WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.000 And other people said to the cat of this morning, number one, to speak something first you have to surrender other things to actually feel like you. 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:25.000 When Jesus said and if you do not care that your are we saying because you will never graduate from the place where God I he sells the world to write somebody what we understand, what we understand, what knowingly means for our lives, 00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:35.000 we will bring you all into a relationship with Jesus simply you don't endure everywhere, limit or contain themselves to a saving faith in Jesus fire insurance. 00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:42.000 I want to put faith in Jesus and tithe and make sure that everything's taken care of. 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:47.000 But it doesn't mean I want to yield everything I have to him. 00:00:47.000 --> 00:00:57.000 And we've got to move our people from a saving faith to a relational faith, because a relational faith becomes a revelational faith. 00:00:57.000 --> 00:01:10.000 And I want to tell you, from the day you get saved until you close your eyes for the last time and see the King, the one thing Jesus is after always is your heart. 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:13.000 He never stops going after your heart. 00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:24.000 I heard someone say the other day that those of us with the gift of discernment should maybe use the gift of discernment to discern our own hearts first before we're discerning everybody else's. 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:28.000 Go to God and say, lord, where am I? 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:33.000 And in his book, your God is too small, JB Phillips put his finger on the problem. 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:35.000 He writes this in his book. 00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:44.000 When Christians talk about Jesus, they struggle because they have a tiny Christ, a puny Christ, who doesn't compare well with others in this modern world. 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:52.000 My University of Southern California students have occasionally asked, why are you a disciple of Jesus? 00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:57.000 My answer has been to ask, who else did you have in mind? 00:01:57.000 --> 00:01:59.000 And I mean this seriously. 00:01:59.000 --> 00:02:06.000 They wanted to talk about Buddha, Gandhi, even their favorite musician or politician. 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:10.000 None of them can compare to Christ on close examination. 00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:18.000 The reality is that everyone's following somebody, but people are typically not thinking about what is guiding their lives. 00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:28.000 You know, the problem is, if you haven't surrendered and you're not giving yourself over to know the greatness of Christ, there are other things that are influencing you. 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:33.000 And questions you could ask would be like this, who am I really following? 00:02:33.000 --> 00:02:38.000 Please don't think you're clever enough to come up with a bright, original idea on your own. 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:42.000 We're all the products of the world we live in. 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:46.000 Everything we've learned, we've learned from others. 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:50.000 Apparently even your DNA is telling you stuff all the time. 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:52.000 Who do I look up to? 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:54.000 Who are my role models? 00:02:54.000 --> 00:02:57.000 Which leads to number three. 00:02:57.000 --> 00:02:59.000 And we End. 00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:04.000 Not only is it one thing, number one, not only number two is the question, why do I be a disciple? 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:06.000 But it comes down to number three. 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:12.000 If you want to enter the kingdom of God, Jesus says you have to choose to be a disciple. 00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:15.000 It has to be a choice that you make. 00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:20.000 What's your personal response when someone asks you, are you a disciple of Jesus? 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:25.000 I reckon so many Christians have made a conscious decision not to be a disciple. 00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:27.000 It costs too much. 00:03:27.000 --> 00:03:32.000 So I'm a churchgoer, I go to church, but I'm not necessarily a disciple. 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:40.000 And God in His gentleness and his grace, won't force this decision on you, no matter how good it is for you. 00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:44.000 But one thing he wants is this, to be a disciple of Jesus. 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:47.000 Can I define it for you in one sentence? 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:53.000 To be a disciple of Jesus means learning from him how to lead our lives. 00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:57.000 If he was in our lives, in our stead leading it. 00:03:57.000 --> 00:04:08.000 So if I stood aside and asked Jesus to come into my life, and I'm not going to lead my life anymore from this morning, I want him to be able to lead my life, how would he lead my life? 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:17.000 Under the direct leading of the Holy Spirit in my job, relationships, health, my status, how would he do it? 00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:26.000 Because when you're choosing to be disciple, you're choosing to give the steering wheel over to Jesus and it's a continuing relationship with through which all dimensions of our lives come to love God. 00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:29.000 You don't keep things off on the side. 00:04:29.000 --> 00:04:31.000 It's the greatest opportunity. 00:04:31.000 --> 00:04:37.000 You learn how to handle the normal, everyday, ordinary events of the day as Jesus would remember those little things. 00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:39.000 What would Jesus do? 00:04:39.000 --> 00:04:41.000 Well, what would he do? 00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:44.000 Discipleship towards Jesus is not miserable. 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:48.000 Everything he's commanded us to do is for our good. 00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:57.000 It brings a good return from us and from the parable of the treasure in the field and from the parable of the pearl of great price. 00:04:57.000 --> 00:05:02.000 Jesus is telling you nothing you give up will compare to what you gain. 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:06.000 You gain so much that what you give up is nothing. 00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:08.000 Only when you're a disciple. 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:10.000 When you're not a disciple yet. 00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:13.000 Then you think I don't know about this. 00:05:13.000 --> 00:05:16.000 And there are books on the cost of discipleship. 00:05:16.000 --> 00:05:18.000 You know what I think? 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:22.000 I think someone needs to write a book called the Cost of non Discipleship. 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:25.000 It's going to cost you to follow Jesus. 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:28.000 It's going to cost you to follow Jesus. 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:35.000 Can I tell you, you can never ever measure the cost of following Jesus compared to the cost of not following Him. 00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:41.000 If you don't follow Jesus, you run the likelihood of your life being dominated by the world you live in. 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:46.000 How many people learn hatred, resentment, affliction, anger. 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:51.000 Someone oppresses you, someone hurts you, you don't know how to deal with it. 00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:53.000 There's such a rise in therapists. 00:05:53.000 --> 00:05:56.000 I cannot think of a greater job. 00:05:56.000 --> 00:05:59.000 You sit and give absolutely no solutions. 00:05:59.000 --> 00:06:05.000 And you let people come and just talk and charge them 1,600 rand an hour. 00:06:05.000 --> 00:06:09.000 Let them talk, pocket it and say, I'll see you next week. 00:06:09.000 --> 00:06:13.000 And they leave feeling I've got that off my chest. 00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:21.000 Great job living in this world, never reaching your full potential, never reaching your gifting, looking at the lives of others. 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:23.000 And we do that. 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:31.000 We watch TV and we look at people who just said, hey, I set out into the great blue yonder and I just made my life count. 00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:33.000 And, and there's a bit in us that. 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:35.000 Was I perhaps made for more? 00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:39.000 When you don't live in the kingdom, you live in that constant space. 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:41.000 Am I doing enough? 00:06:41.000 --> 00:06:43.000 What's going to happen when I see God? 00:06:43.000 --> 00:06:45.000 Have I achieved my potential? 00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:47.000 Am I using my gifts? 00:06:47.000 --> 00:06:50.000 How many people could have been reached through my life? 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:56.000 Those kind of questions, never ever knowing from your heart whether you're pleasing the Lord, whether you're doing his will. 00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:58.000 Is the Lord even with me? 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:02.000 If I died today, would anyone come to my memorial? 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:06.000 Never knowing deep in our hearts whether we're pleasing the Lord. 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:08.000 Can I tell you this? 00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:11.000 You're also marginalized in your thinking. 00:07:11.000 --> 00:07:13.000 I'm dissatisfied with life. 00:07:13.000 --> 00:07:14.000 I need more. 00:07:14.000 --> 00:07:18.000 I don't like my car, my house, my job. 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:19.000 I don't like this. 00:07:19.000 --> 00:07:21.000 I'm dissatisfied. 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:23.000 I deserve better. 00:07:23.000 --> 00:07:24.000 Surely I need more. 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:28.000 Looking for fulfillment, purpose in all the wrong places. 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:35.000 Join a club that takes you away from church, do this, do that, and all we're trying to do. 00:07:35.000 --> 00:07:39.000 If you're not a disciple, you got to fill that space. 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:45.000 The cost of non discipleship is heavy because others are always determining for you. 00:07:45.000 --> 00:07:54.000 But discipleship allows you to live a life full of love and joy and hope and peace and confidence, meaning and purpose with God. 00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:56.000 Can I say this? 00:07:56.000 --> 00:08:01.000 When you surrender your life as a disciple of Jesus, your life finally has meaning. 00:08:01.000 --> 00:08:05.000 You find a peace that settles into you. 00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:08.000 For me, this world finally makes sense. 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:11.000 And Jesus says this to you. 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:14.000 I want you to come into my life. 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:18.000 Jesus says to you, I want you to come into my kingdom. 00:08:18.000 --> 00:08:20.000 I want you to come into my will. 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:26.000 And all you do is you say, you know, Lord, there's one thing, and this is the one thing I choose. 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:29.000 I choose to come to you on your terms. 00:08:29.000 --> 00:08:34.000 I'll just throw out quickly five little consequences of living in the Kingdom of God. 00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:38.000 The first one is to exalt yourself, is to be reduced. 00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:42.000 So when you humble yourself, God lifts you up first point. 00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:46.000 God lifts you up and there's nothing like having his hand upon you. 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:49.000 Number two, we are children of God. 00:08:49.000 --> 00:08:55.000 Which means he gives a place for you, he carves out a space for you in this life. 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:58.000 And the one to come where you belong. 00:08:58.000 --> 00:09:04.000 And you can go anywhere you like and do anything you like, go to whatever board meetings you like. 00:09:04.000 --> 00:09:11.000 There's nothing like walking back in the front door of your home and knowing this, I'm home, I'm safe. 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:17.000 A friend of mine just traveled to America and I went through, I don't know, six different in three weeks. 00:09:17.000 --> 00:09:21.000 Went to six different cities, did a whole lot of stuff. 00:09:21.000 --> 00:09:29.000 He said there was nothing better than arriving back in South Africa at passport control and you're back in the homeland. 00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:32.000 You find a place when you're in the kingdom. 00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:33.000 Number three. 00:09:33.000 --> 00:09:34.000 Bless you. 00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:38.000 Living in the kingdom, you do not allow little things to distract you. 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:41.000 You just don't allow little things to distract you. 00:09:41.000 --> 00:09:47.000 And they're there and they knock on the door and they're coming, but you don't allow them to distract you. 00:09:47.000 --> 00:09:49.000 You live free of distraction. 00:09:49.000 --> 00:09:53.000 And believe me, every time your phone rings, there's a distraction. 00:09:53.000 --> 00:09:56.000 Have you ever noticed someone wants an appointment with you? 00:09:56.000 --> 00:09:58.000 They ask can they please see you. 00:09:58.000 --> 00:10:04.000 They wait a couple of hours, a couple of days, a couple of weeks, they finally get to see you. 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:11.000 But our habit is the moment the phone rings, someone who's never made an appointment gets first attention. 00:10:11.000 --> 00:10:12.000 Have you noticed? 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:14.000 Sorry, I do it too. 00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:17.000 The little things get in the way. 00:10:17.000 --> 00:10:21.000 And when you live in the kingdom, you help it find its place. 00:10:21.000 --> 00:10:28.000 Number four, the greatest opportunity requires that every single day you choose Jesus above something else. 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:31.000 Every single day, you choose him first. 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:41.000 And number five, bear in mind that the cost of non discipleship will always be so much more than the cost of discipleship you're offered. 00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:46.000 On one hand, I've come to give you life and life to the full. 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:51.000 And there is one who comes to steal, to kill and to destroy. 00:10:51.000 --> 00:10:57.000 And every time you make a decision, you're making a decision based on one of those two. 00:10:57.000 --> 00:11:04.000 And all Jesus says to a tax collector minding his own business is Matthew, that's your name? 00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:05.000 Yes. 00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:08.000 Follow me and be my disciples. 00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:10.000 You know what that guy did? 00:11:10.000 --> 00:11:18.000 He got up from his wealth, he got up from his status he got up from his job security, he stood up and he followed. 00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:29.000 And within that day, sufficient change happened in his life that all he did was go find his friends and have a feast and say, you've got to meet Jesus. 00:11:29.000 --> 00:11:31.000 Stand with me. 00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:34.000 For the rest of us, would you mind closing your eyes as well? 00:11:34.000 --> 00:11:35.000 Again, just. 00:11:35.000 --> 00:11:39.000 I just want you to think, we're not going to steal your wallet. 00:11:39.000 --> 00:11:44.000 You know, Jesus deals with us with language, like, there's just this one thing. 00:11:44.000 --> 00:11:51.000 You know, life makes so much sense when you're not fighting him for his will to be done in and through your life. 00:11:51.000 --> 00:12:03.000 I really felt in preparing this sermon that there are so many distractions, and those distractions can stop us from walking into effective life that God wants us to walk in. 00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:10.000 And I'm just thinking how Matthew's story would have ended if he had said, no, not today. 00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:13.000 Do you mind if I think about this next week? 00:12:13.000 --> 00:12:24.000 And because he was good with writing and sums and stuff, he writes the fullest of the gospels that you and I have, 28 chapters of the life of Jesus Matthew put together. 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:32.000 God used to him not only in his life and his ministry, but we have a whole gospel because that guy said, yes. 00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:36.000 And countless lives through the centuries have been changed. 00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:49.000 And I want to pray right now that there are some guys and girls in this room, that there are distractions, there are things that are in the way, and God just wants to use your life to benefit his kingdom. 00:12:49.000 --> 00:12:52.000 And there are things you're holding onto. 00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:55.000 And he says, by comparison. 00:12:55.000 --> 00:12:57.000 I'll say it again, by comparison. 00:12:57.000 --> 00:13:01.000 I want you to hate those things in comparison with your love for me. 00:13:01.000 --> 00:13:06.000 In other words, when those things call or I call, which voice do you answer? 00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:12.000 I'm not going to call you to the front, but if you know there are adjustments that you need to make in this, just agree in prayer with me now. 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:16.000 Father, we come to you in the name of Jesus. 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:23.000 And where there are these distractions, and sometimes they're good ones, but they keep us from walking in. 00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:26.000 Just obeying your spirit day by day with what you've called us to be. 00:13:26.000 --> 00:13:37.000 And so we come to you this morning and we ask you, Lord, to align us back with your word that our love for you far outweighs our commitment to and love for other things. 00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:44.000 Do the adjustment in our hearts now that the kingdom benefits through the way we live, and may our environment around us change because of what you've done. 00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:48.000 Do that surgery in us this morning, cut off the dead stuff. 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:50.000 And will you tell us what to say? 00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:51.000 Yes to. 00:13:51.000 --> 00:13:53.000 Because that's what we want to obey. 00:13:53.000 --> 00:13:54.000 Help us. 00:13:54.000 --> 00:13:58.000 We pray in Jesus name and God's people said amen. 00:13:58.000 --> 00:14:01.000 Thank you so much for being a part of our meeting today. 00:14:01.000 --> 00:14:03.000 Can I just ask two things? 00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:19.000 The first is if today the message has in any way been useful to you, would you mind just maybe liking it or putting perhaps a statement down or a comment down that we can know how the ministry has helped you, 00:14:19.000 --> 00:14:27.000 Maybe a thumbs up, maybe you can subscribe to the channel, do whatever, just so we can know what impact this message may be having on you. 00:14:27.000 --> 00:14:31.000 And secondly, you may be someone who's saying, greg, I hear you. 00:14:31.000 --> 00:14:37.000 And this hope that Jesus has for us can come into my heart and it can change me. 00:14:37.000 --> 00:14:42.000 But the reality is that I don't even know if I know Jesus. 00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:45.000 I want to say two things to you right away. 00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:48.000 The first is he's near you right now. 00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:55.000 The Bible says if you believe in your heart that he is the Lord and if you confess him with your mouth, you will be saved. 00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:57.000 Which means you just need to where you are. 00:14:57.000 --> 00:15:03.000 Turn to the Lord Jesus Christ even now and just say, lord, here I am. 00:15:03.000 --> 00:15:05.000 I recognize who you are. 00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:07.000 I confess my sin to you. 00:15:07.000 --> 00:15:13.000 I acknowledge you as Jesus Christ, the Lord of all, the Son of the living God. 00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:15.000 And I want to follow you. 00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:17.000 I want to become a disciple of yours. 00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:20.000 I want to give my life to you, Lord. 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:24.000 And you can pray that prayer right now between you and the Lord. 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:27.000 Secondly, you can get hold of us. 00:15:27.000 --> 00:15:33.000 We could either send you some material, we can put you in touch with a really good church near you. 00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:38.000 If you live in our area, you can come to us, you can follow us on YouTube. 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:45.000 But it is good to get connected into the family of God, to get connected into a local church that your life changes being surrounded with the family of God. 00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:47.000 Please stay in touch. 00:15:47.000 --> 00:15:48.000 God bless you.