Image Restored

Well, good morning again. It's lovely to be here. Sorry for my complete lack of grace

in failing to congratulate anyone from South Africa. I'm going to be speaking to a very

dear friend who's South African tomorrow, so I'm kind of, I'm stealing myself for his

gloating. So anyway, we're going to be talking a little today then about this idea of the

restoration of humanity. And that might be, it might even seem like a strange idea that

when we're talking about the Christian faith then, we're not talking about something that

causes us to escape from reality or escape from creation, but rather it's about the restoration

of it. C.S. Lewis, the author, once said something that I find deeply moving. He said that if we met

now a human person untainted by sin, an unfallen human person, they would be so glorious that we

would be tempted to fall down and worship them. But of course, we're not unfallen. There are so

many things that are broken and that are twisted. We are what another author referred to as glorious

ruins. And as a way of thinking about who we are as human persons, it's very helpful.

We're glorious ruins. There's still so much that is beautiful that we can see in every person.

The idea of every person being created in God's image confers dignity and respect. It means that

there are no little or insignificant people. Everybody has value, and that's a beautiful thing.

But also that everybody is infected by this same problem that we described yesterday, this idea of being

curved in upon ourselves, where we're created to love God and to love others. Instead, we curve in

and use our relationships to get what we can. I'm going to say more about that in just a minute or two.

We looked at a bit of a framework for thinking about the Bible's bigger picture, creation. And we looked

forward, though, to new creation as well. And the importance of that is that when you look at the

creation account, do we just feel nostalgic because it's not like that now? But the Bible tells us how

things conclude, how things come to their fantastic conclusion, where things are restored, where God

restores things to be the way they're supposed to be. So it's not just a nostalgia for what's lost,

but it's a longing for how things will be also. Things in the meantime, though, are not the way they're

supposed to be. We don't need to look very hard to see that. And what God's in the business of doing

in the meantime, then, is to restore and renew and to redeem, instead of being curved in on ourselves to

turn us outward from ourselves. We talked a lot yesterday about the rejection of creatureliness

in the account of the temptation in the Garden of Eden. The temptation is, you will take this fruit,

then you will be like God. A rejection of creatureliness and the right ordering of our relationships.

But also in that original temptation, there's the doubt about God's goodness.

Is God good enough that I can trust him that what he says is actually good for me?

And of course, that's exactly the temptation for all of us every moment of every day.

Did God really say, is he really trustworthy? Is he good? Does he want my best? Or is he somebody

who just wants to constrain and restrict, to cramp us, to make us somehow less than fully human instead

of fully human? And that's the reason for choosing that title today, the restoration of humanity.

Because one of the big lies out there, and many of us are tempted to believe it, I'm sure,

is that God's law, God's commands, God's ways for us are in fact those which constrain, constrict,

reduce us, diminish our humanity. Whereas in actual fact, the message of the Bible is good news

that what God says is good for us, is best for us. So that's what we're going to be thinking about,

is how then does this get reversed, this assertion of autonomy? The idea of autonomy is that I am in

charge, and that life and the purpose of life, the meaning of life is that I should try to arrange

all my circumstances and my relationships and my possessions and use my gifts and opportunities,

and all of that stuff there exists in order to make me happy and to make me contented and to make me

secure and to fulfill my life. It puts me at the center. And of course, when it's ramped up in our

current culture, it goes beyond just, if you like, the idea that I can use what's around me to make me

better, to make me happier, it goes beyond that even to, and I actually get to decide what's right

and wrong in the world on the basis of how I feel. I get to decide what's true and false on the basis of

how I feel internally. And of course, our culture right now has perhaps promoted and normalized this

more than any culture in human history. This idea of autonomy, it's almost reflexive. We think of

ourselves, a good friend of mine has worked a great deal in Eastern Europe and in the East, and he

asks people always a question, how do you think about yourself? And he notes, he observes that in the West,

for most folks like us here, our instinctive response is to answer, I, whereas there are cultures in the

world where people's responses, we, which is fascinating, very, very different. So a culture

that normalizes autonomy, I'm in charge. Into that culture, directly confronting it comes the words

that were read, Jesus' words. And Jesus' call to discipleship. Those words were, if anyone would come

after me, let them deny themselves, take up the cross daily and follow me. That call to deny self,

take up cross and follow, it confronts, it clashes head on with this idea of autonomy. And what I'm

wanting to say and what I want to argue and commend to you is this, that that call to deny self,

take up cross and follow, far from being a diminishment, a restriction or constraint,

is a merciful call from the one who made us and knows us better than we know ourselves,

who loves us more than we love ourselves, cares for us more than we care for ourselves,

wants what's best and can do what's best for us. It's that one who says, deny self,

take up cross and follow. And that's a liberation from the corrosive, the poisonous effects of autonomy.

That's what Jesus' call is. And that's what I want us to focus in on. And we'll just go through

bit by bit. There's the text up there. One of the things that I want to just point out,

and it's just a little thing for how we read the Bible for when you're reading it yourself.

This little passage that we read, of course, is in a context. And its context is it's sandwiched between

the beginning of Luke chapter 9, Jesus sends out 12. Beginning of chapter 10 of Luke, Jesus sends out 72.

Luke 9 · chapter mention

And he sends them out to do Jesus' stuff. To do the stuff that Jesus has been doing in the world.

To go and to preach good news of kingdom. To heal people. To drive out demons. To do Jesus' stuff.

He sends them out, and then he sends even more out at the beginning of chapter 10.

And the idea of what does it take for people to be prepared to be the kind of people who can go and

do Jesus' stuff in the world is right in the middle of the chapter. Deny self, take a cross,

and follow, says Jesus. And then you're going and you're doing Jesus' stuff in the world. A world that

desperately needs that. To put it more technically, discipleship and mission are so intimately related

and inseparable. Those who follow Jesus are those who do Jesus' stuff in the world, if you like.

Let's think about this business of denying self. Because we probably hear that as quite a negative

thing. We may associate that with the sort of false asceticism, perhaps. Like, you know, give up

chocolate for Lent or whatever. These rather trivial things. But much more fundamentally, this question of

deny self is a question that addresses who is in charge. One of the ways that I find helpful to think

about this is to imagine a throne or a seat of authority in our lives. And who's sitting on it,

giving the instructions and the directions? Is it me that's sitting on that seat of authority?

Or is it God who's sitting on that seat of authority? And this battle that enrages for many of us as we're

constantly tempted, as we doubt whether God really is good enough to trust to sort of push aside and to

get back onto that seat. So that's really the question that's being asked is, who is in charge?

Who's the one who calls the shots? Is it myself? Am I in charge and basically trying to use God to get

what I want and use all my other relationships to get what I want? There's a direction that follows

from this. If I put myself in charge, then I have to get very busy making life work for me.

And that's going to involve making my relationships work to provide me with what I think I need.

It's going to involve defending myself against things that might threaten me. It's going to involve

using everything at my disposal to try to make me secure and happy and content. And Jesus says, no, that's

not actually the way. And we'll come to this in a minute or two. Not only is that not the way, that guarantees

that you won't get the things that you're looking for. It's actually counterproductive.

This question of who's in charge could also be framed in terms of ownership. Who owns us? Who's the one

who actually has claim of ownership over us? That's why we started with the idea of creation yesterday.

Because actually there is one who said, I made it all and it's mine. And therefore you are accountable to me.

This idea of ownership then is about rightly ordered relationships rather than disordered relationships.

Paul talks about this, the Apostle Paul talks about this in other different ways.

I was reflecting on this and it was nice that it was mentioned in the kids session

earlier in the service,

where part of Ephesians 2, 1 to 10 was quoted, verse 8, about it's by grace you've been saved and through faith.

But that passage is fascinating

because Paul describes

people like you and me

as being dead in our sins

and our transgressions.

And the idea

and the picture is of helplessness,

of hopelessness.

He describes us as being, by nature,

children of wrath.

And he then says,

but God,

but God has done something amazing about this.

That God has reached in,

has come to us

in our helplessness

and in our hopelessness.

And Paul goes on to say,

he's then made us alive

together with Christ.

He's raised us from the grave

together with Christ

and seated us together

with Christ

in the heavenlies.

By grace,

you're saved,

he says.

And it's not just that he's

made us alive

and raised and seated us.

He's done this,

Paul goes on to say,

so that we might walk

in the good works

that God's prepared

for us to do in advance.

It's another way of saying

the same thing.

Deny self is

is a transfer of ownership.

And here in Ephesians,

Paul is talking about

a transfer of ownership

and actually a transfer

from death to life

and life that is united

to Jesus Christ.

And that's the good news

that he unites us

by grace

out of pure kindness

and gift

to Christ

to give us the gift

of new life

and transformed relationships

as a result.

The basis for transformation,

and this is so key

when we're reading

the Gospels,

when we're reading

any part of the Bible,

is not go and sort yourself out

and try a bit harder.

That's not good news

to go and sort yourself out,

try a bit harder,

tidy up your act,

and try and look

like you're a bit better

than you actually are.

The good news is

that this is gift

and it's a gift

of new life

to be united

with Jesus,

to deny self,

the ownership

to be transferred,

the Christ being

on the throne

of the life

of our lives

instead of ourselves

sitting on it.

All these different ways

of saying the same thing.

That's the basis then

for receiving this gift

of new life

that's transformative.

It leads to a whole set

of new heart attitudes.

But maybe you're sitting

and you're thinking,

well, what about my rights?

What about me?

If I deny self,

if someone else owns me,

then what about my rights?

And that's what Jesus

goes on to say.

It's not just deny self.

He says,

deny self,

take up cross,

take up your cross daily

and follow.

What does that mean?

This idea of taking up

the cross and following

is a pattern

that's repeated

all over the New Testament.

The idea of this

taking up the cross

is to reflect

on the pattern

of what Jesus does

in going to the cross.

And when Jesus

goes to the cross,

it's actually

demonstrating

God's love to us.

It's a love then

that is willing

to give

to others.

It's a love

that doesn't

defend itself

but in fact

gives all that it has

for the blessing

and the benefit

of others.

Even if that

seems to involve

suffering

or pain

or loss.

So to take up

the cross

and follow

is to recognize

that there's a cross-shaped

pattern

for life

that Jesus

calls people

to walk in.

A pattern

of life

that involves

understanding

that all we are

and all we have

is actually not

given to us

for ourselves

but actually

for the blessing

and benefit

of others.

We're designed

if you like

not so much

to be receptacles

of what God gives

but channels of it

to others.

And that's this picture

of cross-shaped living.

We've already mentioned

Ephesians

so we might as well

mention a bit more

of Ephesians

but the beginning

of chapter 5

in Ephesians

is just one of the

many places

in the New Testament

that gives us

exactly this pattern.

Paul there says

therefore

be imitators

of God.

It's a startling statement.

How do we imitate God?

We can't create worlds

and sustain them

but Paul goes on

to define exactly

what imitation of God

actually means.

He says

as beloved children

walk in love

as Christ loved us

and gave himself

for us.

Let's think about

that pattern

a bit further.

Deny self

take up cross

and here's this pattern.

Paul says

be imitators

and first thing

he says

is be imitators

as beloved children.

You don't

be imitators

in order

to become

loved children.

That's crucial.

That's the point

I was making

just a second

or two ago.

It's as beloved children

who've already

received love

from God

and received it

not because

we are special people

who've particularly

managed to clean up

our act

try harder

or look nice

or be nice

but received

gift

from God.

This idea

of gift

is so fundamental

to the way

that the Bible

speaks about

God's relationship

with us

and part of

the twisting

out of shape

that we see

so much

is that we

reject gift

and we want

to do it

ourselves

in all kinds

of different ways.

As beloved

children though

those who receive

God's love

with open hands

this gift

and that idea

of open hands

I think

is a really

helpful way

of thinking

about what

faith is.

Earlier

in Ephesians

in the passage

that was referred

to

salvation

is described

as being by grace

and through faith.

Again

we hear the word

faith

and we think

about it

as an intellectual

thing

agreeing with

certain things

that are true.

Much

much better

is to think

about it

as the open

hands that receive

and of course

if hands are

to be open

to receive

gift from God

they've got to

let go of all

the other stuff

that they're

holding on to

in the meantime.

All the things

that I want

to hold on to

to make life work

and as long

as that's the case

I can't receive

this gift

and I have to

let them go.

It's a similar

picture to getting

off that seat

off that throne

denying self

and having

Christ alone

as the one

who's in charge

and calling

the shots.

So as beloved

children then

those who've

received gift

how are we

then to live?

And Paul says

our imitation

of God

is to imitate

the pattern

of Christ's

love

which is

a loving

sacrifice.

He gave himself

a fragrant

offering

and a sacrifice

to God

so that our

imitation

as loved

children

is to love

as Christ loved

to understand

that all we

are and have

is given

to love

and bless

others.

To recognize

that there is

nothing that we

have

that is just

for ourselves.

To recognize

that our very

purpose in life

is to love

and to bless

others

and that this

pattern of being

a child of God

receiving from

God

is then to

pour out from

what we receive

to others.

That's the picture

that I guess

I'm trying

to wrestle

with.

This idea

then of

receiving from

God so that

we are filled

from what

he gives us

as gift

freely

and abundantly

and lavishly

so that

we are then

pouring the

same out

towards others.

The people

we live with

our workmates

our schoolmates

university friends

our family

whoever it is

we are receiving

from God

himself

in order

to pour

out love

towards others.

It's a beautiful

picture

of what

we are designed

to do.

The contrast

though

and it's important

to point it out

the contrast

is that

instead of

receiving

and being

loved

children

instead of

that it's

this idea

of saying

I am empty

and lacking

and deficient

and I need

to get

what I can.

It's the contrast

in other words

between

receiving

and giving

and grasping

and getting.

We could say

that the essence

of sin

because if sin

is the opposite

of loving people

then what sin

is

is using

people.

It's getting

what we can

from other people

it's manipulating

them

it's trying

to use

that relationship

to get something

that makes me

feel better

about me.

It's exactly

the opposite

of receive

and give.

it's grasping

and keeping

and think

about the number

of relationships

maybe you're

smarting from

the pain of that

of being treated

that way.

Maybe you can

think of ways

that you

do that yourself

but that's

the fundamental

contrast

deny self

take up

cross

is to receive

as a loved

child

and give

rather than

grasping

to get

what I can

or desperately

defending myself

against perceived

threat.

And right at the

heart of that

then

if that's

to change

from grasping

and getting

to receiving

and giving

is being a

beloved

child of God

someone who's

denied self

takes up

cross

and follows.

This then

creates

and sets

out for us

a pattern

for restored

image.

This is what

the restored

image looks

like

because

Christ is the

one who

supremely

images God

who shows us

what God

is like

and to

be restored

in that image

is to become

more like

Jesus

to do

Jesus

stuff

if you like

in Jesus

ways

and that

is to

love

as

Jesus

loved.

It's about

a revolution

in relationships.

I've totally

lost track

of time.

What time

do you want

me just to

stop right

now?

Keep going.

Stop.

Stop.

Stop.

Soon.

Alright.

Okay.

I totally

have a very

distant relationship

to the concept

of time

and I'm

encouraged

by the fact

that punctuality

is not really

a biblical

concept

that I can

find.

My wife

doesn't buy

this one

at all.

Right.

Okay.

Now,

some of you

are going

to be

thinking,

okay,

that sounds

great in

theory,

receiving,

giving,

not protecting

myself,

not using

others to

get what I

need,

but what

about me?

What's

going to

happen to

me?

Am I

just going

to be

trampled

all over?

Am I

going to

be a

doormat

in every

relationship

that I'm

in?

Is this

a charter

for abusers?

And the

answer to

that is

absolutely

and categorically

no,

that is

not a

charter

for abusers.

Not least

because each

of us is

responsible to

deny self,

take up

cross,

to love

people in

this kind

of way.

And of

course,

one of

those ways

of loving

people is

at times

going to

mean saying

no to

those who

would abuse

and misuse.

But more

fundamentally,

what's going

to happen

if I'm

just giving

myself?

Do I

just empty

out and

burn out?

And the

key really

is not

just in

this idea

of receiving,

obviously,

as beloved

children,

but the

key is in

these words

that Jesus

gives us,

this paradox

at the

heart of

reality.

Jesus

says,

deny self,

take up

cross and

follow,

for whoever

would save

his life

will lose

it.

And whoever

loses his

life for

my sake

will save

it.

And he

goes on,

whoever is

ashamed of

my words,

of him will

the Son of

Man be

ashamed when

he comes.

This is

this amazing

paradox at

the heart

of reality.

This paradox

that if you

try to look

after number

one, look

after self,

then what

Jesus says

is you

actually lose

your life.

This is the

word soul

or tsuke

there.

You lose

your very

self.

If you

try and

protect

yourself by

living

differently,

by avoiding

this pattern,

then actually

it is

inherently

counterproductive

and self-destructive.

It will

never

work.

And think

about, I mean

that's so

obviously true,

isn't it?

Think about

the people

you know

who are

self-centered,

who arrange

life entirely

around their

own pleasures

or their

own fulfillment.

I have,

I can think

of numbers

of people

who swim

across my

eyes

as I think

about that.

Family members,

for example.

And they're the

most miserable

people.

They're proof

of what Jesus

says.

That when

you put

yourself

first in

this kind

of way,

it's

counterproductive.

It doesn't

work anyway.

And Jesus

says, and

whoever loses

his life,

that is,

denies self

and takes

up cross,

lives this

pattern.

That's how

you save.

That's how

you gain.

That's actually

the good

life.

That's fullness

of life.

So that

inherent to

this call

of Jesus

is also

this promise

grounded in

the very

nature of

reality itself

that as

human persons,

this is the

way to

life as

we long

for it

to be.

And it

starts with

getting off

that throne

at the

center.

You are

not God.

You're a

creature.

And you need

to be

reconciled to

that God.

And that

means he

needs to

be the

one in

charge.

And he

needs to

be the

one whose

gift of

new life

we have

received

with open

hands having

let go of

all the rest

of it.

And unless

and until

we do

that,

we are

simply

destroying

ourselves

as we

go about

trying to

make life

work.

What does

a society

look like

that puts

self at the

center in

this kind

of way?

Just look

outside.

Just look

around us.

It's not

turning out

well.

It really

isn't.

There's a

warning in

here as

well though

just to

close with.

Whoever is

ashamed of

me and

my words.

Now remember

that's the

context is

deny

self,

take up

cross and

follow.

And Jesus

it seems

to me is

saying this.

If you

try to

avoid

this,

if you

are too

ashamed of

humbling

yourself enough

to just

give yourself

to others

the way

that I

am

demonstrating

to you,

if you

try and

do it

any other

way,

says Jesus,

I'll be

ashamed of

you.

You're

turning your

back on

me,

says Jesus.

It's a

very,

very sobering

warning.

We might

put it this

way and it

was on a

slide earlier

on.

We can't

do Jesus

work in

non-Jesus

ways.

We can't

go about

following

Jesus.

In ways

that aren't

prescribed and

demonstrated by

Jesus.

That seems

dead obvious,

doesn't it?

But one of

the things we

see over and

over again,

and it's what

gives the

church a

really bad

name.

It's given

the church a

really bad

name,

is that

instead of

following this

example of

Jesus,

deny self,

take up,

cross,

and follow,

we thought we

can surely

do it better

than that.

There's a

parallel passage

in Mark

Mark 8 · chapter mention

chapter 8 that

recounts exactly

the same

words.

The difference

in Mark

8 is that

Jesus has

just revealed

his identity,

who he

really is,

and the

apostle Peter

then confesses

Jesus'

identity.

And Jesus

says,

this means

my identity,

my power,

everything about

that,

that means I'm

going to go

and be rejected,

suffer,

and die in

Jerusalem.

and Peter

says,

there's got to

be an easier

way of doing

things.

I've just

seen you have

the power to

calm a storm

and to heal

the sick and

to cleanse

lepers and to

do all these

amazing things.

How does that

fit with

suffering and

death?

No,

no,

no.

Use your

power differently.

Use it to

get what you

want and to

do what you

want.

And Jesus

responds to

that,

that temptation

to say,

there's got to

be an easier

way than

deny self,

take up

cross and

follow.

There's got to

be a more

efficient way

of getting

the work

done.

Jesus'

response to

Peter is,

get behind

me,

Satan.

And that's

still Jesus'

response when

you and I

come to him

and say,

there's got to

be an easier

way,

a more

efficient way.

We can do

this work

much better

than the way

of the cross.

There's much

easier ways of

doing it,

there's much

more pleasant,

less painful

ways of doing

it,

and Jesus

says,

get behind

me.

Because this

is the way.

If you try

to save your

life by avoiding

this cross-shaped

living,

you will lose

it,

you will destroy

everything,

and you'll

destroy those

around you as

well.

Deny self,

take up

cross and

follow,

and there

is life,

there is

beauty.

C.S. Lewis

puts it like

this,

and I think

it's a really

helpful way

of putting it.

When God

talks of

their losing

themselves,

he means

only abandoning

the clamor

of self-will.

Once they've

done that,

he really

gives them

back all

their personality

and boasts

that when

they are

wholly his,

they will

be more

themselves

than ever.

self-fulfillment

come through

self-denial

or through

self-indulgence.

It comes

through self-giving

with Christ

on the throne

of our lives.

I had some

questions.

I'm just going

to leave them

up there.

You can look

at them if you

want.

But one of

the things

I'd love you

to do is a

little imaginative

exercise as I

just go and

sit down.

Imagine,

just think

about your

own life,

your own

relationships,

perhaps your

family,

your workplace.

Think maybe

more broadly,

your community,

your neighbourhood,

this country.

What would

it look like

with Jesus'

will,

with Jesus'

pattern of

living?

What would

it look like

for Jesus

to have

his way

in your

family?

For fathers

to take

seriously what

it means to

deny self,

take up

cross and

follow,

and to

seek to

serve

their

children

and their

wives

instead of

dominate and

use them?

What would

that look

like?

Wouldn't

that be

great?

What would

it look

like in

the workplace

for people

to understand

that what

they've been

given is

for the

blessing and

benefit of

others and

not a

means of

exploiting and

dominating

others?

What might

society more

widely look

like?

And how

would that

happen unless

people like

you and

me say,

yes,

Lord,

I receive

this gift

of being a

beloved child

and let me

just show

that same

love to

others in

every

interaction.

God

will

love to

God

let's

pray together

as we

pray that

the Lord

would have

mercy on

us,

enable us

to be

channels of

this blessing

to those

around us.

Our

Father,

thank you.

Thank you.

None of

this depends

upon us

being clever

people who

sort

ourselves out

and try

ever harder

to fix

things for

ourselves.

Thank you,

Lord,

for that

liberating

call to

abandon

the throne,

to joyfully

welcome

Jesus as

our Lord,

as the

one who's

in charge.

Lord,

please would

for each

one of us

sitting here

today,

would we

have either

for the

first time

or a

renewed

sense that

we are

loved

children of

the living

God,

and Lord,

might we

then pour

out that

love in

all of our

relationships

with those

around about

us.

Let it be

so,

Lord.

Have mercy

on us,

we pray,

in Jesus'

name.

Amen.