WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:03.580 Well, we've just finished our series on Proverbs 00:00:03.580 --> 00:00:07.700 and we're starting next week our Ephesian series. 00:00:08.480 --> 00:00:11.140 But this week I thought we'd just do a one -off 00:00:11.140 --> 00:00:15.519 on the Great Commission and look at what it means 00:00:15.519 --> 00:00:17.980 to be a church on a mission, a church with a 00:00:17.980 --> 00:00:21.059 purpose. So let's pray, let's ask God to help 00:00:21.059 --> 00:00:25.839 us as we do that now. Gracious Heavenly Father, 00:00:25.859 --> 00:00:28.379 we thank you that your Word is living and active. 00:00:28.699 --> 00:00:31.160 We ask that as we look at your word now that 00:00:31.160 --> 00:00:34.500 it would grip us and change us and make us more 00:00:34.500 --> 00:00:37.679 like Jesus and that it would help us to think 00:00:37.679 --> 00:00:40.979 more like Jesus as well. And we ask this in his 00:00:40.979 --> 00:00:47.039 name. Amen. Well just after Easter we had the 00:00:47.039 --> 00:00:50.759 in -laws visit us and they came all the way from 00:00:50.759 --> 00:00:55.520 Perth and took us to Green Island. and lots of 00:00:55.520 --> 00:00:58.600 great things to see at Green Island. You can 00:00:58.600 --> 00:01:00.780 imagine the fish and the reef and all of that 00:01:00.780 --> 00:01:03.719 stuff. But one thing I'm weird, okay, I want 00:01:03.719 --> 00:01:06.700 to admit that upfront, I'm weird. One thing I 00:01:06.700 --> 00:01:09.819 enjoy at places like that is people watching. 00:01:10.799 --> 00:01:13.140 I love sitting there with my cup of coffee and 00:01:13.140 --> 00:01:15.599 just sitting there and observing what different 00:01:15.599 --> 00:01:18.459 people are doing. And there's all sorts of different 00:01:18.459 --> 00:01:21.129 people there with different purposes. So you've 00:01:21.129 --> 00:01:24.030 got the families there who are all trying to 00:01:24.030 --> 00:01:27.609 bond and give their kids new experiences but 00:01:27.609 --> 00:01:30.030 really it's a case of no one is listening to 00:01:30.030 --> 00:01:33.049 them and everyone's getting frustrated. You've 00:01:33.049 --> 00:01:35.370 got the couples there who are just looking in 00:01:35.370 --> 00:01:37.750 each other's eyes all ooey gooey because they're 00:01:37.750 --> 00:01:40.549 on their romantic getaway. You've got the true 00:01:40.549 --> 00:01:42.989 tourists there who are there to see the reef 00:01:42.989 --> 00:01:45.030 and they've got their cameras out and they're 00:01:45.030 --> 00:01:48.260 taking photos of absolutely everything. You've 00:01:48.260 --> 00:01:51.099 got the tour guides and the vendors who are just 00:01:51.099 --> 00:01:53.579 there, they're doing their job, they can't wait 00:01:53.579 --> 00:01:56.159 to knock off and get home. And then you've got 00:01:56.159 --> 00:01:58.719 the business owners and the managers who are 00:01:58.719 --> 00:02:01.780 trying to extract as much money as possible out 00:02:01.780 --> 00:02:04.560 of tourists who are coming, coming up with any 00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:08.719 way they can to do that. It's the same place, 00:02:09.360 --> 00:02:12.560 but different experiences, depending on your 00:02:12.560 --> 00:02:16.740 purpose for being there. If you were to sit with 00:02:16.740 --> 00:02:19.259 a cup of coffee here at church and just do a 00:02:19.259 --> 00:02:23.000 bit of people watching, I think you'd see similar 00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:27.199 things, wouldn't you? It's the same place but 00:02:27.199 --> 00:02:30.340 different experience depending on your purpose 00:02:30.340 --> 00:02:34.280 for being here. So some people come to church 00:02:34.280 --> 00:02:37.840 and they love the community. You know, for them 00:02:37.840 --> 00:02:40.719 it's all about, this is where I feel like I belong 00:02:40.719 --> 00:02:43.300 and my friends are here and it's very social 00:02:43.300 --> 00:02:47.360 for me. For some they come and they find it really 00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:49.819 intellectually stimulating and it pushes their 00:02:49.819 --> 00:02:52.580 thinking and they enjoy it for that. For some 00:02:52.580 --> 00:02:55.000 they come for the free food and the babysitting. 00:02:55.520 --> 00:02:58.360 I have been in churches where that is the reason 00:02:58.360 --> 00:03:01.180 people come. It's not really about anything else. 00:03:02.599 --> 00:03:06.020 The person sitting next to you, they might be 00:03:06.020 --> 00:03:09.060 here for a very different reason than for why 00:03:09.060 --> 00:03:13.719 you're here. I mean, can you even identify your 00:03:13.719 --> 00:03:16.900 main reason or reasons for being here at church? 00:03:18.699 --> 00:03:21.539 We each have our reasons for being here. We each 00:03:21.539 --> 00:03:24.719 have a purpose for being here. And many churches 00:03:24.719 --> 00:03:27.819 try to grow by being aware of that. Okay, like 00:03:27.819 --> 00:03:30.520 we know what they want them. The mums, they want 00:03:30.520 --> 00:03:32.979 this. And if we're aware and we can cater to 00:03:32.979 --> 00:03:35.020 that, that'll help us grow. And that's not a 00:03:35.020 --> 00:03:41.150 bad thing. But it can become a big problem. Because 00:03:41.150 --> 00:03:43.590 we need to make sure we've got the right reasons 00:03:43.590 --> 00:03:46.689 for why people are here, the main reasons for 00:03:46.689 --> 00:03:50.449 why people are here. Because your reason for 00:03:50.449 --> 00:03:52.370 being here, my reason for being here is not the 00:03:52.370 --> 00:03:58.289 most important. Jesus has his reasons for why 00:03:58.289 --> 00:04:00.969 we are here. And they're the ones that matter 00:04:00.969 --> 00:04:05.009 most. He has things that he wants to see happen 00:04:05.009 --> 00:04:08.550 each week at church. He has purposes for his 00:04:08.550 --> 00:04:12.250 church. And if we're clear on what those purposes 00:04:12.250 --> 00:04:16.790 are, it means we can be a healthy church full 00:04:16.790 --> 00:04:21.509 of people living healthy Christian lives. Do 00:04:21.509 --> 00:04:25.069 you know what these purposes are? Are we doing 00:04:25.069 --> 00:04:28.230 them well here at Northern Hope? Well, today 00:04:28.230 --> 00:04:30.269 I want to show you that the Great Commission 00:04:30.269 --> 00:04:34.009 is actually a blueprint for the purposes of church 00:04:34.009 --> 00:04:36.389 life and the purposes of the Christian life. 00:04:36.990 --> 00:04:38.889 So here's the big thing we're going to see today 00:04:38.889 --> 00:04:42.730 as we look at the Great Commission. Jesus' purposes 00:04:42.730 --> 00:04:47.910 for his church must drive all that we do. Jesus' 00:04:48.430 --> 00:04:51.970 purposes for his church must drive all that we 00:04:51.970 --> 00:04:54.870 do. And as we're looking at the Great Commission, 00:04:54.949 --> 00:04:57.810 we're going to see four alls. That's what the 00:04:57.810 --> 00:05:00.850 Great Commission's centred around. But from that, 00:05:00.889 --> 00:05:03.430 we're going to see five purposes that Jesus has 00:05:03.430 --> 00:05:07.610 for his church. Four alls. five purposes. So 00:05:07.610 --> 00:05:11.350 here are the four alls. Jesus is the glorious 00:05:11.350 --> 00:05:16.110 Lord of all. Make disciples of all nations. Teach 00:05:16.110 --> 00:05:19.829 all of Jesus commands. And Jesus is with us for 00:05:19.829 --> 00:05:24.750 all time. So let's look at the first one. Jesus 00:05:24.750 --> 00:05:28.209 is the glorious Lord of all. If you've got your 00:05:28.209 --> 00:05:31.370 Bible there, come with me to verses 16 to 18. 00:05:33.099 --> 00:05:36.699 Then the 11 disciples went to Galilee to the 00:05:36.699 --> 00:05:39.620 mountain where Jesus had told them to go. So 00:05:39.620 --> 00:05:42.480 just to situate things, remember Jesus has been 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:45.540 betrayed by Judas, that's why we're down to 11 00:05:45.540 --> 00:05:50.680 disciples, and he has won. He's victorious. He 00:05:50.680 --> 00:05:53.139 defeated death and sin and Satan at the cross. 00:05:53.560 --> 00:05:58.560 He rose again as Lord of all. He's there and 00:05:58.560 --> 00:06:01.290 he's saying to his disciples, We need to catch 00:06:01.290 --> 00:06:03.910 up. I'm going to tell you guys what to do next. 00:06:04.670 --> 00:06:08.129 That's where we're at. And when they saw him, 00:06:08.470 --> 00:06:14.930 they worshipped him. But some doubted. And that 00:06:14.930 --> 00:06:20.029 word doubted literally means hesitated. So you've 00:06:20.029 --> 00:06:22.709 got here some of Jesus' disciples, some worshipped 00:06:22.709 --> 00:06:28.069 Jesus, but some paused. They weren't sure. They're 00:06:28.069 --> 00:06:32.269 in two minds. Why would they be like that? I 00:06:32.269 --> 00:06:36.389 mean, Jesus has just defeated sin and he's saved 00:06:36.389 --> 00:06:38.509 his people from his sins. Why would people be 00:06:38.509 --> 00:06:42.430 hesitant? Or maybe it's a self -defense mechanism. 00:06:43.370 --> 00:06:45.329 I mean, their hopes have been dashed before. 00:06:45.889 --> 00:06:48.170 You know, Jesus died on the cross. They expected 00:06:48.170 --> 00:06:51.589 him to be the conquering Messiah. And it all 00:06:51.589 --> 00:06:52.990 didn't go the way they thought. Maybe they're 00:06:52.990 --> 00:06:57.370 just a little bit gun shy. Or maybe it's because 00:06:57.370 --> 00:07:02.990 many of them ran away when Jesus was dying. Peter 00:07:02.990 --> 00:07:05.990 even denied Jesus three times. Maybe they're 00:07:05.990 --> 00:07:08.410 scared that their failures are going to be exposed 00:07:08.410 --> 00:07:11.709 and Jesus is going to be really angry with them. 00:07:13.189 --> 00:07:17.029 I mean, it could be those things. But most likely 00:07:17.029 --> 00:07:20.069 it's probably because these guys were good Jews. 00:07:21.230 --> 00:07:23.949 And so they said the Shema every day, which is 00:07:23.949 --> 00:07:28.879 this. Hero Israel the Lord our God the Lord is 00:07:28.879 --> 00:07:31.600 one You shall love the Lord your God with all 00:07:31.600 --> 00:07:34.660 your heart and with all your soul and with all 00:07:34.660 --> 00:07:40.399 your might How many gods are there? One and what 00:07:40.399 --> 00:07:42.360 are you to do with that God you're to love and 00:07:42.360 --> 00:07:47.019 worship him with everything you have So to worship 00:07:47.019 --> 00:07:51.160 a man even though it's Jesus Probably feels a 00:07:51.160 --> 00:07:54.660 little yuck. It feels a little like is this idolatry? 00:07:54.839 --> 00:07:59.500 I'm not sure if we should. And so how does Jesus 00:07:59.500 --> 00:08:02.959 respond to their hesitation? Well, look at verse 00:08:02.959 --> 00:08:08.379 18. Then Jesus came to them and said, all authority 00:08:08.379 --> 00:08:11.759 in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 00:08:12.860 --> 00:08:16.600 He's saying they are right to worship him because 00:08:16.600 --> 00:08:21.819 he has won. He's triumphed over all. He defeated 00:08:21.819 --> 00:08:25.360 sin and Satan and death by the cross. No power 00:08:25.360 --> 00:08:29.800 can beat him. He reigns over everything in the 00:08:29.800 --> 00:08:34.580 universe. Everything is under his feet. I think 00:08:34.580 --> 00:08:37.480 he's trying to draw to mind what we read in Daniel 00:08:37.480 --> 00:08:41.720 7. Do you remember this? In my vision at night 00:08:41.720 --> 00:08:44.000 I looked and there before me was one like a son 00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:47.399 of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached 00:08:47.399 --> 00:08:50.039 the ancient of days and was led into his presence. 00:08:50.350 --> 00:08:53.769 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power. 00:08:54.289 --> 00:08:57.750 All nations and peoples of every language worshipped 00:08:57.750 --> 00:09:01.110 him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion 00:09:01.110 --> 00:09:04.129 that will not pass away and his kingdom is one 00:09:04.129 --> 00:09:07.710 that will never be destroyed. It's this divine 00:09:07.710 --> 00:09:12.230 Son of Man who rules over all and gets worshipped. 00:09:13.009 --> 00:09:19.100 That's what Jesus is getting at. See, Jesus rains 00:09:19.100 --> 00:09:24.360 over everything. We've got school starting back 00:09:24.360 --> 00:09:27.940 up again, and school holidays are over, but who's 00:09:27.940 --> 00:09:31.480 counting? And, you know, one of the things we've 00:09:31.480 --> 00:09:34.120 had to do every term when, you know, we get kids 00:09:34.120 --> 00:09:36.779 new hats and new jumpers and new all bits and 00:09:36.779 --> 00:09:40.639 pieces, is we sharpie everything. You've got 00:09:40.639 --> 00:09:43.220 to sharpie their name on absolutely everything, 00:09:43.639 --> 00:09:46.570 because they'll lose it otherwise. Well, I want 00:09:46.570 --> 00:09:50.110 to ask you, if you had to sharpie Jesus' name 00:09:50.110 --> 00:09:53.490 on what's His in the universe, what would you 00:09:53.490 --> 00:10:01.590 sharpie it on? Everything. He made it all. He 00:10:01.590 --> 00:10:06.409 redeemed it all. He rules it all. You'd see Jesus 00:10:06.409 --> 00:10:08.769 sharpie everywhere all over the universe, wouldn't 00:10:08.769 --> 00:10:15.019 you? Jesus is worthy of worship. He's the second 00:10:15.019 --> 00:10:18.159 person of the Trinity. He's the Divine Son of 00:10:18.159 --> 00:10:21.860 Man. He's the one who completed his mission to 00:10:21.860 --> 00:10:25.860 save the world and defeat Satan, sin and death. 00:10:26.779 --> 00:10:32.659 He deserves our worship. I remember years ago 00:10:32.659 --> 00:10:36.639 my dad took me to see the Swans win the Premiership 00:10:36.639 --> 00:10:41.799 in 2005 there in Melbourne. Four point win, 92 00:10:41.799 --> 00:10:45.220 ,000 people, first premiership the Swans had 00:10:45.220 --> 00:10:51.500 won in 72 years. It went off. It was amazing. 00:10:52.600 --> 00:10:56.000 I reckon you could even say that there were fans 00:10:56.000 --> 00:11:01.179 there worshipping the players. Because in their 00:11:01.179 --> 00:11:04.360 mind they went, their victory made them worthy 00:11:04.360 --> 00:11:08.919 of adoration. You guys have done it, wow! You've 00:11:08.919 --> 00:11:15.679 won! Well, how much more for us with Jesus? Jesus 00:11:15.679 --> 00:11:18.480 created the universe. He saved us from sin. He 00:11:18.480 --> 00:11:21.840 conquered death. He's worthy of our worship. 00:11:23.019 --> 00:11:26.799 He deserves complete worship, love and devotion 00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:30.399 for what He's done. There's no need to doubt 00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:35.440 or to hesitate. He's worthy of limitless worship. 00:11:38.379 --> 00:11:43.139 So why does the Church exist? What's its reason 00:11:43.139 --> 00:11:46.159 for being here? What's the purpose of us doing 00:11:46.159 --> 00:11:52.000 what we do? Well, one key reason is that we're 00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:56.899 here to worship and magnify the Lord Jesus. We 00:11:56.899 --> 00:12:00.899 magnify Him. Not like a magnifying glass. You 00:12:00.899 --> 00:12:03.580 know, with a magnifying glass, it makes something 00:12:03.580 --> 00:12:07.320 small bigger. That's not what we do when we magnify 00:12:07.320 --> 00:12:11.679 Jesus. For us it's like a telescope. You know 00:12:11.679 --> 00:12:14.059 how with a telescope you've got something great 00:12:14.059 --> 00:12:17.440 that you're seeing and it makes it larger and 00:12:17.440 --> 00:12:20.500 clearer to you? That's what we're doing with 00:12:20.500 --> 00:12:24.840 Jesus. He's great, He's awesome and we want to 00:12:24.840 --> 00:12:28.360 see Him clearly. That's what we're to do every 00:12:28.360 --> 00:12:32.039 Sunday. We're to worship, adore and display the 00:12:32.039 --> 00:12:35.730 greatness of Jesus. Actually, we do that in all 00:12:35.730 --> 00:12:39.370 our ministries, but especially Sundays where 00:12:39.370 --> 00:12:43.350 we preach, we pray, and we praise Jesus together. 00:12:44.929 --> 00:12:48.970 And that helps each of us. When we have thankful 00:12:48.970 --> 00:12:52.629 worship in our lives, worship in response to 00:12:52.629 --> 00:12:56.169 the mercy that Jesus has shown us, it fuels and 00:12:56.169 --> 00:13:00.590 drives our Christian lives powerfully. See, a 00:13:00.590 --> 00:13:03.570 big part of why we gather is filling up our worship 00:13:03.570 --> 00:13:07.970 tank each week. And so I want to ask you, is 00:13:07.970 --> 00:13:13.570 that your mindset when you come to church? It's 00:13:13.570 --> 00:13:17.669 easy to be distracted, isn't it? To come to church 00:13:17.669 --> 00:13:20.629 and you're thinking about the kids who are being 00:13:20.629 --> 00:13:23.429 difficult or, you know, you're thinking about 00:13:23.429 --> 00:13:25.570 lunch. You know, what are we having for lunch 00:13:25.570 --> 00:13:28.970 today? Am I going to go to marshes and pick up 00:13:28.970 --> 00:13:32.210 a steak? What am I doing? Or you're planning 00:13:32.210 --> 00:13:35.769 the week ahead and you're going, I've got a big 00:13:35.769 --> 00:13:38.570 week this week. It's easy to just get distracted 00:13:38.570 --> 00:13:43.429 and in our own heads during church. Our lives 00:13:43.429 --> 00:13:46.549 are so doo -doo -doo -doo -doo, aren't they? 00:13:47.970 --> 00:13:52.309 But at church, it's our time to pause, stop, 00:13:53.309 --> 00:13:59.460 and adore. At church, we get to soak our hearts 00:13:59.460 --> 00:14:03.360 in the glory of Jesus and respond to him with 00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:07.639 worship. It's so crucial that we do that because 00:14:07.639 --> 00:14:10.600 it helps us stay in a good place spiritually. 00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:16.700 So magnifying Jesus so we worship him is key 00:14:16.700 --> 00:14:20.600 to what we do in church. But how do we express 00:14:20.600 --> 00:14:23.639 our worship? Is it just that we hear how great 00:14:23.639 --> 00:14:26.879 Jesus is and praise him? Well, it's more than 00:14:26.879 --> 00:14:31.559 that. Our whole life is actually worship, which 00:14:31.559 --> 00:14:36.460 includes making disciples of all nations. That's 00:14:36.460 --> 00:14:38.379 the second thing we need to see. We're to make 00:14:38.379 --> 00:14:41.840 disciples of all nations. That's our next all. 00:14:42.759 --> 00:14:46.639 Have a look at what verse 19 says. Therefore 00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:50.600 go and make disciples of all nations, baptising 00:14:50.600 --> 00:14:53.340 them in the name of the Father and of the Son. 00:14:53.440 --> 00:14:57.580 and of the Holy Spirit. Now, you know what you 00:14:57.580 --> 00:14:59.320 do whenever you see a therefore in the Bible? 00:15:00.659 --> 00:15:02.740 You go to ask, what's the therefore, therefore? 00:15:03.720 --> 00:15:07.080 What's the therefore, therefore? Well, it's there 00:15:07.080 --> 00:15:10.360 to show that the universal Lordship of Jesus 00:15:10.360 --> 00:15:16.480 demands a universal mission. Jesus has won. He 00:15:16.480 --> 00:15:19.980 reigns over everything. He's accomplished salvation. 00:15:20.460 --> 00:15:23.659 And his worshippers are to share that with the 00:15:23.659 --> 00:15:27.759 world. It's a bit like this. Imagine a group 00:15:27.759 --> 00:15:31.820 of scientists in the lab grinding away, researching, 00:15:32.179 --> 00:15:34.799 day after day, month after month, year after 00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:38.759 year. And one day, throughout the lab, the words 00:15:38.759 --> 00:15:43.820 Eureka! echo through the lab. One of the scientists 00:15:43.820 --> 00:15:48.779 has discovered a cure for cancer. Huge breakthrough, 00:15:48.940 --> 00:15:54.080 wouldn't it? Cancer beaten. Many can now be saved. 00:15:55.600 --> 00:15:57.759 But it's no good if it just stays in the lab, 00:15:57.879 --> 00:16:01.259 is it? It needs to be shared with the world. 00:16:02.940 --> 00:16:06.039 And Jesus' victory over sin, Satan and death 00:16:06.039 --> 00:16:11.100 is like that. It's a cure to eternal death. It 00:16:11.100 --> 00:16:14.779 needs to be exported to every corner of the earth. 00:16:16.360 --> 00:16:20.299 And that's what Christians do. We do so gladly 00:16:20.299 --> 00:16:23.080 because Jesus saved us from spiritual cancer. 00:16:25.100 --> 00:16:29.039 We share Jesus with the world because we want 00:16:29.039 --> 00:16:34.279 others to know his salvation. That's our act 00:16:34.279 --> 00:16:39.279 of worship. It's part of our worship. Christians 00:16:39.279 --> 00:16:42.379 worship Jesus by making disciples wherever they 00:16:42.379 --> 00:16:45.909 can. They seek to tell others of him so that 00:16:45.909 --> 00:16:48.529 they'll worship Jesus and become his disciples. 00:16:50.230 --> 00:16:52.309 We share what we love because we want others 00:16:52.309 --> 00:16:56.129 to experience it. I love how John Piper puts 00:16:56.129 --> 00:17:00.610 it. He says it like this. Worship is the goal 00:17:00.610 --> 00:17:05.609 and the fuel of missions. Missions exist because 00:17:05.609 --> 00:17:09.410 worship doesn't. Missions is our way of saying 00:17:09.410 --> 00:17:12.589 the joy of knowing Christ is not a private or 00:17:12.589 --> 00:17:16.309 tribal or national or ethnic privilege, it is 00:17:16.309 --> 00:17:20.089 for all. And that's why we go. Because we've 00:17:20.089 --> 00:17:23.529 tasted the joy of worshipping Jesus and we want 00:17:23.529 --> 00:17:28.970 all the families of the earth included. So whether 00:17:28.970 --> 00:17:32.150 it's proselytizing people around us or supporting 00:17:32.150 --> 00:17:35.839 that elsewhere, Christians are to worship Jesus 00:17:35.839 --> 00:17:40.779 by being on mission. But it's not just that we 00:17:40.779 --> 00:17:45.119 make disciples and then leave them be. There's 00:17:45.119 --> 00:17:47.480 another part to it. We also, did you see it, 00:17:47.599 --> 00:17:51.259 we baptise them into the covenant community. 00:17:52.599 --> 00:17:55.339 See, baptism is not just a public profession 00:17:55.339 --> 00:17:59.700 of faith. It's an incorporation of someone into 00:17:59.700 --> 00:18:04.079 the new community of faith. And it's a community 00:18:04.079 --> 00:18:06.539 centred on the Trinitarian God, baptised them 00:18:06.539 --> 00:18:09.000 in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy 00:18:09.000 --> 00:18:14.160 Spirit. The community we're part of is a unified 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:20.119 diversity of love, just like the Trinity. And 00:18:20.119 --> 00:18:23.180 we do this because it's no good saving people 00:18:23.180 --> 00:18:28.240 if we just then leave them to fall away. We want 00:18:28.240 --> 00:18:32.579 believers to stay saved. And they need a good 00:18:32.579 --> 00:18:35.259 environment, a good community that will care 00:18:35.259 --> 00:18:40.359 for them so that that's the case. When I was 00:18:40.359 --> 00:18:44.700 a kid, we used to have a fish tank with goldfish 00:18:44.700 --> 00:18:48.059 in it. And some of these goldfish would jump 00:18:48.059 --> 00:18:51.740 out of the fish tank and die. You know, you'd 00:18:51.740 --> 00:18:54.940 come home, you'd see there on the carpet, little 00:18:54.940 --> 00:18:59.279 goldie just on the floor, cross eyes, that sort 00:18:59.279 --> 00:19:03.130 of thing. Well imagine if I'm there at home and 00:19:03.130 --> 00:19:05.970 I see one of the goldfish do the jump out they 00:19:05.970 --> 00:19:10.430 go onto the floor If I was so committed to saving 00:19:10.430 --> 00:19:12.430 that fish, you know, imagine if I sit there and 00:19:12.430 --> 00:19:18.470 I do little fish CPR Blow in try and save that 00:19:18.470 --> 00:19:22.130 fish's life Even if I did all that it's no good 00:19:22.130 --> 00:19:25.230 if I do that and then just leave that fish on 00:19:25.230 --> 00:19:31.119 the carpet is it? To stay saved That fish needs 00:19:31.119 --> 00:19:35.240 to be put back in the water. And it's the same 00:19:35.240 --> 00:19:39.299 with people. It's great when someone hears the 00:19:39.299 --> 00:19:44.140 gospel and turns to Jesus. But if they're going 00:19:44.140 --> 00:19:49.220 to stay saved, they need to join a community 00:19:49.220 --> 00:19:53.460 of believers. It's like their water, it keeps 00:19:53.460 --> 00:19:58.420 them alive. It keeps their faith alive. And so 00:19:58.420 --> 00:20:02.440 in this verse we have two crucial purposes for 00:20:02.440 --> 00:20:08.880 the church. Mission and membership. The church 00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:12.420 is to reach the lost, that's mission, but then 00:20:12.420 --> 00:20:15.839 it's to incorporate them into a loving and caring 00:20:15.839 --> 00:20:19.059 community centred on the Trinitarian God. That's 00:20:19.059 --> 00:20:22.819 membership. It's mission and membership. So that 00:20:22.819 --> 00:20:25.940 people are saved and keep going in their salvation. 00:20:27.549 --> 00:20:29.609 And so there's lots of things that we need to 00:20:29.609 --> 00:20:33.609 do as a church so that that can happen. On Sundays 00:20:33.609 --> 00:20:36.269 we try and preach evangelistically in a service 00:20:36.269 --> 00:20:39.470 that's welcoming for new people. We try and do 00:20:39.470 --> 00:20:42.769 coffees with people who want to know more about 00:20:42.769 --> 00:20:44.990 Jesus. I just did one this week where I met up 00:20:44.990 --> 00:20:47.809 with someone. They brought a friend along and 00:20:47.809 --> 00:20:51.009 we talked about Jesus. It was fantastic. You 00:20:51.009 --> 00:20:52.990 know, one day I hope we can do an evangelistic 00:20:52.990 --> 00:20:55.960 course. That's the mission side of it. There's 00:20:55.960 --> 00:20:58.519 the membership side too. We have pastoral care. 00:20:58.940 --> 00:21:01.099 You know, we've got a pastoral care team that 00:21:01.099 --> 00:21:03.299 Karen and Jen run. They do an amazing job with 00:21:03.299 --> 00:21:07.180 that. We have welcoming. We have socials. There's 00:21:07.180 --> 00:21:09.880 all sorts of things we're trying to do so that 00:21:09.880 --> 00:21:13.539 people not only get saved but incorporated into 00:21:13.539 --> 00:21:17.940 our community of believers. But there's also 00:21:17.940 --> 00:21:21.400 things individually that each of us can do. And 00:21:21.400 --> 00:21:25.210 I want to mention one today. It's to develop 00:21:25.210 --> 00:21:31.069 your radar. Develop your radar. Because there's 00:21:31.069 --> 00:21:33.650 lost people and struggling people all around 00:21:33.650 --> 00:21:38.230 us. And it's easy to miss, isn't it? It's easy 00:21:38.230 --> 00:21:40.230 to be so distracted that we're thinking about 00:21:40.230 --> 00:21:44.089 20 other things. But developing that radar so 00:21:44.089 --> 00:21:47.170 that when you're there at Smithfield shops and 00:21:47.170 --> 00:21:49.549 you're walking through, you see people differently, 00:21:49.609 --> 00:21:52.460 you go, wow. there's a lot of lost people here 00:21:52.460 --> 00:21:57.400 who need Jesus. Lord please save many of these 00:21:57.400 --> 00:22:01.059 people or you're there at church and you walk 00:22:01.059 --> 00:22:02.819 through the door and you know you're thinking 00:22:02.819 --> 00:22:04.599 now am I on the roster today I probably should 00:22:04.599 --> 00:22:06.940 have checked before okay you know and you come 00:22:06.940 --> 00:22:10.380 in the door and you're distracted by 20 things 00:22:10.380 --> 00:22:13.980 rather than going There's someone who really 00:22:13.980 --> 00:22:15.660 needs, they're struggling. I know they've had 00:22:15.660 --> 00:22:17.720 a really hard week. I'm going to talk to them 00:22:17.720 --> 00:22:20.180 and see how they're doing and try to encourage 00:22:20.180 --> 00:22:25.039 them. We need to develop our individual radars 00:22:25.039 --> 00:22:28.500 to see those who are lost and those who are struggling. 00:22:31.240 --> 00:22:34.000 But we shouldn't just be seeking to reach new 00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:37.960 people who we add to our community. We also want 00:22:37.960 --> 00:22:42.769 to strive to see our community grow maturity 00:22:42.769 --> 00:22:48.390 and that's the next all we see we teach all of 00:22:48.390 --> 00:22:52.930 Jesus commands we teach all of Jesus commands 00:22:52.930 --> 00:22:56.869 which is what we see in verse 20 Jesus says you 00:22:56.869 --> 00:22:59.750 know make disciples and teaching them to obey 00:22:59.750 --> 00:23:03.930 everything literally all I have commanded you 00:23:03.930 --> 00:23:08.759 so Jesus is Lord of all And so not only do we 00:23:08.759 --> 00:23:12.000 make disciples of all nations, we bring Jesus' 00:23:12.220 --> 00:23:17.660 Word to bear on every aspect of our lives. That's 00:23:17.660 --> 00:23:20.660 joyful for us, but it's also how we can be salt 00:23:20.660 --> 00:23:24.619 and light in the world. And so Jesus is Lord 00:23:24.619 --> 00:23:28.220 of all, so no aspect of our lives is off -limits 00:23:28.220 --> 00:23:32.660 to Him in His Word. Our sexuality, our spending, 00:23:32.859 --> 00:23:35.759 our speech, our time, our relationships, our 00:23:35.759 --> 00:23:40.079 thoughts, All that we do must be subject to Jesus' 00:23:40.900 --> 00:23:44.359 teachings. And because we're hearing all of Jesus' 00:23:44.680 --> 00:23:47.480 words, we don't cherry -pick bits that we like. 00:23:47.640 --> 00:23:49.779 Well, you know, I really like Romans, but I'm 00:23:49.779 --> 00:23:53.500 not a fan of Leviticus, you know. We take all 00:23:53.500 --> 00:23:57.720 of it in. All of it is Jesus' word. And it must 00:23:57.720 --> 00:24:02.940 shape every aspect of our lives. It's a bit like 00:24:02.940 --> 00:24:05.920 this. Years ago Laura and I bought our first 00:24:05.920 --> 00:24:09.279 house in Perth and it was a little three by two 00:24:09.279 --> 00:24:12.680 shoe boxy kind of house and at the time we only 00:24:12.680 --> 00:24:16.279 had Ethan and so the house was pretty neat and 00:24:16.279 --> 00:24:18.220 tidy. It's a lot neater and tidier when you don't 00:24:18.220 --> 00:24:21.759 have five kids and just the one. But for us there 00:24:21.759 --> 00:24:25.380 was one room that we did just kind of leave as 00:24:25.380 --> 00:24:28.660 the junk room. That's partly why it was neat 00:24:28.660 --> 00:24:31.759 and tidy because what we could do was we'd go, 00:24:31.799 --> 00:24:33.799 all the things that were too hard to sort out, 00:24:34.079 --> 00:24:36.480 we'll put in that room, and when people come 00:24:36.480 --> 00:24:39.539 over, we'll shut the door. That was a good, that 00:24:39.539 --> 00:24:41.559 was my strategy. I think I probably drove Laura 00:24:41.559 --> 00:24:45.539 nuts with my strategy, but, and in there it did 00:24:45.539 --> 00:24:48.440 stay a little bit messy for quite a while, but 00:24:48.440 --> 00:24:50.460 it felt fine for me, because people would come 00:24:50.460 --> 00:24:52.420 over and just shut the door. It's like it doesn't 00:24:52.420 --> 00:24:57.000 exist. Well, I want you to imagine the different 00:24:57.000 --> 00:25:00.789 parts of your life are like rooms in a house. 00:25:01.890 --> 00:25:04.690 So there's your sexuality, there's your thoughts, 00:25:04.789 --> 00:25:07.269 there's your spending, there's your relationships, 00:25:07.329 --> 00:25:10.069 whatever it might be. You've got different rooms 00:25:10.069 --> 00:25:15.829 in a house. If you're persistently closing doors 00:25:15.829 --> 00:25:21.450 to Jesus, saying, yeah, that's a mess, but Jesus, 00:25:21.529 --> 00:25:25.750 you don't come in there. You've got to question 00:25:25.750 --> 00:25:28.029 if Jesus is actually your Lord if you're doing 00:25:28.029 --> 00:25:32.460 that. Even if the rest of the house is super 00:25:32.460 --> 00:25:35.480 tidy. Oh, your Christian life's going great, 00:25:35.480 --> 00:25:40.259 but there's this one room that's shut off. No. 00:25:41.579 --> 00:25:43.960 If there's rooms that are shut off to Jesus, 00:25:45.059 --> 00:25:49.680 that's a very dangerous place to be. Now, don't 00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:55.599 mishear me. We all have many messy rooms in our 00:25:55.599 --> 00:26:02.220 lives. That's normal. And the key is to let Jesus 00:26:02.220 --> 00:26:05.359 into those rooms. Because when he comes in, he's 00:26:05.359 --> 00:26:07.859 like Marie Kondo, you know? He comes in, cleans 00:26:07.859 --> 00:26:13.039 it, sorts it out. And that might take time. That's 00:26:13.039 --> 00:26:17.059 normal submission to the Lordship of Jesus. But 00:26:17.059 --> 00:26:21.480 to say, Jesus, that room is off limits? That's 00:26:21.480 --> 00:26:25.119 when we're hardening our hearts. That's where 00:26:25.119 --> 00:26:30.119 we need to stop and let him in. And in the same 00:26:30.119 --> 00:26:33.400 way, it's crucial that here as a church, no part 00:26:33.400 --> 00:26:38.319 of the Bible, no topic be taboo in this pulpit. 00:26:40.019 --> 00:26:42.579 We need to make sure that, whether it's the pulpit, 00:26:42.819 --> 00:26:47.099 growth groups, whatever we're doing, that we're 00:26:47.099 --> 00:26:51.660 listening to all of Jesus' words. Otherwise our 00:26:51.660 --> 00:26:56.369 growth will be stunted. Loving all of Jesus' 00:26:56.750 --> 00:26:59.170 Word, letting it speak into all aspects of our 00:26:59.170 --> 00:27:03.329 lives is part of our worship and it's a crucial 00:27:03.329 --> 00:27:07.450 purpose of our church and of the Christian life. 00:27:10.049 --> 00:27:12.630 Are there any rooms in your life where the door 00:27:12.630 --> 00:27:20.329 is closed or maybe closing a bit? But there's 00:27:20.329 --> 00:27:23.549 one more all and one more purpose we need to 00:27:23.549 --> 00:27:28.539 see. Here's our last all. Jesus is with us for 00:27:28.539 --> 00:27:33.740 all time. Jesus is with us for all time. And 00:27:33.740 --> 00:27:35.799 this is where Jesus says, and surely I'm with 00:27:35.799 --> 00:27:41.660 you always to the very end of the age. And we've 00:27:41.660 --> 00:27:44.259 got to take these words on board. They are wonderful, 00:27:44.380 --> 00:27:48.400 aren't they? Comforting words. They reflect what 00:27:48.400 --> 00:27:50.500 was said at the start of Matthew about Jesus' 00:27:50.680 --> 00:27:54.119 birth. Remember, The angel says of Jesus, behold 00:27:54.119 --> 00:27:56.700 the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and 00:27:56.700 --> 00:27:59.559 they shall call his name Immanuel, which means 00:27:59.559 --> 00:28:03.720 God with us. It's referencing Isaiah and the 00:28:03.720 --> 00:28:06.960 promises that God made there. God is with us 00:28:06.960 --> 00:28:11.279 in Jesus. And so we're not alone in this world 00:28:11.279 --> 00:28:16.640 as we do mission, as we seek to be here for Jesus. 00:28:17.299 --> 00:28:20.849 Jesus is sustaining us by his presence. through 00:28:20.849 --> 00:28:25.670 his spirit. He may no longer be with his people 00:28:25.670 --> 00:28:30.049 bodily, but he's with all his disciples spiritually. 00:28:32.990 --> 00:28:36.029 But this verse has another important implication 00:28:36.029 --> 00:28:40.589 for the church. Remember Jesus says this to his 00:28:40.589 --> 00:28:45.089 first disciples, the eleven. What happened to 00:28:45.089 --> 00:28:51.049 the eleven? They're dead. Bit of a waste, isn't 00:28:51.049 --> 00:28:55.089 it? Well, no, these words weren't just for them. 00:28:56.130 --> 00:28:58.329 If they were just for them, Jesus wouldn't say, 00:28:58.829 --> 00:29:00.750 and behold, I'm with you always to the very end 00:29:00.750 --> 00:29:05.130 of the age. This commission is not just for them, 00:29:05.150 --> 00:29:10.710 it's for us. These words are telling us that 00:29:10.710 --> 00:29:13.910 all generations of Christians have Jesus with 00:29:13.910 --> 00:29:19.140 them. And actually, It implies that all generations 00:29:19.140 --> 00:29:23.619 of Christians need to pass the baton of service 00:29:23.619 --> 00:29:27.599 and leadership to others. So that gospel ministry 00:29:27.599 --> 00:29:30.220 continues in every generation. It's not just 00:29:30.220 --> 00:29:32.299 that we're trying to reach all nations, it's 00:29:32.299 --> 00:29:34.259 that we're trying to reach people throughout 00:29:34.259 --> 00:29:41.079 all ages. Now I'm wise enough to not talk about 00:29:41.079 --> 00:29:45.180 the groans of Marones fans on Wednesday night. 00:29:46.080 --> 00:29:49.740 I'm not that brave. Better that I stick with 00:29:49.740 --> 00:29:54.339 what I know. I'm an AFL fan. I love my Swannies 00:29:54.339 --> 00:29:57.200 and they lost on Thursday night. So I'll talk 00:29:57.200 --> 00:30:00.079 about that. But it's easy to love my Swannies 00:30:00.079 --> 00:30:03.700 because they have sustained success. I sort of 00:30:03.700 --> 00:30:06.279 think the other day that in the last 20 years 00:30:06.279 --> 00:30:10.859 they've only missed the finals four times. It's 00:30:10.859 --> 00:30:14.250 pretty good. And part of the reason is that they're 00:30:14.250 --> 00:30:17.609 great at blooding new players. So this year, 00:30:17.670 --> 00:30:19.470 they're sitting at second, they're going for 00:30:19.470 --> 00:30:22.349 glory again, and they've got this new guy, Will 00:30:22.349 --> 00:30:24.809 Edwards, who's this awesome fullback. He's like 00:30:24.809 --> 00:30:27.769 a man mountain like this. He's amazing. I'm loving 00:30:27.769 --> 00:30:31.609 watching him. But it's just great. They keep 00:30:31.609 --> 00:30:35.099 doing that every year. find these guys, they 00:30:35.099 --> 00:30:37.480 value them, they empower them, they train them, 00:30:37.740 --> 00:30:41.140 they raise them up into these new great players. 00:30:43.359 --> 00:30:45.420 And that's why the Swannies have done so well 00:30:45.420 --> 00:30:50.380 for so long. But churches need to do that with 00:30:50.380 --> 00:30:54.799 leaders and volunteers too. Every church should 00:30:54.799 --> 00:30:58.759 be thinking into where will the next generation 00:30:58.759 --> 00:31:02.599 of servant -hearted Christians and pastors come 00:31:02.599 --> 00:31:06.500 from. We can't always import them from Sydney. 00:31:08.500 --> 00:31:12.160 We have to be striving to raise up people ourselves, 00:31:13.039 --> 00:31:15.880 train up people ourselves, maybe even one day 00:31:15.880 --> 00:31:22.140 export people somewhere else. We want to be intentional 00:31:22.140 --> 00:31:25.299 at tapping people on the shoulder, at equipping 00:31:25.299 --> 00:31:30.180 people, at empowering people to lead and grow. 00:31:30.670 --> 00:31:34.210 to keep developing systems and pipelines that 00:31:34.210 --> 00:31:40.069 will see who's capable and train them up. It's 00:31:40.069 --> 00:31:43.130 also why Kids Church is so important as well. 00:31:44.029 --> 00:31:45.670 Why is Kids Church so important? There's a whole 00:31:45.670 --> 00:31:47.829 range of reasons, but one of them is you don't 00:31:47.829 --> 00:31:50.390 know if the next Spurgeon or Billy Graham is 00:31:50.390 --> 00:31:56.369 in there in Kids Church, do you? Could be. So 00:31:56.369 --> 00:31:58.630 will we be the sort of church that equips and 00:31:58.630 --> 00:32:02.700 empowers people? Will each of us seek to do our 00:32:02.700 --> 00:32:07.140 bit to serve one another so that the gospel continues 00:32:07.140 --> 00:32:11.680 to go out? All right, let's draw some threads 00:32:11.680 --> 00:32:16.559 together We started by asking What the purposes 00:32:16.559 --> 00:32:19.200 of a healthy church are what what things Jesus 00:32:19.200 --> 00:32:21.680 wants his people to be doing and focused on? 00:32:22.440 --> 00:32:24.380 And we sought to answer that by looking at the 00:32:24.380 --> 00:32:27.220 Great Commission and the four alls Jesus gives 00:32:27.220 --> 00:32:30.859 us Jesus is the glorious Lord of all make disciples 00:32:30.859 --> 00:32:33.660 of all nations, teach all of Jesus' commands, 00:32:34.079 --> 00:32:37.839 and Jesus is with us for all time. And I tried 00:32:37.839 --> 00:32:40.619 to show you that Jesus' purposes for his church 00:32:40.619 --> 00:32:45.380 must drive all that we do. And I said to you, 00:32:45.400 --> 00:32:49.380 there's four alls, but five purposes. And I don't 00:32:49.380 --> 00:32:51.240 know if you picked them up. They each start with 00:32:51.240 --> 00:32:54.359 M. You can actually read about them in our vision 00:32:54.359 --> 00:32:56.299 booklet here. If you haven't got one, there's 00:32:56.299 --> 00:32:59.319 a bunch up the back. We've got the five M's. 00:32:59.339 --> 00:33:03.059 in our vision booklet and here's what they are. 00:33:03.720 --> 00:33:06.740 Magnification, membership, maturity, ministry 00:33:06.740 --> 00:33:12.000 and mission. These are the five purposes that 00:33:12.000 --> 00:33:15.599 Jesus has for his church and we saw all of them 00:33:15.599 --> 00:33:19.539 in the Great Commission. You could put it like 00:33:19.539 --> 00:33:22.960 this even. I love diagrams they're easier to 00:33:22.960 --> 00:33:26.960 read. So we've got our five M's, magnification, 00:33:27.019 --> 00:33:30.339 membership, mission, ministry, maturity, worship, 00:33:30.539 --> 00:33:34.759 community, reach, service, depth. That's what 00:33:34.759 --> 00:33:39.480 the church is meant to be doing. You know, when 00:33:39.480 --> 00:33:42.099 we went to Green Island with Laura's parents, 00:33:43.180 --> 00:33:45.740 we didn't just do people watching, we did do 00:33:45.740 --> 00:33:49.859 some snorkeling too. And I tell you what, seeing 00:33:49.859 --> 00:33:54.640 all the fish and the coral was stunning. Seeing 00:33:54.640 --> 00:34:00.619 that ecosystem at work was amazing. All the sea 00:34:00.619 --> 00:34:03.559 plants and creatures in harmony so that life 00:34:03.559 --> 00:34:08.900 thrives, it was amazing. And that's what church 00:34:08.900 --> 00:34:12.639 life is meant to be like as well. These five 00:34:12.639 --> 00:34:17.219 purposes are like an ecosystem. And when they're 00:34:17.219 --> 00:34:21.760 working together, it creates a healthy church. 00:34:21.920 --> 00:34:26.460 full of healthy Christians. I hope you've seen 00:34:26.460 --> 00:34:30.860 that today. But what's all that mean for each 00:34:30.860 --> 00:34:34.840 of us? Well, there will be some people here who 00:34:34.840 --> 00:34:37.760 are new to Christian things. And you've heard 00:34:37.760 --> 00:34:41.840 a big claim today. You've heard that Jesus is 00:34:41.840 --> 00:34:45.420 Lord of all, that he's the only one who can save 00:34:45.420 --> 00:34:50.429 us from our sins. If that's you, I'm so glad 00:34:50.429 --> 00:34:52.170 you're here. I want to encourage you to have 00:34:52.170 --> 00:34:55.809 an open mind and read Mark's Gospel. We've got 00:34:55.809 --> 00:34:58.469 free copies of Mark up the back on the back table. 00:34:59.110 --> 00:35:02.469 Grab one of these, have a read of it. Write down 00:35:02.469 --> 00:35:05.010 any questions you have and come chat with me. 00:35:05.010 --> 00:35:06.829 I'd love to have a coffee with you and talk you 00:35:06.829 --> 00:35:10.170 through it all. And keep coming to church and 00:35:10.170 --> 00:35:12.829 experiencing this community of love which is 00:35:12.829 --> 00:35:17.409 really incredible. But if you're here and you're 00:35:17.409 --> 00:35:21.199 a Christian, These five purposes aren't just 00:35:21.199 --> 00:35:24.000 what makes a healthy church, but they are what 00:35:24.000 --> 00:35:28.320 makes a healthy Christian life as well. So it's 00:35:28.320 --> 00:35:30.860 good to once in a while check in with yourself. 00:35:32.000 --> 00:35:34.440 How am I going with these purposes that Jesus 00:35:34.440 --> 00:35:38.940 has for me? Am I magnifying Jesus? Do I worship 00:35:38.940 --> 00:35:43.280 Jesus with my time, with my life, with all that 00:35:43.280 --> 00:35:48.429 I am? Do I love the Lord my God? Am I in a community? 00:35:48.610 --> 00:35:51.909 Am I caring for people? Are they caring for me? 00:35:52.469 --> 00:35:55.630 Am I connected with the folk here at church? 00:35:56.730 --> 00:35:59.190 Am I on a mission? And am I trying to reach people 00:35:59.190 --> 00:36:01.869 for Jesus? Do I want to share Jesus with others? 00:36:02.210 --> 00:36:04.750 Am I inviting people to church, sharing the gospel 00:36:04.750 --> 00:36:09.469 with them, praying for others? Am I doing ministry? 00:36:09.570 --> 00:36:13.050 Am I serving others? Am I trying to love others 00:36:13.050 --> 00:36:16.449 with the gifts that God has given me? And am 00:36:16.449 --> 00:36:19.489 I growing in maturity? Is there depth in my Christian 00:36:19.489 --> 00:36:22.409 life? Am I getting to know the Bible deeply? 00:36:22.650 --> 00:36:26.809 Is my godliness growing? It's good to check in 00:36:26.809 --> 00:36:30.190 and ask, how am I going with all of these things? 00:36:33.150 --> 00:36:35.530 But there might be some here today who are leaders 00:36:35.530 --> 00:36:39.889 of our church. And I want to encourage you, these 00:36:39.889 --> 00:36:43.010 five key things are the things Jesus wants his 00:36:43.010 --> 00:36:47.219 church to be doing. And for us, we need to make 00:36:47.219 --> 00:36:51.219 sure that we're strong in all of these. I hope 00:36:51.219 --> 00:36:54.440 you'll work prayerfully with me in trying to 00:36:54.440 --> 00:36:58.659 do that. It's good for us as leaders to ask now 00:36:58.659 --> 00:37:01.079 and again, which one do you think we're weak 00:37:01.079 --> 00:37:04.840 in? Which one are we really strong in? And we 00:37:04.840 --> 00:37:06.900 want to try and get strong in all of them, because 00:37:06.900 --> 00:37:10.519 if we are weak in one, we end up with a lopsided 00:37:10.519 --> 00:37:14.139 ecosystem. I won't go into cane toads and all 00:37:14.139 --> 00:37:17.900 of that, but you can imagine. So we don't want 00:37:17.900 --> 00:37:19.880 to be a church that's strong on maturity but 00:37:19.880 --> 00:37:23.099 not on evangelism and mission. We've got to make 00:37:23.099 --> 00:37:28.840 sure we're balanced. But whatever reason you 00:37:28.840 --> 00:37:32.699 have for being here today, I hope you've seen 00:37:32.699 --> 00:37:36.440 that Jesus' purposes for the church make the 00:37:36.440 --> 00:37:39.599 sort of church that you'd probably want to come 00:37:39.599 --> 00:37:43.659 to. and that others would want to come to too. 00:37:44.780 --> 00:37:48.280 So let's keep working together to be that sort 00:37:48.280 --> 00:37:53.519 of church, trying to do what Jesus has told us 00:37:53.519 --> 00:38:00.039 to do in the Great Commission. Let's pray. Heavenly 00:38:00.039 --> 00:38:02.440 Father, we thank you so much for Jesus' words 00:38:02.440 --> 00:38:06.659 to us. Thank you that he saved us from our sin. 00:38:06.940 --> 00:38:09.199 through his death on the cross. Thank you that 00:38:09.199 --> 00:38:11.659 he's Lord of all and reigning over everything. 00:38:12.280 --> 00:38:16.179 And thank you that his spirit is with us. Thank 00:38:16.179 --> 00:38:19.219 you that he is with us till the end of the age. 00:38:20.320 --> 00:38:24.179 And as we wait for his return, help us to strive 00:38:24.179 --> 00:38:28.559 to do these things, to do these purposes, both 00:38:28.559 --> 00:38:33.139 individually and as a church together. And we 00:38:33.139 --> 00:38:36.199 ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.