Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:04 Our lives. And at the beginning of this year, I mentioned that there were three particular themes that we were going to unpack over 2022. And we've done more than three themes over the course of the year. But the three I mentioned, we've done two of them. And we are about to start the third one today, which will run for the next four weeks. And the theme is this compelled and compelling and, and I just need to put a bit of a disclaimer in here. I don't have a lot of words to bring you today. I don't have an eloquent talk to give you that's going to tickle your mind and interest your intellect. In fact, what I feel I've got to bring today, unless it's anointed, unless it's got the tion of God on it, you'll leave and just think, Ah, that was an alright service.
Speaker 1 00:00:56 But if God moves through my life and into each of our hearts, like I sense he wants to today, then I believe this could be a very precious day in your diary. I, this morning got up early, sat in my study at home and I just sat in the presence of God. And I just felt that my one prayer for today was that God would revive us. Yes. Revive our hearts. Yeah. I couldn't pray for anything less than that today. I felt like God is at mo at work in the nations. He is doing things these historic days that we're alive. There's a fear narrative everywhere. There's such fear around, there's such instability around, and we've been predicting for a while that that's where the nation is going as it shakes. But I want you to know, our confidence doesn't come from what's happening in Parliament.
Speaker 1 00:01:59 It doesn't. Our confidence doesn't come from the decisions that the Bank of England make. Our confidence comes from knowing who we are in God. Amen. And church, take heart, don't have fear. Know who's you are. Amen. And know that God is at work on the earth. Yes. And He's not just working out there. He's wanting to work in here. Yes. And I believe that he wants to revive our hearts. Amen. So as we begin this theme together, let's look at our key text, which is found in two Corinthians five, verse 14 and 15. And it says these words, four, Christ's love compels us. Say that with me. For Christ's love compels us. Come on, say it again. And this time I want you to understand something of the word compel. Because on the image on the previous string, you would've seen a chain. Now, why would we put an image of a chain relating to the gospel?
Speaker 1 00:03:10 Well, there's something about this word compelled. There's almost like us being attached in an unescapable way, that there's nothing we can do to sever it, to cut it off from our life. This is not an optional extra. This is something that demands something of it. Yeah. So let's read that first few words again. For Christ's love compels us. We'll look at more around that word, compelling a moment. But the writer goes on to say, Because we are convinced that no one died. That what? Sorry for we are convinced that one died for all and therefore all died. And he died for all that. Those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again for Christ. Love compels us. Compel is having to do something. There's not a choice. I have to respond in a certain way because I'm compelled to do so. It's because it's necessary, because of the argument, the persuasion, the circumstance. How could I come to any other conclusion? A mathematician might say two plus two equals what? And you are compelled to say four because you know that that's the persuasion. Four. I am compelled by God's love.
Speaker 1 00:04:57 The Greek word that the New Testament was written largely in the language of Greek. And it has this thought around this word compel. It paints an image of being crowded around. If you've been in a busy environment and there are crowds all moving in one direction and you are trying to go in the other direction, it doesn't happen easily because there's something persuasive arou about being surrounded and taken in the direction that they're going. There's something in this word that gives that impression. There's another thing that gives an impression of it being seized or gripped or grabs, or this is a bit of an unusual one affected by an illness where you can't wake up one morning and say, I'm not gonna be ill today. If there's an illness in your body and there's something that you're battling against, then that tends to dominate so much about our activities, our thoughts, so on.
Speaker 1 00:05:59 And there's something about this word compel that says, This is not an optional piece of our life. This is absolutely convincing, persuasive, and pervasive, that we are completely impacted because of the compelling nature of God's love. We are so completely impacted that you cannot shake it off for Christ's love compels us. Now, our discipleship journey of following in the footsteps of Jesus. You remember a previous theme here? And obey here and obey. That's the footprints of a follower of Jesus. Those are the footsteps of discipleship that we take in following in the footsteps of our Lord. But our discipleship journey is to be utterly compelled by the overwhelming love of Jesus. That's the compulsion. It's not religion, it's not duty. It's not standing in some form of sacrifice hoping that you can win the affections and the interest and the attention of God. It is utterly compelled by a love that is come in our direction and it results in us having no opportunity to do anything other than respond by being compelled by His love, His love.
Speaker 1 00:07:25 It doesn't say it influences us. Of course it influences us, but influences a little bit sort of taking or leave it. If it was Christ's love influences us, there might be bits you can take from that section of his life. Bits you can take from that section of his life and think, I'm gonna adopt those in some way and I'm gonna inculcate them into my activities. But it does not say, for Christ's love influences us. It doesn't say for Christ's love inspires us. Now, I'm inspired by the love of God. I'm inspired by the character of Jesus. I'm inspired by so much of everything I see around his life. But it doesn't say that Christ's love inspires us. It says it compels us. It does not say that Christ's love challenges us. Yes, it challenges us, but it demands so much more. It compels. It convinces. It means that there's everything in my life I need to give in response. Amen. Christ's love compels us. Now, Jesus is not after the metaphorical spare room in your life. He is not looking to lodge in your world. He's not looking to hang out in the spare spaces of your day. He is looking to have the rights to your home. He is looking to exchange contracts and to say this now belongs to me. Why? Because Christ's love compels us.
Speaker 1 00:09:04 He's not looking to travel in your car, on your journeys in life, to be that occasional advisor, to be the person that when you get lost, you pull over and say, Hey, Jesus, in the back seat, I'm a bit lost. I'm a bit stuck. Can you help? Now we've all been in that place and he is so gracious. He's so kind. He's so loving. He's so compassionate with us. And how many times have you stopped and asked for his help and he's helped you? Yeah. But he doesn't wanna be in the backseat of our lives. Yeah. He wants the steering wheel. He wants the keys, he wants the log book. He wants to control the music. He wants to control everything that's in that car because he, his love compels us. This is not giving him a bit a percentage. This is right. Giving him everything. Yeah. He is looking for complete control. He's not looking for a tithe of your time or a tithe of your belongings. He's looking for everything. Some people say, How much should we give to the Lord? How much of my time, How much of my activities, How much am I finance? We give him everything. Why? Because his love compels us. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:10:20 But hang about, doesn't this sound a little bit like the demands of a despotic manipulative person? Well, let's think about some despotic leaders. How many despotic leaders in history have loved their people? How many of their actions have come from fear, not love? The manipulators I've seen in life, and I've met a few of them all my time, they're people that use and abuse the mechanisms of fear to control other people.
Speaker 2 00:11:06 Yes.
Speaker 1 00:11:09 There's a big difference between love and fear. Yes. And it's not Christ fear that compels, this is Christ's love. The compels us.
Speaker 1 00:11:19 It's important for me to point out here that the Bible doesn't skirt away from the need for a fear in our life. Not the fear of I'm scared of heights or the fear of some other bad calamity happening, or the fear of a God who's gonna hate us. That's not what the scripture talks about. But it does say that if you want to be wise in life, that wisdom comes from the origins of fear. Fear in the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Yes. The fear of the Lord. Amen. What does that mean? Cause we're talking about the love of God. What does that mean? Well, it's, it's respect. You heard a few people mention that one of the most impacting locations on our tour in Israel was Shiloh. This place where for over 300 years, the tent of meeting, the presence of God, the Ark of the Covenant was, And as we stood in that spot where that was, we could look out and we could see areas around where the different tribes had camped.
Speaker 1 00:12:21 Yeah. And right in the center was this ta of meeting. Yeah. This place of presence. They knew that they needed to keep that in the center Yes. Of their lives. And they, and they couldn't just do whatever they wanted there. In fact, there are some situations we read of in the scriptures where people tried to skirt around the requirements of the presence of God. There was an excitement about the return of the arc of the covenant back to the people of Israel. And David danced and celebrated and they put it on a cart, this arc of the covenant. And the cart began to break and wobble. And the arc began to fall. And somebody stretched out their hands to steady the cart and they died.
Speaker 1 00:13:13 That's not because God is an unloving God, it's because he as well as Abba Father, He is the Lord of all the universe, the, the power of powers that there is no rival. There is no one greater. And we can't just slink into the presence of God. Just do it blase. There is, Do we not realize how much this costs to be able to step into his presence? Do we not understand that the king of glory came to this earth to live a humble life? Yes. To give himself so that we can say that it's Christ's love that compels us. We can see the evidence of his love. Yeah. It's not a rumor, it's not a reputation, it's a reality. Right. Jesus hung upon the cross because his love compelled him to come and to give his life for you and I that even though we were enemies, Christ died for us.
Speaker 1 00:14:11 Yes. And he is restored us, but we don't just sling into his presence and say, Oh, whatever there is, If you wanna be wise in your life, you've gotta make sure the presence of God is in the center. Oh man. Yes. If you wanna be wise in your life, you gotta make sure that God is the center of your home, the center of your ambitions, the center of your desires. Yes. Amen. Yes. Yes. You know, and guys, not just everybody, but guys, men, we have to take a lead on some of this stuff. And, and I'm not being, I, I'm not sort of discounting by any means. Those who know me know that I'm not saying this because the women can't take a lead as well. But guys, I've gotta say that there are, throughout history, there have been some incredible sacrificial women and have made sure that the presence of God is central in the community of God's people. And the men have been skirting on the tails of what God's doing. Yeah. And, and guys, men, Christ's love compels you. And you might say, Well, you know, and and I sort of get it, you know, I think there's a pressure upon us guys to be the providers, to be the people who have got it sorted. The people who can take responsibility and help make things happen. I get that. That's a powerful narrative.
Speaker 1 00:15:56 And yet Christ's love requires us to fall on our faces and to say, I surrender everything to you. Amen. And that's so counterintuitive for many, many guys. But men, we need to see the purposes of God released among men.
Speaker 2 00:16:23 Amen.
Speaker 1 00:16:26 When we were in Israel, we went to this special Jewish festival. Yo and I was fascinated. There were thousands of Orthodox Jews at the Whalin wall and they were all ages there because the men, their primary, the primary teacher in the life of a
Speaker 2 00:16:50 Child's
Speaker 1 00:16:51 Not the rabbi, it's not the schools, it's the fathers. Yes. The fathers are the ones who are responsible to pass on to the next generation. And it was a fascinating experience cuz there were thousands of people, but there was no stays, there were no microphones, no one was given direction to the thousands of people. No one was ta to the kids, Hey, this is what you do. Cuz they'd already done that. There was this sense of everybody had prepared one another to be in this festival, to know what was taking place, to know what was going on. Guys, I wasn't planning on saying this this morning, so excuse me, going off script, but I feel saddened. I feel saddened that there is a sense of machoism where guys sing the football chance in stadiums and yet hold back their worship in church. Yeah. And what does that teach our kids?
Speaker 2 00:18:19 Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:18:22 What does it teach others around us? And in terms of fairness, women don't you hold back saying you need other people to step forward. What is it that compels us? Is it our gender? Is it our race? Is it our culture? Or is it Christ's love? What is it? Because the decision that you make about what's compelling you in your life will be the narrative that you live your life according to too many people. Carrying too much baggage, Too many cultural issues of this world. Too many things have derailed us, have stopped us. Too many things have got in the way of us laying our lives at the altar and saying, It's Christ's love that compels me. Yes. Nothing else. My dreams, my desires, my ambitions, my hopes, my career. It all is subject to the compelling nature of the love of Christ. Amen. Everything. And if there is a sense of moving the order of that around, I have to question, have you ever encountered the love of God? Because once you have, it compels you. And in just a few moments, I'm going to do something that might look a little bit familiar because after most of our Sunday services, we will have an opportunity for people who have never given their lives to Jesus, to respond in prayer and to identify that they're given their lives to Christ.
Speaker 1 00:20:25 But I'm going to not just pray this prayer for those who may be here in this message. For the first time, I'm gonna be bringing this challenge, this call, this encouragement to those of us who've been following Jesus for years. And I'm gonna be asking, Are you compelled by his love?
Speaker 2 00:20:47 Amen.
Speaker 1 00:20:48 And if you're not, this is a day to put it right before him. This is a day to re consecrate, rededicate your life.
Speaker 1 00:20:58 Going back to that image of all of those faithful Orthodox Jews praying that there sins would be forgiven, and yet the Messiah walked among them and they missed him. I have to let you know that there is a real danger that what God is about to do in the earth, that you could be in the same church as someone else who's experiencing it and you miss it completely. And it's nothing to do with the church, it's nothing to do with the people around you. It's to do with the closeness of your heart. Yes. What is it that closes our hearts? Yeah. What is it? It's love of other things. So we're compelled by a bigger narrative than Christ. How do we respond to that? We repent and we have to renounce it and say, God, I'm sorry that I've allowed this to take the affections of my life more than something else. And I renounce its whole of my life right now. Amen. Because I'm gonna be compelled by the love of Christ in my life. Amen. Maybe it's more subtle than another idol. Maybe it's an offense. Maybe it's a spec in your eye or a plank even.
Speaker 1 00:22:20 And you look around at others and you just think, Nah. And Christ in his love, it causes to bring those things before the cross and to say, I lay them down at your feet. What am I talking about when I say love? Well you know that there's a scripture that's a famous scripture that we often read that things I weddings that talk about love. Sounds a bit mushy, Sounds a bit sentimental, but it's not. It's robust and it's strong and it's powerful. And it's finding one Corinthians 13. Let's look at a few of these verses from verse four to verse seven. And it says these words, Love is patient, love is kind. It doesn't envy, it's not boastful, it's not arrogant, it's not rude, it's not self-seeking, it's not irritable and it doesn't keep record of wrongs. Love finds no joy and unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things. Now over the years, I've heard people say, Replace the word love and put your own name there. Mark is patient. Mark is kind. Oh God, please help me. And it's a, it's a good challenge.
Speaker 1 00:23:40 But the real purpose of this scripture is to tell us what love is.
Speaker 2 00:23:44 Yes.
Speaker 1 00:23:45 Amen. It's not to remind us how short we fall, but it's to tell us how amazing his love is. This describes what compels us. This describes what demands our life to be chained to the realities of being compelled by Christ. Amen. This is not some sentimental Hollywood engineered love that compels our hearts. This is robust and strong. This defeats everything else in this world. It challenges every other idol in this world. Amen. Every disappointment, every pain, every barrier. This breaks the back of it. There's nothing stronger than the love of God. It's the love of God that took our savior to the cross, to give his life, to shed his blood. It's the love of God that took him to break the power of sin in the world, to break the power of death. Amen. It's his love that causes him to be able to have the power that overcomes all sickness. It's his love. And this is what it looks like. It's patient who's glad of that.
Speaker 2 00:24:54 Amen.
Speaker 1 00:24:58 Who in this room has not needed God's love to be patient? Oh Lord, come on, show yourself because we need you to lay hands on the rest of us. I'm so glad His love is patient. He's kind. He's
Speaker 2 00:25:17 So kind. He's
Speaker 1 00:25:19 So kind. He's not just reaching for the loose change in his pocket to give to us. He's oozing with kindness. That's your savior. How can you be anything other than compelled by him? Hallelujah. And of course the theme of this is compelled and compelling.
Speaker 1 00:25:46 Not because we look at this and we think Mark is patient. Okay, I'm gonna try and be a bit more patient. Mark is kind. Try and be a bit more kind. That's not this. It's when we are compelled because we know the love of God. Then the aroma of Christ fills our lives and the scent of our lives that walks through this earth carries something of the aroma of Jesus. What's the smell of your life? Life like? What are you smelling of today? Amen. Are you smelling of impatience? Are you smelling of meanness of spirit? Are you smelling of a fence? If you are, then get the love of God in your life. Discover God's love, which is overpoweringly compelling. Amen. This is not a time for 90% of of our lives given to God. This is as the old hymn says, Demands my soul, my life, my all.
Speaker 2 00:26:52 Amen.
Speaker 1 00:26:54 It's the love of God that compels me. Doesn't envy.
Speaker 2 00:27:01 It's
Speaker 1 00:27:02 Not jealous. Do you know I've seen churches ripped apart by jealousy. Why do they get to do that? And I don't. How come they get to go on that? And I don't. How come they're given that opportunity and I'm not God, have mercy upon us. What is it the politics of church that compel us, The denomination that compels us finding the significance in our life compels us. Or is it the love of Christ that compels us?
Speaker 2 00:27:39 Amen.
Speaker 1 00:27:40 Love does not envy and it's not boastful. This is not. Look at us. This is Look at him.
Speaker 2 00:27:49 Yeah,
Speaker 1 00:27:51 Look at him hall. Look at our savior. Look at our savior. Would you just close your eyes a moment? And this is not an appeal for those who have never given their lives to Christ. This is an appeal for all of us that have fudged it,
Speaker 2 00:28:18 That
Speaker 1 00:28:19 Have compromised, that have taken on the standards of this world, not the compulsion of the love of Christ. This is a word for those who have adopted the cultures of this world to be your benchmark. This is a word for those that have driven your understanding of love from Hollywood more than Christ. This is a word for those that desire to say today, this day now I'm choosing to re surrender my life to the Lord. To if you're like, be born again, again. Amen. To give your life a fresh to Christ.
Speaker 2 00:29:05 Amen.
Speaker 1 00:29:06 To lay your life at the altar before him and deal with all that immature offense that you're carrying. Deal with all of that rubbish and garbage that you've adopted from the world. Deal with all that stuff that is just ugly. Allow the love of Christ to be your everything. Love is kind. Love is patient.
Speaker 2 00:29:38 Jesus.
Speaker 0 00:29:40 Jesus.
Speaker 1 00:29:42 And I'm gonna ask two things. The first one is your internal prayers to God. Prayers of realignment. Prayers of repentance. And I promise you right now that there are battles taking place in this room. Your pride is trying to kill you. And everything that's going on in your thinking right now will be a battle with your pride. And yet surrender is the most liberating thing. Amen. When it's Christ, you surrender to amen. And I want to encourage you, Holy Spirit, would you come and bring strength to our weakness to help us to make brave, godly decisions right now?
Speaker 0 00:30:40 Amen.
Speaker 1 00:30:45 I pray against all, all the strategies of the enemy of rebellion. Rebellion in your heart, rebellion against the kingdom of God. Rebellion that manifests itself in a refusal to accept any power around you. You have become your God
Speaker 0 00:31:14 Because
Speaker 1 00:31:15 You will take no one else's leadership. And I'm not talking about political or even church. I'm talking about how that pervasive spirit of our day of rebellion has nurtured your soul to refuse to bow the knee to Christ in every area.
Speaker 1 00:31:38 Holy Spirit, we need your help now cuz there's all sorts of battles taking place here we are wrestling. There is a wrestle taking place in our hearts and our minds. And we need your help cuz we can't do this without you. And we know that the hoards of the enemy will come against the people of God. And particularly if we've given a foothold to the enemy, there will be a battle of the enemy trying to keep us away from freedom right now. And in Jesus' name, I just rebuke every strategy of the enemy that seeks to keep you compelled to the things of this world, to keep you attached to the things of this world, to keep you enslaved to the things of darkness. In the name of Jesus, I speak the freedom of God over your life. I speak the freedom of God over your mind. Be set free now Hall from every device and strategy of the enemy
Speaker 0 00:32:32 Hall
Speaker 1 00:32:34 And having asked for God's help and having rebuked the enemy, the choice is mine and the choice is yours. Will we bow me? So first thing, would you win that battle internally and say, God, I choose to place your love at the epicenter of my life. And I ask this day as I dedicate my life to you, refresh for you to have your way entirely in me.
