WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.099 Let me first, though, pray for us. O gracious 00:00:08.099 --> 00:00:16.719 God, may the words of my mouth and may the thoughts 00:00:16.719 --> 00:00:20.739 of all our hearts be pleasing in your sight. 00:00:22.739 --> 00:00:32.500 Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen. Well, 00:00:32.600 --> 00:00:36.740 thank you, James, for your invitation to come 00:00:36.740 --> 00:00:38.759 back and to be with you. It's a few years ago 00:00:38.759 --> 00:00:42.340 since I was last here at Oak Hill. And I imagine 00:00:42.340 --> 00:00:45.280 that apart from staff that this completely new 00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:47.039 student body and look forward to meeting some 00:00:47.039 --> 00:00:49.859 of you over lunch and waiting for your questions 00:00:49.859 --> 00:00:54.820 after this service. The very first occasion I 00:00:54.820 --> 00:00:57.060 actually came to Oak Hill was 19, I think was 00:00:57.060 --> 00:01:04.739 1981. which when I was just 13, and I mentioned 00:01:04.739 --> 00:01:08.579 my mother earlier, as you'll realize a few years 00:01:08.579 --> 00:01:10.980 on from the time I spoke about when my... Faith 00:01:10.980 --> 00:01:14.299 became very personal and very real and alive. 00:01:14.760 --> 00:01:18.040 My mother responded to the need that we saw in 00:01:18.040 --> 00:01:21.459 front of us, sensing God's call to serve in some 00:01:21.459 --> 00:01:24.480 capacity, some way in an ordained ministry. At 00:01:24.480 --> 00:01:27.799 that time, women were able to be ordained deaconess. 00:01:27.840 --> 00:01:29.959 So my mother offered herself for ministry as 00:01:29.959 --> 00:01:32.859 a deaconess in the Church of England. And she 00:01:32.859 --> 00:01:37.400 refused to attend, resisted all attempts to move 00:01:37.400 --> 00:01:40.870 her on to training programs. in the southwest 00:01:40.870 --> 00:01:43.890 where we were living at that time. She insisted 00:01:43.890 --> 00:01:46.310 she wanted to train at Oak Hill and felt that 00:01:46.310 --> 00:01:48.450 would give her the best grounding that she would 00:01:48.450 --> 00:01:52.650 need for ministry. And so she brought us along. 00:01:52.730 --> 00:01:55.010 She trained on the part -time course that Oak 00:01:55.010 --> 00:01:57.629 Hill itself ran at that time, its staff taught 00:01:57.629 --> 00:02:01.109 on. And so she brought myself and my siblings 00:02:01.109 --> 00:02:02.709 at various times along to share in weekends. 00:02:02.750 --> 00:02:06.519 So my very first experience of kind of... challenging 00:02:06.519 --> 00:02:11.199 theology. I can vividly remember the place I 00:02:11.199 --> 00:02:13.139 was. I can even remember where I was in the room 00:02:13.139 --> 00:02:16.500 as the principal taught on hermeneutics, which 00:02:16.500 --> 00:02:18.520 for a 13 -year -old, there were some big words 00:02:18.520 --> 00:02:20.300 there. I was quite excited about the big words. 00:02:20.360 --> 00:02:22.460 I had very little idea quite what they might 00:02:22.460 --> 00:02:25.740 mean, but I knew it was good, and I'm sure it 00:02:25.740 --> 00:02:28.340 continues to be good, and that you are being 00:02:28.340 --> 00:02:31.439 strengthened and equipped for lifelong ministry 00:02:31.439 --> 00:02:35.259 as she was, and for which I personally am also 00:02:35.400 --> 00:02:38.199 very grateful. So it's good to be back a few 00:02:38.199 --> 00:02:42.060 years on and to share again with you at this 00:02:42.060 --> 00:02:45.219 very critical moment for the church in our nation, 00:02:45.319 --> 00:02:47.539 not just the Church of England. And I know many 00:02:47.539 --> 00:02:50.219 of you are not part of specifically the Church 00:02:50.219 --> 00:02:52.020 of England, but have a care for the Church of 00:02:52.020 --> 00:02:56.560 England. But I do believe that before us... This 00:02:56.560 --> 00:02:58.560 time, there are challenges, unique challenges 00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:02.919 that we face as we face into the culture in which 00:03:02.919 --> 00:03:05.719 we are seeking to proclaim the gospel. But we 00:03:05.719 --> 00:03:10.270 also have unique opportunities. And I hope you'll 00:03:10.270 --> 00:03:13.150 get a sense of that as I try to bring something 00:03:13.150 --> 00:03:16.030 of a kind of personal perspective as well that 00:03:16.030 --> 00:03:20.430 I hope will be reflected as we look and explore 00:03:20.430 --> 00:03:24.270 Ephesians 3 together. My text for this sermon 00:03:24.270 --> 00:03:26.849 is Ephesians 3, verse 20, and in particular, 00:03:26.949 --> 00:03:31.210 where Paul writes now to him who is able to do 00:03:31.210 --> 00:03:35.610 immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. 00:03:36.909 --> 00:03:40.370 And my question is this. How do we nurture in 00:03:40.370 --> 00:03:45.409 ourselves and in others a healthy confidence 00:03:45.409 --> 00:03:51.509 in this truth? I think we need to examine it 00:03:51.509 --> 00:03:54.810 carefully if we're to avoid it simply being a 00:03:54.810 --> 00:03:58.330 favorite verse for the perennial optimists among 00:03:58.330 --> 00:04:03.419 us. People who can easily be given over to. the 00:04:03.419 --> 00:04:07.180 possibility of exaggeration while seeking to 00:04:07.180 --> 00:04:10.639 raise the expectation levels around them that 00:04:10.639 --> 00:04:13.800 might at times frustrate them. But sometimes 00:04:13.800 --> 00:04:18.000 we can find ourselves tipping over into trying 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:21.600 to enlist people into our good cause or plan. 00:04:22.120 --> 00:04:24.759 Like an anxious senior minister, I've been one 00:04:24.759 --> 00:04:28.220 of those who, having set out the vision and the 00:04:28.220 --> 00:04:30.379 strategic priorities for the church over the 00:04:30.379 --> 00:04:33.899 next three years, concludes with a rallying prayer 00:04:33.899 --> 00:04:39.600 based on this verse. As if and hoping. that it 00:04:39.600 --> 00:04:42.920 might in some way eliminate or diminish the deflating 00:04:42.920 --> 00:04:47.959 effects of those who you fear are poised to jump 00:04:47.959 --> 00:04:51.740 in and ask the probing question or to offer their 00:04:51.740 --> 00:04:54.660 critical analysis that might push the well -worked 00:04:54.660 --> 00:04:58.079 plan off course. And so we say, remember, he 00:04:58.079 --> 00:05:01.839 who is able to do immeasurably more. We hope 00:05:01.839 --> 00:05:04.220 it will kind of somehow close off some of the 00:05:04.220 --> 00:05:08.740 debate. Well, there is an equally damaging risk. 00:05:09.240 --> 00:05:12.800 to the well -being of the church and it's not 00:05:12.800 --> 00:05:16.620 only in that sort of exaggeration the lack of 00:05:16.620 --> 00:05:20.420 reality that sometimes can impinge upon the anxiety 00:05:20.420 --> 00:05:24.839 of those who minister the gospel but also those 00:05:24.839 --> 00:05:27.339 who've been knocked back in Christian life and 00:05:27.339 --> 00:05:30.079 ministry managing a series of disappointments 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:33.839 a sense of failure who may read this verse as 00:05:33.839 --> 00:05:38.990 containing truth that applies to others who are 00:05:38.990 --> 00:05:43.649 more blessed than us, or at least where the gospel 00:05:43.649 --> 00:05:47.290 is received more readily. Now, in my experience, 00:05:47.509 --> 00:05:50.930 the church really does need more people of bold 00:05:50.930 --> 00:05:55.790 faith and courage and imagination. And I would 00:05:55.790 --> 00:06:00.269 far rather have those than people who have learned 00:06:00.269 --> 00:06:04.029 to reduce or downsize their hopeful enthusiasm. 00:06:04.509 --> 00:06:07.350 Don't let that happen to you. I don't know how 00:06:07.350 --> 00:06:10.410 long you keep Christmas cards up in your home. 00:06:11.449 --> 00:06:14.009 Most people keep them up just perhaps to turn 00:06:14.009 --> 00:06:16.769 the corner into the new year. I received a Christmas 00:06:16.769 --> 00:06:19.970 card in Christmas, coming up to Christmas 2022. 00:06:20.550 --> 00:06:25.009 And it is still on the mantelpiece of our home 00:06:25.009 --> 00:06:29.350 as a kind of centerpiece. And it has on it just 00:06:29.350 --> 00:06:32.750 a simple etching of the nativity. There are shepherds 00:06:32.750 --> 00:06:35.629 gazing down upon the Christ child. And the words 00:06:35.629 --> 00:06:39.569 on the card are simply this. Nothing seems impossible 00:06:39.569 --> 00:06:44.009 anymore. Nothing seems impossible anymore. It 00:06:44.009 --> 00:06:47.410 arrived on a day and in a week when I was dealing 00:06:47.410 --> 00:06:52.550 with a complex set of issues, of conflicts, of 00:06:52.550 --> 00:06:57.870 setbacks in just about every sphere of life and 00:06:57.870 --> 00:07:02.160 work. I was longing for some respite from the 00:07:02.160 --> 00:07:04.699 challenges I was facing, but the encouragement 00:07:04.699 --> 00:07:08.560 I needed in the end didn't come from immediate 00:07:08.560 --> 00:07:13.279 resolutions to everything, but in the centering 00:07:13.279 --> 00:07:17.860 of my attention once again on the reason for 00:07:17.860 --> 00:07:21.240 the hope that we have and the confidence that 00:07:21.240 --> 00:07:24.259 we have in the God who has called us. Because 00:07:24.259 --> 00:07:27.360 of Jesus and his coming into the mess of our 00:07:27.360 --> 00:07:30.139 world as Savior and Lord to conquer the greatest 00:07:30.139 --> 00:07:35.779 enemy of sin and death, nothing should seem impossible 00:07:35.779 --> 00:07:40.319 anymore. For this is the head of the church, 00:07:40.439 --> 00:07:44.519 Christ Jesus himself. So I am very grateful to 00:07:44.519 --> 00:07:47.980 Mark Green at LICC for his Christmas card that 00:07:47.980 --> 00:07:52.870 year. It still has a special place. As followers 00:07:52.870 --> 00:07:55.509 of Jesus, as part of his church, we are meant 00:07:55.509 --> 00:07:58.649 to be a community filled with God's living hope. 00:07:59.149 --> 00:08:02.930 We should be the most creative and the most bold 00:08:02.930 --> 00:08:06.670 and hopeful organization on earth. But that is 00:08:06.670 --> 00:08:09.250 not easy when we also face the daily reality 00:08:09.250 --> 00:08:13.470 of a spiritual battle that never goes on pause. 00:08:13.949 --> 00:08:16.790 And the apostle will come on to that later in 00:08:16.790 --> 00:08:20.860 Ephesians. So how do we retain hopeful confidence 00:08:20.860 --> 00:08:24.139 in Christ while remaining vigilant in the battle 00:08:24.139 --> 00:08:27.779 for salt? Now, the substance of our confidence, 00:08:27.920 --> 00:08:30.759 I believe, is held out for us within this prayer 00:08:30.759 --> 00:08:34.620 of Paul. It's the centerpiece of his great epistle 00:08:34.620 --> 00:08:37.860 to the Ephesians. With some obvious qualifications, 00:08:38.299 --> 00:08:40.759 the first three chapters, as you may know, focus 00:08:40.759 --> 00:08:44.539 on doctrine and the last three on practical Christian 00:08:44.539 --> 00:08:49.379 living, the implications of that doctrine. Verses 00:08:49.379 --> 00:08:54.220 14 to 21 form the vital connection or the meeting 00:08:54.220 --> 00:08:57.840 point between the two parts. Now, in one of the 00:08:57.840 --> 00:09:01.240 older Bible commentaries by Bishop Handley Mool, 00:09:01.399 --> 00:09:06.679 published, in fact, 125 years ago, but as fresh 00:09:06.679 --> 00:09:09.480 as ever, he includes a very moving chapter in 00:09:09.480 --> 00:09:12.059 the center of his commentary. He sort of steps 00:09:12.059 --> 00:09:15.360 back from the detail of the commentary to reflect 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:19.159 on this moment in the epistle. And he writes 00:09:19.159 --> 00:09:23.399 this. He says, we have, as it were, in this prayer, 00:09:23.580 --> 00:09:28.570 reached the top. of a mountain road. The place 00:09:28.570 --> 00:09:34.110 invites us to rest and also retrospect. We shall 00:09:34.110 --> 00:09:36.750 soon move on towards the plains and the cities. 00:09:37.210 --> 00:09:41.269 Let us sit still for a time under the quiet sky. 00:09:41.840 --> 00:09:45.980 and contemplate the everlasting hills among which 00:09:45.980 --> 00:09:50.500 we have ascended as they lift their heads heavenwards 00:09:50.500 --> 00:09:55.059 and pour their waters down the paths at our feet 00:09:55.059 --> 00:09:59.220 towards the scenes of human life and on he goes 00:09:59.769 --> 00:10:02.470 Sounds like Keswick James, actually, when I read 00:10:02.470 --> 00:10:06.110 that again. I mean, how do we nurture such confident, 00:10:06.250 --> 00:10:09.029 hopeful faith in God as his people and as his 00:10:09.029 --> 00:10:11.429 church? Well, the answer is simply this prayer. 00:10:12.710 --> 00:10:16.750 Simply this prayer. But here is the primary source 00:10:16.750 --> 00:10:19.570 of our confidence in expecting God to move him 00:10:19.570 --> 00:10:23.409 in power. This prayer is earnest and it's humble 00:10:23.409 --> 00:10:26.809 and it's far reaching in the scope of its vision. 00:10:27.049 --> 00:10:31.289 Paul begins, for this reason, I kneel before 00:10:31.289 --> 00:10:34.450 the father from whom every family in heaven and 00:10:34.450 --> 00:10:37.629 on earth derives its name. As you may know, bowing 00:10:37.629 --> 00:10:41.529 the knee is a sign not only of prayer, but specifically 00:10:41.529 --> 00:10:45.830 of reverence, of surrender, of humility before 00:10:45.830 --> 00:10:50.620 God. So here is where I let go of my need to 00:10:50.620 --> 00:10:53.360 prove myself as a bishop, as a minister of the 00:10:53.360 --> 00:10:58.399 gospel, as a husband, as a father, as a friend, 00:10:58.600 --> 00:11:02.179 as a follower of Christ. Here is where I no longer 00:11:02.179 --> 00:11:07.820 try to exert pressure on God to enlist him into 00:11:07.820 --> 00:11:12.200 my cause. This prayer... is about a response 00:11:12.200 --> 00:11:15.279 of the soul to all that Christ has done for us. 00:11:15.379 --> 00:11:17.899 That's the journey that Paul has been traveling 00:11:17.899 --> 00:11:21.320 through the landscape, the mountaintops of the 00:11:21.320 --> 00:11:24.740 gospel, the reality of our salvation. And so 00:11:24.740 --> 00:11:29.080 what could he do but kneel in humility and surrender 00:11:29.080 --> 00:11:34.759 before God and to plead with God on behalf of 00:11:34.759 --> 00:11:38.240 the church in prayer? So this prayer is about 00:11:38.240 --> 00:11:41.279 a response of the soul to all that Christ has 00:11:41.279 --> 00:11:45.820 done for us, seeking him above everything before 00:11:45.820 --> 00:11:49.179 the journey back down into the valley. You see, 00:11:49.220 --> 00:11:51.299 on the other side of this prayer is Paul begins 00:11:51.299 --> 00:11:55.299 to descend then towards the plains and the cities 00:11:55.299 --> 00:11:59.919 of practical Christian living. He says, I urge 00:11:59.919 --> 00:12:02.919 you to live a life worthy of the calling that 00:12:02.919 --> 00:12:06.399 you've received. Be completely humble and gentle. 00:12:06.779 --> 00:12:09.620 Be patient, bearing with one another in love. 00:12:09.659 --> 00:12:12.120 Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit 00:12:12.120 --> 00:12:13.960 and the bond of peace. We often finish at verse 00:12:13.960 --> 00:12:16.860 21. I think it's helpful in understanding the 00:12:16.860 --> 00:12:19.480 positioning of this prayer if we begin the journey 00:12:19.480 --> 00:12:23.980 then down that mountain into the valley of practical 00:12:23.980 --> 00:12:26.519 Christian living. Paul doesn't think it is going 00:12:26.519 --> 00:12:29.399 to be easy for the Ephesians. That's why he prays 00:12:29.399 --> 00:12:33.000 so intensely for them. And he does not believe 00:12:33.000 --> 00:12:35.399 that his prayer for them is going to keep them 00:12:35.399 --> 00:12:39.019 out of trouble. In fact, he reminds them in the 00:12:39.019 --> 00:12:42.159 very beginning of this journey back down the 00:12:42.159 --> 00:12:44.980 mountain that he is a prisoner for the Lord. 00:12:45.379 --> 00:12:50.200 Just remember what it has already cost me. So 00:12:50.200 --> 00:12:53.039 what sort of prayer will the summit of our salvation 00:12:53.039 --> 00:12:55.740 inspire in us when we take those moments as we 00:12:55.740 --> 00:12:59.019 do in this communion to look out and survey again? 00:12:59.659 --> 00:13:02.379 The reality, the wondrous reality of the gospel. 00:13:02.539 --> 00:13:05.259 Well, three things Paul prays for the Ephesians, 00:13:05.259 --> 00:13:07.919 which we should pray for ourselves consistently 00:13:07.919 --> 00:13:12.559 and above all, pray for others earnestly and 00:13:12.559 --> 00:13:15.340 with humility. For inner strength, for inner 00:13:15.340 --> 00:13:19.559 love and for inner growth transformation. So 00:13:19.559 --> 00:13:22.379 first of all, inner strength. Paul says, I pray 00:13:22.379 --> 00:13:25.379 that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen 00:13:25.379 --> 00:13:28.740 you with power through his spirit in your inner 00:13:28.740 --> 00:13:32.830 being. so that Christ may dwell in your heart 00:13:32.830 --> 00:13:35.870 through faith. Now, of course, they'd already 00:13:35.870 --> 00:13:39.110 received the Holy Spirit, but this is about seeking 00:13:39.110 --> 00:13:42.669 the continual indwelling of the Spirit of God. 00:13:43.070 --> 00:13:46.590 John Stott puts it like this. He said what Paul 00:13:46.590 --> 00:13:49.789 asks for here, for his readers, is that they 00:13:49.789 --> 00:13:55.049 may be fortified, braced, invigorated, that they 00:13:55.049 --> 00:13:59.029 may know the strength of the Spirit's inner reinforcement 00:13:59.029 --> 00:14:05.549 and may lay hold ever more firmly by faith of 00:14:05.549 --> 00:14:10.309 this divine strength this divine indwelling i 00:14:10.309 --> 00:14:13.909 love that phrase this the spirit's inner reinforcement 00:14:13.909 --> 00:14:17.070 i tend to find that if i try and put my own reinforcement 00:14:17.070 --> 00:14:21.129 in place it makes my heart heart impenetrable 00:14:21.769 --> 00:14:24.590 And we need to protect ourselves at times. And 00:14:24.590 --> 00:14:26.590 we will do that at times in a way that creates 00:14:26.590 --> 00:14:31.750 almost a sort of a concrete -like protection 00:14:31.750 --> 00:14:35.789 around our souls, our hearts, in a way that can 00:14:35.789 --> 00:14:39.350 make us difficult to connect with. And that includes 00:14:39.350 --> 00:14:42.009 connecting with God, pouring out our heart or 00:14:42.009 --> 00:14:44.710 soul to him in prayer, as Paul does here. So 00:14:44.710 --> 00:14:47.950 what Paul is praying for here is that the Spirit 00:14:47.950 --> 00:14:51.799 would bring that inner reinforcement. that we 00:14:51.799 --> 00:14:54.899 will know our protection inwardly to come through 00:14:54.899 --> 00:14:58.919 the Spirit that keeps our hearts soft towards 00:14:58.919 --> 00:15:02.039 one another. We're able to be completely humble, 00:15:02.220 --> 00:15:05.080 gentle, patient, bearing with one another in 00:15:05.080 --> 00:15:08.480 love. I certainly, I know I need that as I face 00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:11.139 the challenges of ministry day by day. Now, of 00:15:11.139 --> 00:15:13.340 course, this doesn't happen overnight. It is 00:15:13.340 --> 00:15:16.000 the inner resilience that the Holy Spirit brings, 00:15:16.379 --> 00:15:22.129 especially as we daily... seek to be filled and 00:15:22.129 --> 00:15:25.909 refilled with the strength of God through his 00:15:25.909 --> 00:15:30.909 spirit the reality that Christ is dwelling in 00:15:30.909 --> 00:15:35.269 us the word Paul uses here is not the the word 00:15:35.269 --> 00:15:37.809 dwell is not the word for someone stopping over 00:15:37.809 --> 00:15:40.090 as a temporary guest he could have used that 00:15:40.090 --> 00:15:41.889 word that's the word that's used most frequently 00:15:41.889 --> 00:15:44.610 in the new testament for dwelling what Paul is 00:15:44.610 --> 00:15:47.570 using here is a word that talks about a permanent 00:15:47.570 --> 00:15:53.600 residence because Christ dwells in you by faith. 00:15:54.539 --> 00:15:57.759 This is where our resilience comes from. Now, 00:15:57.779 --> 00:16:00.139 secondly, not only is Paul praying for inward 00:16:00.139 --> 00:16:03.139 strength, but also for inner love. He says, and 00:16:03.139 --> 00:16:05.460 I pray that you being rooted and established 00:16:05.460 --> 00:16:08.399 in love may have power together with all the 00:16:08.399 --> 00:16:11.480 Lord's holy people to grasp how wide and long 00:16:11.480 --> 00:16:16.720 and high and deep is the love of Christ. Paul. 00:16:17.450 --> 00:16:21.230 deliberately mixes his metaphors here um one 00:16:21.230 --> 00:16:26.090 botanical the other architectural um and and 00:16:26.090 --> 00:16:28.970 he does that i think purposefully perhaps there's 00:16:28.970 --> 00:16:31.909 a you will know there's a rich theological seam 00:16:31.909 --> 00:16:38.049 in both these images of being rooted um and established 00:16:38.049 --> 00:16:41.529 in love and they run right through scripture 00:16:41.529 --> 00:16:46.940 these foundations these roots are given to us 00:16:46.940 --> 00:16:51.659 they're a gift from god and they're given to 00:16:51.659 --> 00:16:56.639 us notice first of all not primarily to prepare 00:16:56.639 --> 00:17:00.440 us for the work that god has has prepared in 00:17:00.440 --> 00:17:03.980 advance for us they're given to us for the purpose 00:17:03.980 --> 00:17:07.819 for which we were redeemed that we may know more 00:17:07.819 --> 00:17:10.940 and more of the love of god that we may know 00:17:10.940 --> 00:17:13.819 christ better as paul says in in ephesians 1. 00:17:14.430 --> 00:17:17.569 that we might live to his praise and his glory. 00:17:18.009 --> 00:17:22.130 And of course, then our work, our ministry flows 00:17:22.130 --> 00:17:26.750 out of that knowledge of his love, that feeding 00:17:26.750 --> 00:17:32.430 on and dwelling in and soaking in his love. And 00:17:32.430 --> 00:17:36.869 in the process, we become more loving people 00:17:36.869 --> 00:17:42.309 as we learn to receive God's love as a consistent 00:17:42.309 --> 00:17:47.000 part of our daily Walk with him. We need to soak 00:17:47.000 --> 00:17:51.339 in this ocean that the picture almost certainly 00:17:51.339 --> 00:17:55.099 that Paul has in mind here as he considers the 00:17:55.099 --> 00:17:59.079 expanse of God's love. We are meant to soak in 00:17:59.079 --> 00:18:03.400 that love and to allow it to go on transforming 00:18:03.400 --> 00:18:06.960 us, renewing our vision, our vision of Christ, 00:18:07.180 --> 00:18:10.980 but also renewing our commitment to then walk 00:18:10.980 --> 00:18:14.490 in his ways as we... daily go down that valley 00:18:14.490 --> 00:18:17.690 into the towns and the villages and the cities 00:18:17.690 --> 00:18:20.690 where we live out our faith. Which leads to a 00:18:20.690 --> 00:18:23.990 third prayer of Paul, and that is for inner transformation. 00:18:24.990 --> 00:18:28.789 He prays that we may know this love that surpasses 00:18:28.789 --> 00:18:33.369 knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure 00:18:33.369 --> 00:18:38.029 of all the fullness of God. Verse 19. Now Paul 00:18:38.029 --> 00:18:41.589 surely has in view here our final state of perfection. 00:18:42.299 --> 00:18:45.660 When one day God will complete the work he has 00:18:45.660 --> 00:18:49.420 begun in us, that glorious day that we look towards. 00:18:49.539 --> 00:18:53.619 But his promise here is also that God will continue 00:18:53.619 --> 00:18:59.539 now what he has started. He says elsewhere in 00:18:59.539 --> 00:19:01.779 2 Corinthians that though outwardly we're wasting 00:19:01.779 --> 00:19:05.519 away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by 00:19:05.519 --> 00:19:09.289 day. As we're being transformed into his image 00:19:09.289 --> 00:19:11.950 with ever increasing glory, which comes from 00:19:11.950 --> 00:19:14.809 the Lord, who is the spirit. You see, God is 00:19:14.809 --> 00:19:17.529 always building. God is always at work. Jesus 00:19:17.529 --> 00:19:21.029 reminded his disciples about in our gospel reading. 00:19:21.130 --> 00:19:25.349 My father is always. And God is always continuing 00:19:25.349 --> 00:19:29.470 his work in our lives and in his church. And 00:19:29.470 --> 00:19:33.670 he is building in the ruins. We often can be 00:19:33.670 --> 00:19:35.690 overwhelmed by the sight of the ruins around 00:19:35.690 --> 00:19:38.369 us, sometimes the ruins within the life or the 00:19:38.369 --> 00:19:41.650 ministry of the church, or the ruins in our society, 00:19:41.769 --> 00:19:44.109 our culture, but we're also maybe conscious of 00:19:44.109 --> 00:19:46.869 the ruins in our own lives as well. The things 00:19:46.869 --> 00:19:49.250 that we would dearly like to sort out or fix 00:19:49.250 --> 00:19:52.289 as though somehow once those ruins are sorted, 00:19:52.369 --> 00:19:56.029 we can then begin to move on. We have been as 00:19:56.029 --> 00:19:58.329 a family in Nottinghamshire for 10 years. We 00:19:58.329 --> 00:20:02.710 live in a house that was built in the ruins of 00:20:02.710 --> 00:20:07.450 a medieval palace. And it's a thousand year old 00:20:07.450 --> 00:20:12.660 ruin. And about a quarter of it has been restored 00:20:12.660 --> 00:20:16.119 into a modern, well, a hundred year old house, 00:20:16.200 --> 00:20:20.900 modern by Episcopal terms anyway. And but I look 00:20:20.900 --> 00:20:23.400 out. It struck me very early on as I start set 00:20:23.400 --> 00:20:26.819 out on the ministry as a bishop in Nottinghamshire 00:20:26.819 --> 00:20:30.160 with all the challenges around both in the church 00:20:30.160 --> 00:20:33.759 and the wider culture that I look out every morning 00:20:33.759 --> 00:20:38.599 as I begin the day on ruins. But actually noticing 00:20:38.599 --> 00:20:43.279 that those ruins didn't prevent a rebuilding 00:20:43.279 --> 00:20:48.200 work. And that is always how God works. In fact, 00:20:48.240 --> 00:20:51.500 we heard that described, the restoration work 00:20:51.500 --> 00:20:54.579 of God that was foreseen by the prophet Isaiah. 00:20:55.200 --> 00:21:00.220 God begins every day as we arise. God is continuing 00:21:00.220 --> 00:21:06.220 that work in us and in his church. And so sometimes 00:21:06.220 --> 00:21:08.599 we have to be reminded of that. This prayer reminds 00:21:08.599 --> 00:21:11.140 us of that when we may be overwhelmed by the 00:21:11.140 --> 00:21:14.039 ruins. And of course, that includes sometimes 00:21:14.039 --> 00:21:16.259 the things that fill us with despair when we 00:21:16.259 --> 00:21:19.160 see some of the ruins within our own lives. I 00:21:19.160 --> 00:21:21.460 think C .S. Lewis captures this brilliantly with 00:21:21.460 --> 00:21:24.960 an analogy that I'm sure some of you have heard 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:27.640 from mere Christianity, where he says, imagine 00:21:27.640 --> 00:21:31.519 yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild 00:21:31.519 --> 00:21:36.029 that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand 00:21:36.029 --> 00:21:38.789 what he's doing. He's getting the drains right 00:21:38.789 --> 00:21:41.430 and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on. 00:21:41.470 --> 00:21:43.950 You knew that those jobs needed doing, and so 00:21:43.950 --> 00:21:47.170 you are not surprised. But presently, he starts 00:21:47.170 --> 00:21:49.950 knocking the house about in a way that hurts 00:21:49.950 --> 00:21:53.089 abominably and does not seem to make any sense. 00:21:53.970 --> 00:21:59.349 What on earth is he up to? The explanation is 00:21:59.349 --> 00:22:01.490 that he is building quite a different house from 00:22:01.490 --> 00:22:04.690 the one you thought of. Throwing out a new wing 00:22:04.690 --> 00:22:07.369 here, putting on an extra floor there, running 00:22:07.369 --> 00:22:10.289 up towers, making courtyards. You thought you 00:22:10.289 --> 00:22:12.869 were being made into a decent little cottage. 00:22:13.509 --> 00:22:18.309 But he is building a palace. He intends to come 00:22:18.309 --> 00:22:24.069 and live in it himself. Christ dwelling in us. 00:22:25.160 --> 00:22:27.960 So we should not be overwhelmed by the ruins 00:22:27.960 --> 00:22:30.380 that we may see, whatever form they take around 00:22:30.380 --> 00:22:33.440 us and even within us, because God is always 00:22:33.440 --> 00:22:36.859 working. And so Paul, in this prayer, pouring 00:22:36.859 --> 00:22:39.980 himself out to God earnestly, pleading with God 00:22:39.980 --> 00:22:43.279 on his knees before God, prays for inner strength, 00:22:43.380 --> 00:22:48.339 inner love and inner transformation. And I wonder, 00:22:48.359 --> 00:22:49.960 do you know any follower of Christ who would 00:22:49.960 --> 00:22:51.819 not want more of these things in their lives? 00:22:51.980 --> 00:22:56.269 The answer is no. We long for that inner strength, 00:22:56.390 --> 00:22:59.150 that inner love, the love that flows out of a 00:22:59.150 --> 00:23:02.509 heart that is being overwhelmed by the love of 00:23:02.509 --> 00:23:06.490 Christ and that continued transformation. And 00:23:06.490 --> 00:23:11.269 it's in answer to these prayers that we receive 00:23:11.269 --> 00:23:15.170 the confidence to go on boldly trusting God for 00:23:15.170 --> 00:23:19.950 more, for more than we could imagine. And so 00:23:19.950 --> 00:23:21.950 that's why I would urge you to give yourselves. 00:23:23.180 --> 00:23:28.400 to bolder prayers, so that you are able to engage 00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:31.880 with the vision and the purposes that God has 00:23:31.880 --> 00:23:35.079 for you and for his whole church. Whatever that 00:23:35.079 --> 00:23:37.960 may mean for each one of you in the days to come, 00:23:37.980 --> 00:23:42.440 and whatever that may cost. It's why John Wesley 00:23:42.440 --> 00:23:47.059 famously said, prayer is where the action is. 00:23:47.859 --> 00:23:53.180 Prayer is where the action is. The prayers of 00:23:53.180 --> 00:23:56.460 the New Testament and particularly the context 00:23:56.460 --> 00:23:59.660 in which this prayer sits within the narrative 00:23:59.660 --> 00:24:02.779 of Ephesians, I would encourage you, are prayers 00:24:02.779 --> 00:24:07.839 to take on, to soak in, even to learn by heart. 00:24:08.359 --> 00:24:11.359 Prayer is where the action is. The Diocese of 00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:16.240 Sutherland and Nottingham has a reputation that 00:24:16.240 --> 00:24:19.210 it's built up over time of being... one of the 00:24:19.210 --> 00:24:22.230 most strategic dioceses in the Church of England 00:24:22.230 --> 00:24:26.710 in terms of its planning and its focus on implementing 00:24:26.710 --> 00:24:31.089 a clear plan for the development of gospel ministry. 00:24:31.390 --> 00:24:35.450 I'm always quite pleased when I hear people reflecting 00:24:35.450 --> 00:24:38.150 on that, sometimes not with entirely flattering 00:24:38.150 --> 00:24:40.589 terms, but it depends who you're listening to. 00:24:40.769 --> 00:24:44.069 It's something of the reputation that we have 00:24:44.069 --> 00:24:47.069 gained. Partly on the back of the development 00:24:47.069 --> 00:24:52.049 of that, we had the encouragement only four months 00:24:52.049 --> 00:24:56.789 ago now, the further investment in those plans 00:24:56.789 --> 00:25:00.029 of £33 million of church commissioners' funding, 00:25:00.210 --> 00:25:04.809 which is entirely for the revitalisation and 00:25:04.809 --> 00:25:08.210 renewal of the church, with a vision of discipleship 00:25:08.210 --> 00:25:11.730 at the centre of it. And I was thrilled that 00:25:11.730 --> 00:25:13.970 the Church of England, the church commissioners 00:25:13.970 --> 00:25:16.369 wanted to release that funding that will just 00:25:16.369 --> 00:25:19.690 help us to go on accelerating and trusting God 00:25:19.690 --> 00:25:25.049 for more. But the reality is that I don't believe 00:25:25.049 --> 00:25:27.450 that the most strategic thing that we are engaged 00:25:27.450 --> 00:25:30.049 with as a diocese, the thing that I'm thankful 00:25:30.049 --> 00:25:33.509 for is the plan and the alignment around that. 00:25:33.630 --> 00:25:36.529 Now, the thing that I know is most strategic. 00:25:37.119 --> 00:25:39.319 to the health and well -being of the diocese 00:25:39.319 --> 00:25:42.299 going forward of every church within it is our 00:25:42.299 --> 00:25:46.619 commitment to earnest humble dependent prayer 00:25:46.619 --> 00:25:51.220 upon god and that is why the meetings for prayer 00:25:51.220 --> 00:25:54.779 are the most significant in the life of the diocese 00:25:54.779 --> 00:25:56.980 and certainly for me as a bishop every monday 00:25:56.980 --> 00:25:58.900 morning at eight o 'clock when we gather as a 00:25:58.900 --> 00:26:02.250 senior team to pray and to worship. That is all 00:26:02.250 --> 00:26:06.490 we do. And we try not to go straight into simply 00:26:06.490 --> 00:26:08.809 praying for the things that we hope will get 00:26:08.809 --> 00:26:11.690 fixed this week, or at least won't completely 00:26:11.690 --> 00:26:16.630 fall apart, but to focus our prayers with praise 00:26:16.630 --> 00:26:20.740 and adoration and thanksgiving. And I know that's 00:26:20.740 --> 00:26:23.119 really important to the health and the well -being 00:26:23.119 --> 00:26:26.019 spiritually of the team that I lead, but also 00:26:26.019 --> 00:26:29.039 the life of the diocese. And then the most significant, 00:26:29.220 --> 00:26:32.539 the diocesan day of prayer, which we have every 00:26:32.539 --> 00:26:38.150 month. And it's the one day which I won't allow 00:26:38.150 --> 00:26:40.769 other things, whatever form they take, national 00:26:40.769 --> 00:26:45.650 responsibilities, even some quite important commitments 00:26:45.650 --> 00:26:48.109 that I might be asked to respond to. It is that 00:26:48.109 --> 00:26:51.650 opportunity to give ourselves in a way that expresses 00:26:51.650 --> 00:26:55.710 the orientation of the diocese in its dependence 00:26:55.710 --> 00:27:00.589 on God, not on having a plan. that has been developed, 00:27:00.630 --> 00:27:03.450 I hope, in alignment with the gospel, but in 00:27:03.450 --> 00:27:06.869 depending upon God to pour out his power to continue 00:27:06.869 --> 00:27:10.730 to move because prayer is where the action is. 00:27:12.349 --> 00:27:14.450 And the health of the church at this time, not 00:27:14.450 --> 00:27:17.089 only the local church or the diocese, but the 00:27:17.089 --> 00:27:18.890 health of the church in our nation and around 00:27:18.890 --> 00:27:21.640 the world. We face extraordinary challenges, 00:27:21.660 --> 00:27:24.880 but also unique opportunities. I do believe, 00:27:24.980 --> 00:27:28.299 and some of you may have kind of have a sense 00:27:28.299 --> 00:27:31.339 of this as well, there is a shift in the spiritual 00:27:31.339 --> 00:27:35.420 culture. There is an openness that we are certainly 00:27:35.420 --> 00:27:38.359 encountering on the ground in local churches 00:27:38.359 --> 00:27:40.460 across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. People 00:27:40.460 --> 00:27:43.440 just bringing themselves into church for no reason 00:27:43.440 --> 00:27:46.059 apart from, I knew I needed to come here into 00:27:46.059 --> 00:27:50.099 this building today. Now, we're always encouraged 00:27:50.099 --> 00:27:54.039 when that happens. I think for a year or so, 00:27:54.099 --> 00:27:56.619 I thought, well, maybe we're just noticing what 00:27:56.619 --> 00:27:59.680 God has already been doing. But I'm clear now 00:27:59.680 --> 00:28:03.599 that this is a shift. And we're simply going 00:28:03.599 --> 00:28:07.359 to trust God for more. But not simply that people 00:28:07.359 --> 00:28:10.259 might be filling up our churches. That cannot 00:28:10.259 --> 00:28:13.359 be our strategy. But that people might not only 00:28:13.359 --> 00:28:16.539 come to a commitment in Christ, but... We're 00:28:16.539 --> 00:28:20.599 sharing a vision for lifelong discipleship. We 00:28:20.599 --> 00:28:23.339 can't keep people, as it were, suspended up there 00:28:23.339 --> 00:28:28.119 on that mountaintop. But we need that mountaintop 00:28:28.119 --> 00:28:30.579 vision that we might live out the life of faith 00:28:30.579 --> 00:28:35.819 in our world today as faithful disciples. D .L. 00:28:35.859 --> 00:28:39.200 Moody once said, if God is your partner, then 00:28:39.200 --> 00:28:44.299 make your plans big. If God is your partner, 00:28:44.339 --> 00:28:48.579 then make your plans big. But I believe that 00:28:48.579 --> 00:28:52.359 as we pray the scriptures into our lives daily 00:28:52.359 --> 00:28:54.700 and into the life of the church, we can avoid 00:28:54.700 --> 00:28:57.480 the danger that our plans are about making ourselves 00:28:57.480 --> 00:29:01.920 feel big, or at least better. But they're a reflection 00:29:01.920 --> 00:29:06.160 of the God who is calling us and who has a gospel 00:29:06.160 --> 00:29:09.900 that is salvation and good news for all who will 00:29:09.900 --> 00:29:14.470 respond. Now, of course, that big is not always 00:29:14.470 --> 00:29:17.029 big in the way that others see it. In God's eternal 00:29:17.029 --> 00:29:20.170 plan and purposes, some of the things that may 00:29:20.170 --> 00:29:22.829 seem small to us at the time are for greater 00:29:22.829 --> 00:29:25.309 purposes than we could ever possibly imagine 00:29:25.309 --> 00:29:29.289 and might ever know in this life. But we continue 00:29:29.289 --> 00:29:32.130 to give ourselves in surrender to the Lord. And 00:29:32.130 --> 00:29:34.009 so I simply want to urge you today, and as we 00:29:34.009 --> 00:29:36.710 come to the Lord's table in a moment, I urge 00:29:36.710 --> 00:29:40.259 you, do not lose heart. Anyone who may have woken 00:29:40.259 --> 00:29:43.299 up this morning feeling somewhat more despondent 00:29:43.299 --> 00:29:46.579 by the things that are before you, maybe the 00:29:46.579 --> 00:29:50.420 ruins around you, do not lose heart. And especially 00:29:50.420 --> 00:29:55.819 when the battle is raging fiercely. And when 00:29:55.819 --> 00:30:01.019 your body and your mind and your soul grow weary 00:30:01.019 --> 00:30:04.519 in the face of that. Let us make sure that we 00:30:04.519 --> 00:30:08.480 pause, as it were, with Handley Moll. We take 00:30:08.480 --> 00:30:11.900 that time to step back, to take in the view from 00:30:11.900 --> 00:30:14.799 the summit of all that Christ has done for us, 00:30:14.880 --> 00:30:18.440 and then to renew our confidence again in him, 00:30:18.519 --> 00:30:22.400 in Christ alone, who is able to do immeasurably 00:30:22.400 --> 00:30:27.500 more than all we ask or imagine, according to 00:30:27.500 --> 00:30:31.380 his power that is at work within us. To him be 00:30:31.380 --> 00:30:34.839 glory, in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout 00:30:34.839 --> 00:30:38.980 all generations forever. And forever. Amen.