What's your attitude to Life and Death?

Friends, as we were singing that last song, it's one of those moments where you'd like to just sort of frame in history and pause there.

I thought it was a wonderful testimony to unity in the gospel.

This sermon will not be translated.

It will, for those in Chinese who cannot understand a word I'm saying right now, it will actually be projected on the screen.

So it will be full text on the screen, except for the changes that I made this morning.

So please bear with me on that one.

Let's pray.

Father God, I pray that your word will come alive to us this morning.

We ask, Father, that your spirit will come in a fresh way and that you will revive our souls so that we might say with the Apostle Paul,

to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Father, unite us in partnership around the gospel of grace, we pray.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Late in the evening of the 24th of June, 1982, British Airways Flight 9, a Boeing 747-200 was flying high, very high, over Indonesia.

What the pilots couldn't see on the radar was a cloud of volcanic ash up ahead in their flight path.

Earlier, Mount Gowlingung had erupted 150 kilometres north of their flight path.

And all of a sudden, smoke started to fill the cabin.

And those with a window seat noticed that the engines were, and I quote, unusually bright.

Then, without warning, number four engines stopped.

One minute later, number two engines stopped, followed quickly by engines one and three.

The 747 was now what you call technically a glider.

For 16 minutes, this plane fell out of the sky.

In the eerie silence, people knew that they were going to die.

Can you imagine the sort of things that were going through their minds for 16 minutes

as they gradually fell to the ground?

People started writing notes to loved ones on napkins.

They started to, in fact, talk to the people that they had ignored for the rest of the flight.

They prayed.

And a strange feeling came across the plane.

They accepted that life was over.

Because of the lack of oxygen in the cabin, the pilots took the unusual step of making it quicker for everyone

and put the plane in a nosedive to get to a lower level so that people could breathe again.

That manoeuvre had the added benefit of unclogging the engines of volcanic ash,

and the engines were able to be restarted.

Can you imagine the excitement as the engines kicked back in,

the plane climbed and eventually landed at a nearby airport?

The passengers thought they were dead, but they were alive.

They had a new lease on life.

They ended up actually forming a survivor's club.

It is known as the Mount Galangang Gliding Club.

They get together annually on the date of that flight,

and they celebrate life together.

One 81-year-old passenger said that on that night,

she learnt to count every day as a blessing.

She'd never before had a second chance on life.

And that's what you've got if you've met Jesus.

If you're a Christian, you've got a second chance on life,

a new lease on life, a reason to really live,

and it's a life that is enjoyed with other Christians.

The Apostle Paul, the one who wrote this letter to the church in Philippi,

he got a second chance when he met Jesus.

He was a blasphemer, a persecutor of Christians,

an opponent of the advancement of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ,

even to the point of giving his assent to the murder of Christians.

But make no mistake, he was religious.

He was zealous.

He was pious.

He was devout.

And he was faultless in legalistic righteousness,

as we will discover in a few weeks.

Then he met Jesus.

And his life was radically changed.

A complete turnaround.

He who was persecutor has become the persecuted.

He who trusted in himself, his religious activity,

and his heritage,

now trusts in Jesus

and pursues God's glory no matter what.

And he calls the Philippians

to have the same perspective on life as him.

And he calls us to have the same perspective of life.

And it's right there in verse 27.

Whatever happens,

conduct yourselves in a matter worthy of the gospel of Christ.

And this is what this commitment series is all about.

We are called to live a life worthy of the gospel of Christ.

This commitment series is about reminding us who we are in Christ

and what we are called to be.

We are called to live in such a way

as to show the worth of the value of the gospel.

We are called to reveal to this world

that we prize the Lord Jesus

more than anything else in this world.

We are called to show that our treasure is not in this world.

Our hope is not in money and earthly security.

Our satisfaction is not in power and prestige.

Our contentment is not in the approval of others.

And our happiness is not in avoiding criticism and slander.

Instead, our treasure and hope and satisfaction

and contentment and happiness

are in Christ and his promises.

Broadly speaking, I believe that what Philippians calls us to be

is what he stated in our mission statement.

We exist to know Jesus,

to treasure Jesus,

and represent Jesus for God's glory

and the joy of all people.

As we go through Philippians in the coming weeks,

Paul will spell out for us

what it means to live a life worthy of the gospel.

And two broad themes keep popping up

and are introduced here in chapter 1.

Firstly, unity.

And secondly, courageous sacrifice and service.

In one sense, these two things

will always be a challenge for us and for God's people.

They will always need to be spoken of

and they will always need to be pursued.

But having said that,

I don't want us to lose the urgency

of them for us right now as a church here.

I have spent the best part of my 18 months here

working towards getting us heading in the same direction.

And it's been painful for me and for some of you.

There has been pain with the turnover in staff,

adjustment to structures,

the changing of ministry operations.

Ironically, the divisions and difficulties

have the goal of unity.

One of the main confronting issues

has been the siloing of ministry.

Many good things happening,

but not necessarily heading in the same direction

with the same purpose

or even in reference to anyone else or anything else.

Vision 2020 was launched almost a year ago

to give us a common direction and purpose as a church.

The second thing that is so pertinent to us right now

is the biblical teaching of radical,

God-centered, wartime, risk-taking lifestyle

for this is what God has called us to be as his people.

It has been nearly 12 months since Vision 2020 was launched

and we've had time to get used to it

and now it is time to start stirring each other up

to take some risks in more venturesome acts of love

and evangelism and discipleship.

We need to break out of deeply ingrained habits

of timidity and silence and fear.

We need to be set free from long-established anxieties

of ruffling feathers and being slandered

because too much is at stake for people in Chatswood.

My prayer is that as we go through Philippians

in this commitment series,

we will see our partnership in the gospel

and we will courageously sacrifice and serve

in order to see the gospel advance among us and beyond us.

So firstly, let's look at the issue of unity.

I find it astounding that Paul would write these words

at the beginning of Philippians, verse 3.

I thank my God every time I remember you

in all of my prayers for all of you.

I always pray with joy because of your partnership

in the gospel from the first day until now.

Let us not forget that the one who writes these words

is the same one who was chosen by God

to take the gospel to the nations.

He planted church after church.

He wrote about one third of the New Testament

and suffered more for the gospel than I could ever imagine.

Do you feel the impact of what Paul has written there

in those verses?

The word he chooses to describe his relationship

with this church is partnership.

Partners.

It's a business word that refers to a shared endeavour

that holds two parties together.

Even separated by prison,

Paul uses this word to describe

the shared identity and purpose that they have.

I find it astounding that he would use this word

because if anyone has the right to talk about rights,

it would be Paul.

If anyone has the credibility to elevate himself

over other Christians and demand more,

it would have to be Paul.

If anyone could say that he is more equal

than anyone else, it would have to be Paul.

Instead, he calls this church at Philippi

a church that he founded his partners

from the very first day.

Not after you've learned a thing or two.

Not after you've been a Christian for a number of years.

Not once the church has got its governance

and ministry structures firmly established.

Not once, Church of Philippi,

you send out a few missionaries.

From the very first day,

you are my partners in the gospel.

How can the great apostle Paul say that

about this church at Philippi?

Verse 7 gives us the answer.

It is right for me to feel this way about all of you

since I have you in my heart.

For whether I'm in chains or defending

and confirming the gospel,

all of you share in God's grace with me.

Their partnership with Paul began

from the very first day

because it says in verse 7,

all of you share in God's grace with me.

Paul doesn't demand more rights

because of his longevity in the faith,

because of his commitment to the church,

his commitment to the gospel,

or because of his effectiveness

as a gospel worker.

Grace means it's a level playing field.

One of the clearest pictures of this

in the New Testament

is the parable of the workers of the vineyard

in Matthew 20.

In the parable,

a farmer hires men

at different times during the day.

We are told that he hires them

early in the morning,

the third hour,

the sixth hour,

the ninth hour,

right at the end of the day

in the eleventh hour.

And those who began early in the morning

agreed to do a day's work

for denarius.

That was a good wage

for a worker

and was considered

to be what was needed

to provide well

for their family.

So don't let this point

slip you past.

They all,

including those who started work

at the beginning of the day,

they all received

not what they had earned,

but what they needed.

They were all paid

according to grace,

not according to debt.

And the twist comes

at the end of the day

when they all line up

to get paid

and they all get the same.

They all get a denarius.

Everyone gets the same pay.

No matter how long

they had been out there

in the paddock,

they all get a denarius.

Every worker got what they needed,

not what they had earned.

And, of course,

those who'd been working

the longest

started to grumble.

Hang on a bit,

we've been out there all day.

Shouldn't we get two?

And in a sense,

the workers are right,

it's not fair

what the boss is doing.

But I think that's the point.

Since when is grace

ever about being fair?

It's about me getting

what I don't deserve

and being rescued

from what I do deserve.

The truth about God's grace

is not just a truth

that applies

when you first become a Christian.

It's not just a truth

that is something to say

about salvation.

It is an amazing truth

and reality

that is the very foundation

of how Jesus deals

with us day by day

and how we are to deal

with each other

day by day.

None of us needs

anything less

than God's grace

and none of us needs

anything more

than God's grace.

We all need a denarius,

so to speak.

We are all beggars

at the foot of the cross.

We were when we started

as a Christian

and we are to still be there

50, 60, 70, 80,

however many years

God allows you

in this world.

Nothing ever changes.

The thing that unites us

is not our culture,

not our tradition,

not our history,

not our preferences,

not our language.

It is our desperate,

desperate need

for the grace

of the Lord Jesus Christ

from the very first day

until the last.

It is this grace

that unites Paul,

the great apostle,

with the Philippian church

that he founded.

It would seem

that in the church

at Philippi

there were a few people

struggling

to get on

with each other.

There was a bit

of wrong teaching

kicking around.

There were some difficulties

with persecution

and it was getting them down.

The joy of Christian discipleship

wasn't so evident

in this church,

although Paul

significantly rejoices

with this church.

And so it's not surprising,

therefore,

that Philippians

is a book

that talks about

the gospel

more than any other

New Testament book.

Paul wants us

to discover

how much

of a difference

a relationship

with Jesus

makes to our lives.

Paul wants

to encourage them

by putting them

back to Jesus

to help them

to keep on going,

to stand firm

and to put all

the issues

and difficulties

in the light

of the really

important news

of the gospel

of the grace

of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ.

The differences

that cause

divisions

are always,

always,

always,

always

less

than which unites

us,

the grace

of the Lord

Jesus Christ.

The grace

of the Lord

Jesus

has completely

transformed Paul.

It changes

the way

Paul sees

other Christians.

It wasn't

long ago

that Paul

was persecuting

Christians,

putting them

into jail,

but now,

verse 4,

because of your

partnership

in the gospel

from the first

day until now,

they are my

partners,

Paul says.

They are not

my competitors.

they are not

my subjects.

They are my

partners.

Is this how

you see

your relationship

with your

brothers and

sisters here

at St.

Paul's?

Just have a

look around.

Is this how

you view

your relationship

with your

brothers and

sisters here

at St.

Paul's?

Do you

see them

as your

partners

at the foot

of the cross

in the gospel

of the Lord

Jesus Christ,

dependent upon

his grace

as much as

they,

as much as

you?

Note, too,

that when Paul

talks about

partnership,

he's not

merely tolerating

the Christian

church here

at Philippi.

He is also

not giving

a mere

intellectual

assent

to the

theological

correctness

of

partnership.

Verse 4,

in all my

prayers for

all of you,

I always

pray with

joy.

Verse 7,

it is right

for me to

feel this

way about

all of you

since I

have you

in my

heart.

Verse 8,

God can

testify how

I long

for you

with the

affection of

Jesus

Christ.

God for

all the

church,

he prays

for them

all with

joy,

he has

them in

his heart

and he

longs for

them in

affection.

I suspect

the answer

to the

question

would want

to use

those verses

as a test

case as to

whether or not

you view

them as

your partners,

your brothers

and sisters

here.

I suspect

those verses

are a true

test case as

to whether we

see each

other as

partners.

So what is

it that

threatens our

unity and

partnership?

Broadly

speaking,

it is always

the three

enemies of

the Christian,

the world,

the flesh and

the devil.

More

specifically,

there are a

few things,

but in one

way or another,

I believe

they're sort

of attached

to a common

underlying

issue.

Longevity

and

effectiveness

equals

rights.

In other

words,

those who

have a

history are

more equal

than others.

It can

express itself

in many

ways.

Those born

in this

country have

more rights

than those

who moved

here two

years ago.

The oldest

members have

more rights

than the

younger.

The oldest

congregation

more rights

than the

newest

congregation.

The

bigger

congregation

more rights

than the

smaller

congregation.

Those

more

effective

in

ministry

more

rights

than

those

just

starting

out.

Those

attending

here the

longest

more rights

than those

who have

just joined.

Those

being

Christian

for 70

years

more equal

than those

who have

just come

to Christ.

It is so

easy to

start

in the

vineyard

acknowledging

that I'm

a one

hour

worker at

the end

of the

day in

the

vineyard

and

then

eventually

over

time

start

operating

as if

I've

done a

full

day's

work

and

deserve

a full

day's

pay.

It is

subtle

and it

happens

slowly

but we

can stop

relating to

each other

on the

basis

of grace.

It is

therefore

crucial

that we

never lose

sight of

the gospel

of grace

as a

church.

Grace

reminds me

that I

am a

beggar

at the

foot of

the cross

and I

am

therefore

consistently

dependent

upon God

and I

am no

different

than you.

Grace

reminds me

that I

have no

more rights

than you,

no more

privileges,

I am

not more

equal.

Grace

reminds me

that I

need to

consistently

go downward

in humility

as I

interact

with you

day by

day.

Grace

ought to

lead me

to rejoice

as more

people come

into the

fellowship

believers

and get

involved

and open

up new

opportunities

for us

in ministry.

I ought to

rejoice

because that

is partnership

and it is

the one

thing that

God uses

to advance

the gospel

amongst us

and beyond

us.

And so

friends,

Hope Anglican

Church no

longer exists.

At the

beginning of

January this

year,

we were

all St.

Paul's

Chatswood.

St.

Paul's

Chatswood

changed on

that day,

the 1st

of January

2010,

it changed

as we

entered into

a new

partnership

with new

brothers and

sisters who

were not

less than

us.

Things were

different from

that moment

and what

family does

not work

like that?

when Phoebe

entered our

family just

over a year

ago,

Isabel was

not more

equal than

Phoebe

just because

she was

there first.

To treat

her,

Phoebe that

is,

as number

two and

not equally

loved and

adored would

create enormous

tensions and

difficulties as

our family

grew.

and a

lot of

expensive

counsellors in

years to

come.

And so

the danger

in the

amalgamation

is to

strongly

affirm that

hope no

longer exists

but then to

expect nothing

to change in

the St.

Paul's

family.

That is to

expect those

who have

come to

partner with

us to

just fit

into our

ongoing

ministry and

agenda and

program.

Woohoo!

You've

bolstered our

numbers and

given us a

few more

dollars but

just stay

over there

and you'll

learn the

ropes soon

enough.

Because the

name and

the facilities

of St.

Paul's was

retained in

the merger

doesn't mean

that everything

else was.

And so on

another note

our Chinese

ministries are

no longer the

little brothers

amongst us.

There is

some very

significant

ministry

happening

amongst our

Chinese

congregations.

And in

case you are

unaware our

country is

becoming more

and more

ethnic.

By 2050

only 35%

of our

country will

come from

an Anglo

background.

And I

suspect the

ratio in

chats would

be significantly

higher than

say Narrabri.

And

therefore

brothers and

sisters if

that is the

direction of

our country

we need to

be repositioned

and aligning

and resourcing

our ministries

accordingly.

In

preparation what

God might do

amongst us in

40 years.

And so

today as

Brian has

said we

launch a

new logo

for St

Paul's.

At the

centre of

this logo

is the

cross and

it is the

cross that

is drawing

us together

in fellowship.

Lots of

people,

different people

from different

backgrounds and

different places

coming together

in partnership

and unity

because of

the gospel

of grace

of our

Lord Jesus

Christ.

The closer

we get to

the gospel

of grace,

the closer

we get to

the cross

the greater

the intensity

of partnership.

To live

that life,

a life worthy

of the gospel

in partnership

takes fearless

courage and

sacrifice.

It means

that I

consistently

lay aside

myself as

an individual

for the

sake of the

advancement of

the gospel

and the

glory of

God.

God

and so

let us

allow the

apostle Paul

to realign

us again

and challenge

us.

Verse 14

Because of

my chains

most of the

brothers in

the Lord

have been

encouraged to

speak the

word of

God more

courageously

and fearlessly.

It is true

that some

preach Christ

out of envy

and rivalry

but others

out of good

will.

And again

in verse 17

talking about

those with

wrong motives

he says

they preach

Christ out of

selfish ambition

not sincerely

supposing they

can stir up

trouble for

me while I

am in

chains.

So here's

Paul in

prison and

some say we

can make life

even worse for

Paul if we

preach this

message.

We can get

him even into

more trouble if

we preach the

gospel.

How do you

think you'd

feel?

You're knocked

down,

circumstances are

against you

and someone

thinks he's

here's a

great opportunity

to stick

the boot

in.

In fact

we may

even end

up with

his head

on a

platter.

Don't you

think you'd

want revenge?

Don't you

think you'd

be calling

on God?

Fix this

problem God.

Don't you

think you'd

want God

to judge

these people

with their

motives?

Don't you?

Not Paul

verse 18

God

but what

does it

matter?

The

important

thing that

is in

every way

whether from

false

motives or

true,

Christ is

preached

and therefore

I rejoice.

He doesn't

complain,

he's not

angry with

God about

it,

he doesn't

curse those

who are

against him,

he doesn't

even tolerate

it,

he in fact

rejoices that

Christ is

preached as

he is

rotting in

a prison

cell.

What is

wrong with

this guy?

He isn't

worried about

his pride,

he isn't

worried about

his reputation,

he isn't

worried about

his position

as an

apostle,

he isn't

concerned for

his comfort,

he isn't

concerned for

his own

advancement,

he doesn't

logically think

God,

I'm an

apostle to

take the

gospel to

the nations,

surely this

is not

part of

your plan.

He is

concerned only

for Jesus,

he is

concerned with

the reputation

of the Lord

Jesus,

he is

concerned that

other people

hear about

Jesus,

he is

concerned that

the gospel

of Christ

is advanced.

Paul has

been so

gripped by

God's grace

to him

through Jesus,

so impacted

by this

new lease

on life

through

Jesus,

that he

is prepared

to sacrifice

his own

desires,

his will,

his pride,

his reputation,

even his

own life,

he lays it

all on the

line for

the glory

of the

Lord Jesus.

Everything

in life

now revolves

around Jesus,

not Paul.

It is all

about Jesus

and not

Paul.

His life

has been

reorientated

to be

thoroughly

gospel-centered.

His primary

concern is

the advancement

of the

gospel.

The advancement

of the

gospel means

laying aside

my personal

glory,

my comfort,

so that

God might

become

great.

But that's

not all.

There's

more.

Verse 20,

Paul says

that whatever

happens,

may the

Lord Jesus

Christ be

exalted,

whether that

be in my

life or

whether it

be in my

death.

You see

what he's

saying there?

If it

means I

live or

it means

I die,

whatever it

takes,

that the

gospel might

be advanced

and glory

might be

made to

Jesus.

What Paul

is saying

here is

that it's

all about

life and

death.

This is

not a

trivial

matter,

friends.

Verse 22

gives us a

glimpse of

how Paul

is thinking.

If I'm

to go on

living in

the body,

this will

mean fruitful

labour for

me, yet

what shall

I choose?

I do not

know.

I am

torn between

the two.

I desire

to depart

to be

with Christ,

which is

better by

far, but

it is more

necessary for

you that I

remain in

the body.

Convinced of

this, I

know that I

will remain

and I

will continue

with all

of you for

your progress

and joy

in the

faith.

And so

what Paul

is doing

is he sits

there and

rots in

this prison,

he looks

at his

life and

he thinks,

if I

live,

then it

means more

opportunities

to do

what I

can for

the gospel

to advance,

more

opportunities to

make God

look great,

but if I

die, I

will be in

heaven.

No more

prison, no

more chains,

no more

ridiculed, no

more persecution.

I will be

with Jesus and

that is clearly

better by far.

God.

He knows in

the end that

it's all in

God's hands,

but he

says, if I'm

going to

choose, what

will I

choose?

He says, I

would choose

more of the

same.

Paul says,

it is more

important for

you that I

remain.

Even as he

rots in

prison and

he faces

death, he's

not concerned

with himself.

He sees

that for him

to go on

living is

all about

partnership in

the advancement

of the

gospel.

And if it

means that he

rots in

prison so the

gospel would be

advanced, then

so be it.

if I have

the choice

right now, he

says, in

that moment

between eternal

glory and

more suffering

and partnership

for the

advancement of

the gospel,

then right

now, for

your sakes,

church at

Philippi, you

need me to

suffer more.

And so

therefore I

will.

Because it's

not about

him.

verse 21

is Paul's

grace-driven

outlook on

life in a

nutshell.

For to me,

to live is

Christ and

to die is

gain.

When I

first became

a Christian,

I bought

this Bible.

And I'm

not sure what

you, I

think you

just go and

get a big

Bible.

I think when

you first

become a

Christian,

show your

keenness.

And I

wrote at

the beginning

my very

first memory

verse.

For to me,

to live is

Christ and

to die is

gain.

I wanted a

verse that

was going to

summarise my

life.

Something that

I would

proudly put on

a tombstone

or someone

else would

put on a

tombstone

for me.

That would

be a

miracle.

To live

is Christ,

to die is

gain,

and under

that I

have written

these words,

engage the

pain,

don't run.

Communicate

the gospel,

protect the

gospel,

adorn the

gospel,

suffer for

the gospel.

The

gospel of

grace has

so turned

around Paul's

life that

he is now

partnering with

those he

persecuted.

It has

so turned

his life

around that

his whole

perspective

on life

and death

is all

about

Jesus.

For to

me,

to live

life is

all about

Jesus,

and to

die is

just to

get more

of Jesus.

Is it

any wonder

that he

calls this

church at

Philippi,

and he

calls us

and every

generation

since then

to live

in such

a way

that Jesus

looks

spectacular?

Could you

say that?

Could you

read those

words and

for them to

ring true for

the way that

you view your

life and

your death?

Maybe your

wording is

more like

to me to

live and

to die would

be really

inconvenient

right now.

Maybe you've

got plans,

you've got

things you

want to do

with your

life,

lots of

things to

achieve,

things to

achieve and

to advance

for your

own gain.

Maybe Jesus

doesn't fit in

with some of

those plans and

maybe you want

to do some

things first and

then maybe

hand over to

Jesus a little

bit later once

you've advanced

yourself.

and if that

is you,

then death

is the

ultimate thing

for you to

avoid because

this is the

thing that gets

in the way of

you getting

what you want

in your life.

And therefore

courage and

fearlessness is

not high on the

agenda in

advancement of

the gospel.

This isn't how

Paul viewed his

life, all

because of the

gospel of grace.

It isn't how

any Christian

should view

their life.

We are meant

to have a

commitment to

Jesus that

is sort of

until death

do us part,

if you know

what I mean.

Paul calls

us to stop

dating Jesus

and get

committed.

To live is

to live for

Jesus, to

die is to

get even

more of

Jesus.

Such a

call to the

commitment of

the advancement

of the gospel

and the glory

of Christ has

led many people

to do

extraordinary

things over

the centuries,

to live

lives worthy

of the gospel.

There is a

great cloud of

witnesses before

us, friends,

and at this

point in history

we stand on the

shoulders of

significant people

who have gone

before us in so

many ways, and

they are a

motivation and an

encouragement and a

challenge to us.

For instance, in

1800, a young

19-year-old man

named Henry

Martin became a

Christian while

studying at

Cambridge University

University in

England.

He was

brilliant in

a variety of

areas including

mathematics,

philosophy, and

theology.

By just five

years later, after

becoming a

Christian, in

1805, and at

the age of

24, he left

everything, including

the love of his

life, Lydia

Grenfell.

He went

firstly to

India as a

missionary and

then on to

other countries.

The boat took

ten months to

get to India

and in the

process, he

became extremely

ill and almost

died.

He went on to

take the good

news about Jesus

to three other

countries and

translated the

Bible into

Arabic.

When he arrived

in India after

the ten-month

trip and nearly

dying, he said

this,

He did die

on the 16th

of October

1812, 12

years after

becoming a

Christian, at

the age of

31, sharing

Jesus with

Muslims in

Iran.

He had a

vision for

life and for

death.

If I die, I

die to be

happy, but if

I live, I

shall live to

the glory of

God alone.

It sounds

very familiar

to the

Apostle Paul's

words, whatever

happens, conduct

yourselves in a

manner worthy of

the gospel of

Christ for me to

live is Christ

and to die

is gain.

The conviction

that has gripped

me over recent

years is that

courage is at

the centre of

what it means

to live a

life worthy

of the gospel

of Christ.

Boldness in

the fear of

opposition is

at the heart

of being a

Christian.

It is not

an upper

level spirituality

for super

saints.

It is the

everyday requirement

of Christian

living.

And so

friends, it

is almost

one year since

I stood here

and launched

Vision 2020.

And at its

heart, it's a

vision that

desires to see

members of

St. Paul's

individually and

together living

lives worthy of

the gospel of

Christ.

It is a vision to

see Jesus made

great in this

area.

It's a vision that

is intended to

unite us for a

common purpose,

heading in a

common direction

with a common

goal, and that

is to make

Jesus look

great, for

him to be our

greatest treasure,

and for all

the world to

know it.

I believe it

says very

clearly who we

are meant to

be and what we

are on about.

And so I want

to ask you, how

has Vision 2020

shaped you in the

last 12 months?

How has life

changed for you?

What have you

sacrificed?

The great danger

for us as a

church is to hear

the language of

Vision 2020, even

use the language of

Vision 2020, and

just keep on as

individuals doing

what we've always

done and nothing

changes.

and we put it

all in the

veneer of a

Vision 2020

language.

That's not what's

been happening for

me in the last 12

months.

I asked the

senior staff a

couple of weeks

ago to give me

a commitment, as

far as they were

able to, under

God, to commit

their lives to

Vision 2020

until Vision,

until 2020.

I want their

partnership in the

gospel.

I need their

partnership in the

gospel.

But in asking for

that, I also, in

the process, said

that I need their

sacrifice in order

that the gospel

would be advanced,

that this vision

would be advanced

and realised under

God.

Whatever it takes,

I said, whatever it

takes for the next

10 years, will you

do it?

Whatever new role

you have to take

on or to give up,

an old one, we

will do it together

in order to not

stand in the way

of God growing his

church and the

gospel advancing in

this place.

I said to them at

some point, you may

come to me and say,

Steve, it's time to

go.

Steve, it's time to

change your role.

It's time to step

down and someone

else step up.

Because right now,

you're not the

person to take us

from 1,000 to 2,000.

And for the sake of

the advancement of

the gospel, you need

to lay yourself

aside.

Or maybe to say to

some that you can

no longer preach,

even though it is

your gifting.

But right now, as a

church, we need you

over there.

Will you sacrifice?

Will you give up?

Or to move another

person from their

passion in one area

of ministry to another

area of ministry,

because that is what

is beneficial for the

advancement of the

gospel in that

moment.

And the call is

this.

Will you give up?

Will you serve?

Will you sacrifice?

Will you surrender

your comfort,

sacrifice,

prestige and

position and

significance and

recognition and

preferences for the

sake of partnership

and the advancement of

the gospel of the

Lord Jesus Christ?

Christ?

We need the perspective of

Paul that if it is best

for me to be in chains

and rot, then I will do