Hillsong Church - Robert Fergusson

[Music] [Music] in the boilers come on [Music] [Music] [Music] ah [Music] [Music] [Music] to [Music] what everyone's [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] anyway this morning believe that you inhabit the praises of your people y'all gonna sing with all we have knowing that you are here right now always seen home Oh [Music] Oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] what pretty [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] this [Music] sheesh [Music] we [Music] you [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] now by the way you're sitting [Music] God is calling you in into his [Music] [Applause] learn Jesus [Music] working her Faison was Jesus [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] chance beautiful father God we thank you for this service we thank you that we're found in your house is small in one with one another and father we commit the remainder of what is our service to you father God as we break bread together and as we celebrate your beautiful sacrifice and your endless love father God our hearts to yours we lean into you in Jesus name Amen amen welcome to church everyone are you good so wonderful that you came to the house of God this morning and again you know Matt's been beautiful leading worship and junu or visiting your welcome in this place mmm so you know what as part of our worship this morning we're gonna celebrate and we're gonna gather around communion is that all right so I'm gonna ask you to remain standing and I'm gonna put my glasses on in a really awkward way I can't quite figure how to draw up [Music] you would think that I could just walk across the stage with my glasses on but then I would fall off the stage and I can't see you when when I can see this I can't see you and when I see you I can't see this so hallelujah and all the marginally blind people said we empathize with one another amen communion is beautiful right it's beautiful allow me to read to you from Luke chapter 22 so this is Jesus and His disciples he's gathering them to the Last Supper and it says when Jesus arrived in the upper room he took the place he took his place at the table along with his do you love me because I love you one more time praise the Lord when Jesus arrived at the Upper Room hallelujah he took his place at the table along with all his apostles then he told them I have longed with passion and desire to eat this Passover lamb with you before I enjoy my sufferings what a profound statement I promise you this is our Savior King talking to his disciples but talking to our source say says I promise you but the next time we eat this we will be together in the banquet of God's kingdom round then he raised a cub and he gave thanks to God and he said to them take this and pass it on to one another and drink I promise you that the next time we drink this wine we will be together in the feast of God's kingdom round then he lifted up a loaf and after praying a prayer of thanksgiving to God he gave each of his apostles a piece of the bread saying this loaf is my body which has now been offered to you always eat it to remember me in other translations you know we often see those words do this in remembrance of me and what we're doing if you're new to the things of God as we are celebrating that sacrifice in Christ it's not a religious tradition or observance jesus said do this as often as you will I do it a lot in my lounge room I have some cups in my fridge and I often sit at my coffee table and I break bread with the Lord Jesus Christ he said do it as often as you will in remembrance my blood poured out a new covenant secured for you my body broken right now our hosts are passing the emblems through amongst you all and our different locations as well and I'm gonna ask you to take the cup and take the bread and in your own time and in your own devotion and break bread with the Lord and allow it to be an intimate moment with her oh man a team have a beautiful new song it's on the new album awake it's called every breath so again I'm not going to lead you and taking the emblems it's up to you because it's your Holy Communion is that okay Jesus name father we thank you for your sacrifice Jesus we thank you we're so grateful and we remember you right now [Music] [Music] me [Music] first [Music] Oh got you morning evening things [Music] [Applause] is full by [Music] [Applause] [Music] wah [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] breathe life into drive on heaven excels I'm so nice River how great is the ones who're blacks just when it feels like [Music] oh great rush [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] so perfect amen do you know what I believe I believe that people are actually on this healing in the room today I believe as you have broken bread with the Lord Jesus Christ his healing virtue is moving amongst us amen so have faith and have courage and have hope is that good amen you know part of communion is just breaking bread not literally bad but literally breaking bread with one another they did it from house house to house and home to home they broke bread and they had fellowship so guess what church we're gonna break bread together we're gonna find at least three people that we don't know we're gonna shake their hand we're gonna tell them they are amazing ask if they had a great weakness weak and be friendly free man yeah you can do it Church fun to the back three [Music] [Music] beautiful did you love that song guys did you love that new song amen beautiful all right obviously everyone at the front are more friendly than at the back is that true at the back are you friendly at the back yes okay Church wait she quiet everyone say hallelujah say I am Alive I am happy to be here I am very happy with a person that I'm sitting next to turn around and give them a high-five tell them they are incredible amen now this is a church we know and love right Amy you guys got a sleeper you realize that don't you yes totally did you have a good week sensational everyone say sensational fantastic again huge wild killer she knew or visiting it's really nice to have you in the house and I believe you're gonna actually be impacted by the word pastor Robert Ferguson is bringing the word today just pretty cool but before that we're gonna continue our worship and Dan patty Smith is gonna come up Pastor Dan penny Smith it's gonna come up and encourage us in our giving Dan is our stewardship pastor is that correct like it right amen you're amazing so this guy it's awesome amen we love you Brian and I love you thanks Bobby good morning Church how you doing good well it's an honor to be sharing around our tithes and offerings this morning and Bobby's already welcomed any guests and visitors and just so you know it's never any pressure in these moments but if you do wish to contribute this morning there's different ways on the screen behind me which you can start to prepare if you'd like to do so I want to encourage you out of the word for a moment 2 Corinthians chapter 9 and verse 7 says each of you should give what you've decided in your heart to give not reluctantly nor under compulsion for God loves a cheerful Giver now I wonder do you have any things in your life that make you cheerful I mean for me there's a couple of things they might sort of indulgences but they make me cheerful now the first one is ice cream I've got any friends like you just get happy when you know ice cream is coming your way that's me I did a late-night ice-cream run last night got the kids to bed nothing to freeze up form straight to Ollie's ice cream makes me cheerful the other thing that makes me cheerful is licorice now I know it's sort of either way my wife hates licorice so if I indulge in licorice then that's my indulgence is done for the day but these things make me cheerful the Bible tells us God loves a cheerful Giver do you know when you actually look at some of the context around this verse it actually says that a cheerful Giver loves God and I want to encourage us Church there's such a power when we understand that and we come around our tires and offerings this is a moment where we don't give because we have to we don't do this moment because we feel our but God expects me to give I believe some of the power around this verse is that God doesn't love the transaction of giving but God loves the relational nature of our gifts and when we understand his love for us and we've experienced and we experience all that we can show our love for him when we bring our tires and our offerings see the work of the church move forward so let me pray for your churches prepare to give this morning father I thank you so much for the opportunity that we have to build your house to put you first to give to your work Lord and we thank you the incredible opportunity it is that this is truly an act of worship this is an overflow of our heart what we do in this moment father and I pray your blessing over every household every family represented here this morning in Jesus mighty name and everyone said together amen well our amazing hosts are going to serve us and as they do that please turn your attention to the screen and check out all this coming up don't let the presence of God worship God's eyes on his promise God's not hiding from he's not as far from years ago [Music] it was a moment with God where I got clarity but he gave me new perspectives to be the people that that write God's narrative for a generation be bold be bold be bold [Music] well the great news about the worship and creative conference not only is the building going to be packed there's also plenty of opportunity for you to register online and join the motor tutor we'll be doing we're here to just chat to you a few minutes on the topic of music directing what is a music director in the context of your son so much practical teaching as well as the incredibly inspiring big sessions that worship will be colossal [Music] keys to the garden got it here it's exactly 12 a.m. it's midnight with a shiny [Music] [Applause] [Music] confidence is such a gift from God we're not talking about an arrogant self-confidence with automatic godly confidence confident in who you are in Christ confident about the call of God on your life confident in your ability to do something significant even though this is a studio album this sounds more like a Hillsong worship album and Hillsong Church I was a little before so she would anoint this ring with oil and you pay the blood of Jesus over every surface but it's a place where the Holy Spirit will be welcomed and ended in the name of Jesus [Music] there is an awakening that takes place when we worship we see new aspects of who God is we know where church music and worship music has been but we need to tap into where God sees it going [Applause] [Music] I hope that there's album changes people's lives that people find Jesus and find him for real a man I believe Brooks prayer and the prayer of the team who have prepared and labored to pretend this beautiful new album and offering from our house is gonna be answer do you believe that so you know what I mentioned it before but if you haven't received you get it went it dropped on every once I dropped it dropped on a Friday globally around the world and so it's beautiful you need to get it and guess what else there's a beautiful amazing one-hour documentary in the muck in about the making of that album and that album is some unlike some of our other albums that's actually in a studio album but it doesn't feel like that it honestly doesn't it's the heart and soul of our church your worship our worship together and it's spent has to go watched it at midnight last night and it's beautiful it is humbling it is gorgeous there was one part where you know you see them behind the scenes many of you will never get to go behind the scenes literally but you can on this and you'll love it you'll be so proud of your church you'd be so proud to be a part of this but it actually shows the beautiful studio that is over at the MPC epicenter it shows the studio that we actually have in California and it's in Darien and when I watched it last and I kept thinking do you know what I love about this again it's people who may never get actually to do that but you know what you're a part of it because for example when we contribute to heart and heart for the house and we contribute to the vision and the building of facilities to carry the gospel message further you're a part of that there's studio and essences yours it's the fruit of your labor and your devotion so you know what make sure you get to watcher that's on the Hillsong channel now or something anyway I know everything that's going on in this church do you believe that I so don't know everything that is going there are too many moving pieces like me I'm a moving piece too today a spirit of Brian Houston has come over me I this what does he normally do he sits with people doesn't he he sits down with like good-looking young men like this hello yeah that was like so awkward I'm gonna run away now but the good news there surpasses home next weekend so he's back and he's excited and he's healthy and he's looking fresh and he's ready to go and so we've got that we've got Kingdom builders having in on Saturday mornings so gano a brand new season of us launching into the future together so if you're a part of that you're interested just ask all the right questions out out on the foyers and the lobbies they mean all locations and then of course we've got where's your conference in one week can you believe our worship conferences hearing it's full it's at capacity but guess what guys there's an amazing online conference experience so you actually can be a part of that mmm be praying for that all right I can't think of anything more to say right now here go would you like that god bless you after I embarrass you and God bless you because you're just incredible amen all right do we love Robert Ferguson we do say Church why don't we stand to our feet everyone who is on screen with us today all our various rooms pastor Robert has been away he's been away doing wondrous things he'll tell us about that but it's awesome to have your home pastor Robert so why don't we put our hands together and welcome the Word of God in this [Music] thank you wonderful people thanks team for doing such a brilliant job this morning give them a clap so so wonderful you can all you can all sit down well it's always a huge honor and privilege to speak to wonderful people not only at Hills but everyone who is joining us in whatever circumstance so thank you Branagh Bobby for the privilege of speaking but as Bobby said I've been away for a few weeks so just to be home again is a huge blessing so wonderful to be here I wonder if any of you did pottery at school or maybe you still do pottery now I was hopeless but I did learn something clay needs to be centered before it is shaped if you do not Center clay by pushing your weight onto it when you begin to shape it it will fly off to the other side of the room and be destroyed our faith is the same it needs to be centered on the things that matter before it can be shaped into all that God has for us when Jesus was on this earth basically he only talked about four things each of these four things is highlighted in one conversation between Jesus and Pilate recorded in John chapter 18 he talked about his kingdom and what that means he talked about his mission to seek and to save the Lost he talked about his death that he was going to die the death of a criminal in order to save the world and he talked about his identity who he was those four things are the four planks of Christianity and if you're a preacher those are the four things you should be talking about his kingdom his mission his death and his identity but in today's world we don't really talk about those four things or at least we talk about one aspect of them we talk about the personal blessings of his kingdom we talk about the personal fulfillment of his mission we talk about the personal benefits of his death and we talk about our personal freedoms in discovering who we are in Christ in other words it's all about what we gain and not about what we have to give up that is not the emphasis that I discover in the scriptures so in the last few months I've been doing a series based on the four Gospels and I've been looking at the emphasis they put on those four things Matthew for instance doesn't talk about the benefits of the kingdom he talks about submission to the kingdom mark doesn't talk about the fulfillment took purpose he talks about the service of our mission Luke which is the subject of today's message talks about the sacrifice that Jesus paid and we have to pay and John talks about Christ's sonship and what that means for us and our responsibilities the truth is I think we need to be centered back on what the gospel says and sometimes that's quite challenging I've chosen Luke today to talk about sacrifice because he concentrates on the sacral sacrificial aspects of Christianity and Christ's death his symbol in church architecture is the sacrificial bull and is the only one that tells parable that we discover in Luke chapter 14 verse 28 suppose one of you wants to build a tower will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it now I am aware that this message is going to be a little challenging but hey if you want to buy a house what's the first question you ask how much how much is it going to cost so if you want to be a disciple Jesus says the first thing you need to ask is how much is it going to cost we put our hands up so yeah pick me pick me I'll follow Jesus well I'm here to tell you it's going to cost something and then in a few minutes time I'm going to give you on opportunity to follow Jesus and then you will have heard firsthand it's going to cost you is that okay so we're going to pray and we're going to ask God to really speak to us and I believe this is going to be a challenging but helpful and hopefully encouraging message father God thank you for these amazing people here in this building and listening to us in various parts of the world I pray father that you would speak to us from the Scriptures specifically through the story of Luke we ask it in Jesus name and everybody said amen Luke who obviously wrote the Gospel of Luke and also wrote the Acts of the Apostles was a traveling man in order to write the gospel because he wasn't an eyewitness of the events that took place he had to travel to speak to the eyewitnesses he's one of the few people who wrote about Mary and her story so he must have traveled to where Mary was in the town of Ephesus being looked after by John to record her story and in order to write the Acts of the Apostles he had to travel with Paul the Apostle we know that he was one of the team because in Luke Acts chapter 16 he says we were called to go to Macedonia well we think that traveling today is reasonably arduous but traveling in those days whatnot was not just arduous it was highly dangerous Paul wrote I've been in danger in shipwrecks I've been in danger in the country I've been danger in towns he was in danger from wild animals lions lived in Israel at the time he was in danger from bandits just traveling with Jesus or traveling with Paul was a dangerous activity sometimes the cost of traveling is associated with a cost of discipleship so I'm going to use that image in this message and talk about the cost of discipleship in Luke chapter 18 and verse 28 Peter said to him to Jesus that is with all we have left all we had to follow you I've often said it's not the scriptures that I don't understand that worry me it's the scriptures that I do understand that concern me we have left all we had to follow you truly I tell you jesus said to them no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and in the age to come eternal life what Jesus is saying is that you will benefit from following me but in order to benefit you can have to leave stuff as someone who's left my home in England to move to Australia left my family in England in order to come here I can testify that that's true I left a lot but I've gained a lot I've gained a church like this I've gained a family like you I've gained thousands of friends I have gained fulfillment and blessing and freedom and benefits that I spoke about but we often don't talk about the cost there's a cost you cannot gain this unless you give up this what we've got to realize that the prize of Jesus Christ the pearl of great price is a glorious prize but we've got to give up our independence in order to gain it traveling as someone who's just spent five weeks doing so is not very glamorous on this particular trip I had to get up at 2:00 in the morning 3:00 in the morning in order to get to my next destination and traveling with Jesus was even more non the glamorous look at this Luke 14 verse 25 large crowds were traveling with Jesus yes and turning to them he said if anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother what hate now he's not talking about vilifying or criticizing your parents he's saying in comparison to loving me you've got to put everything else aside you want to travel with me you've got to hate your mother and father your wife and your children his brothers and sisters and even your own life and if you're not prepared to do that you cannot be my disciple what why doesn't someone preach on this oh I am and anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple Wow I don't know about you but most of you know that I'm fairly obsessive so I'm going to tell you exactly where I traveled in 1987 I have records of all my preaching for the last 45 years so I looked up 1997 most of you or many of you weren't born in 1987 I preached 192 times in 78 different venues I only preach to my own church in that year 13 times Amanda was at home with our three children who were 8 7 and 4 and I was preaching away in that year on 27 Sundays I was overseas in 9 different nations for 150 days in that year not just across the Tasman in New Zealand where you could come back in a couple of hours I was in Poland and Pakistan where there were no phones there were no mobile phones I would walk away say goodbye to Amanda and for the next month she would have no idea where I was until I came back again occasionally I would write her a letter which would often arrive after I got back at the time there was a Christian musical and one of those songs was about Peter and his wife we often don't think of Peter having a wife but Pete had a mother-in-law so he obviously had a wife and she was left at home so Peters doing his thing building the church and she was at home looking after the kids and the song said this I guess I married a travelin man but I met Jesus so I understand that was Amanda's mantra while I was swooning around the world preaching the gospel she was looking after the kids and it cost her and it cost me I wonder how much you really really love Jesus and how much you're prepared to sacrifice for him what exactly is sacrifice what does the Bible say well if you look it up in the dictionary it says this the surrender or distraction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim so the whole of Christianity is based on sacrifice Jesus gave up everything because he considered you and I of greater value than his own life Wow this is what it says in Luke chapter 22 verse 7 then came the day of the unleavened bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed he gave up everything for the joy set before him now we cannot emulate his death but we can emulate and must emulate his sacrificial life that's what he taught Luke says this chapter 9 verse 22 jesus said the Son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders the chief priests the teachers with the law and he must be killed on the third day be raised to life well we can't emulate that but then he said to them all whoever wants to be my disciple must deny himself take up his cross daily and follow me that last statement whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves take up their cross daily and follow me has three elements to sacrifice that I just want to explain to you and then I'm going to talk about a couple of things that the Bible teaches that we've got to give up to be a disciple and then we can have to make a choice are we prepared to give those up to gain all the blessings and the benefits and the fruitfulness and the freedom that we have in Christ so this statement has what I call a bowing down a giving up and a living out everybody say are bowing down are giving up and a living out so first you gotta bow down think of this if you're a mum or want to be a mum you desire to be a mum you first have to bow down to the calling of motherhood in other words you commit to that future you submit to that future and once you submit it to the future and you've become a mum you've got to give up certain things you've got to give up your time you've got to give up your personal freedoms you may even have to give up your job you might even have to give up your personal health for the benefit or the joy of having children but once you've bowed down to the calling of motherhood and given up certain personal benefits then you've got to live ants being a mum you thought he was only gonna last until they left home oh no not only does it go on for the rest of your life it costs more as they get older so it becomes more and more expensive a few heads bowed at the front looking oh no I didn't think this through that's why I thought I'd tell you what sacrifice is but what does that look like in Christian terms well firstly a bowing down you've got to bow down to the will of God look at this Luke 22:42 father if you are willing take this cup from me this is Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane not my will but yours be done the first thing that Jesus did in order to save us in order to gain the prize of the world's salvation was to give up his personal desires and his personal will not my will yours be done that's the start of discipleship not getting my own way you're the king you're my god the second thing is a giving up a giving up Luke 23 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice father into your hands I commit my spirit when he had said this he breathed his last he not only bowed down to the will of God he gave up his life now you said well jesus said that surely I don't have to do it of course you do not necessarily your life but you've got to say to God where do you want me to go I don't know about you but when Jesus told me to do this to preach I said no I didn't want to preach I didn't want to be a missionary I didn't want to live overseas I want to know I was more interested in plants than people I was like Jonah who got upset when a plant died because he didn't want to go where God wanted him to go and he ran away I was like that but I had to submit to God and I discovered that his will was greater and more glorious and more grand than I could possibly imagine and more blessings but I had to give up something in order to gain it I had to lay down my desires and my future now if God's called you to be a doctor be a doctor but put it on the altar the founder of the Salvation Army William Booth his wife Catherine was asked what set William Booth apart and she said this she said when he gave his life to God and put his life on the altar he didn't take it back again most of us take it back every week we're all enthusiastic as we will be tonight the place is going to be packed we're gonna be singing great songs new worship songs awake it's gonna be great and at the end we're gonna say Jesus I'm in I'm Yours and then the next day he's going to ask us to do something I'm gonna say no it's my day off I'd rather do my own thing isn't it interesting God challenges us but real Christianity which is what the Bible talks about involves our bowing down and a giving up and then a living out Luke 19 verse 10 for the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost he lived out his mission no days off no days off you when you give your life to Christ you don't have a day off you are on 24/7 you can't have a carnal day I think I'm gonna live in sin this week no you're cool to this so that's what it means but what does it mean practically well let's go back to the scripture we started with Luke 14 28 suppose one of you wants to build a tower really not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it or if he lays the foundation is not able to finish everyone who sees it will ridicule him saying this saying this fellow began to build and was not able to finish or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king will he not first sit down and consider whether is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand if he's not able he'll send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and ask for terms peace in the same way any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple well I just looked at that and I thought well what are the things that I'm gonna have to sacrifice in order to follow Jesus the way he wants are you ready for this number one the sacrifice of small-mindedness God says I want you to build a tower a tower is big a tower takes money a tower is seen a tower is strategic it will be attacked it's a great image God says coming to Jesus it's like building a tower it's gonna be big Oh trouble is I don't like big do you like big I was brought up in a small village 200 people very happy with that I lived in an island I have an island mentality then God sent me to displace big country big church big everything to many people I like eight people around a dinner table that's it way too many people in this room but God's called us to something big and it's so big we can't even get our head around it I was on a plane two days ago someone said I've just been to Hillsong Luxembourg I said I didn't know we had a Hillsong Luxembourg it's way too big listen to this acts for for Luke writing but many of you've heard the message believed so the number of men who believed grew to about 5,000 5,000 people way too many because not interested in a small vision he's called us to something big something grand something glorious something that's gonna build say something something that's gonna be seen from around the world we may not like ah beat this bigness but we've got a sacrifice our small-minded we're gonna be uncomfortable I don't know about you but I am uncomfortable every time I come to church I like just a few people I think God's gonna in a slightly challenging sense of humor we've got to give up step number two the sacrifice of self-centeredness acts 4:32 the early church Luke writes all the believers were one in hearts and my no one claimed that they had any of their possessions or any of their own possessions they shared everything they had what you mean we can have to pay for this tower well I'm telling you it's gonna cost everything when I put my hand up and said yeah I'll serve you Jesus all right I want you to be a traveling evangelist what I want you to go around England in a big tent preach the gospel everywhere well who's gonna pay for it you are we put all our wedding money and to buy musical instruments for our traveling tent I didn't even play musical instruments but the fact is God said you're gonna put aside your desires to see other lives change that's the basis of Christianity you've got to sacrifice your small-mindedness sacrifice your self-centeredness but why didn't anyone tell me this I am it shouldn't be a shock when we say let's give or let's build the church or let's have a kingdom builders breakfast or let's have a miracle of insurance shock people that's what we bought into I want you to build a tower check it out first Jesus says number three still with me the sacrifice of shortsightedness you're not going to be he said can't the cost because you don't want to be in a position where you don't finish Jesus has a long-term vision acts 1:6 they gathered around him and asked him Lord you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel in other words they were saying Jesus all right this is it are you gonna now restore Israel and he said I'm not gonna tell you what I'm gonna do it's up to you just go into all the world and preach the gospel get on with it well 2,000 years later was through waiting God's got a different time frame look at this Acts 7:30 after 40 years had passed an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush 40 years I've just come from the Israel Israeli desert it was 40 degrees I got fed up up to two days he was there for 40 years and God hadn't said a thing 40 years before God spoke to him we've we've got to understand we've got to submit to our shortsightedness when I came to Australia in 1990 I thought I'd be here for two years I'm still here God had a bigger plan and he didn't tell me the plan he just said sacrifice your small-mindedness some sacrifice yourself centeredness sacrifice your shortsightedness and let me do what i do now what are the benefits huge but it still cost what about this one the sacrifice of solitude it says this fellow began to build when you build a tower everybody's gonna look at it you can't you can't serve Jesus secretly he's always gonna get people to look at you look at this ax 3 4 Peter looked at the lame man as to John and Peter said look at us people are gonna look at you they're gonna watch your family they're gonna watch your kids act 6:15 always sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen no privacy here now I'm gonna share a little secret with you I've been married for 43 years we've got a few secrets for longevity one of this we never eat breakfast together I'm not good at breakfast you don't want to meet me at breakfast breakfast is a bad idea we've got a kingdom people's breakfast this week that's my worst nightmare I have to have breakfast before breakfast so that I can be in a position where I can talk to people at breakfast I'm Amanda and I just don't talk to peep anyone at least of all each other at breakfast so I've just been traveling with a team through Israel I try and get there early for breakfast so that none of the team arrive but they're all chirpy and sitting next to me so I'm ignoring them eating my cereals and then out of the blue a complete stranger walks up to me and says I know you I've seen you on TV and everything inside of me says go away this is my private moment this is cereal time but you've got to sacrifice your solitude I I did about four weeks four and a half weeks away didn't have a day off with desperate for a day off so I decided to have a day off in London doing my own thing oh that's fantastic I was off grid I went to one of my favorite places the British Museum and hung out with old old things and didn't talk to anybody and then in the middle of my day off another person total stranger walked straight out to me I know you I've seen you on TV go away but you've got to give up your solitude people don't talk about this stuff it's not convenient being a Christian are you prepared give up your solitude what about this one the sacrifice you like this sloth slothfulness yes I know acts 21st 2035 in everything I did I showed you by this kind of hard work we think Christianity is easy who said that it's really really hard work but it isn't it all about grace yes we received by grace and we work for the rest of our life Paul said I work I labor with all his energy which so powerfully worked to me yes God equips us but we still have to work hard we give up sloth number F the sacrifice of security wait a minute I thought we had security in Christ yeah but if you build a tower it's not only gonna cost you hard work it's gonna be attacked you're gonna be attacked spiritually you're gonna be attacked naturally as soon as you become a Christian you become the target you're gonna be attacked on social media you're gonna be attacked by people in the street I told you the other day I was just sitting in Kohl's buying some groceries and a person just came out and took it upon himself to tell me I was a heretic I'd never met him a complete stranger spent five minutes telling me how horrible I was I'm standing over my groceries I didn't buy him for this the sacrifice of security except eight verse 1 Paul Saul approved of killing as Stephen and on that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem the fact is if you talk to the persecuted church around the world where the church is growing incidentally they would say whatever you do do not pray that the persecution stops we must have persecution it's what calls for church to grow it's what maintains our commitment and our strength but in order to gain that we've got to give up our personal security of course you're going to be persecuted but it's still shocking when it happens but we've bought into this but no one told me that as soon as I became a Christian I'd lose some of my best friends or that my family would turn against me but that's what happened I wish I'd heard this message before you put your hand up can't the cause the final one is this the sacrifice of silence it says you can have to ask for terms of peace acts 9:15 but the Lord said to Ananias go this man Paul is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel I will show him how much he must suffer for my name we talk about Paul's conversion we talk about his calling to the Gentiles that enabled you and I to become Christians we don't talk about the cost he couldn't be silent he was called to proclaim I don't know about you but I like silence that's why I just like just a few people I think God has got a sensitive humor he not only called me to a huge church but a noisy one we're always singing everything inside my personal being say I want just a couple of people and no music please but you got to sacrifice silence we've got to speak up for the downtrodden we've got to speak out against injustice we've got to proclaim the name of Jesus we've got a sacrifice our silence why because we're called to something glorious we've gained something precious we are more privileged and more players than any other faith people on the face of the earth we the pearl of great price so he give up the fields to gain the prep the pearl that's just finished with its Luke 14:33 in the same way any of you does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple Wow Romans 12:1 therefore I urge you brothers and sisters in view of God's mercy to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to god this is your true and proper worship we've got a worship conference coming up what is worship sacrifice the first time worship is mentioned in the scriptures Genesis 22 Abraham is sacrificing his son it speaks of what Jesus did there's no music no singing the only hand raised is one of appalling sacrifice that's the heart of worship thank God for the songs thank God for the singing thank God for the music it's all part of who we are but don't ever forget that the fundamental plank of Christianity is sacrifice it cost Jesus everything but here's a thought and with this I finish one of my great heroes in the faith man by the name of Bruce Olsen it's called by God to go and preach to the mottle only Indians in South America no one had preached to them before they'd never heard of the name of Jesus they were an unreached people group it took him four years to find them in the jungle in the Amazon and as he walked into a clearing where they were and said hello the first thing they did was shoot him with an arrow straight through the thigh and then dragged him through the jungle for three hours left him for dead he escaped got back to the states prepared to return got engaged to a lady who was killed in a car crash but he were returned anyway when he finally got back to them after five years he got one convert they said they held up a cross in front of him and said for this cross I will kill you they killed the first convert but he stayed and he started a work among an unreached people group someone I met met him and said Bruce surely that's way too much of a sacrifice and this was his response sacrifice sacrifice sacrifice is the wrong word it's been a privilege I wonder if we really believe that of course it's cost us but nothing in comparison to the people have lost their lives and nothing in comparison to what it costs the Lord Jesus Christ yes it has cost us but what a glorious privilege it has been a men if you share with me the honor of serving Christ why don't you stand with me and we're gonna sing together and I'm gonna pray for you you know sometimes sometimes we sing these words without thinking about them but we talk about surrendering everything to God we say I'm in I'm Yours but are we I said at the beginning it was going to be a costly message in a minute Peter is going to come and talk to you about your personal faith whether you want to give your life to Jesus but I want to just ask you if you have been challenged by that message and you with me as saying as for me and my house I'm going to serve God and I'm going to give my life to Him why don't you raise your hands with me and say yeah I mean I'm going to surrender and just before we sing this song together and before Peter comes and we continue this meeting can I just say setting your own words Jesus I'm Yours I'm Yours can't the cost I've counted the cost and I'm in can you genuinely say that set say it to Jesus father God you see these thousands of hands not just here in this auditorium but people joining us in different parts of the world father God I pray that each one of us each one of us were totally and absolutely commit to being a disciple and all that at cost we will bow down to your will we will give up what we need to give up and we will live out this glorious revelation we ask it in Jesus name come on church let's sing together [Music] pulled my heart now infrared my soul prize [Music] I [Music] Oh so [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] beautiful just in this atmosphere of just faith worship I just wanted to ask a question as Robert said give people a moment to respond every week will give people an opportunity to respond those joined in online or through the link in any of our the rooms maybe in the parenting rooms and this room we're gathered in right now the question is this do you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior the first step I mean after a beautiful message like that is giving up surrender and that's the first step or when it becomes becoming a Christian becoming a believer is giving up your life surrendering your life to Jesus and my question is have you surrendered your life to Jesus and if you haven't would love the incredible opportunity to lead you in this simple powerful prayer of asking him to come into your life it's a day today where you can decide to draw a line in the sand it's a new beginning asking for forgiveness you see all of us the Bible says fallen short of the glory of God in other words we've all missed the mark but God is that good he gave his best for each and every one of us he son Jesus who died on the cross but didn't just die but he rose again for each and every one of us he restored us he saved us and he rescued us and all we have to do today is put our trust in him and it starts with a simple powerful prayer of asking him into your life can I ask every had to be bowed all over this place every eye closed everyone to be considering reflecting where are you at do you know him maybe at one time you prayed this prayer but you know in your heart you've walked away the good news is God never walks away from us even though we get distracted he's still with us for the Bible says that even where wherever we run wherever we go - we can make our bed in the depths of hell he's still there with us whoever you are today I would love to lead you in a powerful powerful prayer of asking him into your life maybe you've never prayed this prayer well today friend could be the first time you pray this prayer would love to lead you right now while every head is bowed every eye is closed whoever's watching in and I want you to think about that for a moment I'm gonna count to three when I get to three I want you to raise your hand high enough and long enough for me to see it and I'll include you in this prayer I'm about to pray you ready one two three wherever we're gathered right now people are raising their hands up the back there on the floor beautiful I'm sure in other locations right now people are responding God's doing a good work right now so many great people responding thank you thank you many hands being raised beautiful wow we can give these people a massive round of applause I see many hands here and I want you to say this prayer after me friend and together as one big church family come on where ever you joining in from right now say this prayer together with faith dear Jesus today I surrender all I give up my life to follow you so help me lead me and guide me I need your forgiveness in Jesus name I pray amen amen amen come on church one more time big congratulations phenomenal and as always many people give their lives every week's responding to the good news of Jesus and look don't go anywhere just yet we still got a few things to do here that look this is a beautiful Bible - magazine format Bibles it's a gift on behalf of our church to mark this day where you decided to follow Jesus when you walk out walk up to the people that are gonna be holding this out in our different four years they're waving this up in the air they're hoping that you would start a conversation with him say something like hey that prayer at the end I pray that can I have one of those Bibles and they would love to put a Bible in your hand so big congratulations again to all those that made that decision today so cool while we're at it I think we need to also thank Robert Ferguson for a phenomenal word so good to have him back we mr. Robert we missed you and we love you and it's just so good to have you back hey I need to remind you just a few things tonight everyone say tonight tonight we are celebrating in every way if you've never been here on a Sunday night I'm telling you need to come these places packed out there's a revival atmosphere in here and we've been doing these revival nights and God full-on moves and you know Laura togs is going to be bringing the word tonight which I'm really excited about so she's fired up ready to go but we'll also ask Robert as well with a loud extension of worship and well we're allowing Robert just to kind of cut loose and ministry time moves and the gifts of the Holy Spirit and so tonight come along bring friends that are sick bring friends unchurched friend we're gonna believe tonight to be one of those nights and also we're having an album launch party all right so I don't know there might be a song or two that we're going to be singing tonight from the album it's going to be an amazing time to give us so do not miss it all right everyone tap the person next to you as they do not miss tonight okay cuz this is it tonight our summer service times okay begins tonight so 4:30 when you hear the words summer do you just get goosebumps I mean it's well yeah thanks Magoo great ah listen for 30 people for 30 p.m. the epicenter service all right that's going to five pm that's what I was trying to say it's going from the 4:30 service to the foot thank you guys for correcting me I needed your help 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. and the 5:30 service is now going to 6 p.m. here in the convention center let me pray for you send you out of here is that all I needed to say is that it okay good father thank you God for that the church gathered today Lord we love you so much I pray you go before your people protect them watch over them to provide for them may your face shine upon them god we thank you so much that this week we walk in the victory of Jesus so bless your people in your name I pray and everyone said together amen [Music] see tonight church today [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] blessed

Channel: Hillsong Church

Views: 21,004

Rating: 4.8716049 out of 5

Keywords: jesus, hillsong, praise, worship, Robert Fergusson

Id: Yrm_XsdIau4

Length: 86min 30sec (5190 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 12 2019