WEBVTT 00:00:09.760 --> 00:00:12.400 Hey everyone, this is Charlie from Encounter 00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:15.080 Church Henley and thanks so much for tuning into 00:00:15.080 --> 00:00:18.440 our podcast. Our prayer is that through this 00:00:18.440 --> 00:00:20.739 podcast, you can have an encounter with Jesus 00:00:20.739 --> 00:00:23.719 that will change your life. And now get ready 00:00:23.719 --> 00:00:26.600 for an inspiring message from our preaching team. 00:00:31.820 --> 00:00:34.640 Uniting Church. I've only been with the Uniting 00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:37.820 Church for the last five years. So I've been 00:00:37.820 --> 00:00:41.259 in ministry well over 35 years. Been fortunate 00:00:41.259 --> 00:00:44.659 enough to work in quite significant churches 00:00:44.659 --> 00:00:46.539 in Melbourne and Sydney and across the eastern 00:00:46.539 --> 00:00:49.600 board. We moved to Kangaroo Island. We moved 00:00:49.600 --> 00:00:53.619 to Kangaroo Island where I grew up about 12 years 00:00:53.619 --> 00:00:57.000 ago now. But I really felt a God to move there 00:00:57.000 --> 00:00:59.149 and while we're on the island I was... Working 00:00:59.149 --> 00:01:02.469 as a pastoral care worker during the fires that 00:01:02.469 --> 00:01:03.689 we had on Kangaroo Island, that you might have 00:01:03.689 --> 00:01:07.269 realised, and just seeing God significantly putting 00:01:07.269 --> 00:01:10.090 me there in that place to be able to help, well, 00:01:10.150 --> 00:01:12.349 we as a family, to help so many other families. 00:01:12.790 --> 00:01:14.790 That went through devastation. Over three quarters 00:01:14.790 --> 00:01:18.629 of the island was burnt and... hundreds of thousands 00:01:18.629 --> 00:01:22.150 of livestock gone and over 500 ,000 wildlife. 00:01:22.329 --> 00:01:24.950 And it was quite devastating. So being there 00:01:24.950 --> 00:01:28.230 and working through the school gave more credibility 00:01:28.230 --> 00:01:30.469 and allowed me to really reach many families 00:01:30.469 --> 00:01:34.069 that needed the help. And so that was God's way 00:01:34.069 --> 00:01:36.769 of just moving us. And so I'm married to my wife, 00:01:36.950 --> 00:01:39.209 Gina, who's here tonight, and I have four kids. 00:01:40.049 --> 00:01:44.189 She has five because I'm a big kid. All right, 00:01:44.209 --> 00:01:46.069 you've got a sense of humour. That's awesome. 00:01:46.929 --> 00:01:51.109 congratulations on getting married you know I 00:01:51.109 --> 00:01:52.870 remember when I got married it was terrifying 00:01:52.870 --> 00:01:56.269 it was scary you you look at the stats and and 00:01:56.269 --> 00:01:59.829 you go wow 50 % of these marriages last forever 00:01:59.829 --> 00:02:05.709 you know good I'm glad you got that JT awesome 00:02:05.709 --> 00:02:07.430 wasn't sure if that was gonna go flat or for 00:02:07.430 --> 00:02:10.030 that to work but and yes we're still married 00:02:10.030 --> 00:02:15.240 coming up to 20 years so For me, it was on Kangroland 00:02:15.240 --> 00:02:19.060 that I met Jesus through the, back then, Assembly 00:02:19.060 --> 00:02:21.719 of God, which is ACC and the Uniting Church. 00:02:21.879 --> 00:02:24.180 We had a combined youth group ministry. And so 00:02:24.180 --> 00:02:28.020 God started me off there. And I was a ratbag 00:02:28.020 --> 00:02:31.759 at school, really not just functional. I was 00:02:31.759 --> 00:02:34.659 a bit odd. Parents had split up. I was the only 00:02:34.659 --> 00:02:38.840 kid in my grade that had divorced parents. Excuse 00:02:38.840 --> 00:02:42.639 me. So... It's not like my journey started from 00:02:42.639 --> 00:02:45.879 a great heritage, but a different heritage. But 00:02:45.879 --> 00:02:48.060 when I met Jesus, there was transformation when 00:02:48.060 --> 00:02:50.639 my classmates thought I had a nervous breakdown. 00:02:51.180 --> 00:02:54.900 Because I went from being nasty to kind. And 00:02:54.900 --> 00:02:58.419 everyone got a bit weird and held off for about 00:02:58.419 --> 00:03:00.960 three months. This is my final year of school. 00:03:01.719 --> 00:03:05.219 And then, excuse me, they came up to me and they 00:03:05.219 --> 00:03:07.960 said, this is real, isn't it? I said, yeah, it 00:03:07.960 --> 00:03:14.199 is real. Many of my classmates ended up finding 00:03:14.199 --> 00:03:18.360 Jesus. And we saw a real revival in the youth 00:03:18.360 --> 00:03:21.080 ministry. And God moving just quite powerfully 00:03:21.080 --> 00:03:24.159 because I embraced who God wanted me to be. And 00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:26.580 so through that I went to Bible College in Melbourne 00:03:26.580 --> 00:03:30.210 and I've had an amazing journey. You know, I've 00:03:30.210 --> 00:03:32.969 travelled overseas, I've seen God heal in many 00:03:32.969 --> 00:03:34.409 ways, prayed for somebody in a wheelchair, they 00:03:34.409 --> 00:03:37.949 got up and walked. I've lived outrageously where 00:03:37.949 --> 00:03:40.810 back in the day when you would go to a counter 00:03:40.810 --> 00:03:42.710 to get your airline tickets and you could book, 00:03:43.250 --> 00:03:44.830 I remember going on a mission ship and I felt 00:03:44.830 --> 00:03:46.550 God saying, no, I've got your ticket, I've got 00:03:46.550 --> 00:03:49.469 your ticket. So I rock up to the airport with 00:03:49.469 --> 00:03:52.009 my bag and everything else and the team that 00:03:52.009 --> 00:03:53.509 I'm going with, they go, have you got your ticket? 00:03:53.530 --> 00:03:55.349 And I said, yes, I've got my ticket. And they 00:03:55.349 --> 00:03:57.069 go, where is it? And I said, somewhere at the 00:03:57.069 --> 00:03:59.740 airport. And they're looking at me like I'm crazy 00:03:59.740 --> 00:04:02.360 and I walk up to the desk and I go, my name is 00:04:02.360 --> 00:04:03.860 Conor Tickner and I believe there's a ticket 00:04:03.860 --> 00:04:06.259 for me here to go to South Africa. And they go, 00:04:06.520 --> 00:04:09.240 here you go, sir. And the whole team were just 00:04:09.240 --> 00:04:14.020 like, what? But God does stuff. And this is really, 00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:17.420 hopefully that, you know, in your Christian life 00:04:17.420 --> 00:04:19.459 you can start thinking bigger that God is not 00:04:19.459 --> 00:04:22.399 limited to the imaginations of the world that 00:04:22.399 --> 00:04:26.250 we currently live in. God's imagination is higher 00:04:26.250 --> 00:04:28.810 and greater than anything we could believe. That 00:04:28.810 --> 00:04:31.829 when we read His Word, when we come around His 00:04:31.829 --> 00:04:34.910 Word, this is reality, this is what actually 00:04:34.910 --> 00:04:37.790 happened. Jesus prayed, spat in the dirt, blind 00:04:37.790 --> 00:04:41.069 man see. The disciples walk and their shadows 00:04:41.069 --> 00:04:43.790 just hit people and they were instantly healed. 00:04:43.889 --> 00:04:47.029 This is the God we serve. The God that spoke 00:04:47.029 --> 00:04:50.509 and the world was formed. This is what it is 00:04:50.509 --> 00:04:52.470 that we are called to be light and to be witness 00:04:52.470 --> 00:04:55.290 and to do that that if I can encourage you this 00:04:55.290 --> 00:04:57.329 morning that just through the message but even 00:04:57.329 --> 00:05:00.629 going forward and I'm getting off track, but 00:05:00.629 --> 00:05:03.769 I'm gonna encourage you that Just dream what 00:05:03.769 --> 00:05:06.750 this place could be like First thing I did walking 00:05:06.750 --> 00:05:09.550 into this place. I looked and I thought you're 00:05:09.550 --> 00:05:14.240 gonna outgrow this Because that's where my faith 00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:16.279 goes, you know, and I'm thinking can you move 00:05:16.279 --> 00:05:17.959 into the building next door? What what are you 00:05:17.959 --> 00:05:21.019 gonna do when this gets too small? But that's 00:05:21.019 --> 00:05:23.060 a reality. This is what prayer does. This is 00:05:23.060 --> 00:05:25.319 what visioning does This is what calling on the 00:05:25.319 --> 00:05:29.259 name of God does and then living who you are 00:05:29.259 --> 00:05:34.860 as Christians in the workplace you were at So 00:05:34.860 --> 00:05:37.540 most of my Christian life I've had to work dual 00:05:37.540 --> 00:05:41.879 jobs ministry and then something to feed myself 00:05:41.879 --> 00:05:45.660 with if you get what I'm saying. It's just that's 00:05:45.660 --> 00:05:47.600 the way it's been because I've just felt called 00:05:47.600 --> 00:05:50.540 and when you're called you just commit. If you 00:05:50.540 --> 00:05:52.259 want to wait till everything lines up and you've 00:05:52.259 --> 00:05:55.240 got the right salary then that's not a call, 00:05:55.800 --> 00:05:59.959 that's a job. When you're called you follow and 00:05:59.959 --> 00:06:01.800 you go and everyone in the Bible when they were 00:06:01.800 --> 00:06:05.060 called it wasn't lined up. Everything else, provision, 00:06:05.120 --> 00:06:07.600 all that came after the following of the call. 00:06:08.530 --> 00:06:10.550 Have a look at everything that happened. God 00:06:10.550 --> 00:06:12.410 followed, but it needs faith, it needs obedience, 00:06:12.509 --> 00:06:15.550 it needs us to be courageous, to step out and 00:06:15.550 --> 00:06:18.769 go, God, if this is you, I'm doing it. Yep, the 00:06:18.769 --> 00:06:21.610 ticket's gonna be at the airport. Yes, God, you're 00:06:21.610 --> 00:06:23.350 saying this person's gonna get up and walk on 00:06:23.350 --> 00:06:26.089 their walk. That when this happens, it's believing 00:06:26.089 --> 00:06:28.850 God for who God is and what He can do. It's not 00:06:28.850 --> 00:06:32.250 my power, it's His power. And so I wanna encourage 00:06:32.250 --> 00:06:35.310 you, think about who you are, how you are, the 00:06:35.310 --> 00:06:38.439 people you are engaging with. Do they really 00:06:38.439 --> 00:06:41.339 know and understand who you are? When I was in 00:06:41.339 --> 00:06:47.300 Kangaroo Island and working as part -time in 00:06:47.300 --> 00:06:50.660 tour guides. So I was on Seal Bay. So my job 00:06:50.660 --> 00:06:52.300 was to take tourists down to look at the sea 00:06:52.300 --> 00:06:55.779 lions and pretty cool job. Except when you get 00:06:55.779 --> 00:06:58.420 50 overseas people that don't know English want 00:06:58.420 --> 00:07:00.040 to touch an animal that's aggressively wanting 00:07:00.040 --> 00:07:04.860 to bite them. That's a bit tough as well. But 00:07:04.860 --> 00:07:08.480 one of the... …you know, one of the staff came 00:07:08.480 --> 00:07:11.079 back in and she had tripped and twisted her ankle. 00:07:12.199 --> 00:07:14.300 And she was hobbling in and I said, what happened? 00:07:14.459 --> 00:07:16.019 Oh, I've twisted my ankle. I can't do any more 00:07:16.019 --> 00:07:18.420 work. She said, look, I believe God heals. Shared 00:07:18.420 --> 00:07:21.259 a few stories and said, can I pray for you? And 00:07:21.259 --> 00:07:24.439 she goes, okay. So I got down in the lunch room. 00:07:24.860 --> 00:07:26.980 People are all around. I just got down and said, 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:30.430 can I touch your foot? Yep. Prayed. How's it 00:07:30.430 --> 00:07:32.110 feel now out of one to ten she goes well, it 00:07:32.110 --> 00:07:34.310 was like a nine, but now it's about a seven I 00:07:34.310 --> 00:07:35.870 said, well, let's pray again So I prayed a bit 00:07:35.870 --> 00:07:38.810 more down to five and so we got down to one a 00:07:38.810 --> 00:07:40.149 sitter, right? How's that? She goes you can stop 00:07:40.149 --> 00:07:42.769 now. That's good enough Said you don't want complete 00:07:42.769 --> 00:07:44.129 healing. No, no, that's right. It can hurt a 00:07:44.129 --> 00:07:47.250 little bit, you know But but I'm doing that people 00:07:47.250 --> 00:07:49.470 are walking in and in and out having lunch doing 00:07:49.470 --> 00:07:52.350 whatever no one batted an eyelid Because I was 00:07:52.350 --> 00:07:55.870 who I was I am who I am. I'm I believe God does 00:07:55.870 --> 00:07:57.910 something I wasn't weird and religious, but I 00:07:57.910 --> 00:08:01.319 do know that God does stuff And so it says pray 00:08:01.319 --> 00:08:04.040 for one another. It says reach out that we are 00:08:04.040 --> 00:08:06.959 lights in the world. You know, we don't have 00:08:06.959 --> 00:08:10.040 to conform to this world, but we are in it and 00:08:10.040 --> 00:08:11.839 we need to show that there's a different way 00:08:11.839 --> 00:08:15.839 of living. And we need to let our faith be evident 00:08:15.839 --> 00:08:17.740 where people can go, why are you doing that? 00:08:17.740 --> 00:08:19.800 Well, that's because I believe God can do this. 00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:22.699 And we step out in it. So if I can put a pause 00:08:22.699 --> 00:08:26.579 in it, can we pray for your pastor and his family 00:08:26.579 --> 00:08:29.800 at the moment? Is that all right? Tim was out 00:08:29.800 --> 00:08:32.399 on the war field from what I understand. He was 00:08:32.399 --> 00:08:36.419 battling it out For the the the ball of magic, 00:08:36.419 --> 00:08:40.559 you know basketball and the ball of basket the 00:08:40.559 --> 00:08:43.600 ball of basket and and And he's hurt his ankle. 00:08:43.940 --> 00:08:47.940 You know, I understand the war Can we pray for 00:08:47.940 --> 00:08:50.059 him pray for healing? So if you want to stretch 00:08:50.059 --> 00:08:52.139 your hands out and we'll pray for his family 00:08:52.139 --> 00:08:56.669 as well Father God, I thank you. You're a God 00:08:56.669 --> 00:08:59.230 of healing, a God of restoration. And right now, 00:08:59.370 --> 00:09:01.230 Holy Spirit, by your power, we pray for healing. 00:09:01.950 --> 00:09:05.269 Pray for this twisted ankle, this sprain, to 00:09:05.269 --> 00:09:07.870 be miraculously healed over the next two days. 00:09:08.490 --> 00:09:11.110 For flexibility for every sinew, for every muscle, 00:09:11.970 --> 00:09:13.970 every ligament that's been stretched or torn 00:09:13.970 --> 00:09:16.659 to be healed in Jesus' name. We pray for healing 00:09:16.659 --> 00:09:19.360 upon the whole family in every need that is there. 00:09:19.440 --> 00:09:21.980 We pray for every provision to be there. We pray 00:09:21.980 --> 00:09:24.600 that everyone in the family will find healing 00:09:24.600 --> 00:09:26.679 and restoration and wholeness in the Name of 00:09:26.679 --> 00:09:29.200 Jesus. And God, as they're on the front line, 00:09:29.220 --> 00:09:31.799 we pray for protection around them, that they 00:09:31.799 --> 00:09:33.919 will not be attacked by the enemy and they will 00:09:33.919 --> 00:09:36.899 not have those fiery darts shot at them to wear 00:09:36.899 --> 00:09:39.720 them down or to wear them out as a family. But 00:09:39.720 --> 00:09:42.580 we pray that this time they'll find a cohesion 00:09:42.580 --> 00:09:46.190 and a unity and a peace amongst them all. In 00:09:46.190 --> 00:09:48.129 all that they do, I pray the kids will sleep 00:09:48.129 --> 00:09:49.830 well tonight and the next couple of nights. I 00:09:49.830 --> 00:09:52.090 pray something in the home will just shift and 00:09:52.090 --> 00:09:54.370 they'll find your presence, moving powerfully, 00:09:54.590 --> 00:09:56.909 preparing them for the next part of the journey 00:09:56.909 --> 00:09:59.279 that is before them. that you'll prepare them 00:09:59.279 --> 00:10:01.460 for what they need to share, with where they 00:10:01.460 --> 00:10:04.139 need to lead, with what they've got in the direction 00:10:04.139 --> 00:10:06.679 that's before that can be caught and it can be 00:10:06.679 --> 00:10:09.399 run with. I pray like Moses when he prayed when 00:10:09.399 --> 00:10:11.840 the battle was on and his arms were up and he 00:10:11.840 --> 00:10:13.620 grew tired that there'll be those that come around 00:10:13.620 --> 00:10:16.299 and hold the arms up to pray along because the 00:10:16.299 --> 00:10:19.059 battle belongs to the Lord. And so I pray for 00:10:19.059 --> 00:10:21.919 Tim that Tim there is a battle going but it's 00:10:21.919 --> 00:10:25.250 God's battle not yours. and so you just intercede 00:10:25.250 --> 00:10:27.730 like Moses often did interceded for the people 00:10:27.730 --> 00:10:30.830 you intercede and as you do you'll have those 00:10:30.830 --> 00:10:33.009 great people come around you to hold your hands 00:10:33.009 --> 00:10:35.850 to keep the battle going on because the battle 00:10:35.850 --> 00:10:38.929 belongs to the Lord and he will overcome and 00:10:38.929 --> 00:10:41.450 every enemy will scatter we pray this in the 00:10:41.450 --> 00:10:47.690 name of Jesus amen all right now maybe I should 00:10:47.690 --> 00:10:50.940 preach hey because you know We've only got three 00:10:50.940 --> 00:10:59.580 more hours and then we'll finish. Years ago I 00:10:59.580 --> 00:11:01.919 used to travel by train into work into the city 00:11:01.919 --> 00:11:04.759 of Melbourne and also Sydney. There was this 00:11:04.759 --> 00:11:06.940 day I was travelling home and an older lady got 00:11:06.940 --> 00:11:09.679 onto this packed train. Maybe you've been on 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:12.779 a bus, been on a train and you've seen something 00:11:12.779 --> 00:11:19.519 like this. No one moved. They all just stayed 00:11:19.519 --> 00:11:21.220 there on their phones or looking at their books, 00:11:21.340 --> 00:11:24.639 staring out the windows. But no one made eye 00:11:24.639 --> 00:11:28.960 contact, no one recognised her, no one even give 00:11:28.960 --> 00:11:32.259 her the time of day. They just didn't make any... 00:11:32.259 --> 00:11:33.919 And as she was getting closer and closer and 00:11:33.919 --> 00:11:37.399 closer to me, I stood up and said, here, why 00:11:37.399 --> 00:11:41.059 don't you take my seat? She'd walked three quarters 00:11:41.059 --> 00:11:44.100 of the train before this happened. It was the 00:11:44.100 --> 00:11:46.340 right thing to do. It was what I was taught. 00:11:46.750 --> 00:11:49.870 by my family of what should be done in this situation. 00:11:51.610 --> 00:11:53.789 She smiled and said thank you and commented that 00:11:53.789 --> 00:11:57.009 not many people are thoughtful nowadays and that 00:11:57.009 --> 00:12:01.269 courtesy and kindness was a dying idea in our 00:12:01.269 --> 00:12:04.429 community. And we talked about it and she shared 00:12:04.429 --> 00:12:06.710 that she was younger, it was just what would 00:12:06.710 --> 00:12:10.409 be done. No second thoughts about it. You did 00:12:10.409 --> 00:12:12.570 it because that's what you were taught was the 00:12:12.570 --> 00:12:16.279 right thing to do. You get what I'm saying? It's 00:12:16.279 --> 00:12:19.940 the right thing to do. It was like an unofficial 00:12:19.940 --> 00:12:24.340 rule or law in the community. It wasn't necessarily 00:12:24.340 --> 00:12:27.600 taught at school or written on the wall or it 00:12:27.600 --> 00:12:29.460 was enforced by police, but it was just what 00:12:29.460 --> 00:12:32.059 we did as a community. You did it because you 00:12:32.059 --> 00:12:35.259 were taught that. And if you were the person 00:12:35.259 --> 00:12:37.440 that gave your seat away to an early person and 00:12:37.440 --> 00:12:39.840 your family were there, it would be such a moment 00:12:39.840 --> 00:12:42.059 where your parents, your family members would 00:12:42.059 --> 00:12:44.980 feel proud and go, yeah, I'm with them. and they 00:12:44.980 --> 00:12:47.080 did the right thing. There's something that it 00:12:47.080 --> 00:12:49.779 wouldn't just affect you, but others. And it 00:12:49.779 --> 00:12:52.600 was like we acted on our own accord to show kindness 00:12:52.600 --> 00:12:56.559 and thoughtfulness to others. It was like a code, 00:12:56.559 --> 00:12:59.360 but the back thought was we knew our actions 00:12:59.360 --> 00:13:03.840 would please our parents. We did it to represent 00:13:03.840 --> 00:13:07.480 our family and we knew those sort would go. I'm 00:13:07.480 --> 00:13:11.240 proud to be associated with that person. It's 00:13:11.240 --> 00:13:15.309 living a good life. And a righteous life is a 00:13:15.309 --> 00:13:17.850 good quality, especially if we are Christians. 00:13:18.529 --> 00:13:22.590 Matthew 6 .33 says this, but seek first his kingdom 00:13:22.590 --> 00:13:30.250 and his righteousness. And his righteousness. 00:13:31.210 --> 00:13:34.629 And all these things will be given to you. John 00:13:34.629 --> 00:13:37.909 14, 15, Jesus says, if you love me, you will 00:13:37.909 --> 00:13:42.460 keep my commandments. Hebrews 5 .13 says this, 00:13:42.539 --> 00:13:46.059 anyone who lives on milk still being an infant 00:13:46.059 --> 00:13:50.019 is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 00:13:51.480 --> 00:13:53.919 And see, I wanted to talk about righteousness 00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:59.080 this afternoon. We are made righteous with God, 00:13:59.200 --> 00:14:01.659 but righteousness can reign in many different 00:14:01.659 --> 00:14:05.259 areas. It can be quite deceptive if righteousness 00:14:05.259 --> 00:14:08.059 is not in line or in accordance with the Word 00:14:08.059 --> 00:14:12.279 of God. Matthew 6 .1 he says, be careful not 00:14:12.279 --> 00:14:15.919 to practice your righteousness in front of others 00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:18.720 to be seen by them. If you do, you will have 00:14:18.720 --> 00:14:23.539 no reward from your Father in heaven. See, Jesus 00:14:23.539 --> 00:14:26.340 is giving teaching and teaching about those who 00:14:26.340 --> 00:14:28.440 have the Father's heart, that what we do, we 00:14:28.440 --> 00:14:31.220 go and do in private, but then those are doing 00:14:31.220 --> 00:14:34.679 things in order to gain the opinion and the public 00:14:34.679 --> 00:14:37.500 view of everyone else around them. And they're 00:14:37.500 --> 00:14:40.059 not really trying to promote God's kingdom. They're 00:14:40.059 --> 00:14:42.340 there to promote their own well -being in their 00:14:42.340 --> 00:14:46.019 own kingdom. And so we're warned about this. 00:14:47.279 --> 00:14:49.840 When you look at Luke 18, 19 with the parable 00:14:49.840 --> 00:14:53.039 of the Pharisee and the tax collector, and the 00:14:53.039 --> 00:14:55.879 Pharisee goes out and says, look at me, I'm praying, 00:14:55.919 --> 00:14:57.700 and he does it all. And the tax collector goes, 00:14:57.779 --> 00:15:00.879 I'm not worthy, and hides, and puts himself in, 00:15:01.159 --> 00:15:03.580 realises where he stands with God and takes a 00:15:03.580 --> 00:15:08.080 lowly position. That in the midst of that it 00:15:08.080 --> 00:15:10.539 says to some who were confident of their own 00:15:10.539 --> 00:15:13.539 righteousness and look down on everyone else 00:15:13.539 --> 00:15:18.679 Jesus then told this parable So there is something 00:15:18.679 --> 00:15:22.240 about the word righteousness and the true meaning 00:15:22.240 --> 00:15:25.179 or the simplest Version that I can put in as 00:15:25.179 --> 00:15:27.679 a Christian when we come to righteousness. It 00:15:27.679 --> 00:15:31.240 says righteousness is doing what is right in 00:15:31.240 --> 00:15:36.720 the sight of God Righteousness, what we are doing 00:15:36.720 --> 00:15:40.240 is right in the sight of God. It's a simple definition 00:15:40.240 --> 00:15:42.980 that is far more complex under the surface. But 00:15:42.980 --> 00:15:45.080 to be righteous is to do everything that God 00:15:45.080 --> 00:15:48.500 calls us to do. Matthew 5, 6, blessed are those 00:15:48.500 --> 00:15:52.960 who hunger and thirst for righteousness. There's 00:15:52.960 --> 00:15:56.159 a desire, a thirsting, a wanting for it. It's 00:15:56.159 --> 00:15:58.419 not just something that comes upon us and we 00:15:58.419 --> 00:16:02.299 go, oh, I do everything right. As I shared briefly 00:16:02.299 --> 00:16:05.700 on my testimony, I wasn't the perfect Christian 00:16:05.700 --> 00:16:10.399 on day two of knowing Jesus. I had some bad habits 00:16:10.399 --> 00:16:14.440 and formations that kept popping out. Maybe there 00:16:14.440 --> 00:16:17.559 was some language or some sign language I showed 00:16:17.559 --> 00:16:21.080 when I was aggravated when I was driving with 00:16:21.080 --> 00:16:23.500 one or two digits helping them show which way 00:16:23.500 --> 00:16:29.740 was heaven. I wasn't perfect because my righteousness 00:16:29.740 --> 00:16:33.279 was still in the formation of my environment... 00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:36.220 ...and my family of origin that I grew up in. 00:16:36.639 --> 00:16:38.519 Do you understand that? That it was different. 00:16:38.799 --> 00:16:42.039 But coming to know Jesus I am now a new creation. 00:16:43.100 --> 00:16:46.200 and becoming a new creation meant I had to do 00:16:46.200 --> 00:16:49.759 away with my old nature and start embracing and 00:16:49.759 --> 00:16:53.200 putting on a new nature like the armour of God, 00:16:53.879 --> 00:16:57.399 like transformation of my mind. It was me having 00:16:57.399 --> 00:17:00.700 to now live in a different realm and knowing 00:17:00.700 --> 00:17:05.059 that what held me in the past with my old formation, 00:17:05.359 --> 00:17:08.079 with my old environments, no more could chain 00:17:08.079 --> 00:17:11.450 me down. could hold me back, could shame me or 00:17:11.450 --> 00:17:13.950 guilt me anymore because of the work of Jesus 00:17:13.950 --> 00:17:17.170 Christ and the work of the cross, that I was 00:17:17.170 --> 00:17:19.349 now free from that. But if I'm free from that, 00:17:19.529 --> 00:17:22.690 I'm now free to then run into and enter into 00:17:22.690 --> 00:17:26.450 and pursue what God has called me to do, what 00:17:26.450 --> 00:17:28.670 God has called you to do, what God has called 00:17:28.670 --> 00:17:32.829 the church to be. And in doing that, it's us 00:17:32.829 --> 00:17:36.410 now becoming and walking in His righteousness. 00:17:36.829 --> 00:17:41.849 and not my own righteousness. Matthew 21, 23, 00:17:42.450 --> 00:17:46.369 John came to show you the way of righteousness 00:17:46.369 --> 00:17:49.589 and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors 00:17:49.589 --> 00:17:52.829 and prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, 00:17:52.970 --> 00:17:56.900 you did not repent and believe in him. The religious 00:17:56.900 --> 00:18:00.980 people were still full to believe their way of 00:18:00.980 --> 00:18:03.980 life was right when they were missing the very 00:18:03.980 --> 00:18:06.539 righteousness and it wasn't just Jesus but John 00:18:06.539 --> 00:18:09.079 the Baptist and many others showing the way of 00:18:09.079 --> 00:18:12.000 Christ. The way we are to pursue, the way we 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:15.339 are to go. All through Romans, all through Hebrews, 00:18:15.920 --> 00:18:19.400 1 John, again, righteousness, following righteousness 00:18:19.400 --> 00:18:22.180 and the faith it takes for us to follow righteousness. 00:18:23.319 --> 00:18:26.589 So righteousness works in two parts. And the 00:18:26.589 --> 00:18:29.269 first part, we are made righteous by God and 00:18:29.269 --> 00:18:32.710 this is the work of the cross. We come from a 00:18:32.710 --> 00:18:34.890 different formation and the power of God comes 00:18:34.890 --> 00:18:38.369 that we come to know salvation and hope, freedom 00:18:38.369 --> 00:18:41.230 and restoration through Jesus Christ. We are 00:18:41.230 --> 00:18:44.369 transformed, we are made new. Second Corinthians 00:18:44.369 --> 00:18:48.109 521, God made him who had no sin to be sin for 00:18:48.109 --> 00:18:51.309 us so that in him we might become the righteousness 00:18:51.309 --> 00:18:55.220 of God. Philippians 3 .9, and found in him not 00:18:55.220 --> 00:18:58.500 having a righteousness of my own that comes from 00:18:58.500 --> 00:19:01.200 law or from good works that I can do, like giving 00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:03.819 up my seat on a train. It's not my good works 00:19:03.819 --> 00:19:06.119 that's gonna get me to heaven, but that which 00:19:06.119 --> 00:19:08.119 is through Jesus Christ, and it's the righteousness 00:19:08.119 --> 00:19:12.099 that comes from God on the basis of faith. 2 00:19:12.099 --> 00:19:14.880 Corinthians 5, 20 and 21, we are therefore Christ's 00:19:14.880 --> 00:19:17.460 ambassadors as though God were making his appeal 00:19:17.460 --> 00:19:20.880 through us. And I implore, I encourage you, I 00:19:20.880 --> 00:19:23.880 beg of you on Christ's behalf, be kind and reconciled 00:19:23.880 --> 00:19:26.779 to God and make him who had no sin for us so 00:19:26.779 --> 00:19:28.660 that in him we might become the righteousness 00:19:28.660 --> 00:19:33.000 of God. Credit to him, righteousness means God 00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:36.339 formally declares a person righteous, treating 00:19:36.339 --> 00:19:40.970 them as sin free and right in him. ...not based 00:19:40.970 --> 00:19:44.849 on their works but solely because of their faith. 00:19:45.849 --> 00:19:48.930 It's actually this word in the Hebrew is a banking 00:19:48.930 --> 00:19:53.289 metaphor. Imputation. It means where God credits 00:19:53.289 --> 00:19:56.009 Jesus' righteousness... ...to accounts believer 00:19:56.009 --> 00:19:59.970 as a free gift. We didn't earn it. We can't buy 00:19:59.970 --> 00:20:02.670 it. You can't buy your stay away to heaven. You 00:20:02.670 --> 00:20:07.430 can't earn it but it's given to us. In our culture 00:20:07.430 --> 00:20:13.039 we don't... Settle well with free things. Except 00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:16.440 if it's a birthday, I hope. Or Christmas. But 00:20:16.440 --> 00:20:19.039 could you imagine... What's your name? Isaac. 00:20:19.039 --> 00:20:22.960 Isaac. Ah! My son's an Isaac, too. Imagine I 00:20:22.960 --> 00:20:24.700 come to Isaac and go, Happy birthday, Isaac. 00:20:24.720 --> 00:20:26.279 And I give him a present. He goes, No, sorry, 00:20:26.299 --> 00:20:28.980 I can't accept that. But how much is it? I'll 00:20:28.980 --> 00:20:30.859 pay you money and I'll take my birthday present. 00:20:31.700 --> 00:20:33.680 Could you imagine I go, Isaac, here's your present, 00:20:33.779 --> 00:20:35.779 but it's going to cost you $200. So before I 00:20:35.779 --> 00:20:39.339 give it to you, I need you to cough up. Is that 00:20:39.339 --> 00:20:42.440 really a gift? It's not. It's a transaction, 00:20:42.519 --> 00:20:44.619 isn't it? It's like, what's the difference of 00:20:44.619 --> 00:20:46.720 me doing that with his birthday present to go 00:20:46.720 --> 00:20:50.220 into the store? It would seem ironic. That is 00:20:50.220 --> 00:20:54.759 not how gifts work. When I give it to him and 00:20:54.759 --> 00:20:58.940 say, happy birthday, he takes it. He takes it. 00:20:59.180 --> 00:21:01.140 And then what does he do? Does he take it and 00:21:01.140 --> 00:21:03.220 he shove it under his bed and never ever open 00:21:03.220 --> 00:21:05.299 it? Does he put it in the cupboard and forget 00:21:05.299 --> 00:21:09.740 about it? Does he do that? Does he rip it open? 00:21:11.019 --> 00:21:13.220 I'm hoping he rips it open. Who rips their presents 00:21:13.220 --> 00:21:17.579 open? Okay, who opens the paper very gently to 00:21:17.579 --> 00:21:23.819 keep the paper? All right, we're finished. Simple 00:21:23.819 --> 00:21:26.440 analogy, but you get what I'm saying? It's a 00:21:26.440 --> 00:21:30.200 gift. And Christ has given this gift to us. We 00:21:30.200 --> 00:21:33.960 don't earn it, but we do need to accept it and 00:21:33.960 --> 00:21:37.019 accept it and live in it and embrace it. …and 00:21:37.019 --> 00:21:39.640 put it and make it a part of our life. Let's 00:21:39.640 --> 00:21:42.220 say it was a jumper. A gaudy Christmas jumper 00:21:42.220 --> 00:21:44.220 with reindeers and big noses on it. He'll put 00:21:44.220 --> 00:21:46.680 it on! Even though it's his birthday, not Christmas, 00:21:46.839 --> 00:21:48.779 so I've missed my analogies almost up there. 00:21:49.859 --> 00:21:51.680 But do you get what I'm saying? It doesn't matter, 00:21:51.700 --> 00:21:53.019 it just works. But do you get what I'm saying? 00:21:53.200 --> 00:21:56.039 You take it and you put it on! I'm not sure you 00:21:56.039 --> 00:21:57.759 do that when you get undies for your birthday 00:21:57.759 --> 00:21:59.900 with you. Put them on the outside like Batman, 00:22:00.059 --> 00:22:04.069 but… But you take it, you use it. I know when 00:22:04.069 --> 00:22:05.609 I give it to my kids, they can't wait to rip 00:22:05.609 --> 00:22:07.150 open their presents. And they're playing with 00:22:07.150 --> 00:22:09.450 it straight away. They're engaged. Because it's 00:22:09.450 --> 00:22:14.910 a gift. It is a gift. So why do we do it like 00:22:14.910 --> 00:22:17.789 that? But when God gives us a gift, we feel we 00:22:17.789 --> 00:22:22.309 have to then earn it. We sit there and go, I 00:22:22.309 --> 00:22:25.150 am not worthy. Because that's not what the scripture 00:22:25.150 --> 00:22:29.160 says. We go, I don't deserve this. That's certainly 00:22:29.160 --> 00:22:34.059 not what Jesus or God has said. These are the 00:22:34.059 --> 00:22:38.059 narratives of our old life, our old formation, 00:22:38.759 --> 00:22:40.660 our old environments, or even the environment 00:22:40.660 --> 00:22:44.640 you're in, which is not godly. And we need to 00:22:44.640 --> 00:22:48.839 stop that and come back to the Word of God and 00:22:48.839 --> 00:22:52.400 realise I am a child of God. I am a son and daughter 00:22:52.400 --> 00:22:55.819 of God. I'm called to be an ambassador. I am 00:22:55.819 --> 00:22:59.119 called to be chosen. I'm the light of the world, 00:22:59.200 --> 00:23:01.160 I'm the soul of the world. I am something special 00:23:01.160 --> 00:23:03.940 because of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. 00:23:04.960 --> 00:23:07.859 What He's done and is now credited to you that 00:23:07.859 --> 00:23:10.619 you are now right in the eyes of God, allowing 00:23:10.619 --> 00:23:13.180 me to come and talk to Him, to pray to Him, to 00:23:13.180 --> 00:23:16.859 ask the Father things. So Father, I wanna see 00:23:16.859 --> 00:23:18.920 somebody healed who goes, yeah, amen, let's do 00:23:18.920 --> 00:23:22.960 it. God, I pray to see my family saved. I pray 00:23:22.960 --> 00:23:24.740 for my neighborhood to come to know the power 00:23:24.740 --> 00:23:27.539 of the Holy Spirit and to come to know the freedom 00:23:27.539 --> 00:23:30.119 that they can in Jesus Christ. And God goes, 00:23:30.240 --> 00:23:32.599 amen, let's do it. I can have those conversations 00:23:32.599 --> 00:23:36.240 because of what Jesus has done. I've been made 00:23:36.240 --> 00:23:40.660 right now. I need to accept that gift and walk 00:23:40.660 --> 00:23:45.079 in that gift. That is why, and it's another topic, 00:23:45.220 --> 00:23:48.400 but the renewing of the mind. We've got to come 00:23:48.400 --> 00:23:50.680 back to the Word of God and allow the truth of 00:23:50.680 --> 00:23:54.759 who God's called us so we don't have the self 00:23:54.759 --> 00:24:00.200 works of righteousness Because Jesus warned that 00:24:00.200 --> 00:24:04.220 with those that are before him See when we look 00:24:04.220 --> 00:24:07.279 in putrid righteousness, it means in credited 00:24:07.279 --> 00:24:11.190 to means placing something from one source into 00:24:11.190 --> 00:24:13.990 another, even though they do not possess it themselves. 00:24:14.130 --> 00:24:16.910 It's what Christ has done and given to us. It 00:24:16.910 --> 00:24:20.289 is finished on the cross. You are now made righteous 00:24:20.289 --> 00:24:23.609 and it's been given to us. It's faith is a key 00:24:23.609 --> 00:24:26.930 biblical teaching that justification is by faith 00:24:26.930 --> 00:24:29.910 alone, not by works, love or personal merit. 00:24:30.509 --> 00:24:32.769 And when you go through the book of Genesis, 00:24:33.099 --> 00:24:36.859 When you go through Hebrews 11, you can see Abraham's 00:24:36.859 --> 00:24:40.980 example in Genesis 15 that when Abraham believed 00:24:40.980 --> 00:24:45.880 God's promise, it said God considered him righteous. 00:24:46.799 --> 00:24:52.420 Put righteousness because of his faith. And that's 00:24:52.420 --> 00:24:54.940 where it comes into faith as a substance of things 00:24:54.940 --> 00:24:57.440 hopeful. Have you been made righteous? The word 00:24:57.440 --> 00:25:01.019 of God says it. The work of the cross and Jesus 00:25:01.019 --> 00:25:04.539 given his life is the truth of it. And so by 00:25:04.539 --> 00:25:06.920 faith I now need to go, that was done for me, 00:25:06.960 --> 00:25:09.980 which it was. The power of the cross, there is 00:25:09.980 --> 00:25:12.059 nothing greater than that. He conquered death. 00:25:12.859 --> 00:25:16.019 He demonstrated everything, that there is nothing 00:25:16.019 --> 00:25:19.299 greater than our God. The scripture says nothing 00:25:19.299 --> 00:25:21.279 can separate us from the love of God. Neither 00:25:21.279 --> 00:25:24.200 height nor depth, principalities or powers, things 00:25:24.200 --> 00:25:26.980 present, all in things to come, like anxiety, 00:25:27.099 --> 00:25:30.279 what about, what about, doesn't matter. God is 00:25:30.279 --> 00:25:32.829 greater than all this. He spoke on the world 00:25:32.829 --> 00:25:35.890 as four. Blind eyes see, lame people walk. The 00:25:35.890 --> 00:25:40.170 dead rose up and walked again. This is the God 00:25:40.170 --> 00:25:43.450 we live and serve. He lives in us and with us 00:25:43.450 --> 00:25:48.890 and encourages and empowers us. So why not get 00:25:48.890 --> 00:25:51.170 a free ride on a ticket to South Africa on a 00:25:51.170 --> 00:25:56.650 missions trip? Because God can do this. Why not 00:25:56.650 --> 00:25:59.750 pray for your family to be saved? Make something 00:25:59.750 --> 00:26:01.609 for your neighbours and drop it off saying, just 00:26:01.609 --> 00:26:03.349 been praying for you, here's a meal. I don't 00:26:03.349 --> 00:26:05.950 know what it is, but God's called us all to do 00:26:05.950 --> 00:26:08.509 something in the world we live in. Invite some 00:26:08.509 --> 00:26:10.930 friends over, have dinner and start a spiritual 00:26:10.930 --> 00:26:15.130 conversation. Doesn't have to be, do you go to 00:26:15.130 --> 00:26:16.569 church or anything like that, but ask simple 00:26:16.569 --> 00:26:18.970 questions. What do you think God thinks about 00:26:18.970 --> 00:26:23.130 war? Just hear their opinion. Do you think God 00:26:23.130 --> 00:26:26.339 is real at all? Listen to their opinions. Start 00:26:26.339 --> 00:26:28.480 a conversation that gets them thinking about 00:26:28.480 --> 00:26:31.140 what God is. Well, and allow them to then ask 00:26:31.140 --> 00:26:35.759 you, well, why do you think God is so real? Have 00:26:35.759 --> 00:26:39.819 your testimony in 30 seconds. Punch it out. Tell 00:26:39.819 --> 00:26:41.160 them something you've done. I prayed for this 00:26:41.160 --> 00:26:44.339 and God did this. I feel it in my heart. Whatever 00:26:44.339 --> 00:26:47.220 you know, you don't need to be a Bible scholar. 00:26:50.170 --> 00:26:52.130 I left Kangaroo Island, sewed up everything, 00:26:52.289 --> 00:26:54.269 had rocked up to the Bible College I was going 00:26:54.269 --> 00:26:57.369 to that I enrolled in. Rocked up, said, here 00:26:57.369 --> 00:26:59.309 I am, and they said, great, where are you staying? 00:26:59.329 --> 00:27:01.250 And I said, that's right, where am I staying? 00:27:01.930 --> 00:27:04.430 And they looked at me like I was an idiot. And 00:27:04.430 --> 00:27:06.789 I said, oh, I just, God called me and I'm here. 00:27:06.990 --> 00:27:10.289 And they're like, oh, oh, all right, we'll make 00:27:10.289 --> 00:27:12.509 some phone calls. And they found somebody for 00:27:12.509 --> 00:27:14.970 me to stay with for a week, and then I got a 00:27:14.970 --> 00:27:17.769 place. And next minute, a couple of other students 00:27:17.769 --> 00:27:20.910 lived with me and we batched it. for three years 00:27:20.910 --> 00:27:23.230 and coming from the country let me tell you the 00:27:23.230 --> 00:27:27.930 idea of you know pizza being delivered was great 00:27:27.930 --> 00:27:31.430 you know it's like they order it they bring it 00:27:31.430 --> 00:27:34.289 and they come and and within a week we had stacks 00:27:34.289 --> 00:27:37.869 of boxes filling the kitchen table and then I 00:27:37.869 --> 00:27:46.190 realized I was going very broke but it's by living 00:27:46.190 --> 00:27:49.420 in faith and realizing if God has done this, 00:27:49.559 --> 00:27:53.200 why do we not live in the gift that is given? 00:27:55.019 --> 00:27:57.720 And that may sting, but it's a reality that I 00:27:57.720 --> 00:28:00.319 want to bring across. Why are you not living 00:28:00.319 --> 00:28:04.500 in the gift God has given you? Because if we 00:28:04.500 --> 00:28:06.200 live in it, we can lead other people in that 00:28:06.200 --> 00:28:11.329 area. It's a legal declaration that we are justified, 00:28:11.589 --> 00:28:14.950 a legal verdict, where God declares a sinner 00:28:14.950 --> 00:28:19.349 righteous based on the trust in Him. And see, 00:28:19.390 --> 00:28:21.930 we're called to live righteous lives, righteous 00:28:21.930 --> 00:28:27.650 in the eyes of God, not self -righteous. See, 00:28:27.650 --> 00:28:34.150 when you walk into a room, are you so focused 00:28:34.559 --> 00:28:38.059 ...on what everyone thinks about who you are? 00:28:39.059 --> 00:28:42.200 Or are you walking into a room saying how can 00:28:42.200 --> 00:28:44.859 I please you God... ...in this environment I've 00:28:44.859 --> 00:28:49.700 stepped into? Because that defines the two realms 00:28:49.700 --> 00:28:53.190 of righteousness right there. You go in, what 00:28:53.190 --> 00:28:54.630 will people think of me? Have I dressed? Have 00:28:54.630 --> 00:28:57.549 I done this? You're so influenced about your 00:28:57.549 --> 00:29:00.329 self -righteousness, your works, what you need 00:29:00.329 --> 00:29:03.170 to do to impress, what you need to do to win 00:29:03.170 --> 00:29:06.029 people over, to have acceptance, to have them 00:29:06.029 --> 00:29:08.750 like you and validate you and to do all of this. 00:29:09.049 --> 00:29:12.609 That's our self -righteousness. It works. When 00:29:12.609 --> 00:29:14.849 I walk into a room going, God, what can I do 00:29:14.849 --> 00:29:18.890 to please you? I'm secure in who I am because 00:29:18.890 --> 00:29:21.690 He loves me. I don't need validation because 00:29:21.690 --> 00:29:24.509 He's validated me and I'm living in that validation. 00:29:25.170 --> 00:29:27.369 I don't need to be justified because He's made 00:29:27.369 --> 00:29:31.589 me justified. I'm righteous in what I do. That 00:29:31.589 --> 00:29:34.750 I can walk in confident in who I am in Christ. 00:29:35.190 --> 00:29:36.970 Because it's a gift given and I need to live 00:29:36.970 --> 00:29:39.490 in it and transform my mind in it. So when these 00:29:39.490 --> 00:29:42.609 negative narratives start coming back into your 00:29:42.609 --> 00:29:45.509 mind of the words spoken over me when I was at 00:29:45.509 --> 00:29:47.650 school, the bullying, all the stuff that would 00:29:47.650 --> 00:29:51.869 come. I combat it with the Word of God that not 00:29:51.869 --> 00:29:54.309 just disarms it and frees me from it, but I come 00:29:54.309 --> 00:29:56.410 back to the work of the cross and go, but I'm 00:29:56.410 --> 00:29:58.549 righteous, I'm called to live it righteously. 00:30:00.450 --> 00:30:02.410 What would it be like to live righteous like 00:30:02.410 --> 00:30:06.170 that to go, God, what can I do to please you 00:30:06.170 --> 00:30:10.670 when I walk into a room? Before we moved to Canter 00:30:10.670 --> 00:30:12.630 Island, I was with a significant church in Melbourne 00:30:12.630 --> 00:30:15.769 called Stairway. There was about 1 ,400 people 00:30:15.769 --> 00:30:19.460 in the church and I was on staff there. We really 00:30:19.460 --> 00:30:23.759 embraced this thing called God -spacing or God 00:30:23.759 --> 00:30:27.480 -refocusing. And God -spacing is taking it to 00:30:27.480 --> 00:30:30.900 a point where every day of our life, much like 00:30:30.900 --> 00:30:33.680 the Old Testament and the early churches, our 00:30:33.680 --> 00:30:38.519 connection with God was 24 -7. It wasn't Sunday's 00:30:38.519 --> 00:30:41.019 finish, I go to work, switch on work mode, and 00:30:41.019 --> 00:30:45.619 I'm working, but God's locked in a closet. Do 00:30:45.619 --> 00:30:48.599 you know what I'm referring to? And we said, 00:30:48.759 --> 00:30:50.960 what would it be like that if everything we did, 00:30:51.359 --> 00:30:54.259 we were aware of God and we talk with God in 00:30:54.259 --> 00:30:57.279 everything we did? And so there's this couple 00:30:57.279 --> 00:30:58.980 that this woman said, all right, I'm going to 00:30:58.980 --> 00:31:01.380 try it. She goes shopping with her husband. And 00:31:01.380 --> 00:31:03.500 as she's gone out, she's gone, all right, I'm 00:31:03.500 --> 00:31:07.440 in the supermarket. God, what can I do today 00:31:07.440 --> 00:31:11.700 to show somebody your love in the supermarket 00:31:11.700 --> 00:31:15.240 today? So they're shopping. Me shopping, I want 00:31:15.240 --> 00:31:18.059 to... In and out as soon as I can. Shortest line. 00:31:18.339 --> 00:31:21.519 Hit the list. I want to be in and out. When you're 00:31:21.519 --> 00:31:23.640 in a country town like Kangaroo Island, you go 00:31:23.640 --> 00:31:25.660 to get a loaf of bread, three hours later, after 00:31:25.660 --> 00:31:28.220 meeting so many different people, you finally 00:31:28.220 --> 00:31:30.640 have... But I'm in and out. But this couple... 00:31:30.640 --> 00:31:32.779 So she's in there. She looks down the aisle, 00:31:32.880 --> 00:31:35.259 sees this woman, grab a block of cheese, shove 00:31:35.259 --> 00:31:37.880 it down her top, and then... And she sits there. 00:31:37.880 --> 00:31:41.480 What do I do with that? Am I...should I call 00:31:41.480 --> 00:31:45.160 security? Should I confront the woman and saying 00:31:45.160 --> 00:31:49.440 I saw you steal that cheese like she's Thinking 00:31:49.440 --> 00:31:51.940 God I've asked what am I going to do to help 00:31:51.940 --> 00:31:53.740 somebody and I've just seen that what do I do? 00:31:53.799 --> 00:31:57.240 How does that line up? So she spent some time 00:31:57.240 --> 00:31:59.259 praying God. What do I do? What do I do with 00:31:59.259 --> 00:32:04.099 that? They get their items husband goes here. 00:32:04.180 --> 00:32:06.579 This is the shortest line pushes in so she follows 00:32:06.579 --> 00:32:08.680 Looks in front and the person in front of them 00:32:08.680 --> 00:32:12.140 is the lady that was stealing the cheese And 00:32:12.140 --> 00:32:15.519 she's like, oh, what do I do now? So she prayed 00:32:15.519 --> 00:32:18.359 about it. Then she leant over feeling what she 00:32:18.359 --> 00:32:21.700 felt God was saying. She said, excuse me, I saw 00:32:21.700 --> 00:32:23.460 what you did with that block of cheese. And if 00:32:23.460 --> 00:32:24.819 you're willing to pull it out and put on the 00:32:24.819 --> 00:32:31.220 counter, I'll pay for your groceries. And this 00:32:31.220 --> 00:32:33.240 lady opens up, she pulls out a block of cheese 00:32:33.240 --> 00:32:36.480 and a few other items. Cashier, she's like, what 00:32:36.480 --> 00:32:41.950 is going on? And they pay for it. And the lady, 00:32:42.329 --> 00:32:44.109 instead of just grabbing her stuff and taking 00:32:44.109 --> 00:32:46.289 off... ...she sits at the end and waits while 00:32:46.289 --> 00:32:48.930 they're all scanning. And the lady at the register 00:32:48.930 --> 00:32:52.970 is going, what was that? And so she goes, I don't 00:32:52.970 --> 00:32:54.869 know. I just came here and I prayed, God... ...what 00:32:54.869 --> 00:32:57.509 could I do to help somebody today? To show them 00:32:57.509 --> 00:33:00.309 your love. And you know when it's really noisy 00:33:00.309 --> 00:33:03.430 in the whole... ...it was noisy, noisy. And as 00:33:03.430 --> 00:33:05.190 soon as the lady asked that question... ...this 00:33:05.190 --> 00:33:07.670 lady goes, it was like the whole place stopped. 00:33:08.039 --> 00:33:10.299 And not a person was, and when I said, I believe 00:33:10.299 --> 00:33:13.099 Jesus and told the story she said, it was like 00:33:13.099 --> 00:33:14.779 everyone stopped in the whole supermarket and 00:33:14.779 --> 00:33:16.880 just listened to me. She goes, we had the longest 00:33:16.880 --> 00:33:19.920 line and they're all listening to what I'm telling 00:33:19.920 --> 00:33:24.279 this lady about what God had done. And so she 00:33:24.279 --> 00:33:26.240 shares, tells that lady goes and then the lady 00:33:26.240 --> 00:33:28.539 at the end is in tears and they talk to her, 00:33:28.559 --> 00:33:30.700 they pray with her and they do something for 00:33:30.700 --> 00:33:35.000 her. Because it's easy to go into a workspace 00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:37.799 environment. to go to do what you need to do 00:33:37.799 --> 00:33:41.460 in my own strength. But it's different to walk 00:33:41.460 --> 00:33:45.839 in his righteousness and to go, God, what is 00:33:45.839 --> 00:33:49.500 it you're asking me to do? It's where we get 00:33:49.500 --> 00:33:52.779 our eyes off ourself and back onto the perfecter 00:33:52.779 --> 00:33:57.099 of faith. This is where we die to self. It's 00:33:57.099 --> 00:33:59.680 where we decrease so he can increase. This is 00:33:59.680 --> 00:34:02.069 not to think little of yourself. When people 00:34:02.069 --> 00:34:04.230 think, die to yourself, we don't sit there and 00:34:04.230 --> 00:34:06.450 curse ourselves and speak bad of myself and go, 00:34:06.630 --> 00:34:09.090 I'm a bad person and it's horrible. Do you get 00:34:09.090 --> 00:34:11.110 what I'm trying to say? We can get that negative 00:34:11.110 --> 00:34:13.489 attitude and oh, why do I do that? How stupid, 00:34:13.650 --> 00:34:16.469 how dumb, I'm just a horrible person. And we 00:34:16.469 --> 00:34:19.949 speak things that are not biblical upon our lives. 00:34:20.969 --> 00:34:23.010 That's not what it says to die to self. What 00:34:23.010 --> 00:34:26.429 it means is stop chasing what you think is great 00:34:26.429 --> 00:34:29.309 and start chasing what God wants you to do. That 00:34:29.309 --> 00:34:31.530 very thing of, no, I'm just in for a job, I just 00:34:31.530 --> 00:34:32.929 want to shop, I don't want to talk to anyone, 00:34:32.929 --> 00:34:36.130 I want to get out, to dying to that mentality 00:34:36.130 --> 00:34:38.409 and going, hey, God, while I'm here, I do need 00:34:38.409 --> 00:34:40.650 to get some groceries, but can I help somebody 00:34:40.650 --> 00:34:43.670 along the way? Can I show joy? Can I show compassion? 00:34:43.949 --> 00:34:47.170 Could I show love? That is what it's talking 00:34:47.170 --> 00:34:50.289 about when it says die to self. When you go, 00:34:50.309 --> 00:34:53.070 I don't earn this, I'll go to church twice this 00:34:53.070 --> 00:34:55.710 week and read my Bible five times just so God 00:34:55.710 --> 00:34:59.969 loves me more, that's works. You come to church 00:34:59.969 --> 00:35:03.230 because you love God. Do you get what I'm saying? 00:35:03.789 --> 00:35:05.849 You love me, you do my commandments. We do, I'm 00:35:05.849 --> 00:35:07.929 here because I love you and that's why I'm here. 00:35:08.869 --> 00:35:11.349 I read my word because I love you. And I know 00:35:11.349 --> 00:35:14.030 if I miss a day, your grace is sufficient, but 00:35:14.030 --> 00:35:16.869 not two days. No, I'm kidding. Do you get what 00:35:16.869 --> 00:35:20.050 I'm saying? We take religion out of it and it's 00:35:20.050 --> 00:35:23.019 relational. And when we're living in that relational 00:35:23.019 --> 00:35:25.159 way, we then live in His righteousness going, 00:35:25.679 --> 00:35:29.400 how can I show the love of God and show the kingdom 00:35:29.400 --> 00:35:31.599 of God in the world I live in, because it's Your 00:35:31.599 --> 00:35:34.400 righteousness. When we're driving, when the guy 00:35:34.400 --> 00:35:37.320 catch you off, instead of getting frustrated, 00:35:37.619 --> 00:35:40.820 like my family tend to remind me, hey, living 00:35:40.820 --> 00:35:44.639 God's righteousness, Dad. Instead of me trying 00:35:44.639 --> 00:35:47.900 to give direction and all signs with fingers. 00:35:49.250 --> 00:35:51.590 I stop and I go, hey, God, for whatever reason 00:35:51.590 --> 00:35:53.449 he needed to cut me up because no one's behind 00:35:53.449 --> 00:35:56.090 me, but I pray, God, that you just help them. 00:35:57.329 --> 00:35:59.809 If they're on an emergency trip to the hospital, 00:35:59.849 --> 00:36:02.610 keep them safe. If they're having torment, God, 00:36:02.690 --> 00:36:06.789 I pray you'll help them. All of a sudden I'm 00:36:06.789 --> 00:36:08.949 not so worked up because I'm not in my own righteousness 00:36:08.949 --> 00:36:12.730 and feeling my validation is being crossed off. 00:36:13.480 --> 00:36:16.920 Feeling my world is being ignored or my goals 00:36:16.920 --> 00:36:18.579 are being ignored because all of a sudden I've 00:36:18.579 --> 00:36:21.139 just put that down I've taken on a righteousness 00:36:21.139 --> 00:36:23.380 pray for those who persecute you because that's 00:36:23.380 --> 00:36:26.300 what the word of God says pray for your enemies 00:36:26.300 --> 00:36:29.119 So all of a sudden I take that on and it changes 00:36:29.119 --> 00:36:32.760 the atmosphere in the car I'm not so stressed. 00:36:32.980 --> 00:36:35.019 I'm not so worried. I'm not so worked up because 00:36:35.019 --> 00:36:37.099 I'm living in his righteousness Whatever the 00:36:37.099 --> 00:36:38.900 reason why he had to cut me off God. I just pray 00:36:38.900 --> 00:36:41.139 that you'll keep them safe get them home Well, 00:36:41.320 --> 00:36:43.429 whatever is tormenting them Set them free in 00:36:43.429 --> 00:36:47.989 the Name of Jesus. Do you get the picture of 00:36:47.989 --> 00:36:54.489 living in His righteousness? What? Dying to self 00:36:54.489 --> 00:36:57.769 is a denial of considering you as the most important 00:36:57.769 --> 00:37:01.389 thought that consumes you. And the most important 00:37:01.389 --> 00:37:03.730 conversation you have in your head and your heart 00:37:03.730 --> 00:37:08.090 is, how can I serve and or how can I love on 00:37:08.090 --> 00:37:12.989 these people? When I think about my own ideas, 00:37:13.230 --> 00:37:16.409 my laws, my human beliefs, even when they have 00:37:16.409 --> 00:37:20.829 good intentions like giving up a seat, I'm doing 00:37:20.829 --> 00:37:23.829 it for self -righteousness. I gave the seat up 00:37:23.829 --> 00:37:27.030 so mum and dad be proud. I gave my seat up so 00:37:27.030 --> 00:37:30.170 everyone here, can you see? I gave the seat up 00:37:30.170 --> 00:37:33.230 for this woman, you knew you didn't. But I won't 00:37:33.230 --> 00:37:36.190 say anything, I'll just, ahem, you can have my 00:37:36.190 --> 00:37:40.320 seat. Did you hear me up the back there? I gave 00:37:40.320 --> 00:37:45.480 my seat. Do you get the self -righteousness? 00:37:45.679 --> 00:37:49.920 It's still good. But to humbly go, hey, Jesus 00:37:49.920 --> 00:37:52.480 loves you. Why don't you take my seat? Why would 00:37:52.480 --> 00:37:57.539 you do this? Well, you're needing a seat. I have 00:37:57.539 --> 00:38:00.980 consideration for the elderly. But I live to 00:38:00.980 --> 00:38:03.500 a higher standard. And I believe God wants you 00:38:03.500 --> 00:38:05.400 to be safe and well. So why don't you take my 00:38:05.400 --> 00:38:08.030 seat? There's the gospel. Yes, it might sound 00:38:08.030 --> 00:38:09.730 a bit Christian... ...but even my actions if 00:38:09.730 --> 00:38:12.130 I didn't say a word... ...would speak so much 00:38:12.130 --> 00:38:15.630 more than everyone else. I do it for not the 00:38:15.630 --> 00:38:18.610 place of everyone else to notice me. I do it 00:38:18.610 --> 00:38:21.510 that he might go, hey, well done. Couldn't face 00:38:21.510 --> 00:38:26.110 a servant. I do it to have him pleased. And I 00:38:26.110 --> 00:38:28.650 do it that he would be happy with what I do. 00:38:29.610 --> 00:38:33.710 So in every conversation is what I'm saying destructive 00:38:33.710 --> 00:38:36.059 and pulling down... someone with a Christian 00:38:36.059 --> 00:38:38.420 faith and making them look bad in the light of 00:38:38.420 --> 00:38:41.840 somebody? Because I need to do that to make myself 00:38:41.840 --> 00:38:50.300 feel better? Or do I change my conversation and 00:38:50.300 --> 00:38:52.480 talk and then when other people are having a 00:38:52.480 --> 00:38:54.420 conversation they're going, I don't feel this 00:38:54.420 --> 00:38:57.260 is very encouraging. Do I stay in that or do 00:38:57.260 --> 00:38:59.940 I walk away? Because even just walking away sends 00:38:59.940 --> 00:39:02.860 a message I'm not going to enter in into self 00:39:02.860 --> 00:39:06.280 -righteousness. Sounds harsh, I'm not trying 00:39:06.280 --> 00:39:09.039 to be legalistic. I'm trying to encourage you 00:39:09.039 --> 00:39:13.039 church, if we live to please God, truly please 00:39:13.039 --> 00:39:17.260 God, I think we'll find a lot more peace in our 00:39:17.260 --> 00:39:22.360 world. And we would find every day a lot easier 00:39:22.360 --> 00:39:26.880 in what is before us. It's His righteousness. 00:39:28.619 --> 00:39:35.289 Ephesians 4, 23 and 24. We to be made new in 00:39:35.289 --> 00:39:39.550 attitude of your minds and put on the new self 00:39:39.550 --> 00:39:42.869 Created to be like God in true righteousness 00:39:42.869 --> 00:39:46.750 and holiness Therefore each of you must put off 00:39:46.750 --> 00:39:49.909 falsehood and speak truthfully to neighbor to 00:39:49.909 --> 00:39:54.130 your neighbor for your members of one body in 00:39:54.130 --> 00:39:56.610 Ephesians 5 8 to 10 you were once in darkness 00:39:56.610 --> 00:40:01.349 But you are now light in the Lord live as children 00:40:01.349 --> 00:40:04.070 of light for the fruit of the light consists 00:40:04.070 --> 00:40:06.949 in all goodness and righteousness and truth and 00:40:06.949 --> 00:40:14.110 find out what pleases the Lord. Can I ask a question? 00:40:15.929 --> 00:40:18.909 Are you living being concerned about how others 00:40:18.909 --> 00:40:22.389 view you or are you living out a conviction to 00:40:22.389 --> 00:40:26.849 Christ and his kingdom? Are you concerned about 00:40:26.849 --> 00:40:29.449 others on how they view you or are you living 00:40:29.449 --> 00:40:31.809 out a conviction of what? pleases God on what 00:40:31.809 --> 00:40:35.349 you need to do. Because if I can encourage you, 00:40:35.409 --> 00:40:39.130 let's live out a conviction, not worried about 00:40:39.130 --> 00:40:43.909 what the Joneses say. Let us please the Father. 00:40:44.849 --> 00:40:47.690 So the question is, how can I walk today that 00:40:47.690 --> 00:40:52.030 is pleasing to God? Now here's some homework. 00:40:52.909 --> 00:40:56.949 The book of Romans, three, four, and six. What 00:40:56.949 --> 00:41:01.219 books were they? Three, four, and six. Hebrews 00:41:01.219 --> 00:41:05.900 11 and the whole book of James. Oh, that's a 00:41:05.900 --> 00:41:09.320 lot of reading. Spend the next couple of months 00:41:09.320 --> 00:41:14.139 reading them. But there's some points that what 00:41:14.139 --> 00:41:17.079 I've talked about today has got some good biblical 00:41:17.079 --> 00:41:20.480 teaching to revolve around this to allow you 00:41:20.480 --> 00:41:26.139 to think, to shoe, to change, to transform your 00:41:26.139 --> 00:41:31.800 mind, to try something new. Romans 3, 4 and chapter 00:41:31.800 --> 00:41:35.579 6, Hebrews 11 and the Book of James. There is 00:41:35.579 --> 00:41:40.559 more too. But if you can start there and start 00:41:40.559 --> 00:41:43.960 adapting new ideals and new ideologies and new 00:41:43.960 --> 00:41:46.559 methods of how to engage in the world we live 00:41:46.559 --> 00:41:49.780 in. To change how you view yourself and view 00:41:49.780 --> 00:41:52.139 yourself in the way that God wants to see you. 00:41:52.760 --> 00:41:55.659 If you can start living in that, adapting it, 00:41:55.800 --> 00:41:59.869 breathing it. Then our righteousness is not my 00:41:59.869 --> 00:42:01.710 works. It's what God's given to me and life is 00:42:01.710 --> 00:42:05.530 a lot easier. You have less stress. There's frustration 00:42:05.530 --> 00:42:09.630 But all of a sudden when you're walking with 00:42:09.630 --> 00:42:13.070 him you'll find Blessing upon blessing and doors 00:42:13.070 --> 00:42:14.829 upon doors will just open in ways you can never 00:42:14.829 --> 00:42:18.789 imagine You'll feel the God calling and leading 00:42:18.789 --> 00:42:21.929 you It might mean getting more involved in church. 00:42:22.030 --> 00:42:24.289 It might mean committing. It might mean engaging 00:42:24.289 --> 00:42:26.289 with people in the world you're living with. 00:42:26.530 --> 00:42:28.469 But you're doing it not to please people. You're 00:42:28.469 --> 00:42:31.329 doing it to please God. And the wait is so much 00:42:31.329 --> 00:42:35.510 easier. Because it's Him that you're yoked together 00:42:35.510 --> 00:42:37.250 with. And you're doing it because God's asked 00:42:37.250 --> 00:42:39.070 you to do it. And you're going, this is easy. 00:42:40.269 --> 00:42:43.070 Because I'm not stressed about what people think. 00:42:44.230 --> 00:42:48.639 Because I'm loved. I can walk in a room and I'm 00:42:48.639 --> 00:42:53.460 fine not to talk to people because He loves me 00:42:53.460 --> 00:42:56.940 and it doesn't matter what they think because 00:42:56.940 --> 00:43:01.239 He loves me. But when the presence of God goes 00:43:01.239 --> 00:43:03.219 before you it's amazing how people will be drawn 00:43:03.219 --> 00:43:07.239 to you and open up and talk and you just be you 00:43:07.239 --> 00:43:10.179 and who you are in Jesus and that's what people 00:43:10.179 --> 00:43:13.139 want to see is the real thing in this world. 00:43:14.420 --> 00:43:17.550 They're tired of lies. Tired of the falsehood, 00:43:18.030 --> 00:43:21.150 tired of the play agents. They want to know what's 00:43:21.150 --> 00:43:24.150 real. And like my mates, it took a couple of 00:43:24.150 --> 00:43:27.090 months when I first met Jesus to go, this is 00:43:27.090 --> 00:43:32.409 real. I said, it is real. They too, in the world 00:43:32.409 --> 00:43:34.750 we live in, the harvest is ripe but the workers 00:43:34.750 --> 00:43:38.309 are few. The hostility towards the church is 00:43:38.309 --> 00:43:41.329 not as it was in the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. 00:43:41.449 --> 00:43:43.909 There are young people and a generation of people 00:43:43.909 --> 00:43:46.449 that are hungry they've grown up in secularism 00:43:46.449 --> 00:43:50.789 and and consumerism and They're realizing things 00:43:50.789 --> 00:43:53.210 don't cut it. They've seen their parents chase 00:43:53.210 --> 00:43:56.070 chase chase and they're realizing the dollars 00:43:56.070 --> 00:44:00.010 Objects just isn't making it work They're wanting 00:44:00.010 --> 00:44:03.369 something real and it's our time as church to 00:44:03.369 --> 00:44:05.730 rise up and to let people know about the truth 00:44:05.730 --> 00:44:08.329 of Jesus Christ And they'll do it when we're 00:44:08.329 --> 00:44:12.110 showing his righteousness They don't then go, 00:44:12.150 --> 00:44:14.570 oh, you're a hypocrite. They'll go, I've seen 00:44:14.570 --> 00:44:17.909 you're different. And you go, that's because 00:44:17.909 --> 00:44:21.610 I know Jesus. Can we close our eyes for a moment? 00:44:25.809 --> 00:44:27.869 I think the band or somebody on keys is coming 00:44:27.869 --> 00:44:30.150 up at the end maybe. Is that what you do to finish? 00:44:30.309 --> 00:44:33.150 Yep. So they can come up while I've got everyone 00:44:33.150 --> 00:44:34.929 with their eyes closed. And I want to ask this 00:44:34.929 --> 00:44:42.380 question. Because commitment means committing 00:44:42.380 --> 00:44:45.639 or engaging with something. And with your eyes 00:44:45.639 --> 00:44:49.139 closed, I'm going to pray for us. But if you're 00:44:49.139 --> 00:44:53.820 sitting there and going, hey, I know I've been 00:44:53.820 --> 00:44:56.420 a bit self -righteous because, yes, I've been 00:44:56.420 --> 00:44:59.719 like that as a person. And you're going, but 00:44:59.719 --> 00:45:01.139 I don't want to live in my own righteousness. 00:45:01.300 --> 00:45:06.039 I really want to change. Why every eyes closed 00:45:06.039 --> 00:45:07.719 and no one's looking if you want me to pray with 00:45:07.719 --> 00:45:10.619 you in your seat right where you are I Just want 00:45:10.619 --> 00:45:12.480 you to look up make eye contact with me when 00:45:12.480 --> 00:45:14.300 you do that then look back down and I'll pray 00:45:14.300 --> 00:45:17.079 with you right where you are You're saying I 00:45:17.079 --> 00:45:18.940 want to change. I don't want to leave myself 00:45:18.940 --> 00:45:20.860 righteousness. I'm gonna live in the righteousness 00:45:20.860 --> 00:45:24.260 of God Just make eye contact with me. Thank you. 00:45:24.480 --> 00:45:27.320 Thank you Make eye contact with me when I say 00:45:27.320 --> 00:45:30.179 it and thank you Look back down. No one's gonna 00:45:30.179 --> 00:45:33.599 know this between you and God But if you're committed 00:45:33.599 --> 00:45:35.760 to this I need you to start something again God 00:45:35.760 --> 00:45:39.820 I'm gonna physically do something to commit to 00:45:39.820 --> 00:45:49.460 this Okay Four or five people anymore anyone 00:45:49.460 --> 00:46:02.469 else How many father we come here and we just 00:46:02.469 --> 00:46:08.530 say sorry. I want to say sorry for living in 00:46:08.530 --> 00:46:13.269 my own self -righteousness. I want to say sorry 00:46:13.269 --> 00:46:15.250 for what I've tried to do in my own strength. 00:46:15.909 --> 00:46:22.309 As good as the intention was, it was for me and 00:46:22.309 --> 00:46:26.869 not for you. And God, for all of us, when we've 00:46:26.869 --> 00:46:30.090 done good things but to look at it, it's in our 00:46:30.090 --> 00:46:34.280 strength and not yours. We repent and we say 00:46:34.280 --> 00:46:49.420 sorry. Lord Jesus, we repent, we're sorry. But 00:46:49.420 --> 00:46:52.639 God, we thank you for the cross. We thank you 00:46:52.639 --> 00:46:56.099 for your word. We thank you for the gift of grace 00:46:56.099 --> 00:46:59.760 upon our lives. That is your word says as we 00:46:59.760 --> 00:47:02.639 confess our sins you are right and just to forgive 00:47:02.639 --> 00:47:06.239 us all That as we've said sorry for what we've 00:47:06.239 --> 00:47:08.679 done as we do and every day we tend to fall back 00:47:08.679 --> 00:47:11.639 into that old nature When we say we're sorry 00:47:11.639 --> 00:47:15.460 Holy Spirit help lead and empower us and renew 00:47:15.460 --> 00:47:19.719 us daily to live in the righteousness of God 00:47:19.719 --> 00:47:23.320 Because it was given as a gift and we need to 00:47:23.320 --> 00:47:26.760 receive and live in the righteousness of God 00:47:28.429 --> 00:47:31.469 I pray help us have the strength by your Holy 00:47:31.469 --> 00:47:34.989 Spirit to do what is pleasing in your sight, 00:47:35.250 --> 00:47:39.329 God. I pray, Holy Spirit, move in each one of 00:47:39.329 --> 00:47:42.389 us, help us abandon over these weeks and months 00:47:42.389 --> 00:47:45.690 the old things, the old narratives, to renew 00:47:45.690 --> 00:47:48.170 ourselves, to renew our mind, to renew what we 00:47:48.170 --> 00:47:50.789 need to do that when we walk into a room, our 00:47:50.789 --> 00:47:54.429 first thought is, how can I please you, God? 00:47:55.250 --> 00:47:58.269 That in our conversations, that in our actions 00:47:58.269 --> 00:48:04.329 are pleasing in your sight that I bring honor 00:48:04.329 --> 00:48:08.010 to your name that I bring glory to your name 00:48:08.010 --> 00:48:13.630 by showing kindness by showing love by showing 00:48:13.630 --> 00:48:16.949 patience and tolerance and all the fruits of 00:48:16.949 --> 00:48:22.150 the spirit that before I've even said a word 00:48:22.150 --> 00:48:26.070 your presence go before me that as I come to 00:48:26.070 --> 00:48:29.429 bring Glory to your name to be pleasing in your 00:48:29.429 --> 00:48:34.030 sight. I pray our actions will just show the 00:48:34.030 --> 00:48:39.570 goodness of God and the glory of God. So I pray 00:48:39.570 --> 00:48:45.110 Holy Spirit, work with us, empower us, lead us 00:48:45.110 --> 00:48:50.070 and let us live in the righteousness and show 00:48:50.070 --> 00:48:54.349 the greatness of God in the world we live in. 00:48:54.829 --> 00:48:59.940 I pray in Jesus name. Amen. Church, let's stand 00:48:59.940 --> 00:49:05.099 up for a moment. Let's open our hearts and hands 00:49:05.099 --> 00:49:08.219 and let us worship and just give it all to God. 00:49:08.300 --> 00:49:11.599 And while this worship song is on, if you're 00:49:11.599 --> 00:49:13.440 distracted and you need to talk to God a bit 00:49:13.440 --> 00:49:15.920 more, close your eyes and have that conversation. 00:49:16.340 --> 00:49:18.900 Do you know what I'm saying? If you need to work 00:49:18.900 --> 00:49:22.760 a little bit more with him, do it. Hand it over 00:49:22.760 --> 00:49:25.980 and let every word that we sing now be a declaration. 00:49:26.739 --> 00:49:29.280 of what God is going to continue to do in our 00:49:29.280 --> 00:49:33.239 life and where He lives in our world and our 00:49:33.239 --> 00:49:35.699 train of thought. Amen? Amen. Let's worship. 00:49:39.920 --> 00:49:42.179 Thanks so much for tuning into this week's message. 00:49:42.800 --> 00:49:45.360 If you felt challenged or need prayer, we'd love 00:49:45.360 --> 00:49:48.300 to hear from you on Instagram at EncounterHendley. 00:49:49.139 --> 00:49:51.000 Or if you're interested in how you can support 00:49:51.000 --> 00:49:54.360 this ministry, please go to our website, EncounterAdelaide 00:49:54.360 --> 00:49:58.090 .com .au. Thanks again for listening. God bless 00:49:58.090 --> 00:49:58.449 you.