesis, God creates for 6 days and then rests… his good creation is brought to completion…
• And I think we live in the 7^th day… but unfortunately it isn’t as it was meant to be. 
• The fall (where Adam and Eve sin) means work and slavery to sin and struggle define humanities story… 
• Which is why we have to work and even sometimes struggle to survive…

God says in Genesis 3, “by the sweat of the brow you will eat your food.” 

• And it says God banished Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden to work the ground. 
• So why is life tough, why is life broken and full of struggle? 
• Well Christians say it is because of the fall. Sin has entered the world. So things are not as they were intended to be.
• But it doesn’t end there… no, God wants to restore humanity to his rest…
• And he chooses the nation of Israel to be his people… to come into his blessing by following his ways and will.
• You still with me?

So they are invited to live in the blessings of God… part of this is taking a whole day off to rest and enjoy his presence. Right? Sabbath is important… 

• Indeed sabbath was a command from God… imagine that – you are commanded by God as a part of the 10 commandments to rest!
• But to be in God’s rest is a bigger picture than just not working one day a week… it is to actually be a foretaste of a restored people and creation.
• That is why in the video it refers to the verses where they were to rest the land, they were to forgive debts, they were to have a year of jubilee every 49 years where things are restored…

You can read about it in Leviticus 25

• This would be a year of celebration and rest, dedicated to the Lord. 
• It is one of the greatest examples of social and communal mercy in the Old Testament. 
• Debts were forgiven, slaves were freed, and property was returned. The people were to learn mercy by giving mercy.
• And this year of Jubilee, this year of restoration, was a physical reminder of the even greater rest God wanted to shower upon his people in His Kingdom to come

So it all points toward how things are meant to be, and of course to a future rest… 

• Ultimately though, for Israel, they forfeit all of this through disobedience… historians argue over whether jubilee was ever really practiced… or if land was ever really rested ect. 
• And yet there is hope… the prophets point to a coming messiah who would lead God’s people into his rest!
• So the Prophet Isaiah paints a picture of what is to come! 

In Isaiah 32:15-18 it says,

“the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest. The Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert, his righteousness live in the fertile field.
The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.
My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.”

It’s a beautiful picture right?

• So, Jesus fulfils this mandate – ultimate rest will come though him… 
• So he bursts onto the scene, liberating people from Luke 4 like things… captivity, oppression, blindness, poverty!
• Indeed that Luke 4 passage is a fulfilment of Isaiah 61 and the promise of jubilee!

Right – all the things that Jesus comes to offer, restores people from the fall and the struggle of life. Sickness is overcome, poverty is dealt with, oppression is freed!

• And it culminates with his death and resurrection which brings about the new creation… 
• Sin, evil, death all get defeated… and a new era begins in which you and I can be the children of God. 
• And so we live in the age between the struggle and the rest… yeah? 
• The full restoration is still a future thing when we die or Jesus comes again…
• But we are to live and experience this new time when heaven is invading earth… where we foretaste the good things that reverse the fall, sin and brokenness….

So let me say this clearly – your Christian faith should be making a massive difference in your life!

• Right?
• You should be quite different to the person you once were. 
• If your life is more marked by struggle and sin and oppression… then we need to disciple or apprentice to Jesus to learn his new ways!

So what is the offer of Jesus – well its maybe never more clearly articulated than in Matthew 11:28

Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Read again – slow)

Just exegete what Jesus is saying here… because it is so important!

• Now the yoke refers to what? No not the yellow part of an egg… that’s a yolk, not a yoke. 
• A yoke is what was laid upon oxen who worked in the fields… (picture)
• Do you see where this is going? Remember that a part of the fall is to work and toil the soil…
• So Jesus says, you are either going to have the yoke of the fall which is sin and struggle and the burden of the law…
• Or you have the yoke of Jesus… come on! 
• Is this on?

A while back Victoria and I watched Two Popes on Netlfix – wonderful film!

• It tells the story of Benedict (who retired from being Pope) and Francis (who is the current Pope) 
• And it tells the story of two very different Christian leaders…
• Benedict who is legalistic and driven, and defined by keeping the law. He eats alone, he keeps secrets, he is seen as judgemental. You can kind of see a heavy yoke on his shoulders…
• And then there is Benedict, the Argentinian Archbishop who he gets to know…
• He is scarred and bruised by life and history… and yet a man of the people, more gracious and simple and kind… 
• And he has been a Pope who has walked amongst the people, washed feet, fed the poor, seemingly less driven and more comfortable in his own shoes. 
• Anyhow watch the film… but the idea is there are ways of living…

You cant have no yoke in this life… something will be steering you. You will be working for someone… yes, you still have to labour… the question is what yoke will you wear?

• Will it be heavy and burdening… will it make you tired and weary? 
• Or will you receive from Jesus his yoke to guide you?
• Jesus says my yoke is easy and my burden is light… 

In Leviticus 26:13 God says; I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.

• Right? This is the business God is in…
• In the Old Testament God literally breaks the yoke of slavery… that is what the people had controlling them…
• And what God does physically in the OT, he often does spiritually in the NT…
• So all of the sin in your life, all of the struggle in your life, is the yoke of the fall…
• Jesus says come to me… my yoke is easy, and my burden in light…
• What God does in freeing them from actual slavery in Egypt in the OT is now done for all humanity who will come to him…
• That is, by Jesus, by freeing us from slavery to sin and things that bind us!

You know you speak to someone who is under fierce opposition or oppression or addiction and they will tell you what it is like to have a heavy yoke! 

• Or a perfectionist or law keeper who can never feel peace or rest…
• Right, there is no rest… you are under a heavy yoke.
• Right? You could be under the yoke of needing constant approval leading you into all kinds of bad actions and attention seeking behaviours
• You could be under the yoke of striving, always needing more, a better house, a better car, a better waist line, a better job… but never feeling fulfilled.
• You could be under the yoke of addiction or bad habits… 
• So Jesus says take off every other yoke… come to me… and receive…

Listen to Eugene Peterson’s translation of Matthew 11:28. He puts it this way… (Jesus says)

28 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

So that’s the invitation… get away with Jesus… walk with him, work with him… watch how he does it!

• Jesus says I’ll show you how to take a real rest!
• Right? Whole new ways of being and living and operating…
• Learn from him the unforced rhythms of grace…
• In other words, patterns of life that make you live a little lighter… a little more forgiving
• A little less trying to please everyone… a little less constantly struggling to establish yourself…
• Unforced rhythms of grace… right? Watch how Jesus does it… learn from him… 
• And you do that how? Well get to know him this year? Study him this year.
• Imitate his life this year! Be more like him this year. 
• And everything else is what? It is a heavy, ill fitting yoke!

One of our main mission partners is African Enterprise and it was founded by a wonderful man named Michael Cassidy… 

• I was privileged to be at the 40^th anniversary celebrations, 20 years ago in South Africa….
• I remember him telling the story of how Pastors would come to him and brag about working 65 hours a week and never taking a break… 
• And waiting for him to say how amazing and hard working they are…instead he would chastise them. Tell them to work less, spend time with family, model sabbath to their people.

One of those comments in a sermon 20 years on that has stuck with me…

• And not just because I enjoy rest and holidays… 
• But the burn out rate of Pastors is scary… I hear about Pastors going on stress leave and burn out all the time… 
• I remember one Pastor telling me that of his year group of bible college he was the last one left in ministry….
• And we are meant to be the ones modelling the Christian life to our communities!
• Right… So… Jesus says “Come to me”. 
• Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.  I’ll show you how to take a real rest. 
• Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. 
• Learn the unforced rhythms of grace

And what is it like in your industry or profession? What is it like in your neighbourhood?

• I remember when I worked in corporate in London my boss’s boss was one of British Airways top 10 flyers… and he wore it as a badge of pride!
• And I remember thinking if that is where this is all heading, count me out. I want a family life, I want a church life, I want a LIFE!
• So I left the corporate world and went into a high burn out profession in Pastoring… haha!

But seriously, if we want to do things differently this year and operate with Jesus from rest and not sin and striving what are some practical things we can do? 2 Things… could be so many more..

• Like practising forgiveness…. Being less materialist… but 2 things…
• Spend time with Jesus – Bible in a year with Derek…
• Throw more parties… Make room at your table… 
• Have a communal life where you share meals…
• Jon Tyson “I am learning that the church has nothing to say to the world until it throws better parties.” 

Let’s finish there… But I do want to encourage us as we start the year…

Are you keen for that?

You God desires that you be a person who experiences his rest!

But there is only one way… come all who are weary and burdened.

Come to Jesus and receive from him and learn from him…

In 2025, why don’t you prioritise your faith and your Christian walk… 

God wants to give you a life, in the midst of this broken world and the ongoing reality of sin, he wants you to taste a new way of living.

s I am not sure how you understand the Christmas story…

• Sometimes in between the baby in a manger, the last-minute shopping, Santa, the giving and receiving of gifts
• We lose sight of the significance of what it is we celebrate at Christmas…
• An article in The Guardian in London researched what children think Christmas is all about…
• A four year old informed his father that the wise men had bought “Gold, common sense and mirth”. I’m not so sure about that…
• Another little boy who on reciting the Lord’s Prayer was heard to say “Forgive us our Christmases as we forgive those who have Christmased against us.”
• Maybe you feel Christmassed against… I did as I circled for parking at Warringah Mall.
• Trick for players… park at Bunnings and walk!

But let me suggest that Christmas is about Jesus, and light coming into the world. 

• We are in a little Advent series in Luke chapter 2
• Already in Luke, due to the census of the Roman world, Joseph and Mary have travelled to Bethlehem, where Jesus has been born in a manger.
• The shepherds watching their flocks at night are met by an angel who brings them the good news of what has occurred. 
• The angel says “Do not be afraid, I bring you good news, that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Saviour has been born to you. He is the Messiah the Lord.”

So it is a remarkable story, one which we have been saying is a Kairos moment – this idea that God is definitively acting in human history!

• The long awaited and promised saviour and Messiah has arrived
• And God will act through him to bring salvation and deliverance to all who trust and follow him!
• God’s rescue plan is under way!
• And that is what we are celebrating with Dean and Eric today – they have met Jesus, trusted in Jesus and are now getting baptised as a sign of their new life in Christ!

So let’s continue the story this Advent – Luke 2:25-35

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
    you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31     which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and the glory of your people Israel.”

33 The child’s father and mother marvelled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.

Well this is one of my favourite parts of the Christmas story…

• In the telling of the story of the birth of Jesus we meet a man in Luke chapter 2 named Simeon who had been promised that he would not die before he saw the Lord’s Messiah.
• He would have known promises from the Old Testament like Zechariah 2:10 in which God says “shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,”
• In his righteousness he waits… and waits… and waits…
• Until as an old man, one fateful day, Joseph and Mary arrive at the temple with an infant named Jesus.
• The Holy Spirit is on this Simeon and he takes the baby Jesus in his arms and begins praising God. 
• Right? It is revealed to him, this is the one! So he says;

“Sovereign Lord as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in sight of all nations.

A light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

For my eyes have seen your salvation…

You know I think naturally in the West we are a skeptical people, imbued with the rationalism of the enlightenment… 

• Often we have to see something to believe it.
• A couple of years ago, in one of those East Coast lows… a massive storm and swell came through Manly.
• And because of the run off, the bay, or swim to Shelley Beach from Manly turned wild, and the water was brown.
• Now most sane people would just take a break and get a coffee…
• But this particular morning… peer pressure got the better of me… and so my friend Dave, Scotty and I did the swim.

Now add to that, there was a shark sighting and the shark sign was prominently displayed on the beach.

• Now I don’t know about you, but I am skeptical of the shark sign on the beach.
• I assume that someone has seen a big fish, or a wobegone, or at worst, there is a shark, but it is 300m off the beach and not interested in us.
• So the 3 of us headed out into what became known as the battle of the brown! Everyone else decided not to swim!

Well we got around the point, and I must admit, we were all swimming in a pretty tight little pack… each of us vying to be the one in the middle…

• When all of a sudden a shark, at least the size of me swam right underneath us! And the water got a little browner…
• Seeing is believing… 
• Well to finish the story, we kept swimming… and whether out of admiration, or concern at our complete stupidity… a life guard on a jet ski came out and did circles around us the whole way over…
• Which was, to be honest, very reassuring! Though my friend Dave was eaten by a shark… nah.

Well, if we are skeptical, and seeing is believing… 

• What was it that made Simeon declare “for my eyes have seen your salvation.”
• In the nativity story we are told it was the Holy Spirit, that is God’s presence, that prompts him to know that this is the one they have been waiting for.
• And that is often the case when someone comes to Christ… God is at work opening their eyes to the truth!
• Anyhow he knows, salvation will be found through this child.
• God’s rescue plan for humanity is brought to him in the temple by Mary and Joseph.

But what would you see if you read the stories of Jesus? To behold this salvation Simeon talks about?

• Because it is through seeing and comprehending Christ that we come to believe.
• And remember last week, Luke wrote this account of Jesus life from eyewitness accounts…
• So we can trust the witness of what we read…
• But what will you see if you read about Jesus in the bible?

Well I love the confessions of faith in the Gospels…

• They often come in response to something remarkable happening through Jesus. 
• The gospel writer John says “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
• John the Baptist sees the heavens open at Jesus baptism and declares “the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
• When Peter had been with Jesus and seen him heal the man at the pool and feed the 5,000, and walk on water…
• He declares “You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

In the midst of the Lazarus story where Jesus raises him from the dead, Mary proclaims “you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

• And there are so many more…
• People acknowledging that no one has taught with authority like Jesus has.
• Blind people who get healed who declare him Lord.
• When a man possessed by evil is delivered, the crowds say “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”

But maybe the most significant one is Thomas… doubting Thomas… who misses Jesus first resurrection appearance and is skeptical… 

• Imagine that… you pop out for a coffee and miss the resurrection of Jesus!
• Right?
• He says “unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my fingers where the nails were, and out my hands into his side, I will not believe.”
• Fair enough right?
• But then a week later, Jesus appears to him in the upper room, after his crucifixion… and he invites him to stop doubting and believe.
• Thomas, having now seen the resurrected Jesus, declares, “My Lord and my God.”

So I wonder for you… can you confess like Simeon “my eyes have seen your salvation”?

• That is probably the biggest decision you will ever make in your life.
• I was just reading about Niall Fergusson this morning. The famous Scottish atheist historian. He has just been interviewed by Greg Sheridan…
• And he has become a Christian and just got baptised! He is all in.
• CS Lewis once said “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”
• Right?

In the great hymn Issac Watts wrote…

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were a present far too small.
Love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.

Unlike Simeon, you don’t have to wait your whole life to behold Jesus and your salvation.

• You can call on him today… 
• Dean after night one of Alpha… I’m in… 
• But it is demanding… Jesus asks for your soul, your life, your all…

Well the next thing Simeon says with the baby Jesus in his arms, praising God, is he will be; “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

• Now that just rolls off the tongue…. But let’s consider this as our second and final thing
• So this Jesus will be a light for revelation to the Gentiles
• Two interesting words there – light and revelation… 
• Light is the Greek word Phos which simply means illumination and can literally mean the light emitted from a lamp or a star.
• Or metaphorically Phos can mean the divine presence and truth and purity that comes from God. Light is associated with what is good and pure and pushes back the darkness.

But revelation is probably the more interesting of the two because it is the translation of the Greek word apocalypse… (just got more interesting…)

• So what does apocalypse mean?
• Well, apocalypse was the word used to convey the unveiling or revealing of something…
• Like when you go to the theatre and the stage curtain is pulled back, revealing the set and actors on the stage. 
• What was hidden has now been apocalypsis… all has been revealed. 
• So when an apocalypse happens, you get to see something that was hidden… Jesus is to be an apocalypsis to lighten the world.
• This child in Simeon’s arms is the revelation of light in a dark world. 
• This child is the unveiling of God’s divine presence and plan to put things to rights. 

And all through the bible there is this amazing motif of light and darkness…

• Darkness representing all that is wrong and broken about the world and in us…
• And light representing God’s presence, his character and our mission…
• Yes, that’s right, before Star Wars, the bible introduced us to the light and dark side of the universe…

So in the beginning in Genesis it says God separates the light from the darkness and it says, he saw that the light was good. 

• Light brings order to chaos…
• Then, in Exodus, as God leads them out of slavery in Egypt his presence that guides them is light… 
• Exodus 13:21“By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light.” 
• So the very presence of God is characterised as a light!
• As Psalm 27 says, “The LORD is my light and my salvation. Whom then shall I fear?”
• So in the Old Testament God is associated with light, and it is his light that guides, that protects and saves us

But in the OT, by the time we get to the prophet Isaiah, we are told we haven’t seen nothing yet! 

• A great light is to come into the world… do you know Isaiah 9? 
• Verse 1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. 

So, that’s the promise. A light is to come into the world that will end the gloom for those living in distress…

• But in such dark world… this is going to take an apocalypse… a great revealing to push away the darkness…
• So they are waiting and waiting… like Simeon… for a fulfilment to occur… for the light to dawn…
• God is going to act in a Kairos moment, decisively to reveal his nature and put things to right.

As that amazing song we sing at Christmas says…

Long lay the world in sin and error pining, 

Till He appeared And the soul felt its worth. 

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, 

for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. 

So we read in Matthew 4 that the waiting is over.  

• Talking about the coming of Jesus, his incarnation… the gospel writer quotes Isaiah 9
• “People living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
• The Gospel writer John in chapter 3 says; “This is the verdict, light has come into the world.”
• This is what Simeon declares over the infant Christ. 

But possibly my favourite moment in all of this is in John chapter 8

• The people of God have gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. 
• At this festival the people would quote these very verses from Isaiah about God being light.
• They are waiting for the fulfilment of the prophecy that light would come… that God himself would come. 
• John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
• Drenched in the fulfilment of these promises and prophecies… 
• Jesus Christ reveals he is the one, the light of the world!

Well let’s finish with this. Because as much as this is all interesting and good news, we are told this child will cause the falling and rising of many… and the revealing of many hearts…

• In other words… some will accept Jesus, and some will be opposed…
• For some it will reveal an openness, and humility and scope for belief in their hearts…
• For others it will confront the darkness and evil that lives in their hearts. 
• In other words, Jesus is good news to many, and bad news for others. 
• As it says in John 3 “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”
• That’s challenging stuff…

This is the reality of the world that we live in…

• And I think this manifests in two ways… the personal and the societal. 
• On the personal we all deal with degrees of darkness within.
• And it manifests in the gossip, the greed, the immorality that lives in us all. And it is tough to bring those things into the light….
• I think sometimes when we talk about sin or darkness we think mainly in terms of others, but the reality is that the line between light and darkness runs right through the heart of us all. 

I remember hearing a story about one of the earliest Westfield malls. 

• It had no natural light… and not long after the grand opening, the power failed and all of the lights went out.
• At first people froze, but then eventually carnage broke out. 
• An hour later when the lights finally came back on, shelves had been stripped, clothes grabbed off racks and stolen. The place had been ransacked. 
• Now either there was one bad person who somehow in an hour had ransacked an entire mall… or maybe it revealed something different…
• Maybe it revealed something about all of us?
• The reality is that sin lives in us all, and when darkness covers, darkness is exposed…

So hear the invitation this Christmas…

Amen.

“Do not be afraid, I bring you good news, that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Saviour has been born to you. He is the Messiah the Lord.”

For my eyes have seen your salvation… a light for revelation to the gentiles…”

Come into the light this Christmas – come to Jesus.

Today is a Next Steps Sunday… we do these once a year as an opportunity to think through our involvement here at church, how we might grow as disciples…

• And how we might play our part in the Manly Life family…
• So at the end of the service all of us are going to fill in our forms and bring them to the front… 
• And in one sense it is our way of saying yes to God, and yes to being a committed member of this church community!
• So what is your next step? Join a Life Group, get baptised? Use your gifts to serve in the church? Prophetic quilt making? Interpretive dance… 
• Who knows… 

Alright, I want to read 2 Timothy 1:3-8

 I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

⁶ For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. ⁸ So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. 

Well this is one of my favourite passages in the bible…

• With its beautiful pastoral tone, prayers and tears and Pauls longing to see his young friend and disciple Timothy.
• And this reminder that although faith may have been passed down through the generations (and gosh don’t we all hope for that)
• But that we need to fan into flames the gift of God which is in all of us…
• And that we have the Holy Spirit in us, enabling power, love and self discipline.
• All of this emboldening our witness about Jesus Christ, our Lord and saviour!

You see, you and I, we’ve been given gifts from God… ways to serve and encourage others… ways to make a difference. 

• So don’t pull back… don’t waver… don’t be half committed or apathetic… hello?
• But with the Holy Spirit fully alive in you… go for this new life of power, love and self control… 
• Go for the new life made possible through the Spirit of Jesus, alive in you! 
• Amen? Fan it into flames!

Last weekend we had a family BBQ at our place and a spontaneous fire pit for Luca and his cousin Floyd. Many marshmallows were consumed!

• But it was all a bit last minute, I grabbed the fire pit bowl, got the boys to grab some wood, and quickly filled it with a bunch of twigs and wood. Lots of fun!
• But I noticed it kind of went through 3 stages…

Firstly… due to a fair bit of, lets call it “flammable liquid”, the fire initially raged! Knuckle hairs were burnt… eyebrows came close to disappearing…

• Lots of flames and a fair bit of smoke… and a lot of the light stuff providing for lots of heat.
• But then there is a second stage where that burns off and it kind of comes close to going out.
• And you yell at the kids to go and get more sticks and as the Dad it’s your responsibility to get way too close to the fire and blow on it…
• Right – what is initially going well, all of a sudden take fanning into flames and more material to get it going again…
• And then finally, the fire has been going for long enough that there is this bed of coals… and it just kind of burns easily, nice and hot!

Now I wonder if Paul had something similar in mind when it comes to our faith and this fanning into flames?

• We often start out so enthusiastic… literally on fire for Jesus…
• We are captivated by him and his Kingdom!
• I remember when I first had faith for myself, I would call all my friends inviting them to church and was so keen to have a go at ministry…
• I naturally wanted to talk about Jesus and loved the church community.

But I wonder as we go on, if that flame can start to go out…

• Maybe there is some disappointment with God or with church?
• Maybe you just get distracted as Jesus said in the parable of the sower by “the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth.” (that is such a gut punch of a line)… repeat…
• Either way, our red hot faith cools down… and if you are not careful it can go out!

I wonder if that was Timothy’s story? 

• He heard, through his family about Jesus, after all this news about Jesus, his death and resurrection was spreading through the ancient world like a wildfire
• And he was probably sharing that good news and seeing people get saved… and enjoying the life and life to the full that Jesus promised!
• But then he needs this encouragement… don’t forget what the Holy Spirit enables in you… 
• Don’t fall back into timidity…
• But fan into flames the gifts God has given you and operate in power, love and self discipline!

So, the Spirit of God is given as a gift to all those who trust in in his Son Jesus and confess him as Lord.

• And we live in the age of the abundance of the Spirit. 
• You can read about this in Acts 2 and the day of Pentecost. Jesus is going to fulfil this mission of good news going to the whole world…
• And it is going to happen through his Spirit filling disciples as they bring the message and miracles of Jesus to whole world.

Right? And because as DL Moody said, we are leaky vessels…

• We need to ongoingly be filled and refreshed by the presence of God… or as it says here… fan into flames this gift of God… 
• And the Spirit of God in us is going to enable all kinds of things…
• We get the assurance of adoption into the family of God – you will know you are loved. 
• The Spirit in us illuminates the word and gives us revelation so we can understand his will.
• The Spirit produces Fruit in our lives – changing your character… making you more loving and joyful and peaceful… 
• And the Spirit gives us gifts for service in the church and mission – His presence alive in you, makes you useful for great purposes.

So Paul charges Timothy to not let the flame go out!

• You haven’t received the promised Holy Spirit to turn you all timid. 
• You’ve received the Holy Spirit to be empowered, to have the fruit of love and to be faithful through self control. 
• And why does he pray for him, why does he long to see him, why does he bother to write to his young disciple to keep encouraging him?
• Well the answer is love! Paul loves and cares about him…

Verse 3-4 I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 

• Do you sense the love and care… 
• That’s the church friends… 
• An intergenerational family which loves one another.

I have had the joy the last few weeks to take a bunch of weddings… and they are all amazing…

• But I particularly think of Hope and Dennis getting married a week and a half ago
• I still remember the first week they walked into church. Pretty sheepishly… Hope having been away from church a fair while, and Dennis brand new…
• And this wonderful couple came to church here and found faith and found friends and found their part in God’s church!
• And they have come alive, and they have been the heart and soul of the church and Hope has led worship with incredible heart and soul!
• And there she is, standing with her Dad at the top of the aisle, ready to walk down and get married!
• And in a super undignified way… along with Dennis, tears just filled my eyes!

Why? Because we are a family… and I love every single one of you… just like I know you love each other so much… and we get to do life together.

• Not perfectly and not always easily…
• But day to day, and in these big markers of life like a wedding, you just feel that love so deeply!
• So to be honest its devastating when someone drifts off or disengages from faith. 
• When the flame goes out… when we disconnect or disengage… 
• So hear Paul’s heart… he just wants the absolute best for Timothy… he wants the absolute best for Christ’s church as we face all that we face…
• So what does he exhort Timothy to do?
• “Fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of hands.”

Now just something quick on the laying on of hands…

• If you are new to church you may be wondering what this language is all about…
• And no it doesn’t refer to the Bon Jovi song “lay your hands on me”
• I think that might be about something else? Haha…
• But what we find here and in Paul’s letter in 1 Timothy 4:14 is this reminder about how the gift of the Holy Spirit was received by Timothy.
• And it came by the laying on of hands… when he was set apart for his role in ministry, the elders and Paul laid hands on him and he had leadership and gifts to serve imparted into him. 

And here is the thing… just like faith is often caught and not just taught…

• So the Holy Spirit is something that is often caught by the laying on of hands… rather than by simply being taught about…
• And we see this in the Book of Acts too…
• The Holy Spirit is often imparted from one believer to a new one by the laying on of hands. It’s almost like its contagious… 
• And this is called impartation. 
• On this I would simply say, it’s biblical… and if you see something of God in someone that you desire… then this kind of impartation through the laying on of hands is key!

So if I want to see faithfulness in my life and my marriage and my relationships… find people who demonstrate this and get them to pray for you? Get an impartation. 

• Right? If you want to be bolder in sharing your faith or living a beautiful, holy life… find people who have this gift and get them to pray for you with the laying on of hands…
• If you want more of the gift of the Holy Spirit, you can find a Spirit filled believer and get them to pray for you!
• That’s why I’d encourage you on a regular basis to come for prayer ministry at the end of our services.
• You never know what you will catch? Haha… hopefully not Covid…
• But seriously, there is power in receiving more of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands. 

Nicky Gumbel, the leader of the global Alpha Course recently retired in London. Wonderful ministry… 

• Alpha has been done by well over 30 million people, and many can trace coming to follow Jesus through Alpha and his ministry!
• And I knew him a little bit when I lived in London, and he is a very shy and introverted guy.
• Not who you would expect to be probably the most effective evangelist in the world in the last few decades…

Anyhow he was a Barrister working in London and attending an Anglican church called HTB when John Wimber and a team from California came and ministered at HTB in the 1980’s.

• Well they invited the Holy Spirit to come and laid hands on people who came forward…
• And Nicky powerfully received the Holy Spirit… 
• Well he must have been making quite a commotion, as John Wimber said, “get that guy out of here” 
• Asking him to be taken to a side room for more ministry… and as he was being carried out John Wimber said “evangelism…” that man will be a great evangelist” 
• So that is impartation… the gift of evangelism through the laying on of hands!

So what Paul had, imparted into him by Jesus, he has now imparted into Timothy by the laying on of hands…

• And so he says… this will have the opposite effect of making you fearful or timid…
• But this gift of the Holy Spirit is what is going to make you powerful, loving and self controlled!
• It is the Holy Spirit that will keep you in the game and give you longevity in following Jesus Christ.
• Like Nicky who from that moment went on to decades of faithful and fruitful ministry!
• Amen?

So let’s just finish with these three things. Power. Love. Self discipline.

• So firstly, let us never forget that the Christian faith is a Holy Spirit empowered life. 
• The Greek word for power used is du-na-moss from which we get the word dynamite!
• There is power in the name of Jesus. And there is power available from the Holy Spirit alive in you!
• Paul will say in Romans 1 “I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation.”
• In 1 Corinthians 4 he will say the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but power.
• In Romans 15 he talks about overflowing with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
• In 1 Corinthians 2 he says “My preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,
• In Ephesians 1 Paul prays we may be enlightened to know “his incomparably great power for us who believe.”

Secondly, the fruit of the Holy Spirit in you is love! 

• Now having power is often a trainwreck in people’s lives.
• But the Holy Spirit’s power leads us to love… to give ourselves away for others. 
• Love is the fruit of God’s Holy Spirit at work in you. 
• That is why Paul is in tears remembering the faith and life of Timothy… he cares deeply about the bloke! He has love!
• The impartation of the Spirit, is an impartation to love deeply!
• If your faith is not leading you to love others more deeply… you’re doing it wrong!
• That is part of calling all of us to serving in the church…. That is an act of love towards others who come… 

And then finally the Spirit imparted into us makes us self disciplined!

• And we see that in the list of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:23 don’t we?
• So I’ve been thinking about this one all week… and wondering why when Paul explains the effects of the Holy Spirit in your life, why does this get in his top 3 here?
• And I think it comes down to longevity…
• Self discipline, or sound mindedness as it is sometimes translated points us to what keeps us faithful
• Not just in big flashy moments… but in what Eugene Peterson calls “the long obedience in the same direction.”
• This is about character formation… 

The Spirit helps you not just through days and weeks with self control to overcome temptation…

• But will give you the self discipline to walk faithfully for the decades of your Christian life. 
• I love the older guys at our church. I think of people like Steve and Mary…  
• And I want the same Spirit imparted into them that they have activated through the decades of their lives to see them through with wisdom and faithfulness

Well what has all this got to do with it being our Next Steps Sunday?

• Well my hope and prayer is that you will “fan into flames, the gift of God which is in you.”
• Church is so boring if it is one or two people doing all the stuff while everyone else watches on…
• It is about every single one of us getting to play our part in making this local church all that God wants it to be… 
• Empowered by the Spirit to serve and use the gifts that God has given you!
• Same with giving and generosity… every single one of us regularly committing to support the life and ministry of this church!

So in a minute I am going to give you an opportunity to fill in your forms and then when the band comes up and plays, we are all going to come forward and put our forms in the basket here at the front!

• Tips: Don’t do so much that you burn yourself out…
• But don’t do so little that you will never grow or really live in service of others…
• There are opportunities to say you want to get baptised, or do Alpha or join a Life Group…
• And then there are ways to serve and give and to get involved!
• Some things will be your passions and your purposes… while for all of us there are also ways just to help out and make this church hum!
• Go through form…

So don’t pull back, don’t let the flame go out, and don’t be afraid… 

Amen… lets do our forms…

The Holy Spirit given as a gift to you makes you powerful, loving and self controlled.

It makes all of us useful in the kingdom of God, as his church is established…

And allows for decades of faithfulness and service that will see you to the end!

In this sermon our incoming Haberfield Life Church campus Pastor, Elise Takashima beautifully explores Psalm 23 and the Good Shepherd of our souls.

In this sermon, Tim explores how we develop a Rule of Life in order to get spiritual formation practices into the rhythms of our lives.

In this talk, Pastor Tim talks about how God meets us in our pain and suffering to form character and hope. Our scripture is Romans 5:3-4

Here are the Life Church camp talks for 2024 by Ian and Tim. They focus in on the Kingdom of Heaven and our unique hospitality, hope and holiness, and being the aroma of Christ!

Talk 1 – The Kingdom of Heaven and Hospitality

Talk 2- The Kingdom of Heaven and Hope

Talk 3 – The Kingdom of Heaven and Holiness

Talk 4 – The Aroma of Christ

We are doing a series in Philippians, this first church planted in what today is now modern Greece. 

• A story you can read about in Acts chapter 16 in which Lydia the businesswoman becomes the first follower of Jesus in this city.
• And that is followed by Paul and Silas causing an uproar in the city when a girl who can tell fortunes gets delivered.
• They end up in prison… and as they are want to do… they continue to worship and pray… an earthquake happens… and through a series of events the jailor ends up following Jesus too!
• So about 10 years on, the church is still going strong and Paul, now again in prison writes to them.
• And the theme of the letter is really one of thankfulness and joy! They are still partners in the gospel after all this time. 
• But he wants them to get on their own two feet!

So the last few weeks we have been looking at the example of Christ who humbled himself in order to be exalted…

• And this remarkable challenge to have the same mindset as Christ in our relationships with others.
• Humble ourselves, look to the interests of others. Die to selfish ambition and vain conceit.
• Its pretty powerful stuff!
• We are to be mini Christs in this world as we become servants of all, in order that Christ may be made visible to the world.
• Right?
• Often the only way anyone will see Jesus is through our enactment of his humility…
• So what a blessing to be studying this remarkable letter together.

Philippians 2:12-18

12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. 17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

Well what a remarkable passage in which we are told to continue to work out our salvation and to shine amongst a crooked generation, holding firmly to the word of life.

• In other words, you’ve now got a job to do. Now that you follow Christ…
• You have responsibilities…
• For your own faith and for the world around us!
• While there is so much freedom to be found in Christ…
• Our freedom in Christ is to be used to take responsibilities for our lives and the lives around us!
• This is what Paul did, and this is what he expects now of us!

I wonder when I use the word responsibility, what comes to mind? Positive things? Negative things?

• I remember I had a friend when I lived in London who was in a rock band and used to love to travel…
• And I saw him many years later back here in Sydney, now married with children and owning a business, had a mortgage….
• And he said to me “my life is defined by responsibilities”
• While I think he is very grateful for the gift of these things in his life, I am not sure he was saying this with a total sense of positivity!

Of course one of the things that is a challenge both in the church and in the world around us, is an unwillingness by many to take responsibility

• To own your life despite the circumstances and consequences of our actions…
• We blame our upbringing, or the government, or the economy or corporations or whatever, for what is wrong in our lives rather than taking responsibility
• We are good at wanting to abscond from duty
• And of course this goes all the way back to Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis…
• Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the snake and the snake didn’t have a leg to stand on…
• Is this on?
• Right? 
• But whatever the mitigating circumstances we are all accountable for our actions and lives!

But here is what I find really interesting…

• Is that for all of our innate natural desire away from taking responsibility, what we counter intuitively find is that the path to meaningful, purposeful, flourishing lives…
• Is actually found through stepping up to the plate and taking ownership of our own lives and our role in the world around us. 
• Unfettered freedom and living for yourself and your whims can actually end up being the lonely path, or the damaging path…
• As Paul says elsewhere “everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial!”

One of the leading voices around all of this has been the Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson.

• He is a really interesting guy, and I don’t agree with everything he says, but on this basic idea, I think he is spot on…
• The context within which he writes is that he basically understand life as a lot of suffering. 
• He says “there is a baseline of suffering in life that can be exaggerated by human failure as a consequence of malevolence and betrayal and deceit that amplifies suffering…
• He goes on “that is often what makes people feel hopeless and depressed, anxious and overwhelmed.
• So according to the good Dr.. what is the solution? He writes;
• “And what you put up against that suffering is meaning. Meaning is actually the instinct that helps guide yourself through that catastrophe. And most of that meaning is to be found in the adoption of responsibility.”
• Good – without responsibility I think we actually end up being nihilistic… no meaning…

So what does Paul suggest?

Firstly, take responsibility for our own lives

Verse 12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

So our first responsibility in our own lives is to work out our salvation.

• And our salvation of course is the incredible new freedom we find in Christ.
• To be saved by Jesus Christ is to be set free. Free from our guilt, our addictions, and our fear of death.
• Jesus sets us free from the penalty of sin in order that we can know God, to love God and others like we were meant to be. 
• So this new found freedom and responsibility then go hand in hand. Work it out with fear and trembling…
• Be responsible for your freedom…
• This isn’t a small thing in life…
• This is the reconciling of our lives with God’s that then re-identifies us as the children of God. 

Now to work out our salvation doesn’t mean to work for or towards our salvation.

• Salvation, and freedom in Christ is a gift… but it is a gift that we then take responsibility for in exploring, and enjoying and stepping into, for the rest of our lives.
• Right if you get married… that is an event… you are then married.
• But you take a life time of exploring that relationship…
• Right, salvation is a gift, but we need to work it out day by day…
• What does it mean to be saved? What does this now require of me? 
• What path am I now on that I didn’t used to be?

The context of course is Paul is in jail. He longs to visit them, but you know… he is in jail…

• He can’t do it for them…
• He can’t constantly guide them and teach them and reassure them.
• They have to take responsibility for their own salvation. 
• They have to cultivate their own relationship with God and the things that will feed them and keep them on the right path. 

I still to this day remember a friend of mine who was in the same youth group as me.

• And she got into university in Canberra and so moved down there…
• And I remember her saying to me “Tim, don’t let me lose my faith.”
• Well sadly over the following years, the party culture and university life meant she did lose her faith.
• And the reality was, that she needed to take responsibility for her salvation, she needed to work out, day to day what it meant for her to be a Christian!
• You cant borrow someone else’s faith? Right?
• You need to be responsible for joining a church, for knowing Christ personally, for your spiritual formation…

So I just want to challenge us all…

• Yes lean on other Christians and be guided and helped and even held up at times by your brothers and sisters in Christ.
• But take responsibility for your Christian faith!
• Know the gospel. Know your new identity in Christ.
• Take steps by being committed, to grow in your faith through investing in your church community.
• Have daily disciplines that will nurture you like a small devotion…
• Get in a Life Group.
• And then do things that show your responsible! Give towards your church community and the poor. Do things like Christ that cost you!
• Hospitality, generosity, concern for others…
• This is all working out your salvation with fear and trembling!

This is a glorious faith that we belong to!

• But don’t be lazy, or entitled or a grumbler… step up into your new identity in Christ!
• What an adventure to be on your own two feet, knowing and loving the Lord Jesus
• And growing deeper and deeper as a disciple of Christ.
• Amen?

One quick heads up… later in the year we are going to launch a course called Practicing the Way

• This is about all of us taking responsibility for our salvation!
• A lot of courses these days (which I think are great) are about teaching us a bunch of information about God.
• If you’re a bit like me… it can go in one ear and out the other.
• What Practicing the Way is about is developing the practices in your life that will sustain and form your relationship with God.
• Some of you will have read John Mark Comer’s books… so its his materials…
• But it looks at things like bible reading, prayer, sabbath, fasting, community life and so on…
• Right. Pretty cool…
• Work out your salvation… take responsibility to flourish in Christ by developing practices to help you follow the way!

OK then, our next responsibility is then to the world. 

Verse 15-16 “become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.

What a verse! We have a responsibility to shine in a crooked generation!

• Would you say we live in a crooked and depraved generation?
• One whose values and practices are far from good?
• Of course it is easy to say that the younger generation are always worse than whatever generation you come from. 
• Kids these days… and all that!

Who do you think said this?

• “The children now love luxury, they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in the place of exercise. Children are tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when their elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, gobble up food and tyrannize their teachers.”
• Any guesses?
• Well that was Socrates 399 years before the birth of Christ! 
• So not much has changed. 

Well in the midst of a world around us that is warped and distorted in its activities and values due to its rebellion from God

• Christians are called to live lives that are noticeably different from those around them.
• We are called to do everything without complaining or arguing…
• That being a particularly high call when this comes after Paul telling us to look to the interests of others ahead of ourselves and have the same mindset as Christ in being humble and serving!
• Our attitude is not “poor me” or “it’s not fair” or self pity…
• Instead of grumbling like the Israelites in the desert after being saved…
• Our lips are to speak and sing praise, thanksgiving, encouragement and life!
• That’s a blameless life… a life in which people can’t find fault. 

And isn’t that a cool image – shining like stars in the universe!

• That is all of our responsibility. Having lifestyles and words and purposes that make a difference.
• And what do people do to the stars? Well they gaze at them and are guided by them!
• Our lives in this very lost generation, are to be admired.
• Not in a show off way, or a look at me way… or because we are perfect. Far from it…
• But because of our humility and service towards all.
• How we treat our family, our neighbours, our work colleagues and the members of our church!
• Right? What kind of a star do you want to be?

The author Philip Yancey wrote this;

In my career as a journalist, I have interviewed diverse people. Looking back, I can roughly divide them into two types: stars and servants. The stars include NFL football greats, movie actors, music performers, famous authors, TV personalities, and the like. These are the people who dominate our magazines and our television programs. We fawn over them, poring over the minutiae of their lives: the clothes they wear, the food they eat, the aerobic routines they follow, the people they love…

Yet I must tell you that, in my limited experience, these ‘idols’ are as miserable a group of people as I have ever met. Most have troubled or broken marriages Nearly all are hopelessly dependent on psychotherapy. In a heavy irony, these larger than life heroes seem tormented by incurable self-doubt.

I have also spent time with servants. People like Dr. Paul Brand, who worked for twenty years among the poorest of the poor, leprosy patients in rural India. Or relief workers in Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, or other such repositories of world-class human suffering. 

As I now reflect on the two groups side by side, stars and servants, the servants clearly emerge as the favoured ones, the graced ones. They work for low pay, long hours, and no applause, ‘wasting’ their talents and skills among the poor and uneducated. But somewhere in the process of losing their lives they have found them.

So this generations stars aren’t really stars at all… instead it is those who have taken on the responsibility of becoming servants who really shine!

• That is what it means to shine like a star in the universe.
• Great phrase: “somewhere in the process of losing their lives they have found them.”
• Those who bear the burdens of responsibility in the service of others will be those who find meaning, purpose and life!

So I wonder, how are we shining like stars in the universe in a crooked and depraved generation?

• What wonderful opportunities we have to make the most of the gifts and relationships and world that we live in…
• Nothing worse than getting saved then sitting around waiting for heaven…
• We are called to see earth be like it is in heaven!
• Can I suggest you have a cause?
  • Your family (main place of influence)
  • Your church
  • Those less fortunate than you… (rather than looking up constantly at what you don’t have)

I note with the Paris Olympics we are coming up to a big anniversary… Eric Liddell of Chariots of fire… 

• 100 years since his gold in the 400m track at the Paris 
• Story of the win and not racing Sunday – not favourite… went out hard… 
• Famous scene in Chariots of Fire… preaching after a track meet and he quotes Isaiah 40 “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
• His other famous quote ““I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast!
  And when I run I feel his pleasure.”
• Retired and went to help his Doctor brother in China missionary work… 

Life in the internment camp… eased the suffering of others and was a servant of all…

• One American in the camp said of Liddell: “Often in an evening I would see him bent over a chessboard or a model boat, or directing some sort of square dance – absorbed, weary and interested, pouring all of himself into this effort to capture the imagination of these penned-up youths. He was overflowing with good humour and love for life, and with enthusiasm and charm. It is rare indeed that a person has the good fortune to meet a saint, but he came as close to it as anyone I have ever known.”
• He died in Feb 1945 months before the camps were liberated… exhausted by serving others and terribly ill, he died surrendered to his God. 

Derek has a great outreach planned for us all in the coming weeks 

• I will let him share on that soon… but will basically involve inviting friends to come and watch Chariots of Fire
• And then giving them a great little book on the gospel by the evangelist JJohn. 
• I reckon that is something we could all do!
• Young Adults will probably hold one big central showing of the film up here too!

I note Paul talks about not running in vain in verse 16… 

You may not win an Olympic gold or die on the mission field…

Amen.

But having worked out your salvation with fear and trembling you will shine

“may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life.”

MESSAGE: The Upside-down Lordship of Jesus (Christ’s Hymn)

Philippians 2:9-11

(June 2024)

We are continuing our series on Philippians – a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote from prison to a church in a place called Philippi. He was in Prison for advancing the gospel but he was not letting prison stop him from doing so. He kept on it… writing letters to encourage… from a pastor’s heart we hear his cry to the people to get serious about following Jesus.

It’s one of the greatest texts in the bible because it gives us this roadmap for doing that. 

Recap – 2 weeks ago with Tim 

Phil 2 NIV 

1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded,having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 

3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

As a pastor, Paul is calling them to unity and likemindedness, humility, overcoming ourselves and looking after others to share the same love – “make my joy complete” – humbling ourselves – serving others – being known for the very thing the church is meant to be known for 

Last week with Derek – 

Is the continuation of this passage with the first part of what is called Christ’s hymn – Paul moves away from that challenging type of narrative and rather than setting out how to follow Jesus with humility and service with a set of rules to follow, he points to Jesus as the one to follow, literally, to imitate him. 

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
     did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

7 rather, he made himself nothing
     by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
     being made in human likeness.

8 And being found in appearance as a man,
     he humbled himself
     by becoming obedient to death—
         even death on a cross!

ME – I like a linear path…

WE – Many of us like sense of heading in an upward direction to accomplish a goal in various spheres of life – career growing, family strengthening, wealth accumulating, skills improving… linear upward trajectory is preferred.

GOD – This goes against worldly ways and culturally acceptable ways and in stark contrast, living cruciform – opposite to the norm. You might have heard the phrase when we enter the kingdom of God through salvation, we enter the upside down kingdom – we learn what Christ did to live a life that glorified God and it’s our blueprint to do the same. He has shown us that the greatest way to live and serve and give ourselves is to empty ourselves of everything to the point of death on the cross. In other words, the roadmap of greatness is a descending journey. Our responsibility is the deliberate descent…

What does this mean? How do we empty ourselves? How do we live the upside down life to ultimately give glory to God through our lives? Will get to that… after we read the second part of Christ’s hymn, which is today’s message:

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
     and gave him the name that is above every name,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
     in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
     to the glory of God the Father.

Therefore… God exalted him

Because of the humble servitude, the value he placed upon the lives of others more than even his own, because he didn’t use what he had for his own advantage but for the advantage of others, because of his obedience and sacrifice of his whole life… the pressing, the emptying, the pouring out, he became a conduit for the glory of God. 

His job was to descend, to humble himself, to serve, to do God’s will…

God’s job was to exalt… 

When men buried the body of Jesus, that was the last thing any human hands did to Him… From that point on it was God who worked, through no effort of humanity did his exaltation/his resurrection take place.

Men had done their worst to their Saviour, but God exalted Him and honoured Him. 

Men gave Him names of ridicule and slander, but the Father gave Him a glorious name. Here we see him establish Jesus as Lord. A new name. 

He arose from the dead and then returned in victory to heaven, ascending to the Fathers throne.

The work of salvation is much greater and grander than simply the salvation of a lost soul. Our salvation has as its ultimate purpose – the glory of God.

Eph 1:5-6 NIV he[a] predestined us for adoption to sonship[b] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace,which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

This stature: living for others, living for service, must expect sacrifice and service; but in the end, it is going to lead to the glory of God, manifested whilst we’re still on earth or in heaven, the timing is up to God.

1 Peter 5: 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 

When we read about the story of Joseph, he suffered and served for 13 years but then God exalted him and made him the second ruler of Egypt for the glory of God.

When we read about David, David was anointed King when he was a youth and experienced years of hardship and suffering but at the right time God exalted him as King of Israel, for the glory of God.

We’ve got to find ourselves in these stories, ultimately the story of jesus, but in these stories we can find help to process what God might be up to in our lives…

#SCREEN-Principles of life in the upside down Kingdom of God

#1 Death vs Life – 

In our salvation and walk with God we experience death and it can be confusing but death isn’t final in the kingdom of God – it’s actually the pathway of abundant life

We die to SELF – John 3:3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

We surrender to our lives and ourselves and find ourselves hidden in God and his story for our lives – John 12:25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

We have dreams die John 12:24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies,it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

*What might we need to die to? When you know what that is, can we yield it in to the hands of the Lord?

#2 Master vs Servant – 

Matt 20:26-28 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

We find ourselves in all sorts of seasons. The christian walk is not linear, it’s adventurous, up and down and around… If we focus on the destination we want to go, the vain glory we want to achieve… much frustration… if we aim to glorify God in whatever season we’re in, wherever we find ourselves… we’re able to serve…it can be as simple as you see a need and you know you can fill it… do it for the glory of GOd.

*Disappointment tends to highlight that you felt HOPE. Hope deferred can make us sick…There might be an area of disappointment we need healing in… what is it? Can we entrust our disappointment to our Father in Heaven?

#3 Strong vs Weak – 

2 Cor 12:8-10 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

We will all face times of feeling worn down from the issues of life but instead of letting then disrupt us and cause us to become weary…we all either fall apart or let God become the strength to our weakness… doing the opposite of what we feel like…

• Forgive instead of planning revenge
• Think, serve, live outward instead of shrinking inward
• Love and prayer instead of hate  and gossip
• Steady wisdom instead of hasty foolish decisions
• UnOffended not Unoffended – living above offence
• Worship instead of Worry 
• Faith vs Fear 
• Humility vs Pride 

*Is there an area we need to lean in to His Spirit? What upside down way could we go?

#4 Wide vs Narrow –

Matt 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. 

Sense of direction – me – need map for road – need map for life – we don’t instinctively make the right turns – and they’re not always the way everyone else is going, or the obvious way… the narrow way requires instruction…

NONE of us know instinctively the way to go if our aim is to glorify God because none of us know where Gods taking us, or when, or how, or who with, or who he wants us to connect with along the way. We need our spiritual GPS – that’s how we’re led, that’s how we’re changed, that’s how we’re shaped for our interactions, responses, connections, moments that are all as much as (if not more than) part of our Christian walk than where we’re wanting to get to on our linear trajectories. 

Psalm 119:1-4-106 I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. 105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. 106 I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws.

*If you are faced with a decision between two things – temptation might be to take the wide road because it feels better, but the narrow road will lead to the greatest opportunity even if it seems insignificant….

#5 First vs Last – 

Mark 9:35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

Human nature to want to be first…ambition, success intoxicating but unfortunate Western measures of success in life. Making it means wealthy, well known, popular. The crowns we aspire to on earth are generally praise, power, pleasure and possessions… and if we move towards these things the christian life is awkward, frustrating, confusing because we’re expecting a linear track…

YOU – *Are there any worldy ambitions that need to be surrendered – something in your heart but you know God’s timing isn’t quite right? Lving for your heavenly crowns… 

MINISTRY