Celebrating the lost

It's great to see you all. I think this is what dreams are

made of a when we get so many diverse groups of people

together in one room, it's an incredible thing.

I said to the guys in Durban the church that we came from, we are

embarking on a building project. I said the best thing to do is

to actually come and see the people in Pretoria And I want to

study of Recons, guys are honestly believe I've learned

more from you. Then I've ever taught you.

And it's an incredible privilege to be part of the leadership of

this church. You are an incredible group of

people. And that's an incredible joy to

serve you and pray as best we know, how.

And I think of feast is an incredible opportunity to

display something of what God is doing.

And when you come to a church and you see a 320 kg ox, At the

front door. Hahaha, no condoms.

Bry - And if you any of you English, like so scared, you

should be. When you see enough recording

with red meat and, you know, this trouble voice.

It's big trouble. What an amazing, amazing

privilege. So we doing a series on,

feasting, it's great to have you here.

We decided to Feast instead of fast, because Jesus work is

finished and everybody's panicking in South Africa, and

so we've kind of turned the clocks on things and We've

looked at Jesus as way of bringing people closer to him,

so wherever you are today. If your friends have invited,

you haven't been in church for a long time.

It's still really cool to have you.

And everybody said to me, what about all those people who ran

to the front and they didn't actually get their trips to

Mozambique paid for. That was pretty harsh.

You know what, every single one of them got their trips paid for

because the church here is actually amazing.

It was a girl. One of the girls who ran first,

she bought a guy coffee in the land yet last week.

Actually happened to be a pretty wealthy, very successful, man.

She brought him coffee and he couldn't understand why.

And she's a single mom, she ran to the front and I kind of ran

away from her and he paid for her ticket to mozambican in

somebody paid for her daughter's ticket.

So, when the church starts to operate together, we actually

start to meet everybody's needs. Every prayer can be made by

every resource inside of this building today.

Every pray, we pray can be met by every resource inside of this

building today. If we just open our eyes and And

be kind. Amen.

So friends, we're going to look at one of the very great Tick's

of the Bible. It's Luke chapter 15, it's an

Luke 15 · chapter mention

amazing text. It's about being lost and about

being found, and it's about a feast and it's particularly

about a feast. When a son who's lost comes

home. Now, I want to say to All You

Blue bull supporters, we've got one of you on the bride right

now, we just cut off your horns. That's actually Bucky's butcher

there on the Bry. But I want to tell you in the

same way that you celebrate, when a man scores have tried

Loftus, versfeld, you should be celebrating when a person comes

to Christ in exactly the same way.

And if we can do it for a pigskin bowl with 50 sweaty men,

then we can do it for Jesus with eternal values.

Amen. And so we have to actually allow

God to deal with us very deeply. I met a lady at the front door.

Today she said, I said, how long you been the church.

He said, since the tents I said, Oh, so you've been offended a

few times. She said, I often go home and

pray for you. I said, thank you so much.

I think you should pray for yourself, so we try to find each

other. We trying to find Freedom.

We're trying to find the fullness of what God has for us.

Amen. So let's have a look.

Luke 15 three stories and then we're going to eat cleanse.

Going to teach us how now the tax collectors and sinners.

Say sinners. You welcome here, you are

welcome here. Maybe you did something really

stupid lost not welcome to church when you're at your

worst. God said his best when you

really dark, really dingy, really debauched really sick.

Really secretive and really caught up.

You're welcome here. Will cook an AUX just for you.

Every Sunday will cook an ox just for you you know friends on

the 11th of December last year. I stood up in this pulpit and I

said, I felt God say, we must shut our church service down,

and go to India, morality and speak about the grace of God

over in fear more later. And the unification of the

church in Pretoria that we can see this feasts, but permeate

throughout Society, I said I'm going to ask his life and Doctor

day to shut these Services down. We're going to go there and

we're going to bless in here. More a letter.

And I left it, I haven't got done anything with this week.

I've got a message from the Germany, Germany.

Bought an awesome infant mortality said, Rory, I'm asking

you a big favor, but would you be prepared to shut down three?

See on the 2nd of April. With Doc Sedalia and she's life

and come to India more later and have a feast together.

You have a feast together and to display to Pretoria what it

means to actually serve God, one loaf one cup.

And so the 2nd of April, you know, the beginning of the month

is when you make your bucks in the church, I'm just telling

you. Somebody has to pay for the

aircon. It doesn't just fall out the

sky, so the second of the month and and the, you know, their

first, the Lost meant in the doors are locked the important

weekends and you'll see. Sometimes you just forget to

take up offerings that offering on the 2nd of April instead of

coming to three cells, going to go to India more later.

We're gonna go there, we're going to set our service done.

We're going to shutter Financial income down, and we're gonna go

and bless them with the feast with an ox together.

And India, more later I meant Yeah, and if you've come from

the and you've got damaged there, then you go get back then

we're going to bless them. Now, the tax collectors and

sinners were all gathering around to hear him.

But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered,

This man welcomes Sinners and eats with them.

Welcome to 3cr today. We are a church that welcomes

Sinners and eats with them. Then Jesus told them this,

Parable suppose, one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of

them, does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country

and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?

And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his

shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and

neighbors together and says Rejoice with me, I have found my

lost sheep. I tell you that, in the same

way, they will be more rejoicing in heaven.

Over one sinner, who repents than over ninety-nine righteous

people who do not need to repent.

So what happened in the Jewish culture is that the picture was

of heaven and of Earth? And inside of Heaven, everything

was in order and on the earth, everything was disorganized

everything here. Had government everything here

was in turkey. And so what God did his, he gave

the Ten Commandments here so that people could start behaving

themselves and they obeyed The Ten Commandments, but they fell

short of the Ten Commandments. And when they obeyed, God, he

blessed them. And when they disobey God, he

cursed them. And then I realized that they

couldn't actually keep the loss. Instead of God actually bringing

Heaven to Earth, he sent his son, Jesus to come, and live

amongst us, and to show us what heaven and earth looked like,

Amen. And then Jesus went back up to

heaven and he left us the Holy Spirit to live According To

Jesus, but what people did is they went back to the law.

So they said, let's keep the law and hope God blesses us.

And so they believe that the more they could replicate

behavior on Earth, that looked like behavior and Heaven, they

would get blessed. but now, this is what the Bible says, when one

person gives their life to the Lord, heaven throws a party When

one person gives their life to the Lord in the church, my

conservativism stops me from throwing a party.

So, when that guy for read the prayer, no, more.

Nice day. More nice day.

Not even Coppola fear. All of you who I am naughty

wing. Hey culinary field, if you lock

the command and I'd reckoned, he'd hook our shared reality

hook and he other funders and a lobster special havoc on mouth.

But in the church, we just stand Now in the church friends every

time a sinner gets saved, we should kill a 320 kg Ox.

We should invite all our friends and say.

Listen you guys, it's a very expensive meal, but we're going

to stop everything and we're going to celebrate.

We're going to drink. We're going to eat because one

person has got site and they rejoicing up there.

We're going to Rejoice down here.

That's ridiculous like properly. Back.

And then, and we are not going to allow the confines of

religion, to determine how we behave on Earth.

Because the Bible says, Heaven, has come down to earth in the

form of Jesus. And actually, now, we once a as

Heaven rejoices sawdust, Earth rejoice, And we can shut down

the 2nd of April and we can go to in him or a litter.

And we Rejoice together as one meal as God, going to restore

things, and God is going to bless their church and God is

going to use us and we raise our hands.

I think they're going to do many condoms self.

I can open. It has a name, Maya, kidney

Excellency, made a yellow Yoshi. Under a mini on scorm

homophones. Mary, Ellen, Mark, Nico rosberg

and Ronnie worth of snow peas. Blackie's.

Suppose suppose the woman has ten silver coins and loses one,

does he not light a lamp? Sweep, the house and search

carefully until she finds it and when she finds that she calls,

her friends and neighbors together and says, Rejoice with

me, I have found my lost coin in the same way.

I tell you there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of

God over one sinner. Who repents?

if I took that silver coin, And I hid it in this building.

And I turned off the lights. With two and a half thousand,

people searching all night, we would not be able to find that

coin. There is something about a

sinner that is completely helpless.

I am here, not because of anything that I did, that

deserves me to be here and I know people have got

unbelievably agitated as I've gone off The Advocates and

lawyers and professors and educated people.

But there is nothing in myself works or success that allows me

to celebrate with god with the Sinners because X and he like

that coin. I'm completely and Totally

hopeless. I am helpless.

I cannot be found unless the Holy Spirit turns on the light

and actually starts to see a little bit of a glimmer, and

when he sees a glimmer, he comes towards me.

That's why our friends we can stand around and aux.

Every single one of us and never have to be ashamed of what we've

done or haven't done. Because heaven is celebrating

whether you're a lost sheep, a sheep gets lost by one during a

coin, gets lost by being misplaced.

And the Sun, the third story gets lost by willfully,

disobeying God and whether you are here because you've wondered

or being misplaced or you've disobeyed.

God, I want to say welcome to the feast Amen.

And when we understand that friends, they will never be an

inner circle. Inside of the church.

They will never be politics. We will never ever look down at

somebody. I flew back yesterday on the

airplane. I sat next to a man.

He was the first black man to go to one of the private schools in

South Africa, 40 years ago. Next year, he celebrates his

reunions, his 40th reunions, he still carries deep inside of his

heart. The pain of the names that he

was called deep inside of me, 40 years later.

And I felt like saying to mr. Schauble Allah come to the feast

tomorrow. Come to the feast where we can

find a Unity when you can find the togetherness not on my

performance or my attractiveness, or my success or

my abilities, but on Christ and Christ Alone.

I meant. Jesus continued, there was a man

who had two sons. The younger one said to his

father, father, give me say, give me now.

There will be many. Yeah, they just say to God, give

me. Give me money.

Give me job. Give me success.

Give me a promotion. Just give me.

Give me, give me. Give me.

Give me. Give me a man after midnight.

Just looking for something from God.

Give me Marcy of these State. This is like the greatest

disgrace, so, he divided his property between them.

Not long after that, the younger son gathered together.

All he had set off for a distant country and there he squandered

his wealth in Wild living. Austrian spend everything.

It was a severe famine and that whole country and he began to be

in need. So he went and hired himself out

to a citizen of that country who sent him to the field to feed

pigs. He longed to fill his stomach

with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him

anything. When he came to his senses, he

said, how many of my father's hired, men have food to spare.

And here I am starving to death. I will set out and go back to my

father and say to him. Father, I have sinned against

heaven and against you, I am no longer worthy to be called your

son, make me like one of your hired men.

One of the great shifts of Christianity is to go from, give

me to make me. It is one of the great shifts of

Christianity, give me make me. Give me make me.

So when I went back to my chest that I led for 15 years, not

much, it's God says in Durban are set to the elders and the

room that many of us prayed in some of you would have grown up

and I met Redman's music. Matt Redman was probably one of

the most famous musicians in the world at one stage.

And he came to play at our church.

We had a full whole 3,000 people.

I went into the room that I met the elders with this week.

I went into that room with Matt Redman and he got on his chin on

his knees, and he started to sing.

I'm coming back to the Heart of Worship because it's all about

you, lord. It's all about you.

And that time, God called him in that room in Durban.

God called him to worship before God not before men.

And when I left that room, the guy said to me, Rory, you're

different to the man who left here 10 years ago.

And I can only say thank you to you.

Because I came here wanting something and actually God's

changed me. I hope in all my nonsense and

all my offensiveness. You find a man who is

passionately committed to preaching Christ to you without

any attachment. It's Christ, plus nothing

Christ, - nothing. And when we understand that will

start to build the community that can shut its Church down

and go to income or letter and give them their money because we

are perfectly reliant on Jesus. We don't have to hop up the

meetings, we don't have to hop up the audience, we don't have

to stand up against a string Church sings church.

Either you sing or you don't Either you participate or you

don't, are you participate of the oxy you get in your car and

you drive away, I can't force you.

But Lord God make me more like Jesus.

Make me soft. Make me this guy.

I told a story this guy said to me, he said, Rory, when you came

here, you started just feeding people.

And actually before you came here, the church of his to bring

our own food to the leaders meetings, we all used to

participate and there was a sort of a togetherness and then you

came here and you started blessing.

People said yeah. But I thought I was doing them a

favor. He said, but you taking away one

of the great building blocks of this church is that all of us

play a part. I got a you weren't here.

I said, I'm really sorry. We turn it around now, we have

our leaders, meaning, everybody brings something you see

friends, we don't have it all together.

You say, why not bring anything today?

Because the different meal today, the meal today is you

come with nothing. And you Feast the next time we

come your come with a bringing Shay but actually this church

was built on. Bringing see this church was

everybody's got a gift, everybody's got a part to play.

Everybody has got something to offer. so, you taught me

something work does actually her It wasn't him.

It was her. Amen.

But while you're still a long way off, his father saw him is

filled with compassion for him, he ran to his son.

How many of you have pulled a hamstring in the father's race?

But your hand up. Yeah he see that thing a he just

arrived than you think Hmm? You touch your toes twice and as

you hit the 40 lat. I was horrified on a touch rugby

field. The Durbin University at 34

years old, when I took the Gap and they say, the older, I get

the Foster, I was As I took that Gap in my hamster.

You swing qua. I thought there's no ways.

I'll sitting down at the rugby history.

My son played for the talented, 20 side of sitting down there.

And this guy comes, he must have been 48 years old, he said, you

cannot worm through him. Yo said.

This yoke women. And then Clinton our together

and he says, let's just like Father and Son, you know, laughs

that's a Pretoria is done to me. This is my favorite scripture in

the whole Bible but while he was still a long way off, His

father, saw him. Was filled with compassion for

him. He ran to his son.

He threw his arms around him and he kissed him.

Have you been here before sir? Yeah.

You you've never been here before.

What's your name? Ruin.

I don't know, but whenever I look around this or determines,

keep looking at you. I see you.

Well, hot is with deep compassion for you if I could

get across this bearded monster. Yeah.

Oh, just went towards you and hug you.

And say, Welcome to our church. I don't think you're a sinner, I

don't think you, but I just want to say Welcome to our church

because you've invited friends. Here, you've heard the story

many times but I have a friend called Nicholas, Graham.

You got saved out of drugs. You got saved at a funeral and

you serve God for a long time and then he back slid and they

came back to our church and he sat me down one day and he said

it's easier to come back to God than it is to come back to the

church on this scripture. And that day, I made a decision

that we're going to build a church where it's easy for

Sinners to come back. And I want to say this, if you

get it in your mind and you only visit us once when you are at

your worst, God is at his best. When you're at your worst, God

is at his best. I have a running compassionate

kind, wonderful God. And this guy got lost because he

disobeyed God, he disobeyed his orders, he took his inheritance,

he squandered it, and he came back and God ran at him, and I

don't care what you've done, how you squandered, how you've

disobeyed? How you've lived a wild and free

life. It says here on prostitutes and

booze and Probably cocaine. You welcome back in this room.

The son said to him, father I have sinned against heaven and

against you, I am no longer worthy to be called your son,

but the father said to his servants quick, bring the best

robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger.

That's the credit card of the family on.

There was a A Crest. You'd go to the shop, you'd melt

some wax. You'd put your family crest in

there, and it's a charge it to my dad.

He's lost his inheritance, he's lost his, his State, he's

completely indebted, and the first thing God does is give him

back the credit card. You say, but Dad you can't under

bit because I have, he says credit card.

Dad is there, is there is there a limit on this no limit?

Can I go spend? Yes.

Who must have charged it to me? How much as much as you like?

He put him back in credit. You can put that picture up if

you don't mind. That's one of the most famous

paintings ever painted. It's called The Prodigal Son by

Rembrandt. And if you look at his hands, on

the left hand side, is a strong hand, of a father.

On the right hand side, is a gentle hand of a mother.

On the right is the Pharisees standing straight up, right?

Looking down at one of the most compassionate events in human

history. With the Red Cloak.

You can see the pressure of the fingers is pulling his son

towards his chest. He's got no shoes.

His shoes are completely worn out.

He's dirty. But his father's embracing him

while religion stares at him. Let's keep reading.

But the son of mine was dead and is alive again.

He was lost and is found. So they began to celebrate, so

they celebrate They celebrate. They celebrate.

France, are you and let me down? Why don't you stand?

On your chair. Now, on your Che.

This man is many things. I've said this to you before,

those who don't know, he has a brother in Ministry and many

times, I all his brothers and Ministry, his nephew was also

the captain of the Proteus cricket team, but one day when I

was sick, he sent me a script, so I call him mr.

Habakkuk. He said, me, a scripture from

habakkuk when I asked God. If I'd ever preached again, when

I was lying in my bed, sick, he sent me a scripture, the very

preached I ever preached on, he sent it.

He said, I've been praying for you today, my friend.

And this is a scripture, God gave me and my devotion I said,

Lord, will I ever preach again? When the Blue bull score a try

or your nephew? Fuck, it's a six.

What do you do? Sorry, you cheer.

Chair or chair. Well, show us, bro.

Show us show us how you cheer. The properly route.

Properly properly. Spider Baby.

And when somebody gets saved, how do you do it?

Ha ha ha ha ha ha. So, they began to celebrate.

They began to celebrate. We have done a series on

feasting friends to take on the religious systems of how our

conservativism has crept into our hearts because we do not

understand the Eternal value of one person getting saved.

We take it for granted that every week God adds new people

to our church. Know when one person gets saved.

When one sheep gets found, when one coin gets illuminated, they

stopped the whole thing, they kill a fat ox, and they have a

party. Meanwhile, the older son was in

the field. When he came near the house, he

heard the music and the dancing. Say the dancing.

Okay. Let's stand guys.

Is she a homeless? She adores.

That's what they say is the only real estate doors?

No, condos dance, no, not like that.

Mom. Right there are not ripe yet.

Now let's see. Let's see a little bit.

Let's see, a little bit. It's still I'm watching you

Advocates. Where you Advocates?

I'm watching you. Yeah, Goosey Goosey.

Goosey Dhabi PSG. Yeah.

II kind of guy. This guy is getting a little bit

of moving. Get moving.

Hey, I'm going to call you by name your work.

Yeah, thank you.

Let's go. Keep standing.

Keep standing keep standing over one sinner.

Over 1,000. Please.

Can you send the video to dr. Germany.

Botanist Tell him on scorm. Did you order a pro?

And we might be weird, but in front of the same celebration

friends, we're going to build a church that celebrates when one

person comes to Christ, when one person comes to class,

and if you've got your parents here, for the first time,

welcome, Safe for you. Yeah, in here my keys on scum.

Friends. We cannot allow our culture and

our preference to set the standard of our faith.

It is all by grace, and if you understand that, then your

response will be spontaneous and will override your preconceived

ideologies and your upbringing, if you do not understand and I

do not understand that. I'm a sinful deeply depraved

man. Like a lost coin.

It It was impossible to find. You see this scripture friends

is about a father who ran at his son.

It's about a son Jesus, who went and looked for the Lost coin,

went to look for the lost sheep and it's about the Holy Spirit.

Who is home hovering or asthma Zulu?

Friend says hoovering. Hoovering over Pretoria.

So I have the father, and I have the Sun, and I have the Holy

Spirit. Hovering, I don't know how it

happened for you, but it happened for me like this.

I had a brain tumor lying in SM, weird wrote All By Myself

scared. I've been hit by of my school

and captain of rugby. I was arrogant, I thought I was

going to be the president of the country.

I thought so much of myself, I had so much, self belief.

And for one moment, I got unbelievably scared and I said,

God, I don't know what my future would hold.

And the Holy Spirit started to hover.

And he started to show me things in my heart and the shepherd

came and found me. And I walked into Saint Thomas

Church and Musgrave Road by myself shaking like a leaf.

And I went and bow down at the altar.

And I said, God, please will you fix my head?

If I die, I want to come to Heaven.

If I live, I'll serve you for the rest of my life.

I don't know why you here. I don't know why you here this

morning, I don't know who invited you but I ever lost you

are whether it is by your own wondering, whether you got

misplaced or whether you have defied God, I want to say to

you, welcome home in Jesus name, when he came near the house, he

heard the music and the dancing. Many people leave this church

because of the music and the dancing.

Many leave this church because of the music and the dancing.

It's one of the reasons why you should join the church because

of the music and the Dons. Say called one of the servants

and asked him what was going on. Your brother has.

Come he replied and your father has killed the fattened calf.

We just decided to kill an ox 320 kgs.

How many will feed they say, 700.

He killed the fattened ox cough, because he has him back safe and

sound. The older briquette brother

became angry and refused to go in.

So his father went out and pleaded with him.

But he answered his father, look, all these years, I've been

slaving for you and never never ever, ever disobeyed your

orders. Friends of serve God for 35

years. About 20 of those years.

I never disobeyed God. I saved him as best I could I

gave him my money. I gave him my time I came to

prayer meetings. I went to double Sunday

Services. I went to leaders meetings, are

traveled around the world and preach the gospel and I got

exhausted. Yet you never gave me even a

young goat, so I could celebrate with my friends, but when this

son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes

comes home, you killed the fattened.

Calf for him, who we having the Feast for today we having the

Feast for sinners like myself, who squandered much of the early

years of my life. And for sinners, like you, who

have come to know the grace of God.

My son, the father said, you're always with me and everything I

have is yours, but we had to celebrate and be glad because

this brother of yours was dead and is alive again.

He was lost and now he's found. I just want to bring this one

point to us. The very, very worst thing in

Israel was a pig The very worst thing was a pig.

You didn't have anything to do with the pig.

When Jesus cast out the demons, he cost him into the pigs. 2,000

went over and drown themselves. The very worst thing was a pig.

And the picture of this son was that he was so, so lost and so

low. And so debauched that he ended

up feeding the very worst thing. In Israel.

He ended up feeding the pig Like some of you feed cocaine luck,

some of you feed pornography lack, some of you feed the most

despicable things possible. And you say to me, Rory is there

any hope for me? I don't care how low you go.

Jesus went lower. I don't care how wide you go.

How far you wondered he went further.

I don't care how lost you are with.

Absolutely no ability to be found the Holy Spirit Will

illuminate you. And so whether you deep or

whether you're white, or whether you have absolutely, no hope the

Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, specialized In those who

are lost. so that they may be found and we might say it.

Celebrate. Welcome to ECR to the Feast of

all feasts, 10 sheep 1, Ox 100 kgs of steak 100, kgs of braavos

and enough food. Hopefully that will feed 5,000.

When it's all over, God bless you.