Hamilton Elim Church
30 June 2024 - Matariki: Remembrance
If you had an opportunity to get up and see the Matariki cluster in the night sky and the dawned surface and so that the Matariki, the cluster stars, are most commonly known as plates. So if you want to look for Matariki and the rising of Matariki every year, it's traditionally being celebrated as the new year for Maori, traditionally, the new year as it rises in. And this is the time when it rises above the horizon. It rises just before the sun does, so the best time to see it is between 5.30 and 6.30. Anybody get up to see it? Anybody wanted to get up, but you laid there and yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's me, that's me. And if you do get up and you do want to go see it, this is how I've studied how to do it, but I haven't actually done it. So I'm going to tell you it as well. So get up in the morning between 5.30, get up to 5.30, 6.30, get up to 5.30, so you don't miss it. And you look northeast, which is that way, northeast is that way, look northeast and it's just above the horizon. Look for Orion or the pot and many people know the pot, you know, it looks like this big pot in the night sky, the stars, and then you see there's three bright stars in the bottom of the pot where that's Orion's about. So that's a good starting point. Look for Orion's about, there it is, the pot. Then go to the left and you see this bright orange star and that's, that's our, our baron star, part of Taurus cluster. And then you keep going left until you hit this cluster of stars and that's Matariki, playlist, that's Matariki. And so this is, this is the only time of the year where you get to see it. And that traditionally is the, is the Maori new year, that's when they celebrated it. And the Cook Islands is actually around November and it's the other way around. It's on, it's on, it's, as the sun goes down, you see Matariki. Fact, a little fun fact. So if you're, if you're in Raro and you want to head to Altair or New Zealand, you aim directly for Matariki and you'll hit Altair or New Zealand from Raro. That's a little fun fact. So next time you want to go sailing, go to Raro and wait till you know how to get to New Zealand. Here you go, put it that way. So Matariki is mentioned three times in the Bible, Job 9, verse 9, and Job 38 verse 31. And of course Amos 5, 8, we've been, we've been sharing a lot about that. It is the Lord, it is Yahweh who created the stars, the Matariki and Orion, the plaities, right? So it's built around this three major elements, remembering the past, especially those who have passed on, celebrating the present with food and festivities. And we've got all these little festivals going on around Hamilton and acknowledging the future and it propels us for to love this whole thing. And so, and so today we're remembering those who have passed on. Now when I go to a funeral, I can't help but I think what people would say about me when I die. I don't know. Do you guys, does anyone else feel like that? Like we go to a funeral and just think about what will people say about me? Maybe that's just me, maybe I'm just but too weird. I'll see someone else is just as weird as me. So thank you so much for putting your hand up. And I'm thinking to myself, what will they say? Do you know what I want them to say? I want them to say, well, you know, ants, well, he loved God. He loved his family and he loved people. That's what I want them to say. Now, if I was, if I didn't actually live that life stuff, my life didn't actually reflect that, then I'm just kidding myself. In fact, people would probably say, if I lived a life that was opposite to that, people would probably say, well, well, antsy, you know, he only thought about himself, he didn't have much friends, but at least he got everything that he wanted. Well, that's not the kind of legacy that I want to live for my life. In fact, no one has ever said on the deathbed, no one has ever said on the deathbed, well, I wish I could have spent more time in the office. I wish I could have spent more time at work. I wish I could have spent more time accumulating stuff. No one says that because stuff doesn't matter. What really matters other lives around us, people's lives and what God has done in our life. And that's what really matters. And so, that's what love about Matariki, it propels us forward thinking about how am I reflecting, reflecting God's love to those around me and how, and then I also got reminded of those who are gone ahead of me and how they have reflected God in their life. And it calls me to want to live for Jesus just as my grandmother lived for Jesus, how I want to live for God, like how my grandfather near the end of his life was living for God, you know, and that's what I want for my life. And that's what my Matariki does. So today we're going to, we're going to be looking in the book of Hebrews, but imagine this, imagine someone that you love came back and they looked at your life. Would they be proud at the way that you're living your life right now? Will they say high five? Well done. Well done, mate. High five. Or would they be disappointed? And what that causes us is the thinking to reflect upon upon how am I living today and today we're going to look at these passages that encourages us to make a difference in the world around us, to leave a lasting legacy behind. So let's open up our Bible. So Hebrews chapter 12, verse one to three. This chapter is verse is well known. And this is your first time reading this. You'll be blessed by this passage. Here we go. It says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders in the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance, the race marked out for us." Now this passage describes God's walk like a long distance race that I walk with. God is like a long distance race. It's not a sprint. And how many of us know people who started out for God, but it was like a sprint for them and they ran out of gas and now we have no idea where they're gone. They've just given up. It's a long distance race. And many years ago, a few years back, me and a few others from church, we competed in the Tough Mudder. Tough Mudder competition. That's M-U-D-D-E-R. The Tough Mudder competition, which is an eight kilometer mud and obstacle course. And in this course, you're not only battling mud, you're battling the cold, you're battling freezing waters, walking through rivers, climbing and strengthening agility and lifting your body weight over obstacles. It is grueling, grueling 18 kilometers worth. And just before you get to the finish line, the last challenge is to walk through these hanging wires of electricity and so they tell us, you know, if you all walk together, it will distribute the load amongst everyone. So I told our crew, okay, this is what we're going to do. We're going to walk right through this to distribute the load. And so I went first, I went first and bang, I felt like someone hit my arm about two by four. And then I was going, and I also looked around, everyone had dropped to the ground, we're crawling underneath the wires. And I was thinking, oh man, I'm not walking here by myself. So I did the same thing, crawled my way. As I got to the end, we got this on video. So if you want to have a look at this fact, price, price took this video, got on your price, good, good memory. And as I'm crawling through this live-wise, what gets blown by the wind, and as I'm coming through and I look up, oh, there's no, there's no wire and it comes back, hits my head and all you hear is this crack. You can hear the crack of electricity striking me and I pass out for five seconds. So I like, and my, and then when I come to, I'm staring and my eyes are wide open, staring to a puddle of mud. Then I put my head up, my whole face is in it, and I'll cool my way out of there. And we're, and by the time we get up, there's all laws we've covered in mud, hits a toe, like I'm trying to, trying to see my way through. And as, as we're making our way through, I'm thinking about my life choices at this moment. I'm thinking, I'm thinking, I don't think this is so wise. Maybe I should just go for a jog. And and as we come around the corner, you can hear this chair. And every, there's a whole bunch of people cheering you on. And there's a guy on the microphone just going, come on guys, you've got this. And then all of a sudden, we're full of energy, our heads up and we're like celebrating. And we cross and I can see my family on the other side and we cross through the finishing line. And we felt like we were celebrities, even though it was only a couple of seconds, but it was just, it made it like the obstacles, the mud, the cold, the electricity, it was all the worthwhile, because we finished the race. And this is what the writer of, of Hebrews wants us to get in our mind, is that, is that the race that we're on, there's some good moments and there's going to be some tough moments on this race. But there's a cloud of witnesses who are cheering you on. And the writer is suggesting that the cloud of witnesses are those people from the, the previous chapter, the chapter 11, the heroes of faith, people from, from able to Abraham, all the way to the present, they're there at the finish line, cheering you on and saying, you've got this. You can do this. You can finish the race and you can do it in fine style. And that's what this passage is talking about. But, but how do we run this race with efficiency and success? And this is, this is what the writer says. It says, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And in Hebrew, it talks about like these obstacles that are in our way, like throw away these obstacles that are there, that are in our life, that are slowing you down on your journey. What are the obstacles in your life that is stopping you from finishing the race? Or what are the obstacles that are leading you down the wrong path? What are those things in your life? And here's the thing, I don't need to tell you what they are. I don't need to tell you what they, you know why? Because you already know. You already know those things that are slowing you down. You already know those things that are leading you down the wrong path. See, spending time with someone you're attracted to but who isn't your spouse can lead you down a dangerous path. Hanging out with people who use substances that you want to break free from will also lead you down a dangerous path pursuing pathways that encourages selfishness disregard for others or material gain can also lead you down a slippery slope. See, while these actions aren't sinning themselves, the writer of Hebrews that he wants us because well, you know, technically I'm not sinning. Yeah, I'm just, I haven't actually crossed that line. But what the writer of Hebrews wants you to know is what pathway have you set yourself on? You might be on a pathway you may be in technically not sinning but where's it leading you? Because this pathway, if you continue down that path, it will lead you to sin that will entangle you so much so that you can't break free. So the writer says recognize, recognize those obstacles, recognize those things. And don't fool yourself thinking, "Oh, it's okay. I've got this. I can't handle that. I know it's only one drink. It's only one, whatever it is. I know my boundaries." The writer says, "Don't fool yourself. If you're on a pathway, get off their pathway. Get off their pathway." And that's why he says, "Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles." And sometimes it feels impossible to stay the course like, "How am I going to complete this race that's so hard?" And so the writer says this to encourage us. He says, "And let us run with perseverance, the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer, and the perfecter of our faith, the author, the pioneer." Who's at the finish line? When we read this passage, you've got the cloud or witness at the finish line, but right at the center is Jesus at the finish line. And the writer says, "Fix your eyes on that finish line." More so, fix your eyes on Jesus who's at the finish line. Because this is what happens when problems come our way. When hardship comes our way, when we're in a lot of pain, all we focus on is that pain. All we focus on is that hardship. All we focus is where we're in right now. And one of the best ways to move forward is lift up your focus, change your focus. Yes, you're in this right now. Yes, you can't change it. Whatever it is, you can't change the situation right now. But the best way is to shift your focus. And the writer says, "Shift your focus and focus on Jesus." And as you fix your eyes on Jesus, you've got to walk through your pain. You've got to walk through your hardship, but now you're focused on Jesus. Not focus on the things that are pulling in that you down. Because we tend to head towards what we fix that, what we focus on. And if we keep focusing on the things that pull us down, guess what direction we're heading. We're to keep moving forward. Fix our eyes on Jesus. If you find, that's why I love saying, if you find yourself in the middle of a storm, fix your eyes on Jesus, because he knows the way you are. Jesus then self-come to make Christians. What did Jesus say? He simply says, "Come and follow me." Follow me. He's finished the race. Follow me. And Christian means little Christ. So how do we become a Christian by being followers, by being followers of Jesus? For the joys set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners so that you will not go weary and lose heart. And this is what writer is saying, when you're growing weary, when you're losing heart, consider what Jesus did. That Jesus finished this race. That Jesus went to the cross. That he died, he suffered for any rose again. That Jesus pioneered the way he opened up the course and he brought it to a successful completion. And this is what the writer Hebrew is saying, is to consider what Jesus has done. What he endured, when you grow weary, because it's our task is to follow in his footsteps, is to follow Jesus. It's a good idea to follow Jesus because he knows the way out. He completed the race. It wasn't easy, but he finished the line. See, Jesus knows your pain. Jesus knows your tears. He knows your struggles because he blazed away for us to follow, to follow. So what does it mean for us? It means that you're not alone. It means that Jesus has blazed away for us. It means that we're surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses who are cheering you on to finish the race. It means your loved ones who are with Jesus right now. They are now part of the great cloud of witnesses cheering you on. Saying you've got this. You can do this. If your loved ones could whisper something in your ear, I believe they would say love God more. Love people more. Things are going to get hard. Things are going to get tough, but you can do it. You've got this. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your story. Maybe you're here and you're like the first one in your family to receive Christ. Finish the race for your kids. Finish the race for your children's children. Finish the race for those who are watching you at your workplace. Finish the race for those who are watching you in your place of education. Finish the race. See, it's not enough just to make a good start. It's not enough just to run part of the way, but we must finish what we start. I want to end with the story. It's one of my favorite stories. I love telling this story. And the story is a true story from 1968. And the world had the intention on Mexico City. There was Olympic Games. And the day of the marathon, hundreds of runners from around the world were at the starting line. And as the gunfire, they were off. And the course went through the city of Mexico City, and it ended in the Olympic Stadium. So you can imagine that as the race was coming to an end, as the runners came in, there was a great cloud of witnesses clapping, cheering. And as the runners finished the race, they moved on to the celebration. There was the bronze medal. Then the civil was awarded, then finally the gold. And everybody was cheering and applauding. And then the spectators moved on to other events in the stadium. Now, sometime later, there was this mumo in the crowd. And the reason why there was a mumo in the crowd is because there was still one more runner in the race. It was this young man from Tanzania. He had fallen earlier on in the race, and he was badly injured. But he got up and he continued. And you know that he was badly injured because as he entered in the stadium, his knees were all bloodied. And even the way that he run was so awkward, every step was painful. And as he continued to stagger his way around, every inch, every step was pain and agony. And he crossed the finish line, he falls to the ground, and afterwards, a TV reporter asked him this question. He said to him, "You were hurt earlier on on the race. You knew you weren't going to win. Why did you get back up? Why did you keep on going? Why didn't you just quit?" The Tanzania runner said, "My country didn't send me head to start a race, but to finish a race." And I love that story because there are times we want to give up. There are times we want to, I know, I've been there. There are times where you, it's just so hard to get back up. Every step is painful. But when you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfect of the story, he blazed away. And there's a... The Bible tells us there's a cloud of witnesses telling you've got this. You've got this. Pick yourself up. Keep moving forward. It's not enough to run well for part of the way. We must finish what we start. We must see it through and finish the race just as those who are going ahead of us. Just as those we're going to remember and celebrate in a moment. But I want to pray for people in this room. I don't know where you are on this journey with God. I don't know how your race has been. Maybe you're in a place where you want to give up. Maybe you're in a place where you just want to quit because it's just too hard. I want you to reconsider. Not because of what I'm saying. I want you to reconsider because of all those who have gone ahead of you and have finished a race. I want you to reconsider and remember their life. And if we think honestly about their life it wasn't easy. But what was it that made them finish the race? And more so, I want you to focus on Jesus. Jesus who loves you so much. The God loved you so much that he stepped into his creation and in the fullness of Jesus he died on the cross for your sin to set you free. And if you're here this morning and maybe you don't even know Jesus, I want you to consider to follow him. He says come and follow me. It doesn't mean your path is going to be easy. There are going to be obstacles along the way. But Jesus says keep your eyes fixed on me. The author imperfect of your story because you're not alone. So you need to make a decision to follow Jesus or not. It's your choice. And if you're going to make that decision to follow I encourage you to make that decision. But I do encourage to let us know by filling in the one card, taking the boxes on committing my life to Jesus. The reason we want you to do that is because we want to give you a Bible. And I love saying this, don't take my word. Read the evidence for yourself. Examine the evidence for yourself. Read the story of Jesus. He loves you. He's for you. And you can finish the race.