Philippians #3 - Living Worthy of the Gospel

(420) Living a Life Worthy of the Gospel (Philippians 3) - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50w_pn5hk7I

Transcript: (00:01) welcome to crowd Church great to be with you great to be with you on this very miserable night here in Liverpool I'm not going to lie uh the clocks have gone back so hopefully you're joining us at the right time I appreciate this do you get this whole clock going back thing I don't really agree with clocks changing I'm quite happy to for it stay light I don't get it somebody somebody explain why we still do this is that about Farmers or I don't know we're not really a forming Nation anymore I I'm not down (00:33) with it I don't like it being darker and no more wintry but hey look I'm rocking My Sunshine well well done yeah cuz I just refused to give in Twin to You Still rocking some of Vibes I just I've got this t-shirt on here which says um Zoe designed it it says created awesome that's my uh t-shirt so I've also got sunshine on so giving me a a thumbs up at the back then yeah yeah yeah so um if you want to get one of Zoe's t-shirts just reach out to her and pay her an inordinate amount of money and I dare say she'll send you one I'm sure there should be some (01:07) incoming along the bottom of the screen with like a URL around about now zo shop.com no no this is this is actually church not just like not me peddling my daughter's H but a very warm welcome to you welcome to crowd uh great that you're here with us if it's your first time with us the way this works just to let you know is in a few short minutes we're going to play a talk from Pete Frankton uh during the talk obviously if you're watching on YouTube or Facebook write any questions thoughts all that sort of stuff in the comments we love it (01:37) when people engage in the conversation so feel free to do that if you want to know any more information about what we do just go to the website which hopefully will appear on the screen www.c crow. Church uh if it doesn't appear on the screen Don't Panic uh because we've got a few Tech things going on uh as we normally do at crowd uh but you can find out more information at crowd church if you just Google crowd Church it will come up um is there there It Is Well Done girls Tech girles yay go Tech gires yeah can we just give a shout (02:07) out to the tech girls tonight because normally we've had Dan doing this and he's off because it's half term and we've got a great team of all women tonight and I love that which is why it's running so smoothly right exactly sorry Dan take sorry Dan you're out of a job um but we need to get them Tech girly t-shirts that's what and just so you just so I'm clear that's what they call themselves right that's the name they have given themselves as Tech girles so yeah big shout out to the tech girles but like I say do leave uh thoughts questions in the comments love (02:38) to hear from you as we go through the talk we have been working our way through the book of Philippians um which is been a fun book uh so far so we are on part I want to say three I think it's three yeah I want to say three was here last week so I'm not sure it started kick started with Jen then it was Mark last week this week it's yes so this is the third week so Philippians part three so without further Ado let's get Pete farington on the screen let's hear from the very Reverend Pete farington uh who's just an awesome chat uh and then Anna and I will be back after the talk to answer your (03:16) questions and your comments so uh do leave them in the comments and we'll get to them but are we good to go Tech girl is all right let's do it [Music] [Music] so I'm going to read today's passage from the Bible in Philippians 1: 27 through to chapter 2:3 only let your manner of Life be worthy of the gospel of Christ so that whether I come and see you or am absent I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel and not frightened in anything by your opponents this is a (04:26) clear sign to them of their destruction but of your salvation Salvation And that from God for it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now here that I still have so if there is any encouragement in Christ any comfort from love any participation in the spirit any affection and sympathy complete my Joy by being of the same mind having the same love being in full Accord and of one mind do nothing from (05:06) selfish ambition or deceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross (05:48) therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven heaven and on Earth and under the Earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father therefore my beloved as you have always obeyed so now not only as in my presence but much more in my absence work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you both to Will and to work for his good pleasure so today's passage begins with (06:29) this charge let your manner of Life be worthy of the gospel of Christ or literally behave as Citizens worthy of the Gospel now I've said this before In Crowd but one of my greatest passions is painting I've got a couple on the wall behind me here and I studied painting in in Florence Italy for for a number of years and if in some alternate universe if someone asked me to paint a picture worthy of the Duomo in Florence but they never described it to me or never walked me around its Chapel or never made me (07:05) stand before its facade or alterpiece and they never told me its Dimensions or about its history and its architect I would have no idea what kind of painting they had in mind and this passage in Philippians is trademark Pauline writing because Paul knew that he could just give a command live a life worthy of the gospel and then not Des not describe the gospel Paul seems to work on the Assumption or conviction that no matter what culture or country or Century or Calamity that his readers might find themselves in there is nothing that they need to be reminded of more than the (07:45) gospel it's the same for us today we see in verses 2 to 4 how Paul was eager to see the Philippians United he talked about them being of the same mind having the same love being being in full Accord doing nothing from selfish ambition counting others more significant than themselves not to look only to their own interests um a preacher called Charles Spurgeon said this about today's text Paul wishes to unite the Saints in Philippi in the Holy bonds of love to do this he takes them to the Cross beloved there is a cure for every spiritual (08:27) disease in the cross there is food for every spiritual virtue in the Savior we never go to him too often he is never a dry well or a Vine from which every cluster has been taken we do not think enough of him we are poor because we do not go to the Gold Country which lith around the cross we are often sad because we do not see the bright light that shines from the constellation of the cross the beams from that constellation would give us instantaneous joy and rest if we perceived them if any lover of The Souls (09:03) of men would do for them the best possible service he would constantly take them near to Christ Paul is always doing so and he is doing it here right we go to many other places to to medicate to be filled and to be happy another book in the New Testament one Peter describes this gospel this good news that we're talking about today as things into which even a Angels long to look but it has been revealed to us even angels long to look into the things we are talking about today I'm telling you it's a travesty that we do not look at it more than we (09:44) do so Paul goes on to to use poetry to uh in the form of poetry to lay out the the foundation for the charge he'd given them to live this life worthy of the Gospel so what is the gospel well we can comprehend neither the height from which Jesus came nor the depths to which he stooped in order to rescue Us in order to demonstrate his great love toward us and I pray that today we might be able to look up and catch even just a glimpse of the dizzying heights of Christ's glory and then to look down and and to catch a glimpse of the bottomless depths (10:23) of his humiliation that he suffered on our behalf so let's have a look at verses 5 5-7 as this poem begins have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men now you would think right there surely that's enough humbling for God to come to Earth in the form of a man surely The Humbling stops there for the for the Creator to become a creature and for the infinite to become an infant for (11:09) the Alpha and the Omega that the first and the last to come to Earth as a fetus surely that's humbling enough you know for a king to remove his his robes never ceasing to be a king but coming amongst us as a as a peasant as a servant no we we go on to see that that was not the end of his humbling we're told he humbled himself even then verse 8 continues and being found in human form he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross and it's here that we see that his his willing humbling of himself continues on ever lower and deeper into (11:56) utter humiliation so Jesus the the one who is called the bread of life he hungered for 40 days as he was tempted by the devil Jesus the one who was called a Fountain of Living Waters who said that those who would come to him would never thirst again it's that same Jesus who said on the cross I thirst before his mockers lifted up a sponge full of sour wine to him moments before his death the one who in in Psalm 104 of whom it says he is clothed in splendor and Majesty clothed in light as with a garment we see he was stripped of his (12:41) garments as he was mocked Psalm 113 ver4 says the one who sits enthroned on high who is exalted over all the nations what we see he was raised up on a Roman cross to suffer a torturous death that was reserved for the worst of criminals and the one whom Paul in in later in Philippians calls a source of exceeding Joy the one that David the psalmist said in whose presence is fullness of joy that same Jesus became a Man of Sorrows Weeping at the the horrors and desolation that awaited him in Jerusalem he who knew no sin became sin (13:25) for us Jesus the blessed one became a curse C it says in Deuteronomy cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree the author of Life lay dead in a tomb and I could go on and on and on and on Spurgeon in in his sermon on this same passage went on to say the lower he Stoops to save us the higher we ought to lift him in our adoring reverence blessed be his name he Stoops and Stoops and Stoops and when he reaches our level and becomes man he still Stoops and Stoops and Stoops lower and deeper yet we see in many other places in the (14:12) Bible uh it it speaks of Jesus's willing humbling in his humiliation on our behalf it says in 2 Corinthians 8:9 for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich yet for your sake he became poor po so that you by his poverty might become rich there are beautiful verses in Psalm 113 verses 5-8 which say who is like the Lord Our God who is Seated on high who looks far down on the heavens and the Earth he raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash Heep to make them sit with princes with the (14:57) princes of his people so the creator of the heavens and the Earth the one who flung The Stars into space and the one who upholds and sustains the world the universe and is giving you breath right now he came into this world as one of us why well I've already used the words rescue and save a couple of times but what do they actually mean well it is interesting in verse 28 of today's passage we were presented with a binary of Salvation and destruction it says in verse 28 um do not be frightened in anything by your (15:38) opponents this is a clear sign to them of their destruction but of your salvation and that from God it is one of these two that awaits us all and when we pause and consider Christ's humbling on our behalf we should not expect to be able to come away with our pride intact or we shouldn't be surprised if we too are humbled even offended the gospel is mindbending it's jawdropping and it should cause us to tremble and I would posit that if the gospel you've heard is not cause defense if it has not made you win I would I would suggest that it was (16:20) not actually the gospel like Paul was not in prison because everyone loved the message he preached and you know the presence of offense does not necessarily mean the absence of love Jesus is our example of speaking the truth in love yet in 1 Peter 2:8 he is called a rock of offense so according to Modern standards we would we would not call him love also but Jesus spoke more about destruction and eternal punishment and Hell than anyone else just think about that and if you've been a Christian a while you might have heard someone say something along the lines of Jesus (17:04) didn't die just to get you into heaven and I totally understand what is meant by that that there are many many facets to the gospel and we can't adequately cover even one of them today we can't even scratch the surface of even one but if we understood just 0.00001% of what it means for a sinner to stand in the presence of a holy God we would not say just to get you to heaven Jesus came down to rescue and to save those who deserve absolutely nothing but his wrath and judgment and God was not obligated to do this no (17:46) sinner has ever deserved anything other than Eternal punishment in hell now when we think when we ask like how a loving God could possibly send anyone to hell we're firstly not really thinking clearly about the very nature of Love or of God because love requires that you uphold protect and defend the worth of that which is most valuable and that is why we are all rightfully horrified whenever we see something precious violated now what would be the appropriate punishment for violating the worth of the most precious being in all the cosmos (18:30) and that is one way we can Define sin as a violation of the worth of God a preference for anything over God a disregard or or disdain of his worth but when we ask how could a loving God ever send anyone to hell we're also asking the wrong question the question we should really be asking is how is it possible that any sinner could ever stand in the presence of a holy God what should really shock us in all this is not that God would send Sinners to hell but that he would humble himself and come in the form of a servant to save even one of us to bring (19:12) even one of us into the joy of his presence but in the gospel if you turn from your sin and flee to Jesus and put your faith in his work on your behalf not only do you get the the absence of what you do deserve you also get the very last thing you ever deserved and that is God himself and his smile over you now why am I saying all of this well it's partly because it's there in our passage today that binary but it's also because this should make us Marvel all the more at Christ's humiliation because it's not just what (19:57) he suffered that should make us Marvel but it's also for whom and for what purpose that we must consider he suffered all of this for those who deserve the very opposite of what he came to give like I said God has no external obligation to you but just look at his Devotion to you we're told in Hebrews 7:25 that he Jesus is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him since he always lives to make intercession for them just get that he always lives to make intercession for you what humility is that that Christ (20:44) came to serve his enemies those who had rejected him so when Paul said let your manner of Life be worthy of the Gospel he was saying live a life modeled after all of that live a life modeled after Christ's humility and humiliation on your behalf and this should be for us the end of selfish ambition when we hold the gospel at the Forefront of our minds like Paul did it should be the primary motivation of how we live how we treat others and how we think about ourselves in relation to others just listen to the way that it (21:25) shaped the way that Paul thought of himself in relation to others in 1 Timothy 1:15 Paul said this the saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save Sinners of whom I am the foremost Jesus did not use his position to exploit or to take advantage of others he used his position to serve and even to serve those who were the least deserving and it's that example that should be what what drives our motivations the way that we respond to hurt the way that we interact with (22:04) others and I'm just going to end with one final quote from Spurgeon he said this when each one is willing to be leased when everyone desires to place his fellows higher than himself there is an end to party spirit schisms and divisions are all passed away thanks so much for listening welcome back hang on here we go forgot the microphone's not automatically in front of me when we're in the studio the mic's just there I didn't even think about picking it up Good Start MK go me uh so yeah welcome back uh well (22:47) that was Pete that was Pete talking about living a life worthy of the Gospel what did you think what are your questions WR them in the comments and we will hopefully chat about that but what did you think yeah it was it was challenging wasn't it Pete's not pulling any punches no no it just really I feel like it's stuff that I'd heard before but it's so good to be reminded yeah of like you know particularly that whole idea of how humble God was to become like us so you know weak and ordinary and all of that stuff yeah it it just blazs my mind every time I hear it yeah (23:25) especially I mean Christmas is coming up right sorry to talk about Christmas already but Christmas is coming up isn't it and so it's that time of year where you think about as Christians the birth of Christ yeah right this whole idea of um what was that quote Pete said someone put in the comments I thought it was really good uh for the infinite to become an infant uh which I thought was a really great comment yeah and this whole idea of God coming in the form of man to save man it is mind-blowing and there's no way of getting around it I if especially if it (24:03) happened it's mind-blowing if it didn't happen then it's the greatest hoax of all time isn't it yeah and I I feel like as a parent it blows my mind even more like sometimes you can make almost make the Christmas story smaller you know like you see cute kids like you know my son's doing Nativity at school in a few weeks and it's like there's angels and the Shepherds and so cute and you can miss the kind of Central Point can't you almost in all the Christmas that actually this is God becoming a baby you know and just how (24:43) how like I don't know just frail and needy a baby is how reliant on other people you're totally a baby can't feed itself it can't talk it can't do anything for itself it's it's truly the most humble position it and and not only that like not just any baby a babyn born in the Middle East to a mother who was you know out of wedlock a teenager not probably that socially acceptable in her culture at that time a displaced people group you know like it's not if you're going to choose to be someone in the world that probably wouldn't be it would it and it it would have been that time and it wouldn't have (25:27) been in that location no doubt about and then in those circumstances yeah yeah no you're right it's one of those isn't it where you you you sit and you think about it and you you your mind is blown by the whole thing uhuh the location the time the events the lack of Technology like we're here looking down a camera and I I know that in theory everyone in the world can hear what we're talking about right now it's it's just so why would Jesus not come to do I mean it's that kind of there are these questions which I think are interesting questions um it it reminds (26:05) me of that verse though where it says like you know the the the like kind of wisdom of men is foolishness to God and you know and it's that thing of like well if I was going to plan like a world changing religion I would start it in yeah this era where you can like broadcast internationally instantly reach huge audiences and he didn't he interested it to ordinary people who had to do it by word of mouth and share that gospel message one at a time and yeah you just the whole thing is like well it's not how I'd plan it but that's the thing isn't it God's wisdom is (26:43) foolishness TOS but it is he's on a different level yeah well let's just be grateful you're not planning the next world religion yeah I'm not anytime soon I haven't got time I haven't got the time got the time nor the inclination maybe no not the inclination no no no very good uh can you give a personal example of how you try to live a life worthy of the Gospel in Christ what does that look like in everyday life which I think is a great question wow me you how do you live a life worthy of the Gospel that's a hard (27:16) one isn't it um do you know what I never thinking back over my life right I've never once asked myself this question am I living a life worthy of the Gospel I've read this verse however many times I don't know if I've ever asked myself this question I've asked myself maybe a slightly different question yeah I I kind of agree I've never sort of asked it in that that exact terminology I've I've sort of asked myself before am I becoming you know more Christlike and am I becoming a better person the more I get to know God but yeah I've not really put it in in that terms what do you (27:55) think oh I love how you boun you did you that I just totally balanced that one yeah yeah yeah I'm ask Greg Greg knows everything how do you live a life with I think it's a really great question isn't it because the B the fundamental thing is I I do the best I can right uh and you kind of this whole idea of living a life with the gospel becoming more Christlike living a life that is pleasing to him you read these verses jine and and you kind of it makes sense in my head because I know that God loves everybody right I'm (28:37) just not convinced God likes everybody if that makes sense and I and I and I I don't mean this in a disrespectful way I I'm commanded to love everybody I'm not commanded to like everybody which is is very good news really because there are some people that maybe we we don't like uh but you know we do love them and it's it's one of those where I think you can you can live a life which says but God loves me and that's true but are you living a life that is pleasing to him are you living a life worthy of the Gospel which is all about (29:10) Jesus coming to die for you and all of that sort of stuff which Pete got into are we repaying that in a way which is worthy of our King and so I'm not living a life which is trying to get away with as much as I can MH I mean sort of sailing close to the edge which is maybe what we did when we were young teenagers like how how much can I get away with before it's too much um speak for yourself Matt I'm joking yeah yeah yeah yeah no no let's not go there an but it's one of those where you you do think about it don't you am I living a life worthy of goel and if you're not thinking about it I I think it's a great question to ask yourself because what (29:54) does that mean yeah I feel like some of it to me is about ask asking yourself am I being true to what God's asking of me in my situation in my unique set of circumstances what he's calling me to do the way the things he's asking me to do yeah and I guess a lot of it comes back to listening to God like knowing what he wants of us and just being I guess really willing to serve and to just as he's laid his life down for us to lay on lives down to serve him and serve other people around us over ourselves which is our natural (30:34) inclination right all of us are pretty selfish if we're just left to do whatever we want to do um so yeah I I think that's a really important part of it yeah so and Pete covered that didn't he at the start this whole uh Paul talks about it in the passage about becoming unified about considering others better than yourself and all this stuff that he he sort of heads into which you read those passages and Pete read them at the start and you they are some of the most challenging portions of scripture like am I living (31:05) this life you know are we living worthy of the Gospel by the way guys this is what it looks like yeah and you're like oh my goodness um and I think especially with Western Christianity Christianity I've just heard that in the because I can hear it through the speakers Christianity it's very American I don't know why that came Christianity um I think especially the way we live it in the west it is become so self-absorbed in so many ways and it is all about me and I I read verses like the ones which Pete talked about the start Philippians and think well goodness me that's that's super super super challenging do you (31:45) know what I mean it's that kind of here's the thing right I thought about it this way a few years ago going back to the love of God every Christian will tell you that God loves me right you know and it's true I I fully am committed to the theology that God loves me um and that Jesus died for me interestingly though in the Bible when it talks about it it says it in a slightly different way it said for God so loved the world doesn't it doesn't say for God so love Matt which we all know is true right but it says for God so love the world and and when we talk about and read about (32:22) the love of God in scripture it's in a collective sense but we've made it an individual thing do you see what I mean yeah and don't you think that's partly just our culture like we're a very individualistic society and so we think of Christianity particularly in Western you know in the British church and Western churches as very much about me and God and me and my relationship with God and it is partly that but sometimes it's easy to lose that collectiveness that you're talking about that actually we're the body of Christ together and (32:56) we're in this together and we're to support one another and and to encourage one another in our faith yeah what are the what other the questions have we got there uh well uh you can read it as well as I in fact you probably read it better than I can cuz I'm younger better than Mass this is a good question it says why would the gospel cause offense that's a really great question isn't it because and the gospel is offensive and again we don't like to talk about this in the west you know we there's been this thing it's like well you've got a problem come to Jesus he'll sort it out you know Jesus loves you and we talk about the good things um but you (33:36) find the gospel is offensive because it challenges Notions of selfishness and humility it challenges Notions of narcissism it challenges Notions of what you have actually got the right to do it challenges uh the ideas of God's plan for your life and living your own way and Pete's quite right actually when he said if you're not offended by the gospel you're probably not listening to the true gospel when the gospel is nothing and don't get me wrong I don't want to downplay the love of God but if if it just feels like this lovey (34:14) doy come to Jesus everything's going to be okay I think we do people a disservice by by mentioning that right so a few weeks ago we talked about um you know crowd and the vision of crowd and we made I I talked about some friends of mine who are living together not Christians they are you know in an active relationship let's just put it that way but you know love them go hang out with them go we have a great time with them it's just great I love them love hanging out with them if that same couple was in the (34:50) church then you as a church leader I'm like we have to have a conversation and it's not a particularly it's not a particularly great conversation that I have to have because it's like well we love each other you know and and that may be the case but this is where the gospel gets offensive because it's you're laying down your right to your life and live in the way that God wants you to live and whatever area that is going to be in there will be something which you struggle with that you do not want to give to God that you do not want to lay down yeah because that's the (35:27) nature of humanity that's the nature of us and I think that's what it means when it's offensive it it challenges the very core of some of and I think again without getting too controversial because I think I've just got controversial enough um but without getting too controver there are lots of issues in the modern day society which people take offense at and actually I think the Bible's really clear on a whole bunch of those issues um and you you you can't get around it and so you know people are going to be offended by that yeah but (36:01) don't you also think I mean that's part of the picture that initially it does rub against our natural inclinations and what we want to do as individuals sometimes but I also feel like at the same time it's not looking at the whole picture because the whole picture is when you put God's way God's preferences God's rules God's the way God wants you to live first actually there's a whole load of gain yeah like it's not it's not to make our lives miserable is it and that's the really other important point to make that actually When God says don't live like this don't live selfishly and keep all (36:41) your money to yourself give some away and bless someone else you know there's not just blessing for the other person there's blessing for you when you let go of your tight grip on all your money and or whatever it is that you like struggle to give over to God I found at times things I cling on to actually when I do let them go y it's it's really transformative to me and actually there's more joy and there's more freedom and there's more wholeness and it's a better way of living and and that's the key thing to to say in all this isn't it it's not about it's not just about asking us to (37:18) do the impossible and and things that are going to you know it's not about making life miserable for ourselves no you're totally right I think trusting God and trusting God's plan for your life life you've got to trust he has the best intentions and you might not always understand that I saw that with my kids when we were raising our kids they didn't always do or want to do what I suggested that maybe would be the best thing for them to do MH um and they have the choice right they still have the choice um but it's it's one of those (37:49) things where maybe at that time I've lived a little bit longer maybe I've seen a little bit more maybe I can understand the bigger picture a little bit more and if I can do that as a human father how much more is that God right where who sees the M from the beginning the Alpha and the Omega yeah cuz it's perspective isn't it it's the wisdom and the perspective of the bigger picture that you don't have when you're a kid you don't see the whole picture you just see what you want now you know like when my son was a toddler it's just like me me me now now now I want that that that (38:22) and it's it's not always what's healthy or right or actually good for them is it and yeah I just think we can so often be the same with God and we don't see the whole picture yeah no it's very true I think I think this is something that we could talk about a lot isn't it but fundamentally this you can get offended because you you don't necessarily like or agree with the suggestions of God and that's the I think that's what it's talking about at the moment and I think just let's just be real for a minute there are going to be some things which (38:53) God suggests which you are going to wrestle with yeah right cuz you just are one of them might be the command to forgive your enemies it's like well I don't want to do that what just okay you can go take I mean you can try and negotiate with God it never goes well but you can try and do it do you know what I mean and it's it's one of those where there is going to be something in there which you struggle with because that's just the nature of life and and I think the older I get the the more I walk in this the worse my eyesight gets but the easier sometimes I find it now because I've had that (39:29) experience do I mean I've had that walk where it goes right okay Jesus is Lord yeah and what does that actually mean you know so any other questions I've not got my glasses my head yeah great quote the infinite become an an infant yeah uh just having a look what else we've got here how did Jesus actually be become sin for us he died on the cross for our sin but how did he actually take our sin so that we could be forgiven well there's a theological answer to this question uh it's there's a word called substitution or the Divine exchange um and the best way I know how (40:17) to describe this how did Jesus become sin for us the example I always use is when I was 18 19 years old which I apprey sure was a while ago but um just a little while a few years um my sister I had a sister who um Amy beautiful uh sister but she was born when I was 18 years old okay so a bit of an age Gap and I remember um she was uh in her nursery and dad was changing her nappy or her diaper if you're across the Atlantic and he was changing her nappy but she was really sick now you were remember this being a mom changing the (41:00) nappy of a sick child you tend to look down on that child and go that's not fair and and my dad said something which I've never forgotten and this was this happened before I was a Christian um this was kind of part of my Christian Journey he said do you know what Matt I wish I could become sick for her I wish I could give her my health and take the sickness away from her right which is the Cry of any parent in other words what he wanted to do was substitute his state of being right he wanted change places and there's this wonderful verse in the Bible 2 Corinthians 5:21 where it (41:33) says for Jesus who knew no sin he became sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God in other words what happened was there was an exchange where my dad was powerless to take the sickness out of my sister Christ did have the power to take upon himself all our sin and in exchange for that he gives us his righteousness um righteousness does mean means right standing with God right um and so we are the righteousness of God now which is perhaps one of the most extraordinary statements in the Bible and do I mean (42:07) when you think it through what that means yeah but this is how that happened there's this thing called substitution and in the gospel um Peter talked a bit about this you know he was had clothed in Majesty but was stripped of his clothing on the cross but guess what he's got all of that back now right and more and so there is this sort of exchange that happens on the cross and he became our sickness you know so we might be healed by his stripes we're healed the Bible says he became poor that we might become rich there was another verse that Pete read doesn't mean I'm a millionaire um but you know (42:44) we can draw out what that means there is this he became so that we and we sort of exchange places with him um and so living a life worthy of the Gospel is understanding actually I'm only here because Jesus took this upon him and decided to give me his righteousness there was nothing I could do about it other than just go yeah appreciate that yeah do you know what I mean does that answer the question yeah I think that's a really good analogy of what it means to that's that whole idea of substitution that's that's a really good example of of how that work the POS word is atonement if you're if you're ever in (43:21) a pub quiz store that one away yep um yeah no I think I think that is really helpful sort of way of illustrating it though um it is worth saying though that it's not a kind of like a tradeoff is it like it's not like oh God becomes poor so I can become rich or like I I think it's you know all of those things are true but it's not all true in the here and now like it doesn't always I suppose what I'm trying to say is some of that stuff you see in the immedia like God can heal you here and now um when you've got sickness but some of that happens in eternity as well so (44:00) like some of that exchange I think is still to come like he gives he becomes you know takes death upon himself so that we can have eternal life well you and I are not currently Eternal we're getting older and frailer as the years go on um but one day we will have eternal life and so that some of that tradeoff is here and now and some of it later so I think it's both hand it is it is both hand and that's a very good point and I and a very complex yeah we're not talking about small simple stuff tonight are we this is like a big my brain I'm not going to (44:36) lie it's conversation street over yet it's like my brain really hurts but this is I mean it's all good stuff and I think it's foundational to to your Christian faith in many ways and they're the kind of questions that I didn't think to ask for the first 10 years of my Christian life but had I have known to ask these it would have changed the first 10 years of my Christian life so the last question is there any practical reason why Jesus would choose to be born and to go through the trouble of growing up into adulthood why did he not just come as an adult through Supernatural (45:09) means I don't know for sure but I have a theory about this and I don't know if I can prove it biblically but this is my feeling on it I think that God didn't have to come as a baby he didn't have to go through growing pains and spend 30 years you know kind of just being an ordinary bloke and being a car penser and going to school or doing whatever he did as a kid um I think that he wanted to walk in our shees I think the part of the reason that he identifies with us and is that he knows what it is to be fully human and how can you be fully human if you just skip the process and become I don't (45:51) know he could have just come down as the President of United States or something couldn't he that would be awesome they need him right now better than the current options without getting too political yeah we're not going to take sides this week but um but you know like he could have come as someone powerful like a king or a ruler and he didn't he he just became an ordinary person he needed every step of life so that he could fully identify with us so when we go through sickness he had sickness you know when he was I know at work and (46:24) maybe cut his finger as a carpenter he knows what it is to ble and do you think you got splinters yeah I reckon he must have working with all that wood do you not think well if my life in carpet is anything to go by he got fingers off so he didn't do that yeah I think it's I think what you say is a valid point because the Bible says that in all ways he was tempted yet he did not sin uhhuh and I think he had to face the Temptations that a kid faces that a teenager faces that a young man faces and and also the pain and (46:56) difficulty and challenge so like like he grieved he lost friends and he cried for them it's you know shortest verse in the Bible is Jesus wept like how can he Comfort us or identify with our pain unless he's felt that too so I think there is something about that there is and that I mean the humanity of Christ is part of the reason why I think Christianity is so attractive because because of that because he's walked in everyone's shoes right and you go well okay um he he can obviously empathize with us in ways (47:28) which is both miraculous and experiential so it's it's a beautiful thing uh but we've we've run out of time we have so yeah conversation street is is coming to an end but they were great questions genuinely my brain HS right now but that's fine it's can we have some easier questions I'm just saying I just want to make sure we've not missed anybody's um Matt says can we talk about the football oh no uh oh no let's not talk about the football um but yes sorry Matt we're not doing it well you know he's a Manu fan so it's not going to bless him in any way if we do so thank you so much for joining us (48:09) uh here at crowd um if You' like say if you'd like to know more want to get in touch want to send through prayer requests um you can do that via the website uh which is www.c crow. church coming up on the screen uh you can also WhatsApp us the number is coming up on the screen as is our social media links and you can get in contact with us throughout all of those channels and hopefully someone will reply to you um so yeah thank you for joining us make sure you do the usual you know like subscribe and follow and all that sort of stuff and if you haven't done so yet (48:40) head over to the website crowd. church and sign up to the newsletter because we've finally got that resolved and sorted out so that's now functioning again as well that's cool was that a whoop whoop whoop it was it's been a while coming the whoop whoop Church uh but thank thank you so much for joining us uh do get in touch with us we would love to hear from you we would certainly love to pray for you um and anything you've got going on appreciate all the prayer requests coming in genuinely we do pray for you we have like a little WhatsApp group don't we yeah we have a whole team (49:09) who are here and pray for people through the week AB so seriously reach out if you're if you've got something that you want prayer for yep absolutely do do that so thank you so much for joining us uh anything else from you no that's it just have a great week everyone and like reach out to us um get in touch if you have any questions or any more thoughts yeah next week just so you know heads up philippins part four with will sowith oh yes uh and that's going to come to you next week you're hosting with Jen Mariner I am yeah it's going to be an all Lady team next week and ladies on (49:43) Tech as well Tech girl is hosting girl is and so we've got will sorth doing the talk so he's going to be seriously outnumbered which is always quite is where you want will really um but um so do come join us next week for that be great to see you there thank you so much for joining us have a fantastic week bye for now [Music] [Music]