Sermon
Fair Trade Sunday 2015
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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every tribe or every group of people has its defining markers.
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I thought for safety's sake, I might start with us.
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So North Shore people, you know, has defining markers like boat shoes,
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Range Rovers, polo shirts,
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that thing that we never admit about how we think we're better
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than anyone who lives anywhere else in Sydney.
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Then, of course, there's the Westies who love stubbies, thongs, tattoos.
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Shoes, country people, who, from what I can gather from Steve,
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is basically boots, utes and guns,
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and perhaps a little bit of good hospitality.
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Now, I know there are stereotypes, there are general, there are exceptions,
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but stereotypes exist for a reason.
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There's always something there.
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But what I wanted to ask is, what is it that marks this tribe?
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What is it that marks Christians as distinct?
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Or, if you like to ask it another way,
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how do you tell if someone is actually a Christian?
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Or whether or not they're just kind of doing lip service
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to being a Christian and following Jesus?
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What's the most important evidence of faith in Jesus?
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Is it attire?
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Socks and sandals?
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I had a friend in Bible college
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who purchased a Bible that was of the perfect size
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to fit in a satchel that he also owned,
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so that he would always be wearing his Bible
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in his Bible satchel.
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Is that the definitive marker of someone who is genuine
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when it comes to following Jesus?
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Is it maybe a personality trait,
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something that we don't want to admit,
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like being judgmental,
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being the moral police?
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Well, there's probably lots of things that matter
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when it comes to being genuine in the way we follow Jesus.
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But tonight I want to look at one that,
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as you go through Scripture,
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is quite conspicuous and unavoidable.
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And so I want to throw a whole bunch of verses
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at you really quickly.
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They're going to be on the screen
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so that you can read them with me.
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And then we'll come back and look at it in the end.
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So first up is Micah 6, verse 6 to 8.
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It says,
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He has shown you,
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O mortal, what is good.
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And what does the Lord require of you?
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To act justly,
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and to love mercy,
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and to walk humbly with your God.
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Again, Luke 3, verse 11.
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Anyone who has two shirts
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should share with the one who has none.
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Anyone who has food should do the same.
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Psalm 41.
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Blessed are those who have regard for the weak.
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The Lord delivers them in times of trouble.
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Proverbs 14.
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Whoever oppresses the poor
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shows contempt for their maker,
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but whoever is kind to the needy
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honors God.
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Isaiah 58.
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If you spend yourselves
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on behalf of the hungry
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and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
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then your light will rise in the darkness
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and your night will become
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like the noonday.
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And then James 1.27.
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Religion that God our Father accepts
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as pure and faultless is this.
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That's a significant introduction sentence.
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You know you need to pay attention
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to what comes after that.
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Religion that God our Father accepts
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as pure and faultless is this.
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To look after orphans and widows
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in their distress
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and to keep oneself
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from being polluted by the world.
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One of the distinct markers
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of those who follow Jesus
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is a social conscience.
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And more than just a social conscience
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and an investment,
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a concern for those who are in need,
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essential to genuine faith
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is a heart that cares about
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the less fortunate,
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that cares about the widow,
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the orphan,
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the oppressed.
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And look,
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on one level that just seems
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really obvious.
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It just makes sense.
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It just kind of fits with
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who Jesus is
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and what he was like.
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The general vibe of Jesus
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was to go and hang out
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with the downtrodden,
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to be nice to those
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that everybody else
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left to the side.
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But you might be wondering,
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given that we had
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a fair trade expo today,
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is this sermon
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just a bit of a
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fair trade beat-up?
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Am I just trying to
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pump the tyres
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of a particular cause
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that we're focusing on
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this week
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to try and, you know,
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get you revved up
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in that direction?
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Well, maybe a better question
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to ask would be,
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why does this matter?
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Why is this so significant
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when it comes to testing
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the genuineness
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of someone's faith,
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someone's claim
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to follow Jesus?
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I want to give you
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three reasons.
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I think there's probably more,
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but I want to give you
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three tonight
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that might be a good question,
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a good test for you
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in terms of whether or not
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this is distinctive
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in your life.
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Three reasons this matters.
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Firstly,
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because all people
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matter to God.
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Not just some,
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not just good,
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not just Christians,
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all people matter to God.
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If we go back
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to the very beginning
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of Scripture,
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the first thing
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that God does
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when He creates people
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is He creates them
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valuable.
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He puts an intrinsic
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dignity into people.
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When He creates humans,
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He puts His image
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on them.
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He by default
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creates them
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as something
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that is representative
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of Him.
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And so we need
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to look at all humans,
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local,
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foreign,
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friendly,
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enemy,
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whatever,
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as having some value,
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some importance,
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whether they're rich,
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poor,
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or otherwise.
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I don't know
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if you've noticed
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that currently
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in our country
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as we debate
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whether or not
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we should accept
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refugees,
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and particularly
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Syrian refugees
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at the moment,
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well-meaning people
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are making suggestions
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like,
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maybe we should
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just have
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Christian refugees
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come in.
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Maybe we should
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just have
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non-Muslim refugees
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come in.
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And maybe
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if you want
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to be generous
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it's a security fear,
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whatever it is,
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but as Christians
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from the very
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beginning of Scripture
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God doesn't
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distinguish
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values
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between different
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kinds of people.
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He creates
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all people
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in His image.
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Muslim,
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Christian,
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Syrian,
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Iraqi,
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Iranian,
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Australian.
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Have you ever
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noticed how
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when there is
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a disaster
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in the world,
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whether it's
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a natural disaster,
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a plane crash,
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whatever it is,
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that we get
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given a particular
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emphasis in the story.
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So a plane
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has crashed,
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300 people are dead,
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and there was
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three Australians
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on board.
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Or there's
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an earthquake,
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X amount of people
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are displaced,
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etc.
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This many Australians
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were involved.
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Now,
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on one level,
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sure,
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we're in Australia,
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there's a chance
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we might know them,
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but have you ever
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asked why that
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detail is so
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important?
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Why are those
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three Australians
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or ten Australians
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or fifty Australians
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more significant
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than the other
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300 or 5,000
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or whoever it is
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that's lost their
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life?
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Now,
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I want to be
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gracious because
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it's loss,
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it's pain.
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There's so much
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emotion wrapped up
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in this sort of
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a topic,
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but I wonder
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if the reason
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that we go
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there first,
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I wonder if the
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reason we
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emphasise the
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Australians
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is because
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we tend to
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view the world
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through a lens
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that starts
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with me.
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and so if
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they're Australian,
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it's more
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closely
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associated
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with me.
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I can more
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closely identify
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with who
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they are.
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My value
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almost gets
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connected to
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who they are,
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whereas if I've
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never met them
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or seen them,
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then it's still
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sad, but it's
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not the same,
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is it?
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But could it
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be that the
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Bible's painting
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a really
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different picture
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about the way
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God calls us
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to view the
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world?
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Could it be
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that every
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single person
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matters and
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is valuable?
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The second
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passage that
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Jimmy read out
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for us in
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Matthew 25
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is a scary
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passage in
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many ways.
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It's a picture
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of the final
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judgment.
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Jesus
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gathers
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everybody in
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front of his
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judgment throne
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and like a
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shepherd begins
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to sort between
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the sheeps,
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those who are
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genuinely following
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him, and the
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goats, those who
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maybe have paid
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lip service, those
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who have claimed
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to be Christian,
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but for whatever
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reason are not
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genuine.
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And listen to
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the words.
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It says,
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the king will
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say to those
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on his right,
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this is to those
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who have been
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faithful,
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come you who
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are blessed by
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my father,
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take your
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inheritance,
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the kingdom
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prepared for you
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since the
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creation of
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the world,
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for I was
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hungry and
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you gave me
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something to
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eat.
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I was thirsty
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and you gave
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me something
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to drink.
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I was a
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stranger and
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you invited
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me in.
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I needed
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clothes and
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you clothed
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me.
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I was sick
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and you
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looked after
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me.
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I was in
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prison and
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you came
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to visit
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me.
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Then the
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righteous
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will answer
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him,
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Lord,
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when did
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we see you
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hungry and
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feed you,
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or thirsty
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and give you
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something to
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drink?
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When did
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we see you
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a stranger
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and invite you
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in, or
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needing clothes
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and clothe
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you?
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When did
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we see you
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sick or in
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prison and
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go to
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visit you?
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It's the
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key line.
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The king
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will reply,
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I tell you
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the truth,
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whatever you
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did for one
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of the least
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of these
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brothers of
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mine,
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you did
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for me.
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God
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associates
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his own
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worth
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with his
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image bearers.
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The way
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that we
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treat people
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is directly
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connected
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to the
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way that
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we're
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treating
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God.
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They're
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actually
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inseparable.
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He has
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designed
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our
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existence,
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he's designed
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our interactions
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and our
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relationships
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in such
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a way
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that our
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relationship
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with him
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is not
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just some
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abstract
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spiritual
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reality,
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but it is
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played out
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in our
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relationships
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with one
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another.
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all people
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matter to
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God
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because he
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has created
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them as
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valuable.
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The second
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reason that
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this social
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conscience is
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so significant
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for us as
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followers of
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Jesus is that
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we've got to
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remember that
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the world's
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not supposed
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to be like
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this.
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Now,
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sure,
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we live in a
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really,
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really privileged
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part of the
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world,
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but when we
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look at those
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news stories,
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there's this bit
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of us that
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goes,
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that's not
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right,
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is it?
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That's not
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what God
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intended.
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Again,
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Genesis 1,
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God's good
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design,
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creation itself
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has an
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inbuilt
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provision.
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There's this
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pattern in
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Genesis 1,
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when God's
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creating,
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he's walking
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around,
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let there be
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light,
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let there be
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sea,
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let there be
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land,
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let there be
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trees,
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let there be
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all these
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things,
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let there be
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animals,
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and eventually
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people.
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There's a
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pattern.
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God always
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creates what
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is required
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for life
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before he
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creates the
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life.
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He creates
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the sea
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before he
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creates the
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creatures to
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go in it.
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He creates
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the plants
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and trees
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and fruit
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and food
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before he
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creates the
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animals and
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the people
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to live there
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and be fed
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by it.
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Creation
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itself has
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provision designed
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into it.
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And in fact,
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current statistics
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tell us the same
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story.
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There is enough
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food,
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enough money,
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enough medicine
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for everyone
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on the earth
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right now.
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But oppression
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and greed
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and injustice
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mean that there
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is an inequality
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of distribution.
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It's not
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supposed to be
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like this.
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And so we've
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got to understand
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that what
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happened from
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that perfect
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design that
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God had
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to our kind
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of messed
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up reality
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reality now
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is not
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something that
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we can fix
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with money.
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It's not a
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matter of us
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turning around
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going,
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I need to be
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more generous.
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I need to be
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more caring.
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The issue
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that takes us
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from a good
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garden of
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Eden to a
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messed up
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right now
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is sin.
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The problem
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and the reason
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this matters
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for us as
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Christians is
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because this
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is our
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core issue.
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Sin is the
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reality of us
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rejecting God,
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telling him that
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he doesn't
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matter,
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living as if
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we're more
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important,
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and sin is
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the reason
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that there is
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poverty in
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the world.
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Sin is the
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reason that
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there is
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suffering in
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the world.
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Sin is the
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reason that
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there is
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pain and
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oppression and
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injustice.
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And what that
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does is tell us
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two things.
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One, this isn't
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a money issue,
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it's a heart
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issue.
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And two, this
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isn't someone
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else's issue,
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this is my
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issue.
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Now I want to
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take a step
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sideways just for a
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second and just
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talk about sin
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and consequence.
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What I'm not
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saying and what
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the Bible doesn't
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teach is that I
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be selfish here and
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look after myself and
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as a consequence God's
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going to make me
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poor later on.
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It's not sin and
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punishment like that,
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it's not that
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direct, but it's
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more like the
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collective consequence
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of sin,
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everybody's sin,
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results in this
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disproportionate
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allocation of
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wealth and
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starvation.
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It's kind of like if
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you wander along
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next to Sydney
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Harbour, you
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might see a
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plastic bag floating
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in the water,
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you might see
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somebody's Coke
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can, a Snickers
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wrapper, some
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sort of floating
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slick that you
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can't quite
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identify, it's
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not real nice.
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And you might
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sit there at that
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moment as you
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walk past and
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think, man,
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whoever did that
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should have to
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pay.
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Those dodgy
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boat owners or
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whoever it is
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that's made that
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mess, they should
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have to clean
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that up.
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But what you've
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got to understand
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is you're part of
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the problem.
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Every time you
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flush your toilet,
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it's got to go
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somewhere.
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I mean, it's
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treated, it's
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looked after, but
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it ends up in
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the ocean.
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It's kind of
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like that with
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sin.
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It's not so
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much that your
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sin will have
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results for you,
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but ultimately a
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whole world full of
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people living for
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themselves instead of
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for God, a whole
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world full of people
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trying to look after
-
themselves instead of
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each other, results
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in some people
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missing out, results
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in some people
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starving, some
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people living in
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what we would
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consider unlivable
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conditions.
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And so there's an
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inbuilt warning for
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us today.
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Be very careful
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as you reflect on
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issues like poverty
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and oppression,
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slave labour, all
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that sort of stuff,
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be very careful
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not to look down
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on the perpetrators.
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Don't sit there
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and tut-tut at
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Nike and their
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sweatshops.
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Be sad, be
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concerned, be
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frustrated, but
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don't judge.
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Because you sin
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too.
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You're part of the
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problem.
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I'm part of the
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problem.
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You and I
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contribute to the
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issues.
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part of the
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issue.
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Part of why this
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matters for us so
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much as Christians,
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part of why this is a
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measure of the
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genuineness of our
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faith is because it
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takes us back to our
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biggest issue, our
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rejection of who God
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is, our rejection of
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his plan for our life.
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And so tonight I want
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to encourage you, rather
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than feeling like a
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victim in a bad world,
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maybe instead you can
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put your hand up and
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confess that you're part
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of the issue.
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And then you can
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depend on God's
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goodness to forgive you
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and use you in spite of
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your weaknesses and
-
limitations to still be
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contributing in a
-
helpful way.
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Poverty and inequality
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and oppression is part of
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a bigger issue.
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It's part of a sin issue.
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It's the issue that Jesus
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came to fix.
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I want to go to the
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Isaiah passage that was
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read out for us and if
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you can get that in
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front of you, I encourage
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you to have Isaiah 42
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open.
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This passage comes at a
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point in Israel's history
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where they are in exile.
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That means they've been
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dragged away from their
-
homeland.
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They're living as slaves,
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if you like, servants of
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another country, longing
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for a better time, crying
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out to a God who had
-
promised to look after
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them.
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And listen to this short
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few verses which is
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pointing towards Jesus.
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Listen to the
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description of what
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Jesus is going to do
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and how he's going to
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do it.
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Chapter 42, verse 1.
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Here is my servant whom
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I uphold, my chosen one
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in whom I delight.
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I will put my spirit on
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him and, this is his job,
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he will bring justice to
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the nations.
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He will not shout or cry
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out or raise his voice in
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the streets.
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A bruised reed he will not
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break and a smouldering
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wick he will not snuff out.
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In faithfulness he will
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bring forth justice.
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He will not falter or be
-
discouraged till he
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establishes justice on the
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earth.
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In his law the islands will
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put their hope.
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Jesus comes to bring
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justice.
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Now we know, we read the
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New Testament, Jesus comes
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to deal with sin and that's
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the point.
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They're actually connected.
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It's the same problem.
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It requires the same
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solution.
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In the book of Isaiah,
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justice is given a much
-
richer definition.
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Sometimes when we think
-
justice, our mind goes
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straight away to a
-
courtroom.
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We think about punishments
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given out.
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We think about people being
-
maybe vindicated if they've
-
been wrongly accused.
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We think about this
-
judicial decree.
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And that's part of the
-
picture.
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That's the Matthew 25
-
picture where the King
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Jesus sits on the throne
-
and says, you're a sheep,
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you're a goat.
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He does decree, innocent,
-
guilty, on board.
-
But there's more going on
-
here.
-
What Isaiah does for us
-
is help us to see that when
-
God talks about justice,
-
it includes all of his good
-
intention.
-
It includes essentially his
-
will.
-
What the servant will bring
-
is what was always supposed
-
to be.
-
What the servant will do is
-
fix everything that's
-
wrong.
-
What Jesus does when he
-
turns up is not just some
-
abstract up there, fix some
-
sin so that one day we go
-
to heaven.
-
He turns up to bring justice,
-
to deal with inequality, to
-
deal with poverty, to deal
-
with all the symptoms of sin
-
that exist in our lives, to
-
deal with sickness and pain
-
and frustration and anxiety
-
and all these things.
-
You can see it in Jesus'
-
ministry.
-
Yes, he preaches.
-
He says, come.
-
He says, put your trust in
-
me.
-
Be forgiven.
-
But he also feeds people
-
and heals people and deals
-
with physical needs because
-
all of the inequality, all of
-
the problems that we face in
-
life come back to the same
-
root issue of sin, of rejecting
-
God.
-
There's something really cool
-
about the way that the servant
-
will bring justice.
-
on one level, it doesn't
-
sound inspiring when you
-
think about the kind of
-
opposition that you would
-
face if you were on a justice
-
crusade in our world now.
-
But listen to them.
-
Verse 2.
-
He will not shout or cry out or
-
raise his voice in the streets.
-
A bruised reed he will not
-
break.
-
A smouldering wick he will not
-
snuff out.
-
In faithfulness, he will bring
-
forth justice.
-
He will not falter or be
-
discouraged till he establishes
-
justice on the earth.
-
He will face opposition, but the
-
means by which he will bring
-
justice is not force, but sacrifice.
-
At his cost, at his expense, we
-
can be vindicated.
-
God goes to extraordinary lengths
-
to fix what's wrong with the
-
world.
-
He sends his son so that people
-
like us who tell God whatever we
-
don't care can actually have a
-
relationship with him.
-
But more than that, he sends his
-
son so that people like us who
-
treat each other like we don't
-
matter, or at very least treat
-
each other like I'm number one,
-
can actually have the kind of
-
relationships we were supposed to
-
have.
-
The kind of relationships we were
-
designed to have of service and
-
love.
-
This matters for us as Christians
-
because all people matter to God
-
and it matters because it's not the
-
way it's supposed to be.
-
It's not the picture of God's good
-
design at the beginning.
-
It's not the picture of what Jesus
-
has achieved and we're going to
-
enjoy in heaven.
-
And now that Jesus has come, the
-
work he has begun, he has entrusted
-
to us to continue.
-
To defend the cause of the
-
fatherless and the widow.
-
plus this is evidence of his grace to
-
us.
-
This is how grace plays out.
-
It shifts our perspective on life and
-
the things that we do.
-
In my previous church, I had a friend
-
who I did ministry with.
-
I'm not going to mention his name
-
because it's a pseudo-incriminating
-
story.
-
He's a good guy.
-
I love him.
-
He loves Jesus.
-
He's fantastic.
-
He was a great resource for me.
-
One of the rules that you have in
-
ministry or that I have in ministry
-
is that you should never pay full
-
price.
-
Mainly because I don't have enough
-
money.
-
And so whenever we're running
-
anything, I'm trying to get a
-
discount.
-
I'm trying to sort of wrangle a deal.
-
I want a cheap bus.
-
I want a free bus.
-
I want the pizzas for a discount.
-
I want whatever I can do to not pay
-
the full price for things.
-
He took this to a whole other level.
-
We used to run quite a big youth
-
ministry camp.
-
We had sort of 400 plus people on
-
this camp.
-
And he would get us like seven
-
minibuses for free like that.
-
Like he had people tripping over
-
themselves, competing with one
-
another to give us good deals.
-
He just, I don't know how he did it.
-
One year on camp, it was like 40
-
degree plus.
-
We were in this big barn for our
-
meetings.
-
It was horrific.
-
Kids would get bleeding noses from
-
the heat.
-
It was terrible.
-
And so one year he turns around to
-
me after being on the phone for 15
-
minutes.
-
He goes, oh, I've convinced a company
-
to travel down, set up portable air
-
conditioning in the hall.
-
And then at the end of the week,
-
pack it up and take it away for free.
-
I'm like, that's great.
-
But how?
-
I remember one time in particular,
-
we were just out to dinner.
-
It wasn't ministry.
-
We went to the good old all-you-can-eat
-
Pizza Hut.
-
Really is a sad reality that they're
-
all gone.
-
Just have a moment of pause and
-
lament over the fact that that's not
-
around.
-
Anyway, we went to Pizza Hut all-you-can-eat.
-
It was a good value restaurant.
-
For those of you who missed that
-
reality, which actually might be a few
-
of you, it was just like a smorgasbord
-
of pizza and you could just keep going
-
back and back and back.
-
They had like a dessert bar as well,
-
so all the soft serve you can eat.
-
It was amazing.
-
So the only thing lacking was
-
refillable soft drinks, but you know,
-
that's for another day.
-
So we're in Pizza Hut.
-
We're eating pizza.
-
We're chatting.
-
We're having a good time.
-
And it comes to the end of our meal
-
and it's almost time to pay.
-
And I notice he, my friend gets up
-
and disappears.
-
Sort of didn't think heaps of it.
-
Maybe he's going to the bathroom,
-
whatever.
-
And the manager happened to be sitting
-
in a booth a couple of spots away.
-
I think she was doing the figures for
-
the night.
-
They were getting ready to close up.
-
And I noticed out of the corner of my
-
eye that my friend sat down on her
-
table and obviously they were chatting.
-
And a few minutes later he comes back
-
and he goes, okay, we can go.
-
And I said, did you pay for dinner?
-
He said, no.
-
I said, do we need to pay for dinner?
-
He said, no.
-
I went, okay.
-
Sounds good.
-
And out we go.
-
And it wasn't until we got outside
-
that I went, wait a minute.
-
Why don't we have to pay for dinner?
-
What just happened?
-
And he says to me, well, I just explained
-
to the manager that the pizza available
-
on the All You Can Eat bar wasn't of
-
sufficient variety that I could actually
-
call it All You Can Eat.
-
And also the time, amount of time that
-
it took for our drinks to arrive after
-
ordering at the beginning weren't
-
sufficient to be serviced that we should
-
pay for.
-
And she agreed, and so they agreed,
-
that our dinner would be free.
-
Now let's remember that All You Can Eat
-
Pizza Hut was a whopping $5.95.
-
Generous savings.
-
Now, like I said, I love my friend.
-
He's good value.
-
He is a blessing in many ways.
-
But I was reflecting this week on something
-
that he maybe has in hyperversion,
-
but is true of all of us.
-
The way we approach all of our interactions
-
like that, where there's money involved,
-
where it's shopping, eating, whatever,
-
the number one dictating factor for us is,
-
maybe I'm speaking out of turn,
-
but I don't think I am.
-
The number one factor is,
-
how can I get the best deal for me?
-
Think about it.
-
You go shopping for something,
-
you go from shop to shop to find the cheapest place,
-
and then you go online to get it even cheaper
-
once you've found the right size.
-
It's how we shop.
-
And it makes sense in so many ways,
-
that like, that's logical,
-
I don't want to pay any more than I have to.
-
But can you see that behind that mentality
-
is an attitude of,
-
this is all about my outcome.
-
This is all about my experience.
-
There's not even a level of awareness or engagement
-
of the person on the other side of the counter,
-
let alone the person who drove whatever it is
-
and delivered it to the shop,
-
let alone the person who made it,
-
let alone anyone else.
-
The driving thing for us is,
-
me.
-
Me.
-
The reason issues like poverty
-
and caring for those in need
-
matter when it comes to being a Christian
-
is because it's a reflection
-
of the change that God has worked in us.
-
See, it makes sense
-
to look after yourself.
-
It makes sense
-
to try and provide for yourself.
-
It makes sense
-
to get the best scenario for you
-
unless
-
somebody else has already done it.
-
See,
-
if you claim to be a follower of Jesus,
-
what you're saying is,
-
God loves me.
-
God provides for me.
-
God gives me so much more
-
than I could possibly need or deserve.
-
God has guaranteed
-
my eternal future.
-
God has forgiven me.
-
God has given me
-
every good thing in my life.
-
And so actually,
-
it doesn't make sense
-
to then go out into the shops
-
and live as if you need to look after number one.
-
You need to get the best deal for you.
-
Because actually,
-
God is already looking after you
-
and He's told you in Scripture
-
that He cares about the person
-
on the other side of the counter.
-
He cares about the person
-
that made that shirt
-
or that coffee
-
or whatever else it is.
-
They're valuable to Him.
-
The Christian life
-
is a redefined reality.
-
We have a new starting point.
-
See,
-
the issue
-
back at the beginning
-
when we talked about
-
that news story
-
that tells us about
-
the three Australians,
-
and again,
-
I do it.
-
I'm not casting judgment on you.
-
I do it as well.
-
I go,
-
oh, you know,
-
three Australians.
-
That's really sad.
-
The issue there is
-
that the reason that's sad
-
is because
-
that connects
-
to where I am.
-
Because the way
-
I view justice
-
and poverty
-
and everything else
-
in the world
-
is defined
-
by how it connects
-
to me.
-
But as a Christian,
-
that's not
-
how we view the world.
-
The world is defined
-
and sin is defined
-
and the issues
-
in the world
-
are defined
-
by how does this
-
relate to God.
-
And God says,
-
every person
-
on that plane
-
matters to me.
-
God says,
-
every person
-
who's making a shirt
-
or a shoe
-
or a meal
-
or whatever it else is
-
matters to me.
-
And then He says,
-
I'm going to look after you.
-
So we don't have
-
to shop anymore
-
with this fear
-
of who's going
-
to look after me.
-
We don't have
-
to live our lives
-
anymore with this fear
-
of what about me?
-
God's got that covered.
-
So I guess just to finish,
-
I wanted to ask the question,
-
where does a Fair Trade Expo fit?
-
Whether you made it here today
-
for the Fair Trade Expo
-
or not,
-
you know roughly
-
the gist of it.
-
Fair Trade basically
-
means two things.
-
One is you pay
-
a little bit more
-
for the same product.
-
Then you have to.
-
And two,
-
the person who's making
-
that product
-
gets paid
-
what they deserve.
-
That's what Fair Trade is.
-
There's a whole bunch
-
of other stuff
-
about investing
-
in their businesses
-
and enabling them
-
to be sustainable
-
and doing training
-
and lending of money
-
and a whole bunch
-
of other things
-
which you can research
-
and all sorts of stuff.
-
But a Fair Trade Expo,
-
where does it fit
-
when it comes to checking
-
our social conscience,
-
our love for the poor?
-
Well, it's not the solution.
-
Buying Fair Trade
-
won't fix poverty
-
in the world
-
because we know
-
that poverty
-
is a symptom of sin.
-
Only Jesus
-
can fix that.
-
But what something
-
like Fair Trade does
-
or just giving generally
-
to those in need
-
does
-
is it gives us
-
a chance
-
to remember,
-
to remind ourselves
-
that we don't have
-
to be worried
-
about me
-
because God is.
-
It's a chance
-
to remind ourselves
-
that as we go
-
looking for the things
-
that we need,
-
and I use that
-
very loosely,
-
God has already
-
provided it all.
-
Maybe it gives us
-
a chance
-
to get a bigger picture
-
of the kinds of people
-
that live
-
in the world
-
with us
-
that God cares about
-
that matter
-
and the kind of situations
-
they're living in.
-
But more than anything else,
-
shopping,
-
Fair Trade,
-
giving to those in need,
-
caring for people
-
who need it
-
is a chance
-
for us
-
to come back
-
and just again
-
be reminded
-
of the confidence
-
and hope
-
we have in Jesus.
-
A Fair Trade Expo
-
is not designed
-
to make you feel guilty.
-
This sermon
-
is not designed
-
to make you go
-
and spend more
-
on Fair Trade
-
this Christmas
-
or feel guilty
-
about every present
-
you buy
-
or anything like that.
-
It's kind of not the point.
-
The point is
-
God loves you.
-
God has provided
-
for you in Jesus
-
and so you don't have
-
to stress
-
with the what about me
-
question anymore.
-
You're released
-
to go and love
-
and invest
-
in people
-
that you'll never meet
-
but who right now
-
live in conditions
-
that we just
-
wouldn't tolerate.
-
It's a chance
-
for you
-
to be reminded
-
that the things
-
of this world
-
are temporary
-
and all the things
-
that really matter
-
can't be taken away
-
anyway.
-
It's a chance
-
for you
-
to loosen your grip
-
on the things
-
that God has given you
-
so that you can
-
tighten your grip
-
on Him.
-
Let's pray.
-
Let's pray.
-
Father God,
-
we want to admit
-
that sometimes
-
when we look
-
at things like this
-
it's really easy
-
to realize
-
that we suck
-
at this.
-
It's really easy
-
to get distracted
-
by feeling guilty,
-
to get distracted
-
by failure,
-
to maybe push
-
this message away
-
because it's not
-
comfortable
-
but God,
-
but God,
-
help guilt
-
not to be the
-
destination
-
for us.
-
If there is guilt,
-
help us to give it
-
to you.
-
Help us to remember
-
that you love us
-
in spite of who we are.
-
That one of the gifts
-
that you give us
-
is to take our guilt
-
on yourself,
-
to take our shame
-
away,
-
to release us.
-
God,
-
thank you for your
-
patience with us
-
as we stumble
-
and as we keep
-
trying to grow
-
into this life
-
that you have
-
designed for us.
-
God,
-
right now
-
there are so many
-
people in this world
-
that you cherish,
-
that live with
-
less than what
-
they need.
-
Please enable us
-
to be a blessing
-
for them.
-
Enable us
-
to be bringers
-
of your justice,
-
to proclaim
-
the hope
-
of Jesus,
-
to use what
-
you have entrusted
-
to us so that
-
you might get glory,
-
so that people
-
might recognize
-
that you are
-
a God who cares.
-
You are a God
-
who provides.
-
Father,
-
thank you for
-
placing us
-
here in this church
-
at this time
-
with these resources.
-
Please so shape
-
our hearts
-
that we might
-
be faithful
-
with what you
-
have entrusted
-
to us.
-
Amen.