WEBVTT 00:00:09.819 --> 00:00:12.679 Hey everyone, this is Josh from Encounter Church 00:00:12.679 --> 00:00:15.279 Henley and thanks so much for tuning into our 00:00:15.279 --> 00:00:19.000 podcast. Our prayer is that through this podcast 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:20.820 you can have an encounter with Jesus that'll 00:00:20.820 --> 00:00:24.379 change your life. And now get ready for an inspiring 00:00:24.379 --> 00:00:29.879 message from our preaching team. Matthew 26 verses 00:00:29.879 --> 00:00:35.780 26 to 30. As they were eating, Jesus took some 00:00:35.780 --> 00:00:38.399 bread and blessed it. Then he broke it into pieces 00:00:38.399 --> 00:00:41.100 and gave it to the disciples, saying, take this 00:00:41.100 --> 00:00:44.060 and eat it, for this is my body. And he took 00:00:44.060 --> 00:00:46.320 a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. 00:00:46.700 --> 00:00:48.479 He gave it to them and said, each of you drink 00:00:48.479 --> 00:00:51.200 from it, for this is my blood, which confirms 00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:54.780 the covenant between God and his people. It is 00:00:54.780 --> 00:00:57.020 poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins 00:00:57.020 --> 00:01:00.380 of many. Mark my words. I will not drink wine 00:01:00.380 --> 00:01:03.280 again until the day I drink it new with you in 00:01:03.280 --> 00:01:05.959 my father's kingdom Then they sang a hymn and 00:01:05.959 --> 00:01:08.099 went out to the Mount of Olives. This is the 00:01:08.099 --> 00:01:15.659 word of the Lord Good afternoon church, if you 00:01:15.659 --> 00:01:19.040 haven't met me, my name is Tim is great to be 00:01:19.040 --> 00:01:22.980 with you On the screen you'll see an image of 00:01:22.980 --> 00:01:25.799 something if you spend time on social media Should 00:01:25.799 --> 00:01:30.900 be common It's a motivational post. It says, 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:38.340 the new year is a blank page, a fresh start to 00:01:38.340 --> 00:01:43.599 a dream bigger, to work harder, to become the 00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:47.000 version of yourself you've always envisaged. 00:01:48.040 --> 00:01:50.159 Other classic motivational posts that come out 00:01:50.159 --> 00:01:51.780 this kind of the year say things like tomorrow. 00:01:52.349 --> 00:01:58.049 is the first blank page of a 365 page book, so 00:01:58.049 --> 00:02:01.510 write a good one. The new year, it's a transition 00:02:01.510 --> 00:02:04.530 moment and transitions can create turning points, 00:02:04.890 --> 00:02:08.770 a renewed energy to chase those dreams. And don't 00:02:08.770 --> 00:02:13.930 you just find it all so very exhausting? It's 00:02:13.930 --> 00:02:16.030 just so tiring. I already feel like I'm doing 00:02:16.030 --> 00:02:19.490 my best. And here's another New Year's to remind 00:02:19.490 --> 00:02:22.210 me that I'm pretty far off my idealized version 00:02:22.210 --> 00:02:25.789 of myself. I can't read 100 books in a year, 00:02:25.909 --> 00:02:28.729 get jacked, be good at my job, run a marathon, 00:02:28.909 --> 00:02:31.629 grow my savings, get enough sleep, spend more 00:02:31.629 --> 00:02:33.789 intentional time with my family, be a good husband 00:02:33.789 --> 00:02:36.210 and father, only make meals that I've made from 00:02:36.210 --> 00:02:39.110 scratch, have a more efficient house and on top 00:02:39.110 --> 00:02:42.150 of it all, cultivate a deepening relationship 00:02:42.150 --> 00:02:45.250 with Jesus. There just simply isn't enough time. 00:02:45.580 --> 00:02:49.139 in the day for all of that. And that's a problem, 00:02:49.259 --> 00:02:52.939 isn't it? We all have these idealized versions 00:02:52.939 --> 00:02:56.379 of ourselves. And every New Year's reminds us 00:02:56.379 --> 00:03:00.439 that we haven't lived up to our own, sometimes 00:03:00.439 --> 00:03:05.639 somewhat unrealistic, expectations of who we 00:03:05.639 --> 00:03:09.719 could become. And this is the grief that comes 00:03:09.719 --> 00:03:14.360 when you have to create a DIY self. See in every 00:03:14.360 --> 00:03:15.879 culture, every other culture in the world for 00:03:15.879 --> 00:03:18.860 most of human history, people have lived in cultures 00:03:18.860 --> 00:03:22.539 that have stories and rites of passage and rituals 00:03:22.539 --> 00:03:25.300 that tell you who you are and what you're here 00:03:25.300 --> 00:03:29.199 to do. But in the Western society we have largely 00:03:29.199 --> 00:03:31.939 stripped away all these stories, these rites 00:03:31.939 --> 00:03:34.419 of passages and rituals that tell you who you 00:03:34.419 --> 00:03:38.919 are and what you are here to do. And said, you 00:03:38.919 --> 00:03:42.349 work it out. You shape your own identity you 00:03:42.349 --> 00:03:46.270 can decide who you are And at first the freedom 00:03:46.270 --> 00:03:49.370 is a rush because anything is pretty much open 00:03:49.370 --> 00:03:52.349 to you But then the freedom quickly becomes a 00:03:52.349 --> 00:03:56.870 kind of slavery because when you don't have Transcendent 00:03:56.870 --> 00:03:59.169 stories rituals rites of passage when you don't 00:03:59.169 --> 00:04:01.210 have something bigger than all you're left to 00:04:01.210 --> 00:04:04.789 define yourself is what you you are or who you 00:04:04.789 --> 00:04:11.610 know what you own and perhaps These things sessions 00:04:11.610 --> 00:04:15.849 accomplishments abilities exhausting What if 00:04:15.849 --> 00:04:18.649 there was a better way of certain people as being 00:04:18.649 --> 00:04:22.370 self -made accomplishment? It is a gift. You 00:04:22.370 --> 00:04:26.470 have been created by God You can't create or 00:04:26.470 --> 00:04:28.470 earn your uniqueness as a person. You can only 00:04:28.470 --> 00:04:33.689 receive it as a gift That means God has a self 00:04:33.689 --> 00:04:37.709 Coming in if our eyes of our own making and is 00:04:37.709 --> 00:04:44.379 an illusion Can you see that? God longs to help 00:04:44.379 --> 00:04:47.560 you become the person He has created you to be. 00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:52.139 God has an identity for you in Christ Jesus. 00:04:52.819 --> 00:04:54.899 And it's a part of the package deal of faith. 00:04:54.920 --> 00:04:58.000 When you put your faith in Jesus, you're united 00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:00.420 to Him. He puts His Spirit within you and you 00:05:00.420 --> 00:05:03.439 begin to change you, sometimes very quickly and 00:05:03.439 --> 00:05:06.079 sometimes it's so slow it's almost imperceptible, 00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:09.860 but when you look back you see it. And over time 00:05:09.860 --> 00:05:12.660 you begin to glimpse the person that God has 00:05:12.660 --> 00:05:16.480 created you uniquely to be. David Bennett says 00:05:16.480 --> 00:05:21.879 this, knowing ourselves must begin by knowing 00:05:21.879 --> 00:05:27.019 the self that is known by God. You can only really 00:05:27.019 --> 00:05:29.339 know what something is and what something's for 00:05:29.339 --> 00:05:32.519 when you know what its creator intended it to 00:05:32.519 --> 00:05:35.220 be. I want to show you a drawing that my son 00:05:35.220 --> 00:05:37.139 made, drew at Christmas a couple of years ago. 00:05:37.720 --> 00:05:40.490 Look at that. Now, I looked at that and I thought, 00:05:40.529 --> 00:05:47.430 that is Johnny Bravo. Or it's an exploding stapler. 00:05:48.250 --> 00:05:51.250 But I don't know, but I asked, I know it's creator, 00:05:51.370 --> 00:05:53.949 I know who drew it, and so I asked him, and lo 00:05:53.949 --> 00:06:00.490 and behold, it's a tree. It's a tree. If you 00:06:00.490 --> 00:06:02.569 want to know what something is and what it's 00:06:02.569 --> 00:06:05.290 for, it helps to ask the one who created it. 00:06:05.649 --> 00:06:08.980 God knows who you are. everything he has created 00:06:08.980 --> 00:06:13.439 you to be DIY self but for the sake of others 00:06:13.439 --> 00:06:16.699 and for the sake of the world I think this is 00:06:16.699 --> 00:06:20.699 wonderful news and this kind of partnership that 00:06:20.699 --> 00:06:24.759 God wants to have with us it has a biblical word 00:06:24.759 --> 00:06:29.120 and it's called a covenant Whitney Willard just 00:06:29.120 --> 00:06:31.019 defines a covenant as this it's a relationship 00:06:31.019 --> 00:06:34.019 between two partners who make binding promises 00:06:34.019 --> 00:06:36.740 to each other and work together to reach a common 00:06:36.740 --> 00:06:40.899 goal Covenants define their obligations and commitments, 00:06:41.399 --> 00:06:43.959 but they are different from a contract because 00:06:43.959 --> 00:06:47.360 they are relational and personal. This is why 00:06:47.360 --> 00:06:50.540 Christians rightly describe marriage as a covenant. 00:06:50.819 --> 00:06:53.000 On Friday, Ash and I had our 10 year wedding 00:06:53.000 --> 00:07:00.500 anniversary. Good job. And we didn't make a wedding 00:07:00.500 --> 00:07:04.139 contract 10 years ago. In fact, to suggest that 00:07:04.139 --> 00:07:07.170 would actually be kind of offensive. It was far 00:07:07.170 --> 00:07:09.730 more personal and relational than that. We made 00:07:09.730 --> 00:07:12.949 binding promises to each other, to forsake all 00:07:12.949 --> 00:07:14.829 others, to have and to hold each other whether 00:07:14.829 --> 00:07:17.670 we were rich or poor, sick or well through the 00:07:17.670 --> 00:07:20.870 good times and the bad times. Ten years ago, 00:07:20.889 --> 00:07:23.209 we committed to work together to glorify God 00:07:23.209 --> 00:07:25.790 in and through our relationship and that our 00:07:25.790 --> 00:07:28.949 new family would be a blessing to others. TLDR, 00:07:29.350 --> 00:07:32.069 we made a covenant with each other. We covenanted. 00:07:32.930 --> 00:07:35.810 And God makes covenants with his people often 00:07:35.810 --> 00:07:39.689 in the scriptures. The most prominent covenant 00:07:39.689 --> 00:07:42.509 is in the Old Testament between God and the Israelites 00:07:42.509 --> 00:07:45.310 and the covenant at Mount Sinai, it's in Exodus 00:07:45.310 --> 00:07:49.230 19, where God says, Now, if you will obey me 00:07:49.230 --> 00:07:52.310 and keep my covenant, you will be my own special 00:07:52.310 --> 00:07:54.610 treasure from among all the peoples of earth, 00:07:54.649 --> 00:07:56.790 for all the earth belongs to me, and you will 00:07:56.790 --> 00:08:00.410 be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation. And 00:08:00.410 --> 00:08:03.000 then he gives the people, the Ten Commandments 00:08:03.000 --> 00:08:06.819 and the law, to which the people respond in Exodus 00:08:06.819 --> 00:08:10.019 24, we will do everything the Lord has commanded, 00:08:10.439 --> 00:08:13.899 we will obey, is what they say. And so then Moses 00:08:13.899 --> 00:08:15.860 sacrifices a bull and he takes the bull from 00:08:15.860 --> 00:08:17.660 the basin and he splatters it all over the people, 00:08:17.720 --> 00:08:20.259 declaring, look, this blood confirms the covenant 00:08:20.259 --> 00:08:23.160 the Lord has made with you in giving these instructions. 00:08:23.789 --> 00:08:26.310 So God and his people have a covenant. They make 00:08:26.310 --> 00:08:29.050 binding promises to each other in a partnership 00:08:29.050 --> 00:08:31.170 that's there to bless the world Now there was 00:08:31.170 --> 00:08:33.549 no blood splattered at my wedding. I can assure 00:08:33.549 --> 00:08:36.610 you that if you were thinking that would be weird 00:08:36.610 --> 00:08:40.129 Here's the gist of the Lord's covenant with his 00:08:40.129 --> 00:08:43.730 people The people promise to keep the Lord's 00:08:43.730 --> 00:08:46.090 commandments and in exchange God's commitment 00:08:46.090 --> 00:08:48.049 to them is that they will be forever the favorite 00:08:48.049 --> 00:08:51.169 child They will experience incredible blessing 00:08:51.169 --> 00:08:55.110 from the hand of God, safety and provision. But 00:08:55.110 --> 00:08:58.750 here's the problem. This covenant, the old covenant, 00:08:59.309 --> 00:09:03.490 it's conditional. If the people don't keep the 00:09:03.490 --> 00:09:05.289 promises they've made, then the blessings that 00:09:05.289 --> 00:09:09.350 flow from the hand of God will dry up. And if 00:09:09.350 --> 00:09:11.230 you read the narrative of the Old Testament, 00:09:11.269 --> 00:09:14.289 that's exactly what happens. Until the people 00:09:14.289 --> 00:09:16.909 are driven from the promised land and into exile. 00:09:17.930 --> 00:09:21.090 But in exile, God's not done. He's not finished. 00:09:21.669 --> 00:09:23.889 The prophet Jeremiah receives the word of the 00:09:23.889 --> 00:09:26.490 Lord. This is what the Lord says, the day is 00:09:26.490 --> 00:09:29.210 coming when I will make a new covenant with the 00:09:29.210 --> 00:09:31.429 people of Israel and Judah. And this covenant 00:09:31.429 --> 00:09:33.570 will not be like the one I made with their ancestors 00:09:33.570 --> 00:09:35.570 when I took them by the hand and brought them 00:09:35.570 --> 00:09:38.049 out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant 00:09:38.049 --> 00:09:40.509 though I loved them as a husband loves a wife. 00:09:40.990 --> 00:09:43.710 But this is the new covenant I will make with 00:09:43.710 --> 00:09:47.539 the people in those days. I will put my instructions 00:09:47.539 --> 00:09:50.919 deep within them and I will write them on their 00:09:50.919 --> 00:09:54.279 hearts. I will be their God and they will be 00:09:54.279 --> 00:09:57.679 my people and they will not need to teach their 00:09:57.679 --> 00:09:59.879 neighbors nor they need to teach their relatives 00:09:59.879 --> 00:10:01.639 saying you should know the Lord for everyone 00:10:01.639 --> 00:10:03.820 from the least to the greatest will know me already 00:10:03.820 --> 00:10:07.379 says the Lord and I'll forgive their wickedness 00:10:07.379 --> 00:10:12.820 and I will never again remember their sins. There 00:10:12.820 --> 00:10:14.919 will be a new covenant and friends this new covenant 00:10:14.919 --> 00:10:19.899 will be unconditional. The Israelite people couldn't 00:10:19.899 --> 00:10:22.100 keep the Lord's instructions and so God's gonna 00:10:22.100 --> 00:10:25.039 write them on their hearts and forgive their 00:10:25.039 --> 00:10:29.159 sin. Michael Green says this about this promise 00:10:29.159 --> 00:10:31.639 that God in the new covenant, what He's putting 00:10:31.639 --> 00:10:34.899 on the table is this, universal knowledge of 00:10:34.899 --> 00:10:37.980 Himself. Everyone will know Him or have the possibility 00:10:37.980 --> 00:10:42.120 of knowing Him. Universal availability of relationship 00:10:42.120 --> 00:10:46.539 with God and universal pardon of sin. Where each 00:10:46.539 --> 00:10:49.659 of these promises were once conditional in the 00:10:49.659 --> 00:10:53.919 Old Testament, now they are unconditional. This 00:10:53.919 --> 00:10:55.639 is God's commitment to us. This is covenant with 00:10:55.639 --> 00:10:58.200 us. Whether we keep up our end of the bargain 00:10:58.200 --> 00:11:03.580 or not, He will. We can know Him. We can be with 00:11:03.580 --> 00:11:06.200 Him and we can be forgiven and reconciled to 00:11:06.200 --> 00:11:10.059 Him forever. And what is it that he asks in return? 00:11:11.679 --> 00:11:14.519 To love him with all your heart, mind, soul and 00:11:14.519 --> 00:11:19.840 strength. To believe in Jesus. To declare Jesus 00:11:19.840 --> 00:11:23.240 as Lord with your lips. To believe in your heart 00:11:23.240 --> 00:11:26.279 that God has raised him from the dead. To deny 00:11:26.279 --> 00:11:28.740 yourself, to pick up your cross and to follow 00:11:28.740 --> 00:11:32.960 him. To love your neighbour as yourself. To abide 00:11:32.960 --> 00:11:38.000 in him like a branch abides in the vine. to flee 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:42.159 from sin, to seek his kingdom first, to care 00:11:42.159 --> 00:11:45.120 for the vulnerable and the poor, to love one 00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:48.299 another as we have been loved, to make a disciple 00:11:48.299 --> 00:11:54.860 of all nations. Put simply, to want God, to want 00:11:54.860 --> 00:11:58.879 God and to want to be His, to want to belong 00:11:58.879 --> 00:12:03.980 to Him, to want His way, to want Him to be our 00:12:03.980 --> 00:12:07.840 God. This is the new covenant the partnership 00:12:07.840 --> 00:12:10.080 that God has given you by faith and it's and 00:12:10.080 --> 00:12:13.259 it's ratified It's not temporarily by the blood 00:12:13.259 --> 00:12:16.720 of a bull splattered over the people but eternally 00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:20.419 by the blood of Jesus poured out for you and 00:12:20.419 --> 00:12:23.720 for me And in our reading today, we see the origin 00:12:23.720 --> 00:12:27.399 of the Lord's Supper communion Where Jesus takes 00:12:27.399 --> 00:12:29.000 a cup of wine and he gives it to his followers 00:12:29.000 --> 00:12:30.879 and he says each of you drink from it for this 00:12:30.879 --> 00:12:34.820 is my blood Get this, pay attention, which confirms 00:12:34.820 --> 00:12:39.159 the covenant between God and His people. It is 00:12:39.159 --> 00:12:41.960 poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins 00:12:41.960 --> 00:12:44.200 of many. This is the blood of the new covenant. 00:12:44.980 --> 00:12:47.399 This is the covenant relationship that you step 00:12:47.399 --> 00:12:51.539 into when you are baptized. And I want to dunk 00:12:51.539 --> 00:12:54.679 some people in the ocean, so let's do some baptisms. 00:12:57.580 --> 00:13:00.659 This is the covenant relationship you step into 00:13:00.659 --> 00:13:04.539 every time you take the Lord's Supper. Every 00:13:04.539 --> 00:13:08.139 time you choose God and His way. Every time you 00:13:08.139 --> 00:13:10.580 choose God over the world. Every time you choose 00:13:10.580 --> 00:13:13.700 God over others. Every time you choose God over 00:13:13.700 --> 00:13:18.519 yourself. You step into this covenant that God 00:13:18.519 --> 00:13:23.700 has made with you through faith. And here's the 00:13:23.700 --> 00:13:28.899 thing. This covenant is... unconditional even 00:13:28.899 --> 00:13:31.240 if we do none of those things we can still know 00:13:31.240 --> 00:13:33.700 him we can still be with him and we can still 00:13:33.700 --> 00:13:36.620 be forgiven and reconciled to him forever by 00:13:36.620 --> 00:13:43.200 grace through faith if this new covenant is established 00:13:43.200 --> 00:13:46.879 and maintained unconditionally not by our doing 00:13:46.879 --> 00:13:50.039 of the right thing but by the finished work of 00:13:50.039 --> 00:13:53.879 jesus on the cross should we take this for granted 00:13:57.080 --> 00:14:00.519 Or as Paul asks in Romans 6, should we go on 00:14:00.519 --> 00:14:05.679 sinning? By no means, he says, by no means. It 00:14:05.679 --> 00:14:09.940 was actually a rhetorical question. No, we don't 00:14:09.940 --> 00:14:12.340 take this glorious gift of God to us, this covenant 00:14:12.340 --> 00:14:15.639 relationship, for granted. Instead, we choose 00:14:15.639 --> 00:14:21.059 to step into it. We choose to become everything 00:14:21.059 --> 00:14:23.860 that God has created us to be. We choose to accept 00:14:24.250 --> 00:14:27.269 the self that only God knows, the self that God 00:14:27.269 --> 00:14:30.509 intended for us when He made us. We choose to 00:14:30.509 --> 00:14:35.590 believe what He says about us. We choose to step 00:14:35.590 --> 00:14:38.590 into who He says we are and what He says we are 00:14:38.590 --> 00:14:42.730 here for. And in doing so, we find our true self. 00:14:42.950 --> 00:14:49.009 We find the Tim, the Dan, the Chelsea that God 00:14:49.009 --> 00:14:56.190 knows, that God created, that God loves. The 00:14:56.190 --> 00:14:59.090 covenant that Ash and I made ten years ago was 00:14:59.090 --> 00:15:01.370 ten years ago, which feels like a long time. 00:15:01.929 --> 00:15:04.409 But I still have to choose to step into it every 00:15:04.409 --> 00:15:08.309 day. I still have to live into it. And I do that 00:15:08.309 --> 00:15:12.570 every time I make her her morning coffee. Every 00:15:12.570 --> 00:15:15.970 time I pray for her. Every time I fight for her. 00:15:16.649 --> 00:15:20.809 Every time I choose her over myself. I step into, 00:15:20.970 --> 00:15:26.360 I live into the covenant that I have made. One 00:15:26.360 --> 00:15:29.019 of the spiritual giants of our heritage as the 00:15:29.019 --> 00:15:30.220 United Church, we're a part of the United Church, 00:15:30.360 --> 00:15:34.340 is John Wesley. And Wesley understood the importance 00:15:34.340 --> 00:15:37.580 of stepping into the covenant that God has with 00:15:37.580 --> 00:15:41.539 us as ordinary believers through Jesus. And so 00:15:41.539 --> 00:15:44.399 he created what he called the covenant service. 00:15:46.379 --> 00:15:49.980 And in it, he simply invited people to renew 00:15:49.980 --> 00:15:53.210 their covenant with God. Not because our covenant 00:15:53.210 --> 00:15:55.629 is in danger of breaking or disintegrating without 00:15:55.629 --> 00:15:58.149 it being renewed but because because it's not 00:15:58.149 --> 00:16:00.570 conditional rights unconditional but because 00:16:00.570 --> 00:16:06.830 we forget and We need to remember We renew a 00:16:06.830 --> 00:16:08.970 covenant like a married couple would renew their 00:16:08.970 --> 00:16:14.690 vows To remember and to intentionally choose 00:16:14.690 --> 00:16:19.149 to step back into the promises that we made Now 00:16:19.149 --> 00:16:21.500 when Wesley did those services hardly one of 00:16:21.500 --> 00:16:24.659 them would go by where some such comment wasn't 00:16:24.659 --> 00:16:26.419 meticulously recorded in his journal because 00:16:26.419 --> 00:16:30.340 this is the kind of guy that he was. Many mourned 00:16:30.340 --> 00:16:34.080 before God and many were comforted. Many were 00:16:34.080 --> 00:16:36.740 filled with peace and joy, many with holy fear 00:16:36.740 --> 00:16:41.480 and several backsliders were healed. It was a 00:16:41.480 --> 00:16:45.820 solemn season wherein many found his power present 00:16:45.820 --> 00:16:49.500 to heal and were enabled to urge their way with 00:16:49.500 --> 00:16:54.399 strength renewed. Several received either a sense 00:16:54.399 --> 00:16:58.960 of the pardoning love of God or power to love 00:16:58.960 --> 00:17:03.600 him with all their heart. I wonder if you need 00:17:03.600 --> 00:17:07.240 any of that from the Lord tonight. I wonder if 00:17:07.240 --> 00:17:11.519 you need any of that from the Lord tonight. So 00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:14.119 fruitful was the covenant service that Wesley 00:17:14.119 --> 00:17:18.720 held one every New Year's day. And if you've 00:17:18.720 --> 00:17:23.630 been in the prayer room, the center of This service 00:17:23.630 --> 00:17:26.329 was a prayer and that prayer is on the wall of 00:17:26.329 --> 00:17:32.150 our 24 7 prayer room get in it, please And it's 00:17:32.150 --> 00:17:38.109 a covenant prayer. It's a covenant prayer So 00:17:38.109 --> 00:17:41.450 if the first Sunday of 2026 what we want to do 00:17:41.450 --> 00:17:44.289 we want to invite you to renew your covenant 00:17:44.289 --> 00:17:47.869 with the Lord For our first ever covenant Sunday 00:17:49.180 --> 00:17:52.339 To choose to make a decision to step into the 00:17:52.339 --> 00:17:55.359 person that God has created you to be to live 00:17:55.359 --> 00:17:57.660 out the partnership He has invited you into for 00:17:57.660 --> 00:18:00.079 the sake of others and for the sake of the world 00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:03.839 and This is how we're simply gonna do it and 00:18:03.839 --> 00:18:06.720 these bookmarks are for you to grab afterwards 00:18:06.720 --> 00:18:11.119 if you want them If you'd like to renew your 00:18:11.119 --> 00:18:14.400 covenant with the Lord today, I Want to invite 00:18:14.400 --> 00:18:17.970 you to stand with me. You don't have to This 00:18:17.970 --> 00:18:19.970 is a choice thing. I'll turn around and I can 00:18:19.970 --> 00:18:22.349 do it by myself if I'm the only one. That's fine. 00:18:22.470 --> 00:18:27.250 I won't be able to see. To stand and to lift 00:18:27.250 --> 00:18:33.009 up your hands and to pray this prayer with us. 00:18:33.150 --> 00:18:37.230 And we're going to pray it slowly so that no 00:18:37.230 --> 00:18:40.230 one gets lost. So if you'd like to do that today, 00:18:40.470 --> 00:18:49.990 please stand with me. Let's pray. I am no longer 00:18:49.990 --> 00:18:56.210 my own, but yours. Put me to what you will. Place 00:18:56.210 --> 00:19:01.009 me with whom you will. Put me to doing. Put me 00:19:01.009 --> 00:19:05.490 to suffering. Let me put to work for you or set 00:19:05.490 --> 00:19:10.130 aside for you. Praised for you or criticised 00:19:10.130 --> 00:19:15.420 for you. Let me be full. Let me be empty. Let 00:19:15.420 --> 00:19:20.160 me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely 00:19:20.160 --> 00:19:24.200 and fully surrender all things to your glory 00:19:24.200 --> 00:19:29.259 and service. And now, oh wonderful and holy God, 00:19:29.839 --> 00:19:34.140 creator, redeemer and sustainer, you are mine 00:19:34.140 --> 00:19:38.859 and I am yours. So be it. And the covenant that 00:19:38.859 --> 00:19:42.619 I have made on earth, let it also be made in 00:19:42.619 --> 00:19:48.640 heaven. Amen. you can grab a seat and Benji can 00:19:48.640 --> 00:19:54.559 come up. If you prayed that prayer, I hope you're 00:19:54.559 --> 00:19:58.259 ready for what it is God's gonna do in your life. 00:20:01.559 --> 00:20:05.819 We're gonna go into worship and then we're gonna 00:20:05.819 --> 00:20:08.599 take communion together as a way of remembering 00:20:08.599 --> 00:20:10.440 the new covenant that we have with Jesus together. 00:20:11.079 --> 00:20:14.569 These are gonna be up the back. Take one. And 00:20:14.569 --> 00:20:16.269 whenever you're reading your Bible or reading 00:20:16.269 --> 00:20:20.210 whatever TikTok fiction you're reading this week, 00:20:20.569 --> 00:20:24.950 you can remember the covenant that you have made 00:20:24.950 --> 00:20:31.869 with God. Let me pray. Holy Spirit, come, we 00:20:31.869 --> 00:20:35.190 want you. We want you in our lives. We want you 00:20:35.190 --> 00:20:37.990 to be our God. We want you to change us. We want 00:20:37.990 --> 00:20:43.309 to be overcome by your holiness. To surrender 00:20:43.309 --> 00:20:46.529 to you, you are the one who knows us. You are 00:20:46.529 --> 00:20:50.190 the one who truly loves us. Our whole lives are 00:20:50.190 --> 00:20:53.789 in your hands. And so we surrender Lord God. 00:20:54.049 --> 00:20:57.009 We surrender all things to you. And we just pray 00:20:57.009 --> 00:20:59.710 God that you would use us in this partnership 00:20:59.710 --> 00:21:03.589 to see this world transformed, to see it put 00:21:03.589 --> 00:21:07.309 right, to see you glorified as the King of the 00:21:07.309 --> 00:21:10.309 universe. We honor you. You are the centre of 00:21:10.309 --> 00:21:13.150 it all Lord Jesus. We pray this in Your Name. 00:21:13.470 --> 00:21:19.990 Amen. Thanks so much for tuning into this week's 00:21:19.990 --> 00:21:23.230 message. If you've felt challenged or need prayer, 00:21:23.789 --> 00:21:26.490 we'd love to hear from you on Instagram at encounterhenley. 00:21:27.170 --> 00:21:29.430 Or if you're interested in how you can support 00:21:29.430 --> 00:21:33.390 this ministry, please go to our website encounteradelaide 00:21:33.390 --> 00:21:37.569 .com .au. Thanks again for listening. God bless 00:21:37.569 --> 00:21:37.950 you.