Latest / Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons / Follow the Best

Transcript

Follow the Best · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

• 0:00
  I would suggest that today in our congregation there are lots of ways we could divide everyone up.
• 0:08
  ! The world's very good at dividing people up into groups and camps and all sorts of characteristics.
• 0:13
  But today there are essentially three different kinds of people here today.
• 0:18
  There will be some who are not yet disciples of Jesus.
• 0:24
  There will be some who are not yet disciples of Jesus.
• 0:27
  There will be those as well who are disciples but who urgently need examples to follow.
• 0:39
  There are disciples who need to be formed and who need examples to follow.
• 0:44
  And then there are also, although there's probably some overlap between this group,
• 0:48
  there are also those who are disciples and who are worthy examples to follow.
• 0:57
  And in a sense, that's really the path of the Christian life.
• 1:02
  It's a path from coming to faith, so having no faith and belief in Jesus,
• 1:08
  but coming to be a disciple and then growing through that path of discipleship,
• 1:16
  the road of the journey of faith, you could say, as you go on with your lives.
• 1:21
  And you aspire to growth and maturity.
• 1:26
  And that is what all of us should be aspiring to.
• 1:30
  And I just want to note, just one simple note of caution before we get too far into this passage today.
• 1:36
  The verse I want to really draw your attention to is verse 17.
• 1:39
  Paul writes,
• 1:41
  Brothers, the word that's used in Greek there, it means family members really,
• 1:45
  although it is formerly brothers and sisters,
• 1:47
  join in imitating me and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.
• 1:57
  And I suppose really I just want to ask the question, who are you following today?
• 2:01
  What are you looking for in the role models in your life?
• 2:05
  The thing we need to kind of dispense with just at the beginning is that there are some people who would say,
• 2:10
  the only example I need is Jesus.
• 2:13
  And we'd almost cut themselves off from looking and observing other Christians and walking in fellowship within the church.
• 2:21
  It's really necessary for us to have more than that.
• 2:24
  We need living examples.
• 2:27
  We need flesh and blood examples that we can go to, that we can talk to, that we can listen to,
• 2:33
  that we can observe, that we can see.
• 2:37
  And these examples are not the ones on whom we rest and rely for salvation,
• 2:43
  but they are examples that we follow for growth
• 2:46
  and for how we proceed in running the race that is before us.
• 2:53
  It's an acknowledgement, in fact.
• 2:55
  If you deny this, in fact, in a sense you deny this.
• 2:58
  It's an acknowledgement of the Holy Spirit's work.
• 3:01
  The Holy Spirit works in the lives of individuals.
• 3:05
  And the work of the Holy Spirit is in bringing people to maturity.
• 3:10
  The work of the Holy Spirit is actually glorifying Christ Jesus
• 3:14
  in molding us and shaping us in our lives to be more like Jesus ourselves.
• 3:21
  And so as you go through your Christian life,
• 3:23
  there will be many people around you who are worthy examples
• 3:27
  because they are the fruit and work of the Holy Spirit
• 3:31
  because they evidence that work in their lives.
• 3:35
  And so before you rush off to say,
• 3:36
  well, I don't need any examples except Jesus.
• 3:38
  I'll stick just to the Bible. Thank you very much.
• 3:41
  I urge you to consider what the Bible actually says
• 3:44
  in saying that there are examples.
• 3:46
  And Paul, interestingly, sets himself up as an example.
• 3:50
  Join in imitating me
• 3:52
  as well as those who walk according to the example you've seen in us.
• 3:56
  So the fruit of the Holy Spirit working in people's lives
• 4:01
  means there are people that we can follow as examples.
• 4:04
  I would say as well, just as an aside before we get into this,
• 4:07
  that perhaps these are characteristics
• 4:10
  that we should look for as a congregation in a pastor.
• 4:15
  As we think to the vacancy in our congregation just now,
• 4:19
  there's maybe some characteristics that have eluded us.
• 4:23
  Perhaps we haven't considered.
• 4:26
  And there are things that we should really look for
• 4:28
  in those who have spiritual responsibility
• 4:31
  for the flock of God.
• 4:35
  I've got five points today.
• 4:37
  And in order to make them a bit easier to follow,
• 4:40
  we're going to use an acrostic.
• 4:42
  I'm not normally a fan of this.
• 4:43
  I don't often do this.
• 4:45
  I know I've done it twice recently, but still.
• 4:49
  The word that we're going to think about today is grace.
• 4:51
  Because that's Paul's theme.
• 4:54
  He finishes his letters with an appeal for the grace of God,
• 4:58
  and he greets in the peace and the grace of God
• 5:01
  to the disciples in verse 2 of chapter 1.
• 5:05
  First of all, then, the first characteristic of good examples
• 5:09
  is the characteristic of gaining Christ's righteousness.
• 5:14
  We should follow those who understand justification.
• 5:23
  Now, that's a big word.
• 5:25
  It's a theological word.
• 5:27
  But it means simply the means by which we gain righteousness
• 5:33
  to stand with confidence in the presence of God.
• 5:38
  And there are lots of ways that people think about this.
• 5:43
  Paul, before he came to faith in Jesus,
• 5:46
  had a peculiar way of thinking about justification.
• 5:50
  He thought you were made righteous by your actions.
• 5:54
  And so he rattles off all of the things that he thought made him righteous.
• 5:59
  He was a good Jew.
• 6:00
  He had been circumcised when he was eight days old.
• 6:03
  He was a good Jew.
• 6:04
  He followed the lineage of his people.
• 6:07
  So he knew which tribe he belonged to.
• 6:09
  He knew where he came from.
• 6:10
  He knew his roots.
• 6:12
  More than that, he said, concerning the law, I was a Pharisee.
• 6:15
  So the Pharisees could boldly say that they had identified
• 6:17
  a very discrete number of definite laws from the word of God
• 6:22
  that if they followed them, then they could say,
• 6:24
  hand on heart, I am following the law of God, and I am righteous.
• 6:28
  And Paul could say that his way of gaining righteousness
• 6:34
  was by being good enough.
• 6:38
  And the world, in fact, is full of such people.
• 6:45
  Everyone thinks they can be good enough
• 6:46
  by measuring up to some particular standard.
• 6:51
  Plenty of people actually think they've been good enough
• 6:53
  measuring up to the standard of God's word.
• 6:55
  But the best examples to follow
• 7:01
  are those who are justified not by works,
• 7:07
  but who are justified, as Paul says, by faith.
• 7:12
  That is, people who have come and put their trust for salvation,
• 7:18
  their trust for righteousness to stand in God's presence,
• 7:22
  in the person of Jesus.
• 7:25
  They've trusted Jesus, on the one hand, to take away their sin,
• 7:28
  for Jesus to deal with their sin at the cross,
• 7:31
  to take away their guilt and shame
• 7:33
  by him bearing the price and penalty of their sin at the cross.
• 7:40
  And equally, they have a sense of righteousness,
• 7:43
  not because of what they have done,
• 7:46
  but because they cling to the merit of Jesus,
• 7:49
  that Jesus is their righteousness.
• 7:54
  That Jesus is the one who makes me worthy to stand before my God.
• 8:00
  The way I often think about it is in terms of a football strip.
• 8:04
  If you play for a football club or a team,
• 8:09
  you don't want to look disorganized.
• 8:11
  And so you wear the team colors.
• 8:16
  And when someone moves from one team to another in a transfer window,
• 8:20
  the strip that they wear changes.
• 8:24
  And the heritage that they step into and that they rely on changes.
• 8:27
  So when you go to play for Rangers or Celtic,
• 8:31
  you don't carry on wearing the team colors from your old club.
• 8:35
  You wear the new team colors.
• 8:37
  And their heritage, their badge, their fame is yours.
• 8:41
  And people would say it's an honor to wear these team colors.
• 8:47
  And it's the same for us as Christians.
• 8:50
  That even as we think about our righteousness,
• 8:52
  if we think about what we do to gain acceptance from God,
• 8:56
  the greatest honor that we can show to Jesus
• 8:59
  is by saying we rely on his colors to take us there.
• 9:04
  And so today, I would say if you're not yet a believer,
• 9:08
  if you're in that first category,
• 9:09
  then simply this, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ
• 9:13
  and you will be saved.
• 9:16
  Trust in him.
• 9:18
  Just come to him in prayer.
• 9:23
  The words can be faltering,
• 9:26
  but the sentiment is what matters.
• 9:30
  And say, Lord, I can't do this myself.
• 9:33
  I cannot measure up.
• 9:35
  I need Jesus to be my righteousness.
• 9:42
  I need to trust in him.
• 9:44
  If you need examples,
• 9:45
  it's important that you look to those
• 9:46
  who will set an example of how you rightly stand with God.
• 9:50
  If you're a young Christian today,
• 9:52
  this is something you need to really reflect on
• 9:56
  more and more as you go on.
• 9:57
  There's lots of things as young Christians we can get kind of bogged down in
• 10:01
  about the practice, about how we do things,
• 10:03
  what we do, the things we invest our energies in and so on.
• 10:07
  All of that's important.
• 10:09
  But the thing that will lead to your growth as a Christian
• 10:11
  and the thing that will actually deepen your usefulness
• 10:14
  is the foundation of Christ in your life.
• 10:16
  And Christ becomes more and more of a foundation in your life
• 10:20
  the more you recognize the example in others who've gone before you
• 10:25
  who have made Christ the foundation in their lives.
• 10:29
  And I look at the people who I look up to,
• 10:32
  the people who I admire as Christians,
• 10:35
  are the ones who, with great humility,
• 10:39
  recognize Jesus as their Savior.
• 10:42
  And for those who are at that stage in their walk,
• 10:48
  remember always, this is a reminder to us,
• 10:51
  because even as old Christians,
• 10:53
  sometimes we can lapse in this, we can get it wrong.
• 10:56
  Remember where we stand.
• 10:58
  Gain Christ's righteousness.
• 11:02
  So that's our G, grace.
• 11:03
  Secondly, we are running towards the prize.
• 11:06
  Follow those who are pressing on to the prize.
• 11:10
  That's what Paul says in verse 14.
• 11:12
  I press on towards the goal of the prize of the upward call of God
• 11:19
  in Christ Jesus.
• 11:23
  Maturity in life often means slowing down, doesn't it?
• 11:30
  You know, we look at older people
• 11:31
  and we see them slowing a bit as they get on.
• 11:35
  Maturity in the Christian life means running more.
• 11:39
  Maturity in the Christian life is almost the inverse.
• 11:41
  In fact, that's why the Bible is full of this imagery of rejuvenation,
• 11:49
  revitalization.
• 11:52
  A healthy Christian and a healthy church
• 11:55
  is a church that runs.
• 11:59
  A church that runs forward towards Jesus,
• 12:03
  towards the finish line, towards the goal, towards the prize.
• 12:11
  And maturity like that means movement.
• 12:14
  It means being spiritually hungry
• 12:17
  for the experience of knowing Christ
• 12:22
  and being close to Him and in fellowship with Him.
• 12:28
  And so I would today urge those of you who are not yet
• 12:31
  saved,
• 12:34
  those who haven't yet come to that place of faith.
• 12:36
  One of the misconceptions that people often have
• 12:39
  is that they think the Christian life is a sort of static thing.
• 12:42
  You get the kuram
• 12:44
  and then that's you, you're there
• 12:45
  and your life's over and that's it.
• 12:48
  And
• 12:48
  I think actually it's flawed
• 12:51
  because being a disciple
• 12:52
  means following.
• 12:55
  The word actually means a follower.
• 12:57
  Someone who
• 12:58
  goes in the footsteps
• 13:00
  of their master.
• 13:02
  And our master, Jesus,
• 13:03
  was on a journey.
• 13:04
  As Paul says,
• 13:05
  He went to the cross.
• 13:07
  It was a journey that took Him
• 13:08
  to that destination.
• 13:09
  And now He is in heaven
• 13:10
  and He is seated at the right hand of God and high.
• 13:13
  And one day He will return
• 13:14
  to judge the living and the dead.
• 13:17
  But
• 13:18
  for us as followers of Jesus,
• 13:20
  we need to be on a similar trajectory,
• 13:22
  a journey.
• 13:25
  And sometimes that journey,
• 13:26
  as we'll see it,
• 13:26
  involves suffering.
• 13:30
  But it's still a progress.
• 13:31
  It's a progression.
• 13:32
  It's an advance,
• 13:33
  a movement.
• 13:35
  And so I would encourage you today,
• 13:36
  if you're not yet a believer,
• 13:38
  not to be
• 13:38
  duped into thinking
• 13:41
  that there is no
• 13:42
  ongoing progress
• 13:44
  and change in the Christian life.
• 13:46
  The Christian life
• 13:47
  is inherently
• 13:48
  a journey.
• 13:51
  For those of you
• 13:52
  who are young Christians
• 13:53
  and those of you
• 13:54
  who need examples
• 13:55
  to follow,
• 13:58
  there is nothing
• 13:59
  as inspiring
• 14:01
  as someone
• 14:02
  who has
• 14:03
  gone before you
• 14:05
  and has
• 14:07
  a great example
• 14:09
  of their goals
• 14:10
  being achieved.
• 14:13
  By that I mean
• 14:14
  their spiritual goals.
• 14:17
  Like people who've actually
• 14:18
  walked through their lives
• 14:19
  and who have said,
• 14:21
  this area of my life
• 14:22
  is a sinful thing
• 14:23
  that I need to deal with.
• 14:25
  And so I'm going to deal with it.
• 14:27
  It might be a character
• 14:30
  issue.
• 14:32
  It might be an addiction.
• 14:35
  It might be a habitual sin.
• 14:38
  But who've said,
• 14:39
  by the grace of God
• 14:40
  and by the Spirit's working in me,
• 14:42
  I'm going to address this.
• 14:46
  And you as a young Christian,
• 14:47
  you look at,
• 14:47
  and I remember being like this myself
• 14:49
  as a young Christian,
• 14:49
  thinking,
• 14:49
  that is quite incredible.
• 14:54
  That there were examples
• 14:55
  in my life
• 14:56
  of people
• 14:56
  who had the humility
• 14:57
  to say,
• 14:59
  God took me through.
• 15:02
  And they were good examples
• 15:03
  to follow.
• 15:06
  Instead, though,
• 15:07
  the danger is
• 15:08
  that we see
• 15:10
  as our examples
• 15:11
  lethargic people.
• 15:15
  Spiritually lethargic Christians.
• 15:17
  And you see that
• 15:19
  in lots of different ways.
• 15:22
  You see it,
• 15:23
  for example,
• 15:24
  in a formulaic prayer life.
• 15:31
  Where prayer
• 15:33
  is almost like
• 15:35
  a professional wrestler.
• 15:38
  I don't know
• 15:38
  if you've ever watched,
• 15:40
  I don't know,
• 15:40
  it's WWE,
• 15:41
  I think it's called now,
• 15:43
  World Wide Wrestling Entertainment.
• 15:45
  And it is entertainment.
• 15:46
  It's a show.
• 15:48
  I was telling my kids
• 15:49
  the other day
• 15:49
  about one of the characters
• 15:51
  who was in that
• 15:51
  when I was younger.
• 15:53
  It was The Rock.
• 15:55
  And The Rock would,
• 15:56
  you know,
• 15:56
  he had a great charisma.
• 15:58
  And when he arrived on stage,
• 15:59
  he'd always introduce himself
• 16:00
  in a certain way,
• 16:02
  reminding people
• 16:03
  about who he was.
• 16:04
  And then he would have a fight
• 16:06
  with another wrestler.
• 16:08
  And the fight would actually,
• 16:10
  when you watch it,
• 16:11
  it's quite impressive to see.
• 16:13
  But it's actually
• 16:13
  very well scripted.
• 16:14
  And the whole fight
• 16:16
  kind of goes
• 16:17
  in the same motion.
• 16:19
  And then what you slowly realize
• 16:20
  as you get a bit
• 16:21
  more savvy to it
• 16:22
  is you realize
• 16:22
  they're actually performing.
• 16:24
  And so this night
• 16:25
  they're in Los Angeles.
• 16:26
  And then maybe
• 16:27
  a couple of days later
• 16:28
  they're going to be
• 16:29
  somewhere down in Texas.
• 16:31
  And then maybe somewhere,
• 16:32
  a few days later,
• 16:32
  they're going to be somewhere
• 16:33
  maybe in the Midwest.
• 16:35
  And they're going to move
• 16:36
  around the country
• 16:36
  in different places.
• 16:37
  And every night
• 16:39
  the show
• 16:40
  is pretty much the same.
• 16:43
  And so you've got
• 16:44
  this really impressive
• 16:45
  looking kind of fight
• 16:47
  happening on stage
• 16:48
  in the wrestling ring.
• 16:50
  But you realize
• 16:51
  the whole thing
• 16:52
  is an act
• 16:53
  and really scripted.
• 16:56
  And the truth actually
• 16:58
  is that sometimes
• 16:59
  our prayer life
• 17:00
  can be like that.
• 17:01
  It can look
• 17:02
  really impressive.
• 17:04
  It can look like
• 17:07
  it's full of
• 17:08
  biblical language
• 17:09
  and it can look like
• 17:10
  it's full of
• 17:11
  very audible
• 17:12
  goals and aims
• 17:14
  and phrases
• 17:15
  and things in prayer.
• 17:17
  But actually
• 17:18
  it's become
• 17:19
  formulaic,
• 17:21
  routine.
• 17:23
  Because the next time
• 17:24
  you hear that person
• 17:25
  praying
• 17:25
  it's exactly the same prayer.
• 17:28
  And there's no
• 17:29
  vitality to it.
• 17:30
  There's no change to it.
• 17:31
  There's no life to it.
• 17:34
  And the walk with God
• 17:35
  is a walk that is
• 17:36
  constantly changing.
• 17:39
  Our walk with God
• 17:40
  is evolving
• 17:40
  because the things
• 17:41
  that are going on
• 17:41
  in our lives
• 17:42
  are changing
• 17:42
  and evolving
• 17:43
  and the things
• 17:44
  we have to pray for
• 17:45
  are changing
• 17:45
  and evolving
• 17:46
  all the time.
• 17:47
  And because
• 17:48
  the sin that we
• 17:49
  recognize in our own
• 17:50
  lives is something
• 17:51
  that's changing.
• 17:51
  So this is another one
• 17:52
  where lethargy
• 17:53
  can set in.
• 17:54
  We get lax
• 17:55
  in putting to death
• 17:55
  the sin that is
• 17:56
  within us.
• 17:58
  And we slow down
• 17:59
  with it.
• 18:02
  Or we get sloppy
• 18:03
  in our witness.
• 18:04
  Don't we know
• 18:08
  that there's plenty
• 18:08
  examples of that?
• 18:12
  And so set
• 18:13
  as examples
• 18:14
  those who are
• 18:16
  running
• 18:17
  towards the prize.
• 18:19
  Those who are
• 18:20
  pursuing it
• 18:20
  with all their might.
• 18:22
  Secondly
• 18:23
  thirdly sorry
• 18:24
  grace
• 18:26
  A.
• 18:27
  We would
• 18:27
  accept
• 18:29
  suffering
• 18:29
  with Christ.
• 18:32
  This is a strange
• 18:33
  one because
• 18:33
  Paul says
• 18:34
  something very
• 18:35
  profound in this
• 18:36
  chapter.
• 18:36
  He talks about
• 18:37
  the suffering
• 18:38
  of Jesus
• 18:38
  and he says
• 18:40
  he wants to
• 18:40
  share in that.
• 18:42
  He says in
• 18:43
  verse 10
• 18:44
  that I may
• 18:45
  know Jesus
• 18:45
  and share in
• 18:46
  his sufferings
• 18:47
  and becoming
• 18:47
  like him
• 18:48
  in his death.
• 18:49
  And this
• 18:52
  is a very
• 18:52
  strange one.
• 18:53
  I've often
• 18:54
  wondered in fact
• 18:55
  does Paul
• 18:55
  write these
• 18:56
  things because
• 18:56
  he himself
• 18:57
  was perhaps
• 18:59
  an eyewitness
• 18:59
  to the death
• 19:00
  of Jesus.
• 19:00
  He was an
• 19:00
  eyewitness to
• 19:01
  the death
• 19:01
  of Stephen
• 19:02
  just a short
• 19:03
  few months
• 19:03
  later.
• 19:04
  And I've
• 19:05
  often wondered
• 19:05
  was he an
• 19:05
  eyewitness to
• 19:06
  the death
• 19:06
  of Jesus.
• 19:08
  But there's
• 19:08
  something about
• 19:09
  the death
• 19:09
  of Jesus
• 19:09
  that sticks
• 19:10
  with Paul
• 19:10
  and that's
• 19:11
  important to
• 19:11
  him.
• 19:12
  Not simply
• 19:12
  for the means
• 19:13
  of his
• 19:14
  salvation.
• 19:15
  Paul's very
• 19:16
  clear on this.
• 19:16
  we get
• 19:17
  saved by
• 19:18
  the death
• 19:18
  of Jesus
• 19:19
  because he
• 19:19
  takes our
• 19:20
  sin upon
• 19:21
  himself and
• 19:22
  our punishment
• 19:23
  and he dies
• 19:24
  for us.
• 19:25
  But when Paul
• 19:26
  says I want
• 19:27
  to become like
• 19:27
  Jesus in his
• 19:28
  death he's
• 19:28
  not talking
• 19:29
  about bearing
• 19:30
  other people's
• 19:31
  sin.
• 19:31
  We can't do
• 19:32
  that.
• 19:33
  We're not
• 19:34
  making up
• 19:34
  somehow a
• 19:35
  little bit
• 19:36
  extra to
• 19:37
  take people
• 19:37
  over the
• 19:37
  line where
• 19:38
  Jesus maybe
• 19:39
  doesn't manage
• 19:40
  to take
• 19:40
  them themselves.
• 19:42
  But instead
• 19:43
  he's talking
• 19:44
  about the
• 19:44
  manner of the
• 19:45
  death of
• 19:45
  Jesus.
• 19:46
  the humility
• 19:48
  with which
• 19:48
  he went
• 19:49
  to that
• 19:50
  death.
• 19:50
  The humility
• 19:50
  in obeying
• 19:51
  the father's
• 19:51
  call.
• 19:52
  He'll have
• 19:53
  been told
• 19:53
  by the
• 19:53
  other disciples
• 19:54
  about the
• 19:54
  garden of
• 19:55
  Gethsemane.
• 19:56
  About the
• 19:57
  prayer of
• 19:57
  Jesus the
• 19:58
  night before
• 19:58
  he was
• 19:59
  betrayed when
• 20:00
  he prayed
• 20:01
  and said
• 20:01
  father if it's
• 20:02
  possible that
• 20:03
  this cup would
• 20:03
  pass from
• 20:04
  me but not
• 20:04
  my will but
• 20:05
  yours be
• 20:05
  done.
• 20:06
  That
• 20:06
  reconciliation
• 20:07
  with the
• 20:08
  father's
• 20:09
  purposes in
• 20:10
  his life
• 20:11
  that took
• 20:13
  him to the
• 20:13
  cross.
• 20:13
  God
• 20:15
  is a
• 20:16
  strange thing
• 20:17
  for us to
• 20:17
  acknowledge
• 20:18
  but that
• 20:19
  God uses
• 20:20
  suffering in
• 20:21
  the lives of
• 20:22
  Christians to
• 20:23
  shape and
• 20:24
  mold and
• 20:24
  transform their
• 20:25
  character.
• 20:27
  It's these
• 20:27
  times where
• 20:28
  you're lying in
• 20:28
  hospital that
• 20:30
  God often
• 20:30
  uses to
• 20:32
  chip away so
• 20:34
  often the
• 20:35
  flaws in our
• 20:37
  own heart where
• 20:37
  we don't trust
• 20:38
  him.
• 20:39
  The bits in
• 20:39
  our hearts that
• 20:40
  say I want to
• 20:41
  hold on to
• 20:42
  my own
• 20:44
  autonomy.
• 20:45
  I want to
• 20:45
  hold on to
• 20:45
  my own
• 20:46
  rights.
• 20:46
  I want to
• 20:46
  hold on to
• 20:47
  my own
• 20:47
  self.
• 20:49
  God's
• 20:49
  saying no
• 20:49
  what you
• 20:50
  need to
• 20:50
  learn is
• 20:50
  to trust
• 20:51
  me.
• 20:52
  You trust
• 20:53
  him in
• 20:54
  the midst
• 20:54
  of suffering.
• 20:55
  You trust
• 20:55
  him with
• 20:56
  Jesus going
• 20:57
  through the
• 20:57
  suffering.
• 20:58
  Not you
• 20:58
  trust him so
• 20:59
  that he takes
• 20:59
  the suffering
• 21:00
  away but
• 21:01
  you trust
• 21:01
  him so that
• 21:02
  the suffering
• 21:02
  is used
• 21:03
  for God's
• 21:04
  purposes in
• 21:06
  the unfolding
• 21:07
  of your
• 21:07
  life and
• 21:09
  drawing you
• 21:09
  closer to
• 21:10
  himself.
• 21:10
  Now that
• 21:11
  suffering can
• 21:11
  take many
• 21:12
  forms.
• 21:13
  I mentioned
• 21:13
  Lyman in
• 21:14
  hospital.
• 21:14
  That's often
• 21:14
  physical.
• 21:16
  But it can
• 21:17
  take many
• 21:17
  forms.
• 21:18
  It can be
• 21:19
  psychological.
• 21:20
  There can
• 21:20
  be an
• 21:21
  emotional,
• 21:22
  mental
• 21:22
  suffering and
• 21:24
  struggle in
• 21:24
  our lives.
• 21:26
  God's
• 21:26
  teaching us
• 21:27
  through that.
• 21:28
  It can be
• 21:29
  relational.
• 21:31
  There can be
• 21:32
  tense,
• 21:33
  difficult
• 21:33
  seasons in
• 21:35
  your life
• 21:35
  where you're
• 21:36
  at pain
• 21:37
  because
• 21:38
  something in
• 21:39
  your marriage
• 21:39
  is just not
• 21:40
  working or
• 21:41
  because something
• 21:42
  in your
• 21:42
  relationship with
• 21:43
  your boss or
• 21:43
  your colleagues
• 21:44
  isn't working
• 21:45
  or because
• 21:46
  something in
• 21:46
  your relationship
• 21:47
  with your
• 21:47
  children isn't
• 21:48
  working.
• 21:49
  There's a
• 21:49
  pain associated
• 21:50
  with that.
• 21:53
  We come to
• 21:54
  God in all of
• 21:55
  these situations.
• 21:56
  We rely on
• 21:56
  him.
• 21:57
  We trust in
• 21:57
  him.
• 21:58
  We set an
• 21:58
  example,
• 21:59
  therefore,
• 21:59
  to others of
• 22:00
  how you walk
• 22:01
  with Christ,
• 22:02
  sharing in
• 22:03
  Christ's
• 22:03
  sufferings as
• 22:06
  you go through
• 22:06
  these experiences.
• 22:09
  And I would
• 22:10
  say that today
• 22:10
  to those of
• 22:11
  you who are
• 22:11
  not yet
• 22:12
  believers.
• 22:13
  The Christian
• 22:13
  life is not
• 22:15
  one where
• 22:16
  suffering is
• 22:16
  going to be
• 22:16
  removed from
• 22:17
  you.
• 22:18
  The Christian
• 22:19
  life is not
• 22:20
  one where
• 22:20
  God says,
• 22:21
  well,
• 22:21
  that's it,
• 22:21
  there's no
• 22:21
  pain for
• 22:22
  you now,
• 22:22
  nothing
• 22:23
  difficult in
• 22:23
  your path,
• 22:24
  you'll just
• 22:25
  be carried
• 22:25
  to heaven
• 22:26
  on angels'
• 22:27
  wings.
• 22:29
  And that's
• 22:29
  not the
• 22:30
  reality.
• 22:32
  But the
• 22:33
  reality is that
• 22:34
  in that
• 22:34
  suffering,
• 22:36
  Christ is
• 22:38
  with you.
• 22:39
  The Holy
• 22:40
  Spirit empowers
• 22:41
  you.
• 22:42
  And the
• 22:43
  Father's love
• 22:43
  towards you
• 22:44
  remains clear
• 22:46
  and steadfast.
• 22:48
  And so we
• 22:49
  need examples
• 22:49
  in our lives,
• 22:50
  not of the
• 22:51
  comfortable
• 22:52
  Christian,
• 22:52
  because that's
• 22:53
  likely someone
• 22:54
  who's not
• 22:55
  garnering much
• 22:55
  attention from
• 22:56
  the evil one
• 22:56
  anyway,
• 22:57
  but of
• 22:58
  Christians who
• 22:58
  have gone
• 22:59
  through suffering
• 23:00
  and who have
• 23:02
  the humility
• 23:02
  not to become
• 23:03
  bitter and
• 23:04
  cynical by
• 23:05
  these experiences,
• 23:07
  but who have
• 23:08
  been made
• 23:10
  more
• 23:10
  Christ-like.
• 23:15
  And so
• 23:15
  follow the
• 23:16
  example of
• 23:17
  those who
• 23:17
  have accepted
• 23:18
  suffering
• 23:18
  with Christ.
• 23:21
  So gain
• 23:21
  Christ's
• 23:21
  righteousness,
• 23:22
  run towards
• 23:22
  the prize,
• 23:23
  accept
• 23:24
  suffering.
• 23:25
  Fourthly,
• 23:26
  follow
• 23:27
  citizens of
• 23:27
  heaven.
• 23:29
  Paul again
• 23:30
  is very clear
• 23:30
  on this.
• 23:31
  In this
• 23:31
  passage,
• 23:32
  he explains
• 23:33
  that our
• 23:33
  citizenship
• 23:34
  is in
• 23:34
  heaven,
• 23:35
  not in
• 23:35
  this world,
• 23:36
  and from
• 23:37
  it we
• 23:37
  await a
• 23:37
  Savior,
• 23:38
  Christ Jesus
• 23:38
  the Lord.
• 23:39
  Philippians 3
• 23:39
  verse 20.
• 23:41
  What he
• 23:41
  means there
• 23:42
  is that
• 23:42
  we are
• 23:44
  people who
• 23:46
  live not
• 23:47
  for this
• 23:48
  world.
• 23:50
  The
• 23:50
  Christian is
• 23:50
  someone who
• 23:51
  does not
• 23:51
  live for
• 23:52
  this world.
• 23:53
  The Christian
• 23:54
  is someone
• 23:54
  who lives
• 23:55
  for Christ,
• 23:56
  lives for
• 23:56
  Jesus.
• 23:57
  And Jesus
• 23:58
  is in
• 23:58
  heaven.
• 24:00
  Jesus is
• 24:00
  enthroned in
• 24:01
  glory today.
• 24:02
  And so
• 24:04
  we need
• 24:05
  Christians
• 24:09
  who will
• 24:11
  pursue
• 24:11
  that
• 24:13
  future.
• 24:16
  That future
• 24:17
  expression of
• 24:18
  citizenship.
• 24:21
  Christians
• 24:21
  who will
• 24:22
  cross the
• 24:23
  channel.
• 24:25
  It's a
• 24:26
  strange way
• 24:26
  of putting it.
• 24:27
  It's topical
• 24:28
  though.
• 24:29
  There's people
• 24:30
  who want to
• 24:30
  come to this
• 24:31
  country because
• 24:31
  they think
• 24:32
  this country
• 24:32
  is a place
• 24:33
  where they
• 24:33
  will be
• 24:33
  safe,
• 24:34
  where they
• 24:35
  will be
• 24:36
  respected,
• 24:38
  where they'll
• 24:39
  find hope.
• 24:41
  They want to
• 24:42
  be citizens
• 24:42
  of this
• 24:43
  country.
• 24:47
  And that's
• 24:48
  what we need
• 24:48
  in Christians.
• 24:50
  You know,
• 24:50
  Christians who
• 24:51
  want to
• 24:52
  experience
• 24:53
  the citizenship
• 24:55
  of heaven.
• 24:57
  Who want to
• 24:57
  experience
• 24:58
  the assurance
• 25:00
  and the
• 25:01
  blessing of
• 25:02
  God on
• 25:02
  their lives
• 25:03
  and who
• 25:04
  will
• 25:04
  overflow
• 25:05
  therefore
• 25:06
  in showing
• 25:07
  the
• 25:08
  citizenship
• 25:09
  of heaven
• 25:09
  in how
• 25:10
  they live
• 25:10
  right now.
• 25:11
  I think
• 25:15
  sometimes what
• 25:15
  that means
• 25:15
  is,
• 25:16
  especially if
• 25:16
  you want
• 25:16
  to be an
• 25:17
  example to
• 25:18
  younger
• 25:18
  Christians,
• 25:18
  simply this.
• 25:20
  Do not
• 25:21
  set the
• 25:21
  example of
• 25:22
  saying the
• 25:22
  old days
• 25:23
  were better.
• 25:26
  They
• 25:26
  probably
• 25:27
  weren't.
• 25:30
  The reason
• 25:30
  I say that
• 25:31
  is because the
• 25:31
  world has
• 25:32
  always had
• 25:33
  its own
• 25:34
  appeal.
• 25:35
  The world
• 25:36
  had its own
• 25:36
  appeal when
• 25:37
  you were
• 25:37
  young.
• 25:38
  It has its
• 25:39
  appeal today.
• 25:39
  It will
• 25:40
  have its
• 25:41
  appeal tomorrow.
• 25:43
  And the
• 25:43
  Christian of
• 25:44
  any age will
• 25:45
  struggle against
• 25:46
  these things and
• 25:46
  will need to
• 25:47
  battle through to
• 25:47
  understand their
• 25:49
  citizenship in
• 25:49
  that context.
• 25:52
  And the
• 25:52
  struggles today for
• 25:53
  young Christians are
• 25:54
  different to the
• 25:55
  struggles you had as
• 25:56
  a young Christian
• 25:56
  50 years ago.
• 25:58
  But it wasn't
• 25:59
  easier 50 years
• 26:00
  ago.
• 26:04
  It's probably
• 26:05
  just the same.
• 26:05
  people who
• 26:09
  are
• 26:10
  not who
• 26:13
  yearn for
• 26:13
  better days of
• 26:14
  the past,
• 26:15
  but for
• 26:16
  people who
• 26:17
  are today
• 26:17
  trained as
• 26:19
  citizens of
• 26:19
  heaven and
• 26:21
  who recognize
• 26:22
  what their
• 26:22
  role in the
• 26:23
  world is,
• 26:24
  what they're
• 26:24
  doing in
• 26:24
  this place
• 26:25
  as ambassadors
• 26:26
  of Jesus,
• 26:28
  citizens from
• 26:29
  that other
• 26:29
  place.
• 26:30
  families.
• 26:31
  Finally, if
• 26:33
  you want
• 26:33
  examples to
• 26:34
  look for,
• 26:36
  and examples
• 26:36
  that you will
• 26:37
  follow after,
• 26:39
  look for those
• 26:40
  who will
• 26:40
  encourage you
• 26:41
  and love
• 26:43
  you.
• 26:44
  That's what
• 26:45
  Paul says at
• 26:46
  the end of
• 26:46
  this section.
• 26:48
  Therefore,
• 26:48
  my brothers,
• 26:50
  whom I love
• 26:50
  and long for,
• 26:51
  my joy and
• 26:52
  crown, stand
• 26:53
  firm in the
• 26:54
  Lord.
• 26:56
  Find examples
• 26:57
  of people who
• 26:57
  are going to
• 26:58
  build you up.
• 27:00
  There are
• 27:01
  plenty of
• 27:01
  people in
• 27:02
  the world
• 27:02
  who will
• 27:03
  tear you
• 27:03
  down.
• 27:03
  There are
• 27:04
  plenty of
• 27:04
  people in
• 27:04
  the world
• 27:04
  who will
• 27:05
  be nothing
• 27:05
  but critical.
• 27:06
  There are
• 27:07
  plenty of
• 27:07
  people in
• 27:07
  the world
• 27:08
  who will
• 27:08
  express that
• 27:09
  criticism in
• 27:09
  all sorts of
• 27:10
  different ways,
• 27:11
  and sometimes
• 27:12
  it's entirely
• 27:12
  justified.
• 27:14
  But there's
• 27:15
  not enough
• 27:15
  people who
• 27:17
  will love
• 27:18
  you.
• 27:21
  If you're
• 27:21
  an older
• 27:22
  Christian,
• 27:23
  love and
• 27:24
  long for
• 27:24
  young Christians
• 27:25
  to do better
• 27:26
  than you.
• 27:30
  If you're
• 27:30
  an old
• 27:31
  Christian,
• 27:32
  remember the
• 27:33
  world that
• 27:33
  the young
• 27:34
  Christian of
• 27:35
  today is
• 27:35
  going into
• 27:35
  is a world
• 27:36
  that's very
• 27:37
  different to
• 27:37
  the world
• 27:37
  you grew
• 27:38
  up in.
• 27:38
  It's a
• 27:43
  world where
• 27:43
  now we've
• 27:46
  decriminalized
• 27:47
  abortion to
• 27:47
  birth.
• 27:50
  It's a
• 27:50
  world where
• 27:51
  now we've
• 27:53
  approved or
• 27:54
  are about to
• 27:55
  approve a
• 27:55
  law allowing
• 27:57
  assisted suicide
• 27:57
  in our health
• 27:58
  service.
• 28:01
  It's a world
• 28:01
  where the
• 28:02
  biblical norms
• 28:03
  that shaped
• 28:03
  your life
• 28:04
  50 years
• 28:06
  ago
• 28:06
  are gone.
• 28:15
  And the
• 28:15
  great privilege
• 28:16
  that belongs
• 28:17
  to older
• 28:18
  Christians
• 28:18
  today is
• 28:20
  to love
• 28:20
  young
• 28:21
  Christians,
• 28:22
  to love
• 28:23
  them and
• 28:23
  to encourage
• 28:24
  them in the
• 28:25
  day they're
• 28:25
  in,
• 28:26
  to encourage
• 28:27
  them in the
• 28:28
  battles of
• 28:30
  this moment,
• 28:30
  to encourage
• 28:32
  them in
• 28:32
  learning how
• 28:33
  to witness
• 28:33
  in this
• 28:34
  moment,
• 28:35
  to encourage
• 28:36
  them in
• 28:36
  new things.
• 28:40
  Perhaps it's
• 28:41
  using social
• 28:42
  media,
• 28:43
  perhaps it's
• 28:43
  using different
• 28:45
  sets of
• 28:45
  gifts,
• 28:47
  but whatever
• 28:48
  it is,
• 28:48
  it's using
• 28:49
  all to the
• 28:49
  glory of
• 28:50
  God.
• 28:51
  And so
• 28:51
  find people
• 28:52
  who will
• 28:52
  love you
• 28:53
  and encourage
• 28:54
  you in
• 28:56
  using these
• 28:56
  things.
• 28:59
  Quite simply
• 29:00
  today, I
• 29:01
  would leave
• 29:01
  you with this
• 29:01
  question.
• 29:02
  are you
• 29:04
  looking for
• 29:04
  the best
• 29:05
  example in
• 29:07
  how you
• 29:07
  live as a
• 29:08
  Christian?
• 29:11
  Are you
• 29:11
  looking for
• 29:12
  people who
• 29:12
  will show
• 29:15
  you how
• 29:15
  justification
• 29:16
  works?
• 29:18
  Are you
• 29:18
  looking for
• 29:19
  people who
• 29:19
  will show
• 29:20
  you how to
• 29:20
  gain God's
• 29:22
  favor and
• 29:23
  righteousness
• 29:23
  to stand
• 29:25
  before?
• 29:25
  are you
• 29:27
  looking for
• 29:28
  people who
• 29:29
  will also
• 29:30
  run towards
• 29:31
  the prize,
• 29:34
  racing towards
• 29:35
  the upward
• 29:36
  call of God
• 29:36
  in Christ
• 29:37
  Jesus?
• 29:39
  People who
• 29:39
  along the way
• 29:40
  accept that
• 29:40
  suffering is
• 29:41
  going to be a
• 29:41
  feature of
• 29:42
  that life,
• 29:44
  but who do
• 29:45
  so as
• 29:47
  citizens of
• 29:47
  heaven and
• 29:49
  long to
• 29:50
  encourage those
• 29:51
  with them.
• 29:51
  let's pray
• 29:53
  to God
• 29:53
  just now.
• 29:55
  Heavenly
• 29:56
  Father, as
• 29:57
  we look
• 29:59
  upon our
• 30:00
  church, as
• 30:01
  we look on
• 30:01
  our congregation,
• 30:03
  I pray, Lord,
• 30:03
  that you would
• 30:04
  fill our
• 30:05
  church with
• 30:06
  people who
• 30:07
  express these
• 30:07
  characteristics.
• 30:09
  We need
• 30:10
  mature
• 30:12
  Christians who
• 30:13
  are going to
• 30:13
  be worthy
• 30:14
  examples to
• 30:16
  the young,
• 30:17
  who are going
• 30:18
  to set an
• 30:18
  example in
• 30:19
  how to
• 30:20
  thrive and
• 30:21
  flourish as
• 30:21
  Christians in
• 30:23
  all of these
• 30:23
  different ways.
• 30:25
  And so, Lord, I
• 30:25
  pray that you
• 30:26
  would continue to
• 30:26
  raise up men
• 30:28
  and women who
• 30:29
  are worthy
• 30:30
  examples to
• 30:31
  us.
• 30:32
  And those of
• 30:33
  us who are
• 30:34
  younger, may
• 30:35
  you fill us
• 30:36
  with a desire
• 30:37
  to know that
• 30:39
  walk better,
• 30:40
  fill us with a
• 30:40
  desire to follow
• 30:41
  in that example
• 30:42
  and in these
• 30:43
  footsteps.
• 30:44
  And we ask and
• 30:45
  pray these things
• 30:45
  in Jesus' name.
• 30:47
  Amen.
• 30:47
  Amen.
• 30:51
  We're going to
• 30:53
  sing in
• 30:53
  conclusion,
• 30:54
  sing psalms,
• 30:56
  psalm 73a,
• 31:00
  page 95.
• 31:02
  We're going to
• 31:02
  sing the last
• 31:03
  three stanzas of
• 31:04
  the psalm.
• 31:06
  The tune is
• 31:07
  eventide,
• 31:08
  verse 23 onwards,
• 31:10
  yet I remain
• 31:11
  with you
• 31:11
  continually.
• 31:12
  By my right
• 31:13
  hand you hold
• 31:14
  me as my
• 31:15
  guide.
• 31:16
  You'll lead me
• 31:17
  with your
• 31:18
  counsel to the
• 31:18
  end and take
• 31:20
  me into glory
• 31:21
  to abide.
• 31:22
  That is the
• 31:23
  prize, the
• 31:24
  goal of the
• 31:24
  Christian life
• 31:25
  and that we
• 31:26
  are moving
• 31:26
  towards.
• 31:27
  Let's stand
• 31:28
  to sing,
• 31:29
  Yet I Remain
• 31:29
  With You
• 31:30
  Continually.
• 31:30
  Yet I
• 31:36
  remain
• 31:37
  with
• 31:39
  you
• 31:40
  continually
• 31:43
  by
• 31:45
  my
• 31:47
  right
• 31:48
  hand
• 31:49
  you hold
• 31:51
  me as my
• 31:54
  guide.
• 31:55
  You'll lead
• 31:58
  me with
• 32:00
  your
• 32:01
  counsel to
• 32:04
  the
• 32:05
  end and
• 32:08
  take me
• 32:09
  into glory
• 32:12
  to
• 32:13
  the
• 32:14
  you
• 32:16
  in
• 32:19
  heaven
• 32:20
  will
• 32:20
  have
• 32:22
  I
• 32:24
  but
• 32:24
  you
• 32:26
  alone
• 32:28
  on earth
• 32:31
  there's no
• 32:32
  walk
• 32:34
  else
• 32:35
  whom I
• 32:36
  adore.
• 32:38
  love.
• 32:38
  Although
• 32:40
  my heart
• 32:43
  may feel
• 32:45
  and pleasure
• 32:47
  growing,
• 32:48
  God is
• 32:52
  my strength
• 32:54
  and portion
• 32:55
  evermore.
• 32:58
  those who
• 33:03
  are far
• 33:05
  from you
• 33:07
  will be
• 33:10
  gathered
• 33:11
  of
• 33:13
  those who
• 33:16
  are
• 33:17
  unfaithful
• 33:20
  you
• 33:20
  need
• 33:21
  brought
• 33:22
  more.
• 33:23
  But
• 33:24
  I'll
• 33:26
  draw
• 33:26
  near
• 33:27
  and
• 33:29
  shelter
• 33:30
  in
• 33:31
  my
• 33:32
  goal.
• 33:34
  Near
• 33:35
  Thee,
• 33:36
  O Lord,
• 33:38
  I
• 33:39
  will
• 33:39
  be
• 33:40
  and
• 33:41
  praise
• 33:43
  for
• 33:44
  him.
• 33:45
  Now the
• 33:47
  grace of
• 33:48
  the Lord
• 33:48
  Jesus
• 33:48
  Christ,
• 33:48
  the love
• 33:49
  of God
• 33:49
  the Father
• 33:50
  and the
• 33:50
  fellowship
• 33:50
  of God
• 33:51
  the Holy
• 33:51
  Spirit
• 33:52
  be with
• 33:52
  each one
• 33:52
  of us
• 33:52
  now and
• 33:53
  always.
• 33:54
  Amen.
• 34:15
  Amen.
• 34:45
  Thankyou,