Northside Church - Sydney
Wallflowers// Living Life from the Sidelines? Week 4:Jesus – A Saviour for All
I'm listening to another great message from Northside Community Church. That is a clip that has terrified many children for about 25-30 years. Not by his character, just the sight of David Bowie in Tights for an hour and a half. It's been terrifying, but if you haven't seen a clip you don't know where it's from. It's from the movie Labyrinth, their young Sarah, it's the final scene. She's gone through this crazy labyrinth, her little brother Toby has been stolen by Bowie, the Goblin King, resides at the castle beyond the Goblin City. And she goes through unnumbered hardships, dangers untold. She fought away to the Goblin City in order to confront the Goblin King who had this child captured and she says, "Give me the child!" And there in she wrestles with Jareth, the Goblin King, and realizes, through a story that she'd written, that she'd read long before she ever got into this fantasy world. She realizes that there was a line there that was a key to all of their freedom. She stares him in the face and says, "You have no power over me." It is a wonderful story, the 80s, right? And what if there was a real Goblin King, a ruler of this world, an evil king, one who lose people in, one who has kept the children captive, one who promises children everything they want. They just submit to him, let him rule them, and he would be a slave to us. What if our problem was that we forgot the very line that might bring us freedom? What if we've forgotten how the story really should end? That's just a story, right? So let's read the Bible, John chapter 17, verses 6 through to 19. "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours. You gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you, for I gave them the words that you gave me and they accepted them. And they knew with certainty that I came from you and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I'm not praying for the world, but for those that you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours and all that you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are in the world and I'm coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name. The name you gave me so that they may be one as we are one. I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. No one has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. I'm coming to you now. I say these things while I'm still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I've given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world. Any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one. They're not of the world, even as I'm not of it. Sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth. As you've sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them, I sanctify myself that they too may be truly sanctified. I had a conversation with the guy the other day who was just randomly and came in having a bit of a chat in the foyer and we were just talking about matters of religion and he's not a church goer, but he'd just walk past the place. He was saying phrases like, "I don't know, I'm just feeling like I'm trying to be a good father and I'm trying to be a good husband and I'm trying to show God that I'm a good person." I don't know about you, but I think that's just how a lot of people perceive what Christianity is all about, right? I'm trying. But where do we get that from? I mean, look, realistically, you're not a Christian until you understand that Jesus was a blues brother, verses 6, 7, and 8. Now they know everything you've given me has come from you for I gave them the words that you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you and they believed that you sent me. And what's Jesus saying there? "I want a secret mission from God, I'm a blues brother." And we talked about it last week, I said that part of the reason why I think people, you might even be thinking that, look, you know, to be a Christian is to try hard and to be good and you might have gotten that because there's one of two different ways that you can view the Bible, you can view the Bible like all those funny little letters on a fridge, almost like a little medicine chest of good sayings it could have, little proverbial comforts that you could have when life's getting tough. And so you, I don't know if you've ever done this, but you sort of shotgun the Bible, you sort of flick through and you try there and you try there and you try there. And hopefully a particular verse that gives you comfort, right, or the other way that you could do it is you read the Bible as one giant plot line, one story. I mean, what would it read like if the Bible was one single coherent plot line of what God is doing in the world? You know, it would be creation for redemption, consummation, a big word, don't they? It'd be like, how do I put it? The story would go like this, things were good. We were together with God, we were all at peace and then something went terribly wrong. The child was captured and placed into the goblin city and throughout history, God has been trying to break into the world seeking to rescue us from the clutches of the goblin king and through many attempts, through different people and different parts and twists in the great labyrinth of life, through dangers untold, hardships unnumbered. I fought my way back to the goblin castle to take back the child you have stolen goblin king for my will is strong and my kingdom is great. I'm getting carried away again, aren't I? Sorry. It's not all a big story is it, it's not all 1980s childhood flicks, look here's how you should read the Bible. Jesus gave us the definition in this sense, verse 8, "For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them, they knew with certainty that I came from you and they believed that you had sent me." What Jesus is saying there, and this is how you're going to read the Bible, it's a definition of what it means to be a Christian, is that when you read the Bible like that, you see the Christians not someone who has to pray harder or do things harder or go to church more or pray more or to do more, rather a Christian is to believe that God himself is broken into the great adventure that is this world. God himself in the person of Jesus, he sends himself in the person of Jesus, not a neighbor Ham, not a Moses, not a David, not all the great characters that we've been reading about and learning about in this Wolfhouse series, Jesus, he sends him on a mission to achieve a rescue for us that we couldn't do ourselves. Then that Jesus, verse 18 says, "As you've sent me into the world, I send them into the world Jesus sends our sout to be a part of this rescue story." And so in other words, to be a Christian is to be on mission. And you see, here's the thing, if Jesus was on a mission to renew the world, that's what's happening here. Then what does it mean for us, for quick applications tonight? I'm thinking, look, as a side note, we could be a real note-taking church tonight. I don't know about you, I'll throw it out there, I'll drop a little bit of a seat. But look, if this is of God and not of me, then whatever God is teaching you, it might not be what's on the slides tonight. But if something comes to you, I encourage you to write it down. First one, mission and the reason you've got to write it down is I didn't rhyme my slides tonight. Sorry, it was been a big week and I didn't rhyme, so you're just going to have to write this down. Here's the first thing, look, if Jesus is from God, if Jesus is sent by God, if Jesus is on a mission to renew the world, then here's the first thing, mission is not a department of the church, it's your directive as a believer. Jesus didn't say, "As the Father has sent me, I'm sending those who are more towards the left wing of the political agenda." He didn't say, "As the Father has sent me, I'm sending those with bleeding hearts." He didn't say, "As the Father has sent me, I'm sending a committee. As the Father has sent me, I'm sending a team," he says, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you," he's talking to his disciples, he said, "All of you." And so what it means is that mission is not a department of the church. Here's the question, why did Christianity explode 3,000 years ago? We see this incredible situation where just after this prayer, this conversation at the center of the universe, in John 17, Jesus talking to his father, not long after this upper room discourse, Peter, one of these fishermen, goes to the Colonards of Solomon's Temple and he preaches and it says 3,000 people were added to their number in a day. Talk about a headache for rosters. The church grows and it gets big, it's gone from 12, to 3,000, it gets bigger and bigger and bigger and then one of the other guys, Stephen, one of the apostles, he gets killed, he gets martyred. There's this guy called Saul who has laid a pole looking over it and it says, "A great persecution broke out against the church and everyone scattered like a whole bunch of hundreds and thousands falling upon the kitchen floor." And the church went everywhere, now what happened? What happened when that happened? The church went everywhere, it now meant that everyone was responsible for mission. And now meant that every believer was responsible for reaching out to their next door neighbor, it meant every believer was responsible for learning about what the gospel meant, it meant every believer was responsible for sharing that, it meant every believer was responsible for doing the deeds of God and his mission in that sense and so here's the great thing that I got out of it, the word tonight in that sense. It means just because you haven't been on a mission trip doesn't mean that you can't be in mission. The laity, everyday people of the church like you, not the ministers like me, were responsible for teaching and preaching and gathering and leading, you're responsible. And so Jesus says, "Go to Jerusalem, Judea, the ends of the earth, go from Kroseness to Sydney to New South Wales to Australia to the rest of the world." That's what he was saying, if the whole Bible has been, that's what we've been learning about is God's mission, then he calls you into that and it means that mission can't be a department of your life and it can't be a department of the church. It's not up to Sarah and her beyond Northside team to do that for us, everyone's responsible because to be a Christian is to be in mission. Here's the second one, mission's not just evangelism but it's playing your part in rehabbing the world. In Return of the King, and I told you I'd come back to some more of Return of the King last week from Lord of the Rings. Sam Wise, "Gamgy" says too, Frodo, do you remember the shy Mr Frodo? It'll be spring soon and the orchards will be in blossom and the birds will be nesting and the hazel thicket and the whistle in the summer barley in the lower fields and eating the first of the strawberries with creamed, do you remember the taste of sweet strawberries? Frodo says, "No Sam, I can't recall the taste of food, nor the sound of water, nor the touch of grass. I'm naked in the dark, there's nothing, no veil between me and the wheel of fire. I can see him with my waking eyes," Sam Wise says, "Then let us be rid of it once and for all. I can't carry the ring for you, but I can carry you." Jesus then, he Sam Wise is us. We just got Sam Wise by Jesus. Ready verse 15. My prayer is that not that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one. Thanks Jesus. It isn't funny, there's so many Christians in the world that live by the exact opposite of that statement. I feel that just if I'm a believer, then God's somehow going to suck us up like those canisters at Woolworths with the cash, up into the roof, up into heaven, we're just going to get sucked up out of here and away from this evil, horrible world in this sense. But Jesus is Sam Wise, look, if you read the Bible individualistically, he's a little medicine chest of little proverbs and good sayings, rather than the breaking in of this kingdom of Jesus. And God's plan, you know, individualistically God's plan is that, well, just to save souls, to suck them up to heaven and to hell with everyone else. But if it's a kingdom breaking in and there's something more, there's something deeper, he's saying, I'm not taking you out of the world, I want you to go into unworld the world. You see, world as John describes it is, when he's saying the world, he's not saying bad people or evil people, when he defines world he means people who are not living under the kingship of God. People are not living life the way that God is meant to be lived with desires and ways of living and thinking remain unchecked and Jesus says, no, I send you into that to change that. It's funny thing is too, if you look at the end of the Bible, you actually see, not that the believers get sucked up in the Woolies' tubes up into heaven, but you actually see the city of God itself descending on the world, not that we go to heaven, but that heaven comes to us. This is radically different than how so many of the other world's religions think, because here's what it does to us, here's the practical outward in working it out. Here's what it means, it means that the mission can include your everyday roles or your job. I mean, going to work tomorrow could be part of your mission. If Jesus is saying that our job is to unworld the world, if we're no longer thinking about what button do I press to get into heaven, but if it's God breaking into the world, it means what happens if God unworlded the banking sector? I think if you unworlded the banking sector, that actually pass on the interest rates when it goes down. This is just one practical out working in the Kingdom of God, so we're still praying for that. What if God unworlded the arts? What if we through the power of Jesus Christ unworlded the arts? What if we unworlded the newspapers of this world? What sort of stories would we begin to start seeing on the front page? It's possible because it's Christians who inhabit the very places that make the headlines or make the decisions about interest rates or make the paintings or make the musical statements. And God says, "I'm sending you into that." And so what it means for you tonight, guys, is that you have a part to play in unworlding the world around you. See, without looking to that whole picture, our temptation is that we want to run away from that. We want to flee from that. And funnily enough, most people think, "Well, if I'm really going to do God's work, then I need to be a minister." Don't think that. Don't think that at all, because every time you see the world falling apart in the Bible God says, "Get in." Moses sees a burning bush, Egypt has Israel under slavery and God says, "Get in." You see, in Daniel, Israelites are in exile, they're under Babylonian captivity instead of trying to move back to Jerusalem, and God says, "No, get in." You see in David, the people are under military oppression, and God says to David, "Get in." Look, wherever you see the world falling apart in the Bible, you see the people of God getting in. In a simple sense too, guys, why leave it up to the body shop of all places to build orphanages and to rehab the world. We are the only business. We're the only organization in the world, the church, that exists for the benefit of its non-members. It's not just converting people. We're playing a part where we have the "Why else do we do in a home month? Why do we turn sausages down at Gleib on Saturday? Why are we going to backyard blitzes? We're just trying to rehab the world. Here's the other one, "Mission is achieved through your part in a counter-cultural community." We'll uncover a bit more of that next week, so I'll go through quickly here, but again, if you're thinking of Christianity as a treasure chest of little pop sayings and quotes from the Bible, instead of looking at the big picture of the kingdom of God breaking into the world, then here's what happens, church just becomes a support group. This is just a support group from here into eternity, place to hang out and get a little bit of inspiration, a little bit of common interest. And if it's just about we're already saved, we're waiting to go to heaven where church is just God's waiting room in the doctor's surgery. Part, if it's the kingdom of God coming to renew the world, it means that Jesus didn't come to earth to leave a book or to leave a religion, but rather he began to form a new community, a new community who would have showed the world how life was truly meant to be lived. I mean, look at verse 17 here, sounds a bit weird and we'll get to it, but it says, "Sanctify them by the truth." Your word is truth, sanctify them, what is he going on about there? Okay, sanctify them, it means to make, he's saying, "God, make them different by the truth of your word." Make them stand out. Make them not like the rest. In other words, what Jesus was saying is that the church should be a counter-cultural glimpse of God's future, a new community, if your way, a community created to show the world the wonder of what it could look like, if sex and if money and if power were used God's way and not our way. A community brought together to show the world what happens when good things stay good things and are ultimate things by being subordinated to the ways of God. Look, let's get practical. Water coolers, a bunch of guys talking about their Friday night exploits and you instead say that you choose not to get physically naked unless you've been emotionally naked first in the context of marriage. The cafe gathering, your friends, they ridiculed you, they have a laugh because you give your money to the church when you can spend it on shoes. And in that you say, "The friends you've got to understand, it's because I'm no servant to money. Money's a servant to me and God's kingdom purposes." It's the school playground when you're around recess and it's Monday morning and everyone's asked you what you got up to on the weekend and he said, "I went to church." And they laugh for a little bit but you say, "It's not as weird as you think and you get a real sense of there's something bigger than what we're doing here. Right? Have you ever thought like that? You see, what are you doing when these conversations happen? You know what you're doing? You're being sanctified by the truth. When this word that you're hearing tonight beds into your heart to the extent that your mind and your heart is so changed that you're different. Not obnoxiously different, lots of Christians do a good enough job of that already so we need not do that at Northside. Not obnoxiously different but wonderfully different, curiously different, pleasantly different, otherworldly different and therefore, you know, here's the funny thing, look, side don't. I think a lot of people believe or find Christianity alluring but they find it hard to believe because they haven't seen enough of that difference. They're interested that they'll check it out. They can almost sort of get the other worldliness of it but they've never seen someone sanctified enough. And so for each of us, it actually shows that our own holiness and how we live our lives is actually part of our mission to the world that we're different. And so look, back to the bigger picture, look, church is therefore not a support group. Look, I'm not saying you're not going to get support in the church. It's one of the most supporting places in the church but that's not why we exist. We exist to support each other and to remind each other and to encourage each other to be sanctified by the truth of God. And you know what that means for you? It means you're going to have a much bigger picture this week. You know, if mission is about creating this counter-cultural community, you have a whole new reason why you do church now. You know, you need not go thinking next week at all, it's just because I have to turn up on Sunday or I have to do connect this week or I should go talk to that guest that I can see over there and I haven't spoken on them before, should do that. Now, you know, instead you're saying, how can I create, how can I be part of creating a place in the world that is going to show people how family life and interracial relationships can be gathered together and totally defy what normally happens around from a Monday to Friday, to show the way that money can be used, to show the way that unity can be bred in a community of people of so much differences. You guys can think next week when you come here and you're driving in your cars or maybe you're thinking it's four o'clock on a Sunday afternoon, am I even going to turn up to church on Sunday night, really the real question for you is not oh should I turn up, it should be how am I creating a counter cultural community of the kingdom, a place that's different. Finally, it means you're actually part of the story, mission means that you're part of the story, verse 15 again, I can't get over it. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one, why is Jesus starting to talk like that? It's interesting language isn't it, evil one, oh, I mean isn't he supposed to be talking about good teachings and heal the world, make it a better place, I thought that was Michael Jackson, not Jesus. Why is Jesus starting to get into the big sort of interesting stuff, kingdoms and evil ones and why is he supposed to, I didn't think Christianity was about that, why does he go on and say things like this in John 9, 19, we shackles around his hands and he says chatting to Pilate, Pilate says do you refuse to speak to me, don't you realize I have power to either to free you or to kill you and Jesus answered you would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above, why is he speaking like that, why is he speaking like this in just a couple of chapters earlier in chapter 14 verses 30 where he says to the boys I will not speak with you much longer for the prince of this world is coming and listen to what he says he has no power over me, what's he getting at, he's getting at that scene that's been haunting me since I was four years old, she says give me the child, give me the child through dangers untold and hardship some number I fought my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city to take back the child that you have stolen for my will as strong as yours and my kingdom is great, for my will as strong as yours and my kingdom is great damn I can never remember that line you have no power over me, I don't know if it gets you maybe I've just got an obsession with 80s films but why does it get me, if I need help feel free to pray for me at the end of the service but why does it get me, I don't know, let me ask you does it at least around something within your heart when you see those scenes just something deeper you know why does it do that to us because it's a well written story because the story of the labyrinth is not as far fetched as you really think, a child held captive by the power of a goblin king suddenly is the sole objective of a hidden rescue one person driven by a ferocious love and you're as a labyrinth full of trials and of hardships and of temptation in order to win back the one that they love from the clutches of evil you know you think it's that far fetched no if you didn't know that's the gospel that's the message of Jesus Christ that's what that's what he's done the gospel's a story under every great story under every great movie and at the cross Jesus stared the real goblin king in the face and when he was penned from hand to hand he said give me my child for my will is as strong as yours and my kingdom is great and he stared sin and death and the goblin king satan in the face and he said it is finished you have no power over me the mission of Jesus is this he went through the ultimate labyrinth to take you back as his precious child and that precious child is not some fictitious character of a 1980s movie it's you it's you and so I got one of two questions and I first ones for those people are you under the spell of the goblin king can you see the story for Christianity if can you see the story for what it really is it's not that far fetched you know the echoes of the Lord of the Rings labyrinth whatever you want to call it you know why are they why are they stirring your heart do they stir your heart is it possible that there's a world other than this out there is it possible that someone has been on a single handed mission of ferocious love in order to win you back if it's possible then you're on the beginning of a faith journey and faith in Jesus Christ a journey in which I it's going to take a chance for you to think about your thinking repent that's what it means to think about your thinking if you hear this you look into this book and like Sarah in that movie recognizes that there are lines deeper this in this life there are truths deeper than this life and you've sort of known it in your soul but you could never put your finger upon it and I've got to ask you if you feel that sort of person tonight why are you here how did you get here because mission you're always part of the story and he's been after you all along friend if you're a Christian are you are you forgetting this have you almost forgotten the story like Sarah in the labyrinth do you stand face to face each week with the goblin king trying to remember those lines trying to remember that you were here for a reason and a purpose this week his mission was to rescue you so that your mission would be through him to rescue other people from the spells and the clutches of the goblin king that's what a Christian is we're on mission in the labyrinth so friends the bible is the book that we read it reminds us of why we are here reminds us of the fact that he's not home it's a fantasy world that's ruled by the goblin king until the real king comes back for us but in the meantime all of those who have trusted in Jesus Christ can look that goblin king in the face and say you have no power over me let's pray [BLANK_AUDIO]