Understanding the Kingdom of God (Pt 17) : Lost and Found: Understanding God's Relentless Pursuit and the Power of Forgiveness

Waits for our return. Do you know that generosity of heart when it comes to God is in a sense, the currency of the kingdom. It's what you and I have to offer.

We are citizens in partakers of a kingdom that is very different to the one out there. We have a different Father. And hopefully children are shaped and fashioned by what happens at home, nurture and nature.

Nature is, you're born a selfish, broken, lost from God, sinner, and you get saved. And when you get saved, suddenly your nature changes. You get a whole new nature.

And then the environment you brought up in, in church should settle the nurturing part of you that you know this gospel in order to preach it. You know what God's doing inside you.

So what Jesus does is he wants to give three different kind of scenarios of lostness, then wants to show you how the Father's heart responds to all of those, so that if you need to respond yourself, you can.

But there are people out there who are struggling, who need to hear what you've got to say. Definition of something that's lost is this.

Something that's lost is not where it's supposed to be, and therefore it can't be connected to the life and purpose of the person it belongs to and to whom it is lost.

So if you lost, you're not where you're supposed to be. When I did the series on, or that little thing for the men on where are you? Adam? And I asked, where are you and where's your brother?

We handled that. If you're not in the place where you're supposed to be, trouble starts. The state of being out of place means someone is disconnected from God.

Do you know that a person can be fully aware they're lost or they can be lost while actually believing they're in the right place.

And no matter what the lostness looks like, the heart of God relentlessly pursues those who who is lost. God is always wanting to help people find their way home.

You have to remember on this Father's Day, and we remember our Father in heaven. Anyone in this room who's a father, you have a care and a compassion for your children.

And sometimes they're here, sometimes they're not here. They could be in another city, another country right now. You're thinking about them, you're worried about them.

If you're a parent in this room, your children are never far from your mind, ever. And so it is with our Father.

And I believe he is keeping back the Second Coming until enough kids can be saved. Because if a Trumpet should sign right now.

Every single person who doesn't know Jesus is going to be condemned. And I think it's the father heart of God wanting to draw us and he wants to show us where some of us are at.

It's important to keep in mind, especially when you try and reach people. You know what we have to do this year still is say each one reach one.

There's enough space now that by the end of this year each one of us can and should have brought at least one other friend just to double up what we're doing so that you can just reach friends for Jesus.

And you need to remember that some people can't be found because they don't know they're lost. They think they're fine. They think you strange.

When I go preach in certain places, you know, you go in Africa and you, or anywhere in South Africa and the guy says, what do you do for a living? And you say, I'm a pastor.

He goes, om fundis. It's a wonderful thing. You go to a place like Australia and you got told you're a pastor, they take a step back. It's like, oh, couldn't get a real job.

You know, I've got a friend who goes to Alcoholics Anonymous, another one goes to Narcotics Anonymous, another one goes to the crocheting club. Shame you Christians.

There's something, you need a bit of something, you need something. So you go there and you just, you do your thing. They don't understand. They think you're lost. Meanwhile they're lost.

They don't know it, they don't understand salvation, they don't understand a relationship with God. They don't see themselves as needing him.

And when you come, sorry, can I just talk to you about Jesus? They're like, why? Especially in the Western world, they believe everything's working.

So let's get into it this morning. The first kind of people you're going to find that people are sincerely lost. Different kinds of people, all lost the same way and they need to be found.

And what you found is Jesus is going to give us three examples and we're not going to get through all of them. But I'm just going to tell you about them.

The first kind that's lost are the people who never come to see themselves as lost or beyond hope. These are the kind of people that are normally raised in a good family, bit of a silver spoon in their mouth, things go well, no earth shattering problems they faced, yet they're living a life where everything kind of works.

Good Home, good school, good university, good job, good career, good income. And they kind of look out at everyone else and says, well, if they just worked as hard as me, they don't understand their privilege, they don't understand their entitlement, they don't understand why they are where they are.

Some of these people even go to church occasionally. They think it's a good thing. You've got to be upstanding. They're normally intelligent people who have it all together.

They pitch in, they do good work, they sow a bit here. Some of them give themselves from time to time to even help God's business.

They hear something's happening so they're going to give into it or they're going to go and contribute a bit because they're good, moral, upright people. They think they're helping God sometimes.

And you know what? It's not that they're insincere, they're very honest about what they're doing. Saul of Tarsus was very sincere when he was persecuting Christians.

When the chief priest Caiaphas said it's better one man should die for the people in John 18 and killing Jesus, he really believed he was doing what's good for the people.

Because we don't want a riot that brings in the Roman government, that brings in trouble. So actually let's rather make sure he dies. That's the first kind of people. They're just good people, sincere and they probably the most in danger because they don't know they lost.

The second kind you get are those who they lost, but what they do is they say the right things, they just don't do them. So they play the game and there's a parable you'll see where two sons are very insincere and when the story ends, Jesus says about them, practice and obey what they tell you, but don't follow the example because they don't practice what they teach.

And that's the story. Remember the two boys that are sent out into the field by their father? We'll get there. First guy doesn't know he's unsaved. Everything is right in his life. He doesn't need God.

Second Guy, God's pulling on his heartstrings and he makes these sort of half hearted commitments to God and doesn't follow them through.

The third kind of lost people are those who have failed in and they know it. It's not outside tragedy that enters their lives. They realize that they're living in the consequence of their own choices to turn away from God and who refuse to do what he said.

These people don't blame others. They own their lives and choices. They're honest about where they are, they know where they need to be, and they own straight away. Okay, I'm a mess.

Those are normally the kind of people who respond to the gospel quite quickly. They're in tune with themselves. They're fairy honest.

So there's these three people. And so how Jesus is going to deal with this is he's going to show us a story that if you really want to know, you're forgiven. There's one little marker that becomes obvious, and it's this. It's my second point.

Unashamed adoration. The heart of those who are forgiven are those who know what it looks like to live in God's grace.

And this story plays itself out beautifully when Jesus is anointed in John chapter 7 from verse 36 by a woman. The Bible calls her a sinful woman, and she anoints Jesus feet.

John 7 · chapter mention

I'm sure some of you know the story by this point in time. Jesus is quite famous. He's getting well known. People want to be around him, so they invite him. This one guy does, invites him to his house, as many people do to a meal.

And in this meal, a number of things happen to Jesus. But the first is there's a man who's very sincerely of the opinion he's not lost, and that the meal is interrupted by a woman who very much knows she is lost.

And Jesus watches the interaction between these two. And he's going to show us a picture of. Of what it looks like to be lost and then found and the evidence of someone who lives like they're found. That's kind of where the story is going.

Luke 7:36. One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him. So Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat.

Luke 7:36

Now, I want to tell you, in those days, inviting Jesus to your house is risky because you don't know what's going to happen next. And you also know that Jesus eats with those other people, you know, tax collectors and sinners, the kind of people you find on social media. He eats with them.

This Pharisee is watching to see what will happen. He's got suspicions about Jesus. Nowhere in the story do we read that this guy has invited Jesus to him because he wants to learn from Jesus.

In a sense, this is a rather unusual creature from the petting zoo that I've brought in. And I want to check him out. And I just want to See what he's about. Curiosity is about to kill the cat.

In verse 37. When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there. How did she know that? This is the kind of guy who, because he's famous, tells everyone I'm inviting so and so for lunch.

When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there. She brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume.

Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet. She wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.

Can you picture this for a moment? How that must have looked and felt and how awkward it must have been for everybody there. I got ticklish feet. If Vanessa or one of the boys wants to irritate me, all they have to do on a lying bed and they know it.

They walk past and they just do this under my foot. My foot goes up at a 90 and kicks out. I hate it. Have you ever gone to those little places where they do pedicures, which is a way of finding torture.

You find information from people. If you don't tell me what I want to know, I'm going to continue on your. You know, that thing. Can you imagine? Even Jesus is just sitting there and this chick comes cries by his feet.

Anyway, you know the story. Doesn't this instantly remind you, or it should, of Isaiah 52 or Romans 10. How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news.

The good news of peace and salvation. The news that the God of Israel reigns. Romans 10:15. This is why the scriptures say how beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news.

Romans 10:15

Who was this woman? I'm not too sure because the text doesn't say. But if you read widely across different literature, you will find that certain church scholars seem to feel that this is Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, although this text doesn't say so.

Remember the one who sat at the feet of Jesus and just wanted to learn when her sister was out busy, she knew. And then Jesus says about her, this one has chosen what's better. And what she's chosen won't be taken away from her.

There was a going to Jesus. There was a movement in this woman's life towards Jesus because there was an immorality that God had obviously dealt with in her life.

This is a woman who knows what it's like to be lost. She approaches Jesus while he's busy. He's eating with people. He's literally engaged. She Barges in unannounced, comes to Jesus, begins to wash his feet with her tears, wipe them with her hair.

She kisses his feet. She anoints his feet with fragrant oil. Some of us would feel uncomfortable. A bit embarrassed maybe.

Now, for a moment, put yourself in the position of the host. I didn't invite her. We all know her. She's spoken about in town. She's not the right kind of person. And you can see the way this oak thinks.

The next verse, verse 39. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, if this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She's a sinner.

I think the Pharisee was one of those people who just believed that he's good. He's one of those from the first category. He's so lost, he doesn't know he's lost.

He does all the right things. He's recognized. He's a Pharisee. He keeps the law to the strictest degree. He does everything correct.

And you will notice a person who feels they do everything to the strictest degree is usually looking at the lives of everyone else through a microscope. They're often critical and bitter and judgmental. And they post the odd comment.

And usually those guys, when you feel superior to is when you pass those comments, he's evaluating the actions of the people around him. He's judging Jesus. He's judging the woman.

And he knows this. If anyone is a prophet, he would know that chick shouldn't be touching him. That's what this Pharisee is thinking. And Jesus, of course doesn't deny this. What he does is he tells a story. He looks straight into the heart of this guy.

Verse 40. Then Jesus answered his thoughts, what he's thinking. Simon, he said to Pharisee, I got something to say to you. Go ahead, teacher. He can hear the language. This guy's a jerk. Go ahead, teacher. Simon replied, because of course you obviously done anything. You don't even know you've done anything.

Jesus told him a story. A man loaned money to two people, 500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. But neither of them could repay him. So he kindly forgave them both, cancelling their debt. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?

This oak has thought to thought. It's just been exposed. How does he respond? I suppose the one for whom he cancelled the larger debt.

Simon's not an idiot. He's a jerk. But he's not an idiot. And he knows exactly that. He's just been played. This teacher has seen straight into his heart and has given a story that responds it. And Jesus says to him, that's right.

Look at the very next verse. That's right, Jesus said. Looked straight at him and said, that's right. What do you do when Jesus tells you you've just thought something and you're right and an adjustment is needed?

When is the last time you were in a place where God spoke to you about something? You just recognize God is adjusting some in your life. You say, yes, Lord, that's right. He wants you to see something.

When you respond correctly, the power of agreement kicks in where suddenly heaven backs and anoints the new decision you're going to make.

Simon, I want to expose something in your heart. I'm opening you up. Are you seeing what I want to do in you? Your self righteousness? It's a problem. You look good in front of all the people. You look good in front of the crowd. You say the right words, people are respecting you.

Simon, I'm sniffing dirt in your heart and I'm trying to tell you that between the two of you, someone's been forgiven 500, someone's been forgiven 50. Are you hearing me? He goes, yeah, that's right. But he doesn't know what to do next.

Remember, faith comes by hearing. And what God is doing with this young man is he's giving him an opportunity when he's heard truth to either respond to it and have literally his life shift on its axis on a small little issue that can have huge consequences, or he's going to retreat into himself and say, I need that word to go right past me because I'm not willing to make the necessary adjustment.

But God is literally giving faith for his whole circumstances and his whole mindset to shift. Simon, you've got a problem with thinking too much about yourself and your constant criticism of how everyone matches up. You're not seeing the problem's not them. The problem is you. And you're never satisfied.

Simon answered, I suppose the one for whom he cancelled the larger debt. That's right, Jesus said. Then he turned to the woman and says to Simon, look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn't offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, which was standard, but she has washed them with her tears, she's wiped them with her hair.

You didn't greet me with a kiss, which was standard, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. You neglected the Courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, which was standard, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.

You see, Simon didn't even give Jesus common courtesy because he didn't want to wash this guy's feet. He didn't want to serve him. He didn't want to honor him. He was there to check him out.

This kind of makes you wonder why he got Jesus there in the first place. Have you ever asked the question, why do some people keep Jesus around them? Ever heard the story of warm, cold and lukewarm? When someone's cold, you know they're cold, you know how to deal with it. When someone's warm, you know how to deal with it.

When someone's lukewarm, you never know where you stand with them. And it's always those people who put Jesus somewhere in their conversation, they like. It's like they accommodate him. They talk about him, they keep him close like a good luck charm. They sort of have a bit of Jesus around, but not fully submitted.

And this guy is cold to lukewarm. And so then Jesus says he gets to the heart of the woman's issue, the heart of her condition, and he gets to the heart of Simon's condition.

I tell you, her sins, and they are many, have been forgiven. So she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.

Can you imagine being in Simon's position when Jesus looks at a woman, speaks straight to you, and he says, listen, let's own it. This woman has lots of sins, lots of them, but they've been forgiven. And she shows me much love.

Simon, I want to speak straight into your heart. The person who's forgiven little shows only a little bit of love. Jesus was saying that because her sin was forgiven, and she acknowledged her sin was forgiven, she loved much.

Her beautiful response to Jesus comes from the power of her interaction with him, from the very core of her being. There is a worshipful response to Jesus because this woman acknowledges and understands what exactly she's been forgiven from.

Listen to this, please. Her love is an expression of the forgiveness she has received. I want to say that again. Her love is an expression of the forgiveness she has received.

Luke 19 says, for the Son of man came to seek and save those who are lost. And here's where I want to get to. When you understand all three categories of people who Jesus wants to speak about who are lost and need to be found, I want you to see that this woman had two things that could have happened to her.

The one is this she simply knows God has forgiven her. She reads her Bible, she listens to the text. She gets it. I am forgiven. I come to church, I answered a call, I prayed a prayer. I'm forgiven. I get it. But nothing much changes.

Or there is someone who receives forgiveness. They don't just believe it in their head. They don't just believe it cerebrally. They receive it into their deepest part and they begin to understand. I have received forgiveness from God. I'm taking it for my own. I'm going to own this forgiveness as a gift from God.

It is the deliberate step of faith. I'm going to be front footed in the subject of forgiveness because I'm going to believe he has forgiven me. So when I stand, I know in my heart that I'm guilty of many sins. But Jesus has forgiven me. I'm going to live like one who has been forgiven much. It means I'm going to love much.

Then you begin to understand when Jesus said freely you have received freely give. Do you know how hard it is to give forgiveness to somebody? If you haven't received forgiveness,

Think back to the things you've done in your life over the last 5, 10, 15 years. Think of the mess ups that God's forgiven you of. Think of family relationships that were broken, that have been healed. Think of restorations that have happened.

Think for a moment when you think of those desperate times when you called out to God when you really needed him to be there and your heart cried out to Him. And you know what? For some reason he came. He delivered you, he ministered to you, he restored what should have been.

And do you remember the tears you cried? Do you remember the joy in your heart? Do you remember the sense of undeserved gratitude when God came through in ways you never thought he would and you lived on those heights?

My question to you is, do you still worship from those heights and do you still give to others? What you received from him? Is that same measure of fullness of forgiveness you've received when someone else blows it in your space.

Are you so easy to release that forgiveness because you've received it? I want to tell you if you're not, you never received it in the first place. It sat cerebrally.

You're like, phew, you're the Oak the cops pulled over at 180 because you didn't see him there and you forgot your license and that day pulls you out and you know you're deep in the dwang and you know what the Oak says, there's too Much paperwork, go. And you're like, yeah, carry on driving. And sometimes goes even faster than you. And you completely forget you were worse than him 10 minutes ago.

This Simon has no idea. We see a profound truth here. When people don't love in inverted commas. If people don't love the Lord very much, it's often because they lack a sense of how much they've been forgiven or how much forgiveness they really need.

And can I tell you, when you want to love God, you got to love God by his definition of love. Is that okay? And one John two, five says this. Those who obey God's word truly show how completely they love Him. That's how we know we're living in Him.

And sometimes when you can't forgive much because you haven't been forgiven, you sometimes you got a small sense of it, but not very much. You haven't thought through properly what it means to be forgiven.

And can I tell you something? Mark my words, if you get this story wrong, the 50 and the 500, if you get this story wrong, you will invert this truth. It means this.

Every time someone sins against you, it's worth 500 pieces of silver. But every time you've blown it and you go to God and you say, lord, forgive me, for you, it's only worth 50 because you don't appreciate what you've been forgiven.

And what Jesus is telling us is that everyone in the room, you've been forgiven. 500 compared to the 50 that others have done toward you. It's to take the speck out of your eye before the log. I mean, the log out of your eye before the speck out of somebody else's.

And if you get this thing wrong, you will live a Christian holy life in inverted commas. But actually, you will allow bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness to first dominate your life, then to determine your life.

And I want to suggest to you that sometimes the way you release forgiveness so freely is when you understand how to receive forgiveness. And I just want to throw the next verses quickly.

Then Jesus said to the woman, your sins are forgiven. She somehow knew her sins were forgiven. Even before Jesus said so, she knew he had done something. Your sins are forgiven.

The men at the table said among themselves, who is is this man? He goes around forgiving sins. And then Jesus said to the woman, your faith has saved you. Go in peace. Go in peace.

How do you think that woman left that meeting? You come in. Everyone knows you. Everyone knows about you. You walk into this place, you are. Something comes over You. You fall at the feet of Jesus and you just love him and you just serve Him.

How beautiful are the feet that bring good news. And you serve and you worship and you love and you hear words you never, ever thought you'd hear in front of the men. Because who uses the immoral woman? The men. He says in front of the men. Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.

No more trauma, no more pain, no more judgment. Go in peace. I cannot imagine how that woman must have felt when she left that place and she had dealings with God.

I believe she's one of those who would echo the words of Romans 8:33. Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one. For God himself has given us right standing with Himself.

Romans 8:33

Who then will condemn us? No one. For Christ. Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us. And he is sitting at the place of honor, at God's right hand, pleading for us.

Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us? If we have calamity or trouble or are persecuted or hungry or destitute or in danger or threatened with death, as the scriptures say, for your sake, we're killed every day. We're being slaughtered like sheep.

No. Despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. The Message Bible puts it like this. Now imagine this through the eyes of a woman who's just been forgiven.

And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen, who would even dare to point a finger. The one who died for us, who was raised to life for us, is, in the presence of God at this very moment, sticking up for us.

Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There's no way. Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying, threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in scripture.

They kill us in cold blood because they hate you. We're sitting ducks. They pick us off one by one. None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us.

My title for this morning is lost and found. And I want to say to you that there are those sitting in the room judging, like the. The Pharisees, Simon. They look at the situation and they're making assessments because their forgiveness is worth 50 pieces of silver.

And you know what? To a wealthy Pharisee, 50 pieces of silver is affordable. I've earned this. I can sort this out. I can do this Myself to that woman. 500. One piece of silver is impossible. 500 is more.

So this guy doesn't even believe he's forgiven. This one is living in the depth of forgiveness and her worship response of love. Jesus comments on and he says, your sins are forgiven, woman. Go in peace.

When I prepared this Thursday night, I felt like God began to speak to me about this and prepared it through Friday, Saturday, last night, through this morning. And I felt God begin to say to me that even here there are guys and girls.

The call of God is on your life, the plan of God, the purposes of God. But there's blockages. And some of those blockages have to do with forgiveness or unforgiveness where God wants to bring healing to you.

And you might be like that woman, you came into the room this morning here, a little bit like Simon the Pharisee, but you're going to leave this room today a bit like the woman who knows she's forgiven.

And so I know I haven't done this before, but I felt God say to me to put a request out to you that if you feel like you that person, I need a breakthrough of forgiveness in my life.

I either need to understand God's forgiveness, I need to receive his forgiveness, I need to release forgiveness. I'm not going to ask you to go and wash his feet and cry, but I'm going to invite you to right now leave your seat.

If you know God has spoken to you, I'm going to ask you to just come stand with me in the front now. If you know God is talking to you. Band, please come back up in a moment. Not right now, but in a moment I'm going to ask you all to stand. But not now, not yet.

One of our elders had a word this morning that he didn't understand when I brought what I'm going to do now in front, at the back in our elders prayer time before he felt a word that he had got that I asked him just to share quickly.

You know, growing up in the Eastern Cape, you're very used to driving on gravel roads. And I was reminded this morning in preparing for our meeting that when you drive on a gravel road, there's a lot of corrugation.

And the corrugation is very, shall we say the least, uncomfortable. And it's distracting because you can actually hear your Bucky or your car falling to pieces underneath you sometimes.

But know this, that very same road that you drive maybe four, five to six times a day when a grader comes along and and grades that very same road. You travel that road again, same road, same area feels so different.

What does that mean? If you are driving behind a grader and a grader that's grading that road has got a blade that comes down and moves the actual corrugation and everything out the way to the side moves it away.

I feel God is saying he wants to come in and remove the obstacles, the uncomfortableness, the things that are causing you discomfort, to move that out the way, to move it away, to forgive you.

You know, it's interesting. Out of my own life, God forgave me. In an instant, I felt his tangible forgiveness, his power come through me in an instant. Yet it took me nearly 18 months to forgive myself.

I always say to people, how doorf is that? That comes down to one word, pride. So don't be like me that I was. Don't say, I'll sort it out. Don't say, I'll. I got it, God. Thank you. But don't be that sir. Don't be that man.

So I encourage you this morning, come forward, receive his instant, wonderful forgiveness. There's a reason why the road that you've traveled here has always been, so to speak, familiar. But it's going to be different.

Just look how many people are responding. Can I tell you what humility it takes to stand up in front of a whole lot of people and say, I need a breakthrough in the area of forgiveness in my life and I just need to come before my God.

And that's why I started this morning with two testimonies. One, one who said, God, I'm trusting you to heal my eye. Another who said, God, I'm trusting you to heal my heart. And in a corporate setting, they both responded.

I see people are still coming forward because they just. Guys, can you all just come forward even more, please, just to make room for others? Thank you. When we see and we hear the voice of the Lord, we have to respond.

I'm not even too thinking through my preach at 27 minutes. I just felt we got to land this now. And what we're going to do is that woman, she pushed her way to Jesus.

And you know what she did? For the duration of that time, regardless of what people felt, she ministered to him. And in ministering to him, she received her forgiveness and her healing in her ministry to him.

I don't think there's a better way to do this than for us to minister to him. To minister to him. Today I am going to ask the elders. I did put it on A group. I'm going to ask the elders and I'm going to ask the deacons.

As we begin to worship now, look out over these people, these just our elders and our deacons. And I'm going to ask you if you feel something for somebody that God has spoken, don't interrupt them. Go and release what you feel God has said over them.

But for all of us, what we're going to do now is we're going to worship, we're going to wash his feet with our tears, we're going to love him and we're going to trust that he does a work now that he did in that room and that you will leave here in a few minutes in peace.

Now, can the rest of us stand together and we're gonna worship maybe one song, maybe two. I don't know. The issue is the presence of God and you in the front, wash his feet, minister to him. He knows what you need.

It's not a thing now of the right words right now. It's an issue of the right heart before your God and allow him, your father, to minister to you. Give it to him now. Just give it to him. Give it to him.

Amazing love that welcomes me, the kindness of mercy. Thank you so much for being a part of our meeting today. Can I just ask two things?

The first is if today the message has in any way been useful to you, would you mind just maybe liking it or putting perhaps a statement down or a comment down that we can know how the ministry has helped you,

Maybe a thumbs up, maybe you can subscribe to the channel, do whatever, just so we can know what impact this message may be having on you.

And secondly, you may be someone who's saying, greg, I hear you. And this hope that Jesus has for us can come into my heart and it can change me. But the reality is that I don't even know if I know Jesus.

I want to say two things to you right away. The first is he's near you right now. The Bible says if you believe in your heart that he is the Lord, and if you confess him with your mouth, you will be saved.

Which means you just need to where you are, turn to the Lord Jesus Christ even now and just say, lord, here I am. I recognize who you are, confess my sin to you. I acknowledge you as Jesus Christ, the Lord of all, the Son of the living God.

And I want to find, I want to become a disciple of yours. I want to give my life to you, Lord. And you can pray that prayer right now between you and the Lord.

Secondly, you can get hold of us. We could either send you some material, we can put you in touch with a really good church near you. If you live in our area, you can come to us, you can follow us on YouTube.

But it is good to get connected into the family of God, to get connected into a local church that your life changes being surrounded with the family of God. Please stay in touch. God bless you.