1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:14,760 Hey everyone, this is Josh from Encounter Church Henley and thanks so much for tuning 2 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:17,000 into our podcast. 3 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:20,680 Our prayer is that through this podcast you can have an encounter with Jesus that'll 4 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:22,800 change your life. 5 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:29,240 And now get ready for an inspiring message from our preaching team. 6 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:35,840 At the year 2020 Ash and I found ourselves in Mawson Lakes in the north of Adelaide trying 7 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:46,960 to launch a church plant, a house church plant in houses during COVID when you couldn't go 8 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:49,000 to other people's houses. 9 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:56,880 We had a dream, a vision, a calling and in the years before we had built a small team, 10 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:02,000 I'd quit my job, we'd moved far away from friends and family by Adelaide standards, 11 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:07,000 which is about half an hour, to follow this call. 12 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,320 But we didn't get far. 13 00:01:09,320 --> 00:01:15,120 And I've told this story before in the life of our church plant, of this walk that I had 14 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:16,120 during that season. 15 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:21,600 It was one of the times in my life where I've heard God's voice clear. 16 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:28,000 I was pouring my heart out to God on this walk, asking him why this church plant was 17 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:30,720 kind of failing. 18 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:32,600 I knew there were things that were in my control. 19 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:36,560 I also knew there were a lot of things that were outside of my control like a global pandemic. 20 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:39,440 And I was just pouring my heart out to God. 21 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:43,160 You know, there's 14,000 people who live in Mawson Lakes. 22 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:46,360 How many of them know Jesus? 23 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:50,920 Why wasn't God using us to reach those people? 24 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:56,000 And as I was walking, God just rebuked me. 25 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:59,320 He said to me, Tim, I don't need you. 26 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:04,320 And in my mind, I could see all these people having encounters with the Holy Spirit in the 27 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:08,480 presence of God in their everyday life, driving the car, going to bed, all these places that 28 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:16,040 were not a church or not a house church even, just in their everyday life. 29 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:20,360 But God said to me, but I want to work with you. 30 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:21,360 I want to work with you. 31 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:25,120 And I've told this story before in this plant, a different plant. 32 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:26,120 This is a different plant. 33 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:30,000 But here's the part that I didn't share. 34 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:38,560 The Lord crushed me in that moment in a helpful way because what God did was name and crush 35 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:43,480 my pride in my heart of hearts. 36 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:46,560 My motivation to plant that church wasn't just to be. 37 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:49,840 It was to be obedient to the Lord's call, but it wasn't just to be obedient to the Lord's 38 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:52,840 call. 39 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:59,000 My motivation was to fix the broken model of church that I had come to see and be perceived 40 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:00,000 as great. 41 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:07,600 My motivation was to solve the church so that people would think that I was impressive. 42 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:08,600 Don't get me wrong. 43 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:09,600 I cared about the mission. 44 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:10,600 I cared about God. 45 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:12,840 I wanted and desired the Kingdom of God. 46 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:14,840 But planting that church was about me. 47 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:16,360 It was about me. 48 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:17,360 For me anyway. 49 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:18,360 It was about me. 50 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:23,080 More than it was about those 14,000 people who didn't know Jesus. 51 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:27,440 And I'm glad it failed because my head wouldn't have fit through the door to get into this 52 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:28,440 room. 53 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:34,680 And I wouldn't be in this room either anyway, more than likely, here with you if it hadn't 54 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:35,680 failed. 55 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:40,960 And in that moment, God named to me what I had not yet named to Him that in my heart 56 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:43,160 of hearts, I thought that God needed me. 57 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:46,680 I thought I was indispensable to God. 58 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:52,400 I was praying, but I was praying kind of dishonored, distorted prayers. 59 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:57,960 I was praying, God, all for your glory, but in my heart of hearts, it was all for mine. 60 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:05,000 I was projecting to God a version of myself that I wanted to be like, that I wanted to 61 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:10,360 be like, or at least I thought I needed to be like. 62 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:15,120 And all that did was create this facade between me and God, this kind of distorted barrier 63 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:22,160 because I was dealing with reality as I thought it should be, or I thought I should be. 64 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:27,000 And God was dealing with reality as it actually was. 65 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:33,000 And God's rebuke crushed the facade that I had put between God and myself. 66 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:35,840 I wasn't getting real with God about my own motivations. 67 00:04:35,840 --> 00:04:39,320 And so God got real with me. 68 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:44,560 And reality as it actually is crushed my pride. 69 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:48,240 I actually couldn't fix the church and I still can't. 70 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:49,440 This is an imperfect church. 71 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:52,240 It's a beautiful church, but an imperfect church. 72 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:54,680 God didn't actually need me. 73 00:04:54,680 --> 00:05:00,480 I was not and will not ever be great and that is okay. 74 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:08,240 Reality reminded me that I was just him and just him was and is flawed. 75 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:15,920 And just him is also and was also deeply loved by God. 76 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:18,720 I didn't need to be this super pastor, Tim. 77 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:22,800 I just needed to be Tim as a pastor. 78 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:26,920 I just needed to step into God's invitation to participate in what he's doing. 79 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:33,360 The step in is I actually was and actually am not what I think I should be. 80 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:38,960 And now that God had got real with me, we were both on the same page. 81 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:45,560 And because we were on the same page, God could actually teach me and I could grow. 82 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:49,680 Welcome to Encounter Church and also the inner workings of my heart. 83 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:50,680 It's a great day for it. 84 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:54,760 We're in the last week of our core values series. 85 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:56,920 And today we're looking at our last core value. 86 00:05:56,920 --> 00:05:57,920 We have looked at Jesus. 87 00:05:57,920 --> 00:05:59,440 We have looked at people. 88 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:00,440 We've looked at generous. 89 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:07,400 See, they're on the wall, so we can't forget them and this week we're looking at real. 90 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:14,680 As a church, we want to develop an authentic, healthy generation of Godly pioneers. 91 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:17,200 That's why real is one of our core values. 92 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:21,520 But before we can do that and actually so that we can do that and become those kind 93 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:27,800 of people, authentic, healthy, Godly pioneers. 94 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:30,520 We've got to get real with God. 95 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:35,880 We've got to get real with God, which is not what Ananias and Saphirah did. 96 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:40,760 In our teaching text today, we're in the book of Acts and Pentecost has calmed the spirit, 97 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:44,120 the fire of the Holy Spirit has been given to the church and the church has been born 98 00:06:44,120 --> 00:06:48,360 and the church is working out what it means to be the church. 99 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:53,200 And because they have become one family in Christ Jesus and they feel this mandate to 100 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:56,360 care for the poor, they begin to hold all things in common. 101 00:06:56,360 --> 00:07:00,280 And those who are wealthy would sell off property and give money to the church to look after 102 00:07:00,280 --> 00:07:03,600 the less well off. 103 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:10,520 The passage just before the one that I read, it's about Barnabas. 104 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:13,120 And Barnabas will become a big player in the early church. 105 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:14,760 Barnabas does this. 106 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:21,760 He sells a field and he gives money to the apostles to support the poor. 107 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:24,440 And then we hear about Ananias and Saphirah. 108 00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:32,240 And like Barnabas, they sell a field, so they're wealthy and they bring the money to the apostles, 109 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:34,240 but there's a problem. 110 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:39,800 They've brought the money claiming to give the full proceeds of the sale to the church, 111 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:45,720 but in reality, they've pocketed part of it for themselves. 112 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:54,280 Why would someone claim to have given all like Barnabas does when in reality they haven't? 113 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:57,360 Why not just give a part and name it for what it is? 114 00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:01,640 The part, that part, that little part, that big part, whatever part it is, is still going 115 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:06,640 to be game changing for the poor and the widows and those who are less fortunate in their 116 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:08,400 community. 117 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:14,000 The only real logical reason to mislead the apostles is that they wanted the honor of 118 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:19,280 having given all without the sacrifice of having given all. 119 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:26,800 Really the donation they made was more about them than it was about the people who are 120 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:27,800 really in need. 121 00:08:27,800 --> 00:08:32,320 It was more about how they were perceived and honored within their community. 122 00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:38,400 They wanted the honor the Barnabas got without the sacrifice that Barnabas made. 123 00:08:38,400 --> 00:08:41,720 Now people will mislead people all the time and the church is certainly not immune to 124 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:47,280 this, but Peter, the leader of the church, he is not misled. 125 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:51,320 And whether he has a prophetic insight from the Lord or not, it's just really good at 126 00:08:51,320 --> 00:08:53,280 picking when people are lying. 127 00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:59,080 Peter sees through and he says, and a nice, why have you let Satan feel your heart? 128 00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:02,440 You lied to the Holy Spirit and he kept some of the money for yourself. 129 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:06,640 The property was yours to sell or not sell as you wished. 130 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:10,200 And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. 131 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:11,320 How could you do a thing like this? 132 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:16,360 You were lying not to us, but to God. 133 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:20,040 He says, not only did you not need to lie, you haven't lied to us. 134 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:21,720 You actually lied to God. 135 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:26,600 And lying to God is like when my daughter tells me to her face that she did not in fact 136 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:28,240 hit her brother. 137 00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:32,240 Even though she knows, I literally just watched her do it. 138 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:35,080 It's like, seriously, why bother with this? 139 00:09:35,080 --> 00:09:38,920 We both know that I know that you smacked him. 140 00:09:38,920 --> 00:09:44,440 My dear child, would you like to change or reconsider this approach that you're taking? 141 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:47,400 Sometimes she does, sometimes she doesn't. 142 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:54,000 In Jeremiah 1710, the Lord declares, but I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret 143 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:55,000 motives. 144 00:09:55,000 --> 00:10:00,120 I give all people their due rewards according to what their actions deserve. 145 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:03,840 We can't hide even our hearts from God. 146 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:08,480 Our deepest secret motivations, the secret place, the thoughts and the feelings from which 147 00:10:08,480 --> 00:10:11,520 our life flows out from. 148 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:13,400 God examines them. 149 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:14,400 God just doesn't know them. 150 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:15,960 He sees them. 151 00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:21,280 God knows when gifts of gold to the poor is more about us than it is about them. 152 00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:24,680 God knows when church plants or ministries are more about us than they are about them. 153 00:10:24,680 --> 00:10:28,920 God knows even when we're fasting for weight loss and not for him. 154 00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:33,240 God knows when we pray for things that are really about benefiting us and not the kingdom 155 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:34,640 of God. 156 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:37,520 God knows our hearts. 157 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:38,520 God knows our hearts. 158 00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:47,200 And lying to him is straight up unnecessary and actually impossible. 159 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:56,360 We cannot actually mislead God, but Ananias tries and he dies. 160 00:10:56,360 --> 00:10:57,360 Why does Ananias die? 161 00:10:57,360 --> 00:11:01,560 I'm going to be real with you because it's one of our core values. 162 00:11:01,560 --> 00:11:02,560 I don't know. 163 00:11:02,560 --> 00:11:05,000 I just don't know. 164 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:09,960 Some scholars think he dropped dead of a heart attack after being publicly called out. 165 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:16,840 I know sometimes it feels preferable to me to just drop dead rather than be publicly 166 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:17,840 called out. 167 00:11:17,840 --> 00:11:24,560 Well, that seems like a better outcome sometimes than being publicly called out, but that doesn't 168 00:11:24,560 --> 00:11:28,720 make sense of what happens to Saphira afterwards. 169 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:33,560 She doesn't know that Ananias has cucked it and comes in later with a very leading question 170 00:11:33,560 --> 00:11:39,920 from Peter and it's a leading question with an invitation to repent, to fess up, to acknowledge 171 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:47,480 that they've made a mistake, that they have tried to deceive the church and God. 172 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:53,240 Peter says, was this the price that your husband received for your land? 173 00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:55,960 But she doesn't take the opportunity to repent. 174 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:57,640 She claims it's the full amount. 175 00:11:57,640 --> 00:12:02,640 And Peter says, how could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of 176 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:04,160 the Lord like this? 177 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:08,440 The young men who buried you are just outside the door and they will carry you out too. 178 00:12:08,440 --> 00:12:11,400 And so Saphira drops dead. 179 00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:13,280 Why do they die for lying? 180 00:12:13,280 --> 00:12:14,640 I don't know. 181 00:12:14,640 --> 00:12:21,640 The most convincing theory is this, that this situation serves to illustrate the power and 182 00:12:21,640 --> 00:12:27,800 presence and holiness of God that was swirling around the early church, just like it was swirling 183 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:31,320 around the tabernacle in the Old Testament when people would just drop dead from touching 184 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:33,880 the wrong thing. 185 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:40,400 Let's all just be glad that nobody has dropped dead for saying that they tire 10%, but in 186 00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:43,720 reality they're actually tithing 9.5%. 187 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:46,320 I'm not good at maths, alright? 188 00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:51,560 And right now, publicly, in this service, I would like to know why my wife who's almost 189 00:12:51,560 --> 00:12:55,120 finished a pure maths degree still makes me do the budget. 190 00:12:55,120 --> 00:12:58,120 Different maths. 191 00:12:58,120 --> 00:13:00,120 Different. 192 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:11,080 Ananias and Saphira, they deliberately try to mislead God for their own societal honour. 193 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:15,600 Lying is projecting a false or distorted image of reality. 194 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:20,840 When Olive says, I didn't hit Judah, even though she obviously did, she's projecting 195 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:25,800 a version of reality where she didn't hit Judah and therefore will not receive the correction 196 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:30,640 or boundaries that hitting Judah produces. 197 00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:35,920 When Ananias and Saphira say, this is the full amount, even though it's not, they're 198 00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:41,400 projecting a false reality where they did give the full amount and reap the honour in 199 00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:44,920 the community for the sacrifice that someone like Barnabas who actually gave the full amount 200 00:13:44,920 --> 00:13:46,920 received. 201 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:53,680 Because if they didn't lie and came and said, I sold a field, here's part of the money, 202 00:13:53,680 --> 00:13:58,680 they would receive thanks, but not the kind of honour that someone who gave a full amount 203 00:13:58,680 --> 00:14:03,520 received. 204 00:14:03,520 --> 00:14:09,360 No matter how wealthy you are, if you sell a property and give part of that to a church 205 00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:12,880 or a charity of some kind, that would be a really nice thing to do. 206 00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:16,480 You might get a nice email, maybe a couple of phone calls asking you to give more regularly 207 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:18,960 and not in one-off sums. 208 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:20,920 It would be a charitable donation. 209 00:14:20,920 --> 00:14:21,920 Go you. 210 00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:22,920 Great. 211 00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:28,880 But if you sold a property in this economy and you gave the full amount, you would be 212 00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:29,880 insane. 213 00:14:29,880 --> 00:14:32,920 And everyone would be asking you why you did that. 214 00:14:32,920 --> 00:14:37,240 And you would receive far greater honour than if you gave in part because your sacrifice 215 00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:39,960 was total, was the total amount, was the whole amount. 216 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:45,000 And Ananias and Saphira, they want that honour and so they project a false version of reality, 217 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:48,320 a reality where they gave the full amount. 218 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:52,900 And for them, the consequences are total. 219 00:14:52,900 --> 00:14:57,480 People lie and mislead others all the time, even in church. 220 00:14:57,480 --> 00:15:02,640 You only have to add scandal to the word church on Google and you just get pages and pages 221 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:08,840 of atrocious dealings in attempting to project false or distorted versions of reality. 222 00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:11,480 But reality always wins. 223 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:14,720 The truth always comes out in the end. 224 00:15:14,720 --> 00:15:18,200 Jesus says in Luke 12, the time is coming when everything that is covered up will be 225 00:15:18,200 --> 00:15:22,600 revealed and all that is secret will be made known to all. 226 00:15:22,600 --> 00:15:25,920 What Jesus said in the dark will be heard in the light and what you have whispered behind 227 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:31,360 closed doors will be shouted from the house tops for all to hear. 228 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:36,640 See false or distorted realities, versions of reality, they may hold for a while but 229 00:15:36,640 --> 00:15:40,600 eventually they will come crashing down. 230 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:42,600 Reality is undefeated. 231 00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:48,360 The God who sees all and knows all sees and knows and God will put everything right in 232 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:49,360 the end. 233 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:51,960 But here's the thing. 234 00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:57,120 Lying to God, projecting false realities to him, generally speaking, and we're going 235 00:15:57,120 --> 00:16:03,560 to put Saphira and Ananias aside over here, there are not drastic consequences for doing 236 00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:06,040 this, for misleading God. 237 00:16:06,040 --> 00:16:08,200 Except for this one. 238 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:11,560 And I think it's actually kind of drastic. 239 00:16:11,560 --> 00:16:14,640 You just won't grow spiritually. 240 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:17,120 You just won't grow. 241 00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:18,920 Lying to God, you just won't grow. 242 00:16:18,920 --> 00:16:24,560 If you try and mislead God and try to pretend to God that this is fine and that you're doing 243 00:16:24,560 --> 00:16:28,840 this thing for the right reasons, but, and that this thing is actually about, not about 244 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:32,000 you, but about these people, really needy people over there. 245 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:38,560 If you project a false or distorted reality to God, you can't and won't grow spiritually. 246 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:41,800 As God sees the truth, he sees reality as it actually is. 247 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:46,560 Tim is planning this church because he thinks that he's solved it and I need him. 248 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:50,360 And because he hopes it'll make him, really make him somebody. 249 00:16:50,360 --> 00:16:53,920 That's my projection of a false version of reality to God. 250 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:55,920 Oh, that's, that's the reality. 251 00:16:55,920 --> 00:17:00,240 But my false version of reality is, you know, I'm doing everything I can here, God. 252 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:01,760 You called me here. 253 00:17:01,760 --> 00:17:03,720 I'm just being humbly obedient. 254 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:04,720 Why is everything falling apart? 255 00:17:04,720 --> 00:17:07,280 Why are you coming through for me and God? 256 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:10,400 You see, God and I are just not on the same page. 257 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:13,640 We're working from different realities. 258 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:18,160 How can, how can God help me see that I need to grow? 259 00:17:18,160 --> 00:17:25,840 How can God help me to learn genuine humility and genuine selflessness when I think that 260 00:17:25,840 --> 00:17:29,720 I'm being humble and selfless? 261 00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:32,360 We're not borrowing from the same blockbuster. 262 00:17:32,360 --> 00:17:37,160 We're on different planets, different pages, different starting places. 263 00:17:37,160 --> 00:17:40,200 How can I grow? 264 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:45,480 A doctor can't treat a patient who won't accept a diagnosis. 265 00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:49,040 They must be dealing with the same reality. 266 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:53,440 And sometimes it's difficult to accept reality. 267 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:58,040 It's difficult to accept a diagnosis and what it means. 268 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:04,480 It's difficult to accept that you actually are, in my case, neither humble nor selfless. 269 00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:06,800 Yet. 270 00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:13,760 The acceptance that this is where you are for now, that this right here is reality. 271 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:18,040 That acceptance is the first step of growth in anything. 272 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:21,880 Think about the 12 step program for AA that treats alcohol addiction. 273 00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:23,440 The first step is this. 274 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:30,120 We admitted that we were powerless over alcohol and that our lives had become unmanageable. 275 00:18:30,120 --> 00:18:36,520 First step of soberness is to accept that you are powerless to be sober. 276 00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:40,240 The false or distorted versions of reality that say, you know, this isn't a big deal 277 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:42,400 and I can stop when I want to. 278 00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:46,480 They're washed away by the acceptance of reality as it actually is. 279 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:52,040 I have a problem that I cannot solve by myself. 280 00:18:52,040 --> 00:18:57,040 David Benner wrote an amazing book called The Gift of Being Yourself and in that he 281 00:18:57,040 --> 00:19:03,720 says this reality must be embraced before it can be changed. 282 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:09,880 You simply must get real with God if we want to grow spiritually. 283 00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:12,160 We must come to God as we actually are. 284 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:15,640 Not how we think God will accept us. 285 00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:20,200 We must lay down our false or distorted versions of reality at the foot of the cross and embrace 286 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:23,200 our reality. 287 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:29,120 And I have found no better description of our reality than this from Tim Keller. 288 00:19:29,120 --> 00:19:35,200 We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe. 289 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:42,240 You know, at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we 290 00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:45,280 ever dared hope. 291 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:52,320 This is the gospel that our heart of hearts, in our heart of hearts, we're not that great. 292 00:19:52,320 --> 00:19:54,080 Take advantage of others to soothe our own gain. 293 00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:55,800 We make things about ourselves. 294 00:19:55,800 --> 00:19:59,600 We pretend to be people that we are not. 295 00:19:59,600 --> 00:20:04,200 We are more sinful and flawed than we dared believe, admit or are willing sometimes to 296 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:06,200 face. 297 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:15,720 But we are more loved and accepted in Jesus than we could ever hope or imagine. 298 00:20:15,720 --> 00:20:22,720 Getting real with God is scary because getting real with God can leave us feeling exposed 299 00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:24,480 and vulnerable. 300 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:27,640 Just to get real with God we must come before Him as we actually are. 301 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:34,000 We must unwind those things, those experiences, those stories we tell ourselves, those things 302 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:37,680 that have been spoken over us by others. 303 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:42,640 That we've wound around ourselves like bandages to protect ourselves from the world and also 304 00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:44,360 from God. 305 00:20:44,360 --> 00:20:49,160 To make us feel safe and tangible and perceptible. 306 00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:53,360 Getting real with God is scary because I tell myself I'm humble and other people tell 307 00:20:53,360 --> 00:20:55,400 me I'm humble and I really want to be humble. 308 00:20:55,400 --> 00:20:59,520 I can tell you stories of times when I've acted with humility. 309 00:20:59,520 --> 00:21:03,840 But those are things that I have wound around myself to make myself feel better about what's 310 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:08,280 behind the curtain of my heart, what's inside my heart of hearts. 311 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:13,080 Because underneath those things behind the curtain of my heart is just a cesspool of 312 00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:14,080 pride. 313 00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:19,720 And it is frightening to let anyone ever see that let alone preach about it. 314 00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:25,840 Because if anyone sees that let alone God, if God sees behind the curtain and realizes 315 00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:31,680 that I'm actually not humble like I know I should be, is it all over for me? 316 00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:33,920 Will God reject me? 317 00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:35,560 Will my greatest fear be realized? 318 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:40,960 Will I be found unwanted and unlovable? 319 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:48,920 But my friends, God does see even right now, even when we're trying so hard to hide from 320 00:21:48,920 --> 00:21:53,760 Him, He does see behind the curtains of our hearts. 321 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:58,520 He does see through those false versions of reality we project. 322 00:21:58,520 --> 00:22:03,680 And He loves us and He accepts us still. 323 00:22:03,680 --> 00:22:06,280 And it's better than that. 324 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:09,480 Through faith in Jesus we are in Christ. 325 00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:15,400 We are united to Him, united to the one who went to the cross, united to the one who sacrificed 326 00:22:15,400 --> 00:22:18,800 wasn't in part but was total. 327 00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:21,400 Jesus gave up his life for you and for me. 328 00:22:21,400 --> 00:22:26,480 And through faith we have died with Christ and we will be raised with Him. 329 00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:31,800 We're going to celebrate baptism next week and that is a demonstration of that reality. 330 00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:35,640 And because we've been hidden in Christ, because we are one with Him who is the Son of God, 331 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:39,520 we have actually been adopted into God's family. 332 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:41,800 So God just doesn't love us, it's better. 333 00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:49,840 God calls us His beloved Son or beloved daughter and we get to call Him Father. 334 00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:52,800 We are not condemned for what's in our hearts. 335 00:22:52,800 --> 00:22:58,200 We are saved and loved and held and treasured. 336 00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:06,080 When we are in Jesus we are in the safest place in the universe. 337 00:23:06,080 --> 00:23:11,720 When we are in Jesus we can get real with God without fear. 338 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:15,280 We can embrace reality. 339 00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:19,040 We can unwind those things that we use to protect ourselves. 340 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:24,640 We can pull back the curtain of our hearts and just pour out the ugliness inside to God 341 00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:26,080 in prayer. 342 00:23:26,080 --> 00:23:32,560 We can let Him into those rooms in our life that we keep locked and under key. 343 00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:34,200 We can be honest about our motivations. 344 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:38,880 We don't have to project to God a version of ourselves that we think He wants or wish 345 00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:51,040 we were because He sees us and He knows us and He loves us still. 346 00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:57,600 At Encounter we want to help you grow like a sunflower that grows towards the sun. 347 00:23:57,600 --> 00:24:01,040 We want to help you grow towards Jesus. 348 00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:04,560 We want to help you grow into the image of Jesus which if you are a follower of Jesus 349 00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:09,760 that is your calling in life is to become like Jesus and to do the things that He did. 350 00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:17,760 But you can't grow unless you get real with God. 351 00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:22,800 I can't become truly humble in my heart until I let God into the cesspool of pride in my 352 00:24:22,800 --> 00:24:28,720 heart of hearts because He is the only one who can actually help me deal with that. 353 00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:32,160 Jesus is the only one who can make me humble because Jesus is the only one who was truly 354 00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:35,360 humble. 355 00:24:35,360 --> 00:24:38,240 Get real with God and grow. 356 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:43,200 Trust me it's far more comfortable to get real with God than to let God get to the point 357 00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:45,600 where He's like I have to get real with you. 358 00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:51,560 It's that, it's much harder. 359 00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:56,640 God had to get real with me and we got on the same page. 360 00:24:56,640 --> 00:24:59,720 You are filled with pride Tim. 361 00:24:59,720 --> 00:25:06,760 Yes, yes I am. 362 00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:11,760 And since that moment God has done His work and the cesspool is more like a cesspuddle. 363 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:14,120 It's shrinking. 364 00:25:14,120 --> 00:25:18,320 And I can honestly say that where before I would have looked at this church and in counterhandling 365 00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:26,520 and how well we are going as a new church before in my heart of hearts I would have 366 00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:29,800 never been in my heart, never allowed. 367 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:32,800 Look what I did. 368 00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:35,040 But now I look at this church. 369 00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:39,680 It's beautiful, imperfect, family of God between the city and the beach. 370 00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:44,360 And in my heart of hearts I'm just filled with gratitude. 371 00:25:44,360 --> 00:25:45,360 Filled with gratitude. 372 00:25:45,360 --> 00:25:51,120 In my heart of hearts I say look what God is doing. 373 00:25:51,120 --> 00:25:54,120 Look what God did. 374 00:25:54,120 --> 00:25:56,760 In my heart is filled with gratitude. 375 00:25:56,760 --> 00:25:59,280 Because I know that God doesn't need me. 376 00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:08,160 But what a privilege it is to get to play a part in what He is doing. 377 00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:15,080 If we would do this, if we would become a community that gets real with God, this is 378 00:26:15,080 --> 00:26:17,120 what I think we will find. 379 00:26:17,120 --> 00:26:24,080 When we are real with God, we find that we are and always have been loved in reality 380 00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:26,240 by God. 381 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:30,840 And this allows us to be real with ourselves. 382 00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:35,120 We can admit things about ourselves that we might find deeply shameful like trying to 383 00:26:35,120 --> 00:26:39,160 plant a church purely out of pride. 384 00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:42,960 I can admit that about myself because I know that I am loved. 385 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:51,000 And because we know that we are deeply beloved by God, we are able to love ourselves in reality. 386 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:55,000 Those and sins and all. 387 00:26:55,000 --> 00:27:02,040 And because we are, we can love ourselves in reality, we can be real with others. 388 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:05,760 We can live out this value of real. 389 00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:08,920 We can be real with our brothers and sisters in Christ. 390 00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:13,720 And we can actually love them in reality. 391 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:17,440 Because if we are accepted and loved, and we can love and accept ourselves, we are not 392 00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:23,160 trying to protect ourselves from how others perceive us. 393 00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:25,760 We're not trying to project certain false realities. 394 00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:27,800 We're not trying to keep distance. 395 00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:36,440 We're not trying to build facades between each other. 396 00:27:36,440 --> 00:27:40,720 We're not trying to protect ourselves from each other. 397 00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:49,640 We are ourselves, flaws and all, deeply, deeply beloved by God and growing towards Jesus. 398 00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:55,480 And friends, we actually need each other on this journey of life towards and with Jesus. 399 00:27:55,480 --> 00:27:57,640 We actually need each other, not in reality. 400 00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:02,640 We don't need each other's false projected versions of ourselves. 401 00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:04,840 We need each other in reality. 402 00:28:04,840 --> 00:28:10,680 Galatians 6 says this, dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, 403 00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:15,800 you who are godly should go gently and humbly to help that person back on the right path. 404 00:28:15,800 --> 00:28:20,000 And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. 405 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:24,040 Share each other's burdens and in this way obey the law of Christ. 406 00:28:24,040 --> 00:28:28,320 If you think you're too important to help someone, you're only falling yourself. 407 00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:33,160 You're just not that important. 408 00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:37,160 If you never share with anyone else the sin in your own heart, how can anyone help you 409 00:28:37,160 --> 00:28:39,720 with it? 410 00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:44,240 If you never share your burden, how can anyone help you carry it? 411 00:28:44,240 --> 00:28:51,840 And if you never share your burden, how does anyone feel like they can share their burden? 412 00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:55,160 There's power in speaking it out to another believer. 413 00:28:55,160 --> 00:29:00,080 James 5 says this, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you 414 00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:01,360 might be healed. 415 00:29:01,360 --> 00:29:07,080 The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 416 00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:09,880 What a promise. 417 00:29:09,880 --> 00:29:13,800 Friends, if we won't get real with God, we can't get real with ourselves and we certainly 418 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:15,280 won't get real with each other. 419 00:29:15,280 --> 00:29:21,280 And so we'll be like 40 solitary little kayaks on a lake in a storm just left to fend for 420 00:29:21,280 --> 00:29:29,560 ourselves when we could come together in those little pods to weather the storm together. 421 00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:33,040 And we actually have little kayak pods at Encounter. 422 00:29:33,040 --> 00:29:35,520 We call them cords. 423 00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:39,960 Those are just a group of three people who catch up regularly and the gist is this, one 424 00:29:39,960 --> 00:29:41,840 person alone is not ideal. 425 00:29:41,840 --> 00:29:42,840 Two is better. 426 00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:45,560 But have you heard of three? 427 00:29:45,560 --> 00:29:46,960 Three is pretty good. 428 00:29:46,960 --> 00:29:52,640 You're not going to get want to get real with everyone here and you certainly shouldn't 429 00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:55,560 get real on Instagram or Facebook. 430 00:29:55,560 --> 00:30:01,280 You need to find people you can trust where it's safe, unsanitized, honest, where it's 431 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:05,320 okay to not be okay, where you can push and prod and stir each other up in the face, not 432 00:30:05,320 --> 00:30:12,200 get comfortable and to keep growing towards Jesus. 433 00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:15,120 Thanks so much for tuning into this week's message. 434 00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:20,160 If you felt challenged or need prayer, would love to hear from you on Instagram at EncounterHenry. 435 00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:29,680 Or if you're interested in how you can support this ministry, please go to our website EncounterAdelaide.com.au. 436 00:30:29,680 --> 00:30:30,680 Thanks again for listening. 437 00:30:30,680 --> 00:30:35,440 God bless you.