1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:07,040 You’re listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 2 00:00:07,040 –> 00:00:12,360 To contact us, call us at 1-877-OPEN 365. 3 00:00:12,360 –> 00:00:17,760 Or visit our Web site, openthebible.org Let’s get to the message. 4 00:00:17,760 –> 00:00:20,820 Here is Pastor Colin. 5 00:00:20,820 –> 00:00:24,540 Morning everyone we’re returning to our series Don’t Lose Heart. 6 00:00:24,540 –> 00:00:29,180 And so please turn in your Bible to Second Corinthians and chapter 5. 7 00:00:29,219 –> 00:00:34,020 And we’ve got to verses 14 and 15 which I’d like to read for you this morning. 8 00:00:35,160 –> 00:00:41,020 Second Corinthians chapter 5 and verses 14 and 15, 9 00:00:41,020 –> 00:00:45,480 For the love of Christ controls us, 10 00:00:45,480 –> 00:00:48,720 Because we have concluded this, 11 00:00:48,720 –> 00:00:53,180 That one has died for all, and therefore all have died, 12 00:00:53,180 –> 00:00:56,480 And he died for all that those who live 13 00:00:56,580 –> 00:00:59,700 might no longer live for themselves, 14 00:00:59,700 –> 00:01:04,599 but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 15 00:01:04,599 –> 00:01:08,019 Now, I want very simply to walk through these verses today 16 00:01:08,019 –> 00:01:10,720 so that we may hear what God says to us in them 17 00:01:10,720 –> 00:01:15,279 and through them, and enter into the good that he offers. 18 00:01:15,279 –> 00:01:17,919 The love of Christ 19 00:01:17,919 –> 00:01:20,980 controls us. 20 00:01:20,980 –> 00:01:24,040 Now this is an amazing and a marvelous statement 21 00:01:24,040 –> 00:01:27,199 that I want us to tune into at the beginning today. 22 00:01:27,199 –> 00:01:28,660 So here’s what I want to do. 23 00:01:28,660 –> 00:01:31,320 I want to give you five words 24 00:01:31,320 –> 00:01:35,000 that describe possible relationship 25 00:01:35,000 –> 00:01:38,019 that you may have with the love of Christ. 26 00:01:38,019 –> 00:01:40,000 And I’m not gonna ask everyone to stand 27 00:01:40,000 –> 00:01:41,500 or have a show of hands or whatever, 28 00:01:41,500 –> 00:01:44,519 but I want you to mark your own card as it were 29 00:01:44,519 –> 00:01:49,360 to check whether you think these would describe 30 00:01:49,360 –> 00:01:52,760 your relationship with the love of Christ. 31 00:01:52,779 –> 00:01:54,660 And I’m going to give you these five words. 32 00:01:54,660 –> 00:01:56,839 They are in an ascending scale 33 00:01:56,839 –> 00:01:58,660 so that each one is deeper, richer, 34 00:01:58,660 –> 00:02:01,440 and fuller than those that went before. 35 00:02:01,440 –> 00:02:04,059 Now here’s the first, heard. 36 00:02:04,059 –> 00:02:06,180 I think everyone can check that box. 37 00:02:06,180 –> 00:02:10,240 We have all heard of the love of Jesus Christ. 38 00:02:10,240 –> 00:02:11,119 Check. 39 00:02:11,119 –> 00:02:13,720 Many of you have heard that Jesus loves you 40 00:02:13,720 –> 00:02:15,580 since you were very, very young. 41 00:02:15,580 –> 00:02:17,940 And even if you know almost nothing about Christianity, 42 00:02:17,940 –> 00:02:19,339 you cannot read the Bible for long 43 00:02:19,339 –> 00:02:21,199 or be in a church like this for long 44 00:02:21,199 –> 00:02:24,000 without hearing about the love of Christ. 45 00:02:24,000 –> 00:02:25,839 There you go, pretty easy one to check. 46 00:02:25,839 –> 00:02:28,240 Here’s number two, ascending scale. 47 00:02:28,240 –> 00:02:30,000 Believed. 48 00:02:30,000 –> 00:02:33,399 Now, most of us will put a checkmark against this. 49 00:02:33,399 –> 00:02:36,639 You believe that Jesus Christ loves you. 50 00:02:36,639 –> 00:02:38,759 You perhaps look back to a time 51 00:02:38,759 –> 00:02:40,520 where you came to believe this 52 00:02:40,520 –> 00:02:43,759 and you say, I certainly believe that that is the case. 53 00:02:43,759 –> 00:02:46,380 Here’s number three, received. 54 00:02:46,380 –> 00:02:50,240 Many of us will put a check against this box also. 55 00:02:50,240 –> 00:02:52,320 The love of Christ, you would say, 56 00:02:52,320 –> 00:02:55,119 is more than something that’s out there for me. 57 00:02:55,119 –> 00:02:57,399 More even than something that I believe in. 58 00:02:57,399 –> 00:03:00,559 It’s something that I’ve come to receive and to experience. 59 00:03:00,559 –> 00:03:03,559 Romans 5.5, the love of God has been poured out 60 00:03:03,559 –> 00:03:06,779 into my heart by the Holy Spirit. 61 00:03:06,779 –> 00:03:08,979 Here’s the next one, number four. 62 00:03:08,979 –> 00:03:10,279 Filled. 63 00:03:10,279 –> 00:03:12,440 Pen sort of hovering a little bit over this box 64 00:03:12,440 –> 00:03:13,580 should I check this box. 65 00:03:13,580 –> 00:03:16,720 Would you say that you are filled with the love of Christ? 66 00:03:17,800 –> 00:03:19,960 Paul prays that Christian believers 67 00:03:20,000 –> 00:03:22,039 would know this more and more 68 00:03:22,039 –> 00:03:23,160 that we would know the breadth 69 00:03:23,160 –> 00:03:25,240 and length and depth and height of the love of Christ 70 00:03:25,240 –> 00:03:29,619 and be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 71 00:03:29,619 –> 00:03:31,559 How marvelous would this be? 72 00:03:31,559 –> 00:03:34,679 To relate to the love of Christ in such a way 73 00:03:34,679 –> 00:03:39,520 that your empty tank is filled up by the love of Christ. 74 00:03:39,520 –> 00:03:42,259 Now these words are going in an ascended scale 75 00:03:42,259 –> 00:03:45,399 and I’m giving you them so that you will see 76 00:03:45,399 –> 00:03:47,559 just how remarkable what Paul says 77 00:03:47,559 –> 00:03:50,440 in our verse today really is. 78 00:03:50,440 –> 00:03:52,559 Because verse number five, the top of the scale, 79 00:03:52,559 –> 00:03:54,759 is controlled. 80 00:03:54,759 –> 00:03:59,360 The love of Christ controls us. 81 00:03:59,360 –> 00:04:02,000 What would it mean to be controlled by the love of Christ? 82 00:04:02,000 –> 00:04:07,000 It would mean to be energized, to be moved into action, 83 00:04:07,039 –> 00:04:09,839 to be directed by the love of Jesus Christ. 84 00:04:09,839 –> 00:04:11,960 That’s more even than being filled. 85 00:04:11,960 –> 00:04:13,800 You could be filled with the love of Christ 86 00:04:13,800 –> 00:04:16,079 and simply be enjoying this love, 87 00:04:16,079 –> 00:04:18,399 to be controlled by the love of Christ 88 00:04:18,399 –> 00:04:20,839 means that this love that not only comes to you 89 00:04:20,839 –> 00:04:23,480 and fills you up but it’s actually coming through you 90 00:04:23,480 –> 00:04:26,119 and directing you and moving you out in 91 00:04:26,119 –> 00:04:28,839 to touch the lives of others. 92 00:04:28,839 –> 00:04:31,359 So I want simply then to draw your attention 93 00:04:31,359 –> 00:04:33,600 to the fact we’re looking at something 94 00:04:33,600 –> 00:04:36,200 absolutely wonderful here today. 95 00:04:36,200 –> 00:04:39,079 In fact, I’d suggest to you that this may describe 96 00:04:39,079 –> 00:04:40,959 the highest thing that can happen 97 00:04:40,959 –> 00:04:44,559 in the life of a Christian believer in this world, 98 00:04:45,480 –> 00:04:47,739 controlled by the love of Christ. 99 00:04:47,739 –> 00:04:51,000 Energized by the love of Christ day by day. 100 00:04:51,000 –> 00:04:53,480 How marvelous would that be? 101 00:04:53,480 –> 00:04:55,880 Now, if you’ve got your mind tuned into that at all 102 00:04:55,880 –> 00:04:58,339 and you’re going to be asking this question, 103 00:04:58,339 –> 00:04:59,559 well, how is that possible? 104 00:04:59,559 –> 00:05:01,640 How could I know more of what it is 105 00:05:01,640 –> 00:05:05,079 to be controlled by the love of Christ, 106 00:05:05,079 –> 00:05:07,480 energized, motivated, directed 107 00:05:07,480 –> 00:05:11,559 by the love of Christ in my life? 108 00:05:11,559 –> 00:05:13,959 Well, the answer to that question 109 00:05:13,959 –> 00:05:16,440 is given to us directly 110 00:05:16,440 –> 00:05:18,640 in the verses that are before us today. 111 00:05:18,640 –> 00:05:20,260 So I hope you’re tuned in 112 00:05:20,260 –> 00:05:22,760 as to why this is now so important. 113 00:05:22,760 –> 00:05:24,320 Look at what he says. 114 00:05:24,320 –> 00:05:29,320 The love of Christ controls us because. 115 00:05:29,920 –> 00:05:32,519 So he’s going to tell us how. 116 00:05:32,519 –> 00:05:34,839 That’s always the big question, isn’t it? 117 00:05:34,839 –> 00:05:37,380 How can I be filled with the love of Christ? 118 00:05:37,380 –> 00:05:39,760 How can the love of Christ be more to me 119 00:05:39,760 –> 00:05:41,839 than something I’ve heard or believed? 120 00:05:41,880 –> 00:05:44,880 How can I be moved, energized by the love of Christ? 121 00:05:44,880 –> 00:05:46,880 Now, many of the life groups. 122 00:05:46,880 –> 00:05:49,660 I hope you’re a member of a life group by the way. 123 00:05:49,660 –> 00:05:50,600 Many of our life groups 124 00:05:50,600 –> 00:05:53,459 that meet at different times in the week 125 00:05:53,459 –> 00:05:55,720 follow the pattern of what we’re learning 126 00:05:55,720 –> 00:05:57,559 at the weekends from the word of God. 127 00:05:57,559 –> 00:05:59,640 And if that’s what your life group’s doing, 128 00:05:59,640 –> 00:06:01,859 you might like to reflect a little bit 129 00:06:01,859 –> 00:06:06,559 on the many answers that are given to this question. 130 00:06:06,559 –> 00:06:08,359 How can I know more of the love of Christ? 131 00:06:08,359 –> 00:06:10,000 Because there’s all kinds of answers out there. 132 00:06:10,000 –> 00:06:11,480 You know, I rededicated my life, 133 00:06:11,799 –> 00:06:13,760 I read more of the faith, I became more disciplined. 134 00:06:13,760 –> 00:06:16,619 Make a list of all the things that would come to your mind. 135 00:06:17,500 –> 00:06:19,299 All the things that are said. 136 00:06:19,299 –> 00:06:20,959 And then, come back to the Bible 137 00:06:22,079 –> 00:06:24,859 and what the Apostle Paul says here, 138 00:06:26,559 –> 00:06:28,420 it will blow you away. 139 00:06:28,420 –> 00:06:29,480 It will blow you away. 140 00:06:30,760 –> 00:06:32,480 Look at what he says, verse 14. 141 00:06:33,519 –> 00:06:36,140 The love of Christ controls us 142 00:06:36,140 –> 00:06:41,179 because we have followers 143 00:06:42,040 –> 00:06:43,579 concluded. 144 00:06:44,519 –> 00:06:46,540 We have concluded. 145 00:06:47,980 –> 00:06:51,399 Now, he goes on, as we’ll see in a moment, 146 00:06:51,399 –> 00:06:56,160 to state two settled convictions 147 00:06:56,160 –> 00:07:01,160 about what happened through the death of Jesus Christ. 148 00:07:01,420 –> 00:07:04,959 And what he’s saying is that the settled convictions 149 00:07:04,959 –> 00:07:07,760 that become active in his mind 150 00:07:07,760 –> 00:07:10,239 are the kind of fountain out of which 151 00:07:10,239 –> 00:07:13,779 this growing joy in and motivation by 152 00:07:13,779 –> 00:07:17,839 the love of Christ actually comes to happen. 153 00:07:18,739 –> 00:07:21,619 Now, we’re going to see what these two convictions are 154 00:07:21,619 –> 00:07:23,739 so that they may become settled in our minds 155 00:07:23,739 –> 00:07:26,000 so that we may be more and more controlled 156 00:07:26,000 –> 00:07:27,459 by the love of Christ. 157 00:07:27,459 –> 00:07:28,600 But, just before we get there, 158 00:07:28,600 –> 00:07:31,179 I do want to pause here for a moment 159 00:07:31,179 –> 00:07:33,739 because this is telling us something very important 160 00:07:33,739 –> 00:07:36,739 about how the head and the heart are connected. 161 00:07:37,700 –> 00:07:39,640 We are controlled by the love of Christ 162 00:07:39,640 –> 00:07:42,359 because we have concluded heart and head 163 00:07:42,359 –> 00:07:43,859 are clearly joined there. 164 00:07:44,859 –> 00:07:49,000 Now, many Christians are really confused about this. 165 00:07:49,000 –> 00:07:52,399 I mean, I tell you, I really wish that I had a dollar 166 00:07:52,399 –> 00:07:55,660 for every time someone has said in the last 35 years 167 00:07:55,660 –> 00:07:59,000 that I’d been a pastor has said, 168 00:07:59,000 –> 00:08:02,040 well, I believed it in my head, 169 00:08:02,040 –> 00:08:05,160 but it didn’t get down to my heart. 170 00:08:05,160 –> 00:08:07,079 Now, many may have said that 171 00:08:07,079 –> 00:08:11,279 and we’re confused about how the head 172 00:08:11,279 –> 00:08:13,260 and the heart are actually related. 173 00:08:13,260 –> 00:08:14,440 You know, you hear this phrase, 174 00:08:14,440 –> 00:08:17,339 the longest 18 inches in the world are between the head 175 00:08:17,339 –> 00:08:20,899 and the heart, how are your head and your heart connected? 176 00:08:20,899 –> 00:08:24,799 Paul’s speaking about this directly here in these verses 177 00:08:24,799 –> 00:08:26,880 that are right in front of us here today. 178 00:08:26,880 –> 00:08:30,619 By the way, here’s what I found over the years, 179 00:08:30,619 –> 00:08:34,280 repeatedly, as this comment often comes up. 180 00:08:34,280 –> 00:08:36,880 I believed it in my head, but not in my heart. 181 00:08:36,880 –> 00:08:41,260 When the love of Christ is missing in the heart, 182 00:08:42,099 –> 00:08:45,900 the settled convictions that Paul speaks about here 183 00:08:45,900 –> 00:08:48,140 are usually missing from the mind. 184 00:08:49,039 –> 00:08:51,460 And, conversely, when the settled convictions 185 00:08:51,460 –> 00:08:55,219 that Paul speaks about here are active in the mind, 186 00:08:55,219 –> 00:08:58,340 usually, the knowledge of the love of Christ 187 00:08:58,340 –> 00:08:59,780 is present in the heart. 188 00:08:59,780 –> 00:09:02,820 In other words, these two go together. 189 00:09:02,859 –> 00:09:04,960 Here’s the principle to get hold of. 190 00:09:04,960 –> 00:09:09,500 Whatever grips your mind controls your heart. 191 00:09:09,500 –> 00:09:12,299 That’s how it works, that’s how you’re made. 192 00:09:12,299 –> 00:09:17,299 Whatever grips the mind controls the heart. 193 00:09:17,419 –> 00:09:19,859 And that is why, in Romans 12-1, 194 00:09:19,859 –> 00:09:22,419 Paul says you’re to be transformed 195 00:09:22,419 –> 00:09:24,479 by the renewing of your mind. 196 00:09:24,479 –> 00:09:27,280 That’s where it begins, that’s the fountain 197 00:09:27,280 –> 00:09:30,179 from which the heart is changed. 198 00:09:30,200 –> 00:09:33,599 Always remember your heart is more a follower 199 00:09:33,599 –> 00:09:35,340 than a leader. 200 00:09:35,340 –> 00:09:37,960 Your heart rarely leads the way. 201 00:09:37,960 –> 00:09:41,340 Your heart follows, and your heart follows 202 00:09:41,340 –> 00:09:44,539 in the direction that is shaped by core convictions 203 00:09:44,539 –> 00:09:46,619 that exist in your mind. 204 00:09:46,619 –> 00:09:49,419 Change the mind, and the heart then is changed. 205 00:09:49,419 –> 00:09:52,099 This is why, on the road to Emmaus, 206 00:09:52,099 –> 00:09:54,619 you remember Jesus opened the scriptures 207 00:09:54,619 –> 00:09:56,479 and he teaches them about himself, 208 00:09:56,479 –> 00:09:58,739 then as a result, their hearts are strangely 209 00:09:58,739 –> 00:09:59,940 warmed within them. 210 00:09:59,979 –> 00:10:01,559 That’s how it works. 211 00:10:01,559 –> 00:10:04,359 Heart’s not the leader, heart is the follower. 212 00:10:04,359 –> 00:10:07,099 That’s why Jesus says where your treasure is, 213 00:10:07,099 –> 00:10:08,880 there your heart will be also. 214 00:10:08,880 –> 00:10:10,619 Heart’s always following. 215 00:10:11,500 –> 00:10:13,380 So here’s something that is very important, 216 00:10:13,380 –> 00:10:17,340 wherever you find an impulse or a desire within your heart, 217 00:10:17,340 –> 00:10:20,780 it’s always good to ask, why is that there? 218 00:10:20,780 –> 00:10:24,140 And if you ask that question, you will soon be pointed 219 00:10:24,140 –> 00:10:29,099 to what conviction in the mind would give rise 220 00:10:29,099 –> 00:10:31,739 to this in the heart. 221 00:10:31,739 –> 00:10:34,919 Because a false belief always lies behind 222 00:10:34,919 –> 00:10:37,960 every misdirected affection. 223 00:10:37,960 –> 00:10:41,039 And so if you trace the affections of your heart 224 00:10:41,039 –> 00:10:43,119 back to the source in the mind, 225 00:10:43,119 –> 00:10:46,400 you will find some conviction in the mind 226 00:10:46,400 –> 00:10:48,380 that relates to a particular belief 227 00:10:48,380 –> 00:10:49,840 about what will make you happy 228 00:10:49,840 –> 00:10:52,340 and the heart is following after that. 229 00:10:53,820 –> 00:10:55,359 So that sounds a little theoretical. 230 00:10:55,359 –> 00:10:57,359 Let me give to you a quote from someone 231 00:10:57,380 –> 00:11:01,340 who wrote to me from the congregation this week. 232 00:11:01,340 –> 00:11:04,559 And here’s what this lady very honestly says, this week. 233 00:11:07,059 –> 00:11:09,739 When I was growing up, 234 00:11:09,739 –> 00:11:12,340 I thought, so here we are, 235 00:11:12,340 –> 00:11:15,960 that each stage would bring me more worth. 236 00:11:17,299 –> 00:11:19,140 When I get this husband, 237 00:11:19,140 –> 00:11:20,960 then I will feel loved. 238 00:11:22,140 –> 00:11:24,719 When I finally have kids, 239 00:11:24,719 –> 00:11:27,119 then I will be important. 240 00:11:28,099 –> 00:11:30,340 I got all of these things, 241 00:11:30,340 –> 00:11:34,940 the husband, the kids, and the good job. 242 00:11:34,940 –> 00:11:37,239 And you know what? 243 00:11:37,239 –> 00:11:38,799 I am still a mess. 244 00:11:40,460 –> 00:11:43,219 So you see what this lady is saying. 245 00:11:43,219 –> 00:11:45,820 And it’s very honest. 246 00:11:45,820 –> 00:11:49,659 My heart was set on the husband, the kids, and the job. 247 00:11:49,659 –> 00:11:50,780 And here’s why, 248 00:11:50,780 –> 00:11:53,299 because there was a deep and settled conviction in the mind. 249 00:11:53,299 –> 00:11:55,500 I thought, that’s her word, 250 00:11:56,099 –> 00:11:59,599 I thought that this would be what would give me more worth, 251 00:11:59,599 –> 00:12:01,239 that this would be the thing 252 00:12:01,239 –> 00:12:02,900 that would make me more important. 253 00:12:02,900 –> 00:12:04,440 Do you see what grips, 254 00:12:04,440 –> 00:12:07,140 the mind controls the heart. 255 00:12:07,140 –> 00:12:11,739 Because your heart is a follower, not a leader. 256 00:12:11,739 –> 00:12:14,719 And it’s very important to understand how we’re made, 257 00:12:14,719 –> 00:12:18,260 so that we can understand how it is that we’re changed, 258 00:12:18,260 –> 00:12:20,979 which is why the reshaping of the mind 259 00:12:20,979 –> 00:12:22,440 through the word of God is so important 260 00:12:22,440 –> 00:12:23,640 in the life of a Christian. 261 00:12:24,400 –> 00:12:26,500 The love of Christ controls us, how? 262 00:12:26,500 –> 00:12:28,400 Because we have concluded, 263 00:12:28,400 –> 00:12:31,700 certain things have come to reshape the mind, 264 00:12:31,700 –> 00:12:34,140 and that is what has brought a change in the heart. 265 00:12:34,140 –> 00:12:35,340 That’s what he’s saying. 266 00:12:36,820 –> 00:12:39,799 Now, let’s get back then, to what these things are. 267 00:12:39,799 –> 00:12:44,059 The love of Christ controls us because we have concluded. 268 00:12:44,059 –> 00:12:45,359 Okay, Paul 269 00:12:45,359 –> 00:12:48,400 What did you conclude, that reshaped the mind 270 00:12:48,400 –> 00:12:51,580 and therefore re-fired the heart? 271 00:12:51,619 –> 00:12:55,940 Number one, how Jesus changes death, 272 00:12:55,940 –> 00:13:00,260 and number two, how Jesus changes life. 273 00:13:00,260 –> 00:13:03,059 These are the two things that are before us today. 274 00:13:03,059 –> 00:13:05,559 Now look at the first, how Jesus changes death. 275 00:13:06,619 –> 00:13:09,359 We have concluded this, 276 00:13:09,359 –> 00:13:14,359 that one has died for all and therefore all have died. 277 00:13:17,619 –> 00:13:19,260 Now, to understand the change 278 00:13:19,260 –> 00:13:21,520 that Jesus has brought to death, 279 00:13:22,400 –> 00:13:24,419 which is what he’s speaking about here, 280 00:13:24,419 –> 00:13:27,659 it’s important to remember that death can be, 281 00:13:27,659 –> 00:13:31,919 will be for every person one of two things, 282 00:13:31,919 –> 00:13:35,039 either it will be a passing into condemnation 283 00:13:35,039 –> 00:13:37,859 or it will be an entering into celebration. 284 00:13:38,799 –> 00:13:41,419 It will always be one or the other for every person 285 00:13:41,419 –> 00:13:43,520 it cannot ever be both and these two 286 00:13:43,520 –> 00:13:45,900 are incomparably different. 287 00:13:46,880 –> 00:13:49,299 Now it is almost impossible for us to imagine 288 00:13:49,299 –> 00:13:51,080 because it’s so far from our experience 289 00:13:51,080 –> 00:13:53,299 what it would be to enter into condemnation 290 00:13:53,299 –> 00:13:57,159 or what it would be to enter into celebration 291 00:13:57,159 –> 00:13:58,659 that we really need the word of God 292 00:13:58,659 –> 00:14:00,640 to give us some framework as to what 293 00:14:00,640 –> 00:14:02,299 these things would be like. 294 00:14:03,119 –> 00:14:06,599 And so I’m going to paint two pictures for you 295 00:14:06,599 –> 00:14:09,539 and I want you to try and compose them in your mind, 296 00:14:09,539 –> 00:14:11,440 this is an imagination moment, 297 00:14:11,440 –> 00:14:14,440 I want you to paint a picture in your own mind 298 00:14:14,440 –> 00:14:17,380 as I describe these words from the Bible. 299 00:14:17,380 –> 00:14:18,760 The first is the description 300 00:14:18,760 –> 00:14:21,719 of what it would be like to pass into condemnation 301 00:14:21,719 –> 00:14:25,179 and I’m taking that from Exodus and chapter 19. 302 00:14:27,440 –> 00:14:30,000 This tells us the story of when God came down 303 00:14:30,000 –> 00:14:33,280 to Mount Sinai and it’s significant in the Bible 304 00:14:33,280 –> 00:14:35,200 because this was an event that took place 305 00:14:35,200 –> 00:14:38,159 before God had given all of the sacrifices 306 00:14:38,159 –> 00:14:43,159 that pointed forward to Jesus Christ. 307 00:14:43,159 –> 00:14:45,539 In Exodus 19 and verse 12 God says, 308 00:14:45,539 –> 00:14:50,539 in preparation for this set limits around the mountain, 309 00:14:52,400 –> 00:14:56,719 barriers really so that the people don’t come too close 310 00:14:56,719 –> 00:14:59,960 because the appearing of the Lord is gonna be so awesome 311 00:14:59,960 –> 00:15:03,940 and so terrifying, and if anyone even touches the mountain 312 00:15:03,940 –> 00:15:06,799 on which God will come he’s only gonna come to the top 313 00:15:06,799 –> 00:15:08,840 but if you even touch the bottom 314 00:15:08,840 –> 00:15:11,580 then such a person will surely die. 315 00:15:12,580 –> 00:15:14,940 Now, imagine then a million people 316 00:15:14,940 –> 00:15:18,380 and they’re beyond barriers at a distance 317 00:15:18,380 –> 00:15:19,940 from the bottom of the mountain 318 00:15:19,940 –> 00:15:22,099 onto which the presence of God is going to come 319 00:15:22,099 –> 00:15:23,440 and now here’s the picture 320 00:15:23,440 –> 00:15:25,539 that I want you to compose in your mind. 321 00:15:25,539 –> 00:15:29,880 On the morning of the third day, Exodus 19 verse 16, 322 00:15:29,880 –> 00:15:33,039 there were thunders and lightnings. 323 00:15:33,039 –> 00:15:34,500 Okay, so get that going in your mind now, 324 00:15:34,500 –> 00:15:38,400 you got that picture, really big storm, 325 00:15:38,400 –> 00:15:41,619 the lightning, cracking, thunder 326 00:15:41,619 –> 00:15:43,599 and there’s a thick cloud on the mountain 327 00:15:43,599 –> 00:15:47,919 and a very loud trumpet blast. 328 00:15:47,919 –> 00:15:52,520 So you hear this trumpet blaring, blaring 329 00:15:52,520 –> 00:15:55,159 and its sound is so loud that it’s over, 330 00:15:55,159 –> 00:15:57,000 it’s piercing through even thunder 331 00:15:57,000 –> 00:15:58,320 and even through lightning. 332 00:16:00,440 –> 00:16:03,940 And then it says, all the people in the camp trembled, 333 00:16:03,940 –> 00:16:05,940 all the people, about a million of them 334 00:16:06,840 –> 00:16:08,919 and there wasn’t a single one 335 00:16:08,919 –> 00:16:11,559 who was saying, hey, I’m not very impressed so far. 336 00:16:12,599 –> 00:16:14,599 Nobody was saying I don’t believe 337 00:16:16,020 –> 00:16:19,039 the presence of God was about to come down 338 00:16:20,200 –> 00:16:22,080 and just the anticipation of it 339 00:16:22,080 –> 00:16:23,700 as heaven has sort of opened 340 00:16:25,119 –> 00:16:28,440 and every person, the entire community, 341 00:16:28,440 –> 00:16:31,500 everyone is trembling with fear. 342 00:16:32,659 –> 00:16:34,419 Then we’re told that there was fire 343 00:16:34,460 –> 00:16:36,460 and there was smoke on the mountain 344 00:16:36,460 –> 00:16:37,979 and then the next thing we are told 345 00:16:37,979 –> 00:16:40,659 is that the whole mountain itself trembled 346 00:16:40,659 –> 00:16:42,859 so now there’s thunder, there’s lightning, 347 00:16:42,859 –> 00:16:44,640 there’s this piercing sound, 348 00:16:44,640 –> 00:16:46,460 there’s all a million people round the bottom 349 00:16:46,460 –> 00:16:47,479 and they’re trembling. 350 00:16:47,479 –> 00:16:49,380 Now there’s smoke and fire 351 00:16:49,380 –> 00:16:50,880 and the mountain itself. 352 00:16:50,880 –> 00:16:53,840 Think about an earthquake coming into the middle of this 353 00:16:55,640 –> 00:16:57,380 and the mountain itself is moving 354 00:16:57,380 –> 00:17:01,539 and then we’re told, the Lord came down to Mount Sinai, 355 00:17:01,539 –> 00:17:03,340 to the top of the mountain. 356 00:17:05,119 –> 00:17:06,540 Do you see why the Bible says, 357 00:17:06,540 –> 00:17:10,680 it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands 358 00:17:10,680 –> 00:17:12,099 of the living god? 359 00:17:13,859 –> 00:17:16,099 For a sinner without the sacrifice 360 00:17:16,099 –> 00:17:17,859 that is offered by Jesus Christ 361 00:17:17,859 –> 00:17:19,959 to come anywhere close to God 362 00:17:21,660 –> 00:17:23,979 is absolutely terrifying 363 00:17:26,359 –> 00:17:27,300 and that’s what death does. 364 00:17:27,300 –> 00:17:29,180 It brings you into the presence of God 365 00:17:30,579 –> 00:17:32,140 and why would this be in the Bible 366 00:17:32,140 –> 00:17:33,400 is to teach these people then 367 00:17:33,400 –> 00:17:35,219 to teach us people now 368 00:17:36,719 –> 00:17:39,359 the sheer terror of standing in the presence 369 00:17:39,359 –> 00:17:41,839 or anywhere close to a holy God, 370 00:17:41,839 –> 00:17:43,739 even Moses was shaking with fear. 371 00:17:43,739 –> 00:17:45,739 If Moses was shaking with fear, 372 00:17:46,839 –> 00:17:49,599 then where would that leave the rest of us? 373 00:17:49,599 –> 00:17:50,760 How grateful he must’ve been 374 00:17:50,760 –> 00:17:52,739 when God told him about the sacrifices 375 00:17:52,739 –> 00:17:54,079 that pointed to Jesus. 376 00:17:55,939 –> 00:17:58,719 So, death can be a passing into condemnation 377 00:17:58,719 –> 00:17:59,959 and I’m just giving you that picture 378 00:17:59,959 –> 00:18:01,640 of the sheer terror of what that would be 379 00:18:01,680 –> 00:18:04,819 to get even close to a holy God without a sacrifice. 380 00:18:06,660 –> 00:18:08,219 And then let me give you another picture 381 00:18:08,219 –> 00:18:10,180 that’s completely and utterly different 382 00:18:10,180 –> 00:18:12,780 and this one’s from Hebrews in chapter 12 383 00:18:12,780 –> 00:18:14,900 and what’s significant here 384 00:18:14,900 –> 00:18:16,260 is that the whole book of Hebrews 385 00:18:16,260 –> 00:18:19,640 is written to Jewish believers in Jesus Christ. 386 00:18:19,640 –> 00:18:22,160 So, these people really knew the Old Testament 387 00:18:22,160 –> 00:18:24,079 and what the writer to the Hebrews does 388 00:18:24,079 –> 00:18:25,920 is he recomposes, 389 00:18:25,920 –> 00:18:28,719 recollects the picture from Exodus 19 390 00:18:28,719 –> 00:18:29,780 of absolute terror 391 00:18:29,800 –> 00:18:31,920 that would have been familiar to all of them 392 00:18:31,920 –> 00:18:33,119 and then he says this, 393 00:18:33,119 –> 00:18:35,000 verse 18 of Hebrews 12, 394 00:18:35,000 –> 00:18:38,239 you who have come to believe in Christ 395 00:18:38,239 –> 00:18:41,680 have not come too. 396 00:18:41,680 –> 00:18:44,119 And then he describes the mountain that may be touched, 397 00:18:44,119 –> 00:18:46,819 the blazing fire, the darkness, the trumpet, 398 00:18:46,819 –> 00:18:49,160 the voice that made the hearers beg 399 00:18:49,160 –> 00:18:51,520 that no further messages be spoken to them. 400 00:18:51,520 –> 00:18:53,459 It was so terrifying that even Moses said 401 00:18:53,459 –> 00:18:55,520 I am trembling with fear. 402 00:18:55,520 –> 00:18:58,780 You in Jesus Christ are not coming there. 403 00:19:00,079 –> 00:19:00,939 Thank God for that. 404 00:19:00,939 –> 00:19:02,219 Friends, when you die, 405 00:19:02,219 –> 00:19:05,160 you do not want to be at the bottom of Mount Sinai. 406 00:19:06,699 –> 00:19:07,540 You do not. 407 00:19:09,199 –> 00:19:10,219 Where do you wanna be? 408 00:19:10,219 –> 00:19:13,420 Well here it is in Hebrews 12 in verse 22. 409 00:19:13,420 –> 00:19:16,979 But you have come to Mount Zion, 410 00:19:16,979 –> 00:19:18,560 now compose this picture, 411 00:19:20,020 –> 00:19:21,660 the city of the living God. 412 00:19:21,660 –> 00:19:23,619 So see in your mind’s eye this city 413 00:19:23,619 –> 00:19:24,579 and the brightness 414 00:19:24,579 –> 00:19:26,380 just try and get that image 415 00:19:26,380 –> 00:19:28,739 in your mind and then add to it. 416 00:19:28,939 –> 00:19:31,300 To innumerable angels 417 00:19:31,300 –> 00:19:32,939 in festal gathering. 418 00:19:32,939 –> 00:19:35,400 Now picture a crowd of angels. 419 00:19:35,400 –> 00:19:36,900 This is like in the Book of Revelation 420 00:19:36,900 –> 00:19:38,760 more than you could number 421 00:19:38,760 –> 00:19:40,140 and they’re all rejoicing. 422 00:19:40,140 –> 00:19:42,699 They’re all in festivities. 423 00:19:43,900 –> 00:19:45,540 And why are they in festivities? 424 00:19:45,540 –> 00:19:47,180 Because you’ve come to the assembly 425 00:19:47,180 –> 00:19:49,680 of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven. 426 00:19:49,680 –> 00:19:50,839 Here are all these people, 427 00:19:50,839 –> 00:19:54,579 a vast crowd of men and women and children 428 00:19:54,579 –> 00:19:56,599 who are in the presence of Jesus 429 00:19:56,699 –> 00:19:59,439 and they belong in the presence of Jesus in heaven, 430 00:19:59,439 –> 00:20:02,459 they’re enrolled there and they’re in the presence of God 431 00:20:02,459 –> 00:20:05,079 because no one escapes God 432 00:20:05,079 –> 00:20:07,219 but they’ve not come before God in terror, 433 00:20:07,219 –> 00:20:09,520 they’ve come before God in delight, 434 00:20:09,520 –> 00:20:10,800 they’re in his presence 435 00:20:10,800 –> 00:20:12,900 because they’ve been reconciled to him 436 00:20:13,800 –> 00:20:16,040 and how has all of this happened? 437 00:20:16,040 –> 00:20:19,000 Because there has been a true change in them, 438 00:20:19,000 –> 00:20:22,000 the spirit of righteous people made perfect, 439 00:20:22,000 –> 00:20:22,839 how? 440 00:20:22,839 –> 00:20:25,859 Through Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant 441 00:20:25,920 –> 00:20:28,359 and because of his sprinkled blood. 442 00:20:30,520 –> 00:20:34,099 Now, the scene here could hardly be more different 443 00:20:34,099 –> 00:20:36,000 from Exodus in chapter 19 444 00:20:37,180 –> 00:20:39,900 and please understand that in these two pictures, 445 00:20:39,900 –> 00:20:42,859 I mean, he’s not describing heaven and hell, 446 00:20:42,859 –> 00:20:45,900 he’s not even actually specifically speaking about death, 447 00:20:46,760 –> 00:20:49,260 the contrast we have here 448 00:20:49,260 –> 00:20:53,319 is between standing before God without Jesus 449 00:20:53,319 –> 00:20:56,920 and without a sacrifice and without a mediator 450 00:20:56,920 –> 00:20:59,859 and standing before God with Jesus 451 00:20:59,859 –> 00:21:02,540 and his blood shed for you, 452 00:21:02,540 –> 00:21:05,339 applied to your life 453 00:21:05,339 –> 00:21:10,339 and there is all the difference in the world. 454 00:21:10,439 –> 00:21:14,739 Without Jesus, death will be a passing into condemnation 455 00:21:14,739 –> 00:21:19,500 with Jesus and entering into celebration. 456 00:21:20,500 –> 00:21:25,319 Now that’s what he’s talking about here in verse 14. 457 00:21:25,319 –> 00:21:30,319 “‘One has died for all and therefore all have died.’” 458 00:21:31,719 –> 00:21:35,040 Jesus, in other words, entered the condemnation 459 00:21:35,040 –> 00:21:37,619 the death that you would have died 460 00:21:37,619 –> 00:21:39,880 so that when death comes for you, 461 00:21:39,880 –> 00:21:41,439 if you’re in Jesus Christ, 462 00:21:41,439 –> 00:21:44,060 it will not be a passing into condemnation 463 00:21:44,060 –> 00:21:47,560 it will rather be an entrance into celebration. 464 00:21:47,560 –> 00:21:49,619 And so we’ve settled conviction number one. 465 00:21:49,619 –> 00:21:52,660 We’ve concluded, Paul says, let me put it this way. 466 00:21:52,660 –> 00:21:54,380 Jesus died in my place 467 00:21:54,380 –> 00:21:57,280 and he has changed the face of death for me forever. 468 00:21:58,560 –> 00:21:59,780 That’s settled in my mind. 469 00:21:59,780 –> 00:22:01,619 I’ve got that. 470 00:22:01,619 –> 00:22:03,579 He passed into our condemnation 471 00:22:03,579 –> 00:22:05,959 in order to bring us into celebration. 472 00:22:07,060 –> 00:22:10,260 If you are in Jesus Christ 473 00:22:10,260 –> 00:22:15,260 passing into condemnation happened for you at the cross. 474 00:22:15,859 –> 00:22:17,040 It happened at the cross 475 00:22:17,060 –> 00:22:19,479 as far as you were concerned. 476 00:22:19,479 –> 00:22:20,319 That’s why it says, 477 00:22:20,319 –> 00:22:22,420 he died for all and therefore all died. 478 00:22:22,420 –> 00:22:24,680 The passing into condemnation 479 00:22:24,680 –> 00:22:26,560 happened as far as you were concerned 480 00:22:26,560 –> 00:22:28,680 if you’re in Jesus Christ at the cross. 481 00:22:28,680 –> 00:22:31,140 So whenever the moment of death comes for you, 482 00:22:31,140 –> 00:22:32,839 whether it’s through a sudden accident 483 00:22:32,839 –> 00:22:34,500 that was completely unforeseen 484 00:22:34,500 –> 00:22:36,640 or if it may be years and years from now, 485 00:22:36,640 –> 00:22:38,859 when that moment comes for you, 486 00:22:39,859 –> 00:22:41,680 there will not be a passing into condemnation 487 00:22:41,680 –> 00:22:42,880 that was done in Jesus. 488 00:22:42,880 –> 00:22:45,319 It will be an entrance into celebration. 489 00:22:45,319 –> 00:22:49,459 That is what is left and what is ahead for you. 490 00:22:50,500 –> 00:22:53,660 Now, that is the most amazing transformation. 491 00:22:54,780 –> 00:22:56,619 It says it’s set on in our minds 492 00:22:56,619 –> 00:22:59,300 that Jesus has changed the face of death 493 00:22:59,300 –> 00:23:02,219 for us for ever and for ever. 494 00:23:02,219 –> 00:23:03,819 And the more that grips the mind, 495 00:23:03,819 –> 00:23:06,500 the more the love of Christ 496 00:23:06,500 –> 00:23:08,699 that caused him to do this 497 00:23:08,699 –> 00:23:11,939 begins to permeate into our experience. 498 00:23:12,040 –> 00:23:14,800 Jesus takes control of the heart 499 00:23:14,800 –> 00:23:18,260 when this settles in the mind. 500 00:23:19,140 –> 00:23:21,199 And then there’s something else. 501 00:23:21,199 –> 00:23:24,040 Not only how Jesus changes death, 502 00:23:24,040 –> 00:23:27,420 but how Jesus changes life. 503 00:23:27,420 –> 00:23:29,579 Now, I want you to notice what he says here. 504 00:23:41,959 –> 00:23:44,400 democratically and was raised. 505 00:23:44,400 –> 00:23:47,040 Now think about this, 506 00:23:47,040 –> 00:23:51,239 the default death for every person 507 00:23:51,239 –> 00:23:53,599 apart from Jesus Christ 508 00:23:53,599 –> 00:23:56,500 is passing into condemnation. 509 00:23:56,500 –> 00:23:59,739 The default life for every person 510 00:23:59,739 –> 00:24:02,239 apart from Jesus Christ 511 00:24:02,239 –> 00:24:03,780 is what he refers to here, 512 00:24:03,780 –> 00:24:07,199 living for yourself. 513 00:24:07,199 –> 00:24:08,760 The Bible says this quite clearly 514 00:24:08,760 –> 00:24:11,380 in Philippians chapter 2 and verse 21. 515 00:24:11,479 –> 00:24:14,199 All seek their own interest, 516 00:24:14,199 –> 00:24:16,739 not that of Jesus Christ. 517 00:24:18,380 –> 00:24:21,380 In other words, unless something radically changes, 518 00:24:21,380 –> 00:24:23,380 unless there’s some amazing intervention 519 00:24:23,380 –> 00:24:25,660 in a human life, 520 00:24:25,660 –> 00:24:28,000 the default life is to live for ourselves. 521 00:24:28,000 –> 00:24:30,939 The default death is to pass into condemnation. 522 00:24:30,939 –> 00:24:32,619 And what we’re being told here 523 00:24:32,619 –> 00:24:35,819 is that not only has Jesus changed the default death 524 00:24:35,819 –> 00:24:38,780 but he also changes the default life 525 00:24:39,339 –> 00:24:44,339 so that we will no longer live for ourselves. 526 00:24:46,780 –> 00:24:50,619 Now friends, what does it mean to live for yourself? 527 00:24:50,619 –> 00:24:52,560 And I spent some time meditating on that. 528 00:24:52,560 –> 00:24:57,560 What is it to live for self? 529 00:24:57,819 –> 00:24:59,660 If you live for self, 530 00:25:00,680 –> 00:25:04,680 self is an uncrowned king. 531 00:25:05,640 –> 00:25:09,119 Self is a pretender to the throne of God. 532 00:25:10,060 –> 00:25:13,219 If you live for self, 533 00:25:13,219 –> 00:25:15,420 it is a very dangerous thing to do. 534 00:25:15,420 –> 00:25:17,839 It’s very dangerous to live for and serve 535 00:25:17,839 –> 00:25:20,260 an uncrowned king because what happens 536 00:25:20,260 –> 00:25:21,859 when the true king comes back? 537 00:25:21,859 –> 00:25:25,599 What happens to self and to the servant of self 538 00:25:25,599 –> 00:25:27,280 when the true king returns? 539 00:25:28,959 –> 00:25:30,479 Second, if you live for self, 540 00:25:30,479 –> 00:25:33,439 self is always an unhappy boss. 541 00:25:33,479 –> 00:25:34,680 Now think about this with me, 542 00:25:34,680 –> 00:25:36,280 it’s a bit of a brain twister, 543 00:25:36,280 –> 00:25:38,319 but I think you’ll get there. 544 00:25:38,319 –> 00:25:40,280 The problem with living for yourself 545 00:25:40,280 –> 00:25:45,119 is that you make yourself both the boss and the servant. 546 00:25:45,119 –> 00:25:49,680 You put yourself, in other words both sides of the ledger. 547 00:25:49,680 –> 00:25:52,359 If you live for yourself, 548 00:25:52,359 -> 00:25:54,800 you are both the one who is served 549 00:25:54,800 –> 00:25:56,520 and you are the one who does the serving. 550 00:25:56,520 –> 00:25:58,680 Live for yourself. 551 00:25:59,619 –> 00:26:02,959 So the demands that you set 552 00:26:02,959 –> 00:26:07,800 become the demands that you have to keep. 553 00:26:07,800 –> 00:26:10,099 This is why the experience of a person 554 00:26:10,099 –> 00:26:12,300 who lives for self is always 555 00:26:12,300 –> 00:26:16,160 that you’re kind of robbing Peter to pay Paul. 556 00:26:16,160 –> 00:26:18,079 It’s like taking stuff out of one bank account, 557 00:26:18,079 –> 00:26:19,439 putting it into another. 558 00:26:19,439 –> 00:26:21,520 They’re both yours, nothing actually changes. 559 00:26:21,520 –> 00:26:24,119 The balance is still the same. 560 00:26:24,119 –> 00:26:26,540 You just move things around. 561 00:26:26,579 –> 00:26:29,420 And that is why the person who lives for self 562 00:26:29,420 –> 00:26:32,760 is constantly in conflict. 563 00:26:32,760 –> 00:26:35,000 You will find this to be the case. 564 00:26:35,000 –> 00:26:36,479 If you live for yourself, 565 00:26:36,479 –> 00:26:40,300 you will often find in this strange position 566 00:26:40,300 –> 00:26:43,300 that you are beating up on yourself 567 00:26:43,300 –> 00:26:45,140 because you are unhappy. 568 00:26:45,140 –> 00:26:46,520 Now how illogical is that? 569 00:26:47,520 –> 00:26:49,020 But you see, if self is unhappy, 570 00:26:49,020 –> 00:26:50,819 who is there to beat up on 571 00:26:50,819 –> 00:26:53,079 except the one who is serving self, 572 00:26:53,079 –> 00:26:55,079 that is the one who is living for self. 573 00:26:55,099 –> 00:26:56,979 So you end up beating up on yourself. 574 00:26:56,979 –> 00:26:58,000 It’s inevitable, 575 00:26:58,000 –> 00:27:01,560 it is a completely miserable and impossible existence. 576 00:27:03,400 –> 00:27:04,500 Here’s how it works. 577 00:27:04,500 –> 00:27:05,739 Let me give you some examples 578 00:27:05,739 –> 00:27:08,180 and you could take this much further 579 00:27:08,180 –> 00:27:11,300 in conversation this week and in application. 580 00:27:12,380 –> 00:27:13,979 You look in the mirror 581 00:27:15,680 –> 00:27:20,339 and self the boss is not happy 582 00:27:20,339 –> 00:27:24,359 because she wants to have a more pleasing image. 583 00:27:25,359 –> 00:27:29,719 So she beats up on self the servant 584 00:27:29,719 –> 00:27:32,839 who suffers for not being pretty enough. 585 00:27:34,040 –> 00:27:35,599 You look at your life 586 00:27:36,719 –> 00:27:41,719 and self the boss says you should have accomplished more. 587 00:27:44,239 –> 00:27:45,400 So who’s to blame? 588 00:27:46,420 –> 00:27:50,119 Self the servant gets beaten up 589 00:27:50,119 –> 00:27:52,180 for not measuring up. 590 00:27:53,280 –> 00:27:54,479 Then here’s what happens. 591 00:27:54,800 –> 00:27:57,880 You do that for some years and you beat up on yourself 592 00:27:57,880 –> 00:27:59,619 because who else is there to beat up? 593 00:27:59,619 –> 00:28:01,020 You’re living for yourself 594 00:28:01,020 –> 00:28:03,280 and so the boss and the servant are both you. 595 00:28:04,439 –> 00:28:06,439 So you come to this point you say now, this is no good. 596 00:28:06,439 –> 00:28:08,000 I need to go and get some counseling. 597 00:28:08,000 –> 00:28:10,739 Get some counseling and you’ve got this new insight. 598 00:28:10,739 –> 00:28:14,160 You say, I know what it is, I know why I’m not happy. 599 00:28:14,160 –> 00:28:16,239 I’m being too hard on myself. 600 00:28:17,160 –> 00:28:19,199 I need to lighten up. 601 00:28:19,199 –> 00:28:22,079 I need to give myself a break. 602 00:28:22,079 –> 00:28:23,119 So that’s what you do. 603 00:28:23,119 –> 00:28:24,079 And here’s the problem. 604 00:28:24,719 –> 00:28:25,839 You’re still not happy 605 00:28:25,839 –> 00:28:29,079 because while self the servant has been given a break, 606 00:28:29,079 –> 00:28:30,599 guess what? 607 00:28:30,599 –> 00:28:32,880 Self the boss is no longer being served, 608 00:28:32,880 –> 00:28:34,180 so you’re still not happy. 609 00:28:34,180 –> 00:28:37,880 Living yourself is an absolute nightmare. 610 00:28:37,880 –> 00:28:39,680 When you lay it out as the master, 611 00:28:39,680 –> 00:28:41,500 you get crushed as the servant. 612 00:28:41,500 –> 00:28:42,859 When you lighten up on the servant, 613 00:28:42,859 –> 00:28:44,939 you get shortchanged as the master. 614 00:28:44,939 –> 00:28:47,380 You cannot possibly win 615 00:28:47,380 –> 00:28:50,479 and all around us is a culture that says, 616 00:28:50,479 –> 00:28:51,640 live for yourself. 617 00:28:51,640 –> 00:28:52,859 Be whatever you wanna be. 618 00:28:52,900 –> 00:28:55,439 Be your own lord, be your own savior. 619 00:28:55,439 –> 00:28:57,260 And it’s just assumed that this is gonna 620 00:28:57,260 –> 00:29:00,040 be the path on which everybody finds happiness 621 00:29:00,040 –> 00:29:02,000 and that it would be a great sacrifice 622 00:29:02,000 –> 00:29:04,520 if you did anything other than live for yourself. 623 00:29:04,520 –> 00:29:05,760 And what I’m saying to you is 624 00:29:05,760 –> 00:29:08,000 if you just think about it. 625 00:29:08,000 –> 00:29:10,699 It is not possible to be happy 626 00:29:11,839 –> 00:29:13,920 on the basis of living for yourself. 627 00:29:13,920 –> 00:29:15,500 You’re always gonna be in conflict. 628 00:29:15,500 –> 00:29:18,560 You’re always robbing Peter to pay Paul. 629 00:29:18,560 –> 00:29:20,719 You’re never any further forward, 630 00:29:20,719 –> 00:29:22,160 whichever way you come at it. 631 00:29:23,380 –> 00:29:25,020 And so here’s marvelous good news, 632 00:29:25,020 –> 00:29:28,979 that Jesus Christ comes not only 633 00:29:28,979 –> 00:29:31,359 to change the face of death for us 634 00:29:31,359 –> 00:29:33,619 but to change the face of life for us. 635 00:29:33,619 –> 00:29:36,060 And here’s the change that those who are in him 636 00:29:36,060 –> 00:29:39,260 will no longer live for themselves, 637 00:29:39,260 –> 00:29:42,619 be released from that, from the utter misery, 638 00:29:42,619 –> 00:29:47,420 the dead end that it always is, the perpetual conflict, 639 00:29:47,420 –> 00:29:48,939 and to bring you into the joy 640 00:29:48,939 –> 00:29:52,839 that can only be found in living for him. 641 00:29:54,400 –> 00:29:56,099 And as if it were not bad enough 642 00:29:56,099 –> 00:29:59,020 that to live for self is to live for an uncrowned king 643 00:29:59,020 –> 00:30:03,619 and to live for a perpetually unhappy boss. 644 00:30:03,619 –> 00:30:05,979 To live for self means that you end up 645 00:30:05,979 –> 00:30:08,239 with an unrewarded servant. 646 00:30:10,060 –> 00:30:14,119 If you live for yourself, who is there to reward you? 647 00:30:15,020 –> 00:30:20,020 Who is there to smile on you when your work is done 648 00:30:20,060 –> 00:30:22,000 if you live for yourself? 649 00:30:22,839 –> 00:30:25,520 Who is there to embrace you? 650 00:30:25,520 –> 00:30:28,439 Who is there to rejoice with you? 651 00:30:28,439 –> 00:30:32,400 If you live for yourself, who can ever say to you, 652 00:30:32,400 –> 00:30:37,319 well done good and faithful servant, 653 00:30:37,319 –> 00:30:40,619 enter into your master’s joy? 654 00:30:40,619 –> 00:30:43,119 Who could say that to you if you live for yourself? 655 00:30:44,160 –> 00:30:45,359 No, you live for yourself. 656 00:30:45,359 –> 00:30:47,859 When your work is done, you look up 657 00:30:47,859 –> 00:30:49,619 and you find you’re all alone. 658 00:30:50,520 –> 00:30:52,099 And there is no smile. 659 00:30:52,939 –> 00:30:54,760 And there is no well done. 660 00:30:55,619 –> 00:30:59,339 And there is no love and there is no joy 661 00:31:00,839 –> 00:31:03,880 because the one for whom everything has been done 662 00:31:05,260 –> 00:31:06,380 is yourself. 663 00:31:08,180 –> 00:31:10,900 So here’s settled conviction number two. 664 00:31:10,979 –> 00:31:14,739 That Jesus died not only to change the face of death 665 00:31:14,739 –> 00:31:16,939 for me forever, but Jesus died to bring me 666 00:31:16,939 –> 00:31:21,439 from the misery of living for myself 667 00:31:21,439 –> 00:31:25,540 into the joy of living for him. 668 00:31:25,540 –> 00:31:28,000 It’s the only way that real joy can ever be found. 669 00:31:28,920 –> 00:31:31,560 We’ve concluded this, he says, 670 00:31:31,560 –> 00:31:34,300 that Christ died for all that those who live 671 00:31:34,300 –> 00:31:36,739 might no longer live for themselves, 672 00:31:36,739 –> 00:31:41,739 but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 673 00:31:44,800 –> 00:31:47,160 So here we have it, friends. 674 00:31:47,160 –> 00:31:49,800 There is for human beings a default life 675 00:31:49,800 –> 00:31:51,420 and a default death. 676 00:31:52,920 –> 00:31:56,380 The default life is that we live for ourselves. 677 00:31:56,380 –> 00:32:00,079 The default death is that we pass into condemnation. 678 00:32:00,079 –> 00:32:02,260 And here is what Jesus Christ has done. 679 00:32:02,420 –> 00:32:07,380 He has died our default death to change our default life. 680 00:32:08,280 –> 00:32:12,000 He died for all, that those who live 681 00:32:12,000 –> 00:32:13,640 should no longer live for themselves 682 00:32:13,640 –> 00:32:18,640 but for him who died and was raised. 683 00:32:19,180 –> 00:32:21,560 Now Paul says these are the two convictions, 684 00:32:21,560 –> 00:32:22,680 the transformation of death, 685 00:32:22,680 –> 00:32:23,719 transformation of life, 686 00:32:23,719 –> 00:32:25,219 by Jesus Christ, 687 00:32:25,219 –> 00:32:28,239 which as they settle in the human mind, 688 00:32:28,239 –> 00:32:30,040 we’ve concluded, we’re convinced, 689 00:32:30,119 –> 00:32:32,119 we’re persuaded about this. 690 00:32:33,000 –> 00:32:36,699 And as that has restructured our thinking, 691 00:32:36,699 –> 00:32:39,680 Paul says, so it has fired our hearts. 692 00:32:39,680 –> 00:32:44,680 This is why we are controlled by the love of Christ. 693 00:32:47,280 –> 00:32:49,040 Now three words and then we’re through. 694 00:32:49,040 –> 00:32:50,079 Actually there’s a few words 695 00:32:50,079 –> 00:32:51,239 about each of the three words, 696 00:32:51,239 –> 00:32:52,640 but we’re nearly there 697 00:32:52,640 –> 00:32:53,959 is what I’m telling you. 698 00:32:53,959 –> 00:32:55,160 Here’s word number one, 699 00:32:55,160 –> 00:32:56,760 Jesus, Jesus. 700 00:32:57,660 –> 00:32:59,859 Don’t miss the most obvious thing 701 00:32:59,939 –> 00:33:01,380 about these marvelous verses. 702 00:33:01,380 –> 00:33:02,459 They’re all about Jesus. 703 00:33:02,459 –> 00:33:03,500 Is Jesus who died, 704 00:33:03,500 –> 00:33:05,020 it’s Jesus who rose. 705 00:33:05,020 –> 00:33:05,839 We’re being delivered 706 00:33:05,839 –> 00:33:07,660 from living for ourselves 707 00:33:07,660 –> 00:33:08,979 in order to live for him. 708 00:33:08,979 –> 00:33:10,459 It’s all about Jesus. 709 00:33:10,459 –> 00:33:12,219 That’s why we read the story 710 00:33:12,219 –> 00:33:14,000 of the rich young ruler 711 00:33:14,000 –> 00:33:15,500 earlier in the service 712 00:33:16,339 –> 00:33:17,520 because here was someone 713 00:33:17,520 –> 00:33:19,359 who was model 714 00:33:19,359 –> 00:33:20,599 and here the rich young ruler 715 00:33:20,599 –> 00:33:23,239 was someone who was deeply religious 716 00:33:23,239 –> 00:33:26,020 and because he was all about himself, 717 00:33:26,020 –> 00:33:27,020 he wanted to make sure 718 00:33:27,020 –> 00:33:28,300 that he got heaven as well. 719 00:33:28,300 –> 00:33:29,599 You know, I want everything in this world 720 00:33:29,719 –> 00:33:30,560 and I want everything 721 00:33:30,560 –> 00:33:32,479 in the next world as well 722 00:33:34,680 –> 00:33:37,760 and his story is a very sad one 723 00:33:38,699 –> 00:33:40,359 because it tells us that, 724 00:33:40,359 –> 00:33:41,380 did you notice this word 725 00:33:41,380 –> 00:33:42,640 when it was read? 726 00:33:42,640 –> 00:33:44,239 He walks away from Jesus 727 00:33:44,239 –> 00:33:45,060 because he’s not willing 728 00:33:45,060 –> 00:33:46,540 to become a follower of Jesus. 729 00:33:46,540 –> 00:33:47,839 He just wants to be model 730 00:33:47,839 –> 00:33:48,880 and religious 731 00:33:48,880 –> 00:33:50,520 and have heaven 732 00:33:50,520 –> 00:33:53,339 and so he walks away from Jesus 733 00:33:53,339 –> 00:33:55,400 disheartened, 734 00:33:55,400 –> 00:33:56,300 the Bible says, 735 00:33:56,300 –> 00:33:57,420 disheartened. 736 00:33:57,420 –> 00:33:58,599 Don’t lose heart. 737 00:33:58,599 –> 00:34:00,040 He did lose heart, why? 738 00:34:00,040 –> 00:34:02,319 Because he walked away from Jesus. 739 00:34:02,319 –> 00:34:03,300 Our series is called 740 00:34:03,300 –> 00:34:04,359 Don’t Lose Heart. 741 00:34:04,359 –> 00:34:05,599 How am I not to lose heart? 742 00:34:05,599 –> 00:34:08,520 I walked towards Jesus, see. 743 00:34:10,159 –> 00:34:11,340 Here’s the thing. 744 00:34:13,040 –> 00:34:14,899 Have you discovered yet 745 00:34:14,899 –> 00:34:17,540 and you see this with great sadness sometimes 746 00:34:18,659 –> 00:34:20,500 that model and religious people 747 00:34:20,500 –> 00:34:23,540 can sometimes be the most selfish people 748 00:34:23,540 –> 00:34:24,879 on the face of the planet. 749 00:34:26,060 –> 00:34:27,139 Have you noticed that? 750 00:34:28,060 –> 00:34:30,260 And here’s the reason 751 00:34:30,260 –> 00:34:32,000 that being moral and being religious 752 00:34:32,000 –> 00:34:34,300 has no power whatsoever 753 00:34:34,300 –> 00:34:36,479 to break the default human life 754 00:34:36,479 –> 00:34:37,939 which is to live for self. 755 00:34:38,860 –> 00:34:40,520 And so you see this in the Pharisees, 756 00:34:40,520 –> 00:34:41,620 you see it in the rich young ruler, 757 00:34:41,620 –> 00:34:44,679 you see it all around us in religious circles. 758 00:34:44,679 –> 00:34:46,379 Sadly too often the people 759 00:34:46,379 –> 00:34:47,500 who are moral and religious 760 00:34:47,500 –> 00:34:49,459 are fundamentally about themselves, 761 00:34:49,459 –> 00:34:50,699 all this and everybody. 762 00:34:52,979 –> 00:34:55,760 And not the love of Christ. 763 00:34:56,679 –> 00:34:58,500 Not the love of Christ. 764 00:35:00,080 –> 00:35:03,080 So being moral will never release you 765 00:35:03,080 –> 00:35:05,239 from the default mode of living. 766 00:35:06,199 –> 00:35:10,080 It takes the power of a risen Savior 767 00:35:10,080 –> 00:35:12,159 to change that direction of life 768 00:35:12,159 –> 00:35:14,439 and that’s why Paul at the end of the verse 769 00:35:14,439 –> 00:35:16,080 says that he not only died 770 00:35:16,080 –> 00:35:19,040 but he rose, you can’t be saved by a dead Savior, 771 00:35:19,040 –> 00:35:20,560 you need a living Savior 772 00:35:20,560 –> 00:35:22,959 whose power is actually able to come 773 00:35:22,959 –> 00:35:24,479 and transform your life 774 00:35:24,479 –> 00:35:25,719 and this is what happens 775 00:35:25,719 –> 00:35:29,679 when a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ. 776 00:35:29,679 –> 00:35:31,340 Changes the face of death for you, 777 00:35:31,340 –> 00:35:32,679 changes the face of life for you 778 00:35:32,679 –> 00:35:34,340 but that never happens by being moral 779 00:35:34,340 –> 00:35:35,659 or being religious. 780 00:35:37,020 –> 00:35:38,639 It’s Jesus who does it. 781 00:35:38,639 –> 00:35:40,179 Jesus. 782 00:35:40,179 –> 00:35:41,479 Second word now. 783 00:35:42,800 –> 00:35:46,760 That those who live might no longer live for themselves. 784 00:35:46,760 –> 00:35:47,600 See what he’s saying? 785 00:35:47,600 –> 00:35:49,199 That’s why I say this is the default life 786 00:35:49,199 –> 00:35:50,760 is to live for self. 787 00:35:50,760 –> 00:35:51,919 He says, no longer, 788 00:35:51,919 –> 00:35:55,520 just assumes that that’s how it always was 789 00:35:56,199 –> 00:35:59,399 how it always is and will be, except for Jesus 790 00:35:59,399 –> 00:36:02,600 but you come to a living knowledge of Jesus, 791 00:36:02,600 –> 00:36:06,159 you can no longer live for yourself. 792 00:36:07,600 –> 00:36:11,500 And so as we’ve been brought into this place today 793 00:36:12,520 –> 00:36:14,639 where what Jesus has done to change death 794 00:36:14,639 –> 00:36:16,600 and what Jesus has done to change life 795 00:36:16,600 –> 00:36:18,679 has been opened up before us, 796 00:36:20,080 –> 00:36:22,639 why would anyone in the congregation 797 00:36:22,639 –> 00:36:25,020 spend one more day living for self? 798 00:36:25,860 –> 00:36:27,439 How could you possibly do that? 799 00:36:28,719 –> 00:36:29,979 And the misery of it. 800 00:36:31,600 –> 00:36:32,760 Why would you not? 801 00:36:32,760 –> 00:36:34,979 Why would everyone of us not today, 802 00:36:34,979 –> 00:36:38,439 be saying, Jesus Christ, I am so done 803 00:36:38,439 –> 00:36:40,120 with living for self. 804 00:36:41,399 –> 00:36:43,840 I have as best as I can right now 805 00:36:43,840 –> 00:36:47,080 to give into your hands all that I am 806 00:36:47,080 –> 00:36:51,479 and all that I have, that I may live for you 807 00:36:51,479 –> 00:36:54,340 and that you, as my Lord, will show me and lead me 808 00:36:54,419 –> 00:36:56,580 and what that actually means for me. 809 00:36:56,580 –> 00:36:59,899 But I am so done with living for myself. 810 00:37:01,520 –> 00:37:04,959 No longer, no longer. 811 00:37:06,620 –> 00:37:09,620 How could you hang about with life as it is 812 00:37:09,620 –> 00:37:12,179 when Jesus offers the transformation of death 813 00:37:12,179 –> 00:37:13,300 and of life to you? 814 00:37:15,139 –> 00:37:17,060 And the last word is simply this. 815 00:37:18,060 –> 00:37:20,639 Jesus, now. 816 00:37:20,639 –> 00:37:22,300 And the third word is you. 817 00:37:22,860 –> 00:37:24,659 And I just end here for this reason. 818 00:37:24,659 –> 00:37:25,899 Did you notice verse 14? 819 00:37:25,899 –> 00:37:30,899 We have concluded this, that one died for all. 820 00:37:31,020 –> 00:37:34,659 All means every person in the third service. 821 00:37:34,659 –> 00:37:37,239 And it included everyone in the first two services, 822 00:37:37,239 –> 00:37:38,379 by the way, as well. 823 00:37:38,379 –> 00:37:40,040 And everyone at every other campus. 824 00:37:40,040 –> 00:37:43,020 It includes everybody in the world. 825 00:37:43,020 –> 00:37:44,419 It includes you. 826 00:37:45,820 –> 00:37:48,060 It includes you, and here’s what it means. 827 00:37:48,060 –> 00:37:52,260 It means that there is hope for you for this reason. 828 00:37:52,459 –> 00:37:56,820 That everything that God did through Jesus Christ 829 00:37:56,820 –> 00:37:59,360 on the cross to change death and to change life 830 00:37:59,360 –> 00:38:01,899 can be yours today. 831 00:38:01,899 –> 00:38:04,040 There are no exclusions. 832 00:38:04,040 –> 00:38:06,399 Nobody who has pushed Jesus away so long 833 00:38:06,399 –> 00:38:08,500 that he would not welcome you today. 834 00:38:08,500 –> 00:38:10,879 Nobody who is beyond the bounds of grace 835 00:38:10,879 –> 00:38:12,500 because you have sinned too badly 836 00:38:12,500 –> 00:38:14,620 and he would turn his back on you today. 837 00:38:14,620 –> 00:38:17,780 Nobody in that, no, he died for all. 838 00:38:17,780 –> 00:38:21,739 So what God has done in Jesus Christ 839 00:38:22,840 –> 00:38:25,280 to change death and to change life 840 00:38:25,280 –> 00:38:28,540 can be yours today. 841 00:38:29,479 –> 00:38:32,080 So why would you not come to him? 842 00:38:32,080 –> 00:38:34,320 Tell him that you see your need of him 843 00:38:34,320 –> 00:38:36,100 in death and in life 844 00:38:36,100 –> 00:38:37,840 more than you’ve ever seen it before. 845 00:38:37,840 –> 00:38:40,040 Tell him that you see that the only hope 846 00:38:40,040 –> 00:38:42,479 of a changed experience at death 847 00:38:42,479 –> 00:38:44,760 and a changed experience right now of life, 848 00:38:44,760 –> 00:38:46,639 your only hope lies in him, 849 00:38:46,639 –> 00:38:48,159 but you do have hope in him. 850 00:38:48,159 –> 00:38:50,560 Tell him you’re tired of living for yourself. 851 00:38:50,580 –> 00:38:53,580 Tell him you’ve seen now that it can only ever 852 00:38:53,580 –> 00:38:55,639 leave you in conflict and misery. 853 00:38:55,639 –> 00:38:59,919 Tell him your many sins and ask him to forgive you. 854 00:38:59,919 –> 00:39:01,360 Ask him to make you his own. 855 00:39:01,360 –> 00:39:04,500 Ask him to lead you into this new life. 856 00:39:04,500 –> 00:39:07,479 Be my Lord, be my savior. 857 00:39:08,479 –> 00:39:10,540 Come to him today, 858 00:39:10,540 –> 00:39:13,260 and as you come to him, 859 00:39:14,139 –> 00:39:17,979 settle these convictions in your mind 860 00:39:18,959 –> 00:39:22,340 that Jesus died in your place 861 00:39:23,560 –> 00:39:26,280 to change the face of death for you forever, 862 00:39:28,020 –> 00:39:31,239 and that Jesus died to deliver you 863 00:39:32,100 –> 00:39:35,139 from the misery of living for yourself, 864 00:39:35,139 –> 00:39:38,979 and that he is able to lead you into a new life. 865 00:39:40,199 –> 00:39:42,320 And not only is he able to do this, 866 00:39:42,320 –> 00:39:43,760 he is ready to do this, 867 00:39:43,760 –> 00:39:46,739 and he is willing to do this for you. 868 00:39:48,320 –> 00:39:51,459 And so unlike the rich young ruler 869 00:39:51,459 –> 00:39:54,479 who was so disheartened as he walked away from Jesus, 870 00:39:55,899 –> 00:39:58,719 you come to Jesus Christ as you are 871 00:39:58,719 –> 00:40:03,320 and put your trust in him as you walk towards Jesus. 872 00:40:03,320 –> 00:40:08,280 You will not lose heart. 873 00:40:08,280 –> 00:40:13,280 Father, please settle these deep convictions 874 00:40:13,459 –> 00:40:14,800 in every mind and heart. 875 00:40:14,800 –> 00:40:17,479 Let no one go from this sanctuary and this service 876 00:40:17,479 –> 00:40:20,000 saying well I’m just gonna live for myself anyway. 877 00:40:22,300 –> 00:40:26,500 Please deliver and by the power of your Holy Spirit 878 00:40:26,500 –> 00:40:28,580 let none be like the rich young ruler 879 00:40:28,580 –> 00:40:31,620 so disheartened and off away from Jesus. 880 00:40:34,379 –> 00:40:36,699 Let every one of us be those who come to him 881 00:40:37,739 –> 00:40:40,560 and find in him the change, the transformation 882 00:40:40,560 –> 00:40:44,939 of life and of death that is his great gift 883 00:40:44,979 –> 00:40:48,659 to all his people and in this we rejoice 884 00:40:48,659 –> 00:40:51,239 through Jesus our Lord and everyone said amen. 885 00:40:54,860 –> 00:40:56,459 You’ve been listening to a sermon 886 00:40:56,459 –> 00:40:58,860 with Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 887 00:40:58,860 –> 00:41:03,860 To contact us call us at 1-877-OPEN-365 888 00:41:04,139 –> 00:41:07,620 or visit our website openthebible.org.