Hillsong Church - The Centurion Factor

[Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] all my dreams come alive like this one [Music] a Nazi [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] beat us [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] in the hands that create [Music] now with the grace runs as deep as your skull you pulled me from the way you said me on the rock you called me by your name in my heart hole again lift it up [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] you crazy [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] your face holds [Music] [Applause] [Music] without from [Music] it was murder [Music] through - more church can we lift your hands if you're believing this morning as we praise [Music] this is awesome [Music] three [Music] [Music] so you to to retain [Music] [Music] [Music] you [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] that yours of hair it's breath to the store was smooth for good for the land had conquered a and that's it [Music] [Music] [Applause] now [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] I love the lyrics the words of that Psalm it is budda budda budda budda buildin it's fantastic so glad I wrote Oh great to have you in church Sunday night to June winters almost over [Music] how often you cannot come church on the train now I never mentioned all those years ago when we built this building then we'd have a train station at the end of our garden pretty incredible so [Applause] they tell me eight minutes I haven't even seen the training so in a way about eight minutes from castle tower to castle towers 19 minutes to Macquarie five minutes is Earth someone you're calling at five minutes to castle towers how many minutes do grouse Hill can anyone yell and tell me how far eight minutes to rouse Hill nine minutes to Scofield fantastic the train doesn't go to Scofield don't you tell fibs you're just a naughty boy father was so grateful to be in your house Labe only gather around your name and father we thank you that Jesus Christ King of Kings Lord that through the Holy Spirit your prison here we thank you Father that you're aware of every person here Lord you know it each of us by name Lord you know what's going on in our you care and father even now leave the people coming to church people are hungry for you sometimes people have desperate needs and Lord you've already here and I believe in the service line to be impacted holy spirit is gonna work wonders people are gonna hear from heaven God we didn't just come for the sake of it we came because we wanna be with Jesus so thank you for this great order in the name of the Lord amen [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] literally a breath other people and these needs as many of them and some of them all come up on the screen there so father we just thank you in Jesus name that you answer prayer Lord we thank you for the miracle working power Lord when we feel helpless we've got the power of God father in Jesus name we believe that your miracle working healing to bring victory father to literally overcome every situation whether it's physical spiritual emotional law of financial whatever it is we declare the name of the God who can turn around situations like granting visas to people we believe with the salvation of F intervention in marriages and blood and family situations have your way Lord and we thank you in advance with great testimonies dancin bread [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] are so good you can be seated maybe turn to the person on your left and person on your right and if you don't already know them just say hi [Music] well one of the great honors we have and putting Jesus first in our lives is the opportunity to give and tie it right now we're going to prepare for our tie them for our offering I'll encourage you to get ready and you'll see on the screen people getting give through the Hillsong app apparently that's one of the easiest ways to give you can use your card Bobby she takes our our tithe and our giving she do beats it up into every service and so have Jesus a credit card or possibly more to the point my credit card you give a treble way people just given the service but I just reflect in on what an incredible generous church you are how blessed we are to have pastor such a generous Church and some of us have been able to be accomplished because people have chosen to put God first it's called the storehouse the place where you're fed where the Word of God comes and I think giving and tithing always better when it comes out of a just a heart response than any other motivation to give it's a way we honor God it's the way we show our love for him and in a Jacob in the Bible Jacob when he heard and he saw what God was gonna do for him his instant response was to say Lord I would tithe and I'll give to you and he didn't have to it wasn't a law well before Moses of Mount Sinai it was a hut for sponsor you know I I just think when they're giving and they're tithing comes from a heart that wants to put God first I don't know that there's any more a specific physical way that we can reflect our love for God and our our honor for him then with our finances we worship with that as we just did with our songs over the hands raised and you know with a free spirit and that's powerful but maybe the tangible worship that shows the most where God really fits in our life when we say God I'm gonna take you to word and I'm gonna honor you in my finances that's such a powerful way for us to give and so as you prepared nature get ready let's really decide God you're first in my life and this is a joy this is the privilege to be able to give you the first part of my increase in Jesus name so come on with our hosts you guys get yourself in place in the nine o'clock service I kind of walked around a bit and just sort of got a perspective Church different parts of the service as funny cuz I stood up there in in the middle part there one of these hosts came as his pastor Brian could you move I literally got told to move and because I was standing in front of the stairs they would need to take people up the stairs say but I think is I'm telling you some people think I love that woman yeah she told him what to do fantastic did I pray it I didn't pray you can't take the tie though you've broken the program this is horrible father we just thank you for the chance to put you first learn that we can give them generously father I just pray right now as people do honor you Lord your word is working in their lives fulfilling your promise Lord Lord ever leave for blessing answered prayer miracles as we honor you we can see the work of the Lord go forward in the name of Jesus amen amen [Music] such an important part of the year for us half of the house which I'll speak about in a minute this next weekend there's a miracle offering that literally shaped so much of what we're able to do as a church going forward and so that's on conferences around the corner mega prayer night so many things coming up watch the screen and let's check it all out by Hillsong Church it's Martin Smith here I am very very excited to be coming on June 15th or 16th to be a part and help lead some worship on those days very honored to be invited and cannot wait to see you Lucy and wisdom knows the para saying yes to God I wonder if you have got the courage in your life when it come to whatever God calls you to do to say yes Lord it's a pillar of wisdom [Music] Jesus father we thank you for 2019 which is going to be may correspond higher [Applause] [Music] in any of these rooms ever thought incapable challenging us to get on the front foot of faith to pray today a little bit differently everyone should come to a Hillsong conference of bending God's gonna speak directly to them I'm gonna hear from him these things in SC in here when this revival is always something to say it is always something to hear let's believe that what we witness together what we see and what we we'll really be life-changing [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] well there you go big hi to every campus around Australia great to link with you guys for just a moment and of course we also got our online campus these days and we're glad to have you part of the family and people watch on livestream and we got today for the first time in the southern part of the Sunshine Coast we've already got an oosik campus we're starting a Sunday link and the sunday link is going to be in Calandra and it's really the start of a presence that I'm going to believe will become amazing and what is one of the fastest growing parts of Queensland and that's the southern part of of the Sunshine Coast they're so fantastic they're building a city Suffolk Alejandra basically so big big welcome to everybody and great time hope you praying for Hillsong UNITED as you know they're touring in the USA and we're they're part of us extended so far I've heard they've already been worshiping with 250,000 people live in the United States which is incredible a few days ago they packed where the Golden State Warriors play in Oakland and this coming week they're going to be in Staples Center where the Lakers and the Clippers play and you know it's gonna be another amazing night and then later on Madison Square Garden so they're playing some phenomenal places and venues and the responses as they do the people to have been incredible young and free are in Slovakia as you do as you do and so let's be praying for them as well these are missionaries from our church they say they're an extension of our family and we should never get you stuck we should be praying for them and thank you God for them and well can you believe it there is some conference is four weeks away four weeks away that's pretty amazing and I'm believing as I've been saying that from Hillsong Church in Australia we're gonna have a record number of our own church all the way from Hillsong kids young and free and the conference itself that we're gonna have a record registration from their own church on praying some of you guys who maybe you've never come to conference or haven't been for a long time that you'll make the effort and decide to come I was reflecting yesterday I actually saw a couple of pastoral reports about a couple in the next couple of weeks young people so you know high school age or maybe just out of high school and they've been through a bad situation but their young people have dropped out of youth and then fell away from God and you know now sadly because of their own decisions things got bad in their life and I think of how important it is we keep reaching out to people and I'd encourage you maybe you know people who were here but they'll kind of fallen away why don't you reach out to them maybe you could be the catalyst of God just supernaturally doing something in their lives and bringing them back into relationship with him but let's every effort you can parents the best thing you could do for your teenagers is get them the young and free conference and I feel the same about the Hillsong kids conference we hear the stories we hear the testimonies I saw the impact on our own children when obviously they were teenagers so I've encouraged a whole church to do whatever you can we're gonna believe for it to be life-changing transfer transformational a pretty Punk next weekend that on Friday night said they're not suddenly not we got Martin Smith of Church Smith he's obviously one of the legends of worship leading and songwriting through delirious but he's also prophetic and we're having a revivals type year and I'm gonna believe we're gonna encourage them just to be prophetic to speak to live worship to do whatever he wants to do so that's this coming weekend and oh really really excited about that now it's winter in case no one has told you a guest who I'll introduce in a moment he's from the north of England he thinks it versus winter I'll take it every time but you know what it is the north of England you know yeah yeah judging by the way you speak there's definitely the north of England people like you that are responsible for bricks ooh [Music] so tonight we got our winter service times wherever we have services different campuses are changing seminar but here at Hills tonight our 4:30 service in the theater over the car park and our 5:30 service here so the six o'clock service is now 5:30 throughout winter it means you get the kids in bed a little bit earlier it means you get home a little earlier yourself and tonight we have an amazing guest speaker me and I'm excited and I've already got my missus ready and I'm ready to let go unleash on you so let's come and have an amazing night again we're gonna believe for a revival type atmosphere and I really hope that you guys lead in no school tomorrow Lord we can no school tomorrow so get the kids and bring them to church and let's make it a fantastic night tonight all right and the other thing of course which I want to take a little bit of time speaking about is our heart for the house giving it's next weekend and this offering now if you're new to our church there's a special season for us and this offering over the years has literally been the difference between us being able to do what we have been able to do both in social justice and helping causes were connected to around the world but also here at home and we're looking for we got da applications in the council and the Gold Coast right near the narang highway for our surfers campus and we've got right here in Macquarie 19 minutes away on the train I've got a DA application in there for a permanent facility 24/7 and Greater Western Sydney we own a piece of land and we're working through the process of getting permission to be able to build there and of course every campus where people meet there's things that we want to do to update things and improve things and make it a better experience for people right in front of us we're leaving to be able to build in the future hopefully right on this property some college accommodation and yeah and it will be sheer luxury yeah no no we are believing to be able to do that we have got faithful Melbourne City that we can start stepping out we started raising money for this property firstly that building over here the one next door in 1989 we turned soil in 2000 sorry 1996 and 1996 so that was just people giving them faith for the future and that's what we wanting to be able to do all I'm saying is I pray everyone to think about your part this giving is tax-deductible giving but obviously you'd need a receipt for that and it's always been sacrificial it's always been over and above it's always really framed but I think is the true spirit and heart of our church do you know people is given in the molasse two years one couple after selling a business got three million dollars to our heart for the house offering which is miracle giving and numbers of times people have given a million dollars people have given give pretty well every time hundreds of thousands of dollars and maybe you're one of those people or maybe you're not maybe think well I wish but all you need to do is look at what your possibilities are look at what is possible for you and then put the face stretch on it and maybe we all need to be sacrificial maybe there was something that you're hoping to do this year that you could put off just another year that new lamp room suite or whatever whatever this does the spirit of a sacrifice and the day itself is always holy and on top of that it's like a mid-year Vision Sunday because I've already seen the video that we're going to be showing next week which I know is going to inspire you about some of the things we'll be able to believe to do and so on and so even if you decide you're not going to do anything still be here be in the house because I believe you're going to be inspired this by the vision Sunday taught field to the whole day so it's a big big special day in our church that always is and I pray that every couple of talking about it praying about it you're wondering what you couldn't do and to be amazing if the spirit of it is we're gonna do more than we've ever done before I mean that'd be incredible and so thank God for each and every single one the envelopes are on your seats and so if you haven't already noticed this is the envelope from which you can give to the heart for the house offering and please take it with you take it with you think about it pray about it and I think of her whole church of everybody leans in and place your path I couldn't wherever you're at in life we are gonna see a miracle and we are going to announce a miracle in Jesus name and so let's all take that on board and really be thinking about it there's what we're believing today and I hope you know what I love people come along with a sense of excitement they actually literally come along with a sense of excitement because we feel like we're doing something that's powerful and worthwhile so god bless you that's that have a great rest of the service all of you guys we love you and glad you're part of that church especially in South Australia oh that's not the note in South Australia I didn't even know where the God goes to South Australia any South Australians here one Wow nearly the whole state is here that's fantastic Oh - there's two of you over there it's amazing yeah almost all Adelaide is in the service that I did it will ever go to South Australia McGoo so we said Magoo [Applause] you can probably catch the train there Tuesday night always forgot to include everyone else on this Tuesday night is our mega prayer night once a year prayer meeting on a Tuesday night and I pray people will come together or you'll bring your kids and we're gonna have the most amazing I'm gonna my heart I feel Eve God dropped it in my spirit and a kingdom Buddhist retreat I got her to my heart though we need to take responsibility for breaking the drought because Elijah he said he's no different than you he's a man just like you a man when the nights are like yours and yet he could take charge over the rain he prayed that it wouldn't rain and it didn't and he prayed it would rain and it did and we're gonna start taking it seriously and praying for rain and believing that this drought is gonna break soon that God is going to intervene and farmers whose lives are desperate right now and and obviously crops and animals and so on that God is going to turn it around and so we'll be praying for that we're also gonna be praying for conference for the heart for the house offering we're gonna be praying for whatever God puts in our spirit to pray for but we're gonna pray for you and your life and your needs and there's a power and collective prayer there's a power in corporate prayer so let's be ready for that sorry I took more time than normal to talk through some of these things through but it's just that time of year and so I'm blessed you're blessed because we have Paul scans with us today Paul Paul and Glenda have been friends of ours for a long long time had been to a church numbers of times in the past have been a blessing and to Hillsong conference and so on but not for a while and so I'm really thrilled that we have Paul scaling back they live in Bradford in England and they for many years pastored the church there now their daughter Charlotte and her husband Steve they posted the church there Paul itinerate sand he teaches people about communication and does some amazing things and I think you're gonna really enjoy this morning could we stand to give a huge welcome to pastor Paul Scanlon as it comes to share God's Word thank you hello good morning can they all be seated thank you these are my furniture feng shui people they travel with me everywhere thank you just another inch that way then I'll be happy thank you how are you all well thank you so much for your love and your welcome it is a joy to be with you guys and I want to start by saying a massive thank you back date to 20 years to Brian and Bobbie and the team here for when we first came in to Hillsong World our church was going through a really difficult time as churches often do and other organizations often do and when we came a pretty beat up because we were trying to reinvent our church and was struggling because there's no place like the church to be resistant to reinventions especially in England and Europe and these guys were so kind to us an inclusive of azam believed in us and I wanted to make sure I said I've said this in Hill songs all around the world but they were not in the room so to say here with them in the room and to this place where we first came into the old song world because you didn't have all the campuses around the world then the churches around the world matters to me even though my time is going this shouldn't really be off my preaching time this is honoring time that should be free I'm teasing you but it matters to me even to take my time to spend time on these guys because I want you to know that kindness in your life will live in your life a lot longer than other things that people think would have been remembered when people are kind to you when no one's been kind to you it especially stays in your heart and you them and you a previous generation of this church but it is still your DNA were kind to as a strangers and people struggling to believe that there was a possibility of a new breed Church in our country you were already doing it here and have since then around the world I want to thank you because champion in the local church has never been your branding or never being a slogan it has always been your DNA way before some of you even born that has been the DNA of this house and I got to tell you that DNA didn't come cheap it's not cheap it is priceless when you're on the receiving end of it so thank you to these guys and thank you to all of you for your kindness to our singing here thank you well now feel I've earned the right to sell you something now I hate doing this on our first date it's very rude it's bad dating etiquette to move so quickly with you to this point at which I'll sell you things but our relationship is long-distance and complex it's many years since I was here maybe many years since I'm here again so we need to move quicker when we're together is my is my excuse and justification for this rudeness at the first few minutes of this presentation but I want you to look at the resource table I brought some stuff with me this is called saw with you strength is blue USB many hours of teaching on these pieces of technology saw with your strength is really out of my conviction that God made everybody brilliant at something most humans live all of their lives and no one tells them that and they don't know that the education system in the West the education system you're very you're variety of it and ours is killing our children it has no interest in forms of intelligence that don't show up on the school curriculum our schools are obsessed with answering the question how intelligent are you meaning academically the question is not how intelligent are you the question is how are you intelligent I have egg grandchildren who are now going through the education system I fear for them because at least two of my grandkids are weird they are they're very weird I think their weirdness is their superpower but the school is trying to fix them so sorry the strength is my commitment to say to you guys especially emerging generation you do not need fixing your difference is your superpower find out what it is and saw with that strength out of your life secondly this is a new series as the video series what I did my top tens listen top 10 of anything choosing top 10 of anything decades in is a nightmare it's like including excluding children it's just you top tens about leadership or team-building this one's personal development top ten I'm committed to keeping growing all of my life you should be too and the first one of those top ten personal development ideas to give you a flavor of what's on there is if you want to keep growing as a person you have to let go of being liked who tells us that no one tells us that as some of you is struggling to move on because you're waiting for someone's validation that they're gonna be happy about the next version of you but if the next version of you means they don't have the same space in your life that they do now they're gonna be threatened by it so sometimes to keep growing you have to let go of some people rearrange their space in their life or they're gonna hold you back based on their old relationship situation with you so letting go of being liked is something I've done a lot in my life I'd rather be unpopular than stuck in your permissions for me is I think what I learned the hard way and then finally wisdom for life is exactly what it is it's sixty five to eight many things I sat down spoke about things I wish someone had told me but our wisdom and foundational building blocks for our lives things like it's hard to change the world when you can't find your keys some of you have great idea for your life but you're an organizational disaster and you don't think it matters and it does some of you will never achieve your dream if you can't learn to show up on time find your phone try and charge your phone for a change when you have it maybe answer your phone now and then maybe return maybe return a text would be amazing these are goals for the rest of this year these are big asks for some of you and you've not connected the dots between that lack of discipline and poor organization and the big dream you've got I tell you what you can't change the world if today you don't know where your phone is so no one told me that stuff and I realized I had big dreams as a leader but I had no one to help me make it happen and until I found people that could make big things happen those big things stayed in my mind so stuff like that on there so you can listen to that have a new series called aging well to listen to that I'm aging well as you can see I'm 95 and I tell you around the world the more I travel the more I'm aware we humans are not aging well because aging well I'm gonna tell the aging well is follow of an art than a science aging well isn't are some if you're going to the gym every day you look great but you don't realize you have a toxic soul and you will not get away with it you won't get away with it we're looking good we live in a look good world don't we exterior will look good but inside were dying because we're harboring things that are contaminating us and killing us on the inside so this is about aging well across the range of your life is that video series I've done so speak to the guys like that about that we forgot the commercials are over say Amen I feel the same way it's sorry to do that to you alright Luke 7 verse 1 to 10 we're going to spend a few minutes in this beautiful fascinating story this encounter Jesus had with this Centurion Jesus entered Capernaum there a Centurion servant whom his master valued highly was sick and about to die the Centurion heard about Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him asking him to come and heal his servant when they came to Jesus they pleaded earnestly with him this man deserves to have you do this because he loves our nation has built our synagogue and so Jesus went with them he was on his way to the house when the Centurion sent friends to say Lord don't trouble yourself or I do not deserve to have you come under my roof this is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you but say the word and my servant will be healed for I myself am a man under Authority with soldiers under me I say to this one go when he goes and that one come and he comes I say to my servant do this and he does it when Jesus heard this he was amazed where we say amazed I think whatever is capable of amazing Jesus is worthy of closer investigation just in case we could amaze him again by a similar behavior that made him be amazed 2000 years ago I think the frequency with which God is amazed is few and far between in church history because him been amazed is far more to do with us than it is to do with him turning to the crowd following him he said I have not found such great faith even in Israel then the man who'd been sent returned home to find the servant well the title for this message and I work very hard on my titles so that if you forget me and forget today the title will stick in your mind years from now I made people around the world all the time that refer to a message I did and it goes back 30 years when I think about the message they're thinking about and they remember it by a title a good title gathers up the concept like a good title of a book or a movie it stays in your mind and when you mention the title the whole idea is gathered up in the title a title is an ideas first impression so it needs to be a good one I think a lot of preachers are lazy about their titles I say the pastor's around the world in my Kunik communication masterclass that I do what are you teaching at the moment I'm teaching on faith but what's it called faith what did you teach last Sunday faith part three highly forgettable so working on titles I think is an active service to people that are tracking with us and want something memorable to go home with so this title is called the Centurion factor the Centurion factor you can photograph the screen no one will take your phone of you you photograph the screen if you can't remember it and the screen and the title helps you visual learners to engage with me a little bit more than you audio learners now you have an image as well as a title the century in fact because I invented this term because I can you can to if there's something in your life you can't figure out inventor term everybody's doing it it'll go viral probably because I think this Centurion in this story deserves his own factor deserves his own unique contribution to our understanding of faith because that's the kind of faith I think he had and I want to explain to you a little bit today because something game-changing and fascinating is going on here and the scenario is as we just read here is a Centurion that by definition means he's a powerful individual in society he is a military commander so he's very connected in terms of his military power he's also very wealthy because we just heard the elders who he reached to of the synagogue to approach Jesus on his behalf they said to Jesus he's a good guy so much so he even financed our church building he financed our synagogue so he is a wealthy individual and he's very powerful and well-connected but he has a problem none of that can fix a six staff member and subheadings in the Bible are often misleading because the subheading here is the Centurions servant but as we just read it's the least person it's about is the servant we know nothing about the servant was the servant with him a long time was the servant male or female was the servant ill with something we could have known more about what was the recovery like and afterwards we know all of that more about other people Jesus helped so this is not about the servant it's about the Centurion there's something going on here the miracle actually here the miracle was not actually the healing of the servant the miracle here was something much more significant going on behind the scenes and so I want to take you for a few moments into the subplot what's going on here I think what makes a movie outstanding and separates it out from an average movie is not the plot it's the subplot what makes your life interesting is not the plot we can see but the subplot we cannot see what also makes your life agonizing at times is that your head is involved in the plot you can see but your heart is involved in the subplot you cannot see that often makes living very difficult because you know something bigger is going on but destiny is impossible to understand now all looking forward destiny only reveals itself retrospectively which is a very bad thing about destiny you look back and think ah now I know what that was five years ago but at the time so this subplot here is fascinating to me because this Centurion connects to these elders he knows who he knows know Jesus and he knows Jesus helps with people like this his situation and money and wealth and power couldn't fix this terminal illness that his servant had so Jesus sets off to this man's house we don't know how long the walk was the train link hadn't been built yet nor could he grab an uber to get there quicker so everywhere was walking so he sets off to this man's house perhaps a couple of hours journey I don't know but he's walking to this man's house because he's going as the eldest probably said he will come to your house this is how this goes down and he lay hands on the staff member the servant and the miracle then happens so we're gonna persuade him to come to your house in the city was like whatever this is your domain not mine so cool just get in here as quick as you can I guess was the conversation let me just say well I explain and go over the narrative to you again let me just say this so that you stay in this space with me you do know don't you people in the Bible did not know they were in the Bible you need to know people in the Bible were like you in this room today stuff that me in real time they weren't doing things so that preachers had good material 2,000 years on then are acting out a drama that was purely fodder for great preaching later these people would in real time like you are today not knowing how a thing will turn out not knowing whether Jesus will be too late not knowing whether your your sickness will get healed or not whether you breakthrough will come or not in time they were living in real time and I've got to keep reminding you of that as we're on this piece of ground we're doing this journey with Jesus were involved in this conversation to appreciate it and so Jesus is going to this man's house that's plan a then the Centurion who I imagine was sat at home thinking through what it set in motion he's already self-conscious a quiet embarrassed about the idea of wasting Jesus's time perhaps of having someone of Jesus's reputation in his home is already uncomfortable about that as we gathered I wasn't worthy to come to you in the first place is what he sends in the second message is sitting on thinking I set in motion this idea but I think we're gonna I got a better idea the better idea was he thought like we often do about stuff I think Jesus is like me he thinks in terms of you know being a person of authority and under authority if I want to hear about him he has a team and a staff and he has people that he's leading like I do and from what I hear of him he's a man under the authority of this God that he worships and the Jewish elders had probably told him much about that so he says to himself I am in charge of people and people are in charge of me so when I tell people to do stuff go there and come here they do that when I am told by those over me do this and do that I have to do it even though it comes in the form of a letter the person that sent the letter perhaps from Roman military High Command send a seal on the bottom of it and the seal the Roman seal was as good as the person's presence in the room but didn't require the person's presence in the room so he's figuring out it's very military very military black and white idea of authority but enough frame to understand why the first plan could be upgraded for a new one because he said to himself if if I tell people to do things and they do it and I don't need to go with them to make sure they do it I don't think Jesus needs to come to my house to make sure what he wants to happen happens I don't think for authority and power to work it needs physical presence because those that command me are not in the room and those who I command I am NOT in the room when they carry out my orders so I think Jesus can stay where he is and send his word so so so the word can behave like a person can is what he's figuring out genius so he sends this second message and this the other the delegation say to Jesus this is the new idea so don't come just send your wood so what's amazing why it's worthy of being called amazing why Jesus is in amazement he's not just because of who's asking for help which was amazing this outsider to the church this not only Gentile but Roman military commander and the Jews hated the Gentile hated the Gentiles and the Romans so nor is it amazing that who's asking but what he's asking for and now how he wants to change how it goes down what's amazing is that up till this time no one knew that this was even possible to be asked for because up till this time Jesus has never healed anyone without being physically present in the same room which is what he was going to do this time so no one knew anybody could get healed without him being there no one knew it was an option so he's asking for something that this Roman centurion he has no precedence for other than his own reference point in his own world you can imagine the disciples thinking what Jesus put this guy straight when he tells Jesus how to do his thing you know Jesus gonna say please you Delaine me I gotta get there quickly it's a crisis situation please don't tell me how to do my job if you know anything about the disciples you know they're very capable of that kind of conversation as all of us especially when the idea to do something better comes from someone outside Brook there are many people outside the church that have brilliant ideas of how we can do things better and thank God we're building churches around the world some of us where we're open to that idea we know they'll never darken the door of a church and that's ok but we know God put them in our space for some insight some wisdom some idea some way of seeing and doing a thing that means that we save a lot of time and money in doing it because they offered something and Jesus was so wide open to that by this suggestion and the guy says just send your word so first of all it's who's asking shocking the suggestion is shocking customers no precedent for it what's also surprising and shocking to me as I as I sit still in this story to figure out the nuances of what's going on as to why would result in been said that he was amazed is that the only person who knew he didn't need to go to this man's house was Jesus but he didn't say anything this bothers me a lot about God it does it bothers me it strikes me as irresponsible certainly poor parenting for you to know that there's a better way an easier way to get something done and not tell that to your children for you to know there is a quicker more efficient way a more time saving way to get things done and not say anything strikes me as odd I had no theology for this kin of God for many years but I understand in this scenario what's amazing is not only that it was unprecedented request but Jesus always knew it was an option but he was going to go to the man's house anyway and I want to introduce you if that's what I'm doing today to the idea that God is open to doing something your way it doesn't need to be his way I think our Christianity for for a long time has been built on the idea that we just kind of do what God tells us that obedience is to do with God's gonna God's gonna do it his way and you know have your way Lord and we sing these songs and these to have your way Lord and sometimes God saying well I will because I want to get a good result for everybody but I'm open to ideas the God is your friend he's not your dictator he's not your controller that God is very open to suggestions from us because this thing called Christianity operates according to your faith not according to his ability and if your faith cannot access the range of his abilities then he'll keep coming to your house and it concerned me years ago that I wonder often in my own life and our church's lives through the generations how many roads were making Jesus walk down that he does not need to for our sake because the Centurion the Centurion would have been offended and angry if Jesus had said go and tell him I won't come I'll send a word and that revelation that idea was not part of this in Tyrians understanding he would have been offended that it looks like he doesn't care is he too busy am I not important enough and so he would have struggled because the idea didn't come the Centurions way Jesus would not have put it on him so the man's saying come to my house is what Jesus thinks he's saying that's what the elders said but then he said don't come just send a word and so Centurion fact of faith is the kind of faith that gets God to do stuff that no one knew God could do and this faith is available to every single one of you every day of your Christian life and if no one tells us this I think we just keep getting God to walk down roads through history but he doesn't need to but he will if we don't ask him to do it a different way and it's still a good outcome someone still gets helped and healed but if you study church history and I have and still do where you find unusual amazing moves of God let's use that word because it's part of our common vocabulary unusual activities of God in the earth at its core you will find something that I now call Sakura Infanta faith the God God to do something that no one believed God could do or would do and that generation of the church just something unprecedented when no one knew it was possible but at its core someone had the audacity someone had their naivety someone had the cheek the rudeness the presumption because that's often what it's called at the time no move of God is called that as it happens it's often called that retrospectively but no one wants to call something God as it happens in case it's a threat to my version of God if God's doing something in your life when it's not what he's doing in my life and it looks and sounds different to how I've told myself God does things if God's working off script off my script if God's operating outside of my permissions that I give him then I'm gonna say that can't be God that's not God and God just loves for you to say that to him so this is a game-changing situation because something unprecedented just happened it came from an outsider to suggest it Jesus knew we could do it but didn't say anything a lot of stuff going on here it reminds me of a know a friend of mine that I D years ago called Bill and Bill is the kind of person a you ever have someone in your life like this you've known them for years okay so you kind of know all about them you think and them you then they do something and you like what I didn't know you could play the piano you go through a shopping mall or or someone in the co-panelists sit down and play Beethoven you've known them 10 years you're like what this is Bill so bill and I would at the university campus in our city years ago and I was pastoring sat in a coffee shop talking about reaching the students and as we got up to leave the coffee shop about you know 10 or so a dozen students came in there were Chinese that had just come to our city I suppose for a degree programmers we're leaving bill goes over to these Chinese kids and starts speaking to them in fluent freakin Chinese I use freaking so that I can still take stay and touch myself without shocking it was it's still shocking as I tell the story now fluent freakin Chinese bill bill I know there's no such thing as speaking Chinese I know it's Mandarin Cantonese but back then I didn't know that and it's better for the story anyway so don't be writing me I know so I'm like [Music] what the bills talk and I don't mean in case you're thinking you mean like a few words to connect with the kids no I mean fluent freakin Chinese bill gives you thinking there must have been a clue okay here's how here's how working in clues this is I live in Yorkshire think think of the Shire think of hobbits okay that's bill now ask yourself how Chinese is the image I that's my point so I wasn't missing something everything we must have known you know bill looked a bit Chinese he had Chinese friends he liked Chinese takeout food no no no clue so I'm outside the cafe waiting for bill to give him it with both battles you've ever been not just shocked but upset shocked like you've been holding out on me so bill comes out and I'm ready I'm like bill what what just happened what you you went to those kids you just spoke to them in fluent freaking Chinese I've known you for 12 years how can how can I not know bill seriously you you're kidding me how how come you never told me you never told me you speak Chinese you know talk moi me your friend why not billon is cool calm an own way by the way some of you have that superpower just said to me because you never asked that was it bill was done that was it that was his answer it didn't go on to explain just said you never asked to which I said why would I have asked I tell you that to tell you this that God he's like Bill and you need to know this about God the churches missed this for generations I think and I did too the God speaks Chinese but but but don't be clapping I'm good time but he won't tell you you have to get him to do it you have to get him not to come to your house you have to get him to send a word instead of showing up you have to get him to do something that's your idea not his otherwise he'll just come to your house and it's still a good outcome but I get this sense of watching God throughout the ages that God is aching and longing to do it differently but he's wanting a human to say why don't we do this God instead of that only to find God saying cool let's do that instead then because this this this this Centurion fact of faith is kind of human hijacking it's human interruption of divine intent I'm gonna come to your house well now I'm not we're gonna do it this way instead give me another example um who knew the son could be made to stand still by a man asking for that to happen what everybody go it's kind of that you got to read your Bible and go what remember now Joseph doesn't know he's in the Bible Joshua doesn't know is in the Bible trying to give a good preaching story later it's just a guy like somebody you with today out in town I mean we do this all the time in England son stand still but it doesn't because we have real winter hello you should have that word taken off you winter it's kind of on my stomach false description of what's going on it's like summer for me here I'm like no I'm like so so he's having a bad time Joshy was in a battle of everyday military situation and they're winning but it's getting dark he needs more daylight a practical problem now if we'd have finished with the enemy going into the cover of night using the advantage of darkness to escape live to fight another day that would have been the narrative would have turned the page nothing new to see here that's ok no problem but instead something happened that day and Joshua had this don't know what happened what needs to happen in your head to come up with that and Joshua looks at the Sun and shouts at it to stand still I wouldn't want to been on his team I think you know Pastor Brian needs a sabbatical he's shouting at the Sun he's talking to the well I mean oh I know Joshi was under pressure I know it's been a tough day but the generals would I just heard him shout to the Sun perhaps is what went on because they didn't know they're in the Bible just a normal thing but very weird what happened and clearly he said son stand still this was not God's idea although God knew he could do it but didn't say anything so Joshua got God to speak Chinese that day because God said cool I can do that boom you never asked so I didn't do it but God knew he could do it but God would have let the battle end with the enemy escaping living to fight another day God would allow that to happen until someone said I need more daylight now what's even more fascinating to me than that is that we all know don't we children that the Sun doesn't move when I say that people always look like you're looking like you didn't know that Sun doesn't move saw the earth moves around the Sun so he's asking for something far more complex than just one planet stopping still he's asking the whole universal planetary alignment orbital alignment to be interrupted because if you slow down the earth so it stays in sunlight longer if you slowed down the earth you got to slow them all down as far as Pluto so Joshua's saying can you interrupt the whole universe galactic orbital schedule so I can kill a few more bad guys you think God would go hang on a minute this is a massive massive ridiculous request for a small advantage get real can you scale it down why would I interrupt the universe to kill a few more bad guys is not what God said to him God will never judge you for reaching God will never patronize you for reaching god loves it like a parent does with their kids when they reach he may be a failed attempt may have turned out with a bad outcome but you got to celebrate this heart which is the DNA of this church you've got to celebrate this have a goal why not us why not now why not here why not some unprecedented Centurion factor faith in the offering next week the three million dollars from someone is a historical history-making precedent setting brilliant thing that happened but I I wonder if God is saying I want in that area to in life to be amazed and I've got to tell you three million dollars is amazing but so is three for some of you Jesus was amazed that a woman that gave a penny because God's not interested so much in the amount he's interested in the cost amounts can be measured but costs cannot no one can tell anyone how much that cost you to give that and that's what God sees God sees the cost the sacrifices Brian said that's involved in any amount that we give son standstill okay let's do that then hmm what about the sick being healed in Peters shadow what this was not God's idea nor Peters idea they're just borrowed his shadow and sick and desperate people had an idea to shuffle their way into his shadow and God clearly went okay I can hear you in the shadow cool never been done before no precedent for it let's do that then what about sick people healed because someone took a handkerchief from a sick person who couldn't get to see Paul and said will you lay hands on a handkerchief you know we've we better franchise out of that stuff but and that's not the intention of these these are all in scriptures so that we build a movement on it they're simply a heads up heads up God can do stuff walking on water what the heck's that about or waste of time seriously who's been helped who's been healed who's been safely delivered nobody's been helped I've come to the collusion walking on water is literally God showing off it's like I can do stuff what about a fish ATM ah we need money to pay the taxes you know what go catch your fish a lot of money in this mouth a fish ATM a fish cash machine we should all find out where they swim how elaborate how fancy how unnecessary is that way to get money we could just do it a normal way Jesus money in a fish's mouth and sick healed in a shadow and handkerchiefs been carried to the sick and Sun standing still and send a word and not come to my house is God saying to your church I want to speak Chinese more often but you need to get me to do it because if you don't ask you won't see it in your life and in our generation and we need more of it the stunts the other come on times gone well thank you so much again you guys for your loving you're welcome I pray for your father thank you for these beautiful humans here all across this room here with all of our stories all the plots and subplots and twists and turns of our lives that are brought us to this moment we thank you today that you are forensic ly involved in the shadows of our lives that when we think you have most abandoned us if we could dust our lives for your fingerprints we'd find you all over us you never left his office taken us and so in our hearts today we sit up and lift our chin towards the coming weeks and months in the second half of this year where everything is still to play for and I pray Lord there'll be the beginnings of experimentation and stepping out in even small ways on large ways to get you to speak Chinese that we might amaze you again that it might be said of our personal lives and our corporate lives Jesus was amazed because we got you to do something that came out of hearts not just yours I pray for innovation improvisation new ways of doing old things creative voices zero gravity mentalities to get you in our generation to do something amongst us that can only be described as simply amazing in Jesus name love you guys thanks for listening today thank you [Applause] [Music] ah such refreshing teaching I love to stay with us just a moment if you could please that really really awesome that story of course is the story which was the passion and the heart behind our kingdom builders all those years ago and so thank you if you guys want to give an offer in the woods Paul for that word you know the Bible teaches us to bless those who bring the Word of God to us you're welcome to you can use the app which is really simple or when you leave in just a few minutes time they'll be people and all the doors holding containers you can drop an offering in there the Hillsong app is pretty well the probably the easiest way to do it I think it'd be great because pastor Paul he doesn't no longer passed as a church don't receive a salary from a local church and so hopefully we can be a blessing as a church so think about that that we contain us on the doors or you can just use a Hillsong app beautiful well listen I want to talk about something and that is your faith in Jesus Christ what is the condition of your relationship with God have you ever made a conscious choice to surrender ownership of your life to the Lord Jesus Christ have you ever encountered him in a personal way by encountering him I mean there was a moment there's a time when you know that you know that Jesus came into your life I believe today is going to be that moment for people scripture says that if you asked Jesus to come to your life he will come and it's a promise and you'll Quellin you he'll live in you and with Christ in us everything about our future changes and everything about our eternity changes so I'm going to really believe today the people are going to make a choice for Jesus and in a minute's time I'm going to ask people on the count of three to raise your hand because I want to pray for everybody who makes a choice for Jesus Christ today so I'm saying ask you to raise your hand saying Brian include me in your prayer that I made for be born again that I may know what it is to follow Jesus Christ to be saved from my old life and from sin into a brand new future maybe at some point you prayed a prayer like that but somewhere along the way you lost your way and if noticed that God moves he said I'll never leave you nor forsake you he's he's the constant he's he's the one who saved us but whenever says he unsaved anybody but we make our choices and we can make us we could be making choices that have us living separated alienated from the center of God's will our ongoing relationship with them what a perfect day to come back to Jesus what a perfect day to get right with God essentially determine backsliding and believe I'm coming back to Jesus at the center I believe that's your time so that is the time for some people here your time so like I said I'm going to count to three and on three if he said Broman you pray for people to make a conscious choice to Jesus when you pray for people to encounter God in a personal way which include me in that prayer I would love to include you we said Brian when you pray for people to make the peace with God to get right with God to turn from their backsliding which included in your prayer I would love to pray for you today's a day of salvation today's a day of people coming back to Jesus a restored relationship with him remember he never went anywhere he never moved so sometimes we move in the wrong direction we have every eye closed and every person and prayer and like I say if you say Brian please include me in that prayer and I count to three you raise your hand in the air I know there's gonna be a whole lot of hands I know you're not going to be the only one and so you're ready for that you're ready I'm free to raise your hand you want this to be a day when Jesus comes future life on through you raise your hand join others who raised their hand to all across the strait here we go on the count of three one two three lift them up and lift them high right now thank God for people making choices for Jesus thank God for people I'm making their peace with him sometimes people that hold their hand down low it's hard to see but I can't see people with their hands raised and people up here in the back and different parts of the building so praise God for that let's give them all a Grimpen congratulations and together out loud this whole church family let's pray this prayer together you pray after me and of course if you raise your hand you raise your hand you you you you you in particular pray to God because I believe this is your moment we're all pray along with you in support in Jesus name everyone these words dear Jesus this is the moment I surrender ownership of my life to the Lord Jesus Christ because of you Jesus from this moment my sins are forgiven I'm a child of God a new creation a follower of Jesus Christ thank you for your love and grace thank you for your forgiveness and mercy I am a believer jesus is alive and made a man can I give them one more [Applause] more great congratulations now if you raised your hand across our church everywhere there'll be people in the foyer who are gonna be holding up Bibles have you read to him we would love to give you a gift from Hillsong Church there's beautiful New Testament Bible and I pray that it starts to frame your life moving forward then you'll get an India water into your life and into your spirit I pray that if you're not already in fellowship somewhere then you make it back to church here or if you have not from here wherever you guys are from and I pray this is the start of a brand new journey for you in Jesus name so be people holding heads sir holding hands you're holding up Bibles hold it up Bibles in the foyer and you take one of those or someone may see you in the service and pass your Bible in the service itself so father we grateful father we thank you for your word we thank you for your presence we thank you Lord that you are in charge of our lives lord I pray for this week coming up to be a week of breakthrough new beginnings new opportunities father I pray that will sense your presence every step of the way Lord I believe you're with us in the valley you're turning into pose the blessing so Lord in Jesus name we commit our way to you thank you Father that we have the opportunity to be in your house tonight and may we see you working in our lives every step of the way moving forward to the name of Jesus Christ don't forget tonight winter service times it's gonna be awesome see you then be blessed [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: Hillsong Church

Views: 21,871

Rating: 4.8662953 out of 5

Keywords: jesus, hillsong, praise, worship, Paul Scanlon

Id: rX6M4ERzkB0

Length: 91min 42sec (5502 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 08 2019