Understanding the Kingdom of God (Pt 3) :How Jesus Teaches Through Parables and Transformation

I've started a series on the kingdom of God that we begin to understand things a little bit better.

And my first point of last week was around how Jesus teaches. And that's actually my theme for this morning.

How does Jesus teach us? And I want to recap because although I gave a long introduction last week,

I only actually made one point, which was that Jesus teaches to transform.

The goal of teaching is to... What he does is he tries to change your way of life.

Have you noticed the Lord presents you with words and experiences that impact and interrupt the active flow of your life.

When God gets a hold of you, he interrupts where you are in a way that he knows that you know that he's speaking.

And culture, which is what Jesus preached into, you and I preach into culture.

Culture is what people believe without thinking, what they act on without explanation.

It just, it's what comes naturally. From the time you're born, you grow up into a culture and we all have them.

And the thing is, because we're all in the culture, we all understand it together.

Those not in the culture don't get it. Can I give you an example?

So a few years ago I was preaching somewhere in Europe and I had to go via Rome, via Fiumicino, up to Milan airport.

From Milan airport, fly back to Johannesburg. It was a diverted flight.

The South African stood out because all the Italians are well dressed, good looking guys.

I mean, the rest of us hate Italians, don't we, guys? Because they just have it.

And there's all these Italians, good looking boys. They got their three pursuits on there in Milan and there's one guy standing out.

How did I know he stood out because he had a blue hat on with a set of horns and it went blow billa all over the back.

It was fairly clear that this man comes from Pretoria. Now if you are a Pretoria resident, that is acceptable clothing, isn't it?

Nowadays they've graduated. It's now another set of some things that hangs from the, from the bull bar of a, of a car the north of the yakskay.

But I just want to tell those same people that anywhere else it's actually not normal. Okay?

You don't wear a hat with horns and hang a pair of, at the, at the back of your car. It's not normal.

So there's culture. So Jesus goes into his culture and he has to address misunderstandings.

There are assumptions, there are practices. And what Jesus wants you and I to do is he wants us to swim counterculturally to the culture of the day.

I did a baby dedication last Saturday. Cute little three month old.

And I made the point that I don't know and I cannot predict what battles that three month old is gonna fight when that three month old turns 16, 17, 18 years old.

You know, it wasn't long ago that none of us figured. No one in this room woke up about five, six years ago and thought, am I a cat?

Do I identify with a pigeon? You understand, you shoot the things, you don't identify with them.

But, but there was, you know, we've now reached the stage which it's, it's so cooked. We actually don't know what people believe.

Now I want to tell you, if this is only the beginning, where's it going? And so that the enemy, Satan, the prince of the power of the air,

is taking the world culturally, I believe, to prepare them for an Antichrist.

But be it as it may, the church immersed in the kingdom of God, is supposed to swim counterculturally.

That no matter what happens out there, no matter what weird belief systems have come in, we stand on the word of God.

I'm not all for President Trump, and as you know, I never preach politics from a pulpit, but I will say when a standing president gets up and says,

it is now the presidential understanding of the United States that there are only two genders,

I cannot believe it takes someone to have to stand up and tell you that and cut federal spending for people who think they're all of it.

Do you remember the words of our ex President Zuma who said there is only man, woman and casta semane?

So there's, there's where. No. Where a person is born. And literally there are real issues.

That's the point he was making, and I actually agree with him. There are real issues, therefore you work it out.

You don't judge, you don't throw condemnation on. But the world is taking normal people and telling them something else.

So Jesus comes, and in a sense, what he does is there are cultural balloons that are floating everywhere and he pops them

because that's what he wants to do. So that was my point of last week, teaching to transform.

Let's carry on, quick. The next thing Jesus does is he turns things upside down.

There are cultural understandings that every community has and they're all different from one another.

And he wants to come and he wants to upend it. He wants to measure it against the nature of the kingdom of God.

When Jesus said that the poor, the meek, those who mourn are blessed, Matthew 5, he's announcing the availability of the kingdom to anyone.

Jesus is saying this. There is a kingdom around available, that no matter how broken, messed up, or far away from God you are,

no matter how far away from you are, there is blessing waiting for you in this kingdom.

You. No one is far enough away that the kingdom can't bless them if they come to Jesus. That's what the Bible is saying.

Nobody, it doesn't matter what your conditions are, doesn't matter how far down the human scale you are. Everyone is welcome.

And then Jesus is saying, do you understand that everyone in the kingdom of God is blessed.

What does he mean by blessed? Some of us think it's vehicles. It's whatever it is.

Book of Acts, I think chapter three or four says, God blessed you by turning you away from your sin.

When you know that the wrath and the anger of God is no longer aimed at you because of the condemnation of your own sin,

when you know it is completely forgiven. Like we celebrated this morning in communion, you are blessed.

In a sense, you are favored. You are a child of the most High God, and you can be blessed.

But then he goes, turning things upside down. He goes and he gives some woes to the rich, those who are full,

those who laugh, those who are spoken well of others. He inverts it for them.

Because some people believe that because I'm rich, I'm more blessed than someone who isn't.

If you're poor and you're in the kingdom of God, you're blessed, Jesus said.

But then he says, if you're rich, you also can be blessed as long as you don't trust in your riches.

Because it's not them that make you blessed, it is the presence of God. Blessing is revealed in the kingdom.

It shows us that when people enter the kingdom of God, the blessing, acceptance, favor of God comes upon them, turns things upside down.

How else does Jesus teach you and I? Well, he shows us a way to live.

And he shows us that in the kingdom of God, the overriding principle of the kingdom of God is one of generosity.

It's a giving which I'll explain in a moment. So what he does here is he says something like this,

Give to those who ask and don't turn away from those who want to borrow. Matthew 5:42.

Matthew 5:42

Now, it's not a general command for every season you're in, okay? Because otherwise, in any normal day,

you can't go through four traffic lights without giving away everything you own. In South Africa today. Are you with me? It's not saying, just give.

Because if it's true that you got to give to everyone who asks. Then the first people coming to church should stand in the parking lot and wait for the nice cars.

I just feel brother and oh, Jesus said okay, here we go. And I tell you it'll be the most reluctant to give their cars away are BMW drivers.

Not that we have any here, but for the simple reason that you don't care about anyone anyway, do you?

As someone once said, why are they, why are there indicator switches on a BMW? Who knows? And it's like that spirit comes on once you drive a BMW.

No, no, no, no. Don't know what got into you. But I mean we should then stand outside and say I just feel

that's why I don't bring my Harley to church because some clown is going to catch me outside and I've got to obey. Matthew 5:42.

Matthew 5:42

What Jesus is doing is he is changing our thinking by saying what does a kingdom heart do in a situation when you can meet a need that's there?

What do you do? What does the kingdom say? You see, Christianity is all about giving.

Do you agree from our side, we give our hearts, we give our sins, we give our weaknesses, we give our failings to God, then we give him our love.

He gives us his son, he gives us the broken body and shed blood of his son. He gives us his spirit, he gives us his love, he gives us himself.

And then Jesus said it's more blessed to give than it is to receive. We go into the world and we preach the gospel, we give good news, isn't it?

That's the nature of Christianity is we're an incredibly open handed, open hearted people.

And that's what Jesus was, was trying to teach. It's more blessed to give than to receive.

I mean obviously in certain circumstances it definitely you shouldn't just give to anyone who asks because it can change your attitude towards your neighbor.

How many of us know that one person who always phones us all the time because they have a need and they're desperate

and all you want to do is go cut the wires to your bell that when they ring it nothing happens.

So Jesus isn't saying just I'm going to give to everybody. Also sometimes if you do obey that principle that what you give can do more harm than good.

I played rugby at Edenvale for many, many years and I remember once our first team hooker turned 21. Most beautiful boy.

And when he turned 21, his dad who was our team sponsor blessed him with a new car gti.

It wasn't four or six months later, I went to his funeral because he'd wrap that vehicle around something. I spoke at his funeral.

Not always is the giving of a gift a good idea. So the principle is the giving nature of who we are.

With Jesus teaching us a way to live. Do you notice that everyone says, I don't like the Bible because there's so many laws, there's so many commands.

Do you know there are only actually two? That's all. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, strength, soul and mind.

The second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself. Every other command fits into those two. It's the overriding principle.

And so what Jesus is saying, I want to teach you a way to live. Love the Lord your God, love each other by your giving.

And how do you do it? Seek first the kingdom of God. Matthew 6:33.

Matthew 6:33

Seek first the kingdom of God above everything else, and it will be given to you. It's a way of living.

And you notice not once have I mentioned your giving must be your money. It's a giving of your life, your talents, your abilities,

your heart, your diary, which we are giving people. Are you okay?

The fourth thing Jesus does is he gives us the kingdom of God, gives us a reality check.

As you read the Bible today, you observe the world. You do. You see the many ways in which God is misunderstood.

Even if you get a new policy, it says there you just won't be covered for act of God. God gets the blame even from insurance companies.

There are times when people thought they were actually pleasing God by offering their children as a sacrifice.

Do you remember when God sent Israel in through Jeremiah's warnings? He sent Israel into exile because they took their little beautiful children

God had given them and they sacrificed them to the demons called Molech and baal and they would burn their bodies in the valley of Hinnom

and think they're doing God a favor. Certain religions today, do they not plant bombs and kill people and say they're doing God a benefit.

God is mistaken all the time. But can I tell you, even in the church, God is misunderstood.

Well, I leaned on God for this. I trusted God for this. It never happened. Why didn't God,

I mean, no one in this room, but I know there are some people, I'm sure, who dated a girl and tried to go out with her and it never ever worked.

And oh God, you don't love me. I never got that relationship. Thirty years later, go and find them on Facebook.

You will thank Jesus that you didn't land up with that Particular. Are you hearing me? So stop blaming God for what God never did.

The people of God misunderstood him. The very people Jesus came to reach. The people of Israel rejected him as Messiah.

He preached the Good News. He demonstrated the Good News with all sorts of signs, wonders and miracles.

But because he never met their understanding of what God should be like, one who will destroy the Roman Empire and lift up an earthly kingdom of Israel,

they rejected him. You cannot be the Messiah, he said. If you don't believe my words, at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.

Who else was bringing death to life except Jesus? They wouldn't believe it.

Can I ask you something? Don't think that applies to them, not to you and I. How many of us have misunderstood God?

Got disappointed about stuff because we expected God to do something? He didn't do it. Turn that around.

How many times has God made a demand on you and I that we haven't obeyed? We chose not to. Now God wouldn't tell me to do that.

How many times have we disobeyed the Lord? Can I make it one step worse? How many times has the Bible been twisted and perverted

through people who preach doctrines of demons and have allowed teaching into churches? When the Bible says wisdom is seen by her fruit.

Where you want to see some things of God, look for its fruit, look for the benefits thereof and you will find,

you see it in the words of scripture that when someone is on the bait on the point of going astray, they start to serve God aesthetically.

Which means sacrifice, kill self. Lots of fasting and praying, lots on my own, very intense.

You will start to hear a voice indeed. I don't think it's the voice of the Spirit. And what it'll always do is pull you away into actions

you convinced God's leading you to. But the benefit or the fruit thereof certainly isn't life, David, Koresh, etc, etc

where they convince people to go a certain way through their own aesthetic sacrifice, listening to angels, hearing God.

Paul warns us about these things. And so we need a reality check in the kingdom of God.

Someone sitting here right now told me they went to a place on Friday, sitting here right now to a place they do deliverance ministry.

He said the pastor was dressed to the tease and certain people were falling over whenever he prayed.

And he said at one point, he said now I'm going to release the triple anointing on you.

And that triple anointing is released for the small fee of a thousand rand. And he said, he said they came to the front

and the guy, the prosthor's wife miraculously pulled out a speed point and you tapped, you got your thousand and you waited for your.

These are wolves in sheep's clothing. We need to understand when the kingdom of God comes,

it teaches us a way totally different to what you find over here. How else does Jesus teach. Point five.

He redefines justice. Because in his kingdom, a rebellious son is welcomed home and a rich man can hardly get his way into heaven.

And if you're a worker, if you work one hour or you work all the hours a day, you get the same reward.

Jesus has a different idea of justice than you and I. He always leans towards the poor, towards the unfairly oppressed.

That point is Jesus redefines justice. What was the one thing Jesus always got in trouble about? Eating with the wrong people.

Tax collectors, sinners. And it says, you and your disciples don't even wash your hands.

And. And you eat with tax collectors and you eat with sinners. He had a habit of eating with them.

And the culture of the day was this. Who you choose to eat with says everything about your character.

And Jesus quite notoriously goes and hangs with all the wrong people, then tells them that they are closer to the kingdom of God

than the people accusing him. I can understand why he wasn't popular.

Jesus, welcoming nature, demonstrated the remarkable generosity of the kingdom of God.

One thing about Jesus, when you're seated firmly in the kingdom of God, you're able to be comfortable with the wrong people.

He could be anywhere at any time. Remember, I'm not talking about someone here who's had a bottle problem with alcohol your whole life.

You and Jack Daniel are friends. You should not go to a pub to preach. Not saying that if you have a problem with lines of white powder.

I'm not saying you go and talk to those kind of people, hear me? But I am saying when someone is firmly seated in the kingdom of God,

you're comfortable to be with people, to reach them for the gospel. And the message you're giving is you are worthy because of the Son of God,

you are worthy to receive Christ. There will be people who feel they're not worthy to come in here, isn't it?

And you've got to tell them there's nothing that can hinder you from entering the kingdom of God.

And the last thing he does is he compares and he contrasts. When these guys are nailing him for his unacceptable behavior towards lost people,

tax collectors and sinners, and eating with them, his response to them was he tells them a story about

A lost coin, a lost child and a lost sheep. And he demonstrates that this kingdom is available.

What's he doing is contrasting two opposites in a very gentle way. He's showing that there is hope and restoration for everybody.

The word parable comes from the Greek word parabole, which means to place beside, to put something next to.

So Jesus will take the world we're living in the way you think as a Christian. And he will bring the teaching of the kingdom of God through the parables.

And he will show you how you measure yourself by what the Bible says is true, because he wants to help us to live, citizens of the kingdom.

And so I've got two points for this morning. Are you ready for them? Just two, five minutes each. We're done.

My first point is this. How big's your bucket? How big's your bucket?

The very first time Jesus teaches a parable, his disciples ask him what? Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?

And I want to tell you that unless you understand the answer to this question, you will never understand your Bible.

You will never understand the working of the kingdom of God, and you will never understand the message and the ministry of Jesus

unless you understand the answer to the question, why do you teach in parables? That was Matthew 13:10.

Matthew 13:10

So let me pick up verse 11 in my nice big Bible. Have you noticed when you get older, they make bigger Bibles?

My feeling is it's because as you get taller, the books just get further away. Matthew 13:10.

Matthew 13:10

His disciples came and asked him, why do you use parables when you talk to the people? Verse 11.

He replied, you are permitted to understand the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but others are not.

To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given and they will have an abundance of knowledge.

But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.

That's why I use these parables. For they look, but they don't really see. They hear, but they don't really listen or understand.

This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, when you hear what I say, you will not understand.

When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened.

Their ears cannot hear. They've closed their eyes, so they're sorry. They have closed their eyes, so their eyes cannot see,

their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand. And they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. I tell you the truth.

Many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see. They didn't see it.

They longed to hear what you hear, but they didn't hear it.

There are two aspects to receiving the word of God, to walking into the truth of the kingdom of heaven.

There are two principles you can never get away from. Number one, our ability to hold on to what we've received,

which is your capacity, your ability to hold on to what you received. And number two, your willingness to hear the message,

which is your receptivity, your ability to hang on to what you've heard, and your willingness to receive what you've heard

are the two things Jesus talks about. Jesus is only giving people as much as they have the capacity to receive.

So I ask you this morning, how big is your bucket? Jesus will keep on filling what you give him.

It doesn't necessarily mean your bucket will get bigger. Do you remember the Elijah went to a widow who didn't have.

And he said to her, what? What do you have? He said, I got a little jar of oil. She'd feed me first or drink, give me food, whatever.

This will not run dry. And as much as she used it during the famine, it never ran out.

Elisha came and he was told to get as many buckets as he could, and they all filled. So it's not like God is going to give you a bucket

that keeps on expanding, expanding. What he's kind of saying is this what I give you if you hold onto it,

some revelation that I give you if you hold onto it and you're full of love, and you're full of generosity, and you're full of kindness,

and you're full of forgiveness and mercy. When you go and disperse what you have, as much as you have, and you give it out,

every time you look back, you will find your bucket is still full. Because I'm faithful and I will minister it back to you

what you cannot out give God in generosity, kindness, even turning the other cheek, you cannot out God, God.

And he's saying, you've got to have the capacity to receive what I have for you.

So your bucket of faith, your bucket of kindness, your bucket of evangelism, forgiveness, generosity, love, etc.

How big is your bucket? How receptive are you to the things that God tells you? He says, if you have, more will be given you.

I preached on Friday, Friday night at a pastor's gathering where this guy's growing. A church in Copperleaf.

Anyone ever been there? Now that's impressive. That's Ernie Else's place. So you go down Ernie Else Boulevard, turn left.

Anyway, I go to this house, this house is bigger than this church. And I look. I look at the cars parked outside. I'm like, aish.

And all they are, it's a pastor who's a top lawyer, who started a church. And he's gathered his friends around him.

And in talking to them, I discover that each one was not looking for God. But God started to whisper.

God started to speak things into their hearts. They started to obey God. And each one of them said, I had no intentions of joining this church.

They're all black guys. All of them said, I had no intention of joining this church. But God started to do something.

He put a seed in my heart. And I could no longer ignore what God was doing.

The first guy who shared, who would be devastated if I told you this, gets a contract in Dubai for eight years.

And he's working in Dubai. And he has someone who comes and cleans their massive apartment, who's from Ghana.

He's South African. She's from Ghana. And she says to him, do you know Jesus? Yes. Well, I'm serving in a compound.

I live in a compound and I travel here. I'd love to know if you would preach the word of God to us.

He goes to his wife. She says, I think you should. He tells her, you're wrong. And he says to God, there's no way you've called me to do this.

I don't have the calling of a pastor. I'm a businessman. The Lord says, go.

So he says, greg, this compound where these people live, Ghanaians, people from Thailand, Filipinos,

he said in the compound, they lived there's 150km from where I live in Dubai, out. God told me every Saturday I drove 150ks there

to preach to them. To drive 150ks back. I said, that's amazing, Edwin. How long do you do this for? Eight years.

Eight years, 300 kilometers a week, minimum. Never let a home group in his life because God got hold of him.

Now he's part of this church. That's why to meet them, to come into leadership, to help carry the load.

Here's a guy who's carried a. A bucket full because he said, yes, Lord. Now imagine that back.

Back then he just said, no, it's too much for me. Even the little he had, Jesus says, will be taken away.

Your vision, your passion, your bit of faith, gone. And I say this not to condemn anyone,

but you know what it's like when you pull out of church for A while, you stop reading your Bible, you bail out.

How long is it before you feel like the most miserable sod that ever lived? You don't understand this. You don't understand that.

You become Grumble Copy instead of Praise Mountain, and you just become the most. All that's happened is what little you have is being taken away.

And all you need to do is get back to Jesus and say, lord, I give you my heart. And that bucket begins filling straight away.

And so Jesus is saying, understand the concept, number one. Number two, is I close?

Not only is the question, how big is your bucket? The second point, and this is a very difficult one, is how precious people are to Jesus.

Some people reject the message of Jesus. They close their eyes, they close their ears, they close their hearts. I don't want to hear.

Here's my question. Didn't God want to turn their hearts to him when he created us? And then he puts his son on a cross for us.

Didn't he want to turn our hearts we? Which leads to my next question.

Why doesn't he just go and pick them up and throw them into the kingdom against their will?

How many of you would like to be in a relationship with someone against your will? I don't want. I'll lock you in a cupboard.

You've seen those movies on Netflix. Going to put chains on you and lock you in there. And you're going to love me.

If you don't, I'll start cutting off your fingers. You will love me. How do you come to a God who is coercive and forceful?

And I said to you last Sunday, he said, all you who are weary, who are heavy laden, come to me. I will give you rest.

For I'm gentle and lowly in heart. Remember, my yoke is easy, My burden is light. Jesus never coerces, he invites.

What's the lesson we're learning here? Why do some choose to listen and some don't?

So Jesus tells the story as I close. I'm not going to tell you the story now. It's Luke 11:15.

Luke 11:15

From verse 11, a man had two sons. The youngest son told his father, I want my share of your estate now before you die.

I'm not waiting for you to die. Rather, let's make out your dead. I want it. So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

You know the rest of the story of the prodigal son, right? You also know that this young son wanted from his dad.

So he basically said, dad, I'm supposed to inherit when you die. So can we both just agree you're dead and give me my inheritance?

And he goes, and the Bible says there's another brother who's serving faithfully. This brother goes to hell and back.

And when he comes back, the Bible says he comes to his senses. And when he comes to his senses, he comes back and he repents before his father.

He can't even get his words out. His father embraces him. Then the older brothers now got an issue.

The first point of the story that no one ever seems to get is this. Both those sons hearts were very hard. Very hard.

And Jesus knows a principle that you and I in this room know very well. If someone's got a hard heart and you, you attack them directly

on their hard heart, their heart almost always gets harder still. Almost always.

If you don't go into the gentleness and the meekness. So all Jesus did, and this by the way, is a principle of scripture from beginning to end.

With Jesus, you always get what you want. You want more of him and you dig into him, he'll give you abundantly more.

You want nothing to do with him. You want to be on your own, he'll give you that too.

He'll give you your own. What is hell? Hell is not punishment. Hell is people saying this.

When I lived on earth, I don't want you in my life, God, okay, then when you die, I'll give you exactly what you want.

A whole eternity without me in your life. That's what you wanted. You'll get exactly what you want.

So this young man, two men with hard hearts, the one repents. It says he comes to his senses.

The very goodness of God in allowing him to go brought him back to repentance.

When Jesus confronts the other brother, do you see how scripture never tells us how, how that brother responded?

Because you've got to see in your own heart what's the lesson behind that. The love, the gentleness, the mild character of Jesus says,

I don't use swords. I don't use loudspeakers. I don't stoop to human means. I don't force or coerce you.

When I speak to you, there will be a gentle whisper. Do you remember when Elijah went to God? I'm the only one left in 1 Kings 19.

Go out and stand before me on the mountain, the Lord says to Elijah. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by

and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast. The rocks were torn loose.

But the Lord wasn't in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake. The Lord wasn't in the earthquake.

After the earthquake was a fire. The Lord wasn't in the fire. And after the fire, there was the sound of a gentle whisper.

When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak, was went out through the entrance of the cave.

And a voice said, what are you doing here, Elijah? Elijah had to learn God will get your attention through earthquake, fire and wind,

but he doesn't talk through any of them. So no matter what you're going through today, what you have been through,

the earthquake, the wind, the fire, God allowed them. And he's in it, but he doesn't talk through it.

He talks through a gentle whisper. What is the lesson that we learn? Not only number one, how big is your bucket?

Number two, the key that unlocks your heart sits in your hand alone.

That's why some will not hear, will not see, and do not allow their hearts to be open. It's a choice.

The New Testament passage for it is Jesus writing to the seven churches in the Book of Revelation.

And he knocks on the door of the heart of the church and he says, behold, I stand outside at the door of your church and I knock.

If you will open from the inside and let me in, we'll have fellowship. Do you see how Jesus does not violate his own word?

He is gentle and lowly in heart. And he says to you, if you the size bucket you give me, I will fill.

That's the kingdom. But number two, if you want to receive my word in any way, you have to open the heart through the key that I've given you.

And that key is a willingness to love and obey Jesus above every other thing. You alone hold the key.

And we're going to get onto this next week. But from that verse in, in Matthew chapter 13,

Matthew 13 · chapter mention

the very next thing Jesus says, there was a farmer who went out to sow seed. The very first parable we know which will start to open up next week.

And he starts to open up the condition of hearts that are able to receive or who stop receiving.

So I close with this. You are as far along and as blessed in your relationship with Jesus today as you've chosen to be.

Don't you dare blame another person for where you are in your walk with God. You have as much of God as you wanted right now.

Your cup is as full, your bucket is as full as you have presented him. But he says to you, if you give me your bucket, I want to overflow it.

Stand with me. 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. Bible says if you believe in your heart that he is the Lord,

and if you continue 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 follow you.

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, you can see the telephone number, you can get hold of us and say, hey, I've given my life to the Lord.

Can you help me from here on out? And 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.