WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.000 You know, when some Christians talk about the world, I'm not always sure they know what they mean. 00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:10.000 Don't be in the world. He's very worldly. The world's a tough place. 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:15.000 You don't belong in the world. Well, I'm not sure where you do belong. 00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:22.000 The Bible defines being in the world as not being part of in this place. 00:00:22.000 --> 00:00:32.000 The Bible defines being in the world as being consumed by the values, the desires and the systems of this world, 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:40.000 letting worldly desires and patterns shape one's life and choices, potentially at the expense of faith and spiritual growth. 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:47.000 And there are some people, I like to call them convent Christians or monastery Christians. 00:00:47.000 --> 00:00:52.000 They're so surrounded by church, they don't know the world outside of it. 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:58.000 They're the ones who feel that the world is a dangerous, scary, seductive place. Don't go there. 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:05.000 When you go to work, you put your earphones in. You only listen to Bethel. 00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:13.000 And when you get home, you make sure you're protected by the fish on your car and the cross on the other side and the promise on the other side. 00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:20.000 You pled the blood before you got to work. You Shandala, Makasia, everyone around you. 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:28.000 You race in. You put some TBN on, you make sure you get some more gospel in. You wash your hands of this filthy world. 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:35.000 And so you live Monday to Friday, Saturday, you're hidden. Sunday, sanctuary time. 00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:40.000 And you're in the church the whole day. We've got to get you to leave eventually. 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:45.000 And Monday, it all starts again. I want to just remind you of this. 00:01:45.000 --> 00:01:50.000 The world is not a place you enter at your peril. 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:55.000 It's not a place you stay away from at all costs. 00:01:55.000 --> 00:02:02.000 It's not a place you slip in, earn a salary at the end of the month and get out while you can. 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:08.000 The world is the creation of God. He placed us in this world without asking our opinion. 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:14.000 And you know what? He leaves you in it for the length of your life. 00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:20.000 And God, when creating this world, said, it is good. Being in the world isn't a bad thing. 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:26.000 The world is God's creation. It's the place he's appointed us to live in. 00:02:26.000 --> 00:02:35.000 And he wants us to help reshape the world back into God's original intention through the advance of his kingdom. 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:41.000 You would have noticed this morning in the worship, they particularly... 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:47.000 I didn't know the songs that Andrew's got to hear God for himself. 00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:53.000 I find out when I'm standing here singing with you is the first time I find out what songs we're singing on a Sunday. 00:02:53.000 --> 00:03:00.000 But did you notice the accent behind it was all songs, all images of creation. 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:06.000 That's what I'm referring to. The world and then the people God put inside it. 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:14.000 Because I want you now to remember that this world extols the greatness of God for you and I to see when people look around. 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:23.000 In fact, Romans says people are without excuse because creation shouts and points to the fact of our great creator. 00:03:23.000 --> 00:03:32.000 It's part of my reasoning for creating a visual, expressive worship experience, darkening the place a little bit, 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:38.000 putting some imagery up, making it a bit bright. Some of you like, oh, I'm not sure about this. 00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:44.000 You're going to see some things in a moment. But I want to remind you that way, way, way, way, way back, 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:50.000 cathedrals were put in place, Catholic cathedrals. Have you ever gone inside some of them? 00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:56.000 Anyone been to the Sistine chapel? Been to St. Peter's been to beautiful cathedrals 00:03:56.000 --> 00:04:04.000 with artwork all across the walls, murals. If you've noticed, when you walk into such a place, 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:10.000 they are Bible stories, because people in those days were illiterate and didn't have opportunity to get to a Bible. 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:18.000 And so the great Bible stories and the great Bible characters would be put on the walls to see. 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:26.000 And when you walked into such a place, would you notice that what's in the center, in the front is an altar? 00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:33.000 Why an altar? Because an altar always speaks of the presence of God. It speaks of the habitation of God. 00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:42.000 And on it often would be candles and showbread and signs of communion showing fellowship with the Lord. 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:49.000 I grew up Anglican. Some of you probably grew up Catholic. You know that incense that you think, why, Lord? Why? 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:56.000 Because it was a picture of the prayers of the saints going up to the Lord. 00:04:56.000 --> 00:05:04.000 There was visual imagery of what it's like to be around the presence of God with the altar. 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:10.000 The presence at the center you meant to look at and think, wow. 00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:19.000 And men like Michelangelo, touched by the spirit of God, like Bezalel and the men of old 00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:26.000 that would create so that you could see the glory of God. 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:32.000 Then came the Protestant Reformation. And we said, no, all of that away. 00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:38.000 We went dour, we went quiet. You blacked off everything. 00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:45.000 You removed the altar from the middle. And what did you put in this place? The pulpit. 00:05:45.000 --> 00:05:51.000 Suddenly there's a wooden pulpit. And as you know, the only instrument that's ever going to be in heaven 00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:56.000 according to them is an organ. And it's got to have a lot of pipes. 00:05:56.000 --> 00:06:02.000 And you don't smile, you don't be happy, you're in church, remember? 00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:08.000 And if you even looked happy, you got that scowl. Some of you remember. 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:14.000 You drive past the church. What are the governments outside? Silence. I want to say noise. 00:06:14.000 --> 00:06:20.000 And then you get... Oh, you get rock stars today. Have you seen how bad that is? 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:27.000 You go to a music concert, it's dark, there's lights, there's action, there's camera, there's all this activity. 00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:34.000 Like, well, it's okay to go watch U2 or Sting or Billy Joel or whatever. Oh, wonderful. 00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:41.000 But when you go to church, no. Have you forgotten that God is the creator? Satan is the manipulator. 00:06:41.000 --> 00:06:48.000 He cannot create. But you also tend to forget he was the worship leader of heaven. 00:06:48.000 --> 00:06:55.000 And he saw the splendor of heaven and he mimics it here on Earth. 00:06:55.000 --> 00:07:02.000 The church is so far behind, we're still looking at those little things you put up on the screen. 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:09.000 We're so far behind. And he's mimicked for the world. 00:07:09.000 --> 00:07:17.000 And people are caught up in an experience at a conference, often because they caught up on the wrong thing. 00:07:17.000 --> 00:07:24.000 But what the devil is doing is taking what was in heaven and he's turned it. 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:31.000 And we take what would be from God and we make it bad, which is actually amazing. 00:07:31.000 --> 00:07:38.000 And if you want to ask me, if I were to build a cathedral or whatever, and I were to go back in time 00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:45.000 to give me an altar over the pulpit, because the altar was the presence of God. 00:07:45.000 --> 00:07:52.000 Today we have both. We've learned some things, but God intended for us to have an experience of him that is creation. 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:59.000 Think about creation on earth and in the skies. In the daytime, you walk around 00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:06.000 and there's nothing but the most incredible beauty. Go to the mountains, go to the sea, 00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:13.000 go to the deserts, go look at this incredible planet that the Lord has given us and how beautiful everything is. 00:08:13.000 --> 00:08:20.000 And there again, the devil has done a move. People believe in nature, they don't believe in God. 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:27.000 People become animists. They believe in creative things. They believe in all these things. 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:34.000 But creation in the daytime speaks of the glory of the king. From the power of a small seed 00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:41.000 we preached about last week with weeds and wheat to the coming of the king in the daybreak. 00:08:41.000 --> 00:08:48.000 And you think, wow, this. Then you get sunset later. And then the stars come out in their glory 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:55.000 and the constellations. And the reminder that when God said let there be and he started creating 00:08:55.000 --> 00:09:02.000 creation has continued until today. We are told that stars are being formed all the time. 00:09:02.000 --> 00:09:09.000 When God said let it be, never said let it stop. And universes are being created. 00:09:09.000 --> 00:09:16.000 We live In a small little planet on this huge scope of the activity of God 00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:23.000 and it all shows to the glory of our God. Are we going to change? 00:09:23.000 --> 00:09:30.000 What we're doing is because this thing is coming up, we've taken the sound, little booth thing is behind there, 00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:37.000 and it hasn't been brought to the front yet like I thought it would be. So I said, if there's going to be a problem with sound, 00:09:37.000 --> 00:09:44.000 make me swap quickly. So obviously there was a problem. Then we see the glory of God in the Old Testament. 00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:51.000 Remember, God put a tabernacle in place in the wilderness. And you remember the color and the purple 00:09:51.000 --> 00:09:58.000 and the gold and the design and the pomegranates and everything. You got into a desert landscape where there's nothing there. 00:09:58.000 --> 00:10:05.000 And suddenly there's an incredible, beautiful tabernacle full of... What is this? The glory of God. 00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:12.000 Then they built one of the marvels of the world, the temple of old, surrounded with gold and glory. 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:19.000 And you were meant to go into ancient Israel and look at the temple as the habitation of God. 00:10:19.000 --> 00:10:26.000 You were meant to see God. Then God goes and he shows his greatest creation, mankind. 00:10:26.000 --> 00:10:33.000 Every single one of you fearfully, wonderfully and gloriously made in the image of God. 00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:40.000 That's why murder is such a bad thing, because every human being is made in the image of God. 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:47.000 When you were created, God forged you and formed you the way he wanted you to be. 00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:54.000 Then he said, I make you in my likeness. You are the crowning glory of God's creation. 00:10:54.000 --> 00:11:01.000 Because no animal or plant or angel is like him, but you are. You are literally made in the image of God. 00:11:01.000 --> 00:11:08.000 Then we're going to join with him forever. So then we get another picture. 00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:15.000 And that picture is what heaven's going to be like. Try and imagine the scene in heaven when you die 00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:22.000 and you open your eyes again and you see the glory of our heaven is described 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:29.000 when the new heavens and the new earth is put in place and you're overcome by the glory and the brightness 00:11:29.000 --> 00:11:36.000 and the majesty of God. Remember God said to Moses, no one can see me and live. 00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:43.000 You literally like an atomic explosion, you would explode at the glory and greatness of God. 00:11:43.000 --> 00:11:50.000 And so God had to hide himself so we cannot see his glory while we're here on Earth. 00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:57.000 Not until we get new bodies. And that's why Jesus came from full of God in the fullness of man as well. 00:11:57.000 --> 00:12:04.000 And Jesus said to Philip, Philip, when you've seen me, you've seen the Father. 00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:11.000 You want to see the demonstration of God. Look at Jesus. Then Jesus says to us, 00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:18.000 when the world is looking for God and they can't see me because I'm in heaven, I want them to see you as creation. 00:12:18.000 --> 00:12:25.000 Do you mind if I give some examples? Quickly? I'm going to talk about an oasis in the wilderness. 00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:32.000 That what we're supposed to be as a church. But I want to start by showing you this morning 00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:39.000 something of the reflection of the glory of God, what He wants us to be overcome with all the time. 00:12:39.000 --> 00:12:46.000 Look at the Book of Job, chapter 26. I'll use a few excerpts. 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:53.000 God stretches the northern sky over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing. 00:12:53.000 --> 00:13:00.000 He wraps the rain in his thick clouds, and the clouds don't burst with a weight. 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:07.000 He covers the moon, the face of the moon, shrouding it with his clouds. 00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:14.000 He created the horizon when he separated the waters. He set the boundary between day and night. 00:13:14.000 --> 00:13:21.000 The foundations of heaven tremble. They shudder at his rebuke. By his power the sea grew calm. 00:13:21.000 --> 00:13:28.000 These are just the beginning of all he does, merely a whisper of his power. 00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:35.000 Who then can comprehend the thunder of his power? Psalm 81. 00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:42.000 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth. Your glory is higher than the heavens. 00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:49.000 You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you. 00:13:49.000 --> 00:13:56.000 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars you set in place. 00:13:56.000 --> 00:14:03.000 What are mere mortals that you should think about them? Human beings, that you should care for them. 00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:10.000 Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. 00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:17.000 You gave them charge over everything you made, putting all things under their authority. 00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:24.000 The flocks, the herds, the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish of the sea, 00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:31.000 and everything that swims in the ocean currents. O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth. 00:14:31.000 --> 00:14:38.000 Are you starting to get something of a sense of the wonder of God? Psalm 19:1. 00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:45.000 The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. 00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:52.000 Day after day they continue to speak. Night after night they make him known. 00:14:52.000 --> 00:14:59.000 They speak without a sound or word. Their voice is never heard. 00:14:59.000 --> 00:15:06.000 Yet their message has gone out through the earth. And their words to all the world. 00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:13.000 The last psalm I want to read to you. Psalm 33 from verse 6. The Psalmist. 00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:20.000 The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the Word, and all the stars were born. 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:27.000 He assigned the sea its boundaries, locked the oceans in vast resources. 00:15:27.000 --> 00:15:34.000 Let the whole world fear the Lord, and let everyone stand in awe of him. 00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:41.000 For when he spoke, the world began. It appeared at his command. 00:15:41.000 --> 00:15:48.000 The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations and thoughts their schemes. 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:55.000 But the Lord's plans stand firm forever. His intentions can never be shaken. 00:15:55.000 --> 00:16:02.000 What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people he has chosen as his inheritance. 00:16:02.000 --> 00:16:09.000 When you read the Scriptures and you look at the glory of creation, allow yourself to see how big your God is, 00:16:09.000 --> 00:16:16.000 how unshakable he is, and how the plans and schemes of this world melt into nothingness 00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:23.000 compared to the glory of our King. Look at him. When we talk in a moment about how you're going to live your life, 00:16:23.000 --> 00:16:30.000 look at him. Focus on him. Let him still take your breath away. 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:37.000 And then the Bible describes what will happen in heaven. John has a moment. 00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:44.000 He has a vision on the island of Patmos, and he is exposed to something of the glory of heaven. 00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:51.000 And I read Revelation 4 from verse 1. Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven. 00:16:51.000 --> 00:16:58.000 And the same voice I'd heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. 00:16:58.000 --> 00:17:05.000 The voice said, come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this. 00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:12.000 And instantly I was in the spirit. And I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. 00:17:12.000 --> 00:17:19.000 The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones, like Jasper and carnelian. 00:17:19.000 --> 00:17:26.000 And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow. 00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:33.000 24 thrones surrounded him, and 24 elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white 00:17:33.000 --> 00:17:40.000 and had gold crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:47.000 And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold spirit of God. 00:17:47.000 --> 00:17:54.000 In the front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal. 00:17:54.000 --> 00:18:01.000 In the center and around the throne were four living beings. This is weird. 00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:08.000 Each covered with eyes front and back. The first of these living beings was like a lion, 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:15.000 the second like an ox. The third had a human face. The fourth was like an eagle in flight. 00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:22.000 Each of these living beings had six wings. And their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. 00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:29.000 Day after day, night after night, they kept on saying, holy, holy, holy is the Lord, 00:18:29.000 --> 00:18:36.000 the Almighty, the one who always was, who is and is to come. 00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:43.000 Whenever the living beings give glory and honor, and thanks to the one sitting on the throne, 00:18:43.000 --> 00:18:50.000 the one who lives forever and ever, the 24 elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne, 00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:57.000 the one who lives forever and ever. And they lay their crowns before the throne and say, 00:18:57.000 --> 00:19:04.000 you are worthy, o Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. 00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:11.000 For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased. 00:19:11.000 --> 00:19:18.000 Move on quickly to Revelation, chapter 5. Then I looked again, and I heard the voices 00:19:18.000 --> 00:19:25.000 of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. 00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:32.000 And they sang in a mighty chorus, please don't get to heaven and think you can say, can someone put that down a bit? 00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:39.000 Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered to receive power and riches and wisdom 00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:46.000 and strength and honor and glory and blessing. And then I heard every creature in heaven 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:53.000 and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang blessing and honor and glory 00:19:53.000 --> 00:20:00.000 and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever. 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:07.000 And the four living beings said, Amen. And the 24 elders fell down and worshipped the Lamb. 00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:14.000 How do you think John felt when he said, I heard a voice before me and that voice sounded like... 00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:21.000 Like a trumpet blast. When was the last time you were aware of the fact that in your spirit God can speak? 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:28.000 Like a trumpet blast? Listen, what do you think will happen on the day when the king announces his arrival 00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:35.000 and something like that, only infinitely better, starts to be sounded all over the planet? 00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:42.000 What's going to happen when you get to heaven and you're a bit conservative around noise issues 00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:49.000 and the Bible says that there are peals of lightning and thunder. 00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:56.000 Listen, I want you to get a visual picture this morning of the moment you translated into heaven 00:20:56.000 --> 00:21:03.000 and you suddenly see God is worth making much about because everything is about him. 00:21:03.000 --> 00:21:10.000 You suddenly pale into insignificance at the glory of God and thousands and millions of angels and noise. 00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:17.000 And it says that literally there will be these bright flames in front of the throne, the sevenfold spirit of God. 00:21:17.000 --> 00:21:24.000 You're going to be overwhelmed by the sheer wonder and glory of God and of heaven. 00:21:24.000 --> 00:21:31.000 This is your king. This is your God. This is the one. 00:21:31.000 --> 00:21:38.000 We provided an atmosphere, a platform for you to worship this morning. 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:45.000 And I wonder how many of you stood in worship like this this morning. 00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:52.000 You have a long way to go in order to be undone. John walked with Jesus. 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:59.000 And when he saw a vision. A vision, not him. When he saw a vision of him on the island of Patmos, 00:21:59.000 --> 00:22:06.000 he felt like a dead man before him. And God started to show wonders and splendor 00:22:06.000 --> 00:22:13.000 of which this is but a poor demonstration. We can bring you to the place of worship. 00:22:13.000 --> 00:22:20.000 We can't make you worship. We can give you a Bible. We can't make you read. 00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:27.000 And please, if you this Morning are a professional Christian. It's time to repent 00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:34.000 and it's time to get soft again in the presence of your God and understand the majesty of the king. 00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:41.000 God is so much worth. Sorry, he has so much worth. He's worth getting to more, getting to know more. 00:22:41.000 --> 00:22:48.000 And he says this, I want to display some of this glory, some of this influence 00:22:48.000 --> 00:22:55.000 and some of this power into the world through the beautiful church. 00:22:55.000 --> 00:23:02.000 And Ephesians, chapter 5 and verse 1 says, Imitate God therefore, in everything you do, 00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:09.000 because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. 00:23:09.000 --> 00:23:16.000 He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us. A pleasing aroma to God. 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:23.000 Would you allow your life to be laid down as a pleasing aroma of God? 00:23:23.000 --> 00:23:30.000 Would you allow the wonder and the splendor of God to so fill you that you will change 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:37.000 to become an oasis in a desert? Would you allow people to look at your life and see 00:23:37.000 --> 00:23:44.000 you're not just you, you someone who has been touched, called and changed by the spirit of the living God. 00:23:44.000 --> 00:23:51.000 You see, your birth, your life till this point didn't take God by surprise. 00:23:51.000 --> 00:23:58.000 Your mom or your dad may look at each other and go, yes, an oopsie. But in heaven, you know, oopsie. 00:23:58.000 --> 00:24:05.000 He prepared the time and the place for us with specific purpose. Job, chapter 14 and verse 5 says, 00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:12.000 You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:19.000 and we are not given a minute longer. And I want to say to you, some of you don't know how long it's going to be, 00:24:19.000 --> 00:24:26.000 so live it to the glory of God. So that was number one. Look at the splendor of God. 00:24:26.000 --> 00:24:33.000 Number two, we're meant to refresh this dry and desperate world. Like Jesus, 00:24:33.000 --> 00:24:40.000 you and I are called to interact with all kinds and all classes of people in the world, 00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:47.000 including the wheat and the weeds. And that includes those who follow God and those who don't, 00:24:47.000 --> 00:24:54.000 even those who participate in less than desirable practices. Do you remember that Jesus was criticized 00:24:54.000 --> 00:25:01.000 for spending time with all the bad eggs? Luke 15:1. Tax collectors and other notorious sinners 00:25:01.000 --> 00:25:08.000 often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and the teachers of religion, 00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:15.000 teachers of religious law, complain that he was associating with such sinful people, even eating with them. 00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:22.000 When we mingle with those who are in the world, those who offend, it doesn't mean that you're of the world. 00:25:22.000 --> 00:25:29.000 As a matter of fact, you're meant to be of a completely different kind of character, 00:25:29.000 --> 00:25:36.000 hopefully radiating Love and joy, peace. Is it possible for Christians to do this? 00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:43.000 How are we able to be in, but not of? Picture a desert landscape. Dust, dryness, as far as the eye can see. 00:25:43.000 --> 00:25:50.000 And right in the middle of that desert landscape is a spring filling a pool of refreshing water 00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:57.000 for all who pass by. An oasis in the desert. The spring and the pool are in the desert, 00:25:57.000 --> 00:26:04.000 but they're not of the desert. They don't originate in the desert. They come from rain and snow 00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:11.000 and streams on faraway mountains. And then suddenly you get subterranean aquifers. 00:26:11.000 --> 00:26:18.000 And out of the blue, in the midst of a desert, a spring of water pops up. 00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:25.000 The stream and the pool are not of the same nature of the desert. In fact, they seem unnatural in the desert, 00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:32.000 but they're there. And where no one can eat or drink sand, you can eat from the oasis of the presence of God. 00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:39.000 And every time someone is saved, they are put back into the world as an oasis. 00:26:39.000 --> 00:26:46.000 Do you know you can be part of something without being in it? It's possible to fall in a pig pen by mistake 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:53.000 and not become a pig. I know many people, including myself. You can go to university without being educated. 00:26:53.000 --> 00:27:00.000 Here's another one. You can even go and be in an art museum without becoming an artist. 00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:07.000 Think I'm the only kid in my class who failed art? And someone even can be in the church 00:27:07.000 --> 00:27:14.000 without ever wanting to be a disciple of Jesus. Being in something is far more superficial than being of it. 00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:21.000 God says, I create you in my image meant to reflect something of that glory, 00:27:21.000 --> 00:27:28.000 and then I send you into a world. Point number three of five. Why? So that you can exercise kingdom likeness. 00:27:28.000 --> 00:27:35.000 What does it mean to be of something? Mark 3:17. Jesus calls James and John the sons of thunder. 00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:42.000 Remember they went to go preach in the town. The town didn't accept him. So James and John, 00:27:42.000 --> 00:27:49.000 these lovers of Jesus, go to him and say, can we please call down fire and burn the place? 00:27:49.000 --> 00:27:56.000 It's like I did a speech at school. No one thanked me. God burned them. 00:27:56.000 --> 00:28:03.000 The motive was a bit impure, isn't it? It's like some of you. I let you in in traffic, I let you in. 00:28:03.000 --> 00:28:10.000 Then you don't acknowledge I let you in. I start hooting at you. I give you the Edenvale sign. 00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:17.000 Surely you let the people in because you want to be kind, not be recognized. 00:28:17.000 --> 00:28:24.000 And the moment someone doesn't acknowledge, I'm not doing that ever again. Sons of thunder. 00:28:24.000 --> 00:28:31.000 And what we say when we're saying someone's a son of. We're referring to their origin and their nature. 00:28:31.000 --> 00:28:38.000 It's a comment about family, isn't it? Sometimes you got a strong physical resemblance to some family members, 00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:45.000 but most of the time it's character and attitude. You can run, but you can't hide. 00:28:45.000 --> 00:28:52.000 Often you can look at someone, look at their siblings, look at their parents, 00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:59.000 and there's some of that brokenness that comes all the way through. And they can hide a veneer, 00:28:59.000 --> 00:29:06.000 but when you get them alone, that's what you get. Why? Because the family line runs through. 00:29:06.000 --> 00:29:13.000 And that's why Jesus comes to change and transform and break those things inside of us 00:29:13.000 --> 00:29:20.000 so we can be part of a new family. Someone who's of the kingdom of God has their origin, 00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:27.000 their nature from that kingdom. That's what Jesus was talking about to Nicodemus in John chapter three 00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:34.000 when he said, you must be born again. And in verse 20 he says, all who do evil hate the light, 00:29:34.000 --> 00:29:41.000 refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what's right come to the light 00:29:41.000 --> 00:29:48.000 that others can see. They're doing what God wants. God always wants you in the light and in the open. 00:29:48.000 --> 00:29:55.000 And how do you get this new character? How do you get this new nature? Well, we know you're born again 00:29:55.000 --> 00:30:02.000 by the word of God. Then the Holy Spirit, like a wind, blows in the lives of individuals 00:30:02.000 --> 00:30:09.000 and you start to reflect the kingdom. People can see the results in your life, 00:30:09.000 --> 00:30:16.000 but they can't see the cause until you tell them. They can see that you are an aquifer in a wilderness. 00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:23.000 But they don't understand where your secret power comes from. And remember, Jesus said, 00:30:23.000 --> 00:30:30.000 streams of living water will flow from within you. This abundant life is possible for everyone 00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:37.000 who wants to become a Christian. The heart of the kingdom believer is Matthew 6:9. 00:30:37.000 --> 00:30:44.000 Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 00:30:44.000 --> 00:30:51.000 You and I can know the power of the risen Jesus inside of us. We demonstrate a power 00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:58.000 that comes from outside of us, that changes us to be like him who now lives within us by his spirit. 00:30:58.000 --> 00:31:05.000 You don't just have a different belief system. When you become a Christian, God by the Spirit takes residence inside you. 00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:12.000 That's why Jesus said, it's better that I go to depart, to go and be with the Father. 00:31:12.000 --> 00:31:19.000 Which is better for you, because I will send the Spirit. Because Jesus could be with his disciples, 00:31:19.000 --> 00:31:26.000 but his Spirit could be within his disciples. And God plants the spirit of God inside of you 00:31:26.000 --> 00:31:33.000 when you're born again and A work of transformation starts in your life called maturing or discipling. 00:31:33.000 --> 00:31:40.000 And we become more like Jesus. We become living letters, ambassadors. 00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:47.000 And God starts to rearrange the details of our lives so that we start to please him. 00:31:47.000 --> 00:31:54.000 I'm absolutely honored this morning. Sitting in that corner is my aunt and my uncle, 00:31:54.000 --> 00:32:01.000 who, to the best of my knowledge, besides at a funeral, have never heard me preach. 00:32:01.000 --> 00:32:08.000 My aunt sitting over there is a nice lady, but I worked for her before I started this church. 00:32:08.000 --> 00:32:15.000 33 years ago, I started working for that dragon right there. And she's known me since I was born. 00:32:15.000 --> 00:32:22.000 She's sitting next to my father right over there, who's also in church today, by the way. 00:32:22.000 --> 00:32:29.000 And there's my aunt. She saw me grow up. She watched me from born. 00:32:29.000 --> 00:32:36.000 I remember getting so offended with her when we came from Kimberley and I still had my Afrikaans accent. 00:32:36.000 --> 00:32:43.000 And I heard Shona say to my dad, I see Greg is very bilingual. And I got so offended, Shona, I never told you. 00:32:43.000 --> 00:32:50.000 And we finished off and I went to my dad in Rosebank and I said, why is Shona being ugly to me? 00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:57.000 I'm not bilingual. I didn't even know what it meant. And next to her, sitting over there is my favorite uncle. 00:32:57.000 --> 00:33:04.000 Don't tell the others, because my dad's one of five siblings. There's my uncle. 00:33:04.000 --> 00:33:11.000 He's never heard me preach in his life. I fell in love with Dire Straits because of him. 00:33:11.000 --> 00:33:18.000 That uncle of mine over there was the curator of the Durban Aquarium. 00:33:18.000 --> 00:33:25.000 He then how many of you have been to the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town? He built it, he designed it. 00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:32.000 He was the curator, the head of that aquarium for the last 30 years there. My uncle. 00:33:32.000 --> 00:33:39.000 My uncle Patrick, we've always communicated, been my favorite uncle. And he blessed me by coming to church 00:33:39.000 --> 00:33:46.000 this morning to come be with me. And we're gonna go and have lunch afterwards. I can't wait. 00:33:46.000 --> 00:33:53.000 And the point I want to tell you is this. They, along with my dad, know me before you did. 00:33:53.000 --> 00:34:00.000 And you asked them if I was always like this. Their testimony will be God took a punk, did something with him. 00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:07.000 That's evidence of an unseen power. That's your testimony. That's your story here this morning. 00:34:07.000 --> 00:34:14.000 Number four, unfortunately, outside, while looking inside, I gave you descriptions from Job and the Psalms. 00:34:14.000 --> 00:34:21.000 And then I went through the Book of Revelation to show you the glory of our God. 00:34:21.000 --> 00:34:28.000 And I want you to make this point. It's easy to see those who are captivated by God and those who aren't 00:34:28.000 --> 00:34:35.000 there are so Many people that hang around the kingdom of God, but their character is not of it. 00:34:35.000 --> 00:34:42.000 Churches are full of them. Their thoughts, their motives, their desire come from the world. 00:34:42.000 --> 00:34:49.000 Their nature is restricted to this world. They've seen people healed and transformed. 00:34:49.000 --> 00:34:56.000 They've seen around them the supernatural evidence of God. And although they may be sitting 00:34:56.000 --> 00:35:03.000 right in the middle of the people of God, it doesn't mean they're part of it. 00:35:03.000 --> 00:35:10.000 It's scary that you can be within the scope of the presence and power of God and never be in it yourself. 00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:17.000 The writer to the Hebrews deals with this in chapter 6, verse 4. It is impossible to bring back to repentance 00:35:17.000 --> 00:35:24.000 those who were once enlightened, those who've experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, 00:35:24.000 --> 00:35:31.000 who've tasted the goodness of the Word of God and the power of the age to come, and who then turn away from God. 00:35:31.000 --> 00:35:38.000 It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance. By rejecting the Son of God, 00:35:38.000 --> 00:35:45.000 they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame when the ground soaks up. 00:35:45.000 --> 00:35:52.000 Because now this next verse explains what we just heard. When the ground soaks up the falling rain 00:35:52.000 --> 00:35:59.000 and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has God's blessing. But if a field bears thorns and thistles, 00:35:59.000 --> 00:36:06.000 it's useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it. Dear friends, 00:36:06.000 --> 00:36:13.000 although we are talking this way, we really don't believe it applies to you. 00:36:13.000 --> 00:36:20.000 We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with salvation. 00:36:20.000 --> 00:36:27.000 And the writer of the Hebrews is explaining how you can get people who are exposed to the powers of the world to come. 00:36:27.000 --> 00:36:34.000 They've tasted the Word of God. They they've seen the touch of the Holy Spirit. 00:36:34.000 --> 00:36:41.000 There are people who can say, supernaturally, someone was looking after me all my days. 00:36:41.000 --> 00:36:48.000 Some things have happened. I've always been taken care of, but I've never taken a further stop to say, 00:36:48.000 --> 00:36:55.000 should I belong to him? In their hearts, they've said no. The most important thing in their lives 00:36:55.000 --> 00:37:02.000 is not to follow Jesus. It's to look after their own lives. They've turned away, the Bible says, 00:37:02.000 --> 00:37:09.000 and put Jesus to open shame. What they mean is they say they've nailed him back to the cross. 00:37:09.000 --> 00:37:16.000 What they mean is they're saying, this, Jesus, whatever you did while you were here, it wasn't enough for me. 00:37:16.000 --> 00:37:23.000 That's what they're saying. Why is it impossible to bring them to repentance? Because they really don't think they need it. 00:37:23.000 --> 00:37:30.000 You can't bring someone to repentance who thinks they don't need it. They're comfortable on the throne of their own lives. 00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:37.000 They want to stay there. And they're foolish. They don't know how capricious this world is 00:37:37.000 --> 00:37:44.000 that no one is in charge of the scope of your life. I'm going to plan this, do this, retire here, do this. 00:37:44.000 --> 00:37:51.000 I'm going to go there, I'm going to do that. The only thing you have charge over in your life is some of your decisions. 00:37:51.000 --> 00:37:58.000 That's it. Because so much of life is outside of your control, even down to your own health. 00:37:58.000 --> 00:38:05.000 And they refuse to believe it. They refuse to go with it. I haven't got time now. 00:38:05.000 --> 00:38:12.000 But you remember Simon the Magician when he heard about Jesus from Philip, he was baptized. 00:38:12.000 --> 00:38:19.000 And later Peter and John come and begin doing the works of the Spirit. And he wants to buy the gift of the Spirit. 00:38:19.000 --> 00:38:26.000 I don't want to surrender to Jesus, I just want his power. How do I short circuit without getting saved? 00:38:26.000 --> 00:38:33.000 How do I get the power and the forgiveness of God without giving my life to him? 00:38:33.000 --> 00:38:40.000 So many people respond to an altar call because they want their problem solved, not that they want to surrender to Jesus. 00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:47.000 They think the church is a building you go to instead of a people who are called to infiltrate a world. 00:38:47.000 --> 00:38:54.000 This will continue until people realize that human problems will never be solved by human solutions. 00:38:54.000 --> 00:39:01.000 We could have solved our problems years ago, but we always want Babel. 00:39:01.000 --> 00:39:08.000 Last point number five and I'm done. Then who's really in charge? When you're walking through a wilderness 00:39:08.000 --> 00:39:15.000 and you see oasis, who's really in charge? The Old Testament passage of Psalm 145 and Daniel 4 00:39:15.000 --> 00:39:22.000 gives us an impression of the far reaching extent of the kingdom. If you start to become a student 00:39:22.000 --> 00:39:29.000 of the kingdom of God, you'll discover that the kingdom of God was a concept that developed late 00:39:29.000 --> 00:39:36.000 in the history of Israel. You see it in the late Psalms, you see it in the book of Daniel, 00:39:36.000 --> 00:39:43.000 the book of Nehemiah, and then the historical books. And the term was only clear really 00:39:43.000 --> 00:39:50.000 by the time Psalm 145 was written. Words like this. The Lord is good to everyone. 00:39:50.000 --> 00:39:57.000 He showers compassion on all his creation. All of your works will thank you. O God goes down to the bottom. 00:39:57.000 --> 00:40:04.000 The Lord always keeps his promises. He's gracious to all in what he does. He leaves no one out. 00:40:04.000 --> 00:40:11.000 God wants everyone to know his goodness. Then you go to the book of Daniel. I won't read it now, 00:40:11.000 --> 00:40:18.000 but if you go to the book of Daniel, in chapter four. Do you remember? Nebuchadnezzar was the leader 00:40:18.000 --> 00:40:25.000 of the Babylon, the famous hanging gardens of Babylon, the greatest emperor of the day. 00:40:25.000 --> 00:40:32.000 And he looked out over his kingdom and he marveled at what he had become, what he had done, 00:40:32.000 --> 00:40:39.000 the things he was so proud of. And in that moment, God says, you're not seeing me. 00:40:39.000 --> 00:40:46.000 And he reduced him to an animal and he ate the grass and years later was restored to his kingdom. 00:40:46.000 --> 00:40:53.000 And Daniel chapter four says, after this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. 00:40:53.000 --> 00:41:00.000 My sanity returned. And I praised and worshiped the Most High. I honored the one who lives forever. 00:41:00.000 --> 00:41:07.000 Listen. His rule is everlasting and his kingdom is eternal. How did Nebuchadnezzar meet the Lord, 00:41:07.000 --> 00:41:14.000 the greatest emperor of his day? The Bible says he lifted up his eyes, then his sanity returned to him. 00:41:14.000 --> 00:41:21.000 Most of the insanity of this world right now is because people don't lift their eyes to the king. 00:41:21.000 --> 00:41:28.000 They refuse to look up. They look straight, they look at themselves and they look down, but they don't look up. 00:41:28.000 --> 00:41:35.000 And what puts people into perspective is when you're able to look up and see the glory of God. 00:41:35.000 --> 00:41:42.000 The problem is, as God's trying to show us the way these days that they see him is through his people. 00:41:42.000 --> 00:41:49.000 I read you Daniel 4:34, last verse for today, verse 35. All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. 00:41:49.000 --> 00:41:56.000 He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. 00:41:56.000 --> 00:42:03.000 No one can stop him or say to him, what do you mean by doing these things? Things? Our God is the God of Gods. 00:42:03.000 --> 00:42:10.000 Can I just talk about the elephant in the room quickly? Then we'll close just quickly. The elephant in the room. 00:42:10.000 --> 00:42:17.000 This is what keeps me awake at night. So many churches today have a problem they're completely unaware of. 00:42:17.000 --> 00:42:24.000 They attract good, sensible, thoughtful people to church who aren't particularly interested in having God in charge. 00:42:24.000 --> 00:42:31.000 There's reasons they come to church. Fellowship, love, find a spouse, communion, relating with other people, 00:42:31.000 --> 00:42:38.000 sense of belonging. And those are all good things. I want to be a good person. I believe in God. 00:42:38.000 --> 00:42:45.000 I want to associate with a church that's dynamic. And the problem is, we look at these people 00:42:45.000 --> 00:42:52.000 and because they're hard working, they're intelligent, they're highly motivated. 00:42:52.000 --> 00:42:59.000 Our leaders start spotting them and say, this is a good guy, man. He's a good guy. Let's bring him into leadership. 00:42:59.000 --> 00:43:06.000 He's a good guy. And before you know it, our churches start getting filled with good people. 00:43:06.000 --> 00:43:13.000 And our leaders are filled. Our leadership teams are filled with great people. 00:43:13.000 --> 00:43:20.000 And as they start to exercise authority, they start to forget who's really in charge. 00:43:20.000 --> 00:43:27.000 And they start to forget that they're simple, humble servants before a king. 00:43:27.000 --> 00:43:34.000 And they get taken up with stuff. And the church continues to grow and it prospers. 00:43:34.000 --> 00:43:41.000 The problem is, in such churches, if God were to lift his presence, they wouldn't know 00:43:41.000 --> 00:43:48.000 because they've got great programs and good leaders and people who can do good things, 00:43:48.000 --> 00:43:55.000 and the structures run well, but where are they bringing the aquifer, the hidden presence of God 00:43:55.000 --> 00:44:02.000 that transforms the lives of others? It's not your ability to administrate a meeting 00:44:02.000 --> 00:44:09.000 that makes you anything. It's your ability to tap into the spirit of God who is with you, 00:44:09.000 --> 00:44:16.000 the spirit of God who is within you. And that's the intention of God for everybody. 00:44:16.000 --> 00:44:23.000 And I've gone to churches where, before you know it, behind closed doors, when they have their meetings, 00:44:23.000 --> 00:44:30.000 the one thing they never talk about is Jesus. They talk about the product called the church. 00:44:30.000 --> 00:44:37.000 They talk about the things we have to do and where's the Lord and his leading and his presence 00:44:37.000 --> 00:44:44.000 and our humility before him and his ability to add 5,000, then 3,000 in one day to a church 00:44:44.000 --> 00:44:51.000 where he says, I will lead my church. The ability of the saints to realize we're all oases in the desert, 00:44:51.000 --> 00:44:58.000 we're all meant to be filled. And when I want to follow a leader, I want to follow someone who's humble, 00:44:58.000 --> 00:45:05.000 who's broken, who loves, who's gentle, forgives, quickly moves on, finds the spirit of God. 00:45:05.000 --> 00:45:12.000 When I'm with them, I'm refreshed, as if being in an oasis, not leaving feeling. 00:45:12.000 --> 00:45:19.000 I'm not sure about what just happened. Our challenge as a church. My last statement, 00:45:19.000 --> 00:45:26.000 I promise our challenge as a church is to bring people back to the truth that the church consists 00:45:26.000 --> 00:45:33.000 of those who have been called out by God to be part of his family and to extend his kingdom. 00:45:33.000 --> 00:45:40.000 We are an oasis in a desert. Our job primarily is to call people to God which constitutes the church. 00:45:40.000 --> 00:45:47.000 And then people are added on a daily basis. And then that this church, I hope, 00:45:47.000 --> 00:45:54.000 and tens of thousands of others are filled with people who become a touch point between heaven and earth, 00:45:54.000 --> 00:46:01.000 where the healing of the cross and the power of resurrection can save the lost and bring them into a fullness in Christ. 00:46:01.000 --> 00:46:08.000 Because as people stumble through this world, through the deserts of this world, may they stumble into you, 00:46:08.000 --> 00:46:15.000 and may you be an oasis of Living water, where your life simply displays the glory of the God 00:46:15.000 --> 00:46:22.000 who's taken residence in you that you're open to, that you marvel at in this world today. 00:46:22.000 --> 00:46:29.000 Amen.