Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:00 Holy spirit, your presence. Doesn't live in this building. You live in these people. And I pray now that the combination of the power of your word and the power of the spirit within its Lord will not just bring interesting thoughts and ideas, but I pray will deposit revelatory freedom in our lives. Lord, thank you. You love us. You've got good things in store for us. Help us now to lean into you. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.
Speaker 1 00:00:38 Amen.
Speaker 0 00:00:41 Amen. Great stuff. Please take your seat to everyone. So good to see you this morning. Thank you band. So good.
Speaker 0 00:00:50 So we are in a series of the moment called heal and healing. And the last few weeks we've looked at the need to clear out. You remember that picture about my clearing out of my garage, a long overdue task. Someone was telling me yesterday at the men's breakfast that they related on so many levels, except they haven't yet cleaned out their garage. And, uh, when they've tried in the past, it keeps getting messy again. And I said, oh, the answer to that is you've gotta have a purpose to it. You've gotta need the garage for something. And, uh, God's clearing out our lives cuz he has need of some stuff in us. And it's just been really exciting just to hear stories of people doing just that. Then we looked at week two, we looked at our addiction to busy and uh, how many, how many people just resonate with that?
Speaker 0 00:01:33 Just that sense of like the drivenness of our lives and just chill out. Guys, just chill out and enjoy just the grace of God. And then last week we looked at our brokenness and how the Lord brings us to a place of desiring to lead us into wholeness. And I believe that what we're doing is setting the scene for God to do some encounter stuff in our lives. And I believe next Sunday, we are going to be praying for a lot of, um, people who are physically unwell and we are gonna see, I believe God's in his mercy, just touching bodies and lives and bring in healing. So if you're unwell to come along next week and pray this week that God will prepare your hearts and your life for that. I also believe next week that God's been preparing us because there's gonna come deliverance and there's gonna come freedom from some things, some chains that have held us back, things that have been holding us down.
Speaker 0 00:02:25 But today is another bit of a preparation for that moment leading us towards that place of living in freedom, not just to talk about it, not just to understand it, not just to theorize around it, but to actually live it and to walk in its freedom. And I've got a really unusual sort of subtitle really that I want to bring into this particular weeks' theme. And it's really around destroying and getting rid of our time machines. And so we think anybody got a time machine in their garage. Um, but all of us have got time machines in our lives where we were regularly just wander back to past occasions. Things take us back. There may not be a machine that takes you physically back, but there are ways that we travel back to old things in our lives. And, and I wanna encourage this in these next few moments to deal with those things. Let me be practical about some of the things that started this as I was, um, preparing this morning. And that is to ask a question of what songs trigger things for you. Was there a, was there a song <laugh>, was there a song that was, um, playing on the jukebox when you proposed
Speaker 2 00:03:44 <laugh>?
Speaker 0 00:03:45 Was there, was there something that you grew up with in the family home that every time you hear that song being played, it reminds you of your childhood songs are powerful aren't they? How many can remember songs? The words of songs from decades ago? Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:04:05 Yeah.
Speaker 0 00:04:06 And you didn't sit down and write them down and make it a discipline to remember them. They just sort of get in you don't they, they sort of hang around. Yeah. They, and that can be used, uh, in a really good way in our life and songs really give us something that takes us beyond the physical, takes us into something of the emotion and the soul of something. Songs are really powerful. They have a way of channeling feelings. They that's why when we approach Christmas, which, uh, will probably not be too far away. Now I probably shouldn't mention that. Not when we're just in Southwest beach weather, come on, we live in the Southwest guys. We can go to the beach.
Speaker 2 00:04:56 Whoa.
Speaker 0 00:04:57 Yeah. But Christmas is coming
Speaker 2 00:05:00 Two 17 days, sunsets
Speaker 0 00:05:03 Two 17 days. You know that
Speaker 2 00:05:05 She, Chris is
Speaker 0 00:05:12 Definitely when you finish your conversation, I'll bring
Speaker 0 00:05:17 217 days and way in advance of that big day. Every time we walk into a retail environment, there will be music playing in the background and it will be festive. It will have Leigh bells. It will have familiar tunes. And the reason for that is that it gives our souls just a little bit of warmth. It gives us some nostalgia. It gives us some recollections that we begin to feel positive about those things. And the hope is in a retail environment that you will spend more as a result of that warm, fuzzy feeling. Those songs give you. And as I was preparing this week, I really sensed the holy spirits. Say that there are people here who need to get rid of some soundtracks that they've had in their life. Because there are soundtracks that are causing you to get stuck in a life that no longer exists for you.
Speaker 0 00:06:19 We've looked at over the last few weeks that if anyone is in Christ, they're a new creation. The old has gone the newest come and there are some like portals, some time machines that some songs that keep taking people back to a life that no longer exists and that God, because he cares for us. I'll look at this more in a moment because he wants more than okay, for us. He wants us to get rid of some of those portals that are causing us to get stuck. Now this might literally apply to some music or it may be some memorabilia or it may be some souvenirs. It may be some stories. It may be some things that every time you see them, you recite them. You tell them, you engage with them, that it takes you back to a life that no longer exists and it's become so inly part of your identity, but it's not your best identity.
Speaker 0 00:07:21 And it's certainly not your new identity. When I, um, over the years, I've visited lots of, lots of people's homes. And one of the joys that I've had of visiting people's homes is that first of all, I always look at their bookshelves and I made up their bookshelves, just, you know, see what, see what's on there. And uh, and then look at music collections. But over the years, there have been some people's homes I've been to, and I've not had to look at their music collection, cuz they're really keen to not just explain it. They're really keen to play it. And I, and I've been in people's homes where they talk about as they play in the tracks, the memories that it kicks off. Um, I remember, you know, sometimes over the years I've gone to the homes of people. Who've had addictive backgrounds, they've had serious drug addiction issues in their past and uh, they've come to Christ.
Speaker 0 00:08:07 They've found Jesus, they've got this new life, but then they play and, and I gotta say this, right? Cause I said it wrong in the first C. I said, VIN, I it's vinyl. They get it. They, they don't get their VIN. I records out, they get their vinyl records out. I don't know where I got that description, that pronunciation from, but it's completely wrong. And they play these records that they've had for years. And you can see that as they play them and they crank the volume up. They're not just appreciating its music, it's taken them somewhere. It's taken them to some of those heady days of their addiction. It's taken them to some memories about their identity. It takes them to a place that's sort of challenging something. The newness of what they're now living. Now. I don't really want to just get into just what, and you know, this is not my style to talk about.
Speaker 0 00:09:04 Listen, let's look at the lyrics of a song and let's pull it apart. Um, I'm not wanting to create a divide around the issues of Christian and non-Christian music. Um, because I don't know when it becomes Christian, is it who sings? It is it who writes it? Is it who performs it? Is it where it's performed? I don't know. I don't think the answers to those things are really simple. And I think all things are spiritual in our lives anyway. But so my purpose is not to create a narrative of a critique of music. My purpose this morning is to bring a thought and a stretch and a challenge about getting rid of those things in our life. That take us to places that are not beneficial. And we've all got them. There are things that seek to dominate and take us places. And if you have such a music collection, the moment I'm talking about soundtracks, but of course this may be metaphorical might be other things, not just music.
Speaker 0 00:10:05 But if I look, if you look at your music collection and I wanted to ask you the question, is it beneficial? Not asking, is it sinful? I'm asking, is it beneficial? Does it do things in you? That's not beneficial. It's a good question. Isn't it? Is it sinful? Is it wrong to listen to this sort of music? And sinful is just one aspect of living out a life of following Jesus. Jesus is not just asking the question. Is it sinful? He's actually asking the question. Is it beneficial? Because there are things that are sinful that are definitely harmful to us. Sin is harmful, but there are also things that are not sin that are not beneficial in our lives. And writing about food. Paul writing into the church in Corinth, in one Corinthians in chapter 10, he's talking about what they take into their bodies, food wise, and about how that's perceived and understood by other people.
Speaker 0 00:11:03 And he says these words, and I'm not going to translate this into food. I'm gonna translate into the things that we bring into our lives, whether that's through our ears, our eyes, or our understanding or our feelings. And he said this, you say, I am allowed to do anything, but not everything is good for you. You say I'm allowed to do anything, but not everything is beneficial. Now, as I said, this context was about food and that's not what we are looking at it here, but there is an important part of our lives. So what we allow into our lives can process in us. It can, it can accomplish things. It achieves things. And you know, I've gotta be honest. There are some conversations that, um, you feel like when you leave that they've been critical or they've been cynical or they've been destructive about other people.
Speaker 0 00:12:02 You feel like you need a wash afterwards. Anybody know what I'm talking about? Yeah, yeah. Or there's an environment that's being just slight in other people. And it just feels like, oh, that didn't feel very comfortable in my spirit. Or there might be something you watch or a book you read or music you listen to. And, and it's got values, which are different to the values that you and I live by. And it just makes us feel like we're solid in some way. Yeah. We just need a shower. We just need to come before God and say, God, that, that just, wasn't very healthy for me. Yeah. And you might leave the conversation and say, well, I didn't, I didn't join it. I didn't criticize, I didn't partake in their cynicism, but the thoughts, the ideas, the words they've got into your mind and it just feels like it's not beneficial.
Speaker 0 00:12:51 Yeah. And just because some things are okay, doesn't mean to say they're beneficial. Yeah. And Paul writing here says, you need to really think about what's beneficial because God cares about you and I living beneficial lives, not just okay. Lives. Our vision here is that people will thrive in the abundance of God and the abundant life that God has for us. And it's not just to be okay and to make it, but it's to thrive. Amen. I remember a number of years ago when I was in my teams, it's more than a number of years ago now I was getting along and longer away. When I have to fill forms, I have to scroll through pages to find my year of birth. Now <laugh> man, how did that happen? Like I'm interviewing people for roles now that I just think you've born yesterday and how has that happen?
Speaker 0 00:13:44 But I remember, um, there was lots of, lots of discussion and debate in my teens about the sort of music that we should listen to. And I remember someone answering a question as to how do you know if it's right or not? How do you know if it's beneficial or okay. And the answer they gave, I think is a really interesting answer, but it's an answer that maybe you might find to challenge you. And the answer is this. If you're unsure, whether something is not just okay, but it's beneficial. If you are unsure, then pray and fast for three days and then try doing it. And if it still feels beneficial after that, then God's smiling on it. But if not stop it, that was a really interesting answer. And as we clear out the junk of our past, from our garages and as get rid of the stuff that's from a past season, let's make sure that we don't have time machines that take us back to a person that no longer exists.
Speaker 0 00:15:01 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live. You're not an upgraded person. You're not a modified person. You're not an enhanced person. When you come to Jesus, you are a new person, a new creation. The old is still hanging around some and no, the old is gone. The new has come and see what we are dealing with in our life is the memories. It's the taking us back to a person who no longer lives. It's the going back and living out things that have held us. Some of those roadblocks, we've looked at some of those neurological pathways, some of those renewing of the minds that we've talked about over recent weeks, if you've missed those, do catch up with them. But I sense this, the spirit of God is saying that there are people who want to live free from unhealthy manifestations in their lives.
Speaker 0 00:15:52 Things like anger, jealousy, cynicism, destructive words, you want to live free, but you don't want to let go of your time machines, whether your time machine is music, stories, photographs, memorabilia, or souvenirs. And let me just clarify here. I'm not talking about getting rid of all the songs that remind you of just the, those beautiful occasions in our life. You know, there are lots of good things in our life that we are called to remember. The scripture says, um, you know, that we should constantly continuously remember the faithfulness of God. We should remember the goodness of God that we should have in our minds. And our understanding, the ability to know that as he's been faithful, he will be faithful. I mean, to remember his faithfulness of the past, to know his faithfulness in the present and the future. So I'm not talking about, you know, getting rid of all of the memories of those good things in your life. But those things that are not beneficial time machines are to go Philippians three versus 10 to 20, quite a few versus here. So let's look at them on the screen and let's look through what they're saying to us. I wanna know Christ and I wanna experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I wanna suffer with him. I wanna share in his death. So that one way or another, I will experience the resurrection from the dead.
Speaker 0 00:17:28 I don't mean to say that I've already achieved these things or that I've already reached perfection, but I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No dear brothers and sisters, I've not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing, forget in the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I press on to reach the end of the race and to receive their heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus is calling us, let all who our spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I, I believe God will make it plain to you, but we must hold on to the progress we've already made. Dear brothers and sisters pattern your lives after mine and learn from those who follow our example for, I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows that they're really enemies of the cross of Christ.
Speaker 0 00:18:42 They are headed for destruction, that God is their appetite. They brag about shameful things. And they think only about this life here on earth, but we are citizens of heaven where the Lord Jesus Christ lips, and we eagerly await for him to return as our savior, just out of these verses, we read a few things. First of all, that we read that the exhalation is to press on, to create righteous order in our lives. So we look more of that in a moment, but everything within us is to be synchronized with the new self and not the old self there's that compatibility, that synchronization that God is working. He's working on our minds and our hearts. He's working on our lifestyle. He's working on our decisions. He is looking to bring us to a place of synchronization into the ways of wisdom. Secondly, we see that we are told to forget the past and to look with faith to the future.
Speaker 0 00:19:41 You know, so often I've understood sharing testimonies. In fact, I was taught this that you have the, before you come to Christ, this is what my life was like. And you share those stories. And then you say how you met Christ. And then, and it's supposed to be the large bit of the emphasis that this is how Christ has changed my life. That's what we understood to be testimon. But actually when we read in revelation, it says, and we overcame the enemy by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. That's not a standing before the enemy going well, I used to live like this, and then I met Jesus like this. And now my life's been like this testimony refer to in the book of revelation is a testimony of God is awesome. God is faithful. God is just, God is powerful.
Speaker 0 00:20:34 God is redemptive. God brings hope. God brings life. It's appointing to him. And I sometimes think, you know, when we do baptisms, it's really, you know, always a joy to hear people share their stories of how they met Jesus. But really baptism is not about the person going through the water so much. It's about the testimony of the one that raises them up in newness of life is pointing to Jesus. Yeah. And our lives are meant to forget the past and to point to the one who's brought us hope for the future. No time machines, thirdly, it says the race is hampered. If we carry heavy loads, we've had the great west run taking place in the city this morning. Well done began through all the roadblocks to get here, but I didn't see any runners run past me this morning with heavy suitcases. They, in fact their material, their clothes is designed to be so light that it hardly feels on their body because they know that any weight hampers, their race, we're not meant to run with Rax and burns of the past. Fourthly don't let go of the progress you have made. Don't turn back fifthly. Don't let your rumbling stomachs. Don't let the cravings to get something satisfied in you to be satisfied by the offerings of the world. But instead go to Christ. It says, don't brag about your shameful past don't brag. You know, I've known people who have in an attempt to make their story sound more dramatic. They've made stuff up about their past. Have you ever heard anybody sort of share their gospel? Test me and think, did you do that?
Speaker 0 00:22:21 And it almost like the, the more evil their past, the more wonderful the testimony, but that's not, that's not how it is. If you've been brought up in a Christian home and you've never rebelled. I want you to know your testimony is phenomenal because you're pointing to the one who's held. You kept, you led you directed your steps and brought you to know him as your savior. It's not about our past. It's about the one who saved when there's resurrection around. Why are we concerned about death? Come on. Good. It's new life. Yeah. I've been crucified with Christ and it's no longer I either live, but it's Christ who lives in me. Don't brag about the dead person.
Speaker 0 00:23:12 Finally, on this section, if we carry our identity from our shameful past in full past, then God is saying, I want to create a clean break from that to bring it in alignment with your heavenly citizenship. There's a heavenly belonging that you and I are called to. So there are things that take us back in time, but there are also things that we've unknowingly carried forward into our present. It's almost like things of the past have traveled into our future and traveled into where we are now. Things that they're not God's design, but they live with us and they're present. And here I'm gonna list some family commandments. They may come from your family. They may come from your culture. They may come from your society. They might come from your nation, but ammunition, but let's look at these 10 family commandments. There may be more, there may be less.
Speaker 0 00:24:11 I'm gonna give some examples about how some of these areas can influence them. And influence is an important word to comment on. First of all, money, maybe you've been brought up with an understanding of money. That money is your best form of security. Maybe you've been brought up to understand that the more money you have, the more things you buy, the more value you have personally, and the more status you gain, maybe that's been some of the commandments around money in your life around conflict. Maybe some of the codes in your life, some of the commandments, some of the instructions, some of the society expectations that might be present that you carry in around. It might be this. It might be something like if someone hurts, you hurt them back more. Don't let them do that to you again. Or it might be that your family code has been. If someone hurts, you sit and stew on it and just let it slide rather than stir up any conflict sex, maybe your code, your expectations is that it's a subject that shouldn't be spoken about because it's dirty.
Speaker 0 00:25:40 Or maybe you've been brought up in a code. Certainly this is a code of our society. That it's, it's only a physical act. And if it's between consent in adults, then what harm is it? Grief, maybe your family code or your society code has been don't show sadness because it's a sign of weakness. Just pick yourself up and move on. If you recognize these in your family or some other examples around it or in your nationality or your culture, just clock it for a moment. Anger. Maybe your code has been. If I wanna explode on others to get my own way, then I will do it. Or maybe in contrast your code is being rather than explode.
Speaker 0 00:26:36 I'm just gonna express my frustrations through sarcasm and cynicism families. Maybe your commandments, your code, your understanding is that don't let the side down by airing. Your family's dirty was in public. It might be that your code is that your family comes before everything else hurt. Number seven don't trust. Anyone could be the code of your life. They will only hurt you if you trust them. So do not trust them, or maybe your code, your commandment, your culture, your understanding, your interpretation. And let me just say, these are probably not sitting on the fridge in your home as a list of things of doing and don't they live in our subconscious. And maybe your understanding I've heard is you never let anybody get close enough to you because they may hurt. You. Don't show vulnerability because people will use it against you. Others, maybe your code, your command, your understanding, your engagement is that you only mix with people who are like you.
Speaker 0 00:27:54 Maybe you've been brought up to look down on people who are different to you, nine success. I wonder what the goals, star successes in your understanding and in your life is it get the best education, get the best jobs lead. The best company set up the best business. Get the best marriage have the best kids is that success and feelings. Number 10, maybe you've lived with a code that says your feelings are not important, or maybe you react to everything by your feelings and without any regard to its impact and its implications on others. I wonder if you can discern the commandments that have brought you to where you are today. And again, they're not on their fridge, but you're in, they're in your subconscious. They may in their origins, go back. Many generations. They might have been passed on the line. They may be a great, great, great grandparent that was deeply hurt and offended once.
Speaker 0 00:29:07 And they said, we will never let anybody get that close to us again. And their kids grew up in that environment and their kids, your great, great grandparents. They're the ones that then grew up and that's what you do. And someone with other people, and it's been passed down the generations and no one sat down and taught it to you. No, one's gone through a manual, but you've picked it up by osmosis from your environment. And they become the commands that we live by. What are the rules that govern our lifestyle, drive our ambitions and our dreams. What are they, when do these codes become a stumbling block to live in healed and free? Well, the answer is when they conclude a different answer from the wisdom of God, let's just look at some of these from God's perspective, for a moment, money, listen, money does not make you secure.
Speaker 0 00:30:05 It's important to remember that as we are faced with eight or 9% inflation, as we are faced with just so much lack of confidence in our financial structures, we find our security, not in what's in our bank account or what's in our wallet. We find our security in God. One Timothy six 10 says for the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil note. It's not money. Money is a moral. It's the love of it. Yeah. And if it's your security, if it's understood to be the best army to protect you from the pain of this world, you will love it. See how our philosophies, our codes, our commandments, they begin to work through, into the practice of our lives. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people crave in money have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves as many sorrows. Secondly, conflict conflict. The scripture tells us not only does it exist, but it should be engaged with conflict can be done and should be done. In fact, it is necessary that it is done in a healthy way.
Speaker 0 00:31:30 If these next few verses I'm gonna read could be lived out in the family of God. The family of God would be very different today. Matthew 18 verse 15 says, if another believer sins against you, they're the worst kind of sins are they other people who've been hurt by other Christians on so many occasions say I expect it in my workplace. I expect it from my non-Christian family, but I don't expect it in church. I don't expect it from other people who profess to be in my brothers and sisters. It seems to hurt deeper because we are not ready for it because we assume it shouldn't happen. But Jesus says, if another believer sins against you, this is what you do. You go privately. And you point out the offense. It doesn't say call a prayer meeting with three people and share your point of prayer with them in confidence where you're really recruiting them to be on your side. Because you're trying to build up a bit of a case because beneath your prayer request, there is hurt. And beneath that hurts. You want other people to not celebrate the person who's hurt you. So you are just so some seeds just to make other people feel hurt as well. Doesn't say to do that. It says to go to them privately.
Speaker 0 00:33:13 And then, then it says, what happens if they don't hear it? It says, if the other person listens and confesses, it you've won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. You know, it's the persistence here. If you've got a family code that says we don't do conflict, you will leave and walk away from anything that hurts and offends you. And you will be living with a whole series of open wounds that will not be resolved. And we could have a moment where we pray that God will set you free from the offenses and the hurt, but you see there's a lifestyle of living this, that isn't just about an encounter of having someone lay hands on you and break the chains of that injustice over your life. But it's about you living in such a way that actually as re Bonnke the late famous preacher says that flies don't live on hot stoves. When we turn our lives up in a way that's inviting our lives to live, according to the synchronized rules and ways of God, then we find that these things in an encounter moment were set free and we live free. Yeah. And living free. God is interested in you and I not just living. Okay. But living, knowing what's beneficial and what's good. And what's right. Yeah.
Speaker 0 00:34:39 But it says if after taking two or three witnesses, the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won't accept the church's decision, treat that person as a pagan or as a Manchester United supporter Just sense the energy dripping in the room. I just need to get you all back. I'm gonna have a queue of people afterwards. Bring in my sin against me right there. I'm so sorry. Please. Forgive me.
Speaker 2 00:35:28 Hilarious.
Speaker 0 00:35:30 I get people coming to me quite regularly and say, mark, can I have a word of view that somebody's hurt me? And they've done this. They've said this they've behaved in this way. And I want you to hear what I will ask you. If you come to me and say that, have you spoken to them? <laugh> I would say nine times out of 10, they awkwardly look at me and say, I haven't, I'm not good with conflict. And I know it's a real tough thing. I know it doesn't feel like a nice thing to do. And there are ways that you prepare your heart for that conversation, which we haven't got time to go into today. But God is always after a resolution.
Speaker 0 00:36:19 And he wants us to live beneficial, not just okay, three sex. Did you know that sex? Wasn't a result of the fall sex predated sin. Did you know his design by God to be a beautiful way of bringing husband and wife together? Did you know? It was part of God's design to point to the intimacy of us with our, the lover of our souls. It's a beautiful, wonderful thing, but hear this as well. Whatever your family code has been sex, isn't necessary to make you truly human. Cuz that's a code in the world. How can I be fulfilled? How unfair is it that I don't have someone that I can sleep with or that I can have my sexuality affirmed Jesus <affirmative> Jesus never had an intimate sexual relationship. And yet he was fully human. Mm
Speaker 3 00:37:24 Yeah.
Speaker 0 00:37:25 Grief. I'm so God, God, doesn't I'm so glad God doesn't say, just pull yourself together. Psalm 34 18 says the Lord is near to the broken hearted. Yeah. And he saves the crushed in spirit. Yeah. If your code is, we don't show emotion, we don't do this. Please ditch your dodgy code and take on the one that's for the new self anger. Proverbs 1911 says sensible people control their temper. They earn respect by overlooking wrongs family. You know, I know it sounds deeply spiritual to say our family is our absolute priority, but I need to put in there that if your family is an absolute priority above what God means in your life.
Speaker 0 00:38:33 One of the toughest things that Jesus said was in Matthew eight, where someone said, I'll follow you, but I first gotta go and I've gotta attend to a few things. I've gotta sort a few things outta my family. And it looks like Jesus is being really callous. And he says, follow me. Now, let the, let the dead bury their own dead. Now he wasn't saying, don't worry about your dad's corpse. Probably his dad hadn't died at that point in the culture of the day, there was a sense of, you know, that you would fulfill your duty and you would be around for your father's last days and then you'd bury them. But Jesus was saying not, not decrying human connections and relationships, the scriptures talk about family. They talk about the wonderful relationships. Jesus, wasn't speaking against those things, but he was saying, you will have no other gods before me or codes before me or family before me hurt Ephesians four, two to three says always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, make allowances for each other's faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves United in the spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. If you are hurt, just, I love that phrase, make every effort.
Speaker 0 00:40:01 And then others, you know, this desire maybe to, or this code about people who are like, you only hang out with people who are like you. And we all have got a propensity for that. You know, students, we love you being part of the church. I I'd love you. Not just have a strong student, young adults and student ministry. I'd love you to hang out with some of our grandparents in the church. Yeah. Amen. I'd love to you're part of a family. Yeah. I'd love there to be this interaction of cultures and ages and backgrounds. Cuz that's what family? God's family years. Yeah. We're not meant just to hang out with people who, well, I don't have, I don't know what to say. We learn what to say. Come on, come, come on. Deal with your social and aptitude and learn how to engage in conversation. Yeah. Do you know a good way of starting this show? An interest in them? Come on. Somebody's got, everyone's got a passion somewhere. Yeah. Find it. Come on, take your fishing rod out in your conversation and Nope, that didn't work. <laugh> no, that didn't work. Wow. I've got a catch here. Come on.
Speaker 0 00:41:11 What a rich joy that is to know just the diversity of the kingdom. Success is not about your job. Although I pray you have a good job. It's not about your accolades in life. Although I nominate you all for an MBA, it's not about these things. Success is simply defined as somebody once put obedience to God, empowered by the spirit of God, motivated by the love of God, directed towards the advancement of the kingdom of God has success and then feelings. God's not devoid of feelings. We understand the holy Spirit's got feelings. The Bible says that we can grieve the spirit. He's got feelings. One Peter five seven says casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you. Yes. Yeah. Lovely cares for us. Ephesians for 32 says be kind to one another tender hearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ, forgave, you, God wants to set us free from everything of the old self.
Speaker 0 00:42:32 Amen. And he wants us to live free. Whom the son sits free. He sets free 80%, 90%. Hundred percent. Yeah. And let's be honest. The realities of our lives is how many of you absolutely no hand on heart without that there's no contradiction in your life. There are in mine. There's a dichotomy between what I know to be true and what I live to be true. There was in Paul. He says, what I wanna do, I don't do. And what I don't wanna do, I do that contradiction that place between the head and the heart, the longest journey in our lives. Yeah. Yes. And yet God doesn't want to be fury. He doesn't want us to walk a walk of faith. That's all about the right things to say in the right places. He wants us to live a life of abundance. Come on and fruitfulness and joy and peace and healing in life.
Speaker 0 00:43:33 He wants you and I to know that abundant life. Amen. Yes, but it doesn't just come. The new person comes by a work of miracle and grace, but our memories, our lifestyle, the codes that we live by the time machines we travel in, they always wanna take us back back to the old self band. Would you come and join me? And I'm not going to bring a public response this morning. I'm not going to invite you to come forward and get prayed with we're gonna do that next week. And I believe that the groundwork that God has been speaking into our lives over recent weeks is gonna prepare the way for what the spirit of the Lord wants to do. But I want just as the band play quietly, I want to ask you some reflective questions and I want to encourage you to close your eyes, to dismiss the distractions. And I wanna ask you two questions. What are the soundtracks and the time machines to your old self, Are there time machines that keep transporting you back? Are there stories that you need to stop telling? Are there experiences? Is it music? And as crazy as it sounded when I started off, I just really sense a spur of the Lord wants to help people to dismantle their time machines,
Speaker 0 00:45:29 The stop going back, Forgetting the form of things I press on. And the key thing with the scripture is not our knowledge of it. It's not our interpretation of it. The key thing is our obedience to it. So we could hear all this this morning. And if there's not some decision, some action, some obedience, then it's just been a pretty fruitful exercise to be honest. So maybe now think about the time machines that you need to destroy. Get rid of Holy spirit, help all these decisions. I pray, Help us look. The second question I wanna ask you Is what have been the inherited commandments that you've lived under? I may have touched on some of them, But there were just a few of many that might be the codes that you've lived by. Do you need to stand up against those codes and say no longer
Speaker 1 00:47:01 Do
Speaker 0 00:47:01 I'm gonna live free Of those things That stop me stepping into the beneficial Of the kingdom. I'm gonna push you out. What decisions you gonna make Or responses? How are you gonna obey What everybody remains praying. You're in this room where you're online this morning. You don't know Jesus as your savior never experienced the tenderness of the care and the compassion of his love. I've never known that sense of him removing the shame of your life and reorientating your life to follow him wholeheartedly. Or maybe you've gone away from him. And you know his Spirit's calling you home. I'm gonna pray a simple prayer. And I'm gonna invite you to pray this in your mind. God will hear When the prayer goes like this. Jesus. I want to know you. I want to invite you to come and remove the shame of my past. I want invite you To come and heal my broken heart. I want to invite you to come and live your life in and through me. I want to become Part of your family And I want to live my days following you. So as you forgive me, Please fill me with your love
Speaker 0 00:50:08 And your spirit In Jesus name. While you remain praying. If you pray that prayer in you, the room, just let me know. You prayed it with you by lifting your hands. When I've seen it, I'll acknowledge it and you can put it down again or online. You can just put it in the chat. I pray that prayer and someone would love to talk with you If that's you just lift your hand so I can see it.
Speaker 1 00:50:42 This
Speaker 0 00:50:43 All stand together. There's a scripture we're gonna put on the screen. Psalm 40. If you can see that, I'm gonna ask you to Read it out together. Let's say this. He has given me a new song to sing a HYM of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord. Come on. Let's say that again. He has given me a new song to sing a HYM of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. And they will put that trust in the Lord. Come on new the song's this, that this week we are weak filled with the sunshine of our heaven.
Speaker 1 00:51:44 Jesus.
