The Great Invitation

Our prayer this morning is that we're going to learn some truth.

Our prayer this morning is that we may have some of the questions that we may have answered.

And our prayer is that today we're going to gain a new perspective.

I'm going to explain to you what Christianity is.

Okay, if you're already a Christian, I hope it will reinforce your own faith.

But also, if you're already a Christian, I hope as you listen to the way that I will articulate what Christianity is, it may help you in order to articulate it to other people.

Now, if you're not a Christian or you don't know whether you are or you used to be, well, I hope as you listen now, your mind will be illuminated, your heart will be illuminated.

And then when I conclude, I'm going to ask you to get up out of your seats, out of the rows, to come down all the aisles, and I'm going to ask you here at Gateway to come and stand here at the front, and in the other campuses to walk down and stand at the front.

Now I'm telling you that now, so when I tell you in 25 minutes' time, you won't be surprised.

That's what I'm going to do.

What is Christianity?

Christianity is an invitation.

If you're anything like me, I'm sure you appreciate invitations.

Even if you can't go, you think, oh, wasn't that nice?

They remembered me.

Now when you get an invitation to a wedding or something like that, you get the invitation card, and at the bottom of the card you find the letters RSVP.

What do they stand for?

Well, it's French.

Responde si vous play, which basically means, are you going to come?

And people put a date.

So if you don't reply by the date, you can't go.

You and I are all being offered the invitation today.

It's got RSVP on it.

Sunday, the 16th of June, 2013.

Wait a minute, J.

John, you're saying, will I be offered the invitation tomorrow?

Don't know.

You're going, what do you mean you don't know?

Don't know.

Why not?

We don't know whether we're going to be alive tomorrow.

That's why it's very, very important that you reply to the invitation while you're still alive.

Have you got that?

While you're still alive, in reply to the invitation.

Okay, now when you get an invitation, there are three things you want to know.

One, who is it from?

Two, who is it to?

Three, what is it about?

Let's answer those three questions.

There's a very famous verse, words that Jesus said.

Well, it's recorded in John's Gospel, chapter three, verse 16.

Okay, and it says this for God so loved the world that he gave his only son.

So whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

That one line answers those three questions.

Who's it from?

For God.

God.

G O D.

So many people have so many misunderstandings about God.

When the first Russian astronaut returned from space, first interview, first question, did you see God?

He said, No, I did not.

So the Soviet Union heralded this as proof that God did not exist.

When the first American astronaut returned from space, first interview, do you know what the fourth question was?

Did you see God?

He said, I would have seen God had I stepped out of my spacesuit.

You see, the Russian and the American had two different understandings of the word God.

Too many people today ask the wrong questions.

If you ask the wrong questions, you can never get the right answers.

Here's the question to ask: Has God spoken?

Yes, God spoke in creation.

God has spoken through history, but God's greatest revelation of himself for all people, for all cultures, for all times, was in Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ, the King of Kings.

In other words, the King of the entire universe and the entire cosmos.

The invitation is from Him.

Who to?

For God so loved the world.

That means you and me.

Every single one of us.

Now, not everyone acknowledges the invitation.

I gave a whole series of lectures at Oxford University.

After my final lecture, the student comes up to me and says, Mr.

John, I've listened to all your lectures.

I find you an interesting speaker.

I said, Thank you.

He then said, but I personally believe that Christianity is a crutch.

I looked at him and I thought, I hope you break your legs.

It was a random thought.

And then I said to him this, I said, listen, if you broke both of your legs, would you appreciate the use of a wheelchair to get around?

He said, yes, I would.

I said, if you broke one leg, would you appreciate the use of crutches to get around?

He said, yes, I would.

I said, I'm a broken person.

So are you.

I've never met a person who isn't broken.

And I'm so pleased I can lean on Jesus while he's putting me back together again.

Some people do not look up until they hit rock bottom.

But you don't have to wait till you've hit rock bottom to look up.

Okay, what's it about?

What is Christianity about?

Okay.

The teaching of Christianity is based on the Bible.

In the Bible, there are 800,000 words.

What's it about?

I'll tell you.

It's only about three things.

That's all.

One, forgiveness from the past.

Two, new life here today.

Three, a hope for the future.

That's what it's about.

Everything else in the Bible is called commentary and application on those three principles.

Principle one, forgiveness from the past.

Do you agree with the following statement?

There are problems in the world today.

You agree?

We all agree.

There are problems in the world today.

It's interesting, isn't it?

That all the people who know how to run the country are too busy cutting hair and driving taxicabs.

Have you noticed that?

I said to my hairdresser, it's a great shame you're too busy cutting hair.

You know, you could be the Prime Minister.

Because in 30 minutes you told me how the government should be running the country.

Listen, we've all got ideas.

The governments are doing their best to alleviate the symptoms.

Social agencies are doing their best.

Voluntary agencies are doing their best to alleviate the symptoms.

If you only alleviate the symptoms, you will always have the symptoms.

Until unless you deal with the root cause.

What's the root cause?

A mother said to her husband, darling, I need to get on.

Look after Annie for me, their daughter.

He said, okay.

He thought, what could he do to occupy his daughter?

He's flicking through a magazine.

He sees a map of the world.

He said, Annie, watch what I'm going to do.

He cut the map of the world into small squares.

He muddled all the squares all over the floor.

He said, Annie, I want you to put the squares back together again to make the map of the world.

When you've done that, come and find me.

And he thought, good, that'll keep her busy.

Couple of minutes later, Daddy, I've done it.

He thought she couldn't have done it.

Went to have a look.

All the squares were put in exactly the right place.

He said, Annie, how did you know where to put the squares?

She said, Well, when you were cutting the map out, I looked on the other side.

And I saw a picture of a man and a woman.

And I thought, if I could put the man and the woman back together again, I could put the world back together again.

You see, the heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart.

That was good.

You need to tweet that.

Tweet it.

I'm Canon J.

John.

Tweet that.

That's good.

Repeat after me.

The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart.

Tomorrow, if you're at work, if you're at work tomorrow, say that to a colleague or to a neighbor.

Hey, did you know that the heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart?

And they'll go, I better write that one down.

But then you give you explain it.

It's the heart.

What's wrong in the world?

It's the heart.

What's wrong with people's marriages?

It's the heart.

What's wrong with people's communities?

It's the heart.

Any question you ask, it's the heart.

Now just imagine you passed out of this life.

Now, this is just an analogy.

You woke up in a gigantic theater, sitting there on your own.

In front of you is a huge screen.

All of a sudden the doors open, an angel flies in, comes up to you, and says, Welcome to the theatre of judgment.

Relax.

Watch the screen.

There on the screen, you see your life.

Everything you ever did here on earth, everything you ever said, and everything you ever thought.

Those are called the sins of commission.

The film then proceeds to show you the sins of omission.

All the things that we should have done, but we didn't do.

At the end of the film, as you're recovering, the angel comes back and says, relax.

There's going to be a second showing.

All the people who were featured in the film of your life are all waiting outside.

We're just going to let them all in to come and view your life a second time.

How would you feel if your life were judged on that basis?

That is exactly how God judges us in an instant.

I don't know about you, me?

I would not want a private viewing, let alone a public viewing of my life.

I do not need convincing that I've thought, said, and done things that I shouldn't have done.

And what a lot of people don't understand is all that stuff on the film has the consequences of disconnecting us from God.

And it works a bit like an overdraft in a bank account.

If you have an overdraft, I have an overdraft, you can't help me, I can't help you.

The only one who can help us is someone in credit.

Jesus was the only one in credit.

If our greatest need was information, then God would have sent us an educator.

If our greatest need was money, then God would have sent us an economist.

If our greatest need was technology, then God would have sent us a scientist.

But our greatest need was forgiveness.

That's why God sent us a Savior.

Jesus came into this world not to rub it in, but to rub it out.

Jesus died on the cross because by dying on the cross he was purchasing for us forgiveness.

It was as if a check was being cashed, signed with his blood, to say, here's the check to clear your overdraft, to set you free.

When I received the invitation on the 9th of February 1975, the light came on in my mind, in my heart, and I felt clean.

My mother said to me, You're brainwashed.

I said, Mother, my brain has been washed.

If you only knew, mother, what was in my brain, you'd be pleased it got washed.

We are all being offered forgiveness from the past.

Forgiveness from the past.

But not only that, new life here today.

New life here today.

The word Christian has got the word Christ in it.

If you remove the word Christ from the word Christian, you're left with I A N.

Ian isn't gonna help you.

Trust me.

Do you know?

I meet so many Americans.

I've been coming to America for 30 years.

I've been on 102 ministry trips to the United States.

Okay, I've meet I've met a lot of Americans, and I've met a lot of Americans, I'm Christian, and they've got more to do with Ian than they do with Christ.

You cannot be a Christian unless you're connected to Christ.

Think of your life for a moment, like a car.

Okay, the car of your life.

To be a Christian means Christ is in your car.

Okay, so if he's not in your car, he's not in your life, listen, in a few minutes, hey, you get up out of your seat and come to the front here and the other campuses and say, hey, I want him in my life.

Now, I would imagine that for many of you, Christ is already in your car.

Okay, the big question is this where is he?

Do you drive your car to church, unlock the trunk, get Jesus out for religious happy hour?

At the end of the service, get back in there.

You know, so on a Sunday, you're all little bit Christian, Christian.

The rest of the week, no one would know.

No one would know.

Your colleagues at work wouldn't know.

Your wife wouldn't know.

But on a Sunday, oh yeah, let's give it all that.

And let's put him back in the trunk.

Other people, no, Jay John, he's not in the trunk.

He's inside.

Where is he?

On the back seat, a bit of a passenger?

No, he's in the front passenger seat, bit of a companion, still a passenger.

So now you're one step ahead of me.

You're thinking, Jay John's now gonna say, is he in the driving seat?

Yes, I am.

Is he in the driving seat of the car of your life?

Everybody here and in the campuses, if you thought, yes, he is, I have one more question for you.

Are you a back seat driver?

Jesus, the car gets to an intersection, Jesus turns left.

Where are you going?

I'm going down the road of forgiveness.

I don't want to forgive her.

I know, I know what that feels like.

Seriously, trust me.

Have you seen the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding?

Have you seen that?

Okay, well, I'm Greek.

When that movie came out, my friend said to me, is it true?

I said, No, it's not true.

It's worse.

Seriously, my mother is a travel agent for guilt trips.

I'm sure many of you have got mothers like that.

Jesus said to me, forgive, forgive, forgive, forgive.

Listen, some of you today might find this an actually difficult day.

You can't say one good thing about your father.

And you'll probably find it awkward today.

I tell you this, forgive them.

Forgive them.

In a court of law, how do you address the judge?

You say your honor.

It's got nothing to do with their personality.

You're respecting their position.

So it doesn't matter how bad your fathers were, forgive them.

Because if you don't forgive, you break the bridge on which you must cross.

Forgive.

Forgive.

Later on, some of you might need to come down here and say, hey, I'm coming.

I'm coming.

You can't alter the past, but you can bring the past to the altar.

Bring it here.

Bring it here and say, I'm gonna let go of this.

I'm gonna let go of this.

Why?

Because if you don't forgive, you break the bridge on which you must cross.

When you've got Jesus by his Holy Spirit in the driving seat of the car of your life, do you know what happens?

Your life fills with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

How long have you been a Christian?

Here's a question for you.

How fruity are you?

How fruity are you?

If you're lacking, if you lack love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control, it is an indication.

You know how sometimes you're driving your car and a little red light comes on?

There's a problem.

Well, that's a red light.

If you lack any of these fruit, that's a red light.

And that probably indicates that Jesus is in the trunk.

Or he's a passenger, but he's definitely not in the driving seat.

So I'm gonna urge you today, a day of new beginnings, you come down here at the front in all the campuses and say, hey, I think the red light's been on for a while.

It's time to say this is a day of new beginnings.

Forgiveness in the past, new life here today.

Thirdly, a hope for the future.

A hope for the future.

Do you know a lot of people's hope is is a bit like a hospital gown.

You're usually not as well covered as you think you are.

Listen to what Jesus said.

Men and women are traveling along one of two roads.

Men and women are going into one of two doors.

Men and women are serving one of two masters.

Men and women are building their lives on one of two foundations.

Men and women are heading towards one of two destinies.

This is serious.

According to the Bible, a good life is three score years and ten.

That's 70 years.

If you're over 70, you're in extra time.

Do you know?

Even if God gave you 90 years, do you know what 90 years is?

A blip on the eternal screen.

In Christ, we have a hope for the future.

What is Christianity?

Christianity is an invitation.

Who from?

The King of Kings.

Who to?

You and me.

What's it about?

Forgiveness from the past, new life here today, and a hope for the future.

R S V P Responde C Vu play.

What have you done with your invitation?

If you've never received the invitation, receive it today.

In a moment, get up out of your seats and come and say, hey, I want this invitation.

Maybe some of you did receive it, but you shelved it.

This morning, come back and say, hey, I want to pick it up again.

Some of you have had a pencil commitment.

Ink it in today.

Some of you, you know you've got Christ in your life, but he's in the trunk.

He's a passenger.

You don't seem to have much fruit of the Spirit.

Come forward and reposition Jesus.

Can I ask the worship group, please, to come back?

Can I please ask you to stand in all the campuses, please stand?

We're going to sing in just a moment.

Amazing Grace.

It was written by John Newton.

Listen to what John Newton wrote.

He wrote these words.

I have broken all of God's Ten Commandments.

I was a liar, I was a cheat, I was a thief, I was an adulterer and a murderer.

But I met Christ who ransomed, healed, restored, and forgave me.

And I experienced the grace that was amazing.

And he articulated it in this song.

So we're going to sing this in just a moment.

Four verses.

The moment we start singing it, I'm going to ask you here and in the other campuses to make your way out of the rows into the aisles and come down to the front.

If you want to kneel, you can kneel.

You just come straight away.

Listen, those of you at the top, don't wait till the last line of the fourth verse.

Because if you start in the first line, you'll be here by the time we end.

Now I know what it's like.

Seriously, I do.

I've been in this situation myself.

You're in the middle of a row, and you're now wondering, how am I gonna get out?

Well, all you have to do is move.

People know where you're going and they'll make way for you.

Now look, you might be standing next to your husband, and you know he needs to come.

Grab his hand and say to him, big man, it's time to be a little man.

It's time.

Men might need to do that with their wives and say, hey, it's time.

It's time for a new beginning.

It's time for us to accept the invitation.

It's time for us to reposition Jesus.

You may have brought a friend here this morning.

Turn to your friend in just a moment and just say, hey, would you like to come and receive this invitation?

Would you like me to accompany you?

Bring your friend.

Bring your friend.

You all come, come here.

Now, when you've all come here to the front, what's gonna happen?

By the way, you might be wondering, why is he getting us to come to the front?

Listen, you know when two people get married, the minister doesn't say, we've got two people getting married today, but we don't know where they are.

She's dressed in white, you can't miss her.

You know why I'm asking you to come here to the front?

One, because this is like an altar, but two, I want you to stand up in here because if you can't stand up in here, you'll never be able to stand up outside.

When you've all come to the front at the end of the amazing grace, this is what's gonna happen.

I'm gonna pray a prayer.

I'm gonna ask you to pray the prayer, and then I'm gonna pray for you.

Once I've prayed for you, we we just wanna say a quick hi to you, and we're gonna give you some things.

And I want to give you something.

I want to give you something.

I've brought these books that I want to give to you.

Okay, I'm gonna give you a little book called Making the Connection that I've written.

Explains a little bit more about what I've said, and I want to give you this postcard of a beautiful painting of Jesus knocking on our lives, on our door.

And I want you to write your name, write the date, 16th of June 2013, Father's Day.

And I want you to write on here what you did today.

I want you to put that in your Bible.

In years to come, you'll keep finding the postcard, and you'll go, I remember that day.

They had that little Brit.

I remember that day, I remember that day, and you put it there for a new beginning.

We're gonna start now.

Amazing grace.

The moment we start, please make your way.

Come now.

Start coming now.

If you want to keep coming, listen, you feel hey, you want to be here, just slip out.

Come and join us, come and join us now.

Listen, we're not gonna hurry this.

I know, I know the pastors have got, oh look, look, we got a schedule to keep.

Oh my word.

When a baby's born, you don't say, I've got to go off.

I've got to keep a schedule.

You just chuck the schedule out the window.

This is probably for you guys one of the most important things that you're about to do.

Close your eyes.

Not that you need to do that to pray, but just so you're not distracted.

I'm gonna pray a prayer.

I will pray this prayer phrase by phrase.

I'll pray it once so you know the words.

The second time I pray the prayer, would you please pray this prayer out loud with me?

Wherever you are, if you love Jesus, join in please and pray this prayer as your way of affirming your own faith.

Here's the prayer.

Jesus, I bow before you now.

Jesus, I bow before you now.

I know I have done many things wrong.

I know I have done many things wrong, and I ask you to forgive me, and I ask you to forgive me.

Cleanse my life, cleanse my life, set me free from the past, set me free from the past.

I invite you into my life, I invite you into my life.

Come in by your Holy Spirit, come in by your Holy Spirit, come into the driving seat of my life, come into the driving seat of my life, fill me with your presence and your peace.

Fill me with your presence and your peace.

Help me to validate my faith.

Help me to validate my faith in thought and word and deed.

In thought and word and deed.

Thank you, Jesus, for hearing my prayer.

Thank you, Jesus, for hearing my prayer.

Amen.

A prayer for you.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I announce, I pronounce the forgiveness of your sins.

May you know the truth and the reality of the prayer that you have prayed.

May you know his cleansing.

May you know the empowerment of his holy presence in you and on you and with you.

And we pray for your protection and for our protection as we endeavour to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and protector of our faith.

If you are concerned about your health or you are concerned about the health of someone you love who may not be here, put your hand on your heart now, either for yourself or to represent somebody.

Jesus, we know that you're not only the King of Kings, we know that you're the great physician.

And so we're asking you now, just as you stood over Peter's mother-in-law, you would stand over us.

Stand over our friends, our family who may not be here.

Whether it's any kind of disease, sickness, an infection, we pray that you will flush it out of our systems now.

Whether it's been any kind of degeneration, we're asking you now for regeneration, restoration.

We speak health and wholeness, well-being in body, in mind, and in spirit.

We ask for your blessing upon us, the blessing of God the Father, who made us, the blessing of God the Son, who died for us, and the blessing of God the Holy Spirit.

Amen.