25th February 2024 - Teaching Service

Money, everybody? Are you well? Are you blessed? As I was

preparing for the final in our series of Love Costs God, I started asking

me some questions. So I'm going to share some of those questions with you,

which is how much do you care? How much do you care?

God was asking me this, but I'm sharing it with you, Dave.

How much do you care? And I was thinking thinking about my family,

I was thinking about the church. I was thinking about people who visit us

from time to time. But he said, look outside church, Look to

the streets out there. Look to the streets you just walk down to get

here, Look to strove down to just get here. Do you care about

these people? How much do you care? Dave? And he reminded me

of a moment that happens. I think about eighteen months ago. I was

driving down an a road on the way to Warwick University. Don't matter actually

where I was going. I was driving down an a road and there was

an I came across an accident that had literally just happened, but it was

on a very dangerous bend, and that the accident had happened, so I

couldn't stop, So I kept on driving. But as I driving immediately turned

my hazard lights on and started flashing because there were cars coming towards me and

didn't know what was around the corner, and I was wondering. I wanted

to lean out the window and go stop, stop, you know, because

they were driving with complete unknown of what was coming. Do you know that's

exactly the same in terms of our messages to the Gospel? Are we are

we concerned people are going to eternity without God? Does it really matter to

us? Because it matters to God. It matters to God because he sent

his one and only son, whosoever believed in him should not perish but have

eternal life. An eternity with God is such a great thing. An eternity

with God is a blessing. An eternity with God begins here on earth.

Because if we give our lives to Christ, if we submit our ourselves to

him Him, if we just let go, that could cost us anybody,

It costs us nothing. That's exactly been the theme of the of this month

has been love costs, but love cost us? How much? Well,

it costs God so much, It costs God so much, So how much

do we care? How much do we care? Let's start with the scripture

just quoted a little bit off of John three p. Sixteen. We know

this scripture. God so loved the world that he gave his one and only

forgotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting

life. We know this, But do you know what the next verse is?

For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world,

but that the world through him might be saved. And let's read on

in verse eighteen. It says this, he who believes in him is not

condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not

believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is

the condemnation. That the light has come into the world. And men love

darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. For everyone practicing evil hates

the light and does not come to the light lest his deeds should be exposed.

Oops. But he who does the truth comes to the light that his

deeds may be clearly seen, that they may have been done in God.

Do you know why we don't like the light shining in our lives. I'm

not necessarily talking about the light of God, the light of truth. When

the light of truth shines, we kind of want to go, oh,

it's a bit like we feel exposed. Have you ever done anything wrong?

Put your hand up if you've done something wrong. Yeah, we all have,

haven't We've all got it wrong, haven't we at some point and we

said something wrong, We've done something wrong. I've lied a few times.

I'll be honest with you, sometimes not intentionally, but or I have you

done that thing where you kind of don't quite tell the truth and you start

making out this false world? And then now to keep the false world true,

you've got to tell another little lie and then another little lie. But

they're all lies. When you see on TV and hear about people who've got

two wives or two husbands, I think, how on earth do you manage

to live that world where you're living two lots of lies in one place this

in the other place you're that. It blows my mind how anybody could even

do that. But we don't like the lights because the light reveals things.

If you've ever been on TV, if you've ever been filmed, they put

bright lights on you. They put bright lights on you so that there's a

good image that comes to the camera. But when they put bright lights on

you, suddenly wrinkles start to show. And do I really look like that?

So what do they do? They put makeup on you to cover up

the wrinkles, ye know. And actually I've been in places where I've been

filmed. Do I really need all this makeup? They've trust you know,

the makeup artists. We go, trust me, you need it? Oh,

thank you? Okay. But the point is, you know, we

don't like reality. Some of us don't like reality. Some of us look

at ourselves in the mirror and go in the morning, some of us do

that from time to time, we'll look in the mirror and we'll go.

You know, God doesn't do that. God doesn't go. He looks at

you and me and says, I created you in my image. You are

precious, You are special. So we need to live as special people.

We need to be comfortable in our own skins. We need to be comfortable

with who we are because God created us in his image and we need to

walk the way he wants us to walk. Over the years, and I'm

sure this is true for many people. I've had some injuries. I had

an injuries, I had my surgery on my knee, I walked with I

rode a bicycle into a taxi when I was fifteen years old. I caused

a lot of damage to a volvo. I left my teeth in the top

of the volvo. You know why am I telling this Well, because after

that injury, I walked with a limp. You know, as I got

stronger, I still walked with a limp because my mindset went, I have

an injury, therefore I need to walk with a limp. And actually sometimes

we need to learn to walk again. My mum had a little toe removed.

When I remember this distinctly. She had a little toe removed because it

wasn't it well. The doctor said it need removed. He had to learn

to walk again. You think that little thing there on the side of your

foot, it can't be that significant. It really does help you to balance

your big toe o, your little dough are the key toes. Those two

toes are very important for balance and whole bunch of things. My mom had

to learn to walk again, you see, just by that little thing.

Yes, And so when I asked, do you care, It's not just

in little it's in the big things too. In what we do and what

we say in How We Live in Love costs Everything. In John, it

says this Jesus talks about who he is. He says, I am the

good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. Let's just

pause there, before I even go on any phone. The good shepherd,

Jesus gives his life for his sheep. He cares. It matters that much.

It's not just a job for a shepherd. Shepherds with their sheep.

Traditionally, they'd spend it. They'd smell like sheep. Now when a shepherd

walked into town, you knew he was a shepherd. He didn't have to.

Yeah, even if he changed his clothes, he'd still smell like a

shepherd because he spent all his time with his sheep. And he goes on

to say, but a hiling, he who does not he who is not

the shepherd, the one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf

coming and leaves the sheep and flees. The wolf catches the sheep and scatters

them. The hiling flees because he is the hiling and he does not care

about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know my sheep,

and am known by my own as the Father knows me. Even so

I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep and

other sheep I have which are not of this fold. Them also I must

bring and they must hear my boy, and there will be one flock and

one shepherd. Therefore, my Father loves me because I lay down my life

that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me,

but I lay it down of myself. I have to lay it down.

I have power to take it up again. This command I have received from

my father. Love costs everything. Jesus said, he's the good shepherd.

He's not just talking about the sheep. He loves and he knows, he

said, even the ones who don't know me, they're still sheep. And

if they haven't got a flock, let's get them in the flock. Come

on, you know, and you often find that sheep. If they get

lost, they will look for another flock. They will listen for the voice

of other sheep, and then they'll find a flock. They'll go together.

He cares about those that are in the flock and those who are on the

way to the flock. And if he sees one, he's going to go

and bring it in. It's like, come follow me. But he doesn't

just talk about following. Jesus doesn't just say follow me. What does he

say? He says, I will lay my life down, and I do

it freely. I do it freely. As such a powerful statement, you

and I cannot think about dying because we think, oh, that's the end.

Until an attorney with God. Jesus looked at death and faced death and

knew he was powerful enough to walk through it. But he's still laid down

his life. He said, I am doing the Father's will for Jesus.

It cost everything. Can you imagine how Jesus felt on the cross as he

was hanging there, and he said, why have you forsaken me? God?

Why Daddy? Why have you left me? Father? Why have you

left me? In those few moments, completely alone, but still his choice,

he did it for you and for me. He paid the price of

the fullness of life for love that costs everything, Love that costs everything.

In Romans, it says love must be sincere hate what is evil, cling

to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love, honor one

another above yourselves, never be lacking in zeal, but keep the spiritual fervor

in serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful

in prayer, Share with the Lord's people who are in need, practice hospitality.

There's lots of ways we can show love. Joe over different seasons of

my life, I've been really huggy and maybe a bit less huggy, And

there are times when God kind of I sent you and it's up to you

how you are. I think, I think that's fine. I think some

people want to shake hands. Fine, other people just want to say hi

and high fives, and but there's something about touch that's important in the world.

And one of the things that Debbie's going to share in the notices is

we're going to start doing outreach, pushing into Eggam on a regular basis,

sharing the love of Christ. You know, I had a dream night and

a dream of having aation and I don't know whether that be politically correct and

whether people would want it. Why not, because there are so many people

I've heard, you know, once in a while I've felt that I should

give someone a hug, someone and maybe I haven't seen for a long time,

and I just give them a hug, arm around the world, are

good to see you. And once it would have been about August last year,

I did this with somebody I hadn't seen for three or four months.

What I did was gentle arm around, great to see you. Burst into

tears. I thought, Oh, was my hug that bad? I'm sorry?

Did I did I hurt you? Because you know, sometimes you hug

people and they've got broken ribs or something, and hugging is not what you

bought at that moment. But she said, no, no, Dave,

I haven't been hugged for a long time. She said, I can't remember

the last time someone gave me a little hug, So thank you. And

I just thought all I did was put my arm on the shoulder and gave

her a little hug. What did that cost me? Nothing? No,

apart from maybe a little little a risk, a little risk of being embarrassed

where somebody might go, oh, no, no, no thing, Oh

is that my after shave? Or have I not cleaned my teeth? Or

you know whatever it is, those those kinds of things. Do you know

what? We live in a world where we are getting We're more and more

socially connected, but less and less connected in reality. I'd like you to

think for a few moments, and those listening online at home, and those

listening later, I'd like you to think too. I'd like you to think

about someone you could trust with something you were going through. Let's say you're

going through something you need to talk to someone. And I'm not talking about

your husbands or wives. I'm not talking about your children, those who are

close to you. I'm talking about a friend. Have you or eye got

a friend maybe we've made in the last two years. Let me make it

even that harder. Have you made a friend in the last two years that

you could be real with? And I'm just pausing to let you think about

it, because you know when I did this, I thought, hmm,

four years maybe two years. Oh, that's a bit harder. They takes

quite a long time to develop deep relationships. But do you know what,

That's what community is. That's what the church is. The church is about

developing relationship. And people say they feel at Homer Church for the last month.

I don't know whether you've noticed it. If you're not on social media,

you won't have seen it, but you would have seen some pictures up

here. Remember we did cardboard, my churches and lots of you did pictures

every day with Sarma's help, Salma and I have put videos up on every

social media, every social media so we could share some of these good things.

And the thing is, you know, I'm people who are coming to

who are nothing to church. People are saying, is this really what church

could be like? People saying church is my safe place, Church is my

home. My church, Church is causing breakthrough, Church is doing things.

Church is a place where things are happening. And they were just a fewer

things that we wrote and we shared and just throughout the month. So we're

coming to the end of every Thursday will be the twenty ninth of February Bonus

Day. What are you going to do with your bonus day this year?

You haven't had it for four years. What are you doing with your bonus

Day this year? We've got an extra special event because we've got Clem Ferris

coming with us. He's going to be with us on the twenty ninth.

That's your bonus event. If you want to come along. If anybody is

watching online, we've been pushing that on social media and you will should have

found somewhere on your chair, bring up the gift, the gift of God,

the gift of the Holy Spirit, and what happens. But you know,

we're going to have a full room. It's going to be set up

as a normal church on Sunday because I'm absolutely sure it'll be full. But

please do invite somebody, bring a friend. Don't have to be Christian,

because that's one of the reasons why I've titled it the way we titled it,

Stir up the Gift. Let's see, let's see how people respond.

Love costs everything. So there's your bonus Thursday, twenty ninth to February.

What are you doing with your bonus Thursday? Are you doing something different?

Are you marking it in any way? You might say, David's just another

day. You are absolutely true, but it only happens every four years.

Love costs everything. Let me bring my final scripture to share with you,

which is from Mark chapter ten. That's forty five. Well, even the

Son of Man did not come tum sir, and to give his life at

a ransom for many. There are many times in my life when I've been

doing something and I thought, why am I doing this? Maybe it's something

I don't like doing. Maybe it's something that's not very nice to do.

And many times it's been around church and I got a bit run with myself

if I'm wondering why am I doing this? I don't like doing this?

And every time I've sen God say to me, Dave, who are you

doing it for? Who are you doing it for? And then the smelly

stuff on my hands that I'm dealing with, or the mess that I've had

to work with, or the tiredness that I'm having to wrestle with, all

just disabears into a background because my eyes on the right thing. I'm not

doing it because I please the Father. I'm not doing it because it needs

doing, although it does need doing. I'm doing it because I want to

please his son. I want to serve him. Belly Graham was very interestingly

interviewed in the latter years of his life, and I remember this distinctly,

and I feel this too, because a last Belly, You've led crusades all

around the world, You've seen thousands millions come to Christ. He said,

what what what? What? What are the hopes when you the father?

What are you hoping for? He said, I'm hoping that I've done enough

to get a well done, good and faithful servant. And that humbled me

when I thought about this man who's given over to God, he'd given his

life to sharing with us, and he's wondering whether he's done enough. And

it's not about what we've done, because Jesus paid the price, but the

Father still desires that we would serve him. And that scripture that I quoted

there, that scripture really just helped us to think about Actually it's about sacrificial

service. And when we get focused on the stuff, often the stuff gets

in the way. When we get focused on the who for and why,

the suddenly things change. Peter was asked by Jesus do you love me?

He said, Father, Yes, Jesus, I love you. And he

asked again, Peter, do you love me? Yes, of course I

do, and he was almost offended by the second question. Then the question

came a third time and he almost got cross with Jesus at that moment,

said of course I love you, and then the cock crowed and he was

reminded he denied Christ in moments previously, Love costs. Love costs because there's

a price to be paid. There's a price to be paid because of sin.

And I want to walk a right way. I hope you do too.

I want to walk a good way. I hope the right choices.

Who makes the right choices all the time? Not me, not you.

Sometimes we get it wrong. Do you know what? We can truly make

a difference, and in making a difference, we can change this world.

And then when God says to us, do you care, we can look

at him and say yes, I can. I wonder what your equivalent of

that moment that I started the story out this morning of driving down if it's

walking down Egham High Street, I wonder if it's actually a burning spirit within

you that just says, God die for me. He sent his son Jesus

for me. And I need to tell someone about this, because you know

what, when that flame starts burning brightly inside us, we cannot shut up.

We cannot keep quiet. Political correctness would often feel like we're squeezed into

a box and we can't say this, and we can't say that. Do

you know what? There are plenty of martyrs around the world, and people

who have given their lives because they've not paid any attention to what you can

or can't do. They've just been God's man or woman in action in those

moments. So I want to encourage us Church. Let's press into the love

that God has for us, so that we can take that love and share

it with others. When you and I run out of love, there's only

one direction we should look, and that's upwards. Lord, fill me again

with the power of your love. And when I'm completely squeezed out and run

dry, fill me up again. And when I'm squeezed out, fill me

up again. You know, with that model, we never run out.

We just get squeezed a little bit. Isn't that a hug? Isn't a

hug just to squeeze. Let me pray. There's a song that says love

that changes everything. God's love changes everything. It changes the backdrop, it

changes the story on the stage, it changes the action that happens in front

of us. And Father God, I pray that Lord, we would see

your love in action in us and through us and ultimately into the world.

Stir up your church, stir up running me Christ, God, to be

your love in action, To be your love in these meanments. Father,

we pray for those who are lost, if we pray those who are desperate,

we pray for those who are without hope today. Maybe something that is

people who are listening right now, those who are listening online. You're saying,

Dave, you can say these things, but what about my situation.

I'd love for the privilege and opportunity to pray with you and for you,

But I'm going to pray for all of us now. Would God, would

you give us fresh hope? Father, Where situations are difficult, circumstances are

difficult, Father, would you give us fresh hope? Lord, Would you

glue us together with the power of your love. Father, help us to

be your church, your people in action. Father, fill us up with

your love that we overflow with the fullness of your love. Manifest yourself in

our midst, Lord God. Not even as we press into being church on

the street and going out, Father, we pray the Lord God, you

cause us to be light and salt in this world, Bring light in dark

places, drive away fear, and bring honest living, truthful living to the

forefront. Again. Father, help us to live by faith, Oh God,

as we press into you, let it be as we worship you now

in Jesus name, and as we step back into worship team, as worship

and as the worship team leads us. I just want to encourage people.

If you need prayer this morning, We've got people who can come and pray.

Maybe just want come to the front particularly. There's two or three things

that I had in my heart that I wanted just to share. One was

where things have got stuck. You literally feel like you're car, a car

stuck in mud and the wheels are spinning and you're not moving anywhere. If

that's you, we'd love to pray with you. Number two is where everything's

hard right now.