1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:01,520 Well, please keep your Bibles open 2 00:00:01,520 –> 00:00:03,820 at 1 Corinthians and chapter one. 3 00:00:03,820 –> 00:00:07,040 We’re going to camp out here over the next three weeks, 4 00:00:07,040 –> 00:00:11,940 and I have one very simple aim for this short series, 5 00:00:11,940 –> 00:00:16,059 and it is that we should see the centrality 6 00:00:16,059 –> 00:00:19,000 of the Cross of Jesus Christ 7 00:00:19,000 –> 00:00:24,000 so that we might live in its transforming power. 8 00:00:24,180 –> 00:00:26,600 I’ve chosen as our title for this series 9 00:00:26,600 –> 00:00:27,760 the very simple question, 10 00:00:27,760 –> 00:00:31,340 what can God do with a cross? 11 00:00:32,799 –> 00:00:36,160 Because if you had seen Jesus dying at Calvary, 12 00:00:36,160 –> 00:00:37,480 you probably wouldn’t have thought 13 00:00:37,480 –> 00:00:38,799 much would come out of it. 14 00:00:39,959 –> 00:00:41,720 Nobody there at the time did. 15 00:00:43,820 –> 00:00:46,520 People, of course, still feel that very much today 16 00:00:46,520 –> 00:00:47,980 looking at it from a distance. 17 00:00:47,980 –> 00:00:49,720 We live in a very different world 18 00:00:49,720 –> 00:00:51,520 from the Jewish first century. 19 00:00:52,840 –> 00:00:56,040 We live in the world of competition for business contracts. 20 00:00:56,099 –> 00:00:59,680 We live in the world of tension in homes and marriages. 21 00:00:59,680 –> 00:01:03,240 We live with inner struggles with our own desires, 22 00:01:03,240 –> 00:01:05,019 doubt over our self worth, 23 00:01:05,019 –> 00:01:07,220 ambition to achieve something significant, 24 00:01:07,220 –> 00:01:10,279 and frustration when it doesn’t happen as we hoped. 25 00:01:10,279 –> 00:01:11,820 That’s our world. 26 00:01:13,480 –> 00:01:17,080 And sometimes it’s hard to see how a cross 27 00:01:18,040 –> 00:01:20,800 can be relevant to the real issues 28 00:01:21,639 –> 00:01:22,820 of our lives. 29 00:01:23,680 –> 00:01:26,919 Now I want us to see today and over these next two weeks 30 00:01:26,919 –> 00:01:29,540 that very far from being remote from the struggles 31 00:01:29,540 –> 00:01:33,379 of your life, or remote from the pressures of this world, 32 00:01:33,379 –> 00:01:36,639 the cross of Jesus Christ is the beacon 33 00:01:36,639 –> 00:01:39,820 of hope for all people. 34 00:01:41,059 –> 00:01:43,800 What can God do with a cross? 35 00:01:44,879 –> 00:01:46,120 Three answers. 36 00:01:47,019 –> 00:01:48,839 Number one today, 37 00:01:48,839 –> 00:01:50,680 he can build a community. 38 00:01:51,540 –> 00:01:54,940 Number two next week, 39 00:01:54,940 –> 00:01:56,680 he can change your destiny. 40 00:01:58,099 –> 00:02:00,000 Number three the week that follows, 41 00:02:00,980 –> 00:02:04,260 he will open a door of opportunity, 42 00:02:04,260 –> 00:02:06,760 and you’ll find them all here in 1 Corinthians 1. 43 00:02:08,380 –> 00:02:11,020 Now just to get oriented to where we are in the Bible. 44 00:02:11,020 –> 00:02:13,820 Paul spent about a year and a half 45 00:02:13,820 –> 00:02:16,139 in this town of Corinth. 46 00:02:16,139 –> 00:02:18,220 He was preaching and teaching there 47 00:02:18,220 –> 00:02:20,300 and really as the first Christian missionary 48 00:02:20,460 –> 00:02:21,619 to arrive in this town, 49 00:02:21,619 –> 00:02:24,660 he was the one who led many of the first believers 50 00:02:24,660 –> 00:02:26,179 in Corinth to Christ. 51 00:02:26,179 –> 00:02:27,660 You can read about it if you’re interested 52 00:02:27,660 –> 00:02:29,800 in Acts Chapter 18. 53 00:02:29,800 –> 00:02:32,220 So having spent a year and a half 54 00:02:32,220 –> 00:02:33,899 with this group of people, 55 00:02:33,899 –> 00:02:36,660 he was really personally invested. 56 00:02:36,660 –> 00:02:38,919 Paul loved these people, 57 00:02:38,919 –> 00:02:40,899 but then because he was a church planter, 58 00:02:40,899 –> 00:02:42,500 it was in the nature of his calling 59 00:02:42,500 –> 00:02:44,940 that after a time, a year and a half, 60 00:02:44,940 –> 00:02:46,899 he moved on to other places, 61 00:02:46,899 –> 00:02:50,339 and a man called Apollos came in after him 62 00:02:50,339 –> 00:02:52,139 and gave leadership to the church. 63 00:02:52,139 –> 00:02:53,500 So you have the picture. 64 00:02:53,500 –> 00:02:55,100 Paul was the church planter. 65 00:02:55,100 –> 00:02:56,500 He worked there for a year and a half, 66 00:02:56,500 –> 00:02:58,800 led the first group of people to faith in Jesus. 67 00:02:58,800 –> 00:03:00,059 Then comes Apollos, 68 00:03:00,059 –> 00:03:02,240 and it seems that he stuck around for a while 69 00:03:02,240 –> 00:03:05,500 and effectively pastored the church. 70 00:03:05,500 –> 00:03:06,339 Well, of course, you know, 71 00:03:06,339 –> 00:03:11,080 it’s amazing how quickly change happens in a community. 72 00:03:11,080 –> 00:03:12,580 People come and go, 73 00:03:12,580 –> 00:03:14,860 and although Paul planted the church, 74 00:03:14,899 –> 00:03:16,520 it wasn’t terribly long 75 00:03:16,520 –> 00:03:18,320 before there were a good number of folk 76 00:03:18,320 –> 00:03:20,740 who had come to Christ subsequently 77 00:03:20,740 –> 00:03:24,619 and therefore had never met him or known him at all. 78 00:03:24,619 –> 00:03:25,539 Just thinking about this, 79 00:03:25,539 –> 00:03:26,880 brought back a memory to me 80 00:03:26,880 –> 00:03:29,080 of going back to the church 81 00:03:29,080 –> 00:03:31,419 that I pastored in London. 82 00:03:31,419 –> 00:03:35,660 I pastored there for 16 years before coming here, 83 00:03:35,660 –> 00:03:38,479 and just a few years after coming here, 84 00:03:38,479 –> 00:03:40,419 they kindly invited me to go back 85 00:03:40,419 –> 00:03:41,699 and to preach for a Sunday. 86 00:03:41,699 –> 00:03:43,899 So back I went to my former church, 87 00:03:43,940 –> 00:03:48,619 having invested 16 years of very happy ministry there. 88 00:03:48,619 –> 00:03:51,100 And of course, as soon as you go back, 89 00:03:51,100 –> 00:03:52,559 there’s that immediate bond. 90 00:03:52,559 –> 00:03:54,759 So many people coming up, big hugs. 91 00:03:54,759 –> 00:03:57,580 Oh pastor, how wonderful to see you. 92 00:03:57,580 –> 00:04:01,339 How’s life in America and all this kind of thing. 93 00:04:01,339 –> 00:04:02,179 But then of course, 94 00:04:02,179 –> 00:04:06,899 there were all these other folks I had never seen before. 95 00:04:07,759 –> 00:04:09,660 And I have to admit, just crossing my mind, 96 00:04:09,660 –> 00:04:11,360 though I’m almost ashamed to admit it, 97 00:04:11,360 –> 00:04:14,559 the thought was what are you doing here? 98 00:04:15,860 –> 00:04:17,079 And then it occurred to me 99 00:04:17,079 –> 00:04:19,779 that they were thinking precisely the same thing 100 00:04:19,779 –> 00:04:21,959 in the opposite direction. 101 00:04:21,959 –> 00:04:25,040 Who in all the world is this guy? 102 00:04:25,040 –> 00:04:30,100 Some guy from the past, who cares about that? 103 00:04:30,100 –> 00:04:33,339 Well, it must have been rather like that at Corinth. 104 00:04:33,339 –> 00:04:36,940 Can you imagine being part of the core group 105 00:04:36,959 –> 00:04:41,579 that planted a church along with the apostle Paul. 106 00:04:41,579 –> 00:04:43,940 Boy, if you had that experience in your life, 107 00:04:43,940 –> 00:04:46,640 what could ever top that? 108 00:04:47,660 –> 00:04:50,720 I mean boy, if you translate it into our terms here, 109 00:04:51,779 –> 00:04:53,420 you would have good folks saying, 110 00:04:53,420 –> 00:04:58,040 well, we’ve had some good times with Pastor Colin 111 00:04:58,040 –> 00:05:02,079 and with Pastor Greg and with Pastor Ted, 112 00:05:02,079 –> 00:05:06,820 but we were here with the apostle Paul when it started. 113 00:05:06,820 –> 00:05:09,839 You can’t ever top that. 114 00:05:09,839 –> 00:05:11,779 Well, it seems that this kind of thing 115 00:05:11,779 –> 00:05:13,480 had become a source of tension 116 00:05:13,480 –> 00:05:15,339 within the church at Corinth, 117 00:05:15,339 –> 00:05:17,500 and Paul heard about it 118 00:05:17,500 –> 00:05:22,420 when some folks from Chloe’s household, verse 11 came, 119 00:05:22,420 –> 00:05:24,179 these were evidently some friends 120 00:05:24,179 –> 00:05:27,720 who’d come to visit Paul wherever he was at the time, 121 00:05:27,720 –> 00:05:30,459 and they had shared the news, 122 00:05:30,459 –> 00:05:32,619 and I’m going to assume that 123 00:05:32,619 –> 00:05:35,059 because Paul addresses many problems 124 00:05:35,059 –> 00:05:36,720 in this letter of 1 Corinthians 125 00:05:36,720 –> 00:05:39,279 that they didn’t just tell him about this difficulty, 126 00:05:39,279 –> 00:05:41,459 but they told him about all the other difficulties 127 00:05:41,459 –> 00:05:43,720 that were going on at Corinth as well. 128 00:05:43,720 –> 00:05:45,839 And I know that many of us are familiar 129 00:05:45,839 –> 00:05:47,720 with this letter already. 130 00:05:47,720 –> 00:05:49,100 For those who have read it, 131 00:05:49,100 –> 00:05:52,660 you will know that there were many problems at Corinth, 132 00:05:52,660 –> 00:05:55,079 which makes me wonder what in all the world 133 00:05:55,079 –> 00:05:57,040 was the conversation like 134 00:05:57,040 –> 00:05:58,959 when these people from Chloe’s household 135 00:05:58,959 –> 00:06:01,399 came and told Paul all about it? 136 00:06:02,279 –> 00:06:03,480 I mean, can you imagine? 137 00:06:04,359 –> 00:06:06,880 The apostle Paul opens the door. 138 00:06:07,980 –> 00:06:12,880 Well, if it’s not my old friends from Corinth. 139 00:06:12,880 –> 00:06:15,000 How wonderful to see you. 140 00:06:16,160 –> 00:06:17,000 Come on in. 141 00:06:17,000 –> 00:06:19,079 Let’s have a nice cup of tea. 142 00:06:20,519 –> 00:06:23,519 Oh, it’s so marvelous to see you. 143 00:06:23,519 –> 00:06:27,799 Now tell me, how were things in the church at Corinth? 144 00:06:29,519 –> 00:06:32,920 Well, could be better. 145 00:06:34,160 –> 00:06:35,559 Could be better? 146 00:06:35,559 –> 00:06:36,399 What do you mean? 147 00:06:37,940 –> 00:06:42,899 Well, we got a bit of a problem with the finances. 148 00:06:44,440 –> 00:06:47,660 The people don’t want to give, you find that in chapter 16. 149 00:06:49,600 –> 00:06:51,519 And then we got a bit of a problem, 150 00:06:51,519 –> 00:06:53,019 some people are saying they don’t believe 151 00:06:53,019 –> 00:06:54,700 in the resurrection, they say everything 152 00:06:54,700 –> 00:06:56,640 in the Christian life is what you get now. 153 00:06:56,640 –> 00:06:58,359 You’ll find that in chapter 15. 154 00:07:00,359 –> 00:07:02,720 Then there’s been a lot of confusion about spiritual gifts. 155 00:07:02,720 –> 00:07:04,119 People just can’t seem to agree 156 00:07:04,119 –> 00:07:06,160 of what we should do to worship. 157 00:07:06,160 –> 00:07:07,799 Find that in chapter 12 to 14. 158 00:07:09,640 –> 00:07:12,239 Then there’s some folks who seem to think 159 00:07:12,239 –> 00:07:14,440 that they have the right to impose rules 160 00:07:14,440 –> 00:07:16,799 of behavior on everyone else in the church, 161 00:07:16,799 –> 00:07:18,660 and there’s this big debate about how 162 00:07:18,660 –> 00:07:21,000 we should relate to the world that’s going on. 163 00:07:21,000 –> 00:07:22,480 You see, some people say we should 164 00:07:22,480 –> 00:07:24,079 really be engaged with the world, 165 00:07:24,079 –> 00:07:25,299 and other people are saying we should 166 00:07:25,299 –> 00:07:27,019 really separate ourselves from the world, 167 00:07:27,019 –> 00:07:29,239 I mean where do you go with that one? 168 00:07:29,239 –> 00:07:31,119 You find that in chapters eight to 10. 169 00:07:32,079 –> 00:07:33,799 Then there are other folks who are not happy 170 00:07:33,799 –> 00:07:37,480 at home and they’re constantly asking 171 00:07:37,480 –> 00:07:39,320 is it okay for me to get a divorce, 172 00:07:39,320 –> 00:07:42,119 and actually, this whole area is a big one Paul. 173 00:07:42,119 –> 00:07:44,920 You know, there’s a lot of folks struggling 174 00:07:44,920 –> 00:07:47,519 with sexual issues right now in Corinth. 175 00:07:47,519 –> 00:07:49,700 It is Corinth after all, it’s not easy. 176 00:07:51,839 –> 00:07:53,640 Find that in chapters six and seven. 177 00:07:55,079 –> 00:07:57,500 Then there’s some members who are involved in lawsuits. 178 00:07:58,679 –> 00:08:00,559 Lawsuit says the Apostle Paul? 179 00:08:00,559 –> 00:08:03,279 You mean Christians are being sued in Corinth? 180 00:08:03,279 –> 00:08:05,739 Oh no, they’re suing each other? 181 00:08:07,320 –> 00:08:09,600 And then there’s a dreadful church-discipline 182 00:08:09,600 –> 00:08:11,160 problem involving incest. 183 00:08:11,160 –> 00:08:13,359 Nobody has a clue what to do about that one. 184 00:08:15,299 –> 00:08:17,619 Then there’s this whole problem of cliques. 185 00:08:19,019 –> 00:08:21,119 Everybody’s in their own group. 186 00:08:22,440 –> 00:08:24,339 And there just doesn’t seem to be a sense 187 00:08:24,339 –> 00:08:25,760 of pulling together. 188 00:08:26,700 –> 00:08:31,100 But, other than that, Paul, 189 00:08:32,840 –> 00:08:34,780 things are going pretty well. 190 00:08:34,780 –> 00:08:36,880 Now, here’s the question. 191 00:08:38,059 –> 00:08:41,219 Where would you start? 192 00:08:43,039 –> 00:08:45,359 See, if you had to give leadership to a church, 193 00:08:45,359 –> 00:08:48,479 or you had to give leadership to a ministry 194 00:08:48,479 –> 00:08:51,880 where there are financial, theological, 195 00:08:52,380 –> 00:08:56,760 sexual, marital, legal, social, and directional problems, 196 00:08:56,760 –> 00:08:58,859 where would you begin? 197 00:09:01,239 –> 00:09:02,900 Now, I think it has a huge significance 198 00:09:02,900 –> 00:09:06,320 that the Apostle Paul begins with the centrality 199 00:09:06,320 –> 00:09:08,820 of the Lord Jesus Christ. 200 00:09:10,159 –> 00:09:11,700 That’s where you have to begin. 201 00:09:13,119 –> 00:09:14,599 Let me just read the first few verses 202 00:09:14,599 –> 00:09:15,880 of 1 Corinthians. 203 00:09:15,880 –> 00:09:17,700 I’m going to read, I want you to note, 204 00:09:17,700 –> 00:09:19,320 you can count in your head. 205 00:09:20,440 –> 00:09:21,640 No, let’s make it more fun. 206 00:09:22,419 –> 00:09:23,539 We’ll count out loud, okay? 207 00:09:23,539 –> 00:09:25,520 I want you to count out loud with me 208 00:09:27,039 –> 00:09:29,960 every time we have a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ 209 00:09:29,960 –> 00:09:31,719 in the first few verses, okay? 210 00:09:31,719 –> 00:09:34,320 So, when I hit it, I want to hear a one and then a two. 211 00:09:34,320 –> 00:09:36,539 So, I just want you to get the sense 212 00:09:36,539 –> 00:09:39,559 of the all pervasiveness, 213 00:09:39,559 –> 00:09:42,260 the centrality of the Lord Jesus Christ 214 00:09:42,260 –> 00:09:44,440 as this man under the inspiration of the Spirit 215 00:09:44,440 –> 00:09:49,440 takes up his pen to answer all these problems. 216 00:09:49,880 –> 00:09:50,900 Okay, here we go. 217 00:09:51,700 –> 00:09:55,320 I call to be an apostle of Jesus Christ 218 00:09:55,320 –> 00:09:58,919 by the will of God and our brother Sothzenes, 219 00:09:58,919 –> 00:10:01,179 to the Church of God in Corinth, 220 00:10:01,179 –> 00:10:04,760 to those sanctified in Christ Jesus 221 00:10:04,760 –> 00:10:08,099 and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere 222 00:10:08,099 –> 00:10:12,039 who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 223 00:10:12,039 –> 00:10:13,760 their Lord, and ours grace, 224 00:10:13,760 –> 00:10:15,760 and peace to you from God our Father 225 00:10:15,760 –> 00:10:18,380 and the Lord Jesus Christ. 226 00:10:18,440 –> 00:10:21,460 I always thank God for you because of His grace 227 00:10:21,460 –> 00:10:25,059 given to you in Christ Jesus for in Him, 228 00:10:25,059 –> 00:10:27,679 that’s six, okay, six, 229 00:10:27,679 –> 00:10:30,500 you were being enriched in every way 230 00:10:30,500 –> 00:10:33,500 and in all your speaking and in all your knowledge 231 00:10:33,500 –> 00:10:38,500 because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. 232 00:10:38,619 –> 00:10:41,020 Therefore, you do not lack any spiritual gift 233 00:10:41,020 –> 00:10:44,260 as you eagerly await for our Lord Jesus Christ 234 00:10:44,260 –> 00:10:45,640 to be revealed. 235 00:10:45,640 –> 00:10:47,760 He, that’s another one, okay. 236 00:10:48,580 –> 00:10:51,679 Okay, He will keep you strong to the end 237 00:10:51,679 –> 00:10:53,619 so that you will be blameless on the day 238 00:10:53,619 –> 00:10:56,320 of our Lord Jesus Christ. 239 00:10:56,320 –> 00:10:59,299 God who has called you into fellowship with his Son, 240 00:10:59,299 –> 00:11:02,080 Jesus Christ, our Lord is faithful. 241 00:11:02,080 –> 00:11:03,659 Therefore, I appeal to you, brothers, 242 00:11:03,659 –> 00:11:06,619 in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. 243 00:11:06,619 –> 00:11:09,700 Now, do you see how pervasive that is? 244 00:11:09,700 –> 00:11:10,719 It’s everywhere. 245 00:11:11,739 –> 00:11:15,940 Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ 246 00:11:16,140 –> 00:11:18,359 for the financial problems, the sexual problems, 247 00:11:18,359 –> 00:11:21,320 the marital problems, the legal problems, 248 00:11:21,320 –> 00:11:22,880 the directional problems. 249 00:11:22,880 –> 00:11:25,520 Christ, Christ, Christ. 250 00:11:27,000 –> 00:11:29,539 It’s the very foundation of the church. 251 00:11:31,320 –> 00:11:35,559 There’s huge significance in this for us today. 252 00:11:37,719 –> 00:11:41,559 Christ is the one who holds all things together. 253 00:11:41,820 –> 00:11:46,820 Apart from Christ, things fall apart in any area of life. 254 00:11:50,119 –> 00:11:52,960 He takes center stage. 255 00:11:54,280 –> 00:11:59,039 And when any person or any problem 256 00:11:59,960 –> 00:12:04,960 or any program or any method becomes central in ministry, 257 00:12:06,440 –> 00:12:09,159 what happens is Christ is displaced 258 00:12:09,179 –> 00:12:11,840 and if Christ is displaced from the center, 259 00:12:11,840 –> 00:12:13,539 division will follow. 260 00:12:14,820 –> 00:12:17,799 Now, that is very simply what was happening at Corinth. 261 00:12:17,799 –> 00:12:21,059 And that is why Paul is so insistent on calling them back 262 00:12:21,059 –> 00:12:24,440 to the centrality of our Lord Jesus Christ. 263 00:12:25,719 –> 00:12:27,820 Notice what was happening in verse 12, 264 00:12:27,820 –> 00:12:29,539 what he was told about by these folks 265 00:12:29,539 –> 00:12:31,000 from Chloe’s household. 266 00:12:32,479 –> 00:12:34,200 Some were saying, I’m of Paul, 267 00:12:34,200 –> 00:12:35,820 some were saying, I’m of Apollos, 268 00:12:35,820 –> 00:12:37,380 some were saying, I’m of Cephas, 269 00:12:37,460 –> 00:12:39,640 and still another I follow Christ. 270 00:12:39,640 –> 00:12:44,059 That last group were probably saying simply, 271 00:12:44,059 –> 00:12:46,239 well we are the only ones around here 272 00:12:46,239 –> 00:12:47,859 who really following Jesus 273 00:12:47,859 –> 00:12:50,539 and regarded themselves exclusively 274 00:12:51,859 –> 00:12:54,059 as the only ones who were really faithful. 275 00:12:55,539 –> 00:12:58,260 But look at the attachment to personalities. 276 00:12:58,260 –> 00:13:02,960 Some people were more excited about Paul than Jesus. 277 00:13:02,960 –> 00:13:05,280 It’s not surprising that people were excited about Paul. 278 00:13:05,280 –> 00:13:06,640 He was an amazing leader, 279 00:13:06,719 –> 00:13:08,599 charismatic personality. 280 00:13:08,599 –> 00:13:11,400 But if you’re more excited about Paul than Jesus, 281 00:13:11,400 –> 00:13:14,400 more excited about any leader than Jesus, there’s a problem. 282 00:13:16,080 –> 00:13:18,280 Other people, of course, had not bought into Paul, 283 00:13:18,280 –> 00:13:20,020 they’d bought into Apollos. 284 00:13:21,460 –> 00:13:22,820 You can understand this. 285 00:13:22,820 –> 00:13:26,539 Apollos, it seems, has stayed in Corinth longer than Paul 286 00:13:26,539 –> 00:13:29,000 so people would have become attracted to him 287 00:13:29,000 –> 00:13:31,159 if he’d done the wedding for the family, 288 00:13:31,159 –> 00:13:32,679 done the funeral for the family, 289 00:13:32,679 –> 00:13:33,919 he’d visited you in hospital 290 00:13:33,919 –> 00:13:35,979 and he’d taught your Sunday school class for a bit. 291 00:13:36,299 –> 00:13:38,559 Then what happens is people really get attached to him, 292 00:13:38,559 –> 00:13:40,820 people really loved him, that’s a good thing. 293 00:13:42,520 –> 00:13:44,659 Then, fascinatingly, there were some people 294 00:13:44,659 –> 00:13:46,880 who’d really bought into Cephas, 295 00:13:46,880 –> 00:13:51,159 which is another name for Peter, the apostle Peter. 296 00:13:51,159 –> 00:13:54,140 This is really interesting because there is no evidence 297 00:13:54,140 –> 00:13:57,080 whatever that Peter ever visited Corinth. 298 00:13:58,659 –> 00:14:01,659 Peter and Paul preached the same gospel of course 299 00:14:01,659 –> 00:14:04,099 but they certainly did have a different approach 300 00:14:04,299 –> 00:14:06,460 and a different emphasis. 301 00:14:06,460 –> 00:14:09,059 Peter clearly from the Acts of the Apostles 302 00:14:09,059 –> 00:14:12,979 had a greater openness to preserving the Jewish traditions 303 00:14:12,979 –> 00:14:14,820 within the Christian church. 304 00:14:15,960 –> 00:14:19,460 And so what you have here is some people being bought into 305 00:14:19,460 –> 00:14:22,059 an approach to ministry of a man they’ve never met 306 00:14:23,219 –> 00:14:25,219 who was never part of the local church. 307 00:14:26,619 –> 00:14:30,640 So it’s a little bit like saying for us today, 308 00:14:30,719 –> 00:14:35,719 I am a Kelvin or I am a Luthor or I am a Wesley 309 00:14:36,159 –> 00:14:41,159 or I am a Swindol or Dobson or McLaren or Hybels 310 00:14:42,440 –> 00:14:44,719 or in most cases these are people 311 00:14:44,719 –> 00:14:46,659 we have never actually met. 312 00:14:47,640 –> 00:14:50,080 But you see, we get bought into their approach 313 00:14:50,080 –> 00:14:53,599 and we get to feeling that they have the thing 314 00:14:53,599 –> 00:14:54,679 that we really need. 315 00:14:56,320 –> 00:14:59,520 We fall for this in our culture because our culture 316 00:14:59,539 –> 00:15:01,780 above all cultures in the world today 317 00:15:01,780 –> 00:15:05,119 thrives on creating celebrities. 318 00:15:06,239 –> 00:15:08,320 The media takes certain people 319 00:15:08,320 –> 00:15:11,000 and makes a big fuss of them. 320 00:15:12,400 –> 00:15:14,719 And so the danger, because we live in that culture, 321 00:15:14,719 –> 00:15:17,340 is that we do precisely the same thing in the church 322 00:15:17,340 –> 00:15:21,479 and we have Time magazine to help us. 323 00:15:21,479 –> 00:15:25,219 Did you notice that piece about 25 leading evangelicals 324 00:15:25,219 –> 00:15:26,080 in Time magazine? 325 00:15:26,080 –> 00:15:28,039 My goodness, imagine getting your picture 326 00:15:28,039 –> 00:15:30,719 as a leading evangelical in Time magazine. 327 00:15:32,080 –> 00:15:34,260 Who are the movers and shakers 328 00:15:34,260 –> 00:15:36,719 setting the trends in the evangelical world? 329 00:15:36,719 –> 00:15:40,200 Who should take center stage in the evangelical world? 330 00:15:40,200 –> 00:15:44,239 Here are 25 candidates to choose from. 331 00:15:46,780 –> 00:15:49,200 Now leaders past and present 332 00:15:49,200 –> 00:15:52,280 are God’s good gift to the church. 333 00:15:52,280 –> 00:15:57,280 We must honor them, pray for them, 334 00:15:59,000 –> 00:16:01,080 and be deeply thankful for them. 335 00:16:03,479 –> 00:16:07,659 But when the cult of personality takes root, 336 00:16:08,840 –> 00:16:11,419 it will not be long before there is trouble. 337 00:16:12,280 –> 00:16:14,599 And Paul was not pleased 338 00:16:14,599 –> 00:16:16,539 that this was happening at Corinth. 339 00:16:17,500 –> 00:16:20,000 And he tells us why in an extraordinary phrase 340 00:16:20,000 –> 00:16:22,059 that you’ll see there in verse 17. 341 00:16:23,000 –> 00:16:25,440 He’s talking about his personal ministry, 342 00:16:25,440 –> 00:16:28,020 and he says that Christ did not send me to baptize, 343 00:16:28,020 –> 00:16:31,340 but to preach the gospel, not in words of wisdom, 344 00:16:31,340 –> 00:16:36,340 lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 345 00:16:38,340 –> 00:16:41,059 Wouldn’t you think that’s an extraordinary phrase, 346 00:16:41,059 –> 00:16:46,059 lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power? 347 00:16:46,640 –> 00:16:51,640 How in all the world could you empty the cross of Christ, 348 00:16:56,140 –> 00:16:58,979 empty the cross of Christ of power? 349 00:17:00,119 –> 00:17:03,799 Answer, by obscuring it, 350 00:17:05,900 –> 00:17:07,660 by standing in front of it. 351 00:17:09,400 –> 00:17:12,859 The cross of Christ will be emptied of its power 352 00:17:12,859 –> 00:17:17,859 when it is hidden behind something or someone else. 353 00:17:21,699 –> 00:17:24,060 Frankly that’s what was happening at Corinth. 354 00:17:25,400 –> 00:17:29,280 People were pinning their faith on the ministries 355 00:17:29,280 –> 00:17:31,540 and the methods of their leaders. 356 00:17:32,719 –> 00:17:37,599 And Paul says if you do that, you will obscure the cross 357 00:17:37,599 –> 00:17:41,020 and the result will be you will empty it of its power. 358 00:17:43,160 –> 00:17:46,000 If you allow your faith to become dependent 359 00:17:46,000 –> 00:17:50,439 on another person, you will stop growing from that moment. 360 00:17:52,300 –> 00:17:54,319 You will think of course that you are growing 361 00:17:54,319 –> 00:17:58,479 under their influence, but when God takes that person away, 362 00:17:58,479 –> 00:18:02,280 you will suddenly discover that you have not grown at all. 363 00:18:03,540 –> 00:18:06,699 You thought you had a connection with Jesus, 364 00:18:07,699 –> 00:18:10,040 but in reality what you had was a connection 365 00:18:10,040 –> 00:18:12,920 with someone who was standing in front of the cross. 366 00:18:14,319 –> 00:18:16,880 For all of us in ministry and leadership, 367 00:18:16,880 –> 00:18:20,380 that is our single greatest danger. 368 00:18:22,760 –> 00:18:25,040 Now notice how Paul tackles this problem. 369 00:18:26,020 –> 00:18:29,219 He asks three questions that all focus 370 00:18:29,219 –> 00:18:30,739 our attention on Jesus. 371 00:18:30,739 –> 00:18:33,459 Look at them please with me in verse 13. 372 00:18:33,459 –> 00:18:37,260 First question, is Christ divided? 373 00:18:37,260 –> 00:18:39,859 And the answer, obviously, that he’s looking for here 374 00:18:39,880 –> 00:18:41,660 and the question invites is no, 375 00:18:41,660 –> 00:18:43,819 obviously there is only one Christ. 376 00:18:44,920 –> 00:18:47,619 Was Paul crucified for you? 377 00:18:47,619 –> 00:18:50,180 No, obviously Jesus is the only one 378 00:18:50,180 –> 00:18:52,339 who was able to bear the sins of the world. 379 00:18:53,339 –> 00:18:56,619 Were you baptized into the name of Paul? 380 00:18:56,619 –> 00:18:58,880 No, obviously the Christian life 381 00:18:58,880 –> 00:19:00,920 is not about sharing in the life of Paul 382 00:19:00,920 –> 00:19:02,219 or any other leader, 383 00:19:02,219 –> 00:19:05,560 but it is about sharing in the life of Jesus. 384 00:19:06,939 –> 00:19:09,800 Now I want to apply these three very powerful questions 385 00:19:10,800 –> 00:19:13,420 that point us to the centrality of Jesus 386 00:19:13,420 –> 00:19:16,400 to all of us in three distinct ways. 387 00:19:17,359 –> 00:19:22,359 Number one, you cannot be Christ to somebody else. 388 00:19:26,640 –> 00:19:27,760 No matter who you are 389 00:19:29,180 –> 00:19:34,180 you cannot be Christ to somebody else. 390 00:19:36,839 –> 00:19:39,000 To be Christ, you need to have the capacity 391 00:19:39,000 –> 00:19:41,739 to unite all people together and none of us has that. 392 00:19:43,560 –> 00:19:45,640 To be Christ, you have to live a perfect life 393 00:19:45,640 –> 00:19:47,199 and then lay it down 394 00:19:47,199 –> 00:19:48,959 to bear the sin and guilt of the world 395 00:19:48,959 –> 00:19:50,319 and none of us can do that. 396 00:19:51,599 –> 00:19:53,640 To be Christ, you need to be able to enter 397 00:19:53,640 –> 00:19:56,079 into the life of every person fully, completely 398 00:19:56,079 –> 00:19:59,040 and continually and none of us has the capacity to do that. 399 00:20:01,040 –> 00:20:03,359 If you get the idea that in some way 400 00:20:03,359 –> 00:20:07,079 you can be Christ to another person, 401 00:20:07,079 –> 00:20:08,520 you will find yourself soon 402 00:20:08,520 –> 00:20:10,199 under an impossible burden. 403 00:20:11,520 –> 00:20:12,959 It doesn’t matter if you’re talking 404 00:20:12,959 –> 00:20:15,439 about trying to be this to your husband 405 00:20:15,439 –> 00:20:18,359 or your wife or your son or your daughter 406 00:20:18,359 –> 00:20:20,079 or your father or your mother 407 00:20:20,079 –> 00:20:23,359 you cannot be Christ to another person. 408 00:20:26,400 –> 00:20:28,959 You cannot hold all people together. 409 00:20:31,000 –> 00:20:34,040 Some people will like you, some people will not like you. 410 00:20:34,079 –> 00:20:38,199 That’s true of all of us, we’re just human personalities. 411 00:20:40,160 –> 00:20:41,959 You cannot deliver other people 412 00:20:41,959 –> 00:20:44,280 from the deep inner struggles of their lives, 413 00:20:44,280 –> 00:20:46,819 you have enough struggles of your own and so do I. 414 00:20:49,020 –> 00:20:52,500 You cannot enter into every aspect of another person’s life 415 00:20:52,500 –> 00:20:54,800 and be there for them always in every circumstance 416 00:20:54,800 –> 00:20:59,800 and in every degree, you cannot be Christ to somebody else. 417 00:20:59,819 –> 00:21:04,719 And you know, if you act as if you can, 418 00:21:04,719 –> 00:21:06,300 here’s what’ll happen. 419 00:21:07,140 –> 00:21:11,239 You will create a dependency upon yourself 420 00:21:12,380 –> 00:21:14,760 that will end in tears for them and for you 421 00:21:16,380 –> 00:21:17,859 because you will disappoint. 422 00:21:18,900 –> 00:21:22,140 You cannot be Christ to another person. 423 00:21:23,800 –> 00:21:25,380 Now, you see, this is the great danger 424 00:21:25,400 –> 00:21:27,760 of drawing people to ourselves, 425 00:21:28,979 –> 00:21:33,979 to our ministry, to our program, to our philosophy. 426 00:21:36,280 –> 00:21:38,760 Only Christ can be Christ. 427 00:21:40,900 –> 00:21:43,560 My calling is to lead people to Christ, 428 00:21:43,560 –> 00:21:45,239 not to try and be Christ. 429 00:21:46,939 –> 00:21:49,579 Your calling is to lead people to Christ, 430 00:21:49,579 –> 00:21:52,160 not to try and be Christ. 431 00:21:53,099 –> 00:21:56,020 And the more you try to be Christ to another person, 432 00:21:56,020 –> 00:21:58,520 the more danger there is that you may actually 433 00:21:58,520 –> 00:22:01,319 be obscuring the cross rather than leading a person 434 00:22:01,319 –> 00:22:05,300 to the cross, and thereby emptying it of its power. 435 00:22:06,900 –> 00:22:07,739 That’s the first thing. 436 00:22:07,739 –> 00:22:10,760 You cannot be Christ to somebody else and you know 437 00:22:10,760 –> 00:22:13,239 that simple truth might be liberating 438 00:22:14,739 –> 00:22:15,880 for some of us today. 439 00:22:16,900 –> 00:22:18,339 Can’t live under that burden. 440 00:22:19,439 –> 00:22:20,719 God never asked you to. 441 00:22:22,979 –> 00:22:26,859 Second, somebody else cannot be Christ to you. 442 00:22:28,859 –> 00:22:30,819 It’s a great thing to have Christian friends 443 00:22:30,819 –> 00:22:32,160 and to build relationships, 444 00:22:32,160 –> 00:22:34,199 but that won’t give you victory over sin. 445 00:22:36,459 –> 00:22:38,319 It’s a wonderful thing to discover your gift 446 00:22:38,319 –> 00:22:39,640 and get involved in ministry, 447 00:22:39,640 –> 00:22:41,640 but that won’t give you spiritual life. 448 00:22:43,739 –> 00:22:45,780 It’s a great thing to have a testimony about how 449 00:22:45,780 –> 00:22:49,520 you came to Jesus Christ 5, 10, 20, or 50 years ago, 450 00:22:49,560 –> 00:22:52,979 but that will not sustain your spiritual life today. 451 00:22:54,359 –> 00:22:57,800 You cannot live on Christ substitute, 452 00:22:59,439 –> 00:23:01,800 and if you’re looking for a pastor, or a friend, 453 00:23:01,800 –> 00:23:04,680 or a mentor, or a program, 454 00:23:04,680 –> 00:23:06,400 that will answer all your struggles, 455 00:23:06,400 –> 00:23:08,619 you will be disappointed. 456 00:23:10,800 –> 00:23:12,079 What’s happening is you’re actually 457 00:23:12,079 –> 00:23:14,920 looking to something or someone other than Christ, 458 00:23:14,920 –> 00:23:16,839 and the cross is obscured to you 459 00:23:16,839 –> 00:23:19,260 and, therefore, emptied of its power. 460 00:23:19,680 –> 00:23:21,380 That’s why you’re so disappointed. 461 00:23:22,920 –> 00:23:24,780 Living on your Christian life, 462 00:23:24,780 –> 00:23:27,060 on the back of a pastor, or a mentor, 463 00:23:27,060 –> 00:23:28,479 or a group of Christian friends, 464 00:23:28,479 –> 00:23:31,140 will always lead to disappointment, 465 00:23:32,780 –> 00:23:37,780 because nobody else can be Christ to you. 466 00:23:40,640 –> 00:23:42,780 This is of enormous practical relevance. 467 00:23:44,439 –> 00:23:47,099 You cannot be Christ to somebody else. 468 00:23:48,060 –> 00:23:52,099 Somebody else cannot be Christ to you. 469 00:23:53,500 –> 00:23:58,500 Third, Jesus is the Christ for all people. 470 00:24:03,140 –> 00:24:06,160 Jesus is the Christ for all people. 471 00:24:07,060 –> 00:24:09,020 Now, I want you to notice how Paul’s 472 00:24:09,020 –> 00:24:11,540 three questions in verse 13 really 473 00:24:11,540 –> 00:24:13,699 point us to the heart of the gospel. 474 00:24:13,699 –> 00:24:15,180 You want to get a little framework 475 00:24:15,180 –> 00:24:16,640 of what the Christian message is 476 00:24:17,239 –> 00:24:18,599 and how you might communicate it to other people. 477 00:24:18,599 –> 00:24:21,180 You really can’t do much better than this. 478 00:24:21,180 –> 00:24:23,420 For his three questions point to three 479 00:24:23,420 –> 00:24:25,260 simple facts that are at the heart 480 00:24:25,260 –> 00:24:28,780 of the gospel, that is one Christ, 481 00:24:28,780 –> 00:24:33,680 he was crucified for you, and you can find life in his name. 482 00:24:33,680 –> 00:24:35,500 That’s the very core of the gospel. 483 00:24:35,500 –> 00:24:38,880 That is, one Christ, he was crucified 484 00:24:38,880 –> 00:24:42,780 for you, and you can find life in his name. 485 00:24:42,780 –> 00:24:44,540 And that’s directly what comes out 486 00:24:44,540 –> 00:24:46,079 of these three questions. 487 00:24:46,079 –> 00:24:47,079 Is Christ divided? 488 00:24:47,079 –> 00:24:50,079 No, that is one Christ. 489 00:24:50,079 –> 00:24:54,040 God has entered this world once in Jesus Christ. 490 00:24:54,900 –> 00:24:57,000 And this Christ has come to deliver us 491 00:24:57,000 –> 00:24:59,920 from ourselves from the curse of the world 492 00:24:59,920 –> 00:25:01,880 in which we live, and he has come 493 00:25:01,880 –> 00:25:04,800 to give us a share in God’s own eternal life. 494 00:25:06,280 –> 00:25:08,599 This one Christ was crucified for you. 495 00:25:08,599 –> 00:25:11,839 Nobody else is able to fulfill this role. 496 00:25:11,839 –> 00:25:15,719 But he was crucified for you and in his death, 497 00:25:15,760 –> 00:25:20,079 he has released the power to bring an end 498 00:25:20,079 –> 00:25:23,260 to your old life and bring you to a new beginning. 499 00:25:24,319 –> 00:25:28,560 That new beginning is more than turning over a new leaf, 500 00:25:28,560 –> 00:25:30,979 it is actually becoming a new person. 501 00:25:32,119 –> 00:25:34,619 Paul says, I have been crucified with Christ 502 00:25:34,619 –> 00:25:38,560 and it’s no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me. 503 00:25:39,420 –> 00:25:42,520 The person I used to be no longer exists, 504 00:25:42,520 –> 00:25:44,719 a transformation has come into my life 505 00:25:44,719 –> 00:25:48,239 by the touch of the power of Christ crucified. 506 00:25:48,239 –> 00:25:52,880 I am now a new creation and my life is animated 507 00:25:52,880 –> 00:25:55,839 by the life of Jesus within me. 508 00:25:57,099 –> 00:25:59,439 There is one Christ, he was crucified for you 509 00:25:59,439 –> 00:26:03,079 and thirdly, you can’t find life in his name. 510 00:26:03,959 –> 00:26:05,359 Now that of course is the point 511 00:26:05,359 –> 00:26:07,359 of the third question about baptism. 512 00:26:08,459 –> 00:26:12,459 Were you baptized into the name of Paul? 513 00:26:13,439 –> 00:26:15,719 Wow, if ever there was an issue 514 00:26:15,719 –> 00:26:17,099 that divided the Christian church, 515 00:26:17,099 –> 00:26:18,219 this is it, isn’t it? 516 00:26:18,219 –> 00:26:19,260 Baptism? 517 00:26:21,260 –> 00:26:25,819 Infant baptism, Believer’s baptism, 518 00:26:25,819 –> 00:26:30,819 baptism by sprinkling, baptism by immersion, 519 00:26:30,939 –> 00:26:33,079 baptism by an ordained priest. 520 00:26:33,079 –> 00:26:35,040 I mean, it goes on and on, doesn’t it? 521 00:26:36,020 –> 00:26:40,040 Paul’s question reminds us 522 00:26:40,040 –> 00:26:45,040 that one thing matters more than any other on this issue. 523 00:26:46,560 –> 00:26:50,599 It is not who baptized you, 524 00:26:50,599 –> 00:26:55,579 it is not when or where you were baptized. 525 00:26:55,579 –> 00:27:00,579 It is that you are baptized into the name of Jesus. 526 00:27:00,619 –> 00:27:05,599 Being baptized into the name of Jesus, you see, 527 00:27:07,920 –> 00:27:11,599 is the God given picture and seal 528 00:27:12,900 –> 00:27:16,300 of being soaked, drenched, permeated 529 00:27:16,300 –> 00:27:19,339 in the life of Jesus Christ. 530 00:27:20,239 –> 00:27:22,579 It’s what Paul was talking about back in verse 9 531 00:27:22,579 –> 00:27:23,819 if you just glance back, 532 00:27:23,819 –> 00:27:28,819 when he says that God has called you into fellowship. 533 00:27:28,839 –> 00:27:32,339 Common life with His Son, Jesus Christ. 534 00:27:32,339 –> 00:27:35,219 Think about that, as sharing of the very life 535 00:27:35,219 –> 00:27:37,660 of Jesus Christ permeating you. 536 00:27:37,660 –> 00:27:39,599 That’s what baptism speaks of. 537 00:27:40,839 –> 00:27:43,520 And that’s the reality that is at the heart 538 00:27:43,520 –> 00:27:44,699 of the Christian life. 539 00:27:46,260 –> 00:27:48,540 That is the very center you see of the gospel, 540 00:27:48,540 –> 00:27:51,979 that there is one Christ, that He was crucified for you, 541 00:27:51,979 –> 00:27:54,199and that the outcome of this for all who will come 542 00:27:54,199 –> 00:27:58,079 to Him in faith is that His life permeates you. 543 00:27:58,939 –> 00:28:02,500 At every level, in every circumstance, 544 00:28:04,079 –> 00:28:07,660 He will never leave you and never forsake you. 545 00:28:09,780 –> 00:28:11,780 So here’s the message. 546 00:28:11,780 –> 00:28:13,739 There’s one Christ. 547 00:28:13,739 –> 00:28:18,739 He was crucified for you, you can find life in His name. 548 00:28:21,780 –> 00:28:24,459 Jesus is the Christ 549 00:28:26,640 –> 00:28:27,479 for all people. 550 00:28:29,760 –> 00:28:34,760 And it’s his centrality that holds the church together 551 00:28:36,599 –> 00:28:39,239 and it is his centrality that will one day, 552 00:28:39,239 –> 00:28:41,319 the Bible says, bring all things together. 553 00:28:43,119 –> 00:28:46,020 He is the coherent center of all things. 554 00:28:46,020 –> 00:28:50,680 Displace Him, get your view fixed somewhere else 555 00:28:50,680 –> 00:28:54,560 and it will always lead to trouble and disappointment. 556 00:28:54,660 –> 00:28:55,400 Amen. 557 00:28:57,079 –> 00:28:58,819 Now I want to end by saying this, 558 00:29:00,239 –> 00:29:03,680 that this is why the Lord Jesus Christ 559 00:29:03,680 –> 00:29:07,439 is the hope not just for every individual person, 560 00:29:08,619 –> 00:29:12,099 but ultimately therefore the hope of the whole world. 561 00:29:13,979 –> 00:29:15,959 And this came home to the the other day 562 00:29:15,959 –> 00:29:18,199 in perhaps a rather strange way. 563 00:29:18,199 –> 00:29:20,119 I’m not sure if you will be entirely convinced 564 00:29:20,119 –> 00:29:21,599 that the Lord can work in such ways 565 00:29:21,599 –> 00:29:24,199 but it came home to me when I was listening 566 00:29:24,920 –> 00:29:29,920 to a song sung by Freddie Mercury of Queen on the radio. 567 00:29:31,000 –> 00:29:34,359 Now obviously I was not listening to Moody Radio 568 00:29:34,359 –> 00:29:38,920 at the time but had slipped to another station. 569 00:29:38,920 –> 00:29:40,920 And I don’t think that Freddie Mercury 570 00:29:40,920 –> 00:29:44,239 has often been quoted from this pulpit. 571 00:29:44,239 –> 00:29:46,160 For those who don’t know, 572 00:29:46,160 –> 00:29:48,400 Freddie Mercury was a brilliant musician, 573 00:29:48,400 –> 00:29:51,060 the lead singer of a mega-successful rock band 574 00:29:51,060 –> 00:29:53,319 whose extraordinary life ended 575 00:29:53,400 –> 00:29:57,640 very tragically when he died of AIDS about 10 years ago. 576 00:29:58,500 –> 00:30:02,719 Now one of Freddie Mercury’s songs is called One Vision. 577 00:30:02,719 –> 00:30:05,540 Now you’ll be pleased to know I am not going to sing it 578 00:30:05,540 –> 00:30:09,900 or attempt an impersonation of Freddie Mercury today 579 00:30:09,900 –> 00:30:12,599 but I am going to read some of the words. 580 00:30:12,599 –> 00:30:13,459 This is the song. 581 00:30:14,560 –> 00:30:16,060 One man, 582 00:30:16,060 –> 00:30:17,199 one goal, 583 00:30:17,199 –> 00:30:18,699 one mission. 584 00:30:18,699 –> 00:30:20,479 One heart, one soul, 585 00:30:20,479 –> 00:30:21,880 just one solution. 586 00:30:21,880 –> 00:30:23,260 One flash of light, 587 00:30:24,099 –> 00:30:24,939 one God, one vision. 588 00:30:24,939 –> 00:30:27,859 One flash, one bone, one true religion. 589 00:30:27,859 –> 00:30:31,199 One voice, one hope, one real decision. 590 00:30:31,199 –> 00:30:32,819 Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. 591 00:30:32,819 –> 00:30:34,140 I like that bit. 592 00:30:34,140 –> 00:30:35,839 Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. 593 00:30:35,839 –> 00:30:38,160 Give me one vision. 594 00:30:39,459 –> 00:30:40,500 That’s a great dream. 595 00:30:41,979 –> 00:30:44,079 Now later in the song, he says this, 596 00:30:45,619 –> 00:30:47,880 I had a dream when I was young, 597 00:30:48,880 –> 00:30:50,640 a dream of sweet illusion, 598 00:30:51,599 –> 00:30:53,920 a glimpse of hope and unity, 599 00:30:54,859 –> 00:30:56,760 a vision of sweet union. 600 00:30:58,119 –> 00:31:01,680 But a cold wind blows and a dark rain falls, 601 00:31:01,680 –> 00:31:04,300 and in my heart it shows, 602 00:31:05,359 –> 00:31:07,939 look what they’ve done to my dream. 603 00:31:10,400 –> 00:31:11,439 See what he’s saying? 604 00:31:13,339 –> 00:31:14,319 When I was young, 605 00:31:16,000 –> 00:31:19,439 I had a dream of unity and peace in this world, 606 00:31:19,439 –> 00:31:21,839 but I can’t see any way in the world 607 00:31:21,839 –> 00:31:23,060 it’s going to happen now. 608 00:31:24,660 –> 00:31:27,060 Now, listen to how the song ends 609 00:31:29,160 –> 00:31:33,119 and perhaps this is Freddie Mercury speaking from the heart. 610 00:31:34,579 –> 00:31:35,859 Give me one night. 611 00:31:37,680 –> 00:31:38,900 Give me one hope. 612 00:31:40,640 –> 00:31:43,180 Just give me one man, 613 00:31:43,180 –> 00:31:45,020 one bar, 614 00:31:45,020 –> 00:31:46,479 one day, 615 00:31:46,479 –> 00:31:47,500 hey, hey. 616 00:31:48,500 –> 00:31:52,319 Just gimme, gimme, gimme fried chicken. 617 00:31:54,599 –> 00:31:57,699 I’ve often thought that’s the most extraordinary ending 618 00:31:57,699 –> 00:31:58,540 to a song. 619 00:31:58,540 –> 00:32:02,500 In fact, fried chicken it rhymes with vision 620 00:32:02,500 –> 00:32:05,640 and that’s what made me go to the internet 621 00:32:05,640 –> 00:32:06,619 to look up the words 622 00:32:06,619 –> 00:32:08,979 and then to realize what he was actually saying. 623 00:32:10,500 –> 00:32:13,459 The song that begins with a dream 624 00:32:13,459 –> 00:32:16,140 of one vision uniting the world 625 00:32:16,219 –> 00:32:21,219 ends with a lonely man in a bar eating fried chicken. 626 00:32:23,599 –> 00:32:25,119 That’s the death of a dream. 627 00:32:27,099 –> 00:32:29,280 And the death of a dream is a terrible thing 628 00:32:31,000 –> 00:32:32,660 because what he’s talking about at the beginning 629 00:32:32,660 –> 00:32:34,140 is actually the dream of the whole world, 630 00:32:34,140 –> 00:32:35,099 it always has been. 631 00:32:36,739 –> 00:32:38,420 The world’s crying out for it. 632 00:32:41,020 –> 00:32:44,280 One of our cultural icons is saying from his own life 633 00:32:44,280 –> 00:32:45,739 and from his own experience 634 00:32:45,739 –> 00:32:47,699 I had a dream when I was a kid 635 00:32:48,939 –> 00:32:50,959 but I’ve come to the conclusion 636 00:32:50,959 –> 00:32:53,459 that there is no way in the world that can happen. 637 00:32:55,079 –> 00:32:57,319 That’s why I’m in a bar eating fried chicken. 638 00:32:59,599 –> 00:33:02,359 I’ve come to the conclusion that in this sorry world 639 00:33:02,359 –> 00:33:06,180 self-interest will always triumph over common interest. 640 00:33:07,400 –> 00:33:09,859 I’ve come to the conclusion that there is no 641 00:33:09,859 –> 00:33:14,060 coherent center in which this world can be brought together. 642 00:33:16,739 –> 00:33:19,020 You know as I’ve thought about this, 643 00:33:20,040 –> 00:33:23,339 I thought, I wish I could’ve talked to Freddy Mercury. 644 00:33:25,300 –> 00:33:27,540 I think I’d want to say something like this. 645 00:33:29,060 –> 00:33:32,699 Freddy, can I talk to you about the 646 00:33:32,699 –> 00:33:34,839 possibility that there’s a creator 647 00:33:36,540 –> 00:33:40,719 who made this world and every good thing that is in it? 648 00:33:41,699 –> 00:33:46,079 Can I talk to you about how this creator 649 00:33:46,079 –> 00:33:51,079 came into the world making himself one with us in Jesus? 650 00:33:53,199 –> 00:33:56,680 Can I talk to you about his vision of life? 651 00:33:58,400 –> 00:34:01,619 And then can I tell you about how the cold wind blows 652 00:34:01,619 –> 00:34:05,060 and the dark rain falls and how he’s crucified. 653 00:34:05,060 –> 00:34:07,640 Because you’re right, there are dark, dark, 654 00:34:07,640 –> 00:34:10,580 evil powers that destroy things in this world. 655 00:34:11,719 –> 00:34:15,219 But can I tell you, Freddie, that on the third day, 656 00:34:16,320 –> 00:34:21,320 he rose from the dead and he triumphed over the dark powers 657 00:34:24,840 –> 00:34:27,979 that lie behind the cold winds that kill your dream, 658 00:34:29,899 –> 00:34:31,760 the dreams of so many millions. 659 00:34:34,179 –> 00:34:36,580 Can I tell you, Freddie, about how he is able 660 00:34:36,639 –> 00:34:41,439 to pour his life, a renewing life, 661 00:34:43,120 –> 00:34:45,060 into the very core of a lonely man 662 00:34:45,060 –> 00:34:46,979 sitting in a bar eating fried chicken. 663 00:34:50,040 –> 00:34:53,679 Can I tell you how he has the capacity to make life new? 664 00:34:56,100 –> 00:34:58,300 Can I tell you what he’s doing in the world, 665 00:34:59,379 –> 00:35:03,219 of how, as he pours his one life by his spirit 666 00:35:03,219 –> 00:35:06,620 into all his people, he thereby gathers them together 667 00:35:06,620 –> 00:35:09,459 as they see their unity in him? 668 00:35:11,300 –> 00:35:14,419 Can I tell you, Freddie, how he is the coherent center 669 00:35:14,419 –> 00:35:17,800 of all things, filling all who come to him, 670 00:35:17,800 –> 00:35:19,159 bringing these people together, 671 00:35:19,159 –> 00:35:21,260 from every background this crosses 672 00:35:21,260 –> 00:35:23,699 what we call barriers of culture 673 00:35:23,699 –> 00:35:25,699 and of language and of race. 674 00:35:27,260 –> 00:35:32,060 Can I tell you how one day, he has promised 675 00:35:33,699 –> 00:35:38,540 he will bring his people together in unity in a new heaven 676 00:35:38,540 –> 00:35:42,560 and in a new earth, and can I ask you, Freddie, 677 00:35:42,560 –> 00:35:44,979 is that the sort of thing that you would want 678 00:35:44,979 –> 00:35:46,300 to be part of? 679 00:35:50,100 –> 00:35:51,919 I don’t know if he would’ve given me the time 680 00:35:51,919 –> 00:35:56,199 of day, I never had the chance, of course, 681 00:35:58,120 –> 00:36:00,260 but I’m so grateful I have the opportunity 682 00:36:00,260 –> 00:36:03,199 to say these things to you today. 683 00:36:04,219 –> 00:36:08,219 You cannot be Christ to somebody else, 684 00:36:10,199 –> 00:36:12,919 somebody else cannot be Christ to you, 685 00:36:14,919 –> 00:36:19,699 there is one Christ, he was crucified for you, 686 00:36:21,199 –> 00:36:26,239 you can find life in his name, Jesus is the Christ. 687 00:36:28,459 –> 00:36:32,560 For all people, but what that means, 688 00:36:33,840 –> 00:36:38,419 is that you have to come to him and live in him 689 00:36:39,639 –> 00:36:44,639 and he in you, and don’t let anyone 690 00:36:45,659 –> 00:36:50,020 or anything get in your way. 691 00:36:51,899 –> 00:36:52,899 Let’s pray together. 692 00:36:56,260 –> 00:36:58,000 Father, our hearts resonate with the truth 693 00:36:58,000 –> 00:36:59,959 and reality of the Gospel. 694 00:37:00,840 –> 00:37:01,679 Let’s pray. 695 00:37:03,439 –> 00:37:05,139 And our prayer together right now, 696 00:37:05,139 –> 00:37:08,360 individually and corporately, is simply this, 697 00:37:08,360 –> 00:37:09,760 we withdrawn near to you. 698 00:37:12,600 –> 00:37:14,399 Our heads buzz with all the problems, 699 00:37:16,020 –> 00:37:17,840 all the possible solutions, 700 00:37:19,820 –> 00:37:22,500 but right now we see that that’s beside the point, 701 00:37:22,500 –> 00:37:26,620 here’s where we begin, here’s the center. 702 00:37:26,620 –> 00:37:28,260 You are Jesus. 703 00:37:28,260 –> 00:37:30,000 You are the Christ. 704 00:37:31,840 –> 00:37:34,020 You were crucified for us. 705 00:37:36,379 –> 00:37:41,379 We find life in your name, so we come to you. 706 00:37:43,260 –> 00:37:44,860 Lord Jesus, lead us from there, 707 00:37:46,899 –> 00:37:48,860 because we have confidence that you’re well able 708 00:37:48,860 –> 00:37:49,679 to do that. 709 00:37:51,939 –> 00:37:54,780 Hear our prayer through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 710 00:37:54,780 –> 00:37:56,620 Amen.